Datasets:

tharindu

/

patents

like 0

a fixturing apparatus that includes a housing defining an interior space and having a trapezoidal cross - section , a first end , and an opposing second end , and is formed to include an aperture extending therethrough from the first end to said second end .

this invention is described in preferred embodiments in the following description with reference to the figures , in which like numbers represent the same or similar elements . reference throughout this specification to “ one embodiment ,” “ an embodiment ,” or similar language means that a particular feature , structure , or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention . thus , appearances of the phrases “ in one embodiment ,” “ in an embodiment ,” and similar language throughout this specification may , but do not necessarily , all refer to the same embodiment . the described features , structures , or characteristics of the invention may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments . in the following description , numerous specific details are recited to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the invention . one skilled in the relevant art will recognize , however , that the invention may be practiced without one or more of the specific details , or with other methods , components , materials , and so forth . in other instances , well - known structures , materials , or operations are not shown or described in detail to avoid obscuring aspects of the invention . referring now to fig1 and 2 , fixturing apparatus 100 comprises a housing 102 , a first planar flange 210 attached to the housing and extending outwardly therefrom in a first direction , and a second planar flange 220 attached to the housing and extending outwardly therefrom in a second and opposing direction . in certain embodiments , housing 102 , planar flange 210 , and planar flange 220 , comprise an integral assembly . in the illustrated embodiment of fig1 , fixturing apparatus 100 comprises housing 102 which is formed to include an aperture 106 extending therethrough . further in the illustrated embodiment of fig1 , fixturing apparatus 100 comprises a first plurality of locking teeth 104 a disposed within aperture 106 , and a second plurality of locking teeth 104 b disposed within aperture 106 . further in the illustrated embodiment of fig1 , aperture 106 is partially defined by a bottom surface 105 and an opposing top surface 107 . the first plurality of locking teeth 104 a are disposed on bottom surface 105 and extend upwardly into aperture 106 . the second plurality of locking teeth 104 b are disposed on top surface 107 and extend downwardly into aperture 106 . in the illustrated embodiment of fig2 , fixturing apparatus 200 comprises housing 202 which is formed to include an aperture 206 extending therethrough . comprises a plurality of locking teeth 104 disposed within aperture 106 . further in the illustrated embodiment of fig2 , aperture 206 is partially defined by bottom 205 . the plurality of locking teeth 104 are disposed on bottom 205 and extend outwardly into aperture 206 . in certain embodiments , applicant &# 39 ; s plurality of rigid locking teeth 104 are formed from one or more metals . in certain embodiments , applicant &# 39 ; s plurality of rigid locking teeth are formed from one or more ceramic materials . in certain embodiments , applicant &# 39 ; s plurality of rigid locking teeth are formed from a polymeric material selected from a group consisting of nylon , polyamide , polyimide , polyamideimide , polyurethane , polyethylene , polypropylene , polycarbonate , polystyrene , and combinations thereof . in certain embodiments , fixturing subassembly 102 is formed as an integral unit from a polymeric material selected from the group consisting of nylon , polyamide , polyimide , polyamideimide , polyurethane , polyethylene , polypropylene , polycarbonate , polystyrene , and combinations thereof . fig3 a is a perspective view of both fixturing apparatus 100 and 200 . in the illustrated embodiment of fig3 a , housing 102 / 202 is formed to include an indicator 204 showing a direction that a flexible strap , such as and without limitation , flexible strap 370 ( fig3 b , 3 c ) can be moved through aperture 106 , namely from end 101 of aperture 106 to end 103 of aperture 106 . fig3 a further shows flange 210 formed to include aperture 215 extending therethrough . fig3 a further shows flange 220 formed to include aperture 225 extending therethrough . fig3 b is a cross - sectional view of applicant &# 39 ; s fixturing apparatus 100 . fig3 c illustrates a first plurality of rigid locking teeth 220 , 230 , 240 , and 250 , disposed on surface 107 . locking teeth 220 , 230 , 240 , and 250 , comprise a portion of the first plurality of locking teeth 104 b of fig1 . rigid locking tooth 220 is formed to include a sloping side portion 222 , and a gripping edge 224 . similarly , rigid locking teeth 230 , 240 , and 250 , are formed to include sloping side portions 232 , 242 , and 252 , respectively . rigid locking teeth 220 , 230 , 240 , and 250 , are further formed to include gripping edges 224 , 234 , 244 , and 254 , respectively . fig3 b further shows a second plurality of rigid locking teeth 260 , 270 , 280 , and 290 , disposed on surface 105 . locking teeth 260 , 270 , 280 , and 290 , comprise a portion of the first plurality of locking teeth 104 a of fig1 . rigid locking teeth 260 , 270 , 280 , and 290 , are formed to include sloping side portions 262 , 272 , 282 , and 292 , respectively . rigid locking teeth 260 , 270 , 280 , and 290 , are further formed to include gripping edges 264 , 274 , 284 , and 294 , respectively . a fabric material , such as for example and without limitation flexible strap 370 , will slide across rigid locking teeth 220 , 230 , 240 , 250 , 260 , 270 , 280 , and 290 in the non - fixturing direction 380 , wherein that fabric moves across the sloping side portion of a rigid locking tooth before contacting the gripping edge of that rigid locking tooth . a fabric material will not , however , slide across rigid locking teeth 220 , 230 , 240 , 250 , 260 , 270 , 280 , and 290 , in the opposite , or fixturing direction 390 . rather when a force is applied to the fabric along the fixturing direction 390 , portions of the fabric will engage gripping edges 224 , 234 , 244 , 254 , 264 , 274 , 284 , and 294 , thereby preventing movement of the fabric along the fixturing direction . in embodiments wherein the fabric material comprises a plurality of flexible loop - type fasteners disposed on a surface in contact with locking teeth gripping edges 224 , 234 , 244 , and 254 , the gripping edges engage those flexible loop - type fasteners thereby preventing movement of the fabric in the fixturing direction . similarly , in embodiments wherein the fabric material comprises a plurality of flexible loop - type fasteners disposed on a surface in contact with locking teeth gripping edges 264 , 274 , 284 , and 294 , the gripping edges engage those flexible loop - type fasteners thereby preventing movement of the fabric in the fixturing direction . fig3 c is a cross - sectional view of applicant &# 39 ; s fixturing apparatus 200 , and shows a plurality of rigid locking teeth 220 , 230 , 240 , and 250 , disposed on surface 205 . locking teeth 220 , 230 , 240 , and 250 , comprise a portion of the first plurality of locking teeth 104 of fig2 . rigid locking tooth 220 is formed to include a sloping side portion 222 , and a gripping edge 224 . similarly , rigid locking teeth 230 , 240 , and 250 , are formed to include sloping side portions 232 , 242 , and 252 , respectively . rigid locking teeth 220 , 230 , 240 , and 250 , are further formed to include gripping edges 224 , 234 , 244 , and 254 , respectively . a fabric material , such as for example and without limitation strap 370 , will slide across rigid locking teeth 220 , 230 , 240 , and 250 , in the non - fixturing direction 380 , wherein that fabric moves across the sloping side portion of a rigid locking tooth before contacting the gripping edge of that rigid locking tooth . a fabric material will not , however , slide across rigid locking teeth 220 , 230 , 240 , and 250 , in the opposite , or fixturing direction 390 . rather when a force is applied to the fabric along the fixturing direction 390 , portions of the fabric will engage gripping edges 224 , 234 , 244 , and 254 , thereby preventing movement of the fabric along the fixturing direction . in embodiments wherein the fabric material comprises a plurality of flexible loop - type fasteners disposed on a surface in contact with locking teeth gripping edges 224 , 234 , 244 , and 254 , the gripping edges engage those flexible loop - type fasteners thereby preventing movement of the fabric in the fixturing direction . an end 373 of flexible strap 370 can be inserted into a first end 101 of the aperture 106 , and moved in a first direction through aperture 106 and outwardly therefrom through a second end 103 of the aperture . after insertion in and through the aperture in the first direction , flexible strap 370 cannot be moved backwardly through aperture 106 in a second and opposite direction . in certain embodiments , flexible strap 370 comprises a fabric . by “ fabric ,” applicant means a flexible material formed by weaving or felting or knitting or crocheting natural and / or synthetic fibers . in certain embodiments , strap 150 comprises a nylon fabric . in certain embodiments , strap 150 comprises a cotton or polyester fabric . for both fixturing apparatus 100 and 200 , end 372 of flexible strap 370 can be inserted into first end 101 of aperture 106 , and moved in direction 380 through aperture 106 and outwardly through second end 103 of aperture 106 . after insertion in and through aperture 106 in first direction 380 , end 154 cannot be moved backwardly through aperture 106 in second direction 390 . applicant has found that fixturing is extremely strong when the strap 200 is confined to an enclosed channel , such as aperture 106 , extending through fixturing apparatus 100 . in certain embodiments , one or more of applicant &# 39 ; s rigid locking teeth comprises a rectangular base , a first rectangular surface attached to a first end of said rectangular base and extending outwardly therefrom , and a second rectangular surface attached to an opposing end of said rectangular base and extending outwardly therefrom , wherein a first rectangular surface distal end is attached to a said second rectangular surface distal end to form a gripping edge . for example and referring now to fig3 d , in certain embodiments applicant &# 39 ; s fixturing apparatus comprises one or more looking teeth 300 . rigid locking tooth 300 comprises a first embodiment of a five - sided structure . referring now to fig3 e , in certain embodiments applicant &# 39 ; s fixturing apparatus comprises one or more looking teeth 302 . rigid locking tooth 302 comprises a second embodiment of a five - sided structure . rigid locking teeth 300 and 302 comprise a rectangular base 310 , a first rectangular surface 320 attached to a first end 314 of rectangular base 310 and extending outwardly therefrom , a second rectangular surface 340 attached to a second end 318 of rectangular base 310 and extending outwardly therefrom , wherein a first rectangular surface distal end is attached to a said second rectangular surface distal end to form a gripping edge 324 . with respect to rigid locking tooth 300 , the first rectangular surface 320 in combination with rectangular base 310 define an internal dihedral angle of about 90 degrees . with respect to rigid locking tooth 302 , the first rectangular surface 320 in combination with rectangular base 310 define an internal dihedral angle φ greater than 90 degrees . in certain embodiments , φ is about 110 degrees . in certain embodiments , φ is about 120 degrees . referring now to fig3 f , in certain embodiments applicant &# 39 ; s fixturing apparatus comprises one or more rigid locking teeth 304 . rigid locking tooth 304 comprises a first embodiment of a six - sided structure . referring now to fig3 h , in certain embodiments applicant &# 39 ; s fixturing apparatus comprises one or more looking teeth 306 . rigid locking tooth 306 comprises a second embodiment of a six - sided structure . in certain embodiments , applicant &# 39 ; s fixturing apparatus comprises zero or more rigid locking teeth 300 , in combination with zero or more rigid locking teeth 302 , in combination with zero or more rigid locking teeth 304 , in combination with zero or more rigid locking teeth 306 . fig3 f shows applicant &# 39 ; s rigid locking tooth 304 . the lengths , widths , heights , and axes , described with respect to rigid locking tooth 304 also apply to rigid locking teeth 300 , 302 , and 306 . base 310 comprises a rectangular shape defined by sides 312 , 314 , 316 , and 318 . base 310 comprises a length 372 and a width 382 . in certain embodiments , length 372 is between about 0 . 0002 mm and about 5 . 0 mm . in certain embodiments , width 382 is between about 0 . 0001 mm and about 2 . 5 mm . rectangular - shaped side 320 , defined by sides 314 , 322 , 324 , and 326 , is attached to edge 314 of base 310 and extends upwardly therefrom . in the illustrated embodiment of fig3 a , side 320 and base 310 intersect to form a dihedral angle of about ninety degrees ( 90 °). side 320 comprises a height 375 and width 382 . in certain embodiments , height 375 is between about 0 . 0001 mm and about 5 mm . in certain embodiments , height 375 is about 0 . 0001 mm . in certain embodiments , height 375 is about 0 . 001 mm . in certain embodiments , height 375 is about 0 . 01 mm . in certain embodiments , height 375 is about 0 . 1 mm . in certain embodiments , height 375 is about 1 mm . rectangular - shaped side 330 , defined by sides 318 , 332 , 334 , and 336 , is attached edge 318 of base 310 , and extends upwardly therefrom . in the illustrated embodiment of fig3 f , side 330 and base 310 intersect to form a dihedral angle of about ninety degrees ( 90 °). side 330 comprises a height 385 and width 382 . in certain embodiments , height 385 is between about 0 mm and about 2 . 0 mm . as those skilled in the art will appreciate , where height 385 is 0 mm , rigid locking tooth 304 becomes rigid locking tooth 300 . where height 385 is 0 mm , sides 336 and 318 are the same , and top portion 340 intersects with base portion 310 . the dimensions and axes described in fig3 a through 3b are applicable to both rigid locking tooth 300 and rigid locking tooth 305 . sides 320 and 330 have a facing relationship , wherein height 320 is greater than height 330 . in certain embodiments wherein height 385 is greater than 0 , the ratio of height 375 to height 385 is between about 2 : 1 to about 6 : 1 . top 340 comprises a rectangular shape , and is defined by sides 324 , 342 , 336 , and 344 . top 340 comprises width 382 . referring now to fig3 a and 3d , side 350 comprises a quadrilateral shape with two parallel sides 326 and 334 , and is defined by sides 312 , 326 , 334 , and 344 . referring now to fig3 a and 3e , side 360 comprises a quadrilateral shape with two parallel sides 322 and 332 , and is defined by sides 316 , 322 , 332 , and 342 . referring now to fig3 g , rigid locking tooth 300 comprises a long axis 390 comprising a first center line of base 210 , wherein that long axis 390 is parallel to long sides 312 and 316 and bisects short sides 314 and 318 . rigid locking tooth 300 further comprises short axis 395 comprising a second center line of base 210 , wherein that short axis 395 is parallel to short sides 314 and 318 bisects long sides 312 and 316 . fig3 e and 3h illustrate applicant &# 39 ; s rigid locking teeth 302 and 306 . as a general matter , individual rigid locking teeth disposed in any given plurality of rigid locking teeth 104 are arranged in a pattern of columns and rows . in various embodiments of applicant &# 39 ; s invention , the orientations of individual rigid locking teeth disposed in such columns and rows differ . these various orientations are described herein with reference to the relationship of the long axes 390 ( fig3 g ) and short axes 395 ( fig3 g ) of adjacent rigid locking teeth in the same column , and the relationship of the long axes 390 and short axes 395 of adjacent rigid locking teeth in the same row . references herein to axes being “ aligned ” mean that those axes are coaxial and / or parallel , i . e . overlap one another . axes described herein as not being aligned are not coaxial , i . e . do not overlap . in orientations 400 ( fig4 a ) and 700 ( fig7 a ), the long axes of adjacent rigid locking teeth disposed in the same column are aligned . in orientations 500 , 600 , 800 , and 900 , the long axes of adjacent rigid locking teeth disposed in the same column are not aligned . in orientations 400 , 500 , 700 , and 800 , the long axes of adjacent rigid locking teeth disposed in the same row are parallel . in orientations 600 and 900 , the long axes of adjacent rigid locking teeth disposed in the same row are not parallel . in orientations 400 , the short axes of adjacent rigid locking teeth disposed in the same row are aligned . in orientations 500 , 600 , 700 , 800 , and 900 , the short axes of adjacent rigid locking teeth disposed in the same row are not aligned . fig4 a shows a portion of plurality of applicant &# 39 ; s rigid locking teeth , such as plurality of rigid locking teeth 104 , wherein that plurality of rigid locking teeth comprise orientation 400 . in certain embodiments , each of the plurality of rigid locking teeth shown in fig4 a comprises a rigid locking tooth 300 . in certain embodiments , each of the plurality of rigid locking teeth shown in fig4 a comprises a rigid locking tooth 302 . in certain embodiments , each of the plurality of rigid locking teeth shown in fig4 a comprises a rigid locking tooth 304 . in certain embodiments , each of the plurality of rigid locking teeth shown in fig4 a comprises a rigid locking tooth 306 . in certain embodiments , each of the plurality of rigid locking teeth shown in fig4 a is selected from the group consisting of a rigid locking tooth 300 , a rigid locking tooth 302 , a rigid locking tooth 304 , and a rigid locking tooth 306 . in the illustrated embodiment of fig4 a , the plurality of rigid locking teeth are arranged in columns and rows , namely columns 1 , 2 , 3 , and 4 , and rows 1 , 2 , 3 , and 4 . in the illustrated embodiment of fig4 a , rigid locking tooth 1 , 1 for example is disposed in column 1 and row 1 . for the sake of clarity , fig4 a shows a total of 16 rigid locking teeth . in actual implementation , applicant &# 39 ; s plurality of rigid locking teeth 104 comprises between about one hundred , and about ten thousand individual rigid locking teeth , per square inch . fig4 b and 4c comprise top views of orientation 400 shown in fig4 a . referring now to fig4 b , the rigid locking teeth comprising column 1 are separated from the rigid locking teeth comprising column 2 by a spacing 402 . in certain embodiments , spacing 402 is substantially the same as the width 382 ( fig3 f ) of the individual rigid locking teeth . by “ substantially the same ,” applicant means within plus or minus ten percent ( 10 %). in other embodiments , spacing 402 is less than width 382 . in still other embodiments , spacing 402 is greater than width 382 . similarly , column 2 and 3 are separated by spacing 404 , and column 3 and column 4 are separated by spacing 406 . in certain embodiments , spacing 404 is substantially the same as the width 382 ( fig3 f ) of the individual rigid locking teeth . in other embodiments , spacing 404 is less than width 382 . in still other embodiments , spacing 404 is greater than width 382 . in certain embodiments , spacing 406 is substantially the same as the width 382 ( fig3 f ) of the individual rigid locking teeth . in other embodiments , spacing 406 is less than width 382 . in still other embodiments , spacing 406 is greater than width 382 . in orientation 400 shown in fig4 a , 4 b , and 4 c , the long axes 390 of each rigid locking tooth disposed in a column are aligned , and the short axis 395 of each rigid locking tooth disposed in a row are aligned . for example , rigid locking teeth 1 , 1 ; 1 , 2 ; 1 , 3 ; and 1 , 4 ; are each disposed in column 1 . aggregate long axis 450 comprises the individual long axis 390 of each of rigid locking teeth 1 , 1 ; 1 , 2 ; 1 , 3 ; and 1 , 4 . similarly , aggregate long axes 460 , 470 , and 480 , comprise the individual long axis 390 of each rigid locking tooth disposed in columns 2 , 3 , and 4 , respectively . rigid locking teeth 1 , 1 ; 2 , 1 ; 3 , 1 ; and 4 , 1 ; are disposed in row 1 . aggregate short axis 410 comprises the individual short axis 395 of each of rigid locking teeth 1 , 1 ; 2 , 1 ; 3 , 1 ; and 4 , 1 . similarly , aggregate short axes 420 , 430 , and 440 , comprise the individual short axis 395 of each tooth disposed in rows 2 , 3 , and 4 , respectively . fig5 a shows a portion of plurality of applicant &# 39 ; s rigid locking teeth , wherein that plurality of rigid locking teeth comprise orientation 500 . in certain embodiments , each of the plurality of rigid locking teeth shown in fig5 a comprises a rigid locking tooth 300 . in certain embodiments , each of the plurality of rigid locking teeth shown in fig5 a comprises a rigid locking tooth 302 . in certain embodiments , each of the plurality of rigid locking teeth shown in fig5 a comprises a rigid locking tooth 304 . in certain embodiments , each of the plurality of rigid locking teeth shown in fig5 a comprises a rigid locking tooth 306 . in certain embodiments , each of the plurality of rigid locking teeth shown in fig5 a is selected from the group consisting of a rigid locking tooth 300 , a rigid locking tooth 302 , a rigid locking tooth 304 , and a rigid locking tooth 306 . in the illustrated embodiment of fig5 a , the plurality of rigid locking teeth are arranged in columns and rows , namely columns 1 , 2 , 3 , and 4 , and rows 1 , 2 , 3 , and 4 . in the illustrated embodiment of fig5 a , rigid locking tooth 1 , 1 for example is disposed in column 1 and row 1 . for the sake of clarity , fig5 a shows a total of 16 rigid locking teeth . the rigid locking teeth comprising column 1 are separated from the rigid locking teeth comprising column 2 by a spacing 502 . in certain embodiments , spacing 502 is substantially the same as the width 382 ( fig3 f ) of the individual rigid locking teeth . by “ substantially the same ,” applicant means within plus or minus ten percent ( 10 %). in other embodiments , spacing 502 is less than width 382 . in still other embodiments , spacing 502 is greater than width 382 . similarly , column 2 and 3 are separated by spacing 504 , and column 3 and column 4 are separated by spacing 506 . in certain embodiments , spacing 504 is substantially the same as the width 382 ( fig3 f ) of the individual rigid locking teeth . in other embodiments , spacing 504 is less than width 382 . in still other embodiments , spacing 504 is greater than width 382 . in certain embodiments , spacing 506 is substantially the same as the width 382 ( fig3 f ) of the individual rigid locking teeth . in other embodiments , spacing 506 is less than width 382 . in still other embodiments , spacing 506 is greater than width 382 . fig5 b comprise a top view of one column of rigid locking teeth disposed in orientation 500 . in orientation 500 , the individual long axes 390 of each rigid locking tooth disposed in a column are not aligned . for example , rigid locking tooth 1 , 1 comprises long axis 515 , and the adjacent rigid locking tooth in column 1 , namely rigid locking tooth 1 , 2 , comprises long axis 525 . as fig5 b and 5c illustrate , long axes 515 and 525 are not aligned . rather , long axis 525 is offset from long axis 515 by a first offset angle φ 1 . in certain embodiments , first offset angle φ 1 is between about 5 degrees and about 45 degrees . similarly , long axis 535 is offset from long axis 525 by a second offset angle . in certain embodiments , second offset angle is between about 5 degrees and about 45 degrees . long axis 545 is offset from long axis 535 by a third offset angle . in certain embodiments , the third offset angle is between about 5 degrees and about 45 degrees . as a general matter , in orientation 500 the long axis for the ( i ) th rigid locking tooth in ( j ) th column is offset from the long axis of the adjacent ( i + 1 ) th rigid locking tooth in that ( j ) th column by the ( i ) th offset angle . in orientation 500 illustrated in fig5 a and 5d , the long axes 390 of adjacent rigid locking teeth disposed in the same column are not aligned , however the long axes of the rigid locking teeth in the same row are parallel . rigid locking teeth 1 , 4 ; 2 , 4 ; 3 , 4 ; and 4 , 4 , are all disposed in row 4 , and comprise long axes 510 , 520 , 530 , and 540 , respectively . as illustrated in fig5 d , long axes 510 , 520 , 530 , and 540 , are parallel . fig6 a shows a portion of applicant &# 39 ; s plurality of rigid locking teeth , wherein that plurality of rigid locking teeth comprise orientation 600 . in certain embodiments , each of the plurality of rigid locking teeth shown in fig6 a comprises a rigid locking tooth 300 . in certain embodiments , each of the plurality of rigid locking teeth shown in fig6 a comprises a rigid locking tooth 302 . in certain embodiments , each of the plurality of rigid locking teeth shown in fig6 a comprises a rigid locking tooth 304 . in certain embodiments , each of the plurality of rigid locking teeth shown in fig6 a comprises a rigid locking tooth 306 . in certain embodiments , each of the plurality of rigid locking teeth shown in fig6 a is selected from the group consisting of a rigid locking tooth 300 , a rigid locking tooth 302 , a rigid locking tooth 304 , and a rigid locking tooth 306 . in the illustrated embodiment of fig6 a , the plurality of rigid locking teeth are arranged in columns and rows , namely columns 1 , 2 , 3 , and 4 , and rows 1 , 2 , 3 , and 4 . in the illustrated embodiment of fig6 a , rigid locking tooth 1 , 1 for example is disposed in column 1 and row 1 . for the sake of clarity , fig6 a shows a total of 16 rigid locking teeth . in actual implementation , applicant &# 39 ; s plurality of rigid locking teeth 104 comprises between about one hundred , and about ten thousand individual rigid locking teeth . the rigid locking teeth comprising column 1 are separated from the rigid locking teeth comprising column 2 by a maximum spacing 602 . in certain embodiments , maximum spacing 602 is substantially the same as the width 382 ( fig3 f ) of the individual rigid locking teeth . by “ substantially the same ,” applicant means within plus or minus twenty percent ( 20 %). in other embodiments , maximum spacing 602 is less than width 382 . in still other embodiments , maximum spacing 602 is greater than width 382 . similarly , column 2 and 3 are separated by spacing maximum 604 , and column 3 and column 4 are separated by maximum spacing 606 . in certain embodiments , maximum spacing 604 is substantially the same as the width 382 ( fig3 f ) of the individual rigid locking teeth . in other embodiments , maximum spacing 604 is less than width 382 . in stilt other embodiments , maximum spacing 604 is greater than width 382 . in certain embodiments , maximum spacing 606 is substantially the same as the width 382 ( fig3 f ) of the individual rigid locking teeth . in other embodiments , maximum spacing 606 is less than width 382 . in still other embodiments , maximum spacing 606 is greater than width 382 . in orientation 600 illustrated in fig6 a and 6b , the long axes 390 of adjacent rigid locking teeth disposed in the same column are not aligned . moreover , the long axes of the rigid locking teeth in the same row are not parallel . rigid locking teeth 1 , 4 ; 2 , 4 ; 3 , 4 ; and 4 , 4 , are all disposed in row 4 , and comprise long axes 610 , 620 , 630 , and 640 , respectively . as illustrated in fig6 b , long axes 610 is not parallel to long axis 620 , which is not parallel to long axis 630 , which is not parallel to long axis 640 . fig7 a shows a portion of applicant &# 39 ; s plurality of rigid locking teeth , wherein that plurality of rigid locking teeth comprise orientation 700 . in certain embodiments , each of the plurality of rigid locking teeth shown in fig7 a comprises a rigid locking tooth 300 . in certain embodiments , each of the plurality of rigid locking teeth shown in fig7 a comprises a rigid locking tooth 302 . in certain embodiments , each of the plurality of rigid locking teeth shown in fig7 a comprises a rigid locking tooth 304 . in certain embodiments , each of the plurality of rigid locking teeth shown in fig7 a comprises a rigid locking tooth 306 . in certain embodiments , each of the plurality of rigid locking teeth shown in fig7 a is selected from the group consisting of a rigid locking tooth 300 , a rigid locking tooth 302 , a rigid locking tooth 304 , and a rigid locking tooth 306 . in the illustrated embodiment of fig7 b , the plurality of rigid locking teeth comprising orientation 700 are arranged in columns and rows , namely columns 1 , 2 , 3 , and 4 , and rows 1 , 2 , 3 , and 4 . in the illustrated embodiment of fig7 b , rigid locking tooth 1 , 1 for example is disposed in column 1 and row 1 . for the sake of clarity , fig7 b shows a total of 16 rigid locking teeth . the rigid locking teeth comprising column 1 are separated from the rigid locking teeth comprising column 2 by a spacing 702 . in certain embodiments , spacing 702 is substantially the same as the width 382 ( fig3 f ) of the individual rigid locking teeth . by “ substantially the same ,” applicant means within plus or minus ten percent ( 10 %). in other embodiments , spacing 702 is less than width 382 . in still other embodiments , spacing 702 is greater than width 382 . similarly , column 2 and 3 are separated by spacing 704 , and column 3 and column 4 are separated by spacing 706 . in certain embodiments , spacing 704 is substantially the same as the width 382 ( fig3 f ) of the individual rigid locking teeth . in other embodiments , spacing 704 is less than width 382 . in still other embodiments , spacing 704 is greater than width 382 . in certain embodiments , spacing 706 is substantially the same as the width 382 ( fig3 f ) of the individual rigid locking teeth . in other embodiments , spacing 706 is less than width 382 . in still other embodiments , spacing 706 is greater than width 382 . in orientation 700 illustrated in fig7 a , 7 b , and 7 c , the long axes 390 of adjacent rigid locking teeth disposed in the same column are aligned . for example , aggregate long axis 710 comprises the individual long axes 390 of rigid locking teeth 1 , 1 ; 1 , 2 ; 1 , 3 ; and 1 , 4 . similarly , aggregate long axis 720 comprises the individual long axes 390 of rigid locking teeth 2 , 1 ; 2 , 2 ; 2 , 3 ; and 2 , 4 . similarly , aggregate long axis 730 comprises the individual long axes 390 of rigid locking teeth 3 , 1 ; 3 , 2 ; 3 , 3 ; and 3 , 4 . similarly , aggregate long axis 740 comprises the individual long axes 390 of rigid locking teeth 4 , 1 ; 2 , 4 ; 4 , 3 ; and 4 , 4 . in orientation 700 , the short axes 395 of the rigid locking tooth disposed in the same row are not aligned . for example , rigid locking teeth 1 , 1 ; 2 , 1 ; 3 , 1 ; and 4 , 1 , are disposed in row 1 . rigid locking tooth 1 , 4 comprises short axis 750 . rigid locking tooth 2 , 4 comprises short axis 760 . rigid locking tooth 3 , 4 comprises short axis 770 . rigid locking tooth 4 , 4 comprises short axis 780 . in the illustrated embodiment of fig7 c , short axis 750 is not aligned with short axis 760 , which is not aligned with short axis 770 , which is not aligned with short axis 780 . fig8 a shows a portion of plurality of applicant &# 39 ; s rigid locking teeth , wherein that plurality of rigid locking teeth comprise orientation 800 . in certain embodiments , each of the plurality of rigid locking teeth shown in fig8 a comprises a rigid locking tooth 300 . in certain embodiments , each of the plurality of rigid locking teeth shown in fig8 a comprises a rigid locking tooth 302 . in certain embodiments , each of the plurality of rigid locking teeth shown in fig8 a comprises a rigid locking tooth 304 . in certain embodiments , each of the plurality of rigid locking teeth shown in fig8 a comprises a rigid locking tooth 306 . in certain embodiments , each of the plurality of rigid locking teeth shown in fig8 a is selected from the group consisting of a rigid locking tooth 300 , a rigid locking tooth 302 , a rigid locking tooth 304 , and a rigid locking tooth 306 . in the illustrated embodiment of fig8 a , the plurality of rigid locking teeth are arranged in columns and rows , namely columns 1 , 2 , 3 , and 4 , and rows 1 , 2 , 3 , and 4 . in the illustrated embodiment of fig8 a , rigid locking tooth 1 , 1 for example is disposed in column 1 and row 1 . for the sake of clarity , fig8 a shows a total of 16 rigid locking teeth . in actual implementation , applicant &# 39 ; s plurality of rigid locking teeth 104 comprises between about one hundred , and about ten thousand individual rigid locking teeth . the rigid locking teeth comprising column 1 are separated from the rigid locking teeth comprising column 2 by a spacing 802 . in certain embodiments , spacing 802 is substantially the same as the width 382 ( fig3 f ) of the individual rigid locking teeth . by “ substantially the same ,” applicant means within plus or minus ten percent ( 10 %). in other embodiments , spacing 802 is less than width 382 . in still other embodiments , spacing 802 is greater than width 382 . similarly , column 2 and 3 are separated by spacing 804 , and column 3 and column 4 are separated by spacing 806 . in certain embodiments , spacing 804 is substantially the same as the width 382 ( fig3 f ) of the individual rigid locking teeth . in other embodiments , spacing 804 is less than width 382 . in still other embodiments , spacing 804 is greater than width 382 . in certain embodiments , spacing 806 is substantially the same as the width 382 ( fig3 f ) of the individual rigid locking teeth . in other embodiments , spacing 806 is less than width 382 . in still other embodiments , spacing 806 is greater than width 382 . in orientation 800 illustrated in fig8 a and 8b , the long axes 390 of adjacent rigid locking teeth disposed in the same column are not aligned . for example , rigid locking teeth 1 , 1 ; 1 , 2 ; 1 , 3 ; and 1 , 4 ; comprise long axes 810 , 820 , 830 , and 840 , respectively . long axis 810 is not aligned with long axis 820 , which is not aligned with long axis 830 , which is not aligned with long axis 840 . in orientation 800 , the long axes of the rigid locking teeth in the same row are parallel . rigid locking teeth 1 , 4 ; 2 , 4 ; 3 , 4 ; and 4 , 4 , are all disposed in row 4 , and comprise long axes 840 , 880 , 890 , and 895 , respectively . as illustrated in fig8 b , long axes 840 , 880 , 890 , and 895 , are parallel to one another . in orientation 800 , the short axes 395 of the rigid locking tooth disposed in the same row are not aligned . for example , the rigid locking teeth 1 , 1 ; 2 , 1 ; 3 , 1 ; and 4 , 1 ; comprise short axis 815 , 850 , 860 , and 870 , respectively , wherein axis 815 is not aligned with axis 850 , which is not aligned with axis 860 , which is not aligned with axis 870 . fig9 a shows a portion of plurality of applicant &# 39 ; s rigid locking teeth , wherein that plurality of rigid locking teeth comprises orientation 900 . in certain embodiments , each of the plurality of rigid locking teeth shown in fig9 a comprises a rigid locking tooth 300 . in certain embodiments , each of the plurality of rigid locking teeth shown in fig9 a comprises a rigid locking tooth 302 . in certain embodiments , each of the plurality of rigid locking teeth shown in fig9 a comprises a rigid locking tooth 304 . in certain embodiments , each of the plurality of rigid locking teeth shown in fig9 a comprises a rigid locking tooth 306 . in certain embodiments , each of the plurality of rigid locking teeth shown in fig9 a is selected from the group consisting of a rigid locking tooth 300 , a rigid locking tooth 302 , a rigid locking tooth 304 , and a rigid locking tooth 306 . in the illustrated embodiment of fig9 a , the plurality of rigid locking teeth are arranged in columns and rows , namely columns 1 , 2 , 3 , and 4 , and rows 1 , 3 , and 4 . in the illustrated embodiment of fig9 a , rigid locking tooth 1 , 1 for example is disposed in column 1 and row 1 . for the sake of clarity , fig9 a shows a total of 16 rigid locking teeth . in actual implementation , applicant &# 39 ; s plurality of rigid locking teeth 104 comprises between about one hundred , and about ten thousand individual rigid locking teeth . the rigid locking teeth comprising column 1 are separated from the rigid locking teeth comprising column 2 by a maximum spacing 902 . in certain embodiments , maximum spacing 902 is substantially the same as the width 382 ( fig3 f ) of the individual rigid locking teeth . by “ substantially the same ,” applicant means within plus or minus ten percent ( 10 %). in other embodiments , maximum spacing 902 is less than width 382 . in still other embodiments , maximum spacing 902 is greater than width 382 . similarly , column 2 and 3 are separated by spacing maximum 904 , and column 3 and column 4 are separated by maximum spacing 906 . in certain embodiments , maximum spacing 904 is substantially the same as the width 382 ( fig3 f ) of the individual rigid locking teeth . in other embodiments , maximum spacing 904 is less than width 382 . in still other embodiments , maximum spacing 904 is greater than width 382 . in certain embodiments , maximum spacing 906 is substantially the same as the width 382 ( fig3 f ) of the individual rigid locking teeth . in other embodiments , maximum spacing 906 is less than width 382 . in still other embodiments , maximum spacing 906 is greater than width 382 . in orientation 900 illustrated in fig9 a and 9b , the long axes 390 of adjacent rigid locking teeth disposed in the same column are not aligned . for example , rigid locking teeth 1 , 1 ; 1 , 2 ; 1 , 3 ; and 1 , 4 ; comprise long axes 910 , 920 , 930 , and 940 , respectively . long axis 910 is not aligned with long axis 920 , which is not aligned with long axis 930 , which is not aligned with long axis 940 . in orientation 900 , the long axes of the rigid locking teeth in the same row are not parallel . rigid locking teeth 1 , 4 ; 2 , 4 ; 3 , 4 ; and 4 , 4 , are all disposed in row 4 , and comprise long axes 940 , 980 , 990 , and 995 , respectively . as illustrated in fig8 b , long axis 940 is not parallel with long axis 980 , which is not parallel with long axis 990 , which is not parallel with long axis 995 . alternate long axes , such as long axes 940 and 990 and long axes 980 and 995 , are parallel to one another . in orientation 900 , the short axes 395 of the rigid locking teeth disposed in the same row are not aligned . for example , the rigid locking teeth 1 , 1 ; 2 , 1 ; 3 , 1 ; and 4 , 1 ; comprise short axis 915 , 950 , 960 , and 970 , respectively , wherein axis 915 is not aligned with axis 950 , which is not aligned with axis 960 , which is not aligned with axis 970 . while the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated in detail , it should be apparent that modifications and adaptations to those embodiments may occur to one skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention as set forth herein .

US-201314144171-A

a method and system for the simple , fast , and effective maintenance of consistent data files across a multiplicity of computer systems , which functionality is useful in collaborative work , effective backup , and disaster recovery . consistency is maintained using secure file storage remote from any number of clients the files on which are automatically synchronized consuming minimal network bandwidth . automated bi - directional “ one - click ” synchronization is implemented via a method that is neutral with respect to platform , operating system , firewall , and network configuration . the software product based on the invented method has the substantial advantage of installation , setup , and operation all without intervention by system administrators .

according to each embodiment of the present invention as described with reference being had to fig1 - 19 , in which identical reference numbers identify similar components , it is to be understood that the steps and means for file synchronizing transfers based on checksum comparisons may be achieved by using either : simple checksums that compare entire instances or versions of the subject file on different servers — or by more advanced checksums that by identifying the binary differences between targets effectively compare only portions or bits of the subject file to determine which portions or bits of the ( e . g . more recent version of the ) subject file have changed , then transferring only the altered or different bits between computing devices according to the desired outcome ( e . g . update or restore ). however , in executing advanced checksum comparisons , the subject files may be organized for analysis into various fixed - size segments or portions such that where the subject file is smaller than the selected segment size , then the entire subject file will be transferred as it would have been according to a simple checksum configuration . it is further to be understood that the bi - directional auto synchronization or “ one - click ” synchronization element of the present invention comprises the steps : generate a list of directories and files on the host that correspond to the client program &# 39 ; s directories , wherein each directory is assigned a number , and each file and directory has the number of its parent directory temporarily recorded ; reconcile the list of directories in the client program by adding directories not found on the host and create directories not found in the client computer program ). assign directory numbers for the new directories from the host ; reconcile the list of directories on the host ( create directories found in the client computer program ); identify files in the client computer program that aren &# 39 ; t present on the host and transmit them to the host ; identify files on the host that aren &# 39 ; t present in the client computer program and mark them as being “ remote ”; for each file that isn &# 39 ; t remote , determine if the file in the client computer program ( the “ local ” file ) is different than the file on the host ( the “ remote ” file ); for each file that is different , if the “ local ” file is newer than the “ remote ” file , transmit it to the host ; if the “ local ” file is older than the “ remote ” file , transmit it from the host ; and if desired , the user can override the decisions of the synchronization logic , to fetch a file from the host , to place a file on the host , or to remove a file from the host , since a file is copied from the host only if the same file already exists in the client computer program or the user directly requests the transfer . it is further to be understood that the automatic age - resolution ( wherein the host provides the reference for resolving the relative ages of files on the host and client devices ) element of the present invention comprises the steps : the host refers to all file times ( creation and modification timestamps ) in terms of coordinated universal time ( utc ), also known as greenwich mean time ( gmt ); upon connection from the client computer program , the host provides its current time , in utc ; each file in the list of files sent from the host to the client computer program has its creation and modification times converted to utc , if they are not already so ; the client computer program calculates its time offset ( or “ delta ”), from the client local time to the host &# 39 ; s current time ; all file timestamp comparisons in the client computer program are adjusted by the value “ delta ”, to bring the relative times into alignment . a small hysteresis factor is applied to allow for elapsed time between the initial connection to the host and the reception of the message from the host that contains its current time ; and any files written by the client computer program have their creation and / or modification times adjusted by the value “ delta ” so that subsequent synchronizations will not consider the files to differ between the client computer program and the host . since the calculation of the “ delta ” value is determined at the time of connection to the host and the connection itself is relatively brief , there is no need for recalculating the value during the connection — automatically adjusting for time zone differences between the client computer program and the host . it is further to be understood that the auto disconnect maintains session authentication ( single sign - on ), wherein the host tracks each connection process through records in memory and in an external database . when a user initiates the client computer program , the user is prompted for a user name , password , and the address of the host . these values are retained for use during the initial logon to the host ( and may be recorded by the client computer program for subsequent execution of the program ). communication with the host does not occur until the user requests a synchronization operation . each communication between the client computer program and the host consists of a pair of messages — a request from the client computer program and the corresponding response from the host . for each communication , a port is requested on the client computer program and on the host , using the conventional tcp / ip socket model . this port is immediately released upon completion of the communication . in order to avoid repetitive logons , and to permit connection by multiple client computer programs , the initial communication from the client computer program to the host results in the issuance of a “ ticket ” on the host that corresponds to the synchronization request from the client computer system . this “ ticket ” is part of the wrapper data for each message from the client computer program to the host , an integral part of each communication and is recorded by the host and used to validate each subsequent communication . the “ ticket ” may also be used to detect when a client computer program is no longer active , by recognizing that the “ ticket ” has not been used for a specifiable period of time . the “ ticket ” validation logic also protects against “ spoofing ” wherein a foreign computer program is pretending to be an authorized client computer program in order to penetrate the secure communications link . note that no “ cookies ” are used to record the “ ticket ” and all information regarding the communications is internal to the client computer program or the host . it is further to be understood respecting firewall transparency , wherein the host operates as though it were a web - server , responding to html requests using the http or https protocols — that this permits the host to be visible across firewalls , since firewalls will permit html requests to properly formatted internet addresses to pass through without interference or modification . according to a preferred embodiment , in order to protect the nature and content of the communications between the client computer program and the host , each message is encrypted via a robust means , one example of which is the rijndael encryption algorithm . each data file transferred is also compressed by an efficient means , one example of which is the “ gzip ” algorithm prior to encryption . consequently , the only data that is exposed during transfer is the “ ticket ” as described above , together with the message size and a “ sentinel ” value that validates the other exposed data . however , even the unencrypted data is mathematically altered in order to disguise its nature . further , the initial connection message from the client computer program to the host is encrypted using proprietary means different from those used for the subsequent messages . all transfers except the initial connection mechanism use an encryption key that is determined by the user name and password that were established by the user of the client computer program . at no time are the user name or password transferred unencrypted . a person of skill in the art would understand that by using the https protocol , a further level of security can be applied to such communications . it is further to be understood respecting the e - audit trail erasure or “ cleanup after exit ”, feature that in order to protect the confidentiality of the data owned by the user of the client computer program , while permitting the operation of the program in a non - secure environment , all user and program data are removed on exit — by deleting the full directory tree in the client computer program for each volume known to the client computer program , as well as deleting the executable code from the directory in which it was placed . further , in windows , any registry entries that were established during the communication are removed . once exit is complete , the device on which the client computer program was executed will be returned to the state that it was in immediately prior to executing the client computer program . according to one embodiment of the invention and referring to fig1 the user of the client computer program initiates a synchronization operation 100 ( through a command - line option , an interpreted request or a menu item ). this results in the transmission of a send get volumes request message 110 to the host . according to one embodiment of the invention and referring to fig2 the send get volumes request message 110 is flattened and encrypted 200 and then a connection is established 210 with the host . the encrypted request message is conveyed 220 to the host , and a response message is received from the host . the connection is then released 230 on the client computer system . the list of volumes obtained 220 from the host is then used to update 240 the client computer system &# 39 ; s list of volumes . the transfer of the send get volumes request message and the reception of the corresponding response message is portrayed in fig7 . and , in fig1 the completion of the processing of the send get volumes request message 110 is followed by the selection 120 of the next volume to be analyzed , if one exists , or the completion of processing 170 if there are no more volumes . if there is another volume to be processed , a send logon request message 130 is transmitted to the host . according to one embodiment of the invention and referring to fig3 the send logon request message is flattened and encrypted 200 and then a connection is established 210 with the host . the encrypted request message is conveyed 300 to the host and a response message is received from the host . the connection is then released 230 on the client computer system . the status information obtained 300 from the host is used to calculate the time differential between the client computer system and the host 310 . the host &# 39 ; s “ ticket ” ( used to validate the remaining transmissions ) is recorded as well and the encryption algorithm is switched to a more secure model for the remaining transmissions . the transfer of the send logon request message and the reception of the corresponding response message is portrayed in fig8 . and , in fig1 the completion of processing of the send logon request message 130 is followed by the transmission of a send get details request message 140 . according to one embodiment of the invention and referring to fig4 a and 4b the send get details request message is flattened and encrypted 200 and then a connection is established 210 with the host . the encrypted request message is conveyed 400 to the host and a response message is received from the host . the connection is then released 230 on the client computer system . the list of folders and files obtained 400 from the host is reconciled with the list of folders and files available on the client computer system 410 using the path information stored with the list of folders and files to create a consolidated list of folders and files . for each folder on the client computer system that has been marked for deletion , the corresponding folder in the consolidated list of folders and files is marked for deletion 420 on the client computer system and the host . for each file in the consolidated list of folders and files , a determination is made 430 if it is a candidate for fetching from the host , based on the timestamps of the file on the client computer system and the host , as well as on other attributes of the file and the contents of the file . for each file in the consolidated list of folders and files , a determination is made 440 if it is a candidate for backing up to the host , based on the timestamps of the file on the client computer system and the host , as well as on other attributes of the file and the contents of the file . for each file on the client computer system that has been marked for deletion , the corresponding file in the consolidated list of folders and files is marked for deletion 450 on the client computer system and the host . the transfer of the send get details request message and the reception of the corresponding response message is portrayed in fig9 . and , in fig1 the completion of processing of the send get details request message 140 is followed by the data transfer process 150 . according to one embodiment of the invention and referring to fig5 for each folder in the consolidated list of folders and files that is present on the host and not present on the client computer system , a new folder is created on the client computer system 500 . each folder in the consolidated list of folders and files that was marked for deletion 420 is now deleted 510 from the client computer system and the host . each file in the consolidated list of folders and files that was marked for deletion 450 is now deleted 520 from the client computer system and the host . each file in the consolidated list of folders and files that was determined to be a candidate for fetching 430 is now fetched 530 from the host . each file in the consolidated list of folders and files that was determined to be a candidate for backing up to the host 440 is now backed up 540 to the host . and , in fig1 the completion of the data transfer process 150 is followed by the transmission of a send logoff request message 160 . according to one embodiment of the invention and referring to fig6 the send logoff request message 160 is flattened and encrypted 200 and then a connection is established 210 with the host . the encrypted request message is conveyed 600 to the host and a response message is received from the host . the connection is then released 230 on the client computer system . the central computer &# 39 ; s “ ticket ” is now invalidated 610 . the transfer of the send logoff request message and the reception of the corresponding response message is portrayed in fig1 . and , in fig1 the completion of processing of the send logoff message 160 is followed by the selection 120 of the next directory . according to one embodiment of the invention and referring to fig7 a and 7b the send get volumes request message is prepared for transmission 700 and transmitted 705 to the host . the host detects the incoming message 710 and receives the request message 715 . the original request message is extracted 720 , the user name and password are validated against an external resource ( such as a database ) 725 and the list of volumes available to the user is prepared 730 . the get volumes response message is created 735 , prepared for transmission 740 and transmitted 745 to the client computer program . the client computer program receives the response message 755 and extracts the original response message 760 . the host then closes the physical path to the client computer program 750 . the request message preparation is portrayed in fig1 , the request message transfer is portrayed in fig1 , the response message preparation is portrayed in fig1 and the response message transfer is portrayed in fig1 . according to one embodiment of the invention and referring to fig8 a and 8b the send logon request message is prepared for transmission 700 and transmitted 705 to the host . the host detects the incoming message 710 and receives the request message 715 . the original request message is extracted 720 , the user name , password and volume name are validated against an external resource ( such as a database ) 800 and a message ‘ ticket ’ is issued for the combination of user name and volume and session 810 . the logon response message is created 820 , prepared for transmission 740 and transmitted 745 to the client computer program . the client computer program receives the response message 755 and extracts the original response message 760 . the host then closes the physical path to the client computer program 750 . the request message preparation is portrayed in fig1 , the request message transfer is portrayed in fig1 , the response message preparation is portrayed in fig1 and the response message transfer is portrayed in fig1 . according to one embodiment of the invention and referring to fig9 a and 9b the send get details request message is prepared for transmission 700 and transmitted 705 to the host . the host detects the incoming message 710 and receives the request message 715 . the original request message is extracted 720 , the message ‘ ticket ’ is validated 900 and a list of files and directories for the requested volume is prepared 810 . the get details response message is created 920 , prepared for transmission 740 and transmitted 745 to the client computer program . the client computer program receives the response message 755 and extracts the original response message 760 . the host then closes the physical path to the client computer program 750 . the request message preparation is portrayed in fig1 , the request message transfer is portrayed in fig1 , the response message preparation is portrayed in fig1 and the response message transfer is portrayed in fig1 . according to one embodiment of the invention and referring to fig1 a and 10b the send logoff request message is prepared for transmission 700 and transmitted 705 to the host . the host detects the incoming message 710 and receives the request message 715 . the original request message is extracted 720 , the message ‘ ticket ’ is validated 900 and the resources used by the server corresponding to the message ‘ ticket ’ are released 1000 . the logoff response message is created 1010 , prepared for transmission 740 and transmitted 745 to the client computer program . the client computer program receives the response message 755 and extracts the original response message 760 . the host then closes the physical path to the client computer program 750 . the request message preparation is portrayed in fig1 , the request message transfer is portrayed in fig1 , the response message preparation is portrayed in fig1 and the response message transfer is portrayed in fig1 . according to one embodiment of the invention and referring to fig1 a request message is prepared for transfer by performing a series of steps . a sentinel value is calculated from the message size 1100 and a copy of the message ‘ ticket ’ is transformed in preparation for constructing the outgoing request message 1110 . a standard html header is placed into a new buffer 1120 , the transformed message ticket is appended 1130 and the request message size and sentinel value are added 1140 . as the last step , the previously encrypted data of the request message is then added to the end of the buffer . according to one embodiment of the invention and referring to fig1 a request message is obtained from the client computer system by performing a series of steps . the standard html header is removed from the message buffer 1200 , and then the message ‘ ticket ’ 1210 , request message data size 1220 and sentinel 1230 are extracted . the sentinel is used to validate the request message data size and the message ‘ ticket ’ identifies the transaction in progress . once the transaction has been identified and the sentinel confirms the request message data size , the encrypted request message is obtained from the remainder of the buffer 1240 . the encrypted request message is then decrypted 1250 and the original message request structure is constructed 1260 based on the transferred data as the last step . according to one embodiment of the invention and referring to fig1 a response message is prepared for transfer by performing a series of steps . a sentinel value is calculated from the message size 1100 , a standard html header is placed into a new buffer 1300 and the response message size and sentinel are added 1310 . as the last step , the previously encrypted data of the response message is then added to the end of the buffer . according to one embodiment of the invention and referring to fig1 a response message is obtained from the host by performing a series of steps . the standard html header is removed from the message buffer 1400 , and then the response message data size 1410 and sentinel 1420 are extracted . the sentinel is used to validate the response message data size . once the sentinel confirms the response message data size , the encrypted response message is obtained from the remainder of the buffer 1430 . the encrypted response message is then decrypted 1440 and the original message response structure is constructed 1450 based on the transferred data as the last step . according to one embodiment of the invention and referring to fig1 the message transferred from the client computer program to the host is composed of a conventional html post request header 1500 , followed by the transformed message ticket 1510 , the message size 1520 , the message sentinel 1530 and the message data 1540 . the transformed message ticket 1510 is a value passed to the host that identifies the transaction that this message belongs with . it is transformed by a mathematical process to disguise it &# 39 ; s nature . the message sentinel 1530 is the result of a mathematical operation on the message size 1520 that is used to validate the contents of the message . according to one embodiment of the invention and referring to fig1 the message transferred from the host is composed of a conventional html response header 1600 , followed by the message size 1520 , the message sentinel 1530 and the message data 1540 . the message sentinel 530 is as described earlier . according to one embodiment of the invention and referring to fig1 the client computer program determines the set of data files that need to be transferred to and from the host , and performs the transfers using the data packaging protocol . as shown , the network connection is created ( step 1800 ) and destroyed ( 1820 ) for each transfer , resulting in lower network utilization and fewer network resources ( in the form of ports and sockets ). the automatic selection of candidate data files ( steps 1810 and 1840 ) reduces the amount of data transferred , because only the changed files are moved between the client computer program and the host . the actual data transfer occurs in a single burst ( step 1850 ), so as to not tie up the network while the user selects each file . the limited resources of the host can thus be shared amongst multiple client computer programs , and the user of the client computer program need not keep track of which files are changed in each directory or volume in order to keep their files synchronized . on exit , the client computer program will optionally remove all user and program data , and restore system configuration settings to their original state . [ 0090 ] fig1 illustrates a configurable client / server computing system with which the present invention may be implemented in various embodiments . according to one embodiment of the invented system the client computer program installed on client device 1920 permits the user ( not shown ) of device 1920 to connect to the server program installed on either ( or both of ) local server 1900 or ( through firewall 1910 ) remote server 1960 . if device 1920 connects to the server program directly using the lan of which it is a portion , then it may synchronize files between itself and server 1900 for sharing with others accessing the lan . device 1920 may also synchronize with remote devices 1940 , 1950 , 1960 , and 1970 by similarly , through firewall 1910 , using a public network 1930 ( e . g . the internet ) or a private network 1980 ( e . g . a vpn ). according to another embodiment of the invented system the client computer program installed on mobile client device 1950 ( e . g . a pda ) connects to the server program installed on local server 1900 using public network 1930 , or to remote server 1960 using private network 1980 permitting a user who is away from the office to synchronize various data sets between various computers thereby sharing the same or different data with various colleagues . according to another embodiment of the invented system a remote unprepared client device 1940 connects to the server program installed on local server 1900 to download a client computer program having the capacity to “ cleanup after exit ” and self - install for providing temporary access to synchronize files on local server 1900 or remote server 1960 using either public network 1930 or private network 1980 . for example , at an internet cafe the user may run the client computer program from a website link to access any server running the server software for which an active account was previously set up . according to another embodiment of the invented system the client computer program installed on local server 1900 connects to the server program installed on remote server 1960 using either private network 1980 or public network 1930 and synchronizes the specified data sets between the two servers for backup or other purposes . advantageously , like the internet , the present invention is not system - specific , since all data that is transferred over the internet is transformed via the ‘ htonl ’ and ‘ htons ’ procedures to ensure byte - order neutrality , any client can talk to any server . mystery fields , like the ‘ ticket ’, are passed from the server to the client and back without interpretation on the client . file paths are built up recursively from the parent directories , so that no assumption is made about the use of ‘ slash ’ or ‘ backslash ’ or the name of the root of the local file system ( as it is ‘/’ on unix or linux , ‘ c :’ or equivalent on windows 95 , 98 , nt and something else on windows ce ); long file names are permitted . raw data files are stored on the server , which doesn &# 39 ; t interpret the file contents . as a consequence , files can be moved between client machines and used on each machine , provided that the applications on the machines agree on the meaning of file extensions , which is usually not a problem ( e . g . ms word on the various windows platforms makes a reasonable attempt to understand the contents of a ‘. doc ’ file ). the compaction algorithm used treats data files as byte streams , as does the encryption code ; and byte - order is not relevant here . according to one embodiment of the invention the synchronizing of the files on the client and the server comprises the steps : the terms and expressions employed in this specification are used as terms of description and not of limitation , and there is no intention in the use of such terms and expressions to exclude any equivalents of the features shown and described or portions thereof , and it is recognized that various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention claims . although the disclosure describes and illustrates various embodiments of the invention , it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to these particular embodiments . many variations and modifications will now occur to those skilled in the art of network sharing , collaboration , backup and disaster recovery . for full definition of the scope of the invention , reference is to be made to the appended claims . all of the above u . s . patents , u . s . patent application publications , u . s . patent applications , foreign patents , foreign patent applications and non - patent publications referred to in this specification and / or listed in the application data sheet , including but not limited to u . s . provisional patent serial no . 60 / 338 , 497 , filed nov . 6 , 2001 , are incorporated herein by reference , in their entirety .

US-29008502-A

a high voltage direct current transmission system is provided . the high voltage direct current transmission system includes : a first power transceiving part consuming power generated by a power generation part , storing the generated power , and outputting the generated power or stored power to a second power transceiving part ; a second power transceiving part consuming power generated by a power generation part , storing the generated power and outputting the generated power or stored power to the first power transceiving part ; and a control part controlling the power transmission and reception of the first power transceiving part and the second power transceiving part .

reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments of the present disclosure , examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings . the terms or words used in the detailed description and claims should not be limitatively construed as typical meanings or meanings indicated in dictionaries but should be construed as meanings and concepts matching the technical spirit of the inventive concept based on the principle that the inventor may properly define the concepts of terms in order to describe his or her invention in the best mode . thus , since embodiments described in the detailed description and configurations shown in the drawings are only examples and do not cover all the technical spirits of an embodiment , it should be understood that there may be various equivalents and variations that may replace them upon filing the present application . fig1 shows a high voltage direct current ( hvdc ) transmission system according to an embodiment . as shown in fig1 , an hvdc transmission system 100 according to an embodiment includes a power generation part 101 , a transmission - side alternating current ( ac ) part 110 , a transmission - side transformation part 103 , a dc power transmission part 140 , a reception - side transformation part 105 , a reception - side ac part 170 , a reception part 180 , and a control part 190 . the transmission - side transformation part 103 includes a transmission - side transformer part 120 , and a transmission - side ac / dc converter part 130 . the reception - side transformation part 105 includes a reception - side ac / dc converter part 150 , and a reception - side transformer part 160 . the power generation part 101 generates three - phase ac power . the power generation part 101 may include a plurality of power stations . the transmission - side ac part 110 transmits the three - phase ac power generated by the power generation part 101 to a dc substation that includes the transmission - side transformer part 120 and the transmission - side ac / dc converter part 130 . the transmission - side transformer part 120 isolates the transmission - side ac part 110 from the transmission - side ac / dc converter part 130 and the dc power transmission part 140 . the transmission - side ac / dc converter part 130 converts , into ac power , three - phase ac power corresponding to the output of the transmission - side transformer part 120 . the dc power transmission part 140 transmits transmission - side dc power to a reception side . the reception - side dc / ac converter part 150 converts dc power transmitted by the dc power transmission part 140 , into three - phase ac power . the reception - side transformer part 160 isolates the reception - side ac part 170 from the reception - side dc / ac converter part 150 and the dc power transmission part 140 . the reception - side ac part 170 provides , to the reception part 180 , three - phase ac power corresponding to the output of the reception - side transformer part 160 . the control part 190 may control the turn - on and turn - off timings of a plurality of valves in the power generation part 101 , the transmission - side ac part 110 , the transmission - side transformation part 103 , the dc power transmission part 140 , the reception - side transformation part 105 , the reception - side ac part 170 , the reception part 180 , and the reception - side dc / ac converter part 150 . in this case , the valve may correspond to a thyristor or insulated gate bipolar transistor ( igbt ). fig2 shows a mono - polar hvdc transmission system according to an embodiment . although it is assumed in the following description that the single - pole is a positive pole , there is no need to be limited thereto . a transmission - side ac part 110 includes an ac power transmission line 111 and an ac filter 113 . the ac power transmission line 111 transmits three - phase ac power generated by a power generation part 101 , to a transmission - side transformation part 103 . the ac filter 113 removes other frequency components excluding frequency components used by the transformation part 103 , from the transmitted three - phase ac power . a transmission - side transformer part 120 includes one or more transformers 121 for the positive pole . for the positive pole , a transmission - side ac / dc converter part 130 includes an ac / positive - pole dc converter 131 generating positive - pole dc power , and the ac / positive - pole dc converter 131 includes one or more three - phase valve bridges 131 a corresponding to one or more transformers 121 , respectively . when one three - phase valve bridge 131 a is used , the ac / positive - pole dc converter 131 may use ac power to generate positive - pole dc power having six pulses . in this case , the primary and secondary coils of one transformer 121 may have a y - y connection or y - δ connection . when two three - phase valve bridges 131 a are used , the ac / positive - pole dc converter 131 may use ac power to generate positive - pole dc power having twelve pulses . in this case , the primary and secondary coils of one of two transformers 121 may have a y - y connection , and the primary and secondary coils of the other of two transformers 121 may have a y - δ connection . when three three - phase valve bridges 131 a are used , the ac / positive - pole dc converter 131 may use ac power to generate positive - pole dc power having 18 pulses . the more the number of pulses of the positive - pole dc power , the price of the filter may decrease . the dc power transmission part 140 includes a transmission - side positive - pole dc filter 141 , a positive - pole dc power transmission line 143 , and a reception - side positive - pole dc filter 145 . the transmission - side positive - pole dc filter 141 includes an inductor l 1 and a capacitor c 1 and filters positive - pole dc power output by the ac / positive - pole dc converter 131 . the positive - pole dc power transmission line 143 may have a dc line for transmission of positive - pole dc power , and earth may be used as a current feedback path . one or more switches may be disposed on the dc line . the reception - side positive - pole dc filter 145 includes an inductor l 2 and a capacitor c 2 and dc - filters positive - pole dc power transmitted through the positive - pole dc power transmission line 143 . the reception - side dc / ac converter part 150 includes a positive - pole dc / ac converter 151 , which includes one or more three - phase valve bridges 151 a . the reception - side transformer part 160 includes one or more transformers 161 corresponding respectively to one or more three - phase valve bridges 151 a for the positive pole . when one three - phase valve bridge 151 a is used , the positive - pole dc / ac converter 151 may use positive - pole dc power to generate ac power having six pulses . in this case , the primary and secondary coils of one transformer 161 may have a y - y connection or y - δ connection . when two three - phase valve bridges 151 a are used , the positive - pole dc / ac converter 151 may use positive - pole dc power to generate ac power having 12 pulses . in this case , the primary and secondary coils of one of two transformers 161 may have a y - y connection , and the primary and secondary coils of the other of two transformers 161 may have a y - δ connection . when three three - phase valve bridges 151 a are used , the positive - pole dc / ac converter 151 may use positive - pole dc power to generate ac power having 18 pulses . the more the number of pulses of the ac power , the price of the filter may decrease . a reception - side ac part 170 includes an ac filter 171 and an ac power transmission line 173 . the ac filter 171 removes other frequency components excluding the frequency component ( e . g ., about 60 hz ) used by the reception part 180 , from the ac power generated by the reception - side transformation part 105 . the ac power transmission line 173 transmits filtered ac power to the reception part 180 . fig3 shows a bipolar hvdc transmission system according to an embodiment . fig3 shows a system transmitting two - pole dc power . although it is assumed in the following description that the two poles are a positive pole and a negative pole , there is no need to be limited thereto . a transmission - side ac part 110 includes an ac power transmission line 111 and an ac filter 113 . the ac power transmission line 111 transmits three - phase ac power generated by a power generation part 101 , to a transmission - side transformation part 103 . the ac filter 113 removes other frequency components excluding frequency components used by the transformation part 103 , from the transmitted three - phase ac power . the transmission - side transformer part 120 includes one or more transformers 121 for the positive pole and one or more transformers 122 for the negative pole . a transmission - side ac / dc converter part 130 includes an ac / positive - pole dc converter 131 generating positive - pole dc power and an ac / negative - pole dc converter 132 generating negative - pole dc power , the ac / positive - pole dc converter 131 includes one or more three - phase valve bridges 131 a corresponding respectively to one or more transformers 121 for the positive - pole , and the ac / negative - pole dc converter 132 includes one or more three - phase valve bridges 132 a corresponding respectively to one or more transformers 122 for the negative - pole . when one three - phase valve bridge 131 a is used for the positive pole , the ac / positive - pole dc converter 131 may use ac power to generate positive - pole dc power having six pulses . in this case , the primary and secondary coils of one transformer 121 may have a y - y connection or y - δ connection . when two three - phase valve bridges 131 a are used for the positive pole , the ac / positive - pole dc converter 131 may use ac power to generate positive - pole dc power having 12 pulses . in this case , the primary and secondary coils of one of two transformers 121 may have a y - y connection , and the primary and secondary coils of the other of two transformers 121 may have a y - δ connection . when three three - phase valve bridges 131 a are used for the positive pole , the ac / positive - pole dc converter 131 may use ac power to generate positive - pole dc power having 18 pulses . the more the number of pulses of the positive - pole dc power , the price of the filter may decrease . when one three - phase valve bridge 132 a is used for the negative pole , the ac / negative - pole dc converter 132 may generate negative - pole dc power having six pulses . in this case , the primary and secondary coils of one transformer 122 may have a y - y connection or y - δ connection . when two three - phase valve bridges 132 a are used for the negative pole , the ac / negative - pole dc converter 132 may generate negative - pole dc power having 12 pulses . in this case , the primary and secondary coils of one of two transformers 122 may have a y - y connection , and the primary and secondary coils of the other of two transformers 122 may have a y - δ connection . when three three - phase valve bridges 132 a are used for the negative pole , the ac / negative - pole dc converter 132 may generate negative - pole dc power having 18 pulses . the more the number of pulses of the negative - pole dc power , the price of the filter may decrease . the dc power transmission part 140 includes a transmission - side positive - pole dc filter 141 , a transmission - side negative - pole dc filter 142 , a positive - pole dc power transmission line 143 , a negative - pole dc power transmission line 144 , a reception - side positive - pole dc filter 145 , and a reception - side negative - pole dc filter 146 . the transmission - side positive - pole dc filter 141 includes an inductor l 1 and a capacitor c 1 and dc - filters positive - pole dc power output by the ac / positive - pole dc converter 131 . the transmission - side negative - pole dc filter 142 includes an inductor l 3 and a capacitor c 3 and dc - filters negative - pole dc power output by the ac / negative - pole dc converter 132 . the positive - pole dc power transmission line 143 may have a dc line for transmission of positive - pole dc power , and earth may be used as a current feedback path . one or more switches may be disposed on the dc line . the negative - pole dc power transmission line 144 may have a dc line for transmission of negative - pole dc power , and earth may be used as a current feedback path . one or more switches may be disposed on the dc line . the reception - side positive - pole dc filter 145 includes an inductor l 2 and a capacitor c 2 and dc - filters positive - pole dc power transmitted through the positive - pole dc power transmission line 143 . the reception - side negative - pole dc filter 146 includes an inductor l 4 and a capacitor c 4 and dc - filters negative - pole dc power transmitted through the negative - pole dc power transmission line 144 . the reception - side dc / ac converter part 150 includes a positive - pole dc / ac converter 151 and a negative - pole dc / ac converter 152 , the positive - pole dc / ac converter 151 includes one or more three - phase valve bridges 151 a , and the negative - pole dc / ac converter 152 includes one or more three - phase valve bridges 152 a . the reception - side transformer part 160 includes one or more transformers 161 corresponding respectively to one or more three - phase valve bridges 151 a for the positive pole and one or more transformers 162 corresponding respectively to one or more three - phase valve bridges 152 a for the negative pole . when one three - phase valve bridge 151 a is used for the positive pole , the positive - pole dc / ac converter 151 may use positive - pole dc power to generate ac power having six pulses . in this case , the primary and secondary coils of one transformer 161 may have a y - y connection or y - δ connection . when two three - phase valve bridges 151 a are used for the positive pole , the positive - pole dc / ac converter 151 may use positive - pole dc power to generate ac power having 12 pulses . in this case , the primary and secondary coils of one of two transformers 161 may have a y - y connection , and the primary and secondary coils of the other of two transformers 161 may have a y - δ connection . when three three - phase valve bridges 151 a are used for the positive pole , the positive - pole dc / ac converter 151 may use positive - pole dc power to generate ac power having 18 pulses . the more the number of pulses of the ac power , the price of the filter may decrease . when one three - phase valve bridge 152 a is used for the negative pole , the negative - pole dc / ac converter 152 may use negative - pole dc power to generate ac power having six pulses . in this case , the primary and secondary coils of one transformer 162 may have a y - y connection or y - δ connection . when two three - phase valve bridges 152 a are used for the negative pole , the negative - pole dc / ac converter 152 may use negative - pole dc power to generate ac power having 12 pulses . in this case , the primary and secondary coils of one of two transformers 162 may have a y - y connection , and the primary and secondary coils of the other of two transformers 162 may have a y - δ connection . when three three - phase valve bridges 152 a are used for the negative pole , the negative - pole dc / ac converter 152 may use negative - pole dc power to generate ac power having 18 pulses . the more the number of pulses of the ac power , the price of the filter may decrease . a reception - side ac part 170 includes an ac filter 171 and an ac power transmission line 173 . the ac filter 171 removes other frequency components excluding the frequency component ( e . g ., about 60 hz ) used by the reception part 180 , from the ac power generated by the reception - side transformation part 105 . the ac power transmission line 173 transmits filtered ac power to the reception part 180 . fig4 shows the connection of a three - phase valve bridge and a transformer according to an embodiment . in particular , fig4 shows the connection of two transformers 121 for a positive pole and two three - phase valve bridges 131 a for the positive pole . since the connection of two transformers 122 for a negative pole and two three - phase valve bridges 132 a for the negative pole , the connection of two transformers 161 for the positive pole and two three - phase valve bridges 151 a for the positive pole , the connection of two transformers 162 for the negative pole and two three - phase valve bridges 152 a for the negative pole , the connection of a transformer 121 for the positive pole and a three - phase valve bridge 131 a for the positive pole , the connection of a transformer 161 for the positive pole and a three - phase valve bridge 151 a for the positive pole and so on may be easily driven from the embodiment in fig4 , their drawings and descriptions are omitted . in fig4 , the transformer 121 having a y - y connection is referred to as an upper transformer , the transformer 121 having a y - δ connection is referred to as a lower transformer , the three - phase valve bridge 131 a connected to the upper transformer is referred to as an upper three - phase valve bridge , and the three - phase valve bridge 131 a connected to the lower transformer is referred to as a lower three - phase valve bridge . the upper three - phase valve bridge and the lower three - phase valve bridge have a first output out 1 and a second output out 2 that are two outputs outputting dc power . the upper three - phase valve bridge includes six valves d 1 to d 6 and the lower three - phase valve bridge includes six valves d 7 to d 12 . the valve d 1 has a cathode connected to the first output out 1 and an anode connected to the first terminal of the secondary coil of the upper transformer . the valve d 2 has a cathode connected to the anode of the valve d 5 and an anode connected to the anode of the valve d 6 . the valve d 3 has a cathode connected to the first output out 1 and an anode connected to the second terminal of the secondary coil of the upper transformer . the valve d 4 has a cathode connected to the anode of the valve d 1 and an anode connected to the anode of the valve d 6 . the valve d 5 has a cathode connected to the first output out 1 and an anode connected to the third terminal of the secondary coil of the upper transformer . the valve d 6 has a cathode connected to the anode of the valve d 3 . the valve d 7 has a cathode connected to the anode of the valve d 6 and an anode connected to the first terminal of the secondary coil of the lower transformer . the valve d 8 has a cathode connected to the anode of the valve d 11 and an anode connected to the anode of the second output out 2 . the valve d 9 has a cathode connected to the anode of the valve d 6 and an anode connected to the second terminal of the secondary coil of the lower transformer . the valve d 10 has a cathode connected to the anode of the valve d 7 and an anode connected to the second output out 2 . the valve d 1 has a cathode connected to the anode of the valve d 6 and an anode connected to the third terminal of the secondary coil of the lower transformer . the valve d 12 has a cathode connected to the anode of the valve d 9 and an anode connected to the second output out 2 . the reception - side dc / ac converter part 150 may include a modular multi - level converter 200 . the modular multi - level converter 200 may use a plurality of sub modules 210 to convert dc power into ac power . fig5 is a diagram for explaining the configuration of an hvdc transmission system according to an embodiment . the hvdc transmission system according to an embodiment has a structure in which a power transceiving part including both a transmission side and a reception side is connected in plurality . that is , the hvdc transmission system may have a structure in which a first power transceiving part 10 and a second power transceiving part 20 that include a power generation part and a reception part are connected . although as shown in fig5 , the embodiment defines a left power transceiving part as the first power transceiving part 10 and a right power transceiving part as the second power transceiving part 20 , the connection and arrangement of the first and second power transceiving parts 10 and 20 have no limitations and may vary according to an embodiment . in the following , the configuration of the hvdc transmission system according to the embodiment is described in detail with reference to fig5 . a first ac / dc converter part 130 in the first power transceiving part 10 includes an ac / positive - pole dc converter 131 generating positive - pole dc power and the ac / positive - pole dc converter 131 includes dual three - phase valve bridges 131 a and 131 b corresponding to transformers 121 . specifically , the first converter part 130 may convert ac power generated by a first power generation part 11 into dc power , and dc power applied from a second converter part 150 into ac power . also , the first converter part 130 may output the ac power generated by the first power generation part 11 to a first reception part 12 and a first energy storage part 210 or to the second power transceiving part 20 . also , the second converter part 150 may also include dual three - phase valve bridges 151 a and 151 b for the positive pole . specifically , the second converter part 150 in the second power transceiving part 20 may convert ac power generated by a second power generation part 11 into dc power , and dc power applied from the first converter part 130 into ac power . also , the second converter part 150 may output the ac power generated by the second power generation part 21 to a second reception part 22 and a second energy storage part 220 or to the first power transceiving part 10 . the energy storage parts 210 and 220 may be connected respectively to the first converter part 130 and the second converter part 150 . in the embodiment , the energy storage part connected to the first converter part 130 is described as the first energy storage part 210 and the energy storage part connected to the second converter part 150 is described as the second energy storage part 220 , for example . the first energy storage part 210 and the second energy storage part 220 may store power generated by the first and second power generation parts 11 and 21 respectively or mutually . the control part 190 may calculate power to be consumed by the first reception part 12 with respect to power generated by the first power generation part 11 and check the power consumption and the generated power so that surplus power may be stored in the first energy storage part 210 . also , the control part 190 may check power to be supplied to the second reception part 22 with respect to the power stored in the first energy storage part 210 and output corresponding power to the second energy storage part 220 . the control part 190 may store power excluding that supplied to the second reception part 22 in the second converter part 150 to the second energy storage part 220 and transmit it to the first converter part 130 . that is , the first and second energy storage parts 210 and 220 may check power generated by the first and second power generation parts 11 and 21 connected respectively thereto and consumed by the first and second reception parts 12 and 22 and store surplus power . also , stored power may be transmitted to a transmission side or reception side under the control of the control part 190 . in the following , the operation of the hvdc transmission system according to an embodiment is described in detail with reference to fig6 . fig6 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of an hvdc transmission system according to an embodiment . referring to fig6 , a control part 190 according to an embodiment may check the power generated by a first power generation part 11 in step 5602 . the control part 190 may check the generated power and check power to be discharged by a first reception part 12 and power to be transmitted to a second power transceiving part 20 in step 5604 . when the power to be discharged by the first reception part 12 is less than or equal to the generated power , the control part 190 may store power corresponding to the difference in an energy storage part . the energy storage part may be a first storage part 210 connected to a first converter part 130 . the control part 190 may check whether a power demand signal is received from the other side , i . e ., a second converter part 150 in a second power transceiving part 20 . that is , the control part 190 may check whether power pre - transmitted from the second power transceiving part 20 or pre - stored has been discharged . the control part 190 may check power demanded from the second power transceiving part 20 and transmit energy stored in the first energy storage part 210 to the second power transceiving part 20 , in step 5614 . on the contrary , if the generated power is less than charged power , the control part 190 may request energy stored in a second energy storage part 220 connected to a second transformer part 150 of the second power transceiving part 20 and store corresponding energy in the first energy storage part 210 , in step 616 . that is , the power pre - transmitted to the second power transceiving part 20 may be received and used as power for a first power transceiving part 10 . in this case , the control part 190 may enable surplus power excluding the power consumption of the first power transceiving part 10 to be re - transmitted . also , the control part 190 may enable power generation , reception and transmission to the second power transceiving part 20 performed by the first power transceiving part 10 to be performed by the second power transceiving part 20 . that is , since the converter part of each of the first and second power transceiving parts 10 and 20 includes dual three - phase valve bridges and the first and second power transceiving parts include the power generation parts 11 and 21 respectively and the reception parts 12 and 22 respectively , bidirectional power transmission and reception are possible . also , if a trouble is sensed in transmission and reception operations of the hvdc transmission system , the control part 190 may output power generated or stored by each of the first and second power transceiving parts 10 and 20 to perform self - discharging ( consumption ). exemplary embodiments are mainly described above . however , they are only examples and do not limit the inventive concept . a person skilled in the art may appreciate that many variations and applications not presented above may be implemented without departing from the essential characteristic of embodiments . for example , each component specifically represented in embodiments may vary . in addition , it should be construed that differences related to such a variation and such an application are included in the scope of the inventive concept defined in the following claims .

US-201514811571-A

systems and processes for accessing data from a graph database are described . the system receives a request comprising time - based information . time - based information of the request is compared with a first time interval , which is associated with at least one node of a graph . the node of the graph is matched based on the time - based information being at least partially within the first time interval . the system returns a result comprising an indicator of the node of the graph , wherein the node of the graph is associated with an entity , and the node of the graph includes an attribute of the entity .

the following description is presented to enable a person of ordinary skill in the art to make and use the various embodiments . descriptions of specific devices , techniques , and applications are provided only as examples . various modifications to the examples described herein will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art , and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other examples and applications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present technology . thus , the disclosed technology is not intended to be limited to the examples described herein and shown , but is to be accorded the scope consistent with the claims . a graph database may be structured to provide efficient storage and retrieval of data . the graph database includes nodes and edges . each node in the graph database may be assigned an object identity . in one example , the object identity may be unique to the node . in another example , the object identity need not be unique to the node . the nodes of the graph database are connected through edges . edges represent a relationship between the nodes that they connect . edges may include information about a relationship type , a direction , the type of nodes being connected , the number of participants between each source and destination , properties and attributes of the edge type , and the like . the direction information of the edge is based on whether the edge is directed or undirected . for example , a directed edge has a direction of outgoing or incoming , whereas an undirected edge may not have a direction . a node may be associated with an entity . for example , an entity may be a person , a user , a group , a content , a computing resource , an activity , an event , or the like . a group may be , for example , an organizational unit such as a building , a department , or a company . a content may be , for example , a document , an email , an image , or the like . thus , the node may represent the entity in the database . in order to manage and store changes associated with an entity over time , one or more versions of information about the entity may be stored . for example , an entity node may be associated with an employee by the name of “ lisa john .” this node may also include information about the employee , such as her legal name , “ lisa john .” a node may also be associated with multiple versions of an entity . in one embodiment , illustrated in fig1 , a change to the employee &# 39 ; s legal name from “ lisa john ” to “ lisa smith ” may be captured in the information stored in the entity node 100 . in response to detecting the change in the name , the original state information 102 of the employee may remain stored in the entity node 100 and a complete updated state information 104 of the employee may be stored in the node . each state information for the entity may be associated with a time stamp to identify when the change was made . in another example , the updated state information 104 may include a differential between the original state information 102 and the updated state . in another embodiment , illustrated in fig2 , a change to an employee &# 39 ; s legal name from “ lisa john ” to “ lisa smith ” may be captured by adding a node that is connected to generic entity node 200 . state node 202 may include the original state information of the employee . the original state information may be associated with a time stamp to identify when the information was added to node 202 . state node 204 may include a complete updated state information of the employee . the complete updated state information may be associated with a time stamp to identify when the information was added to node 204 . the state nodes 202 , 204 may also each have a time interval associated with them that indicates the time during which the state applies . the generic entity node 200 may point to the various possible versions of the state information of the employee . in another example , rather than storing a complete version of the state information of the employee , state node 204 may include a differential between the original state information stored in state node 202 and the updated state . fig3 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of the relationship among various generic nodes . edges may exist among generic nodes , and not among versions of state nodes . in fig3 , the generic entity nodes 300 , 302 , and 304 may include original state information and updated state information . edge 306 may connect generic entity node 300 and generic entity node 302 . edge 306 may include information indicating that the entity associated with generic entity node 300 works for the entity associated with generic entity node 302 . similarly , edge 308 may connect generic entity node 300 and generic entity node 304 . edge 308 may include information indicating that the entity associated with generic entity node 300 works for the entity associated with generic entity node 304 . this information may indicate , for example , that the employee lisa smith worked for two different managers during two different intervals . more specifically , that lisa smith worked for larry brown for the period 1 / 6 / 2011 - 6 / 6 / 2012 and for john black for the period 6 / 7 / 2012 - 9 / 1 / 2012 . fig4 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of the relationship among various generic nodes . generic entity node 400 includes the original information about an entity , as well as the changes to the information about the entity . in this example , the entity may be a person by the name of john . generic entity node 400 may include an id attribute with a value of 2 . the id may be an object identity . this id attribute value may uniquely identify generic entity node 400 . alternatively , the id attribute value may not be unique , but may be used to identify generic entity node 400 . generic entity node 400 may include two versions of the state information for the entity represented by the node , storing changes about the entity . the 2 . 1 version of the state information may indicate that the entity &# 39 ; s name is john , the entity is associated with the location of boston , and that the 2 . 1 version information is effective during the time duration between the dates of 3 / 1 - 5 / 31 . the boston location information may indicate , for example , the city in which john was living , the location of the work office john was assigned to , and the like , for the duration from march 1 through may 31 of the current year . in other examples , the effective time duration may include the day , the month , the year , the hour , minutes , seconds , milliseconds , and the like . one of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate that other measurements of time or duration may also be used , such as academic semesters , fiscal quarters , and the like . the 2 . 2 version of the state information may indicate that the entity &# 39 ; s name is john , the entity is associated with the location of palo alto , and that the 2 . 2 version information is effective starting 6 / 1 and continuing until the current day . the palo alto location information may indicate , for example , the city in which john was living , the location of the work office john was assigned to , and the like , for the duration starting on june 1 through the current date . thus , two versions of state information are stored in a node for an entity : a “ boston ” version and a “ palo alto ” version . each version of the state information is associated with the id attribute value of the node , and each version of the state information includes a time duration during which the version information is effective , or up - to - date . generic entity node 402 may represent an entity with the name “ mobile telephone application .” the entity may be , for example , a software development project . generic entity node 402 may include an id attribute value of 1 . version 1 . 1 of the state information for generic entity node 402 may include a timestamp attribute value of 1 / 1 , indicating that the state information was entered or stored on january 1 of the current year , and a name attribute value of “ mobile telephone application .” edge 406 may connect generic entity node 400 and generic entity node 402 . edge 406 may be a directed edge pointing from generic entity node 400 to generic entity node 402 . edge 406 may include information indicating that the entity associated with generic entity node 400 is a participant in the project associated with generic entity node 402 . this information may be represented by the type of the edge , in this case “ participate - in .” the edge may also include a label attribute value . the label attribute value may indicate , for example , the type of participation . for edge 406 , the label attribute value is “ designer ,” indicating that the entity associated with generic entity node 400 was a software development designer with respect to the entity associated with generic entity node 402 . in other words , john is a software development designer for the mobile telephone application software development project . however , edge 406 may also have a time attribute value associated with it . the time attribute value may indicate the duration during which the information associated with the edge is applicable . edge 406 includes time attribute value information of 3 / 1 - 8 / 31 . this may indicate that john was a software development designer for the mobile telephone application software development project from march 1 to august 31 of the current year . in addition to edge 406 , generic entity node 400 and generic entity node 402 may also be connected by edge 408 . edge 408 may be a directed edge pointing from generic entity node 400 to generic entity node 402 . edge 408 may include information indicating that the entity associated with generic entity node 400 is a participant in the project associated with generic entity node 402 . this information may be represented by the type of the edge , in this case “ participate - in .” the edge may also include a label attribute value . the label attribute value may indicate , for example , the type of participation . for edge 408 , the label attribute value is “ manager ,” indicating that the entity associated with generic entity node 400 was a project manager with respect to the entity associated with generic entity node 402 . in other words , john is a project manager for the mobile telephone application software development project . however , edge 408 may also have a time attribute value associated with it . the time attribute value may indicate the duration during which the information associated with the edge is applicable . edge 408 includes time attribute value information of 9 / 1 - current . generic entity node 400 , edge 408 , and generic entity node 402 indicate that john began his role as the project manager for the mobile telephone application software development project starting on september 1 of the current year , and that he continues to be a participant as the project manager . generic entity node 404 may represent an entity with the name “ sales call .” the entity may be , for example , an activity or event that occurred or is scheduled to occur . generic entity node 404 may include an id attribute value of 3 . this id attribute value may uniquely identify generic entity node 404 from other nodes in the graph . version 3 . 1 of the state information for generic entity node 404 may include a timestamp attribute value of 10 / 1 . this timestamp attribute value may indicate that the “ sales call ” event occurred on october 1 of the current year . version 3 . 1 of the state information may also include a name attribute value of “ sales call .” edge 410 may connect generic entity node 400 and generic entity node 404 . edge 410 may be a directed edge pointing from generic entity node 400 to generic entity node 404 . edge 410 may include information indicating that the entity associated with generic entity node 400 is a participant in the event associated with generic entity node 404 . this information may be represented by the type of the edge , in this case “ participate - in .” the edge may also include a label attribute value . the label attribute value may indicate , for example , the type of participation . for edge 406 , the label attribute value is “ participant ,” indicating that the entity associated with generic entity node 400 was a participant with respect to the entity associated with generic entity node 404 . in other words , john was on a sales call that took place on 10 / 1 . edge 410 may also have a time attribute value associated with it . the time attribute value may indicate the duration during which the information associated with the edge is applicable . edge 410 includes time attribute value information of 10 / 1 - current . fig5 illustrates an exemplary process for retrieving a portion of a graph based on a time point or a time interval . retrieving a portion of a graph may be useful to determine the state of the graph , an entity , or an entity and related entities , at a certain point in time or during a certain time interval . at block 500 , the system may receive a time - based request . for example , the request may include information requesting the state of an entity or a subset of the graph at a particular point - in - time . in one example , a particular point - in - time may be a specific date , or a specific date and time . for another example , the request may include information requesting the state of an entity or a subset of the graph during a particular duration of time . in one example , a particular duration of time may be a range of dates , a range of times , or a range of dates and times . at block 502 , the system may access all or a portion of the graph . at block 504 , the system may exclude all or some edges from an intermediate result based on the time - based request . for example , edges with an associated time interval that does not intersect the point - in - time from the time - based request may be excluded from the intermediate result . for another example , edges with an associated time interval that does not match the duration of time from the time - based request may be excluded from the intermediate result . at block 506 , the system may exclude all or some versions stored in nodes from the intermediate result based on the time - based request . for example , versions of a node that do not intersect a point - in - time from the time - based request or do not match the duration of time from the time - based request may be excluded from the intermediate result . at block 508 , the system may exclude all or some nodes that do not include at least one version of a node that has not been excluded . thus , any node that has had all versions excluded may also be excluded . at block 510 , the system may return a result based on the time - based request . the result may be , for example , a subset of the graph or a characteristic of a node or edge . alternatively , rather than excluding edges , nodes , and versions that do not meet the time - based criteria , the system may include edges , nodes , and version that do match the time - based criteria of the request . these edges , nodes , and versions may be included in an intermediate result . for example , the system may include edges that meet the time - based criteria , include node versions that meet the time - based criteria , and include nodes that store at least one node version that has been included for meeting the time - based criteria . the system may traverse the graph to determine whether edges and nodes meet the time - based criteria of the request . this traversal of the graph may be a loose traversal or a strict traversal . a loose traversal may determine a match when the edges and nodes on the path being traversed at least partially meet the time - based criteria of the request . this may not require that there is a single point in time where each of the matched nodes and edges is valid . for example , if the time - based criteria of the request includes a duration from 1 / 1 / 2010 to 1 / 1 / 2011 , the system may match both an edge that has an interval of 3 / 1 / 2010 to 4 / 1 / 2010 and an edge that has an interval of 7 / 1 / 2010 to 8 / 1 / 2010 , even though they two edges do not overlap at all . a strict traversal may determine a match when the edges and nodes on the path being traversed share a single time when they are valid . to determine whether a path is strict , the system may intersect the time window of all the nodes and edges on the path and determine if the results are non - empty . for example , consider the situation where john and mary start a friendship on 1 / 1 / 11 and end their friendship on 3 / 1 / 11 . mary and larry later start a friendship on 5 / 1 / 11 . a loose traversal may indicate that larry is part of john &# 39 ; s extended ( second degree ) friend network in 2011 . a strict traversal may indicate that larry is not part of john &# 39 ; s extended friend network in 2011 because they did not share at least a single point in time for a match . some information in the graph may be classified as data that changes slowly , rather than changing on a time - based , regular schedule . for example , the data may never change , change infrequently , or be less likely to change than the data in the graph on average , or change once or less per a specified time period ( such as once or less per year , or month , or day ). for example , birthdates , a work location , place of birth , social security number , or item color may be slow changing . for this type of data , techniques related to slow changing dimensions may be used . by identifying data in the graph as slow changing , searching and matching may be performed more efficiently . slow changing data fields in the graph may be classified as one of three types . type 0 data may be data fields that are not changed once the value of the data field is set or stored . type 1 data may be data fields where more recent data overwrites the previous data , or more recent data takes precedence over less recent data . using this information , queries may be constrained based on slow changing dimension types . type 2 data may be data where a time window is consistent with the traverse path . one example of a query related to type 0 data may be querying to find all employees who first worked for the company in california . the first version of the data may be accessed to return a result to this query . one example of a query related to type 1 data may be querying to find the current email addresses of all employees who worked on a particular project . in this example , the most recent ( and therefore the most likely to be valid ) email information should be retrieved . one example of a query related to type 2 data may be querying to find all employees who worked on a project in california at a certain point in time . a basic set of queries to return edges , nodes , and attributes may be implemented . some examples are provided below . these examples of basic queries need not be implemented verbatim as a query language , but may be abstract forms for queries instead . in interpreting the basic queries , it may be useful to note that the portion preceding the colon divider describes an input portion and the portion following the colon divider describes an output portion . generally , g represents graph , n represents node , e represents edge , f represents function , t represents time interval , b represents boolean , and v represents version . an extended set of queries to return edges , nodes , and attributes may also be implemented . again , these examples of queries need not be implemented verbatim as a query language , but may be abstract forms for queries instead . in a follow function , a query is a traversal that begins at a particular node and ends at another particular node . some examples are provided below . fig6 depicts an exemplary computing system 600 configured to perform any one of the above - described processes . in this context , computing system 600 may include , for example , a processor , memory , storage , and input / output devices ( e . g ., monitor , keyboard , disk drive , internet connection , etc .). however , computing system 600 may include circuitry or other specialized hardware for carrying out some or all aspects of the processes . in some operational settings , computing system 600 may be configured as a system that includes one or more units , each of which is configured to carry out some aspects of the processes either in software , hardware , or some combination thereof . fig6 depicts computing system 600 with a number of components that may be used to perform the above - described processes . the main system 602 includes a motherboard 604 having an input / output (“ i / o ”) section 606 , one or more central processing units (“ cpu ”) 608 , and a memory section 610 , which may have a flash memory card 612 related to it . the i / o section 606 is connected to a display 624 , a keyboard 614 , a disk storage unit 616 , and a media drive unit 618 . the media drive unit 618 can read / write a computer - readable medium 620 , which can contain programs 622 and / or data . at least some values based on the results of the above - described processes can be saved for subsequent use . additionally , a non - transitory computer - readable medium can be used to store ( e . g ., tangibly embody ) one or more computer programs for performing any one of the above - described processes by means of a computer . the computer program may be written , for example , in a general - purpose programming language ( e . g ., pascal , c , c ++, java ) or some specialized application - specific language . various exemplary embodiments are described herein . reference is made to these examples in a non - limiting sense . they are provided to illustrate more broadly applicable aspects of the disclosed technology . various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted without departing from the true spirit and scope of the various embodiments . in addition , many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation , material , composition of matter , process , process act ( s ) or step ( s ) to the objective ( s ), spirit or scope of the various embodiments . further , as will be appreciated by those with skill in the art , each of the individual variations described and illustrated herein has discrete components and features that may be readily separated from or combined with the features of any of the other several embodiments without departing from the scope or spirit of the various embodiments . all such modifications are intended to be within the scope of claims associated with this disclosure .

US-201514810404-A

a support member is rotatably fastened to a bracket that is configured for mounting to a bicycle seat tube just above the bottom bracket . the support member is movable between a stored position where it is generally parallel to and just behind the seat tube and a lower position to support the weight of the bicycle . a locking mechanism includes an x - shaped recess in a head of the support member and a pair of detents in the bracket . the detents extend from a projection that is flexibly connected to the bracket . the projection bends slightly to permit movement of the support member between positions .

referring to fig1 and 7 , a bicycle 8 includes a support stand 10 according to the present invention which is attached to a seat tube 11 of a type that is typically included in a bicycle 13 . the seat tube 11 extends from a bottom bracket 15 and provides means for mounting a seat 17 to the bicycle 8 . the bicycle support stand 10 includes a mounting bracket 16 , a support member 18 having an upper end attached to the mounting bracket 16 and a foot 20 extending from the lower end of the support member 18 . the foot 20 may be moved to a position where it extends downward to the surface on which the bicycle rests . when the bicycle support stand 10 is in the position shown in fig5 it prevents the bicycle from falling over on its side . the support member 18 may be rotated away from the position shown in fig5 to a stored position in which the support membr 18 is generally parallel to the seat tube 11 . as described subsequently with reference to fig5 and 6 , the bicycle support stand 10 includes a locking mechanism 22 that may be used to selectively retain the support member 18 in position to support the bicycle or to retain the support member 18 in its stored position parallel to the seat tube . referring to fig1 - 6 , the mounting bracket 16 preferably includes a first portion 24 to which the support member 18 is connected and a second portion 26 which connects to the first portion to secure the mounting bracket 16 to the seat tube 11 . the first bracket portion 24 includes a generally semicylindrical recess 28 therein , and the second bracket portion 26 includes a similar recess 30 . when the first and second mounting bracket portions 24 and 26 are assembled together shown in fig5 and 6 , the recesses 28 and 30 cooperate to form a generally cylindrical cavity . when the mounting bracket 16 is mounted on the seat tube 11 , the tube fits inside the generally cylindrical cavity . referring to fig1 - 6 , a plurality of bolts 32 extend through holes 36 in the second bracket portion 26 and into threaded holes 40 in the first bracket portion 24 . the bolts 32 secure the first and second bracket portions 24 and 26 to the seat tube 11 with sufficient force to prevent the mounting bracket 16 from rotating or sliding on the seat tube . the support member 18 may have any suitable shape that provides a sturdy support to the bicycle . referring to fig1 - 4 the support member 18 may be formed generally as an i - beam having a pair of flat sides 52 and 54 joined by a web 56 . the support member 18 may also include a pair of stiffener ribs 58 and 59 that extend from the web 56 between the sides 52 and 54 . the configuration described above provides adequate support to the bicycle and is readily formed by molding using well - known techniques . the support member 18 includes a head 60 and the foot 20 . the head 60 is mounted in the support bracket portion 26 . the foot contacts the earth or other surface under the bicycle to support it . referring to fig5 and 8 the locking mechanism 22 includes the bracket portion 26 and the head 60 of the support member 18 . the head 60 includes a generally cylindrical portion mounted to an end 64 of the support member 18 . an end surface 66 of the head 60 has a recess 69 therein . the other end surface 68 of the head 60 is preferably flat . an axial passage 67 , shown in fig5 and 8 extends through the head 60 for receiving a mounting bolt 70 , shown in fig1 . the bracket portion 26 includes a recess 74 in which the head 60 may be rotatably mounted . the recess has a generally rectangular cross section shown in fig4 and 5 . the recess 74 is partially bounded by a pair of generally planar surfaces 76 and 78 that meet at a right angle in the bracket portion 26 near the recess 28 . a generally flat rectangular projection 80 extends from the body of the bracket portion 26 to be at a right angle to the surface 78 and to have a surface 82 that faces the surface 76 . the projection 80 has a hole 84 therethrough , and a hole 86 passes through the surface 76 a short distance into the body of the bracket portion 26 . the holes 84 and 86 are preferably axially aligned and the same diameter . when the support stand is assembled , the bolt 70 passes through the hole 84 , the passage 67 and into the hole 86 . the hole 86 may be threaded to receive the bolt 70 , or the hole 86 may be smooth and the bolt 70 may include a self tapping threaded end portion ( not shown ), which is secured in the hole 86 . other methods , such as the use of an adhesive for mounting the bolt 70 in the hole 86 may be employed without departing from the scope of the present invention . the juncture 90 of the projection 80 and the body of the bracket portion 26 is formed to permit a slight flexing of the projection 80 to widen the cavity 74 . the ability of the projection to flex is a feature of the locking mechanism 22 . a detent 92 extends from the surface 82 of the projection 80 . when the stand 10 is in its stored position , the detent 92 is engaged in a leg 96 of the x - shaped recess 69 in the head 60 . the detents 92 and 94 have beveled edges 92a and 94a so that application of a predetermined torque to the support member about the bolt 70 disengages the detent 92 and the leg 96 of the recess 69 . as the head 60 begins to rotate in the recess 74 , the head 60 pushes outward on the detent 92 and the projection 80 . the projection then bends at the juncture 90 of the projection 80 and the body of the bracket portion 26 so that the detent becomes completely out of the recess 69 . if the support member continues to rotate downward , the detent 94 becomes engaged in a leg 98 of the recess 69 . the support member 18 is then in its lowered position shown in fig2 . the support member 18 is moved from the lowered position to the stored position by exerting sufficient torque torque about the bolt 70 to disengage the detent 94 and the recess 69 and rotating the support member until the detent 92 becomes engaged in the recess 69 . referring to fig8 and 9 , the foot 20 includes a body portion 100 and a projection 102 that extends from the body portion 100 , the projection is curved to form a recess 104 in which the seat tube 11 shown ) of the bicycle ( 13 ) may be received . the projection may include and end portion 106 that cooperates with the body 100 to form an opening 108 into the recess 104 . this opening may have a width smaller than the diameter of the seat ( 11 ). the recess 104 is preferably formed to receive therein more than half the circumference of the seat tube ( not shown ) so that the projection 102 and body 100 grip the seat tube ( 11 ). if the seat tube diameter is too small to permit it to be gripped by the foot 20 , then the seat tube ( 11 ) merely fits inside the recess 104 so that the support member 18 may be aligned with the seat tube ( 11 ). referring to fig9 the foot 20 has a plurality of grippings studs 110 that project away from its lower surface . when the support member 18 is in the lowered position , the gripping studs 110 engage the surface upon which the bicycle rests to prevent the foot 20 from slipping from the position in which the user had placed it .

US-6795987-A

an electronic device including : an electronic unit accommodated in a circuit housing and a molded body which surrounds the circuit housing . the molding compound has a cut - out that exposes the circuit housing , in which cut - out an identification that characterizes the electronic circuit is arranged .

the same technical elements are given the same reference signs in the figures , and are only described once . reference is made to fig1 which shows a schematic view of a vehicle 2 with a vehicle dynamics control of a known type . details of this vehicle dynamics control may be taken , for example , from de 10 2011 080 789 a1 , which is incorporated by reference . the vehicle 2 comprises a chassis 4 and four wheels 6 . each wheel 6 can be slowed with respect to the chassis 4 by a brake 8 fastened in a fixed position on the chassis 4 , in order to slow a movement of the vehicle 2 on a road which is not further illustrated . in a manner known to the expert , it is here possible for the wheels 6 of the vehicle 2 to lose their ground adhesion , and for the vehicle 2 even to deviate , through under - steering or over - steering , from a trajectory specified , for example , by a steering wheel , not further shown . this is hindered by a control loop , of a known type , such as abs ( anti - lock braking system ) or esp ( electronic stability program ). in the present embodiment , the vehicle 2 comprises for this purpose speed sensors 10 on the wheels 6 which register a rotation speed 12 of the wheels 6 . the vehicle 2 furthermore comprises an inertial sensor 14 which registers vehicle dynamics data 16 of the vehicle 2 , from which it can output , for example , a pitch rate , a roll rate , a yaw rate , a transverse acceleration , a longitudinal acceleration and / or a vertical acceleration in a manner that is known to the expert . on the basis of the rotation speeds 12 and vehicle dynamics data 16 that are registered , a controller 18 can determine , in a manner known to the expert , whether the vehicle 2 is slipping on the road , or is even deviating from the specified trajectory mentioned above , and can react to it accordingly with a controller output signal 20 of a known type . the controller output signal 20 can then be used by an actuating apparatus 22 in order , by means of actuating signals 24 , to operate actuators , such as the brakes 8 , to react in a manner known per se to the slipping and deviation from the specified trajectory . the controller 18 can , for example , be integrated into an engine controller , of a type known per se , of the vehicle 2 . the controller 18 and the actuating apparatus 22 can also be constructed as a common regulating apparatus and can optionally be integrated into the engine controller mentioned above . in fig1 the inertial sensor 14 is illustrated as an external apparatus outside the controller 18 . in such a case this is referred to as an inertial sensor 14 implemented as a satellite . the inertial sensor 14 can , however , also be constructed as an smd component , so that it can , for example , also be integrated into a housing of the controller 18 . reference is made to fig2 , which shows a schematic view of the inertial sensor 14 . the inertial sensor 14 comprises an electronic circuit with at least one micro - electro - mechanical system 26 , named mems 26 , as a measuring transducer which , in a manner known per se , outputs a signal , not further illustrated , depending on the vehicle dynamics data 16 via an amplifier circuit 28 to two signal evaluation circuits 30 in the form of an application - specific integrated circuit 30 , named asic 30 . the asic 30 can then generate the vehicle dynamics data 16 on the basis of the received signal that depends on the vehicle dynamics data 16 . the mems 26 , the amplifier circuit 28 and the asic 30 are carried on a circuit board 32 and are contacted electrically with a variety of conductive tracks 34 formed on the circuit board 32 and bond wires 35 . alternatively , the circuit board 32 can also be constructed as a lead frame . a circuit interface 36 can be present for output of the vehicle dynamics data 16 that is generated . the mems 26 and the asic 30 can further be cast in a circuit housing 38 which can , for example , be made of thermosetting plastic . the circuit housing 38 could thus alone already serve as the housing of the inertial sensor 14 and protect the circuit components enclosed within it . the inertial sensor 14 is not , however , limited to use in the vehicle dynamics control described above , and is thus manufactured for a large number of different end applications . to adapt the inertial sensor 14 to the vehicle dynamics control , it is overmolded with a molding compound 40 , also known as the overmold 40 . a cutout 41 is left here in the molding compound 40 in order , for example , to expose a serial number label 42 , yet to be described . the molding compound 14 can , for example , be a thermosetting plastic . the serial number label 42 , visible through the cutout 41 , is formed in the present embodiment as an opto - electronically readable , two - dimensional barcode . the serial number label 42 represents , in the present embodiment , a feature that identifies the electronic circuit of the inertial sensor 14 with the mems 26 and the asic 30 . generally speaking , any desired coding can be used for the two - dimensional barcode , such as for example stacked codes , matrix codes , dot codes or composite codes . a data matrix code , known as a dmc , is particularly preferably used in the present embodiment . in the dmc , the information is encoded very compactly in a square or rectangular area as a pattern of dots . when reading a dmc , the arrangement of the dots , which have equal size within the edging ( search pattern ) and are on the raster of the matrix , is determined . the dots are black or white boxes lying adjacent to one another , or round dots with spaces between them . this consistent symbol size and the fixed distance between symbols alone make reading the image and decoding the information significantly more reliable , and the size of the code notably more compact . in addition , the dmc offers a method of error correction . in the present embodiment , surrounding the serial number label 42 is to be read out with a reading device , not illustrated further ; with reference to fig3 , a surrounding border 44 is placed around the serial number label 42 , against which the reading device can be placed . as is shown in fig3 , a cable interface 46 is connected at the circuit interface 36 , through which a data cable carrying the vehicle dynamics data 16 can be connected to the circuit interface 36 . both interfaces 36 , 46 can , according to the principle of a plug and socket , be constructed accordingly as a socket and plug . in order to ensure that the correct cable is connected to the circuit interface 36 , an appropriate serial number label 48 , which identifies the circuit interface 36 , can be applied to the circuit interface 36 corresponding to the serial number label 42 on the circuit housing 40 . in addition , an appropriate serial number label 50 , which identifies the cable interface 46 , can also be applied to the cable interface 46 . the information on the two above - mentioned serial number labels 48 , 50 can be configured in such a way that they depend on one another for corresponding , associated interfaces 36 , 46 . if the cable interface 46 and the circuit interface 36 are connected together , this dependency can be checked . alternatively or in addition , this dependency can also be used during fault - finding , in order to check whether the correct cable has been connected to the cable interface . the circuit interface 36 can here , as illustrated in fig2 and 3 , be partially enclosed by the molding compound 40 . the enclosure should , however , not include the serial number label 48 of the circuit interface 36 , in order not to hinder the ability to recognize the serial number label 48 .

US-201314651307-A

a heart valve prostheses crimping apparatus and method for deducing the diameter of stents containing heart valve prosthesis . a medical prosthesis catheter loading apparatus , including a crimping assembly for reducing the diameter of a prosthesis ; and a catheter clamp for holding a catheter adjacent to the prosthesis . also disclosed is an apparatus for reducing the diameter of a medical prosthesis , including a base , a crimp head connectable to the base , and an actuation mechanism connected to the base and connectable to the crimp head to actuate the crimp head . also disclosed is a method of loading a medical prosthesis into a catheter , including the steps of reducing the diameter of a prosthesis from its normal deployed state to a diameter less than that of the lumen of the catheter ; holding a catheter adjacent to the reduced diameter prosthesis ; and moving the prosthesis into the catheter lumen .

the tissue prosthesis crimping apparatus of the present invention is useable by a single operator to easily reduce the diameter of , or crimp , relatively large stents containing tissue prostheses such as heart valves and the like , and loads such device into a catheter for later use and deployment in a patient . it is suitable “ bed - side ” catheter procedures such as minimally invasive heart valve replacement ( mihvr ). the tissue prosthesis crimping apparatus is also useable for bench testing medical devices and product testing such devices with animals . referring first to fig1 - 3 , the tissue prosthesis crimping apparatus 10 for loading a prosthesis or other medical device ( not shown ) into a catheter or sheath 11 , or other tubular structure comprises , in general , a crimping assembly 12 , a submersion tank or tub 13 for holding a medical solution 14 such as saline , and catheter clamp 15 . the apparatus 10 operates while partially submerged in the saline solution 14 which is contained in the removable tub 13 . tank 13 is preferably about 13 × 7 . 5 inches , with a height of about 5 . 25 inches , a maximum liquid volume of about 5 . 15 liters and a filled weight of about 15 lbs . only a single person is required to perform all operations of the apparatus . a base or frame portion 19 of the crimping assembly and the catheter clamp 15 are reusable and can be steam and eto sterilized . all parts in direct contact with the stent or prosthesis , including the crimping elements or segments ( described below ) of a crimp head or assembly 20 , are one - use disposable pieces that are easily interchanged between procedures . in general , operation of the system 10 first involves placing new crimp elements or segments into the crimp head 20 ( preferably with the assistance of a loader ), and moving it to a full open position . next , the machine base 19 , including the head 20 , is placed into the tub 13 . the catheter 11 is secured to the quick release clamp 15 . the clamp 15 is secured to the base 19 . next , a prosthesis mated with a stent is inserted into the head 20 for example by hand , and the head 20 is actuated , which closes a central aperture thereof , until the individual crimp elements rest against hard stops . this radially compresses or crimps the stent / prosthesis . the crimped device is pushed ( for example via a quill ) or pulled ( via a device internal to the catheter ) into the catheter 11 . this apparatus is useable with both balloon expandable and self expanding prosthesis stents . the catheter clamp 15 is removed from the base 19 . finally , the catheter 11 is removed from the clamp 15 with the crimped prosthetic device , for example a heat valve , installed therein . referring also to fig4 - 6 , the crimping assembly 12 comprises the base or frame 19 , the crimp head 20 , and an actuation mechanism 21 connected to the frame and connectable to the crimp head 20 . the apparatus also preferably includes an attachable loader 22 for aligning and loading the elements of the crimp head 20 onto actuation mechanism 21 . referring also to fig7 and 8 , the frame 19 comprises a base member 25 , a pair of crimp head retaining members comprising a front plate 26 , a rear plate 27 , and side members 28 a and b . the base member 25 provides bottom support for the remaining elements of the frame 19 . the front and rear plates 26 and 27 extend upwardly from the base member 25 and are separated a predetermined distance . front plate 26 has a removable face plate 29 . face plate 29 and rear plate 26 each have a predetermined arrangement of linear , angled slide grooves or slots 30 disposed on their inwardly facing surfaces , surrounding coaxial central apertures 35 a and b . each groove configuration 30 preferably have a pair of concentric members which cooperate with slide members on the head 20 elements to provide linear , radial movement to compress the stent / prosthesis , as described later . referring also to fig2 the crimp head 20 comprises a plurality , for example eight ( 8 ) crimp segments or elements 34 a - h which are arranged about and define a central aperture 35 . each segment 34 has a predetermined configuration with an inwardly oriented tapered distal end 36 which is disposed toward the aperture 35 and an outwardly oriented proximal end 37 . a pair of distal rectilinear slide blocks or shoulders 38 a and b are disposed on the longitudinally oriented ( with respect to the working or input / output axis of the apparatus 10 in general ) ends of the segment 34 . a pair of proximal slide blocks 39 a and b are disposed proximally . the slide blocks 38 and 39 mate with slide grooves 30 of the plates 26 and 27 . preferably , at least one loader mating aperture is disposed at each longitudinal end for connection to a loader ( not shown ). the elements 34 have predetermined substantially flat lateral faces 41 a and b which cooperate with the actuator 21 , the slide blocks 39 and the slide grooves 30 to move the elements 34 . the distal ends are preferably about 50 mm in length . as is best shown in fig6 , the actuator 21 comprises activation ring 43 , rollers 47 , arms 49 , beam 50 and screw 51 . a handle 52 is connected to the screw 51 for hand turning by the operator . the screw 51 threadedly connected to an end of the beam 50 , which is pivotally connected at pin / aperture 53 to the plates 26 and 27 . arms 49 a and b are pivotally connected to the beam 50 at one end and to the ring 43 at the other end , via brackets 48 a and b . ring 43 is preferably bifurcated , but may have a unitary structure . ring 43 has a circumferential ring portion 45 and a plurality radial spokes 46 a - g aligned between the crimp elements 34 . rollers 47 a - h are connected to spokes 46 . rotation of the screw 51 moves the beam 50 , which moves the arms 49 and causes them to rotate the activation ring 43 . this causes rollers 47 to contact and move along the lateral faces 41 of the segments 34 . the rotary force of the rollers 47 causes the segments 34 to linearly slide along a predetermined path determined by grooves 30 as a result of slide blocks 39 . the distal ends 36 of the segments move toward one another whereby the aperture 35 becomes smaller and closes . the ends 36 engage and radially compress the prosthetic device disposed in the aperture 35 . the preferred maximum opening diameter of the crimp head 20 aperture 35 is about 35 mm and it can close to substantially zero mm . utilizing the teachings of this invention , the maximum crimping force of the apparatus 10 is about 100 lbs . between two opposing elements 34 . maximum crimping cycles is about 10 per head 20 . referring to fig9 - 15 , the catheter clamp 15 comprises a front plate 68 connected to a bottom block 69 , a top block 70 and a spring clamp 71 . a catheter 11 is placed in a central groove or channel of the bottom block 69 so that its open terminal or distal end abuts the front plate 68 . as is known in the art , the catheter 11 has a hollow lumen . top block 70 is placed over the bottom block so that its groove is aligned with the catheter 11 . clamp 71 is placed over the mated blocks 69 and 70 to hold them in place . front plate 68 is connectable to the crimping assembly 12 so that the radially compressed , reduced diameter prosthesis can be pushed or pulled into the catheter 11 lumen via its open end . the clamp 15 will accommodate sheaths 11 up to about 8 mm in diameter and about 65 mm in length . stent diameter reductions of at least 6 mm are obtained . operation of the apparatus 10 is relatively simple , which minimizes the need for special operator training . final close diameter is dependent on the specific crimping elements 34 chosen for a procedure , which substantially minimizes the possibility of operator calibration error . the crank handle 52 requires minimal physical effort to provide adequate crimping force . introduction of the crimped stent can be accomplished by two means . a hand held quill can be used to manually push the crimped stent out of the base and into the catheter , or the stent may be pulled out of the base and into the catheter by means of an internal catheter device . the catheter clamp set 15 accommodates a wide range of french catheter sizes . the clamps 15 are quickly and easily detached and attached to the apparatus base , which reduces operation cycle time and allows for simple catheter placement . the design of the clamps 15 also provides superior alignment of the stent for insertion into the catheter when compared to other stent introduction means . the insertion aperture of the apparatus 10 minimizes gapping between crimping elements throughout its entire diameter range , which avoids damage to stents during compression . the small size and weight of the apparatus 10 allows for easy storage and transportation . the modular design of the system 10 also provides several advantages , including disposable element capability , reduced procedure cycle time , reduced storage space requirement , and reduced space requirement for sterilizing procedures . the disposable crimp elements 20 eliminate surface cross - contamination between procedures and allow preset close diameter settings on future machines . the quick - connect catheter clamp 15 allows fast and accurate location of sheath 11 within the clamp 15 and quick attachment / detachment of clamp 15 to the base 12 . they also prevent the base 12 from interfering with sheath loading by allowing operators to load the sheath 11 while the clamp 15 is not attached to the base . the c - clamp spring 71 allows quick release and removal of top clamp plate 70 and catheter 11 , while doubling as a holding grip . in one embodiment , turn crank 52 and power screw activation provides adequate holding ability at closed position under crimping loads while requiring little effort from the operator . linearly moving crimping elements 34 reduces gapping between crimping elements 34 during aperture reduction . this also allows for development of zero gapping throughout the entire travel using injection - molded elements 34 . additionally , it permits reduction of the overall size of the machine 10 , as well as the disposable elements 34 . quick - change elements 34 or elements set 20 permits easy transportation , sterilization , and loading of the disposable element set 20 . it also avoids damage of the crimping elements 24 during shipping and assures correct placement within the machine base 12 . the separate submersion tank 13 reduces space required for machine storage , allows the machine to be moved in pieces , and simplifies watertight sealing . an adjustable hard stop embodiment allows fast close diameter adjustment for testing purposes . polymer plain bearings allow for steam and eto sterilization while reducing pivot point friction and eliminating corrosion . lower adjustable bearing axles permit preloading of polymer roller bearings against activation rings . referring to fig1 - 19 , an alternative embodiment of the crimping assembly 112 comprises the base or frame 119 , the crimp head 120 , and an actuation mechanism 121 connected to the frame 119 and connectable to the crimp head 120 . the apparatus also preferably includes an attachable loader 122 for aligning and loading the elements of the crimp head 120 onto actuation mechanism 121 . referring also to fig2 and 24 , the frame 119 comprises a base member 125 , a front frame 126 and a rear frame 127 . the base member 125 provides bottom support for the remaining elements of the frame 119 . the front and rear plates 126 and 126 extend upwardly from the base member 125 and are separated a predetermined distance . front plate 126 has a removable face plate 129 . face plate 129 and rear plate 126 each have a predetermined arrangement of linear , angled slide grooves or slots 130 disposed on their inwardly facing surfaces , surrounding coaxial central apertures 135 a and b . the groove configuration 130 preferably includes a pair of concentric members which cooperate with slide members on the head 120 elements to provide linear , radial movement to compress the stent / prosthesis . referring also to fig2 , 23 , and 25 the crimp head 120 comprises a plurality , for example eight ( 8 ) crimp segments or elements 134 a - h which are arranged about and define a central aperture 135 . as is best shown in fig2 - 31 , each segment 134 has a predetermined configuration with an inwardly oriented tapered distal end 136 which is disposed toward the aperture 135 and an outwardly oriented proximal end 137 . a pair of distal rectilinear slide blocks or locating shoulders 138 a and b are disposed on the longitudinally oriented ( with respect to the working or input / output axis of the apparatus 10 in general ) ends of the segment 134 . a pair of proximal slide blocks 139 a and b are disposed proximally . the slide blocks 138 and 139 mate with slide grooves 130 of the plates 126 and 127 . preferably , at least one loader mating aperture 171 is disposed at each longitudinal end for connection to a loader 122 a and b . the elements 134 have predetermined substantially flat lateral faces 141 a and b of a predetermined inset configuration on one side , which cooperate with the actuator 121 , the slide blocks 139 and the slide grooves 130 to move the elements 134 . the distal ends are preferably about 50 mm in length . returning to fig2 , 21 and 24 the actuator 121 comprises activation ring 143 with an external gear tooth profile 144 and a plurality of activation pin structures 147 disposed on its interior . the activation ring 143 is held in rotatable place between plates 126 and 127 by a capture plate lock ring 145 . a handle 152 is connected to the front plate 126 via a pin 148 at point 149 . handle end has a drive gear 150 which mates with gear tooth profile 144 of activation ring 143 . rotation of the arm 152 moves the gear 150 , which moves the activation ring 143 . this causes pins 147 to contact and move along the lateral faces 141 of the segments 134 . the rotary force of the pins 147 causes the segments 134 to linearly slide along a predetermined path determined by grooves 130 as a result of slide blocks 139 . the distal ends 136 of the segments move toward one another whereby the aperture 135 becomes smaller and closes . the ends 136 engage and radially compress the prosthetic device disposed in the aperture 135 . base 119 further preferably also has segment load position indicating graphics 155 , an activation ring locating slot 156 , and a handle load position indicator 157 for ease of head 120 replacement . the descriptions above and the accompanying drawings should be interpreted in the illustrative and not the limited sense . while the invention has been disclosed in connection with an embodiment or embodiments thereof , it should be understood by those skilled in the art that there may be other embodiments which fall within the scope of the invention as defined by the claims . where a claim , if any , is expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function it is intended that such claim be construed to cover the corresponding structure , material , or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof , including both structural equivalents and equivalent structures , material - based equivalents and equivalent materials , and act - based equivalents and equivalent acts .

US-22971808-A

embodiments described herein relate to internal combustion engine exhaust after - treatment systems and to methods of treating exhaust of an internal combustion engine .

fig1 shows an example of a turbocharged diesel engine 10 having an intake system 12 through which charge air enters and an exhaust system 14 through which exhaust gas resulting from combustion exits , not all details of those two systems that are typically present being shown . engine 10 is shown in the drawing by way of example as an eight - cylinder version in which cylinders 16 form combustion chambers into which fuel is injected by fuel injectors ( not shown ) to combust with the charge air that has entered through intake system 12 . energy released by combustion powers the engine via pistons connected to a crankshaft . when used in a motor vehicle , such as a truck , engine 10 is coupled through a drivetrain to driven wheels that propel the vehicle . intake valves control the admission of charge air into cylinders 16 , and exhaust valves control the outflow of exhaust gas through exhaust system 14 and ultimately to atmosphere . before entering the atmosphere however , the exhaust gas is treated by an after - treatment system 18 . after - treatment system 18 comprises several treatment devices in axial succession forming an exhaust treatment flow path 20 having an entrance 22 at which engine exhaust gas that is to be treated enters flow path 20 and an exit 24 through which exhaust gas that has been treated by system 18 exits flow path 20 . the first treatment device comprises a housing containing a diesel oxidation catalyst ( doc ) 26 followed by a diesel particulate filter ( dpf ) 28 through which exhaust gas flow that enters entrance 22 is constrained to pass . doc 26 oxidizes hydrocarbons and the soluble organic fraction of diesel soot and can accomplish any of several purposes including compliance with tailpipe emission regulations , increasing exhaust gas temperature for dpf regeneration , scr catalyst preheating , and oxidizing no into no 2 in order to a ) promote no 2 - induced soot oxidation and b ) create a no - to - no 2 ratio favorable for scr catalyst reaction . dpf 28 traps particulate matter . the second treatment device comprises a housing containing an scr catalyst 30 for catalytic reaction of reductant and nitric oxides to reduce the nitric oxides content in exhaust gas . the third treatment device comprises a housing containing a slip catalyst 32 for reducing the content of any excess reducant that may be present in exhaust gas passing through it before leaving exit 24 and flowing through one or more tail pipes into the atmosphere . exhaust gas that has been treated by the first device is conveyed to the second device through a tubular - walled assembly 34 that contains several arrays 341 , 342 , 343 in axial succession and will be more fully described later with reference to fig2 - 5 . after its treatment by the second device , exhaust gas is conveyed to the third device through a tubular - walled assembly 36 that contains arrays 361 , 362 in axial succession and will also be more fully described later . fig1 further shows a reductant system 38 comprising a supply tank 40 , a dosing control unit 42 , and a processor 44 . tank 40 holds a supply of urea solution that is delivered by dosing control unit 42 to after - treatment system 18 with processor 44 providing control over the quantity of solution introduced into after - treatment system 18 . a conduit 46 carries the urea solution from control unit 42 to array 343 , and a conduit 47 keeps unit 42 supplied with solution from tank 40 . electric cables 48 , 50 , 52 , 54 are associated with the arrays of assembly 34 . cables 52 , 54 have connections to processor 44 in reductant system 38 , which further includes electric cables 56 , 58 that connect processor 44 and tank 40 . electric cables 60 , 62 are associated with the arrays of assembly 36 . as will be more fully explained later , cables 48 , 50 , 60 , 62 also have connections to processor 44 although actual connections are not apparent in fig1 . detail of assembly 34 that is presented in fig2 and 3 shows a tubular wall 64 of circular cross section that is open at opposite axial ends to which circular annular mounting rings 66 are joined to provide attachment flanges 68 containing threaded through - holes 70 that allow respective axial ends of assembly 34 to be attached to the respective housings of the first and second treatment devices by fasteners ( not shown ). seals that are also not shown are disposed between end faces of rings 66 and mating surfaces of the respective treatment device housings to prevent leakage through those joints . the cylindrical space bounded by wall 64 is partitioned by a partition wall structure to create multiple independent parallel channels running lengthwise through assembly 34 . in this embodiment the partition structure comprises a closed cylindrical wall 71 of circular cross section concentric with wall 64 , and four planar walls 72 , 74 , 76 , 78 extending between walls 64 and 71 at 90 ° intervals about the common axis of walls 64 and 71 . consequently this embodiment comprises five independent lengthwise channels 80 , 82 , 84 , 86 , 88 with channel 80 having a circular cross section while the others have substantially identical arcuate cross sections whose circumferential extents are substantially 90 ° each . channel 80 has substantially the same transverse cross sectional area along its length as each of the other four . wall 64 contains three sets 90 , 92 , 94 of five through - openings 96 each . each set accommodates a respective one of the three arrays 341 , 342 , 343 . each array comprises a set of five tubes 98 . an outer end of each tube 98 has sealed communication with a respective through - opening 96 . the tubes of array 341 have inner ends each disposed within a respective channel 80 , 82 , 84 , 86 , 88 and facing toward entering exhaust gas flow . so do the tubes of array 342 which are spaced downstream of the tubes of array 341 . while the inner ends of the tubes of array 343 are also each disposed within a respective channel 80 , 82 , 84 , 86 , 88 , they however face away from entering exhaust gas flow . the open inner ends of the three tubes 98 that are within channel 80 are disposed on the common axis of walls 64 and 71 , and wall 71 has three through - openings through which each of those three tubes can pass in a sealed manner . the open inner ends of the remaining twelve tubes 98 are arranged both circumferentially and radially centrally of the respective channel . the three tubes 98 that pass through wall 71 may appear to interfere with that wall in fig3 because of the scale , but they do not do so and may lie to one side of the wall . each of the five tubes of array 341 provides for temperature of the exhaust gas that enters the respective channel 80 , 82 , 84 , 86 , 88 to be measured by a respective sensor . each of the five tubes of array 342 provides for measurement for nitric oxides content of the exhaust gas whose temperature has been measured by the corresponding sensor of array 341 by a respective nox sensor . each piece of data from the five sensors of array 341 is transmitted via cable 48 to processor 44 , as is each piece of data from the five sensors of array 342 via cable 50 . each of the five tubes of array 343 is used to introduce reductant into the respective channel for entrainment with the respective detached exhaust gas flow headed toward scr catalyst 30 . the arrangement described defines straight parallel channels which are upstream of scr catalyst 30 , and through which the respective detached exhaust gas streams flow . each of the ports at which the temperature sensors are disposed have has an opening to the respective channel that lies substantially in a common plane that is transverse to flow through the channels . each of the ports at which the nox sensors are disposed has an opening to the respective channel that lies substantially in a common plane that is transverse to flow through the channels and downstream of the temperature sensing ports . each of the ports through which reductant can be introduced has an opening to the respective channel that lies substantially in a common plane that is transverse to flow through the channels and downstream of the nox sensors . the temperature and nitric oxides content data of exhaust gas flowing through each channel are processed in processor 44 according to an algorithm for calculating an appropriate quantity of reductant that should introduced through the respective tube 98 of array 343 to render the subsequent catalytic reaction promoted by scr 30 effective to reduce the nitric oxides content of the corresponding detached stream to a target level as the stream flows axially through scr catalyst 30 without contributing to excess ammonia in exhaust gas exiting the scr catalyst housing . because of certain transients , disruptions , or the like , the after - treatment system may on occasion not always reduce the nitric oxides content of the corresponding detached stream to the target level as just described , leaving an unwanted excess of ammonia in the flow leaving scr catalyst 30 . when it is appropriate to remove such excess ammonia , slip catalyst 32 may be employed . assembly 36 provides a useful sensing and diagnostic aid both when slip catalyst 32 is and isn &# 39 ; t present in an after - treatment system , and both in commercial vehicles and in laboratory testing and development . assembly 36 has a construction like assembly 34 in that it comprises a tubular wall of circular cross section that is open at opposite axial ends to which circular annular mounting rings are joined to provide attachment flanges containing threaded through - holes that allow respective axial ends to be attached to the respective housings of the second and third treatment devices by fasteners , and seals that are disposed between end faces of the rings and mating surfaces of the respective treatment device housings to prevent leakage through those joints . the interior cylindrical space comprises a partition wall structure that creates multiple independent parallel channels running lengthwise through assembly 36 downstream of scr 30 . the geometry may be like that of assembly 34 , or different . assembly 36 accommodates arrays 361 , 362 in the same way as arrays 341 , 342 , 343 are accommodated in assembly 34 , with each array 361 , 362 comprising a set of tubes 98 whose inner ends are disposed within respective channels to provide for respective sensors of the respective arrays to obtain exhaust gas stream measurements . sensors in array 361 measure temperature , and sensors in array 362 measure nox and ammonia content . each piece of data from the sensors of array 361 is transmitted through the array &# 39 ; s tubes 98 and via cable 60 to processor 44 , as is each piece of data from the sensors of array 362 via its tubes 98 and cable 62 . the measurements of post - scr nox and ammonia content by assembly 36 can be used for analyzing effectiveness of an after - treatment system in the laboratory . they can also provide feedback to processor 44 for closed - loop control of reductant introduction into each channel of assembly 34 . the modified form shown in fig4 and 5 differs from assembly 34 in that the walled partition structure creates twelve independent parallel channels running lengthwise through the assembly instead of five . the modified structure comprises a closed cylindrical wall 71 of circular cross section concentric with wall 64 whose interior is divided by walls 100 , 102 , 104 , 106 into substantially identical side - by - side sectors of a circle each defining a respective channel through which a respective detached exhaust gas stream can flow . halfway between each pair of immediately adjacent walls 72 , 74 , 76 , 78 is an additional radial wall 108 , 110 , 112 , 114 that sub - divides the four arcuate channels into a total of eight .

US-50646609-A

a titanium - tantalum base shape memory alloy is provided which possesses high machinability and is suitable for repeated high temperature operation . the titanium - tantalum base shape memory alloy consists of 15 mol %- 40 mol % tantalum , additive elements , and the balance titanium and impurities .

as embodiments of the present disclosure , 52 alloy specimens , nos . 1 to 52 , as shown in tables 1 to 7 were prepared and corresponding experiments were carried out . as well , comparative examples of alloy specimens , nos . 53 to 57 , as shown in tables 8 were prepared , and corresponding experiments were carried out . specimens were prepared by the below described process including steps ( 1 ) to ( 3 ). in step 1 , each metallic element is measured by mol %, and then molten by means of arc melting method to make alloy ingots . namely , alloy no . 1 ( ti - 36ta ) has a composition expressed as 36 mol % ta , and the balance ti ( 64 mol %), alloy no . 5 ( ti - 30ta - 1al ) has a composition expressed as 30 mol % ta , 1 mol % al and the balance ti ( 69 mol %). in step 2 , the resultant alloy ingots are subjected to cold rolling at a rolling ratio in the range of 80 % to 95 % to make billets . in step 3 , test pieces of 40 mm long , 1 . 5 mm wide and 0 . 1 mm thick are cut off billets . fig1 is a graph showing the experimental data of shape memory property evaluation test . fig1 a shows the typical strain versus temperature curve of alloys representing repeated shape memory effect . fig1 b shows the typical strain versus temperature curve of alloys representing unrepeated shape memory effect . experiments were carried out to evaluate shape memory effect of the alloys prepared by the above mentioned method . as shown in the following tables 1 and 8 , the transformation temperatures ( a s , m s ) and shape recovery ratio (%) indicating shape memory effect were evaluated through thermal cycle testing (− 100 ° c .- 300 ° c .) under stress ( 100 mpa ) using a tension testing machine . it can be seen that about the same temperature versus strain curves for alloys nos . 1 to 16 and 57 indicating shape memory effect are plotted in fig1 a , from which , a s ( reverse transformation start temperature ), m s ( martensite start temperature ), transformation strain ε m , recovery strain ε a and recovery ratio ( ε a / ε m ) were obtained . in addition , about the same temperature versus strain curves were shown in fig1 b for alloys nos . 53 to 56 which exhibit no shape memory effect after the second cycle , from which , a s ( reverse transformation start temperature ) at first cycle was measured . furthermore , as shown in tables 2 to 7 , after 2 % strain was applied at room temperature using a tension testing machine and then two thermal cycles were performed ( room temperature ˜ 250 ° c . ), shape recovery ratio at each cycle representing shape memory effect were evaluated . moreover , as listed in the following tables 1 to 8 , ta equivalent is calculated through the following equation ( equation 1 ). ta equivalent ( mol . %)= ta ( mol . %) + 1 . 2al ( mol . %)+ 5 . 6si ( mol . %)+ 8 . 3 ( n ( mol . %)+ b ( mol . %)+ c ( mol . %)+ o ( mol . %)+ mo ( mol . %))+ 3 . 9v ( mol . %)+ 1 . 7nb ( mol . %)+ 6 . 4 ( fe ( mol . %)+ mn ( mol . %))+ 5 ( co ( mol . %)+ cr ( mol . %))+ 4 . 2ni ( mol . %)+ 1 . 1zr ( mol . %)+ 1 . 1hf ( mol . %)+ 2 . 8sn ( mol . %) through the ta equivalent calculation of equation ( 1 ), the combined effect of ta content and other elements except ta on transformation temperature is converted to that of ta content only . the equation ( 1 ) was derived from experimental results of the inventors , by calculating the ta equivalent , the variation of transformation temperature can be obtained ( surmised ). the composition of ti — ta binary alloys nos . 1 to 3 and alloys nos . 4 to 16 with additive elements to ti — ta base in embodiments , along with the measured results of a s (° c .) at the first cycle for each alloy , m s (° c .) at the second cycle , transformation strain ε m (%), recovery strain ε m (%), shape recovery ratio ( ε a / ε m ) (%) and ta equivalent ( mol %) are listed in table 1 . the composition of ti — ta base ternary alloys nos . 4 to 8 , 17 and 18 , along with the measured results of shape recovery ratio (%) at the first and second cycle , and ta equivalent ( mol %) for each alloy , are listed in table 2 . al ( aluminum ) or si ( silicon ) is added in the alloys as α phase stabilizing elements ( indicated as a group in the description of the application ) that have effect to increase the transformation temperature at which ti alloys transform from low temperature stable α phase to high temperature stable β phase , restrain the precipitation of ω phase that causes the loss of shape memory property , and improve thermal stability and shape recovery as well . in addition , the composition of ti — ta base ternary alloys nos . 9 , 10 , 19 to 22 , along with the measured results of shape recovery ratio (%) and ta equivalent ( mol %) at the first and second cycle for each alloy , is listed in table 3 . n b , o , or c is added in each alloy as interstitial alloying elements ( indicated as b group in the description of the application ) that have effect to restrain the precipitation of ω phase , improve thermal stability and shape recovery , as well restrain plastic deformation through solution hardening , furthermore , the composition of ti — ta base ternary alloys nos . 11 to 14 and 23 to 26 , together with the measured results of shape recovery ratio (%) at the first and second cycle for each alloy and ta equivalent ( mol %), is listed in table 4 . nb or v being the congener of ta element is added as β phase stabilizing elements ( indicated as c group in the description of the application ) to stabilize β mother phase . the composition of ti — ta base ternary alloys nos . 15 , 27 to 33 , along with the measured results of shape recovery ratio (%) at the first and second cycle for each alloy , and ta equivalent ( mol %), is listed in table 5 . mo , cr , fe , mn , co or ni being the transition metal element is added as β phase stabilizing elements ( indicated as d group in the description of the application ) to stabilize β phase of ti alloys . the composition of ti — ta base ternary alloys nos . 16 , 34 to 40 , along with the measured results of shape recovery ratio (%) at the first and second cycle for each alloy , and ta equivalent ( mol %) is listed in table 6 . zr ( zirconium ), hf ( hafnium ) or sn ( tin ) is added as additive elements ( indicated as d group in the description of the application ). besides , zr and hf have an effect to increase transformation strain ( ε m ) remarkably ( refer to table 1 ), and sn will be effective to restrain the precipitation of ω phase through solution hardening . the composition of ti — ta base multiple component alloys nos . 41 to 52 , in which the α phase stabilizing element , interstitial alloying element , β phase stabilizing element , zr , hf or sn is added , along with the measured results of shape recovery ratio (%) at the first and second cycle for each alloy and ta equivalent ( mol %), is listed in table 7 . as comparative examples , the composition of alloys nos . 53 to 57 , along with the measured results of shape recovery ratio (%) at the first and second cycle for each alloy and ta equivalent ( mol %), are listed in table 8 . alloy no . 53 is a ti - 22nb binary alloy according to conventional technology ( 7 ), alloy no . 54 is a ti - 27ta binary alloy with 27 mol % (= 58 wt %) ta given as an example of ta content below 30 mol % as described in ikeda , et al . alloys nos . 55 and 56 are the alloys described in ikeda , et al . according to conventional technology ( 9 ) with ta equivalent less than 30 mol %, alloy no . 57 is a ti - 40ta base binary alloy . in addition , as shown in table 8 , in the case when transformation temperature m s at the second cycle is not identified , with transformation strain ε m and recovery strain ε a also not observed , namely , in the case while the shape memory property loses at the first cycle , it is marked x in table 8 . the following conclusion can be drawn from the forgoing description of the experiment results . for ti — ta base binary alloys ( nos . 1 to 3 ) with 30 mol %- 36 mol % ta , transformation temperature of over 100 ° c . was observed and high shape recovery ratio was confirmed . accordingly , the alloys can be used for repeated operation at high temperature ( over 50 ° c . ( 323k )) as shape memory alloys . besides , even with ta content below 30 mol %, high transformation temperature and shape recovery ratio was identified for alloys nos . 4 to 8 , 17 and 18 with ta equivalent above 30 mol % by adding α phase stabilizing elements ( al , si ) of a group ( refer to tables 1 and 2 ). moreover , if the total content of α phase stabilizing elements exceeds 7 mol %, cold rolling of over 80 mol % deformation is difficult , therefore total content below 7 mol % is preferable . furthermore , as shown in tables 1 and 3 , even with ta content below 30 mol %, high transformation temperature and shape recovery ratio are confirmed for alloys nos . 9 , 10 , and 19 to 22 , with ta equivalent above 30 mol % by adding b group interstitial alloying elements ( n , b , o , c ). moreover , with increasing addition of interstitial alloying elements , recovery ratio decreases , and cold workability to make test pieces reduces , when the total content of interstitial alloying elements exceeds 1 mol %, cold rolling of over 80 mol % deformation for making test pieces is difficult . additionally , as shown in tables 1 and 4 , even with ta content below 30 mol %, high transformation temperature and shape recovery ratio were identified for alloys nos . 11 to 14 and 23 to 26 with ta equivalent above 30 mol % by adding c group elements ( nb , v ). moreover , for alloys nos . 11 to 14 and 23 to 26 , it can be seen that with increasing addition of c group elements , recovery ratio decreases , meanwhile transformation temperature reduces with increasing ta equivalent , accordingly , total content of below 12 mol % is preferable in order to obtain recovery ratio exceeding 75 %. furthermore , as shown in tables 1 and 5 , even with ta content below 30 mol %, high transformation temperature and shape recovery ratio were identified for alloys nos . 15 , 27 to 33 with ta equivalent above 30 mol % by adding d group elements ( mo , fe , mn , co , cr , ni ). moreover , for alloys nos . 15 and 27 , it can be seen that with increasing addition of d group elements , recovery ratio decreases , thus cold machinability reduces , in the meanwhile , transformation temperature reduces . if the total content of d group element exceeds 2 mol %, cold rolling of over 80 mol % deformation for making test pieces is difficult . accordingly , total content of d group elements below 2 mol % is preferable . additionally , as shown in tables 6 and 8 , even with ta content below 30 mol %, high transformation temperature and shape recovery ratio were identified for alloys nos . 16 and 34 to 40 with ta equivalent above 30 mol % by adding zr , hf , sn . moreover , for alloys nos . 16 , 34 to 36 and 38 to 40 , it can be seen that with increasing addition of zr and sn , recovery ratio tends to decrease resulting in the loss of shape memory effect , thus cold machinability reduces . accordingly , transformation temperature reduces if ta equivalent is too high , total zr content below 10 mol % and sn content below 5 mol % as well is preferable . additionally , as shown in table 7 , high shape recovery ratio was identified for alloys nos . 41 to 52 with ta equivalent above 30 mol % by adding a group , b group , c group , d group , zr , hf and sn additive elements . fig2 indicates the experimental results of ti — ta binary alloys in embodiment . fig2 a shows the relationship between ta mol ratio and martensite start temperature ( m s ) under 50 mpa , and fig2 b shows the temperature versus strain curves of ti - 32ta and ti - 40ta . fig3 shows the temperature versus strain curves of ti - 27ta binary alloys in embodiment . as shown in tables 1 , 8 and fig2 , from the experimental results of alloys 1 to 3 and 57 , as well as fig2 , for ti — ta base binary alloys , transformation temperature reduces to below 50 ° c . with ta content above 40 mol %, shape memory effect fails under thermal cycle at high temperature . in addition , it can be seen from fig2 b that the shape recovery ratio decreases . furthermore , as shown from the experimental results of alloys nos . 1 to 3 , 54 and fig3 , for ti — ta base binary alloys , high transformation temperatures are obtained when ta content is lower than 30 mol %, and shape memory effect is identified only at the first cycle , but not identified after the second cycle ( as marked x in table 8 ), indicating that precipitation of co phase causes failure of shape memory effect . additionally , when ta content is lower than 30 mol %, plastic deformation is easy to occur resulting in failure for repeated operation . fig4 shows the temperature versus strain curves of ti - 22nb binary alloys in comparative example . from the experimental results of alloys no . 53 in table 8 and fig4 , it could be confirmed that even though ti - 22nb alloy had approximately the same transformation temperature as ti - 32ta alloys , mere thermal expansion or shrinkage would cause a thermally unstable state since shape memory property lost after the second cycle as shown in fig4 . in the above description , embodiments of the present invention were set forth , it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific forms shown , modification may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention as expressed in the claims . since embodiments of the afore - described shape memory alloy do not lose their shape memory property during repeated operation at high temperature , they can be used as a valve inside gas channel of an engine ( engine of automobile , aircrafts , or gas turbine ) for high temperature operation , when heated , channel area is regulated with the help of the shape memory effect ; when cooled , channel area is reversed back by a spring used for deforming the valve . in addition , they can also be used as lubricant supplying valve of high speed rotating shaft . furthermore , they can be used as safety device for power supply of household electric appliance at high temperature operation . in addition , it can also be used as an actuator for high temperature operation . when they are used as an actuator , the high transformation temperature leads to a significant difference between the ambient temperature ( such as room temperature ) and operating temperature , therefore improving cooling efficiency and increasing the cooling speed as well . as a result , with increasing cooling speed , responsiveness improves resulting in increasing operating frequency . although these inventions have been disclosed in the context of certain preferred embodiments and examples , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present inventions extend beyond the specifically disclosed embodiments to other alternative embodiments and / or uses of the inventions and obvious modifications and equivalents thereof . in addition , while several variations of the inventions have been shown and described in detail , other modifications , which are within the scope of these inventions , will be readily apparent to those of skill in the art based upon this disclosure . it is also contemplated that various combination or sub - combinations of the specific features and aspects of the embodiments may be made and still fall within the scope of the inventions . it should be understood that various features and aspects of the disclosed embodiments can be combined with or substituted for one another in order to form varying modes of the disclosed inventions . thus , it is intended that the scope of at least some of the present inventions herein disclosed should not be limited by the particular disclosed embodiments described above .

US-21259008-A

the present inventions provide method and apparatus that employ constituents from one or more constituent supply source or sources to form one or more films of a precursor layer formed on a surface of a continuous flexible workpiece . of particular significance is the implementation of pvd systems that operate upon a horizontally disposed portion of a continuous flexible workpiece and a vertically disposed portion of a continuous flexible workpiece , preferably in conjunction with a short free - span zone of the portion of a continuous flexible workpiece .

the preferred embodiments as describe herein provide systems to deposit multiple material layers using physical vapor deposition ( pvd ) techniques such as evaporation and sputtering , and methods that use the systems . specifically are discussed methods and apparatus to deposit group via and group ia materials to form precursor layers for cigs ( s ) type absorbers of solar cells or photovoltaic cells ; in an in - line manner , preferably in a roll - to - roll or reel to reel manner . in - line processing where a precursor or a portion of a precursor is formed on a workpiece while the workpiece is moved continuously through a deposition system is attractive for manufacturing . roll - to - roll processing technology increases throughput and minimizes substrate handling . one embodiment comprises : a first deposition station to deposit a first material , for example , a group material ia material , or a dopant material , on a surface of a continuous flexible workpiece , such as one of na , k and li ; and a second deposition station to deposit a second material , for example , a group via material such as se over the group ia material deposited in the first deposition station . the first and second deposition stations may preferably be pvd stations , such as sputter deposition that deposit material as atoms or evaporation deposition stations that deposit material as vapor . both pvd stations may be sputter deposition stations or one may be a sputter deposition station and the other may be an evaporation deposition station . the thickness of the films deposited in the first and second deposition stations in this embodiment may depend on the thickness of the precursor layers and resultant absorber layer thickness , and may be within the range of 10 to 50 nm and 1 to 4 μm , respectively . the continuous flexible workpiece may include a base having a flexible substrate , such as a stainless steel or aluminum foil substrate or web , and a contact layer such as a mo , w , ru , os and ir layer , or their multilayer stacks including two or more layers , or other materials used as solar cell contact layers . the workpiece may be a stainless steel web of thickness between 25 and 100 μm and width between 300 and 1000 mm or wider . the continuous flexible workpiece also includes a first portion of a precursor layer , comprising at least some of the precursor materials to form an absorber layer , formed over the contact layer . as will be described more fully below , in this embodiment , the system is used to form a second portion of the precursor layer on the first portion to complete the precursor structure before an annealing and reaction step described above in the background section . the second portion of the precursor layer includes , in a particular embodiment , the first material , e . g ., a group ia material , and the second material , e . g ., a group via material . the precursor materials of the first portion of the precursor layer may comprise the constituents of a cigs ( s ) type absorber layer such as cu , in and ga , and optionally se . the first portion of the precursor layer may be formed as a stack including films of the constituent materials , or films including their alloys , deposited on top of each other in various orders , such as cu / in / ga , cu / ga / cu / in , cu / in / ga / se , cu / ga / cu / in / se or any other order combination . during the deposition process , the continuous flexible workpiece may be supplied from a supply roll ; advanced through the first and the second deposition stations along a process direction to form the precursor layer ; and picked up and wound as a receiving roll . in the system , the first deposition station includes a first deposition chamber to deposit the first material onto the workpiece and the second deposition station includes a second deposition chamber to deposit the second material onto the first material . the first and second deposition chambers are isolated from one another so that the material produced in one of the chamber does not migrate to the other chambers or outside of them , preferably both . the first and the second deposition chambers are preferably elongated chambers that extend along a first process axis and a second process axis , respectively . the first process axis may be a horizontal axis and the second process axis may be a vertical axis that is perpendicular to the first process axis . in this configuration , as the workpiece is fed from the supply roll into the first deposition chamber in the process direction , the workpiece travels parallel to the first process axis while the first material is deposited onto the workpiece surface . the workpiece with the first material leaves the first deposition chamber and enters the second deposition chamber where the workpiece travels vertically parallel to the second process axis while the second material deposits onto the first material , thereby forming the precursor layer . the workpiece with the precursor layer leaves the second deposition chamber and is wound around the receiving roll . fig2 a show an exemplary unprocessed portion 100 a of a continuous flexible workpiece 100 ( shown in fig3 ) to process using the system 200 ( shown in fig3 ). the continuous flexible workpiece 100 is also referred to as workpiece herein . the unprocessed portion 100 a includes a base 102 having a substrate 104 , such as a stainless steel foil , and a contact layer 106 such as a mo , w , ru , os or ir layer , formed over the substrate 104 . the contact layer may also be a mo layer deposited onto the substrate and a ru layer deposited on the mo layer . a thin cu layer with a thickness between 10 and 100 nm may be deposited on the ru layer . a first precursor layer portion 108 a including cu , in , and ga , and optionally se is formed over the contact layer 106 . the first precursor layer portion 108 a may be formed using any deposition methods such as electroplating , evaporation , sputtering , nano particle coating and the like . fig2 b shows a processed portion 100 b of the workpiece 100 ( shown in fig3 ) including a precursor layer 110 formed by depositing a second precursor layer portion 108 b onto the first precursor layer portion 108 a using the system 200 . the first and second precursor layer portions form the precursor layer 110 . the second precursor layer portion 108 b may be formed using two deposition steps which preferably employ a pvd process . in a first step of the process , a first film 112 of a first material including a dopant material , such as na , may be deposited onto the first precursor layer portion 108 a of the unprocessed portion 100 a of the workpiece 100 . in a second step of the process , a second film 114 of a second material including a group via material , such as se , may be deposited onto the first film 112 to complete the formation of the precursor layer 110 . the second film 114 forms top of the processed portion 100 b of the workpiece 100 . fig3 a shows in side view an embodiment of the roll to roll pvd system 200 processing the workpiece 100 . the pvd system 200 includes a process housing 201 , a first pvd station 202 to deposit the first material including a group ia material ( dopant material ), such as na , li or k , to form the first film 112 ( fig2 b ) and a second pvdstation 204 to deposit the second material including a group via material such as se to form the second film 114 ( fig2 b ). as described above , the first material and the second material form the second precursor portion 108 b ( see fig2 b ) including a dopant material and se which completes the formation of the precursor layer 110 on the workpiece 100 . the process housing 201 extends between a loading station 205 a and an unloading station 205 b of the pvd system 200 . the process housing 201 preferably includes a first section 201 a , a second section 201 b and optionally a third section 201 c , such that associated with each section is a deposition station as described herein . the first pvd station 202 is located within the first section 201 a such that a horizontal portion of the continuous flexible workpiece 100 is advanced from the loading station 205 a through the first pvd station 202 , and within the first pvd station 202 a horizontal process gap is maintained between a front surface of that portion of the continuous flexible workpiece therein and a first pvd unit , described further hereinafter , that is associated with the first pvd station 202 . the second pvd station 204 is located within the second section 201 b such that a vertical portion of the continuous flexible workpiece 100 is advanced through the second pvd station 204 , and within the second pvd station 204 a vertical process gap is maintained between a front surface of that portion of the continuous flexible workpiece therein and a second pvd unit , described further hereinafter , that is associated with the second pvd station 204 . the third section 201 c is located in the process direction between the second section 201 b and the unloading station 205 b and provides a path for the continuous flexible workpiece 100 to the unloading station 205 b . the third section 201 c is a cooling zone , may have an active cooling unit disposed therein , and as illustrated is in a preferred embodiment is parallel to the first section 201 a . the first section 201 a is defined by a first peripheral wall 220 including a first wall 220 a , a second wall 220 b and side walls ( not shown ). the first and the second side walls of the first section 201 a are preferably parallel to one another , and the distance between the first wall 220 a and the second wall 220 b becomes the gap height of the first section 201 a . the second section 201 b is defined by a second peripheral wall 230 including a first wall 230 a , a second wall 230 b and side walls ( not shown ). the first and the second side walls of the second section 201 b are preferably parallel to one another and the distance between the first wall 220 a and the second wall 220 b becomes the gap height of the second section 201 b . in both sections , the gap height is in the range of 1 cm to 20 cm , preferably 1 to 5 cm . during the process , the unprocessed portion 100 a of the workpiece 100 is unwound from a supply roll 206 a located in the loading station 205 a ; advanced in a process direction ‘ p ’ while being processed in the first pvd station 202 and the second pvd station 204 ; and the processed portion 100 b of the workpiece 100 is picked up and wound as a receiving roll 206 b located in the unloading station 205 b . the unloading station 205 b may also include an interleaf roll 209 to provide a protective interleaf sheet 213 onto the front surface 101 b of the workpiece as it is wound . when moved in the system 200 by a moving mechanism ( not shown ), a back surface 101 a of the workpiece 100 is supported by a number of auxiliary rollers , such as primary rollers 208 a - 208 e , and secondary rollers 218 a and 218 b while a front surface 101 b of workpiece is left exposed for the aforementioned deposition processes without being physically touched by any system component , i . e ., rollers or the like . the auxiliary rollers 208 a - 208 e , 218 a and 218 b are utilized to support , tension and change the direction of motion of the workpiece or the angle of the direction of motion . as will be described more fully below , the workpiece 100 is advanced from the loading station 205 a though a first sealable gate 211 a of the process housing 201 . after traveling through the first section 201 a , the second section 201 b and the third section 201 c , the workpiece 100 enters into unloading station 205 b through the second sealable gate 211 b of the process housing 201 , in its tensioned state . the primary rollers 208 a and 208 d are placed within the loading and unloading stations in very close proximity of the sealable gates 211 a and 211 b respectively . the workpiece 100 also preferably passes through a third sealable gate 211 c placed after the first section 201 a , adjacent and before the primary roller 208 b . also , optionally , a fourth sealable gate 211 d placed before the second section 201 b and after the primary roller 208 b may be included . also , optionally a fifth sealable gate 211 e placed after the second section 201 b and before the primary roller 208 c can be used . also , and optionally , a sixth sealable gate 211 f placed before the third section 201 c and after the primary roller 208 c can be used . in this respect , the primary rollers 208 b and 208 c are positioned at the corners of the system at roller positions 231 and 232 , and are sealed by the sealable gates 211 c , 211 d and 211 e , 211 f respectively . with usage of the sealable gates 211 , this also allows the control of the different chambers , such that one deposition chamber can be being used for service ( deposition or other processing occurring within ) while the others are under vacuum ( without deposition or other processing occurring ). the primary roller 208 b changes the orientation of the workpiece from horizontal to vertical , and the primary roller 208 c again changes the orientation , this time from vertical to horizontal . the secondary rollers 218 a and 218 b further tension the workpiece by causing a wrap angle of about 15 ° at the primary rollers 208 a and 208 b respectively . the sealable gates 211 a - 211 f may preferably be rectangular narrow slits which are dimensioned very close to the width and thickness of the work piece 100 . the mechanics of moving the workpiece within the process housing 201 and through the sealable gates will be described below in connection with fig3 b - 4b . the sealable gates 211 a - 211 f block any deposition material migration into adjacent sections and the loading and unloading chambers and allow independent servicing of the pvd stations while maintaining vacuum in adjacent stations . referring to fig2 a , 2 b and 3 a , it will be appreciated that , although it is referred to as the front surface 101 b for clarity , the front surface 101 b of the workpiece has different material films , which are described above , at various stages of the process performed in the pvd system 200 . for example , before entering the first pvd station 202 , the front surface 101 b includes the first precursor portion 108 a ; before entering the second pvd station 204 , the front surface 101 b includes the first film 112 deposited onto the first precursor portion 108 a ; and , after the second pvd station 204 , the front surface 101 b includes the second film 114 . referring back to fig3 a , the first pvd station 202 includes a first pvd unit 203 with a first pvd chamber 210 and a first pvd apparatus 212 , to provide the first deposition material , e . g ., na vapor , to form the first film 112 on the front surface 101 b while the workpiece 100 is advanced in a horizontal direction through the first pvd chamber 210 of the first pvd station 202 . the first pvd apparatus may be either a sputter deposition apparatus or an evaporation deposition apparatus . in the preferred embodiment the first pvd apparatus is a sputter deposition apparatus . the first pvd apparatus 212 is located across from the front surface 101 b of the workpiece within the first deposition chamber 210 , which chamber 210 is also referred to herein as the horizontal process gap , which is in certain embodiments a subset area of the first section 201 a , as explained more fully below . the first pvd apparatus 212 is preferably mounted so that material therefrom is provided through an opening in a peripheral wall of the first section 201 a to an area within the first section 201 a where deposition occurs , and which area is thus referred as the first pvd chamber 210 . the first pvd chamber 210 will preferably occupy a portion of the first section 201 a , for example the portion between the points ‘ a ’ and ‘ b ’. the horizontal direction of travel of the workpiece 100 through the first pvd chamber is parallel to an x - axis shown in fig3 . although in this embodiment , the first pvd station 202 has only one deposition unit , it may include a plurality of other deposition units to deposit other materials , and this aspect is within the intended scope herein . the second deposition station 204 includes a second pvd unit 207 with a second pvd chamber 214 and a second pvd apparatus 216 , to provide the second material , i . e ., se , to form the second film 114 on the vertically disposed front surface 101 b while the workpiece 100 is advanced vertically up and through the second pvd chamber 214 of the second pvd station 204 . the second pvd apparatus 216 is located across from the front surface 101 b of the workpiece within the second pvd chamber and is capable of delivering the depositing material to a vertically disposed workpiece , which chamber 214 is also referred to herein as the vertical process gap , which is in certain embodiments a subset area of the first section 201 b , as explained more fully below . the second pvd apparatus 216 is preferably mounted so that depositing material therefrom is provided through an opening in a peripheral wall of the second section 201 b to an area within the second section 201 b where deposition occurs , and which area is thus referred as the second pvd chamber 214 . the second pvd chamber 214 will preferably occupy a portion of the second section 201 b , for example the portion between the points ‘ c ’ and ‘ d ’. although in this embodiment , the second pvd station 204 has only one deposition unit , it may include a plurality of other deposition units to deposits other materials . the vertical orientation of the second pvd chamber 214 is parallel to a y - axis shown in fig3 so that the workpiece 100 is advanced vertically up in the second deposition chamber 214 . as shown in fig3 a , during the deposition of se , since the portion of the workpiece being operated upon is in vertical orientation , there will not be a need to apply high tension to flatten the workpiece ; as a result , the se layer deposits in a uniform manner . further , the deposition of se happens in a so called free span zone where no roller or other moving component of the system touches the workpiece 100 . this advantageously prevents excess se build up on such components and thereby reduces system downtime for clean - ups and the associated cost . in this embodiment , the first peripheral wall 220 of the first section 201 a and the second peripheral wall 230 of the second section 201 b are shielded by replaceable shield layers ( not shown ) or plates made of a metal or ceramic . the shield layers may be partially or fully cooled by cooling systems to collect excess material , whether vapors or atoms , on the shield layers so that such material does not deposit onto other system components or the peripheral walls of the sections and limit migration of se into adjacent zones . shield layers with excess material deposits are replaced in process intervals . the vertical configuration of the second pvd station 204 also effectively reduces system foot - print and provides a compact system . the vertical configuration of the second pvd station 204 , along with the horizontal configuration of the first pvd station 202 , also results in a line - of - sight of the material depositing of the second pvd station not being within the line - of - sight of the first pvd station , and likewise the line - of - sight of the material depositing of the first pvd station not being within the line - of - sight of the second pvd station . various sputtering stations can be integrated into the system . these sputtering stations can be set to deposit materials that can include oxides , metals , ceramics etc . the sputtering stations can employ rf ( radio frequency ), dc ( direct current ), or pulsed dc sputtering . in the deposition system 200 , each deposition step is performed when the workpiece 100 is in a free span zone . this aspect will now be further described with help of fig3 b which is a simplified illustration of fig3 a to explain mechanics of free - span configurations in the system 200 . accordingly , in the system 200 as shown , the workpiece 100 has three sequential free - span zones as it travels in the process direction , namely a first free span zone 250 a or a first horizontal free - span zone , a second free span zone 250 b or a vertical free span zone , and a third free - span zone 250 c or a second horizontal free - span zone . the first free - span zone 250 a occurs while the workpiece is tensioned between the primary roller 208 a and 208 b to deposit the dopant material ( depicted by arrows , though occurring within the deposition unit ) onto the front surface 101 b . as mentioned above in the background section , in the prior art , long free span zones causes workpiece to droop with a catenary shape resulting in changes in the uniformity of the depositing layer due to uneven tension . for example , a 1 m wide , 50 μm thick stainless steel web or substrate at a tension of 900 newton ( n ) will deflect by nearly 1 . 4 cm at the center of a 5 m free - span . by reducing the free - span to 2 . 5 m , the deflection of the same web at the center will be only 0 . 3 cm . moreover , for wide substrates especially , it is difficult to evenly tension across the width due to non - flat web shape and imperfect web path alignment . in this case , the tension applied to the web may be concentrated at one of the two edges , both edges , or somewhere between both edges . the web may further develop tramlines , diagonal ripples that travel across the web in the free span . the portion of the web under lower tension will deflect more than the portion at higher tension and thereby degrade the deposition uniformity since the distance from the deposition source to the substrate will vary and , generally , deposition flux varies inversely proportional to the square of the distance . as in the example above , increasing the free - span of the web will exacerbate the deflection and consequent degradation of deposition uniformity . for example , if the nominal distance from a deposition source to web is 15 cm and a free span of 5 m , a deflection of 1 . 4 cm in the center of the web would reduce the distance to the deposition source to 13 . 6 cm and increase the deposition rate by over 20 %. in contrast , for a 2 . 5 m free - span , with a deflection of 0 . 3 cm , the deposition rate would increase by only 4 %. by separating the primary rollers 208 a and 208 b so that there is a minimum spacing between them while still allowing the pvd unit 203 to exist therebetween will minimize the free span zone length . since the workpiece 100 is also made substantially horizontal and flat between the primary rollers 208 a and 208 b , this allows deposition of layers with uniform thickness . as will be described below , when the workpiece 100 is horizontal and flat in the first free - span zone , sealable gates 211 a and 211 b may be advantageously made as very narrow slits . such sealable gates with narrow slits , when open during deposition , provide a better seal against the escape of undesired material , whether vapors or atoms , from the deposition units 203 and 207 produced during the pvd process . due to the vertical orientation of that portion of the workpiece 100 being operated upon in the second pvd station 204 , the second free - span zone 250 b is not susceptible to the drawbacks of the horizontal free span zones , as the second free span zone is less susceptible to bowing in the middle between horizontally disposed rollers . rather , in the second free - span zone 250 b , due to the vertical position of the workpiece 100 , flatness of the workpiece is inherently achieved and advantageously established even if the second free - span zone is made longer than the first free span - zone 250 a , since the second free - span zone 250 b is established by and is located between the primary rollers 208 b and 208 c and the vertically disposed workpiece portion therebetween . as such , when depositing the selenium ( depicted by arrows ) onto the portion of the front surface 101 b of the workpiece 100 , the portion of the workpiece 100 that is vertically disposed essentially hangs from the top roller 208 c , and so even without tension the weight of the vertical workpiece portion will result in the desired flatness , and under slight tension between primary rollers 208 b and 208 c , flatness is achieved . because of the flatness of the vertical workpiece portion in the second free - span zone 250 b , the slits of the sealable gates 211 d and 211 f that are disposed vertically on opposite sides of the second pvd station 204 may be made very narrow to better prevent migration of the selenium material , whether vapors or atoms , to adjacent deposition zones . similar to the first free - span zone 250 a , the third free - span zone 250 c also benefits a shorter free span zone and results in better sealing ability of the sealable gates 208 c and 208 d . in another embodiment , by adding driven rollers between the deposition zones , tension can be controlled independently . in the vertical deposition zone , the tension can be lower than in the horizontal sections , without sacrificing deposition uniformity . the tension required in each zone may depend on the web material , thickness , and width of the web , and may be within the range of 200 to 4000 n . fig4 a shows another portion of the workpiece 100 in the first free - span zone 250 a in detail . fig4 b shows the work piece 100 in front cross sectional view as it passes through one of the sealable gates such as the first sealable gate 211 a . in this embodiment , the sealable gate 211 a is a rectangular opening between an upper seal member 240 a and a lower seal member 240 b . due to the flatness of the workpiece , the height ‘ h ’ and width ‘ w ’ of the opening may be made very close to the thickness and width of the workpiece 100 . for instance , the width needs only to be 2 - 4 mm wider , preferably 2 mm wider , than the web to allow for some web misalignment . since the deflection is minimized , the height of the opening can be reduced to 2 - 10 mm , preferably 2 - 5 mm , without causing mechanical interference . the pvd deposition system 200 may also include a metrology station ( not shown ) including an xrf analyzer located for example in the unloading station 205 b of the system . the xrf analyzer measures the thickness of the deposited se layer and provides feedback for a deposition control system . the xrf is positioned over a roller to ensure constant measurement height and measurement accuracy . further , heating and cooling stations located before the deposition chambers anneal the workpiece at a controlled temperature . although the embodiments have been particularly described with reference to embodiments thereof , it should be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes , modifications and substitutes are intended within the form and details thereof , without departing from the spirit and scope thereof . accordingly , it will be appreciated that in numerous instances some features will be employed without a corresponding use of other features . further , those skilled in the art will understand that variations can be made in the number and arrangement of components illustrated in the above figures .

US-201213572568-A

polyimide copolymers are disclosed having the recurring structure ## str1 ## wherein ar is ar 1 or ar 2 , wherein ar 1 is ## str2 ## and wherein ar 2 is ## str3 ## provided that the molar ratio of ar 1 to ar 2 is 3 : 1 to 1 : 3 , and wherein ar 3 is ## str4 ## these polyimides have unexpected properties which are useful in various electronic applications .

the copolyimides of this invention are formed from oda or p - phenylene diamine as the amine component and a mixture of odpa and bpda as the anhydride component . the copolyimides of this invention are prepared with a single diamine component . this diamine can be either oda or para - phenylene diamine . such copolymers can be formed by the following method . mixtures of odpa in bpda can be reacted with a diamine to form polyamic acids which are then imidized to form polyimide copolymers . the copolyimides that are the subject of this invention can be prepared with dianhydrides in the following range of molar values : in most cases , equimolar amounts of diamine and dianhydride are used . if equimolar amounts of diamine and dianhydride are used , the polymerization process continues without inhibition , and no endcapping reagents of any sort are used . this is the preferred embodiment for this invention . occasionally , it is desirable to prevent the polyamic acid from becoming too viscous . control of viscosity may be accomplished by using a slight excess of the diamine and using an acid anhydride i . e ., a monoanhydride such as phthalic anhydride , as an end capping reagent or using a slight excess of the dianhydride and using a monoamine as an endcapping reagent . since the purpose of endcapping is to prevent the polymer from becoming too viscous by limiting molecular weight growth , it is important to select un - reactive endcapping reagents , that is , endcapping reagents that , after the reaction with the polymer chain , will not readily undergo polymerization or chain extension . the use of such un - reactive endcapping reagents produces polymers that are not suitable for either chain extension or chain cross - linking . accordingly , endcapping reagents that contain end groups such as -- ch ═ ch 2 , -- c . tbd . ch , -- cn , and -- cho or any other group that , without further chemical processing , could undergo chain extension or cross - linking during imidization or formation of articles from this polymer , are not usable in the practice of this invention . on the other hand , endcapping reagents that have the mono - amine or mono - anhydride functionality attached to an aromatic or aliphatic molecule without readily polymerizable or cross - linkable substituents are suitable . any substituent on the aliphatic or aromatic group that is not susceptible to chain extension or cross - linking , such as halo , is suitable . as used herein , the term &# 34 ; unreactive endcap &# 34 ; shall mean an endcap that does not readily undergo chain extension or cross - linking reactions . such endcaps are produced through the use of a non - reactive endcapping reagent . examples of anhydrides that may be used as endcapping reagents are succinic anhydride , glutaric anhydride , phthalic anhydride , halophthalic anhydride , alkylphthalic anhydrides , alkoxyphthalic anhydrides , arylphthalic anhydrides , and anhydrides of naphthalene dioic acids that can form cyclic anhydrides , such as 1 , 8 - naphthalenedioic anhydride , and 2 , 3 - naphthalenedioic anhydride . examples of amines that can be used as endcapping reagents are monoamines such as aniline , toluidines , anisidines , and other alkyl or alkoxy anilines , aminobiphenyl , aminobenzophenone , aminodiphenylsulfone , monoaminobenzotrifluorides , naphthalamines , and other aminoaromatic monoalkyls . aliphatic amines can also be used ; however , they are not preferred since the alkyl endcap molecules tend to have less thermal stability than those with aromatic endcaps . in the first step of the reaction , a mixture of dianhydrides is added to a single diamine in a dipolar aprotic solvent . illustrative of the dipolar aprotic solvents that can be used are dimethyl acetamide , dimethyl formamide , dimethyl sulfoxide , hexamethylphosphoramide , n - methylpyrrolidone , and 1 , 3 - dimethyl - 2 - imidazolidinone . the preferred solvent is dimethyl acetamide . the reaction between the diamine and the dianhydride is normally conducted at room temperature with stirring . occasionally , slight warming is used to speed up the reaction . at this stage of the reaction , the product is a polyamic acid . the inherent viscosity of the polyamic acid solution is measured . inherent viscosity is determined by measuring the viscosity of a 0 . 5 % solution using a capillary viscometer . this viscosity is an indirect measure of the molecular weight of the polymer and , therefore , the extent of polymerization . the polyamic acids are poured into the desired form . for example , the polyamic acid solution can be spread on a plate . finally , the polyamic acid is subjected to curing . the initial step in curing is running a stream of an inert gas , such as nitrogen , over the formed polyamic acid in order to evaporate some of the solvent . when the formed polyamic acid is tack - free , it is heated gradually from room temperature up to a maximum temperature of 400 ° c . the temperature rise can be interrupted at intermediate temperatures and the object held at a given temperature before the temperature is allowed to increase to the maximum temperature . the preferred method is to allow the temperature to rise to 100 ° c ., hold it at that temperature for one hour , allow the temperature to rise to 200 ° c ., and hold it there for an hour , and , finally , to allow the temperature to rise to 300 ° c . or greater depending on the tg of the fully imidized resin , and hold it at that temperature for an hour . there are three major changes that take place during the curing process . most of the remainder of the solvent is lost , the polyamic acid releases water to form a polyimide , and through equilibration of the amide groups of the existing polyamic acids , chain extension takes place . alternatively , chemical imidization can be accomplished using methods such as that described by m . l . wallach [ journal of polymer science , part a - 2 ; vol . 6 , 953 - 960 ( 1968 )]. in this method the polyamic acid is heated with a mixture of an acid anhydride , such as acetic anhydride , and a tertiary amine , such as pyridine , as a basic catalyst . wallach states that this method should yield a polyimide film that is essentially the same molecular weight as the polyamic acid . other chemical imidization methods , similar to that disclosed by wallach , can also be used . one important property of the polyimides of this invention is their high comparative tracking index . the comparative tracking index is measured by a standard method ( astm d 3638 - 77 , which is incorporated herein by reference ). in summary , the method involves placing electrodes on the material to be tested and adding one drop per second of an aqueous electrolyte solution between the electrodes . the test apparatus is designed to cause tracking , that is , the formation of carbonaceous paths or tracks near the electrodes . when these tracks are sufficiently established to conduct appreciable current , the material is said to have failed . the numerical value of the highest voltage at which no failure occurs with the application of fifty or more drops electrolyte is arbitrarily called the comparative tracking index . this method is an accelerated test which , at relatively low test voltages , provides comparison of the performance of insulating materials under wet and contaminated conditions . the polyimides of this invention have unexpectedly high comparative tracking indexes . the polyimides of this invention have good electrical properties and , accordingly , can be used as insulating material . the preferred method of using the polyimides of this invention as insulators is to coat the electrically conductive object with the polyamic acid solution and cure the composition directly on the object to be insulated . by this means , the insulating layer of polyimide forms directly on the object to be insulated . the object to be insulated can be of any shape . for example , round wires , flat conductors , conductive sheets , circuit boards and semiconductor circuit chips can be insulated using the copolyimides of this invention . even objects of irregular shape can be insulated using these materials . obviously , only those materials that can withstand the curing process can be insulated using the copolyimides of this invention . another property of the polyimides of this invention is their tensile modulus . to measure the modulus , a sample of the plastic is subjected to stress . the tensile modulus is defined as the slope of the initial linear portion of the load extension response ( stress strain ) wave . the polyimides of this invention are also useful as a plastic base material for use in tape automated bonding ( tab ) electrical chip packaging . such tape generally consists of a conductive layer and a non - conductive layer . the conductive layer is generally copper . polyimides are frequently used as the non - conductive layer . a polyimide can be attached to copper with an adhesive . in some applications , the adhesive is not used . in preparing the final product , the conductive layer is etched to form leads and the semiconductor device is attached to these leads . finally , the semiconductor device is encapsulated in a suitable resin . 8 . 00 g ( 0 . 04 moles ) of 4 , 4 &# 39 ;- oxydianiline ( oda ) was dissolved in 113 . 8 g of dimethyl acetamide . to the resulting solution was added a mixture of 6 . 204 g ( 0 . 02 moles ) of odpa and 5 . 884 g ( 0 . 02 moles ) of bpda . the mixture was stirred at room temperature for 3 . 5 hours and allowed to stand overnight . the inherent viscosity of the resulting polyamic acid solution ( diluted to 0 . 5 %) was 0 . 993 . the polyamic acid solution was cast on glass plates using a doctor blade set at 20 mil . the films on the plates were dried under a stream of nitrogen gas until they were tack - free . the coated plates were then heated to 100 ° c . for one hour , 200 ° c . for one hour , and 300 ° c . for one hour . the product was a polyimide film . the glass transition temperature of this polyimide was 235 ° c . the comparative tracking index , measured by the astm method cited above , was 200 volts . 16 . 22 ( 0 . 15 moles ) of p - phenylene diamine were dissolved in 352 g of dimethyl acetamide . a mixture of 11 . 03 g ( 0 . 0375 moles ) of bpda and 34 . 89 g ( 0 . 1125 moles ) of odpa was added to the solution . the procedure of example 1 was followed to produce a polyimide film . the comparative tracking index , as measured by the astm method , was 125 volts , the tensile modulus was 869 , 300 psi , and the dielectric constant was 3 . 50 at 1 khz . 25 . 025 g ( 0 . 125 moles ) of oda were dissolved in 358 grams of dimethyl acetamide . a mixture of 9 . 179 g ( 0 . 0312 moles ) of bpda and 29 . 066 g ( 0 . 0937 moles ) of oxydiphthalic dianhydride was added to the solution . the procedure of example 1 was followed to produce the polyimide film . the comparative tracking index , as measured by the astm method , was 150 volts , the glass transition point was 260 ° c ., the tensile modulus was 576 , 500 psi , and the dielectric constant was 3 . 64 at 1 khz . 25 . 025 g ( 0 . 125 moles ) of oda were dissolved in 356 grams of dimethyl acetamide . a mixture of 18 . 39 g ( 0 . 0625 moles ) of bpda and 19 . 39 g ( 0 . 0625 moles ) of odpa were added to the solution . the procedure of example 1 was followed to produce a polyimide film . the comparative tracking index , as measured by the astm method , was 150 volts , the glass transition temperature was 265 ° c ., the tensile modulus was 543 , 700 psi , and the dielectric constant was 3 . 55 at 1 khz . 25 . 025 g ( 0 . 125 moles ) of oda were dissolved in 353 grams of dimethyl acetamide . a mixture of 27 . 57 g ( 0 . 0937 moles ) of bpda and 9 . 678 g ( 0 . 0312 moles ) of odpa was added to the solution . the procedure of example 1 was followed to produce a polyimide film . the comparative tracking index , as measured by the astm method , was 150 volts , the glass transition temperature was 270 ° c ., the tensile modulus was 599 , 300 psi , and the dielectric constant was 3 . 48 at 1 khz . 16 . 34 g ( 0 . 1511 moles ) of p - phenylene diamine were dissolved in 348 g of dimethyl acetamide . a mixture of 33 . 10 g ( 0 . 1125 moles ) of bpda , 1 . 63 g ( 0 . 0375 moles ) of odpa , and 0 . 33 g ( 0 . 0022 moles ) of phthalic anhydride was added to the solution the procedure of example 1 was followed to produce a polyimide film the comparative tracking index , as measured by the astm method , was 150 volts , the tensile modulus was 1 , 208 , 000 psi , and the dielectric constant was 3 . 39 at 1 khz .

US-73995491-A

in an ignition timing controller used in conjunction with an internal combustion engine of a vehicle provided with a mechanism for igniting fuel , the running condition of the engine is detected and the optimum ignition timing is determined based on the running condition . it is determined also whether or not the vehicle is accelerating , and the variation rate of engine speed during acceleration is detected . when the variation rate is a positive value which is equal to or greater than a predetermined value , the ignition timing is retarded by a predetermined amount relative to the optimum ignition timing . when the variation rate is less than this predetermined value , the correction amount is set to zero so that the timing is not retarded . in this way , forward / backward oscillation of the vehicle based on rotational vibration of the crankshaft during acceleration from coasting , is suppressed .

referring to fig1 of the drawings , an ignition controller is provided with a various sensors 1 , a microprocessor 2 that performs computations based on signals input from the sensors 1 , an ignition mechanism 3 that operates according to an output signal from the microprocessor 2 , and injectors 4 , this controller being applied to a fuel injection type multi - cylinder engine . the sensors 1 comprise a vehicle speed sensor 5 for detecting a vehicle speed v , a water temperature sensor 6 for detecting an engine water temperature c , a speed sensor 8 for detecting a predetermined engine rotation position , and outputting a reference position signal , this signal being also used for the calculation of engine speed , an angle sensor 7 for continuously detecting an engine rotation angle from the reference position and outputting an angle signal θ , a throttle switch 9 for detecting whether or not the engine intake throttle is an idle angle th , and an air flow meter 10 for detecting an intake air volume q corresponding to the engine load . the microprocessor 2 comprises an i / o circuit 11 which receives an input signal from the sensors 1 and outputs a signal to the ignition mechanism 3 and injector 4 , cpu 12 , rom 13 which stores an optimum ignition period tadvm as an angle from , e . g . top dead center , ram 14 , and clock oscillator 15 which outputs a clock pulse . the optimum ignition period tadvm is preset according to an engine speed ne and intake air volume q . the optimum ignition period tadvm stored in the rom 13 is read each time the reference position signal is input via the i / o circuit 11 . the cpu 12 converts the optimum ignition period tadvm to an angle from the reference position , and outputs an ignition signal to the ignition mechanism 3 when the angle signal θ is equal to this converted value . the ignition mechanism comprises an ignition coil 17 which emits a high voltage when a transistor 16 turns off according to the ignition signal , an electrical distributing unit 18 , and spark plugs 19 disposed in each cylinder which emit a spark when high voltage current is supplied from the ignition coil 17 via the distributor 18 . fig2 shows the main routine of the ignition timing correction applied by the microprocessor 2 . in a step s20 , an optimum ignition map drawn up from the engine speed ne and intake volume q , is looked up , and the optimum ignition period tadvm is determined . in a step s21 , it is determined whether or not a retardation angle correction should be applied . this determination is performed based on a retardation angle counter value cntref showing whether or not the engine is in a retardation correction period of the ignition timing . the retardation angle counter value cntref is a timer value obtained by subtracting a value a predetermined value rettim . when cntref is 0 , the routine is terminated without performing a retardation angle correction . when the cntref is not 0 , the ignition timing is corrected using an ignition timing correction amount lurts in a step s22 . at the same time , &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; is subtracted from the retardation angle counter value cntref . the predetermined value rettim , as an initial value of the retardation angle counter value cntref , is given by the routine shown in fig3 . this routine is executed , e . g . every 10 msec . first , in a step s23 , the vehicle acceleration state is detected from the vehicle speed v . three acceleration states may be distinguished , viz . no acceleration , immediately after start of acceleration , and during acceleration . this acceleration determining process determines , based on the fuel injection signal output from the microprocessor 2 to the injector 4 , whether the fuel supply has been cut off , is being supplied or whether fuel has just begun to be supplied after cut off as shown in step s44 of fig1 . fig1 shows an alternative process related to acceleration determination . in fig1 , acceleration determination is performed using accelerator depression speed and amount . first , in a step s45 , when the accelerator depression speed is equal to or exceeds a predetermined value , it is determined that acceleration has begun . if it is less than the predetermined value , the accelerator depression amount is compared with a predetermined value in a step s46 . if the amount is equal to or exceeds the predetermined value , it is determined that the vehicle is accelerating , whereas if it is less than the predetermined value , it is determined that the vehicle is not accelerating . returning to the routine of fig3 when the vehicle is not accelerating , the control timer value cntret which is a parameter for controlling ignition timing retardation angle , the ignition timing correction amount lurts and retardation angle counter value cntref are cleared in a step s24 , and the routine is terminated . when it is determined in the step s23 that the vehicle has just started accelerating , a predetermined value tmrrtrd is stored in the control timer value cntret in a step s25 , and the routine is terminated . the control timer value cntret is a timer value which decreases at a certain rate from the predetermined value tmrrtd , and when it is 0 , the control period of ignition timing has terminated . hence , the predetermined value tmrrtd signifies the length of the control period . when it is determined in the step s23 that the vehicle is accelerating , it is determined in a step s26 whether or not the vehicle is in the control period , i . e . whether or not the control timer value cntret is 0 . if the control timer value cntret is 0 , the vehicle is not within the control period , so the aforesaid process in the step s24 is performed and the routine is terminated . if the control timer value cntret is not 0 in the step s26 , the vehicle is within the ignition period control period . in this case , it is determined in a step s27 whether or not the vehicle is in a retardation angle correction period , i . e . whether or not the retardation angle counter value cntref is 0 . if the retardation angle counter value cntref is not 0 , it is determined that the vehicle is in the retardation angle correction period , then in a step s28 , a preset angle lurtm is set by the retardation angle correction amount lurts and the routine is terminated . if in the step s27 , the retardation angle counter value is 0 , in a step s29 , a positive variation rate deltne of the engine speed ne is compared with a predetermined value trdne . this predetermined value trdne is given according to the engine speed ne as shown by the graph of fig9 b and a step s39 of fig9 a . if the variation rate deltne does not exceed the predetermined value trdne , the retardation angle correction value lurts is cleared in a step s30 and the routine is terminated . if the positive variation rate deltne of the engine speed ne exceeds the predetermined value trdne in the step s29 , the retardation angle correction conditions hold , so the control timer value cntret is reduced in a step s31 . after this reduction , it is determined in a step s32 whether or not the control timer value cntret is 0 . if the value cntret is 0 , the vehicle is determined to be outside the control period , the aforesaid process of the step s24 is performed , and the routine is terminated . if in the step s32 , the value cntret is not 0 after reduction , it is determined that the control period is still continuing , and in a step s33 , the predetermined value rettim is stored as an initial value of the retardation angle counter value cntref . this predetermined value rettim is given according to the engine speed ne as shown by the graph of fig4 b and a step s34 in fig4 a . subsequently , in a step s28 , the preset angle lurtm is set to the retardation angle correction amount lurts , and the routine is terminated . fig1 compares the ignition timing control according to the aforesaid process , and the relation between the torque transmitted by the drive shaft of the vehicle and forward / backward oscillation of the vehicle , with the aforesaid prior art . in the prior art , the ignition period is corrected when the absolute value of the engine speed variation rate , exceeds the predetermined value trdne as can be seen from fig1 ( g ). as seen in fig1 ( e ), when the engine speed variation exceeds a negative value trdne , the ignition timing is advanced , whereas when it exceeds a positive value trdne , the rate is retarded . when this cycle is repeated , there is a large torque vibration of the drive shaft , especially in the initial stage of acceleration as shown by the curve ( c ) in the figure , and the forward / backward impact acting on the vehicle also varies with a large amplitude as shown by the curve ( a ) in the figure . according to this controller , however , the ignition timing is corrected only when the positive variation rate deltne of the engine speed exceeds the predetermined value trdne , hence the vibration of the drive shaft does not become too large as shown by the curve ( b ) and the oscillation of the vehicle in the forward / backward direction is correspondingly less . the predetermined value rettim which is the initial value of the retardation angle count value cntref and the predetermined value trdne which serves as a comparison reference for the positive variation rate deltne of the engine speed , do not necessarily depend on the engine speed ne , but can be set according to a variety of different parameters as expressed below . the predetermined value rettim can be set according to the accelerator depression amount as shown by the step s36 in fig6 a and fig6 b . alternatively , the predetermined value rettim can be set according to the accelerator depression speed as shown by the step s35 in fig5 a and fig5 b . alternatively , the predetermined value rettim can be set according to the vehicle speed ( v ) as shown by the step s37 in fig7 a and fig7 b . alternatively , the predetermined value rettim can be set according to the gear ratio of the gears as shown by the step s38 in fig8 a and fig8 b . likewise , the predetermined value trdne can be set according to the accelerator depression amount as shown by the step s40 in fig1 a and fig1 b . alternatively , the predetermined value trdne can be set according to the accelerator depression speed as shown by the step s41 in fig1 a and fig1 b . alternatively , the predetermined value trdne can be set according to the vehicle speed ( v ) as shown by the step s42 in fig1 a and fig1 b . alternatively , the predetermined value trdne can be set according to the gear change ratio of the gears as shown by the step s43 in fig1 a and fig1 b .

US-50033095-A

a composite laminate structure is provided which is suitable for use as a fuser blanket in copiers or reproducers which are based on heat fixing of images on receptor surfaces . the structure is comprised of a dimensionally stable , heat conductive substrate having bonded to one surface thereof a thin , resiliently compressible layer of a fluorinated elastomeric polymer and an outer layer bonded thereto of a thin , resiliently compressible silicone elastomer .

to illustrate the invention , accompanying drawings are presented wherein fig1 is a simple schematic view of a fusing device wherein the fuser blanket is utilized , and fig2 is a cross - section of the preferred fuser blanket . typically , the fuser device illustrated in fig1 has a fusing roller 9 , a backup roller 13 , a toner offset preventing liquid applicator 16 and a backup roller cleaner 19 . the fusing roller 9 comprises a hollow drum 10 of a heat conductive material such as aluminum generally having a heat source therein ( not illustrated ) to provide sufficient heat to the periphery of the fusing blanket 11 covering the drum to fuse the ink 27 to the receptor sheet 26 . the fused ink is shown as 28 . the fusing blanket is preferably wrapped around the drum and attached thereto . the outer peripheral surface of the fusing blanket generally has about a 15 inch circumferential extent so as to permit fusing of developer to a 14 inch receptor sheet upon a single revolution of the fuser roll . the fuser roll has a shaft 12 connected thereto which can be utilized to drive the fuser roll . backup roller 13 comprises a hollow drum , typically of aluminum , with an exterior surface coating 14 of polytetrafluoroethylene providing a rigid peripheral surface . the backup roller has a shaft 15 connected thereto which can be used to drive the roller . fusing pressure , i . e . the pressure required to force a receptor sheet 26 into intimate contact with fusing blanket 11 , is generally applied by the backup roller by convenient means such as , for example , compression springs . the offset preventing fluid applicator comprises a receptacle 16 in which is contained an offset preventing liquid 17 . a wick 18 extends from the fluid receptacle 16 toward backup roller 13 along the length thereof for applying the fluid . the backup roll cleaner 25 comprises a supply roll 21 of a cleaning web 20 , a takeup roller 19 , and a drive for transferring the cleaning web 20 from supply roll 21 to takeup roller 19 . takeup roller 19 is biased into contact with backup roller 13 by any convenient method , e . g . springs . in use a fresh portion of cleaning web is continuously presented to backup roller 13 to remove excess offset preventing fluid 17 and any toner powder or other debris accumulated thereon . in use , the fusing roller 9 is actuated as a receptor sheet containing imaged toner powder thereon approaches the nip area between fusing roller 9 and backup roller 13 and positions the receptor sheet . fusing pressure is applied at the nip area by the backup roller 13 and heat is applied to the fusing blanket typically by a source within the fusing drum 10 , thereby fusing the toner powder to the receptor sheet . offset preventing fluid applied to the backup roller 13 can be transferred to the periphery of the fuser blanket 11 by permitting an occasional extra rotation of the fuser roller 9 and backup roller 13 without a receptor sheet therebetween . fig2 is a cross section of the preferred fuser blanket 11 of this invention , illustrating a backing member 24 of a dimensionally stable , heat conductive material having bonded thereto a thin fluorinated elastomeric layer 23 and bonded thereover a thin silicone elastomer overlayer 22 which is the surface of the blanket contacted by the offset preventing liquid and the fusable toner powder on a receptor sheet . preferably the dimensionally stable heat conductive substrate is a thin , flexible metallic sheet material . however , the substrate can alternatively be the surface of fusing roller 10 . for commercial high speed duplicating systems a fuser blanket must typically possess certain characteristics . first , the blanket must be resiliently compressible so as to provide an area of intimate contact with the receptor when pressure is applied at the nip via the backup roller . second , the blanket must be capable of withstanding pressures in excess of about 100 psi at operating temperatures in excess of about 200 ° c . while maintaining its physical and dimensional integrity over a long period of time . third , the blanket surface must have a low affinity for the toner powder under fusing conditions . fourth , the blanket must be capable of withstanding continuous contact with an offset preventing fluid such as silicone oil for a long period of time under the elevated temperatures encountered during fusing . for high speed duplicating systems wherein extended blanket life is extremely desirable , silicone elastomers may not be capable of withstanding continuous contact with an offset preventing fluid such as silicone oil for the desired long period of time . fluorinated elastomers , conversely , are capable of withstanding long term continuous contact with such fluids , as they are substantially impenetrable to such fluids . however , fluorinated elastomers generally do not have a sufficiently low affinity for toner powder under the conditions encountered during the fusing operation . by combining silicone and fluorinate elastomers , a composite is attained wherein silicone oil or other offset preventing fluid will substantially penetrate only the silicone elastomer layer , thereby allowing the fuser blanket to retain its physical and dimensional integrity during operation under fusing conditions for a long period of time . the bond formed between the silicone and fluorinated elastomers is not deleteriously affected to any substantial extent by the fluid penetration , and the release surface thereby remains intact under copier operation conditions over the extended period of time required for high speed duplicating systems . the backing material or substrate suitable for use in the fusing blanket must be dimensionally stable at elevated temperatures . additionally , when fusing temperatures are attained by heating means within the fusing roller , the substrate must be heat conductive . while the surface of the fusing roller itself can be utilized as the substrate , it is preferred to utilize a separate substrate or backing material . this is because insertion of a replacement fusing blanket is simplified to a great extent . if the blanket is formed on the surface of the fusing roller , the entire roller must be replaced . conversely , when a separate backing is utilized the blanket can be releasably attached to the fusing roller to facilitate replacement . metallic sheet material is exemplary of suitable material possessing the aforementioned characteristics . a preferred backing is stainless steel , although materials such as aluminum , copper and brass are also satisfactory . substrate thicknesses should be sufficient to provide strength and dimensional stability and yet be flexible enough to easily conform to the fuser roller . generally , thicknesses in the range of about 2 mils to about 15 mils , preferably about 5 mils , are satisfactory . decreasing thicknesses tend to provide greater flexibility , thereby facilitating conformance of the composite blanket to the fuser roller , but provide decreased strength and dimensional stability . conversely , increasing thicknesses provide greater strength but less flexibility . fluorinated curable polymers useful in this invention are those which when cured to an elastomer are substantially impenetrable to offset preventing fluids such as silicone oil and which are resiliently compressible so as to provide intimate contact of the fuser blanket with a receptor surface . additionally , the fluorinated elastomer should be heat transmissive when fusing temperatures are attained by heating means within the fusing roller . when heating means are utilized external from the fusing roller , this criteria is of course immaterial . preferable fluorinated polymers are those containing at least about 37 % by weight of carbon - bonded fluorine , and more preferably wherein at least about 50 % of the non - skeletal carbon valance bonds are to fluorine . exemplary of such polymers are fluorosilicone polymers which can be generally termed perfluoro alkyl alkylene siloxanes . these polymers contain a terminal perfluoro alkyl group which is positioned no closer than two carbon atoms from the silicon atom , and additionally contain a minor amount of substituent groups which will allow curing or crosslinking to occur . these substituent groups can for example be silicon - bonded hydrogen atoms , vinyl groups , or peroxy - activatable groups . a preferred curable fluorosilicone polymer is commercially available from the dow corning co . under the tradename ls - 53 , which is a trifluoropropyl methyl vinyl polysiloxane . linear saturated fluorinated copolymers of vinylidene fluoride and fluoromonoolefins , as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 655 , 727 are also exemplary of suitable curable fluorinated polymers . preferred saturated fluorinated polymers are those produced by copolymerizing perfluoropropene and vinylidene fluoride as described in u . s . pat . nos . 3 , 051 , 677 and 3 , 318 , 854 . the fluorinated elastomer layer should generally have a thickness sufficient to provide a resiliently compressible and , if required , heat transmissive layer , typically from about 10 mils to about 100 mils , and preferably about 30 mils . the softness of this elastomer layer should be sufficient to provide suitable nip contact area during the fusing operation and yet maintain physical integrity . generally , an elastomer having a shore a durometer hardness of 20 to 80 , and preferably 50 is satisfactory . the fluorinated elastomer layer can be conveniently formed by curing the fluorinated polymers in situ at the time of manufacture of the blanket . curing or cross linking agents for curing fluorinated polymers are generally well known in the art . for example , curing systems for vinylidene fluoride / fluoromonoolefin elastomeric copolymers are taught in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 655 , 727 . curing or cross linking agents for use with curable fluorosilicone polymers include dicumyl peroxide , 2 , 4 - dichlorobenzoyl peroxide , benzoyl peroxide , di - tertiarybutyl peroxide , tertiary - butyl perbenzoate , and 2 , 5 - dimethyl2 , 5 di ( t - butyl peroxy ) hexane . curing conditions vary depending upon the curable fluorinated polymer and curing agent chosen , effective cures being obtained at temperatures up to about 450 ° f . for a period of from about 1 minute to about 15 hours , and more usually from about 5 minutes to about 30 minutes . silicone elastomers suitable for use in this invention are characterized and described in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 554 , 836 , granted to steindorf on jan . 12 , 1971 , incorporated herein by reference the adhesive nature of such elastomers are quantitatively characterized therein by their release values . as indicated therein , silicone elastomers customarily have release values of less than about 30 grams / inch . furthermore , materials having release values greater than 100 grams / inch will not release thermoplastic transfer media to a receptor in nonsplitting fashion . exemplary silicone elastomers include the cured or further polymerized product of a silicone gum , such as dimethyl vinyl polysiloxane sold under the tradename se - 33 . the preferred blanket surface comprises an elastomer prepared from a mixture of the above - mentioned gum with a silicone resin such as sold under the tradename sylgard 184 , with equal parts by weight of the gum and resin being the preferred mixture . however , other proportions of these ingredients are also useful . for example , from 30 to 100 parts by weight of gum with correspondingly from 70 to 0 parts by weight of resin will produce a useful blanket surface . a cured surface composed of the silicone resin containing less than 30 percent by weight of the silicone gum may be too hard to be useful in this invention . for the preparation of the silicone elastomer layer , curing agents such as benzoylperoxide , 2 , 4 - dichlorobenzoyl peroxide , tertiarybutyl perbenzoate , dicumyl peroxide or the like are satisfactory . preferably the curing agent is a mixture of low molecular weight polydimethyl siloxane containing silane groups and an initiative catalyst , such as the curing agent being sold under the tradename &# 34 ; sylgard 184 curing agent .&# 34 ; curing conditions required by these agents vary depending upon the curing agent and the silicone gums or resins , effective cures being obtained at temperatures up to 400 ° f . the silicone elastomer thickness should be sufficient to permit adequate wear life in terms of abrasion resistance without excessive swelling due to contact with an offset preventing fluid such as silicone oil . typically , about 0 . 3 mils to about 10 mils is satisfactory , with 4 mils being preferred . the hardness of the silicone elastomer should be such as to allow sufficient elongation without tensile failure , typically in the range of about 10 to about 70 shore a durometer , preferably 30 shore a durometer . an elastomer prepared from equal parts of the aforementioned silicone gum and resin typically has a shore a durometer value of 20 - 30 , a tensile strength of 370 psi , percent elongation at break of 24 , and a tear strength of 60 psi . in the manufacture of the fuser blanket of this invention , the stainless steel or other suitable backing member generally must be primed with a suitable primer for fluorinated elastomers to insure an adequate bond surface for the fluorinated elastomer and to insure reliable repeatability of attained bond strength . the result desired is cohesive failure of the fluorinated elastomer layer before adhesive failure of the fluorinated elastomer - backing member interface when subjected to a conventional bond test such as a 90 ° or 180 ° peel test . such primers are commercially available . a preferred primer when fluorosilicone elastomers are utilized is that commercially available under the tradename dow corning a - 4040 from the dow corning corporation . the primer can be applied to the substrate in a conventional manner , and can be conveniently applied from a solution of a suitable volatile solvent , such as v . m .& amp ; p . naphtha . recommended conditions for application are generally indicated by the manufacturer . for example , when utilizing the dow corning a - 4040 mentioned above , the recommended application environment is 70 ° f . and 50 percent relative humidity . a one hour air dry under these conditions , or a 5 minute air dry followed by 5 minutes at 300 ° f . will effectively cure the applied primer . with the curable fluorinated vinylidene fluoride / fluoromonoolefin copolymers , an acceptable bond can be obtained utilizing as a primer an adhesive sold under the tradename chemlok no . 607 by the hugheson chemical co . similarly , a primer consisting of equal parts of a 50 weight percent solution of chemlok no . 607 is methyl alcohol and a 2 weight percent solution of z - 6020 , tradename for an adhesive sold by union carbide corporation , in methyl alcohol will provide a satisfactory bond . catalyzed fluorinated polymer can then be applied to the primed substrate by conventional means such as calendering , bulk loading , or in a preform fashion to the desired uniform thickness . the structure can then be inserted into a mold and cured at from about 200 ° f . to about 400 ° f . under a pressure of about 350 psi . cure can be effected generally in from about 5 to about 30 minutes in this manner . when utilizing a separate backing sheet material ( as opposed to the fusing roller ) as the substrate , the cured structure can be conveniently die cut to any desired configuration prior to application of the silicone elastomer overlayer . the curable silicone overlayer composition can be applied to the cured fluorinated elastomer layer by any convenient manner , such as spraying , knife coating , brush coating , or dip coating . a preferred application method is by spraying a solution of the curable catalyzed silicone composition in a volatile solvent such as heptane , toluene , or xylene . the concentration of the silicone composition in an application solution can generally be from about 10 to about 20 weight percent when spraying is utilized , or about 50 weight percent or greater when coating is the application method utilized . it may be advantageous to prime the cured fluorinated elastomer layer prior to application of the curable silicone composition thereto . in such cases the aforementioned dow corning a - 4040 fluorosilicone rubber primer has been found to be an excellent primer . the curable silicone composition overlayer and the composite blanket can then be cured and postcured at about 400 ° f . for from about 4 hours to about 24 hours . postcuring of the composite structure is desired to develop high temperature stability and to maximize the physical properties of the blanket . the toner powders to be fused to the receptor sheet utilizing the fuser blanket of this invention are generally heat fusible materials in particulate form with an average particle size of about 7 microns . a typical suitable toner powder has the following composition in percentages by weight : 44 % epon 1004 ( tradename for an epoxy resin available from the shell chemical company ) 52 % magnetite 4 % carbon black another suitable developer powder consists of 65 weight percent polystyrene and 35 weight percent carbon black . the temperature at which the fusing blanket operates may vary from about 50 ° c . to about 200 ° c . depending upon the choice of toner powder and the desired rate of fuser operation . in order to more clearly illustrate the invention , the following nonlimiting examples are provided wherein all parts are by weight unless otherwise specified . 50 parts dow corning a - 4040 ( tradename for a fluorosilicone rubber primer available from the dow corning corp .) 50 parts v . m .& amp ; p . naphtha one surface of a 5 mil thick stainless steel sheet ( type 302 stainless with a number 2 finish , 1 / 4 hard ) is primed with the primer solution by brushing at about 75 ° f . and at a relative humidity of about 50 percent . the primer is allowed to dry for one hour at these same conditions . a catalyzed fluorosilicone polymer is prepared by mixing on a conventional rubber mill 0 . 72 parts dicup r ( tradename for dicumyl peroxide , available from the hercules chemical company ) 100 parts ls53 fluorosilicone rubber ( tradename for a dow corning corp . fluorosilicone ) the catalyzed polymer is applied to the primed side of the stainless steel sheet in a preform fashion and inserted into a 290 ° f . conventional compression mold . the fluorosilicone polymer is cured at 350 psi for 7 minutes in the mold . the thickness of the cured fluorosilicone elastomer layer is 30 mils . a spray solution of catalyzed silicone gum and resin is prepared by dissolving 2 parts dow corning no . 184 sylgard ( trade - name for a silicone encapsulating resin available from the dow corning corp .) 2 parts general electric se 33 ( tradename for dimethyl vinyl silicone gum available from the general elec - tric company ) 1 part dow corning no . 184 catalyst ( trade - name for silicone encapsulating resin curing catalyst from the dow corning corp .) 45 parts heptane the solution is applied to the cured fluorosilicone elastomer by conventional spraying in a spray booth . the silicone composition is cured and the composite fuser blanket is postcured simultaneously for 4 hours in a 400 ° f . environment . the thickness of the cured silicone elastomer layer is 4 mils . the composite fusing blanket is mounted on a fuser device as illustrated in fig1 whereupon 150 , 000 copies ( 8 - 1 / 2 in . × 14 in .) are fixed over a 90 day period prior to the need for replacement of the composite blanket . the fuser blanket is contacted with silicone oil during the operation of the copier . the temperature of the silicone elastomer surface of the fuser blanket is typically 375 ° f . and the softening point of the toner is 160 ° f . one surface of a 5 mil thick stainless steel sheet ( type 302 stainless with a number 2 finish , 1 / 4 hard ) is primed with chemlok no . 607 ( tradename for primer system , available from the hugheson chemical co .) by brushing at about 75 ° f . and at a relative humidity of about 50 percent . the primer is allowed to dry for 30 minutes at these same conditions . 30 parts thermax mt ( tradename for carbon black available from the r . t . vanderbilt co .) 3 parts maglite d ( tradename for mag - nesium oxide available from the merck company ) 6 parts calcium hydroxide100 parts fluorel 2170 ( tradename for a vinylidene fluoride / perfluoro - propene copolymer and available from the minnesota mining and manufacturing company ) the catalyzed polymer composition is applied to the primed side of the stainless steel sheet in a preform fashion and inserted into a 350 ° f . conventional compression mold . the polymer is cured at 350 psi for 5 minutes minimum in the mold . the thickness of the cured fluroelastomer layer is 30 mils . the cured fluoroelastomer layer is primed by brushing with a primer solution of 50 weight percent dow corning a - 4040 in v . m .& amp ; p . naphtha at about 75 ° f . and a relative humidity of about 50 percent , followed by drying for one hour at these same conditions . after cutting the fluorinated elastomer coated stainless steel sheet to the desired size , the same curable silicone composition as in example 1 is applied to the primed fluorinated elastomer surface in the same manner as in example 1 . the silicone composition is then cured and the composite blanket is postcured simultaneously for 24 hours in a 400 ° f . environment . when utilized in an electrophotographic office copier wherein silicone oil is contacted by the fuser blanket , results similar to example 1 are achieved . an accelerated testing program was utilized to compare the fusing blanket of this invention with a blanket construction having a silicone elastomer bonded to a stainless sheet . this program utilized a test fusing device comprising a separate fusing module substantially as shown in fig1 of the accompanying drawing . the fusing roll and the backup roll were continuously rotated while maintaining nip pressure and the fuser blanket was continuously heated from within the fusing roll . no receptor sheet was utilized and a silicone oil film was continuously maintained on the fusing blanket periphery . the blanket surface temperature was maintained at approximately 375 ° f . one surface of a 5 mil thick stainless steel sheet ( type 302 with a number 2 finish , 1 / 4 hard ) is primed by brushing with dow corning s - 2260 primer at 75 ° f . and 50 percent relative humidity , followed by a one hour air dry under these conditions . 0 . 4 parts dicumyl peroxide100 parts ge no . 24514 ( a curable methyl phenyl silicone rubber available from the general electric co .) the catalyzed silicone composition is applied to the primed side of the stainless steel sheet in a preform fashion and cured in a 300 ° f . conventional compression mold for 8 minutes . the thickness of the cured silicone elastomer layer is 30 mils . the blanket is postcured for 4 hours at 400 ° f . this blanket construction , when utilized in the accelerated testing program , has an average lifespan of 20 hours prior to delamination of the silicone elastomer from the backing . conversely , the lifespan of a fusing blanket prepared as per the illustrative examples averaged in excess of 348 hours under the same accelerated conditions .

US-32291573-A

a compact surgical handpiece comprises a motor energizable for moving a tool member , electric energy supply actuable for energizing the motor and a manually actuable trigger actuable to control motor operation . a motor control circuit interconnects the motor electric energy supply and trigger for running and braking the motor in response to actuation and release of the trigger . the control circuit includes a compact regulated voltage supply , a motor overcurrent limiting feature and a motor braking feature which is effective even if the operator fails to fully disconnect the electrical supply to the motor upon releasing the trigger .

the present invention relates to a control circuit 10 ( fig1 and 2 ) for a surgical handpiece . the circuit 10 is usable with a variety of surgical handpieces for controlling the motors thereof but the handpiece 11 shown in fig3 will suffice as an example . the fig3 handpiece 11 includes a housing 12 of pistol shape having a barrel 13 and handle 14 . a motor 15 drives a chuck 16 capable of receiving a material working member , or bit , 17 . a trigger unit 20 is actuable by the surgeon or other user of the handpiece to control turning on and off of the motor 15 and to vary the speed thereof . a forward - disable - reverse ( hereafter &# 34 ; reversing &# 34 ;) switch 21 is actuable by the user to select between motor off and motor run forward and motor run reverse states . a battery 22 powers the circuit and thereby the motor 12 under the control of the trigger unit 20 and reversing switch 21 . the control circuit 10 is usable with a variety of types of surgical handpieces , for example , ones for driving drills , reamers , sagittal saws , oscillating saws , reciprocating saws and the like . the control circuit 10 is constructed so as to be as compact as possible so as to fit in and take up minimum room in the housing 12 , thereby leaving more room for other components , including the battery 22 and motor 15 without compromising motor power and battery longevity . the motor 15 is , in the preferred embodiment shown , a brushless dc electric motor having a permanent magnet rotor ( not shown ) and stator windings , here three in number and indicated at w1 , w2 and w3 in fig1 . motors of this general type are well known . a suitable motor is available under model no . 2296 - 100 from stryker corporation located at 420 e . alcott street , kalamazoo , mich . such motors are compact and relatively efficient at converting electrical power to mechanical work . the trigger unit 20 comprises a manually actuable trigger lever 23 ( fig4 ) coupled to an on / off switch 24 and a speed signal producer 25 capable of providing an output , here an analog voltage output , related to the desired motor speed , on a terminal s ( fig1 ). this speed signal producer 25 may be of any convenient type and one is shown schematically in fig4 as incorporating a hall sensor 26 connected as hereafter discussed and having a magnet mag advanceable along the hall sensor in response to further pressing of the trigger 20 to change the analog voltage on the speed signal terminal s . thus , initial movement of the trigger 20 from its rest position closes the switch 24 and starts the rightward advance ( fig4 ) of the magnet mag to decrease the voltage at speed signal terminal s to thereby call for more motor speed . the battery 22 , as shown in fig1 has its positive voltage output terminal marked vb and its negative terminal is connected to two separate ground buses , as follows . a high current draw ground bus mg serves as the motor current ground and carries the triangular ground symbol . a low current draw ground bus cg serves as the control logic ground and carries the usual triple line ground symbol . the on / off switch 24 , when closed , connects the positive battery terminal vb through a line 27 ( fig1 ) connected in common to the input end ( left end in fig1 ) of all three of the motor windings w1 , w2 and w3 for energizing same as hereafter discussed . the on / off switch 24 , when closed , also supplies positive voltage from the positive battery terminal vb to a regulated voltage supply circuit indicated generally at 30 in fig1 . the supply 30 comprises a line , connectible to the positive battery supply vb by the switch 24 and including , in series , a diode 31 , a resistor 32 and an inductor 33 leading to a line 35 . a zener diode 34 has its cathode connected between the resistor 32 and inductor 33 and its anode connected to control circuit ground cg . the diode 31 is oriented for current flow from the switch 24 to the line 35 . the zener diode 34 limits the dc voltage applied to the line 35 with the switch 24 closed . a diode 40 has its anode connected to the voltage input line 35 and its cathode connects to several elements , namely a capacitor 41 in turn connected to control circuit ground , a voltage test print tp and the input of a step down voltage regulator 42 . a step up voltage regulator 43 has a pin 6 connected to the control electrode ( gate ) of a field effect transistor ( hereafter fet ) 44 . the fet 44 has its drain and source electrodes connected from the anode of the diode 40 to control circuit ground cg . the step up voltage regulator 43 has a pin 5 connected by a feedback line 45 to the cathode side of the diode 40 . remaining pins 1 , 7 , 3 and 8 connect to ground cg as shown and a capacitor 46 connects across pins 5 and 8 of the regulator 43 . the ground connections of pins 1 , 7 , 3 and 8 is conventional . the capacitor 46 is a conventional loop gain compensation capacitor to change the response time of the regulator 43 to compensate for different loads . the step down voltage regulator 42 has an output going to a voltage output pin vout . a capacitor 47 connects that output to control circuit ground cg . a voltage divider comprising a resistor 50 and calibratable resistor 51 in series connects from the voltage output line vout to control circuit ground cg . a point intermediate the resistors 50 and 51 connects to a voltage level control input 52 of the step down voltage regulator 42 , the calibratable resistor 51 being manually presettable to determine the voltage on output pin vout . the step up voltage regulator 43 is a model max 643a , manufactured by maxim integrated products , located at 120 san gabriel drive , sunnyvale , calif . the step down voltage regulator 42 is a model lm117k , manufactured by national semiconductor corporation located at 2900 semiconductor drive , santa clara , calif . the step up voltage regulator 43 turns on and off the fet 44 at a relatively high frequency , here for example 50 kilohertz . the turned on fet 44 pulls current through the coil 33 which stores energy in the coil 33 . when the fet 44 turns off , the energy stored in the coil 33 is released through the diode 40 . thus , the regulator 43 , fet 44 and coil 33 act substantially as a flyback circuit wherein a voltage is produced on the cathode of the diode 40 ( for example 15 volts ) which is higher than the battery voltage vb ( for example 12 volts ). the capacitor 41 eliminates some , though not all of the rather substantial amount of ripple on the voltage appearing on the cathode of diode 40 . the line 45 feeds back the voltage at the cathode of diode 40 to the step up voltage regulator 43 so as to keep the average voltage level at the cathode of diode 43 substantially constant ( ignoring the superposed ripple ) despite changes in the instantaneous level of the postivie battery terminal vb in turn resulting from changes in the load on the bit 17 and hence on the motor 15 . in extreme circumstances , the voltage of battery vb can vary between 4 volts and 15 volts depending on the load imposed thereon and the battery &# 39 ; s state of charge . the step up voltage regulator 43 and fet 44 cooperate with the inductor 33 and diode 40 to maintain the cathode of diode 40 at about 15 volts dc with ripple superimposed on it . the high frequency of the on / off cycle of the fet 44 established by the step up voltage regulator that it keeps the inductor 33 from saturating and allows it to be of small physical size . the capacitor 41 can also be of small physical size in view of the high frequency of the ripple and the fact that the capacitor 41 is not required to eliminate all the ripple . the step down voltage regulator 42 eliminates the vast majority of the ripple in the voltage appearing in the output of diode 40 and steps the voltage down to 12 volts applied to the regulated output voltage terminal vout . in the circuit shown , the step down voltage regulator 42 changes the approximately 15 volts input , including about a volt and a half of the ripple , to 12 volt level with negligible ripple ( for example a maximum of 200 millivolts of ripple ) superimposed thereon . the capacitor 47 helps to minimize the ripple at the output of the step down voltage regulator 42 and also helps to maintain the 12 volt desired level at the regulated voltage output pin vout by partially discharging thereto in the presence of a brief but substantial transient increase in the load served by the regulated voltage positive output pin vout . applicant has found that an attempt to provide a consistent fixed control circuit voltage supply at terminal vout , without the step up and step down regulators 43 and 42 , using one or more capacitors at 41 at the output of a conventional regulator , would be very difficult in view of the wide swings of the voltage vb with load and would require a physically very large capacitor , one whose size would be intolerably large in a circuit that needs to be compact so as to fit in to the small space in a compact handheld surgical instrument . further , the small inductor 33 and capacitors 41 and 47 are much more immune to the heat and moisture encountered in steam sterilizing the surgical handpiece 11 in an autoclave . the inductor 33 , basically a wire wrapped around a ferrite core , is much more immune to autoclave damage than would be a large capacitor such as the typical large electrolytic capacitors often used in ripple reduction in power supplies . the control circuit 10 includes a conventional motor speed control module 60 ( fig1 ). in the embodiment shown , the module 60 is a model ls7262 available from lsi computer systems of melville , n . y . pins 5 and 11 of the module 60 receive positive operating potential from the regulated voltage output pin vout . a capacitor 61 passes to circuit ground cg any transient voltage spikes that may occur upon turn - on on turn - off of the positive regulated voltage at vout and is connected to module pins 5 and 11 . a further capacitor 62 and resistor 63 connect in series from the regulated positive voltage supply pin vout to circuit ground cg . module pin 14 connects between the capacitor 62 and resistor 63 and module pin 18 connects to circuit ground cg . the series capacitor 62 and resistor 63 act as an rc timing circuit connected to pin 14 of the motor speed control module 60 . the conventional module 60 includes an oscillator ( not shown ), the frequency of which is set at the pin 14 by the rc timing circuit 62 , 63 . in the embodiment shown , the oscillator frequency was selected to be about 400 hz . the conventional module 60 also includes a sequencer ( not shown ) which initiates positive output pulses on the module output pins 6 , 7 and 8 in sequence ( initiates a pulse to pin 6 , then initiates a pulse to pin 7 , then initiates a pulse to pin 8 , then initiates a pulse to pin 6 to start the sequence over again ). the rotor position is decoded by hall sensors connected to s1 , s2 and s3 . the decoded signal determines which output pin is turned on . the amount of &# 34 ; on &# 34 ; time while the rotor is in the proper position is controlled by pulse width modulation ( pwm ). the pwm frequency is set by the rc timing circuit 62 , 63 . the pwm works together with the s signal from the trigger , to determine the proper amount of &# 34 ; on &# 34 ; time . the above determines the energy applied by current pulses through the winding w1 and fet f1 ( as well as the windings w2 and w3 and corresponding fets f2 and f3 ). the motor speed control module 60 has motor drive pins 6 , 7 and 8 ( fig1 ) which , during normal operation of the motor 15 , produce variable time length , positive output , voltage pulses which are amplified by corresponding amplifiers a1 , a2 and a3 and applied to corresponding control electrodes g1 , g2 and g3 of corresponding fets f1 , f2 and f3 ( fig2 ). resistors 56 - 1 , 56 - 2 and 56 - 3 connect from the control module output pins 6 , 7 and 8 respectively to control circuit ground cg to pull down the open emitter outputs of control module 60 . the amplifiers a1 - a3 each are connected across the regulated voltage output vout and control circuit ground and have a respective capacitor 57 - 1 , 57 - 2 and 57 - 3 from their positive dc voltage input pin to control circuit ground cg to stabilize such amplifier positive supply voltage input pin in a conventional way . the gate pins g1 , g2 and g3 each connect to the corresponding gate ( fig2 ) of their respective field effect transistors f1 , f2 and f3 through respective anti - oscillation resistors 58 - 1 , 58 - 2 and 58 - 3 . the drain electrodes of the fets f1 , f2 and f3 connect , as respectively indicated at d1 , d2 and d3 ( fig1 and 2 ) to the free ends of the respective motor windings w1 , w2 and w3 . the fets f1 , f2 and f3 are double fets , each having a common control electrode ( gate ) and a common sources but two drains d and d &# 39 ;. such double fets are also referred as sense fets ( or sensfets ) in that the extra drain d &# 39 ; of each can be used to sense the instantaneous level of current flow through the corresponding fet and thus through the corresponding motor winding w1 , w2 or w3 . the common source s of each fet f1 , f2 and f3 further connects to the low current ( control circuit ) ground bus cg . the extra drains d &# 39 ; of the fets f1 - f3 connect in common to a motor load indicator line is . a resistor 64 connects from the motor load line is to the resistance which is large ( in this instance 1 , 000 ohms ) compared to the very low series resistance of any motor winding w1 , w2 or w3 and its series fet f1 , f2 or f3 when that fet is fully conductive . accordingly , when a given fet f1 , f2 or f3 is conductive , almost the entire voltage drop across the fet appears across the resistor 64 . accordingly , the voltage appearing on the terminal is is substantially proportional to and hence a valid measure of the instantaneous current drawn by the motor and hence to the load on the motor . in addition , note that the resistance of a conductive fet changes with temperature . thus , the voltage drop across the resistor 64 will also be influenced by the operating temperature of the fets f1 , f2 and f3 . thus , the voltage level on the indicator pin is will also indicate if one or more of the fets f1 - f3 is overheating and in danger of destroying itself . the resistor 64 , through the pin is , connects in series with a calibratable resistor 65 ( fig1 ) and fixed resistor 66 in turn connected to the regulated positive voltage supply terminal vout . accordingly , the resistances 66 , 65 and 64 form a voltage divider connected from the regulated positive voltage supply pin vout to control circuit ground . a point 67 between the resistors 66 and 65 connects to a safety input pin 12 of the motor speed control module 60 . when the voltage level at the junction point 67 ( and pin 12 of the control module 60 ) reaches a threshold level ( here about 6 volts ) preset by adjustment of the variable resistor 65 , and indicating that the motor is overloaded ( the motor windings w1 , w2 and / or w3 have excessive current flow therethrough ) or / and indicating overheating of one or more of the fets f1 - f3 , the module 60 shuts off the fets f1 - f3 and thereby shuts off the motor 15 . a capacitor 68 connected to the pin 12 shunts any transient voltage spikes to ground and thereby prevents rapid turning on and off ( hunting ) of the fets f1 - f3 and motor 15 by reason of rapid oscillating of the voltage at pin 12 back and forth across its threshold . hall sensors s1 , s2 and s3 ( fig1 and 3 ) conventionally signal the instantaneous rotational position of the rotor ( not shown ) of the motor 15 . the sequencer ( not shown ) in the conventional motor speed control module 60 initiates pulses on motor speed control module output lines 6 , 7 and 8 ( fig1 ) in response to respective signals from the hall sensors s1 , s2 and s3 . the purpose is to energize the proper one of the windings w1 , w2 and w3 ( fig2 ) at the proper time depending on the position of the rotor of the motor 15 indicated by the motor hall sensors s1 , s2 and s3 so as to forwardly or rearwardly run the motor . the analog voltage speed signal applied to terminal s , and hence to motor speed control module pin 13 from the trigger position sensor 26 in the trigger unit 20 , controls the length of each pulse supplied to the gate of each of the motor drive fets f1 , f2 and f3 and thereby determines the amount of energy applied to the motor windings and hence the motor speed . in the fig4 embodiment , the trigger position sensing hall sensor receives operating potential by connection to the regulated positive output pin vout and circuit ground cg and applies its speed signal to pin s . two wires connect hall sensor 26 to terminal vout to avoid calling for maximum motor speed if one wire should accidentally be broken . the forward - disable - reverse switch 21 may be of any convenient type . a schematic example is shown in fig5 . the output voltage supplied through the corresponding reversing pin f / r to the motor speed control module reversing pin 19 causes the sequencer in the module 60 to shift the timing of the corresponding outputs to the gates g1 - g3 of the fets f1 - f3 with respect to the outputs from the hall sensors s1 - s3 to cause the motor 15 to run in reverse , when the switch 21 is shifted from its forward to reverse position . with the switch 21 in its disable position , the motor speed control module 60 decouples the trigger signal on pin s ( pin 13 of module 60 ) from the motor drive pins 6 , 7 and 8 thereof so that the motor will not run . the rightward ( fig1 ) ends of the motor windings w1 , w2 and w3 , which connect to the respective drains of the fets f1 , f2 and f3 respectively , also have respective current paths through respective diodes 70 - 1 , 70 - 2 and 70 - 3 to a common series pair of zener diodes 71 and 72 and thence to the positive battery terminal vb . this protects the drains d1 , d2 and d3 of the fets f1 , f2 and f3 from appearance of an excessively high voltage thereon at the end of each current pulse drawn by a given fet f1 , f2 or f3 through its corresponding winding w1 , w2 or w3 , wherein the corresponding winding w1 , w2 or w3 , still stores energy due to such current flow therethrough , faces the suddenly greatly increased resistance of the corresponding fet f1 , f2 or f3 occurring when that fet turns off . absent a path to discharge that energy , the rapid turn - off of the fet and the energy still stored in the corresponding winding would produce a high voltage pulse on the drain d1 , d2 or d3 of the corresponding fet since the effective resistance of the fet has gone from near zero to near infinity . to avoid damage to the fet and other possible disruptive effects of such a high voltage spike appearing at the connection of the fet drain to the corresponding winding , the corresponding diode 70 - 1 or 70 - 2 or 70 - 3 allows the part of the voltage spike substantially above positive battery voltage vb ( by an amount , here 15 volts , established by the zener diodes 71 and 72 ) to pass to the positive battery terminal vb , as if it were attempting to recharge the battery vb . this limits the overvoltage of the spike appearing on the corresponding fet drain to a tolerable level . the diodes 70 - 1 , 70 - 2 and 70 - 3 isolate the fet drains d1 , d2 and d3 from each other so that energy discharging from , for example , the coil w1 upon shut - off of the fet f1 and passing to the common connection to the first zener diode 71 , is blocked by the diodes 70 - 2 and 70 - 3 from reaching the fets f2 and f3 . in releasing the trigger on the handpiece it would be possible in some handpieces that the operator might stop the release before there was a complete opening of the switch 24 but wherein the speed signal on terminal s signal zero speed , in other words leaving the motor control module 60 in an ambiguous condition . the braking circuit hereafter described is intended to overcome this possibility , as well as to provide for rapid halting of the tool bit when the trigger is released sufficient to make the terminal s call for zero speed , even if the switch 24 still be closed . to promptly stop rotation of the motor and movement of the bit 17 promptly upon release of the trigger 23 by the operator , the control circuit 10 is provided with a dynamic braking circuit , as follows . the conventional motor speed control module 60 is provided with a second triplet of motor drive pins 2 , 3 and 4 which are energized in synchronism with the above - discussed motor drive pins 6 , 7 and 8 . this is because the particular module 60 here provided was designed to allow so - called full wave three - phase motor operation . however , in the present invention , the motor speed control module 60 is used only as a half wave motor speed control , in that only above - discussed pins 6 , 7 and 8 are used for driving the motor 15 . the motor drive pins 2 , 3 and 4 are thus in effect &# 34 ; left over &# 34 ;. the present invention uses such &# 34 ; left over &# 34 ; motor drive pins 2 , 3 and 4 for braking , rather than running , the motor 15 . thus , when the motor is to be shut off and the positive motor drive signals disappear from the drive pins 6 , 7 and 8 , and from pins 2 , 3 and 4 . thus , the voltage on pins 6 , 7 and 8 and on pins 2 , 3 and 4 goes to a steady low . the appearance of such a steady low signal from pins 2 , 3 and 4 as soon as the positive ( high ) drive signals disappear from drive pins 6 , 7 and 8 is highly useful because it allows applicant &# 39 ; s circuit to immediately brake the rotation of the motor and avoids the possibility of the motor simply coasting due to the inertia of its rotor , when the trigger is released . more particularly , the module pins 2 , 3 and 4 are here connected together and any positive signal appearing thereon passes through a diode 73 to the input of a buffer amplifier 74 . a resistor 75 connected from the cathode of diode 73 to control circuit ground cg allows the voltage on the input of buffer amplifier 74 to rise above ground in response to conduction through the diode 73 . a capacitor 76 connects to the input to the buffer amplifier 74 and provides filtering when pwm output is less than 100 %. the buffer amplifier 74 is conventionally connected to receive positive operating voltage from the regulated positive voltage supply vout and to control circuit ground cg , as with amplifiers al , a2 and a3 above described . similarly , a capacitor 77 to ground cg stabilizes the positive voltage supply to the amplifier 74 . the output of amplifier 74 connects through a calibratable resistor 80 to the ganged inputs of a nor gate 81 . a capacitor 82 connects between the ganged inputs of the nor gate 81 and control circuit ground cg . the output of the buffer amplifier 74 also connects to one input of a second nor gate 84 . the second nor gate 84 has further inputs connected to two of the motor rotor position sensing , hall sensor outputs ( here s1 and s3 ). the second nor gate 84 has a final input connected to the output of the first mentioned nor gate 81 . the nor gates obtain their required operating potential from connection to the regulated voltage positive output line vout and to control circuit ground . the output of the nor gate 84 connects through the brake signal line b to the brake activating terminal 9 of the motor speed control module 60 . the circuitry controlling the brake signal line b is completed by a diode 85 connected to pass current from the output of amplifier 74 to the upper end of the capacitor 82 . it is convenient to use the terms &# 34 ; high &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; low &# 34 ; to refer to voltage levels nearer the positive 12 volts vout level and the ground level cg , respectively , in the following discussion . the above described brake signal circuit works as follows . with the motor speed control 60 applying positive pulses to the output lines 6 , 7 and 8 thereof , to run the motor 15 , corresponding positive pulses appear on the ganged output pins 2 , 3 and 4 of the module 60 . thus , while the motor is running , such positive pulses charge the capacitor 76 and cause the buffer amplifier 74 to charge the capacitor 82 through the diode 85 and allows substantially instantaneous charging of the capacitor 82 . this shifts the input of nor gate 81 high so that its output is low . this makes the corresponding input of the second nor gate 84 low . however , the other inputs of second nor gate 84 are high in view of the high applied from the output of the buffer amplifier 74 and also in view of the periodic high potential pulses outputted from hall sensors s1 and s3 to corresponding inputs of the second nor gate 84 . in consequence , the output of the second nor gate 84 is low , meaning that the motor speed control module 60 is not being told to brake . note that the module 60 must run the motor before it can dynamically brake the motor . this avoids applying braking current to the motor windings prior to running of the motor and hence prior to use of the tool . when the operator releases the trigger 23 , the speed signal terminal s goes high as does corresponding pin 13 on module 60 . this causes the module drive pins 6 , 7 and 8 and similar pins 2 , 3 and 4 to go low . the capacitor 76 can now discharge through the resistor 75 , allowing the buffer amplifier 74 to turn off and provide a low on its output . this drops the right side of calibrated resistor 80 to circuit ground potential and the capacitor 82 discharges through the variable resistor 80 in a delay time established by the setting of the variable resistor 80 . this delay time is selected to allow time for braking and not allow the continuance of braking current through the windings of the motor 15 after the motor 15 has had plenty of time in which to come to a stop . in other words , it is desirable , to minimize drain on the battery 22 and heating of the motor windings w1 , w2 and w3 , to cease flow of braking current through the motor windings after the motor has stopped . timing out of the rc time delay unit 80 , 82 serves this purpose . in the embodiment shown , the rc delay unit 80 , 82 is set to time an interval of about 1 / 2 second . returning to the time at which the rc delay timing unit 80 , 82 starts the time out and the low voltage is applied from buffer amplifier 74 to the corresponding input of the second nor gate 84 , the nor gate 84 experiences a low on its two lower input pins and experiences periodic lows on its two upper pins , namely between the hall sensor pulses on hall sensor outputs s1 and s3 . the result is initiation of a series of positive voltage ( high ) pulses on the output of second nor gate 84 and hence through the brake line b to the brake signal input pin 9 on the motor speed control module 60 . the conventional module 60 reacts to these positive braking pulses by causing the fets f1 - f3 to apply pulses of dynamic braking current to the motor windings w1 , w2 and w3 in a manner to dynamically brake , i . e . rapidly decelerate , the motor 15 . if the hall sensor outputs s1 and s3 were not inputted to the second nor gate 84 , the low potential from buffer amplifier 74 to the corresponding input of the second nor gate 84 would cause it to produce a continuous high on the motor speed control module 9 , causing it to apply braking current to the motor 15 so severely as to virtually instantaneously stop motor rotation . the result undesirably could be a torque reaction strong enough to tend to jerk the handpiece out of the hand of the user , because of the inertia of the motor rotor and associated output mechanism ( for example gear train , output shaft , chuck , etc .). thus , connecting outputs from hall sensors s1 and s3 to inputs of the second nor gate 84 causes the positive output signal applied thereby to the brake signal line b to be pulsed rather than continuous , and such that the timing of the pulses is a function of the instantaneous speed of the motor . as a result , braking torque on the motor starts at less than maximum and increases until the motor stops . shortly after the motor stops , as above discussed , the rc timing unit 80 , 82 times out causing the input and output of the first nor gate to respectively go low and high . the latter high is applied to the corresponding input of the second nor gate 84 and therefore switches its output low , turning off the brake signal . as above mentioned , the module 60 cannot thereafter apply braking current to the motor windings until after it has run the motor again . in summary , it will be seen that even if the on / off switch 24 does not open as the operator releases the trigger 23 ( for example due to failure of the operator to fully release the trigger 23 or due to the switch 24 somehow hanging closed ) leftward movement of the permanent magnet mag , in fig4 back to its leftmost &# 34 ; off &# 34 ; position will cause the module 60 not only to stop actuating the motor 15 for rotation , but also , in combination with the nor gates 81 and 84 , will actually cause dynamic braking of the motor 15 to bring it swiftly to a stop . on the other hand , assume that upon release of the trigger 23 by the operator , the switch 24 properly opens . in that case , the battery positive terminal vb is no longer connected by the switch 24 to terminal vin . thus , the regulated voltage supply 30 would be shut off and no regulated positive voltage would appear on the terminal vout . if no voltage vout is available , the module 60 and its associated circuit have no operating potential and thus cannot apply dynamic braking to the motor 15 in the manner above described . to avoid this problem , additional fets 90 , 91 and 92 ( fig1 ) are provided as follows . the fet 90 has its drain connected through a pull - up resistor 93 to the positive regulated voltage pin vout and has its source s connected to control circuit ground . the gate of fet 90 is connected to the output of first nor gate 81 . the next fet 91 has its drain connected through a line sb and a pull - up resistor 94 to the positive battery terminal vb and has its source connected to control circuit ground . the gate of the second fet 91 connects to the drain of the first fet 90 . a capacitor 95 provides a time delay to prevent bypass oscillation during power down . the third fet 92 has its drain and source connected respectively to the battery positive terminal vb and to a point 96 intermediate the cathode of diode 31 and the resistor 32 of the regulated voltage supply 30 . when the operator first pulls the trigger 23 , and the switch 24 closes , the regulated voltage supply 30 applies a regulated positive voltage to the pin vout as above described . a further pull on the trigger moves the magnet mag with respect to the hall sensor hall in the fig4 trigger unit 20 to thereby decrease the voltage on the speed line s to pin 13 of the motor speed control module , which causes the module to turn on the motor 15 and run it at the speed required by the partially or fully pulled trigger 23 . the resulting positive output applied from module pins 2 , 3 and 4 , buffer amplifier 74 and diode 85 to the inputs of the first nor gate 81 pulls the output of such nor gate 81 low . this renders the first fet 90 open . the resultant high on the gate of the second fet 91 , provided through resistor 93 after capacitor 95 charges , turns it on and the resultant voltage drop across the resistor 94 and now conductive second fet 91 pulls the gate of the fet 92 low and turns it on . the now conductive fet 92 provides a low resistance shunt from the positive voltage battery terminal vb across the on / off switch 24 and diode 31 to supply sufficient operating current to the regulated voltage supply 30 as to provide the required positive regulated voltage on its output vout even if the switch 24 is open , due to a full release of the trigger 23 by the operator , for example . as discussed above , a release of the trigger 23 by the operator first returns the magnet mag ( fig4 ) to its original position calling for zero motor speed and the motor speed control module responds to the resulting maximum positive potential applied by line s to its pin 13 by dropping low the potential on its motor drive pin 6 , 7 and 8 and spare motor drive pins 2 , 3 and 4 . as discussed , the rc time delay unit 80 , 82 begins gradually to time out , while the nor gates 81 and 84 apply the brake signal to pin 9 of the motor speed control module so that the latter effects dynamic braking in the manner above discussed . note that during this dynamic braking period ( while the rc timing circuit 80 , 82 times out ) the output of the first nor gate 81 stays low so that the fets 91 and 92 stay on . thus , even if trigger release has allowed the switch 24 to open , the conductive fet 92 allows the regulated voltage supply 30 to maintain a regulated high positive potential on its output pin vout to power the remainder of the fig1 circuit . note that the diode 31 prevents the motor windings w1 , w2 and w3 from drawing current through line 27 when the switch 24 is open even though the fet 92 may be turned on . this avoids the risk that the motor windings w1 , w2 and w3 may attempt to draw more current through the fet 92 ( with the switch 24 open ) than the fet 92 can supply thereby risking damage to the fet 92 and in effect stealing current which the fet 92 needs to supply to the module 60 and associated control logic . when motor braking is finished and the rc delay unit 80 , 82 at some time shortly thereafter times out , the output of nor gate 81 swings high . this not only stops the brake signal by action on the second nor gate 84 , but also turns on the fet 90 , which in turn turns off the fet 91 and thereby the fet 92 . the fet 92 in its off condition acts like extremely high resistance , for all practical purposes an open circuit , and thereby decouples the regulated voltage supply circuit 30 from the positive battery terminal vb . as a result , the control circuit 10 shuts down . the reversing switch 21 ( schematically shown , by way of example , in fig5 ) has a pair of movable contacts 21 &# 39 ; and 21 &# 34 ; and two corresponding sets of fixed contacts . the first movable contact 21 &# 39 ; is shiftable between forward and reverse positions to respectively connect an open and the control circuit ground cg , to the forward / reverse line f / r leading to corresponding pin 19 of the motor speed control module 60 to change from forward to reverse motor rotation . in the middle position ( the disable position ) of the switch 21 , the second movable contact 21 &# 34 ; connects the control circuit ground cg to the disable line e and thereby to disable pin 10 of the motor speed control module 60 which positively prevents the module 60 from energizing the motor 15 , as an additional safety factor . thus , unless the reversing switch 21 is physically shifted by the operator from its disable position to either its forward or reverse position , the motor 15 cannot be run . the foregoing discussion sets forth in detail the operation of the apparatus embodied in the invention . however , the following comments will briefly summarize same for convenient reference . the regulated voltage supply 30 provides a constant 12 volt regulated output over the approximate 4 volt to 14 volt input range of the battery 22 , depending on the load imposed on such battery . such is permitted by the arrangement of the dual regulators 43 and 42 in series . the step up regulator 43 converts the varying battery voltage to a constant 15 volt output . the step down regulator converts the 15 volts to a 12 volt output . this arrangement provides a cleanly regulated 12 volt dc output without need for physically large filter capacitors and thus reduces the amount of surface area of the circuit required for packaging . the reduced size and capacitance in the output of the step up regulator 43 leaves a substantial amount of ripple in the 15 volt output , but the 12 volt step down regulator eliminates that ripple effectively . the motor speed control module 60 handles all motor control functions . the motor windings w1 , w2 and w3 are switched by the corresponding sensfets f1 , f2 and f3 . the sensfets f1 , f2 and f3 also return a voltage signal to the module 60 to provide current limiting . the feedback signal is proportional to the &# 34 ; on &# 34 ; resistance of the sensfets and not to the resistance ratio of the two sections of the sensfets . since fets resistance increases with temperature , by using the &# 34 ; on &# 34 ; resistance of the fets to provide a current limit signal , increased temperature will decrease the current limit , further safeguarding the fets and motor windings . turning to the brake circuit including gates 81 and 84 , the motor speed control module 60 here provides drive signals for full wave motor operation . since the present circuit is being used in the half wave mode , the three motor drive signals appearing at module terminals 2 , 3 and 4 are not used to run the motor 15 . combining and filtering these three signals at pins 2 , 3 and 4 produces a signal appropriate to cause motor braking . the signal , as applied to the buffer amplifier 74 , is available the instant that the motor run signal at motor speed control module pins 2 , 3 and 4 and 6 , 7 and 8 is removed and requires no calibration as would a separate switch or a comparator brake signal . the brake signal on module pins 2 , 3 and 4 is high when the motor is running and low when the motor stops running . with the motor running , the signal from module pins 2 , 3 and 4 instantaneously charges the capacitor 82 through the diode 85 . the same capacitor 82 discharges through the larger resistor 80 to provide a time delay . the time delayed brake signal i then inverted by the nor gate 81 and gated by the nor gate 84 with the original brake signal . this guarantees that the motor must run before braking can happen and that braking can happen only for the amount of time allowed by the rc time constant of capacitor 82 and resistor 80 . also gated with the brake signal and delayed brake signal at the input of nor gate 84 are signals from all sensor lines s1 and s3 proportional to the motor commutation signal . this provides control over the torque reaction or kick that would be produced by instantaneous stopping of the motor rotor . the motor commutation signals from hall sensors s1 and s3 is a square wave signal at a fifty percent duty cycle and its frequency decreases as motor speed decreases ; therefore its period , or &# 34 ; on &# 34 ; time increases as speed decreases . this means that the slower the motor is turning , the higher the braking torque applied to the motor rotor . also provided by the above discussed brake circuitry is a bypass 92 for the on / off switch 24 . this is necessary since when the trigger is released , the on / off switch 24 is normally opened , which would remove power from the regulated power supply 30 and hence the remaining logic in the control circuit 10 , and yet this is the same time during which braking would need to take place . because the motor speed control module 60 still needs power to complete braking , the on / off switch 24 is bypassed by turning on the fet 92 , but not the motor windings w1 , w2 and w3 , for the amount of time that the dynamic braking of the motor rotor is to occur . although a particular preferred embodiment of the invention has been disclosed in detail for illustrative purposes , it will be recognized that variations or modifications of the disclosed apparatus , including the rearrangement of parts , lie within the scope of the present invention .

US-86962792-A

a terminal frame including plural pairs of terminal sections arranged in rows and columns is prepared . each pair includes a flat anode terminal section and a flat cathode terminal section disposed in the same plane with their tip ends being spaced from and facing each other . plural capacitor elements are prepared . each capacitor element has a cathode layer on substantially entire outer surface thereof , and a tantalum lead . the capacitor elements are placed on the frame . the tantalum lead of each capacitor element is coupled to one major surface of the anode terminal section of one pair of terminal sections , with the cathode layer of that capacitor element coupled to one major surface of the cathode terminal section of the same pair . the frame with the capacitor elements mounted thereon are coated with resin in such a manner that all of the capacitor elements are encapsulated in the resin , while at least a portion of the opposite major surface of each anode terminal section and at least a portion of the opposite major surface of each cathode terminal section are left exposed . after that , the frame and the resin encapsulation are cut to separate the capacitor elements with the anode and cathode terminal sections into individual chip capacitors .

fig1 a and 1b schematically show a chip - type tantalum capacitor made by a method in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention . a chip capacitor 2 includes a capacitor element , e . g . a tantalum capacitor element 4 , which may be prepared in accordance with any known process . the capacitor element 4 is generally rectangular parallelepiped and has a top surface 4 a , a bottom surface 4 b , side surfaces 4 c and 4 d and end surfaces 4 e and 4 f . any other shape may be employed for the capacitor element 4 provided that the bottom surface 4 b is flat . a cathode layer 6 is disposed over the entire outer surface of the capacitor element 4 . an anode lead ; e . g . a tantalum lead 8 of the capacitor element 4 extends out of the end surface 4 e , and a plastic washer 10 is fitted over the tantalum lead 8 and is in surface contact with the end surface 4 e of the capacitor element 4 . thus , there is provided no cathode layer on the end surface 4 e at the portion which the plastic washer 10 is in contact with . the tantalum lead 8 is pillar - shaped . for example , it may be cylindrical . a planar cathode terminal 12 and a planar anode terminal 14 are disposed beneath the bottom surface 4 b of the capacitor element 4 . the cathode terminal 12 is located offset toward the end surface 4 f with its outer end located near the end surface 4 f . in the illustrated example , it is located slightly outward of the end surface 4 f . the inner end of the cathode terminal 12 is located slightly offset from the longitudinal center of the capacitor element 4 toward the end surface 4 f . one of two opposing major surfaces , 12 a , of the cathode terminal 12 is disposed close to and substantially in parallel with the bottom surface 4 b of the capacitor element 4 and is connected to the cathode layer 6 on the bottom surface 4 b by means of electrically conductive 10 adhesive , e . g . silver paste 16 . similarly , the anode terminal 14 is disposed at a location offset toward the end surface 4 e . the outer end of the anode terminal 14 is close to the outer end of the tantalum lead 8 . in the illustrated example , it is slightly outward of the outer end of the tantalum lead 8 . the inner end of the anode terminal 14 is slightly offset from the longitudinal center of the capacitor element 4 toward the end surface 4 e . the inner end of the anode terminal 14 is spaced from the inner end of the cathode terminal 12 . one of two opposing major surfaces , namely , a major surface 14 a , of the anode terminal 14 is disposed close to the bottom surface 4 b of the capacitor element 4 and is substantially in the same plane as the major surface 12 a of the cathode terminal 12 . the major surface 12 a is secured to the cathode layer 6 on the bottom surface 4 b of the capacitor element 4 with an insulator , e . g . a piece of insulating tape 18 disposed therebetween . thus , the anode terminal 14 is secured to but insulated from the cathode layer 6 . a connector , e . g . a tantalum wire 20 , is disposed between and in contact with the tantalum lead 8 and a portion of the anode terminal 14 . the tantalum wire 20 has a columnar or cylindrical shape and extends perpendicular to the length of the tantalum lead 8 . the tantalum wire 20 is connected to the tantalum lead 8 and the anode terminal 14 by welding . the capacitor element 4 , the tantalum lead 8 , the tantalum wire 20 , a portion of the anode terminal 14 and a portion of the cathode terminal 12 are covered by or encapsulated in an encapsulation 22 of resin , e . g . epoxy . as is seen from fig1 a , the encapsulation 22 is such that a larger portion of the other major surface 14 b ( i . e . the surface opposite to the major surface 14 a ) of the anode terminal 14 and a larger portion of the other major surface 12 b ( i . e . the surface opposite to the major surface 12 a ) of the cathode terminal 12 are left exposed . further , as is seen from fig1 a , the cathode terminal 12 and the anode terminal 14 are planar elements , and they lie only beneath the capacitor element 4 and do not extend on the lateral sides of the element 4 . accordingly , the proportion of the volume occupied by the cathode and anode terminals 12 and 14 to the volume of the entire chip capacitor 2 can be small , so that the chip - type tantalum capacitor 2 can be small in size . furthermore , since the inner end of the anode terminal 14 extends beneath the capacitor element 4 , the length of the anode terminal 14 extending outward of the end surface 4 e of the capacitor element 4 can be short , which also makes it possible to downsize the chip capacitor 2 . in addition , since the anode terminal 14 has a relatively large area , reliable soldering of the chip capacitor 2 to a printed circuit board is provided . the chip - type tantalum capacitor 2 may be manufactured , for example , in the following manner . fig2 is a flow chart exemplifying how to manufacture the capacitor 2 . first , a terminal frame 30 is prepared ( step s 2 ). the terminal frame 30 includes an outer framing 32 as shown in fig3 . within the boundary defined by the framing 32 , a plurality of strap - like members 34 spaced from each other by a predetermined distance extend in parallel between a pair of opposing parallel longer sides 29 - 1 and 29 - 2 of the framing 32 , and a plurality of similar strap - like members 35 spaced from each other by a predetermined distance extend in parallel between the other pair of opposing parallel shorter sides 28 - 1 and 28 - 2 of the framing 32 in the direction perpendicular to the strap - like members 34 . thus , a plurality of rectangular windows 36 are formed in matrix by the strap - like members 34 and 35 and the framing 32 . a terminal structure pair including one cathode terminal section 38 and one anode terminal section 40 is provided in each window 36 . each of the cathode terminal sections 38 extends into an associated window 36 from one of the strap - like members 35 or the shorter side 28 - 1 of the outer framing 32 . each cathode terminal section 38 has a neck portion 38 a and a generally rectangular , enlarged head portion 38 b formed integral with the distal end of the neck portion 38 a . similarly , each of the anode terminal sections 40 extend from one of the strap - like members 35 or the other shorter side 28 - 2 into an associated window 36 in the direction toward the associated cathode terminal section 38 . each anode terminal section 40 has a neck portion 40 a and a generally rectangular , enlarged head portion 40 b formed integral with the distal end of the neck portion 40 a . thus , one cathode terminal section 38 and one anode terminal section 40 are in each window 36 . the center lines of the neck portions 38 a and 40 a in each window 36 extending in parallel with the longer sides 29 - 1 and 29 - 2 of the outer framing 32 , are coincident with each other and extend through the midpoints of the opposing shorter edges of that window 36 . the center lines of the head portions 38 b and 40 b in each window 36 extending in parallel with the longer sides 29 - 1 and 29 - 2 are coincident with the center lines of the associated neck portions 38 a and 40 a . the distal edges of the head portions 38 b and 40 b are spaced from each other by a predetermined distance . the terminal frame 30 may be prepared by , for example , punching or etching an electrically conductive , thin metal sheet . in fig3 only twenty terminal structure pairs , i . e . twenty cathode terminal sections 38 and twenty anode terminal sections 40 , are shown only for an illustrative purpose , but actually several hundreds of terminal structure pairs are formed in one terminal frame 30 . in step s 4 ( fig2 ), the distal end portion of the head portion 40 b of each anode terminal section 40 is made insulative by , for example , bonding an insulating tape 18 , as shown in fig4 . in place of the insulating tape 18 , a patch of insulating ink may be screen - printed . next , a quantity of electrically conductive adhesive , e . g . silver paste , 16 is applied over a region along a distal edge of the head portion 38 b of each cathode terminal section 38 ( step s 6 ), as shown in fig4 . the application of the adhesive may be achieved by screen printing with a screen printing machine or by potting with a high - precision dispenser . next , a connector or tantalum wire 20 is welded to the proximal end of the head portion 40 b of each anode terminal section 40 ( step s 8 ). the welded wires 20 are also shown in fig4 . it should be noted that the order of performing steps s 4 , s 6 and s 8 can be changed . along with steps s 4 , s 6 and s 8 , a plurality of capacitor elements 4 are prepared . the capacitor elements 4 may be prepared in any one of suitable known processes , and , therefore , it is not described in detail how to manufacture them . each of the capacitor elements 4 is disposed in such a manner that the anode lead 8 of the capacitor element 4 contacts with the tantalum wire 20 on the associated anode terminal section 40 , and that the cathode layer 6 on the bottom surface 4 b of that capacitor element 4 is brought into contact with the insulating tape 18 on the head portion 40 b of the anode terminal section 40 and with the conductive adhesive 16 applied on the head portion 38 b of the associated cathode terminal section 38 ( step s 10 ) as shown in fig5 . next , the tantalum leads 8 of the respective capacitor elements 4 are welded to the associated tantalum wires 20 of the anode terminal sections 40 ( step s 12 ). also , the cathode layers 6 are made to be bonded to the respective cathode terminal head portions 38 b by the conductive adhesive 16 ( step s 14 ). after that , the terminal frame 30 is provided with a coating 42 of a resin , e . g . an epoxy resin ( step s 16 ). the coating 42 is provided by using a machine capable of handling the entire terminal frame 30 , e . g . by screen - printing with a screen - printing machine or by transfer molding with a transfer mold machine . the coating is provided in such a manner that the bottom surfaces of the cathode terminal sections 38 and the bottom surfaces of the anode terminal sections 40 , which respectively correspond to the major surfaces 14 b and 12 b of the anode and cathode terminals 14 and 12 of the capacitor element 4 shown in fig1 a and 1b , are located in the same plane and are left exposed . when transfer - molding is employed for coating the terminal frame 30 with the above - described components , including the capacitor elements 4 placed on the terminal frame 30 , all of the capacitor elements 4 , the anode terminal sections 40 and the cathode terminal sections 38 are placed in a single cavity . in prior art transfer molding , capacitor elements must be individually placed in separate cavities , which raises the costs for the equipment and requires a long manufacturing time . furthermore , prior art provides poor dimensional precision , no degree of freedom of dimensions , and low effective use of materials . in contrast , according to the present invention , all of the capacitor elements 4 , the anode terminal sections 40 and the cathode terminal sections 38 are placed in a single cavity , and , therefore , such disadvantages seen in prior art can be eliminated . a capacitor assembly including the terminal frame 30 with the capacitor elements 4 mounted thereon provided with the coating 42 is shown in fig6 . in case that resin adheres to the bottom surfaces of the cathode and anode terminal sections 38 and 40 ( which bottom surfaces are the major surfaces 14 b and 12 b of the anode and cathode terminals 14 and 12 , respectively , of the completed chip capacitor 2 ), it must be removed by means of , for example , a honing machine or micro - sandblasting machine so that the major surfaces 14 b and 12 b of the anode and cathode terminals 14 and 12 can remain exposed through the encapsulation 22 or coating 42 . the terminal frame 30 with the capacitor elements 4 and the other components mounted thereon is coated with the resin by screen - printing , the thickness of the resin coating 42 is adjusted by means of a surface grinding machine . although the bottom surfaces of the cathode and anode terminal sections 38 and 40 may be kept flat , they may be provided with portions offset toward the respective top surfaces so as to improve the solderability of the completed capacitors 2 to printed circuit boards . such offset portions can be formed by a dicing machine or micro sandblasting machine . then , the terminal frame 30 with the capacitor elements 4 mounted thereon , i . e . the capacitor assembly , is severed ( step s 18 ). thus , the encapsulations 22 are formed from the coating 42 . for example , a dicing machine may be used to cut the coated terminal frame 30 with the capacitor elements 4 mounted thereon along horizontally and vertically extending sets of two lines spaced apart from each other as shown dashed in fig6 . the dicing machine not only cuts the resin coating 42 but also separates the cathode terminal sections 38 and the anode terminal sections 40 from the outer framing 32 and the strap - like members 34 and 35 . when the coating 42 is cut along the two spaced apart line sets , slots are formed between adjacent chip capacitors 2 as shown in fig7 . the spacing between the two lines or the width of the slots is as large as possible , but to such an extent that neither the capacitor elements 4 nor the tantalum leads 8 are exposed . thus , the proportion of the volume of the completed chip capacitor 2 occupied by the encapsulation 22 can be small , which means the completed chip capacitor 2 can be small in size . after that , the exposed surfaces , including the major surfaces 12 b and 14 b , of the cathode terminals 12 and the anode terminals 14 of the respective chip capacitors 2 are plated with , for example , solder or tin . the plating of the exposed surfaces of the terminals 12 and 14 facilitates soldering of the chip capacitors 2 to printed circuit boards or the like . in addition , solder can creep up along the sectional or end surfaces of the terminals , so that the chip capacitors 2 can be secured to the boards more reliably . furthermore , the plating of the sectional end surfaces of the terminals 12 and 14 can prevent rusting of the terminals from the sectional end surfaces . the exposed surfaces of the anode and cathode terminal sections 40 and 38 may be plated prior to the cutting of the coating 42 . in the above - described embodiment , the columnar tantalum wire 20 is used as the connector for connecting the anode terminal section 40 to the tantalum lead 8 , but the connector 20 can be of a shape other than columnar shape . instead of using the separate connector or tantalum wire 20 , the portion of the head portion 40 b of the anode terminal section 40 which faces the lead 8 may be raised to contact with the lead 8 so that the anode terminal section 40 can be connected directly to the tantalum lead 8 . alternatively , instead of using the connector 20 , the tantalum lead 8 may be led out from the capacitor element 4 at a location closer to the anode terminal section 40 so that they can be connected directly each other . another alternative is to use an ω - shaped connector , which is placed over the tantalum lead 8 from above so as to bring it in contact with the lead 8 with the lower ends of the legs contacting the anode terminal section 40 .

US-59442400-A

the recycled thermosetting flour composites and method for preparing the same are disclosed . the silane coupling agent is used as a coincidental bridge between recycled thermosetting flour and plastic materials , to apparently promote the mechanical properties of composites by linking with each other . as a result , the recycled polyolefin and recycled thermosetting flour are applied through interfacial modification , coupling , modification , mixing and granulating process to generate a composite with better mechanical properties and recycle the resource .

the present invention relates to a recycled thermosetting flour composites and method . while the specifications describe at least one embodiment of the invention considered best modes of practicing the invention , it should be understood that the invention can be implemented in many ways and is not limited to the particular examples described below or to the particular manner in which any features of such examples are implemented . please referring to fig1 for a process flow diagram of method for preparing a recycled thermosetting flour composite of the present invention , the method includes the following steps of : step 10 : providing a plastic material , recycled thermosetting flour , an organic unsaturated silane and a compatibilizer . preferably , the compatibilizer is related to which &# 39 ; s chemical formula is r - g - x , in which said r is a macromolecule chain harmonized with the plastic material , in which said x is the functional group strongly reacted with — oh group such as ma and aa etc . for example , polyolefin elastomer grafted with melaic acid compatibilizer ( poe - g - ma ). preferably , the plastic material includes at least the thermoplastic flour related to the polyolefin such as polyethylene ( pe ) or polypropylene ( pp ), and the thermosetting flour related to the recycled phenolic cellulose paper , the epoxy resin - glass cloth laminate flour or recoveries concerned about smc and bmc . the organic unsaturated silane includes ethane , propane , 2 - methylpropane , pentane , 2 - methylbutane or silane coupling agent which &# 39 ; s chemical formula is conformed to yrsix 3 , which x represents the hydrolytable alkoxy group , y represents a functional group , and r represents a proper carbon chain such as the aliphatic chain . as the chemical structural formula of combination of the thermosetting flour and the plastic material shown in fig2 , the silane coupling agent ( rsi ( or ′) 3 ) is mixed with water for hydrolytic reaction to obtain a silanol compound . then , a dehydration reaction with the silanol compound is proceeded to obtain a siloxane compound , and subsequently the hydrogen bonding is formed between the siloxane and fiber , then , a dehydration reaction is proceeded in order to be surface grafted with silane coupling agent and fiber . in embodiment , the thermosetting flour is related to the pcb cellulose paper flour , and the organic unsaturated silane is related to the ethyl - silane coupling agent . step 11 : dispersing the organic unsaturated silane by using a dispersant for mixing with the thermosetting flour uniformly . in embodiment , the dispersant can be an acetone . pcb cellulose paper flour treated with vtmos silane coupling agent 2 phr ( part per hundred parts of resin ) surface treatments is mixed by hancel mixer , and dried to reduce the moisture . because the functional group of the coupling agent tends to lose function as a result of reacting with water . therefore , most of the moisture has to be removed from the pcb cellulose paper flour and then the acetone solution with coupling agent is added . if necessary , an initiator can added in the mixture when step 11 is executed . preferably , the initiator is related to dicumyl peroxide ( dcp ), α - α - xylene , 2 , 5 - dimethyl - 2 , 5 - dihexane , dibenzoxylperoxide , dicumylperoxide , 2 - terbutylperoxide , terbutylcumylperoxide , peroxyterbutyltervalerate or peroxy - 2 - ethylterbutylcaproate . also , the organic metal compound is able to be applied at step 11 as a catalyst , and the organic metal compound at least includes dibutyltin dilaurate , dibutyltin diacetate , dibutyltin dicaprylate , stannous acetate , tetrabutyltitanate , lead naphthoate , zinc caprylate , calcium stearate , lead stearate , cadmium stearate . step 12 : processing a mixing and granulating process with the compound and plastic material generated at step 11 in an extruder and granulator . in one embodiment , proper proportions of recycled pcb cellulose paper flour and one treated with a silane coupling agent treatment are individually mixed with the plastic material in the banbury mixer . then the extruder is prepared , and preceding the injected specimen of astm shaped specimen . step 13 : processing a water - crosslinking reaction with the mixture and the plastic material , for leading the thermosetting flour and the plastic material to form a si — o — si bonding by way of silicon of the organic unsaturated silane . in addition , the prevent invention further includes a step of adding cellulose filler , inorganic filler , antiager , ultraviolet stabilizer and fire retardant such as mg ( oh ) 2 , al ( oh ) 3 , phosphorous compound or nitrogen compound . please referring to fig3 a for a comparison table of the tensile strength of pcb flour reinforced lldpe composites with various pcb flour contents and various treatment methods , represents the tensile strength of composite with recycled pcb cellulose paper flour without treatment . represents the tensile strength of composite with recycled pcb cellulose paper flour with silane treatment . represents the tensile strength of composite with recycled pcb cellulose paper flour with silane and compatibilizer treatment . the result reveals that the tensile strengths of composites with silane treatment , and the tensile strengths of composites with silane and compatibilizer treatment are both better than the tensile strengths of composites with silane treatment without treatment as the contents of the recycled pcb cellulose paper flour increases . please referring to fig3 b for a comparison table of the tensile strength of pcb flour reinforced lldpe composites with various pcb flour contents and various treatment methods , represents the tensile strength of composite with content for 40 % pcb cellulose paper flour , and represents the tensile strength of composite with content for 50 % pcb cellulose paper flour , and represents the tensile strength of composite with content for 60 % pcb cellulose paper flour . the tensile strength of composites is promoted obviously after crosslinking with water . the longer the time of water - crosslinking reaction undergoes , the more the tensile strength of composites promotes . take the composites of content for 60 % cellulose paper flour for example , the tensile strength of composites promotes from 12 . 8 mpa to 15 . 2 mpa ( increases by 18 . 8 %) after 4 hours of water - crosslinking treatment . the formation of crosslinking network between the lldpe and recycled pcb cellulose paper flour leads to the promotion of tensile strength . the effect of coincidence improves the interface between resin and fiber leading to the promotion of tensile strength . however , the silane coupling agent and compatailizer are able to effective strengthen the interfacial attraction between resin and cellulose , which resulted in increasing the mechanical properties , the elongation tends to reduce apparently as a result of the network structure formed after water - crosslinking reaction . please referring to fig4 a and fig4 b for a comparison table of the flexural strength and flexural modulus of pcb flour reinforced lldpe composites with pcb flour for various water - crosslinking periods , in the fig4 a , represents the flexural strength of unmodified pcb flour reinforced lldpe composite , and represents the flexural strength of pcb flour reinforced lldpe composite with silane treatment , and represents the flexural strength of pcb flour reinforced lldpe composite with silane and 5 phr poe - g - ma compatibilizer treatment . in the fig4 b , represents the flexural modulus of unmodified pcb flour reinforced lldpe composite . represents the flexural modulus of pcb flour reinforced lldpe composite with silane treatment . represents the flexural modulus of pcb flour reinforced lldpe composite with silane and 5 phr poe - g - ma compatibilizer treatment . compared with fig4 a and fig4 b , the flexural strength of recycled pcb cellulose paper flour reinforced lldpe composites with silane treatment , and with silane and compatibilizer treatment are both better than the flexural strength of recycled pcb cellulose paper flour reinforced lldpe composites without treatment . and the flexural modulus promotes as the content of recycled pcb cellulose paper flour increases . please referring to fig4 c and fig4 d for a comparison table of flexural strength and flexural modulus of silane treated pcb flour reinforced lldpe composites with various pcb flour contents for various water - crosslinking times , represents the flexural strength of silane treated pcb flour reinforced lldpe composites with 40 % pcb flour , and represents the flexural strength of silane treated pcb flour reinforced lldpe composites with 50 % pcb flour , and represents the flexural strength of silane treated pcb flour reinforced lldpe composites with 60 % pcb flour . as shown in fig4 c and fig4 d , the longer the time of water - crosslinking reaction undergoes , the more the flexural strength and the flexural modulus promote . generally , a stress concentration occurs as the composite is stressed , and the filler plays the role to absorb the stress of the composite as a result of influence in the mechanical properties . though the treatment with compatibilizer promotes the flexural strength of composites , the compatibilizer lowers the rigidity of the composites compared with the composite without treatment , because poe is an elastomer . the flexural strength promotes as the time of water - crosslinking reaction increases . when the pcb flour content reaches 60 wt % via 4 hours of water - crosslinking , the flexural strength is increased from 21 . 9 mpa to 24 . 8 mpa ( increase by 13 . 2 %) and the flexural modulus is increased from 0 . 922 gpa to 1 . 122 gpa ( increase by 21 . 7 %). the treatment with the coupling agent and compatibilizer can effectively enhance the compatibility between lldpe and recycled pcb cellulose paper flour , and both of them promote their tensile and impact strength . the recycled pcb cellulose paper flour with silane treatment forms a si — o — c bonding between the interface of cellulose and the silane , and then , it will bond with the silane on the interface of cellulose to release the stress effectively leading to be provided with better mechanical properties and interface of composites . besides , the proportion of the thermosetting flour of above - mentioned composites prefers between 10 wt % and 75 wt %. it is to be noted that the preferred embodiments disclosed in the specification and the accompanying drawings are not limiting the present invention ; and that any construction , installation , or characteristics that is same or similar to that of the present invention should fall within the scope of the purposes and claims of the present invention .

US-7052708-A

a system and method for providing at least one hidden markup attribute to convey additional information to target recipients . at least one hidden markup attribute is included in a communication from a server . when a browser at a client / user location receives the communication with the at least one hidden markup attribute , the browser will be able to decode the hidden markup attribute portion of the markup only if it has a correct render key . the render key may be predefined and exchanged between the server and the client . alternatively , the render key may be communicated to the client with the hidden markup attribute communication . the latter scenario is useful when a server must dynamically calculate the render key based upon the client &# 39 ; s capabilities . a server may alternatively have a generic default render key for all users .

the present invention can be implemented in any network with at least one server and at least one client . fig1 illustrates a typical network having a plurality of servers 101 a - 101 n with which a client 103 can establish communications across the internet 100 . in accordance with prior art communications across the internet , a client 103 would establish communications with a server , for example 101 a , and make a request for information from that server . for “ general purpose ” web sites which are available to all users , the server would simple provide the response in a markup language and send the communication to the client . a web browser 105 at the client location 103 would convert the markup language document into a format which could be displayed to the user . commonly , if the client machine is not capable of displaying the data , the display will include a plurality of non - readable characters ( e . g ., rectangular boxes ) in the place of non - displayable content . alternatively , a user at the client machine may receive a message indicating that the requested page “ cannot be displayed .” for web sites which provide information on a restricted basis , for example only to paying subscribers , some authentication mechanism is additionally incorporated into the communications between the two entities . for example , the server may request that the user provide a predefined password , or the client request may automatically include a password or other authentication indicia for verification at the server . the authenticator component 107 at server 101 a would perform the client / user authentication prior to responding to the request to send information . nonetheless , even with authenticated communications , some of the content may not be displayable at the client . further , in addition to the need to provide primary content which is displayable , it may be desirable to provide more information to a particular client to not only allow display of the primary content but to also allow browser handling of additional content . while prior art methods could authenticate a user and then effectively instruct the user &# 39 ; s browser whether or not to display content , no existing mechanism could teach a browser how to handle and how to display content for a particular user . in accordance with the present invention , hidden markup language attributes ( hereinafter also referred to as “ hidden markup attributes ” and “ hmas ”) are incorporated into server communications , which hidden markup language attributes will be ignored by legacy browsers and will be discerned and used by browsers having a render key to decode the hidden markup attributes . the render key is executable code which allows the client browser to decode hidden markup language attributes included in server communications in order to display or otherwise handle the content thereof . the hidden markup language attribute may include , but is not limited to , the user id , a password , font properties for jvm ( for example , if java is used ) or new jvm font code if such is required to display the data , and the operating system ( os ) codepage for the user . [ 0025 ] fig2 provides a schematic diagram of a network server entity for implementing the present invention . the server 200 comprises a hyper - text transfer protocol ( http ) engine 203 , and storage 206 for storing primary server content as well as such information as users &# 39 ; unique ids for use by the authenticator 207 , etc . the storage will also be available to store any render key which is either created by the server , at the font key creator 208 or exchanged between the client and the server . the server 200 also includes a render processor 205 for incorporating hidden markup attributes into server communications . the render processor 205 will determine what content should be provided and in what form for a particular user , based on the render key associated with that user . the render processor will then include hidden markup attributes as part of the communication , if necessary , as detailed below with reference to the process flow of fig6 . communications from the server will be transmitted from transmitted 204 in accordance with the known prior art . [ 0026 ] fig3 provides a schematic diagram of a client in accordance with the present invention . on the client side , the client user machine 300 includes a web browser 303 , at least one storage location 307 for storing the client render key ( among other information such as the unique id ), and at least one processor 305 . the client location may , as noted above , be a pc such as a laptop or a less sophisticated device such as a personal data assistant ( pda ) with far less capability for processing and display . the client location will typically include at least one subsystem for use by both the browser and the processor when display is desired . the illustrated subsystem 309 is a java virtual machine ( jvm ) font subsystem which , in response to receipt of a communication having hidden markup attributes indicating special font display , would be updated by the browser using a render key to allow display of the content which is to be displayed . it is to be noted that the hidden markup attributes and render key could also be used to update audio or video subsystems for enhanced display of primary content . [ 0027 ] fig4 provides a representative process flow for the creation of render keys in accordance with one aspect of the invention . when a user signs up for a web - based service , such as on - line banking , the user must pre - register by inputting personal and financial information as well as by inputting some unique user indicia at 401 ( i . e ., user id and passcode ) to serve as authentication information . the present invention extends the registration process to include the creation of a render key for the user at 403 . the creation of the render key may be a “ passive ” action whereby the server discovers the capabilities of the client machine from which the user is communicating , creates the render key , and associates that information to the user id information ; or , it may be an active exchange of information , including , but not limited to , user input of preferences for rendering language , rendering font , etc . the render key may be wholly created at the client site and simply passed to the server , or may be created at the server based on passively or actively discovered user and client machine data . the render key may simply include pointers to client - resident rendering capabilities or may include the actual software necessary to convert data at the client location into the user - preferred display ( e . g ., to convert from arabic to kanji characters ). once the key is created and associated with the user , the key is stored at 405 in storage locations at both the client and the server . as noted above , there may be a generic default render key which will be associated with all users regardless of the capabilities of the machine from which a particular user is communicating . such a generic default render key is stored at the server at storage location 206 for use when creating and communicating any document having hidden markup language attributes when a client - specific render key is not available . [ 0028 ] fig5 provides a representative graphical user interface display 500 for use in creating a render key for a user . a user at the client machine will be prompted by the render key creator 208 at the server , or by a corresponding render key creator at the client location ( not shown ) to enter user preference information such as the number of characters ( at 501 ) to be used in for rendering a display , the invisible code points ( at 503 ) for selected countries , a unique identifier such as a unique ip address or cpu id for a machine whereby data could only be viewed using that identifier , etc . [ 0029 ] fig6 provides a representative process flow for utilization of a render key in accordance with the present invention . when a document is requested from a server , the server first accesses its storage at step 601 to obtain the primary content which has been stored in the original form provided by the content editor . that primary content will not be provided in its stored form to the client , however , but will be incorporated into a file containing both primary content and at least one hidden markup attribute by the render processor . at step 603 , therefore , the render processor obtains a render key for converting the stored content in to a file with at least one hidden markup attribute . the step of obtaining the render key may take one of several forms . the render key may be included in the client request , in which case the server simply extracts the render key from the request after authentication is completed . if the client request does not include the full render key , which can be a fairly large amount of data to be exchanging , the server may access its storage location to find the stored render key which is associated with the requesting client . if no render key has been received or stored for the client , the server can do one of two things : create a client - specific render key ; or , retrieve a stored default render key . the sub - steps for creating a client - specific render key ( not shown ) include discovering the client capabilities and setting the render key to maximize client use of those capabilities for display and use of the requested primary content . once the render key is obtained , the server uses the render key to generate the file having at least one hidden markup attribute , at step 605 . the created file is then transmitted to the client at step 607 . once the created file has been received at the client browser , the browser will use its render key for decoding the hidden markup attributes to determine how to handle and display the contents of the communication . it is to be noted that legacy browsers ( i . e ., browsers which are “ not aware ” of the hidden markup attribute and render key technology ) will see the hidden markup attributes as unused glyphs and will readily ignore them , so that content is not altered . new “ aware ” browsers will detect the hidden markup attributes , apply the render key for decoding the hidden markup attributes and then handle the content accordingly . it may be desirable to add a user notification step to the rendering process whereby a user is provided with a displayed message , via the browser gui , asking for the user &# 39 ; s permission to temporarily modify the font ( or other subsystem ) setup in order to display the requested data . once a user inputs approval , the browser would proceed . for general use , hidden markup attributes can provide invisible unicode ( see : www . unicode . com ) to any user who requests information from a web site . the web server will send both the render key and the file containing the primary content plus the hidden markup attributes for the invisible unicode . no user authentication would be required for such a general usage , whereby recipients of the file and render key would be enabled to display otherwise undisplayable data . sample ways in which the hidden markup attributes can be implemented at the client using the render key for display of primary content include altering the font properties ; altering or replacing certain rendering subsystems ; updating configuration information for the client &# 39 ; s operating system ; automatically modifying the client &# 39 ; s operating system codepage ; updating or exchanging a jvm font ; or , providing a new jvm font required to view the data . beyond their use for facilitating display of primary content , however , the hidden markup attributes can be used to in a variety of ways to instruct the browser on handling content which is provided in addition to the primary content . for example , hidden markup attributes can instruct a browser to hide sensitive data which is included in the file from some users . [ 0034 ] fig7 provides a graphical representation 700 of the display for a web - based banking service as displayed to different users . for an ordinary user , such as a employer depositing salary into an employee / account owner &# 39 ; s account , the displayed account information , shown at 701 , will only show the account owner &# 39 ; s name and deposit information . the account balance field will be empty . however , for a designated “ superuser ” of that web - based banking service , such as a bank employee or the account owner , the display , shown at 703 , will include a dollar figure for the account balance . while the bank server may have transmitted the same primary content information to each client site , the different hidden markup attributes which accompany the transmissions will dictate different display treatment for the different client users . in addition to being capable of hiding sensitive data from some users , the hidden markup attributes can also be utilized to instruct client browsers to hide certain non - sensitive data , which need not be displayed to the user but should be communicated to and used by the browser . for example , hidden markup attributes can be used for the following : depicting font information ( e . g ., bold or italic ) when the client font has incomplete glyphs indicating information to follow , to be used by specific html readers for special needs such as “ bitmap is to follow ”, “ pushed button is below ” or “ un - pushed button is below ” providing information about text to follow such as the security level of links ( read only , archive , etc .). as had been mentioned above , the render keys may be quite extensive , making the provision of a render key within a request impractical . one solution is to create a user &# 39 ; s unique hash number which is created at the server and is stored both at the server and at the client location ( e . g ., with the user &# 39 ; s jvm ) as depicted in fig8 when a client request is received at the server , at step 801 , the server gets the codepage from the client &# 39 ; s machine where the browser is running , at step 803 to perform authentication . at decision box 805 , the sever determines whether the request is from an authorized hidden markup attribute user . the determination may be made by gathering information from the browser to obtain the hash id , followed by comparing the hash id supplied by the browser to the list of stored hash ids for authorized hidden markup attribute users . if it is determined at 805 that the user is an authorized hidden markup attribute user , the server uses the unique hash id to retrieve the render key at 807 . the server then uses the render key to create a markup file with at least one hidden markup attribute , at step 809 , for use by the browser to decode the at least one hidden markup attribute using the render key . the server then sends the file with the content and the at least one hidden markup attribute to the client at 810 . if the user is not determined to be an authorized hidden markup attribute user , at step 805 , the sever creates a file using the browser codepage to ensure that all hidden markup attribute characters are invisible at the client &# 39 ; s browser . the latter process flow is particularly useful for a traveling user who may access the server from different client machines . because only the hash id is provided with each request , the server will necessarily look to the browser codepage . as a result , the server will recognize when the user is making a request from a machine with different capabilities and will encode the file appropriately . under the present invention , therefore , hidden markup attributes can be used to communicate rendering and other additional information to a client location . while the invention has been described with reference to several specific embodiments , one having skill in the relevant art will recognize that modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims .

US-74021700-A

an improved hub - locking device for conveyor pulleys including a spherically shaped collet having a centrally located bore for receiving a shaft , an axially aligned slot extending through one side thereof permitting compression of the collet on the shaft , and a plurality of radially extending lugs , a hub attached to the end of the pulley and having an axially aligned tapered aperture for partially receiving the collet with the shaft therein and a plurality of radially extending recesses for receiving the collet lugs , a clamping ring having a tapered aperture for partially fitting over the collet , and a plurality of bolts for passing through holes in the clamping ring , for threading into the hub and for drawing the clamping ring toward the hub compressing the collet therebetween with the lugs within the recesses , and causing the collet to compress and engage the shaft , the hub and the clamping ring .

referring to fig1 the preferred embodiment of a hub - locking device is shown generally to include a collet 10 , a hug 12 , a clamping ring 14 , and two mounting bolts 16 . the collet has a substantially spherical shape and contains a centrally located bore 18 of a size slightly larger than the shaft 20 which it is designed to clamp . at either end of the bore the collet is truncated , as shown at 22 . axially aligned with the bore and extending through one side of the collet is a first slot 24 of width designed to permit sufficient compression of the collet as is necessary to compressingly engage the shaft . the first slot is relieved by a second shallow slot 26 , which lies opposite the first slot and is aligned therewith . in the preferred embodiment an axially aligned keyway 28 extends along the bore through the collet , and two mounting ears , or lugs , 30 and 32 are located at two diametrically opposite positions along the surface of the collet . the lugs lie within an imaginary plane which passes through the center of the collet and which is aligned perpendicular to the bore . the lugs extend outward from the collet to form two semicircular mounting recesses or bores , 34 and 36 of diameter somewhat larger than that of bolts 16 . the mounting bores are axially aligned with bore 18 . hub 12 is generally disc - shaped to fit partially within a similar sized bore in the center of the pulley end plate 40 . the front of the hub is flanged at 42 to seat against the front of the end plate for alignment . the hub contains an axially aligned cone - shaped aperture 44 which flares from a first diameter at the rear surface 46 , slightly larger than the shaft diameter , to a second diameter at 48 , slightly greater than the diameter of the spherical portion of the collet . the hub is counter sunk at 49 to accommodate the lugs 30 and 32 of the collet . at diametrically opposite points , the hub contains two tapped bores 50 and 52 , suitable for receiving bolts 16 , which have similar spacing as that of the mounting bores in the collet . in the preferred embodiment , the threads are of a locking type such as those known as spiralock threads cut with a tap manufactured by detroit tap and tool company . alternatively , regular threads may also be employed by using suitable locking washers with the mounting bolts . clamping ring 14 is of generally cylindrical shape , having a diameter similar to the diameter of flange 42 of the hub . the ring contains an axially aligned cone - shaped aperture 60 , only the front of which is visible in this figure . the aperture flares from a first smaller radius in the front , which is larger than the radius of bore 18 plus the depth of keyway 28 in the collet . the ring contains two diametrically spaced bores 62 and 64 , spaced apart a distance similar to the spacing of mounting bores 34 and 36 in the collet . the bores are of a diameter suitable for accepting mounting bolts 16 . the bores may optionally be counter bored . the front periphery is chamferred at 66 . in the preferred embodiment the collet is of different material , such as cast iron or aluminum , than the hub and clamping ring , which are usually steel in order to prevent galling . the cross section of the assembled hub - locking device shown in fig2 better illustrates the hub to end plate mounting details and the rear of the clamping ring . hub 12 is seated in a bore 80 in the center of end plate 40 with flange 42 seated against the front of the end piece . the hub is held in place by a fillet weld 82 . the rear of clamping ring 14 is counter sunk at 84 to accommodate the lugs 30 and 32 of the collet . in addition , the rear of the ring is grooved at 86 to accept a compressable seal 88 , such as a soft metal ring or o - ring . assembly includes inserting shaft 20 through aperture 44 in hub 12 . next , a key 90 is inserted in the keyway 92 in shaft 20 , and collet 10 is placed over the shaft . as the collet is being slid onto the shaft , the collet is rotated with respect to the shaft , aligning keyway 28 with key 90 permitting the collet to be slid over the key and seated against the taper of aperture 44 . optional seal 88 can next be installed in groove 86 of clamping ring 14 . after the shaft is rotated with respect to the pulley , aligning bores 50 and 52 with the bores in lugs 30 and 32 , respectively , clamping ring 14 is placed over the shaft with bores 62 and 64 aligned with bore 50 and 62 , respectively . then the two mounting bolts 16 are inserted through bores 62 and 64 , the bores in lugs 30 and 32 , and threaded into bores 50 and 52 . finally , the mounting bolts are cinched down drawing clamping ring 14 toward hub 12 , compressing collet 10 therebetween . it will be seen that the collet is now compressingly engaging most of the circumference of the shaft therein , engaging aperture 44 at a plurality of points 94 , which form a circle , and similarly engaging a circle of points 96 on aperture 60 . thus , lateral movement or creeping of the shaft with respect to the pulley is prevented . rotational movement of the shaft with respect to the pulley is additionally prevented by engagement of key 90 with keyways 28 and 92 , and lugs 30 and 32 engaging mounting bolts 16 . since the diameter of the bores in the lugs is greater than that of the bolts , the hub - locking device automatically compensates for misalignment of the keyways and inaccuracies in the installation of the hubs and end plates within the pulley . the hub - locking device automatically compensates for angular misalignment of the shaft with respect to the hub . such misalignment may occur , for example , because of misalignment of hub 12 in bore 80 or end plate 40 within the pulley . when such misalignment is present , collet 10 assumes a rotated position within apertures 44 and 60 during assembly . when mounting bolts 16 are tightened , the collet locks as before , only along two different rings of points in apertures 44 and 60 . no shaft bending torque will be introduced by the hub - locking device . thus , if hub 12 is mounted at the axis of the pulley and perpendicular thereto , shaft 20 will be coaxial with the pulley and no bending of the shaft , run out at the pulley face , vibration or fatigue will be introduced . should hub 12 not be centered with respect to the pulley , or not be perpendicular to the axis of the pulley , run out will exist , but it will not be aggravated by bending of the shaft caused by the hub - locking device . because of the variety of pulley applications , certain minor modifications of the preferred embodiment are employed . for example , for smaller idler pulleys , neither lugs 30 and 32 nor keyway 28 are necessary . for different sized pulleys and shafts , the number of mounting bolts 16 and lugs 30 and 32 are varied in order to adequately grip the shaft . also , although weld 82 is shown on the inside of end plate 40 , it can alternatively be positioned on the outer surface thereof . additionally , although the collet is shown as spherical in shape , it can also be slightly oval or ellipsoidal in shape . referring to fig3 an alternative embodiment of the hub - locking device is shown generally to include a collet 100 on a shaft 102 , a hub 104 mounted in a bore centered in a pulley end plate 106 , and a clamping ring 108 attached to the hub by a plurality of mounting bolts 110 . in this embodiment , both a bore 112 in the hub and a bore 114 in the clamping ring are generally spherical in shape , conforming to the contour of the collet . this provides an increased area of clamping engagement both between the hub and collet and between the clamping ring and collet . the collet , in this embodiment , is so positioned within the hub that an imaginary plane which bisects the end plate will pass through the center of the collet . thus , if the hub is mounted along the pulley axis , even though it is mounted slightly cocked within the end plate or the end plate is cocked within the pulley , no run out at the pulley face will be introduced . referring now to fig4 an alternative embodiment of a hub - locking device is shown generally to include a collet 210 , a hub 212 , a clamping ring 224 , and mounting bolts 216 . the collet has a truncated substantially spherical external surface 215 , a centrally located bore 218 of a size slightly larger than the shaft 20 which it is designed to clamp . at either end of bore 218 , the collet is truncated , as shown at 222 . axially aligned with the bore and extending through one side of the collet is a slot 224 of width designed to permit sufficient compression of the collet as is necessary to compressingly engage the shaft . the slot 224 is relieved by shallow slots 226 which lie diametrically opposite each other . an axially aligned keyway 228 extends along the bore through the collet , and four lugs 230 , 231 , 232 and 233 ( not shown ) are located at positions 90 ° relative to each other around the surface of the collet . the lugs lie within an imaginary plane which passes through the center of the collet and which is aligned perpendicular to the bore . hub 212 is cylindrical in shape and fits partially within a similar sized bore in the center of the pulley end plate 240 . the front of the hub is flanged at 242 to seat against the front of the end plate for alignment . the hub contains an axially aligned cone - shaped inner surface 244 which flares from a first diameter at the rear surface 246 to a second diameter 248 , slightly greater than the diameter of the spherical portion of the collet . the hub is counter sunk at 249 and includes four radially extending recesses 241 , 243 , 245 and 247 for accommodating the lugs 230 , 231 , 232 and 233 , respectively . at 45 ° intervals around the hub face , eight tapped bores 250 are provided suitable for receiving bolts 216 . the threads of bores 250 are of a locking type such as those known as spiralock threads cut with a tap manufactured by detroit tap and tool company . alternatively , regular threads may also be employed by using suitable locking washers with the mounting bolts . clamping ring 214 is also of cylindrical shape , having a diameter similar to the diameter of flange 242 of the hub . ring 214 is provided with an axially aligned cone - shaped interior surface 260 which flares outwardly toward the rear from an annular opening 261 in the front , which is larger than the radius of bore 218 plus the depth of keyway 228 in the collet 210 . the ring is provided with eight unthreaded bores 262 which are spaced around the ring so as to be aligned with the spacing of bores 250 in the hub . the bores are of a diameter suitable for accepting eight mounting bolts 216 , only two of which are shown , and may optionally be counter bored . in addition , ring 214 is provided with four threaded bores 264 which are positioned around the ring at 90 ° relative to each other and are adapted to receive four set screws 265 only two of which are shown . in this embodiment the collet is also of different material , such as cast iron or aluminum , than the hub and clamping ring , which are usually made of steel in order to prevent galling . a cross section of the assembled hub - locking device shown in fig5 better illustrates the hub to end plate mounting details and the rear of the clamping ring . hub 212 is seated in a bore 280 in the center of end plate 240 with flange 242 seated against the front of the end plate . the hub is held in place by a fillet weld 282 . assembly includes inserting shaft 220 through the aperture in hub 212 . next , a key 290 is inserted in the keyway 292 in shaft 220 , and collet 210 is placed over the shaft . as the collet is being slid onto the shaft , the collet is rotated with respect to the shaft , aligning keyway 228 with key 290 permitting the collet to be slid over the key and seated against the taper of aperture surface 244 . after the shaft is rotated with respect to the pulley to align lugs 230 - 233 with the recesses 241 - 247 respectively , clamping ring 214 is placed over the shaft with bores 262 aligned with bores 250 , and set screw bores 264 aligned with the lugs 230 - 233 . then the mounting bolts 216 are inserted through bores 262 , threaded into bores 250 and cinched down drawing clamping ring 214 toward hub 212 , compressing collet 210 therebetween . it will be seen that the collet is now compressingly engaging most of the circumference of the shaft therein , engaging aperture wall 244 at a plurality of points which form a circle , and similarly engaging a circle of points on aperture wall 260 . thus , lateral movement or creeping of the shaft with respect to the pulley is prevented . rotational movement of the shaft with respect to the pulley is additionally prevented by engagement of key 290 with keyways 228 and 292 , and by engagement of lugs 230 - 233 with recesses 241 - 247 respectively . in addition , once the set screws 265 are seated against the lugs 230 - 233 collet 210 will be prohibited from slipping relative to the hub and plate due to any yawing motion of shaft 228 . the hub - locking device thus automatically compensates for angular misalignment of the shaft with respect to the hub as illustrated by the angles α between the pulley axis a p and the shaft axis a s . such misalignment may occur , for example , because of misalignment of hub 212 in pulley opening 280 , or end plate 240 within the pulley . when such misalignment is present , collet 210 assumes a rotated position within apertures 244 and 260 during assembly . when mounting bolts 16 are tightened , the collet locks as before , only along two different rings of points in apertures 244 and 260 . if hub 212 is mounted at the axis of the pulley and perpendicular thereto , shaft 220 will be coaxial with the pulley and no bending of the shaft , run out at the pulley face , vibration or fatigue will be introduced . however , should hub 212 not be centered with respect to the pulley , or not be perpendicular to the axis of the pulley , run out will exist , but it will not be aggravated by bending of the shaft caused by the hub - locking device . it is contemplated that after having read the preceding disclosure certain other alterations and modifications of the present invention will no doubt become apparent to those skilled in the art . it is therefore intended that the following claims be interpreted to cover all such alterations and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention .

US-1318779-A

a method for splitting a piezoelectric device used in substitution for dicing for shortening the processing time as compared to a case of using the dicing to improve productivity to enable the shape of the piezoelectric device more suited to the emission shape of a solution to be achieved , and a method for manufacturing a printer device whereby a narrower nozzle pitch may be achieved . a resist 201 is formed at a pre - set position on a major surface of the piezoelectric device 43 bonded to a vibrating plate . using this resist 201 as a mask , powders or particles are sprayed onto the piezoelectric device 43 for removing the portion of the piezoelectric device 43 not carrying the resist 201 to form the piezoelectric device 35 of a desired shape at a pre - set position .

referring to the drawings , preferred embodiments of the present invention will be explained in detail . in the first embodiment , the present invention is applied to a serial type ink jet printer device . a serial type ink jet printer device 1 , abbreviated to a printer device 1 , has a cylindrically - shaped drum 2 , on the outer periphery of which a paper sheet pressing controller 3 is mounted in position parallel to the drum 2 , as shown in fig2 . the printer device 1 clamps a printing paper sheet 4 , as a printing support , by the drum 2 and the paper sheet pressing controller 3 , for stationarily pressing the printing paper sheet 4 to the drum 2 . at a small separation from the outer periphery of the drum 2 of the printer device 1 is mounted a feed screw 5 parallel to the drum 2 . on this feed screw 5 is mounted an ink jet print head 7 via a supporting member 6 meshing with the feed screw 5 . by rotation of the feed screw 5 , the ink jet print head 7 is moved along the axis of the drum 2 indicated by arrow a in fig2 along with the supporting member 6 meshing with the feed screw 5 . the drum 2 is operatively linked with a motor 11 via a first pulley 8 , a belt 9 and a second pulley 10 so as to be rotated in a direction of arrow b in fig2 by rotation of the motor 11 . the printer device 1 is controlled by a controller 20 , as shown in fig3 . the controller 11 is made up of a signal processing control circuit 21 , a driver 22 , a memory 23 , a driving controller 24 and a correction circuit 25 . the signal processing control circuit 21 is comprised of a central processing unit ( cpu ) or a digital signal processor ( dsp ) and , on reception from outside of letter printing data , signals of an operating unit and external control signals , as an input signal s 1 , sorts the letter printing data in the letter printing sequence and sends out the sorted letter printing data along with an emission signal via driver 22 to the ink jet print head 7 for driving - controlling the ink jet print head 7 . in this case , the letter printing sequence differs with difference in structure of the ink jet print head 7 and the letter printing section and , moreover , needs to be considered in connection with the inputting sequence of the letter printing data . therefore , the letter printing sequence is transiently stored in a memory 23 comprised of a buffer memory or a frame memory for later reading . the signal processing control circuit 21 is designed to process the input signal s 1 by software and sends out processed signals as control signals to a driving controller 24 . on reception of the control signals sent from the signal processing control circuit 21 , the driving controller 24 controls the driving or synchronization of the motor adapted for rotationally driving the motor 11 and the feed screw 5 , while also controlling the cleaning of the ink jet print head 7 and supply or ejection of the printing paper sheet 4 . if the printer device 1 is of a multiple - head construction , the signal processing control circuit 21 performs γ - correction , color correction in case of color printing and correction of variations of the ink jet print heads 7 by a correction circuit 25 . in this correction circuit 25 , pre - set correction data are stored in the form of a rom ( read - only memory ) map , so as to be read out by the signal processing control circuit 21 depending on external conditions , such as ink emission hole number , temperature or input signals . if the printer device 1 is of a multiple head structure , such that there are a large number of ink emission holes , an ic ( integrated circuit ) is mounted on the ink jet print head 7 for reducing the number of interconnections to the ink jet print head 7 . in the above - described printer device 1 , the motor is run in rotation by the driving controller 24 responsive to the control signals sent from the signal processing control circuit 21 for rotating the feed screw 5 . on rotation of the feed screw 5 , the ink jet print head 7 of the printer device 1 is moved axially of the drum 2 , along with the supporting member 6 , as the ink is emitted , for printing letters or the like on the printing paper sheet 4 pressed to the drum 2 . the printing direction in which the ink jet print head 7 effects printing on the printing paper sheet 4 as it is moved axially of the drum 2 may be the same direction or the reciprocating direction . in the printer device 1 , when the ink jet print head 7 is moved axially of the drum 2 to print letters of one row on the printing paper sheet 4 , the motor 11 is run in rotation under control by the driving controller 24 to rotate the drum 2 by one row in a direction of arrow b in fig2 in readiness for printing of the next row of letters . in the ink jet print head 7 , shown in fig4 a vibrating plate 32 is bonded to a major surface 31 a of a plate - shaped ink pressurizing chamber forming member 31 , whilst a plate - shape orifice plate 33 is bonded to the opposite side major surface 31 b of the ink pressurizing chamber forming member 31 . in the ink jet print head 7 , a piezoelectric device 35 is bonded via an electrically conductive adhesive 34 to the major surface 32 a of the vibrating plate 32 of the double - layered structure . around a portion of the orifice plate 33 in which is opened an ink emission hole 33 a as later explained is formed a liquid repellant film 42 . the ink pressurizing chamber forming member 31 is constituted by a metal plate of e . g ., stainless steel , with a thickness of approximately 0 . 1 mm . this ink pressurizing chamber forming member 31 is formed with an ink pressurizing chamber 31 c for pressurizing the ink charged therein at a pre - set pressure , an ink flow duct 31 d communicating with one end of the ink pressurizing chamber 31 c for supplying ink into the ink pressurizing chamber 31 c , an ink inlet duct 31 e formed at the opposite end of the ink pressurizing chamber 31 c for operating as a through - hole via which to conduct ink charged into the ink pressurizing chamber 31 c to the ink emission hole 33 a , an ink buffer tank 31 f for delivery of the ink to the ink flow duct 31 d and a connection hole 31 g for conducting the ink supplied from an ink supply duct 36 into the ink buffer tank 31 f . the ink pressurizing chamber 31 c is formed for extending from a mid portion in the direction of thickness of the ink pressurizing chamber forming member 31 towards the major surface 31 a of the ink pressurizing chamber forming member 31 . the ink inlet duct 31 e is formed on the opposite end of the ink pressurizing chamber 31 c for extending from the mid portion in the direction of thickness of the ink pressurizing chamber forming member 31 towards the opposite side major surface 31 b of the ink pressurizing chamber forming member 31 . similarly to the ink inlet duct 31 e , the ink flow duct 31 d is formed for extending from the mid portion in the direction of thickness of the ink pressurizing chamber forming member 31 towards its opposite side major surface 31 b . this ink flow duct 31 d is separated from the ink inlet duct 31 e via a first member 31 h as later explained . also , the ink flow duct 31 d is formed so that a portion of the first member 31 h communicates with one end of the ink pressurizing chamber 31 c . similarly to the ink inlet duct 31 e and the ink flow duct 31 d , the ink buffer tank 3 if is formed for extending from the mid portion in the direction of thickness of the ink pressurizing chamber forming member 31 towards its opposite side major surface 31 b . it is noted that the ink buffer tank 31 f is a sole straight - shaped piping communicating with plural ink flow ducts 31 d , as shown in fig5 and performs the role of distributing the ink to the various ink flow ducts 31 d . the connection hole 31 g is formed from a mid portion along the thickness of the ink pressurizing chamber forming member 31 to the major surface 31 a of the member 31 for communication with the ink buffer tank 31 f . the ink pressurizing chamber forming member 31 is made up of a first member 31 h , a second member 31 i , a third member 31 j and a fourth member 31 k . the first member 31 h , constituting the bottom surface of the ink pressurizing chamber 31 c and a portion of the opposite side major surface 31 b of the ink pressurizing chamber forming member 31 , is contacted with a lateral side of the ink inlet duct 31 e and with a lateral surface of the ink flow duct 31 d to separate the ink inlet duct 31 e from the ink flow duct 31 d . the second member 31 i is contacted with one lateral surface of the ink pressurizing chamber 31 c and with one lateral surface of the connection hole 31 g to separate the ink pressurizing chamber 31 c from the connection hole 31 g . the third member 31 j is contacted with the opposite side lateral surface of the ink pressurizing chamber 31 c and the opposite side lateral surface of the ink inlet duct 31 e and constitutes the major surface 31 a and a portion of the major surface 31 b of the ink pressurizing chamber forming member 31 . the fourth member 31 k is contacted with the lateral surface of the ink buffer tank 31 f and the opposite side lateral surface of the connection hole 31 g and constitutes the major surface 31 a and a portion of the major surface 31 b of the ink pressurizing chamber forming member 31 . the spacing areas or voids delimited by these first to fourth members 31 h to 31 k are constituted as the ink pressurizing chamber 31 c , ink inlet duct 31 e , ink flow duct 31 d , ink buffer tank 31 f and as the connection hole 31 g . on the opposite side major surface 31 b of the ink pressurizing chamber forming member 31 is bonded an orifice plate 33 , by thermal pressure bonding , for covering the ink inlet duct 31 e , ink flow duct 31 d and the ink buffer tank 31 f . the orifice plate 33 is formed of neoflex ( manufactured by mitsui toatsu kagaku kogyo kk ) excellent in thermal resistance and in resistance against chemicals and having a thickness of approximately 50 μm and a glass transition temperature of not higher than 250 ° c . this orifice plate 33 is formed with an ink emission hole 33 a having a cross - sectional shape of a column of , for example , a pre - set diameter . the ink emission hole 33 a communicates with the ink inlet duct 31 e for emitting the ink supplied from the ink pressurizing chamber 31 c via the ink inlet duct 31 e . by having the orifice plate 33 formed with the ink emission hole 33 a , it is possible to assure chemical stability against the ink . the piezoelectric device 35 is formed to a shape in meeting with the shape of the ink pressurizing chamber 31 c , as shown in fig5 . the separation from the neighboring piezoelectric device 35 is set to not larger than 100 μm . the ink pressurizing chamber 31 c is designed so that its width c 2 at the site of the ink inlet duct 31 e is smaller than the main width c 1 of the ink pressurizing chamber 31 c and is larger than the opening diameter a 1 towards the ink inlet duct 31 e of the ink emission hole 33 a . more specifically , if the main width c 1 of the ink pressurizing chamber 31 c is set to 0 . 4 mm to 0 . 6 mm , the width c 2 at the site of the ink inlet duct 31 e of the ink pressurizing chamber 31 c is of the order of 0 . 2 mm equal to approximately twice the plate thickness of the pressurizing chamber forming member 31 . the width c 2 at the site of the ink inlet duct 31 e of the ink pressurizing chamber 31 c is preferably not more than 2 . 5 times the plate thickness of the pressurizing chamber forming member 31 . the ink emission hole 33 a is formed for communicating with approximately the mid portion of the ink inlet duct 31 e . the ink emission hole 33 a is tapered in the direction of ink emission . in the present embodiment , the opening end of the ink emission hole 33 a has a circular cross - sectional shape approximately 5 μm in diameter , whilst the cross - sectional shape thereof towards the ink pressurizing chamber forming member 31 is circular with the diameter approximately 80 μm . thus , the width c 2 at the site of the ink inlet duct 31 e of the ink pressurizing chamber 31 c is smaller than the main width c 1 of the ink pressurizing chamber 31 c and larger than the opening diameter a 1 towards the ink inlet duct 31 e of the ink emission hole 33 a . on the major surface 31 a of the ink pressurizing chamber forming member 31 is bonded a double - layered vibrating plate 32 , via an adhesive , for closing the opening portion of the ink pressurizing chamber 31 c . the opening portion of the ink pressurizing chamber 31 c means an area of the ink pressurizing chamber forming member 31 opening in the major surface 31 a . the vibrating plate 32 is of a double - layered structure comprised of a first vibrating plate 32 x positioned towards the ink pressurizing chamber 31 c for closing all opening portions of the ink pressurizing chamber 31 c and a second vibrating plate 32 y shaped in meeting with the piezoelectric device 35 formed on the vibrating plate 32 . this vibrating plate 32 is formed with a through - hole 32 b in register with the connection hole 31 g of the ink pressurizing chamber forming member 31 . in this through - hole 32 b is fitted an ink supply duct 36 connected to an ink tank , not shown . therefore , the ink introduced from the ink tank is supplied via the ink supply duct 36 and the ink buffer tank 31 f into the ink flow duct 31 d and thence into the ink pressurizing chamber 31 c . in the double - layered vibrating plate 32 , the first vibrating plate 32 x is formed of neoflex ( manufactured by mitsui toatsu kagaku kogyo kk ) having excellent thermal resistance and resistance against chemicals , a thickness of approximately 50 μm and a glass transition temperature of not higher than 250 ° c . the second vibrating plate 32 y is a copper plate having a thickness of approximately 15 μm . on the major surface of the second vibrating plate 32 y is bonded the piezoelectric device 35 via an electrically conductive adhesive 34 . although the vibrating plate 32 in the present embodiment is of a double - layered structure comprised of the first vibrating plate 32 x and the second vibrating plate 32 y , the vibrating plate 32 may be of a single - layered structure , or of a multi - layered structure comprised of three or more layers . when a driving voltage is applied across the piezoelectric device 35 , in a state shown in fig6 a , it is displaced in a direction indicated by arrow a in fig6 b to warp the vibrating plate 32 to decrease the volume of the ink pressurizing chamber 31 c to raise the pressure in the ink pressurizing chamber 31 c . in the stand - by state , the ink charged into the ink pressurizing chamber 31 c is in a stabilized state , by equilibrium with surface tension , with a meniscus being formed in the vicinity of the distal end of the ink emission hole 33 a , as shown in fig6 a . for ink emission , the driving voltage is applied across the piezoelectric device 35 for thereby displacing the device 35 in a direction indicated by arrow a in fig6 b . this displacement of the vibrating plate 32 decreases the volume of the ink pressurizing chamber 31 c to raise the pressure therein to emit the ink via the ink emission hole 33 a . it is noted that time changes of the driving voltage applied to the piezoelectric device 35 are set so that a desired amount of the ink will be emitted via the ink emission hole 33 a . the manufacturing method of the ink jet print head 7 will be explained with reference to fig7 to 10 . first , in fig7 a , a resist , such as a photosensitive dry film or a liquid resist material , is coated on the major surface 38 a of the metal member 38 of , for example stainless steel , approximately 0 . 1 mm thick . then , pattern light exposure is effected , using a mask patterned in meeting with the ink pressurizing chamber 31 c and the connection hole 31 g , and a resist such as a photosensitive dry film or a liquid resist material is coated on the opposite major surface 38 b of the metal member 38 . then , pattern light exposure is carried out using a mask patterned in meeting with the ink inlet duct 31 e , ink flow duct 31 d and the ink buffer tank 31 f . then , as shown in fig7 b , the metal member 38 is etched by immersion for a pre - set time in an etching solution composed of an aqueous solution of ferric chloride , using , as a mask , a resist 39 patterned in meeting with the ink pressurizing chamber 31 c and the connection hole 31 g and a resist 40 patterned in meeting with the ink inlet duct 31 e , ink flow duct 31 d and the ink buffer tank 31 f , for forming the ink pressurizing chamber 31 c and the connection hole 31 g on the major surface 38 a of the metal member 38 , while forming the ink inlet duct 31 e , ink flow duct 31 d and the ink buffer tank 31 f on the opposite side major surface of the metal member 38 . this completes the above - mentioned ink pressurizing chamber forming member 31 . the amounts of etching from the major surface 38 a and the opposite side major surface 38 b of the metal member 38 are set so as to be slightly larger than approximately one - half the thickness of the metal member 38 . since the thickness of the metal member 38 in the present embodiment is set to approximately 0 . 1 mm , the etching amount from each side of the metal member 38 is set to approximately 0 . 055 mm . by setting the etching amount in this manner , the ink pressurizing chamber 31 c , ink inlet duct 31 e , ink flow duct 31 d and the ink buffer tank 31 f is improved in dimensional accuracy and may be formed in stability . moreover , the etching amount from the major surface 38 a of the metal member 38 is the same as that of from the opposite side major surface 38 b , the etching condition used at the time of forming the ink pressurizing chamber 31 c and the connection hole 31 g on the major surface 38 a of the metal member 38 may be substantially equated to that used for forming the ink inlet duct 31 e , ink flow duct 31 d and the ink buffer tank 31 f on the opposite side major surface 38 b of the metal member 38 , thus enabling the etching process to be completed easily in a shorter time . it is noted that the width of the ink inlet duct 31 e is set so as to be larger than the diameter than the diameter of the ink emission hole 33 a , so that pressure rise in the ink pressurizing chamber 31 c is not affected by pressure applied across the ink pressurizing chamber 31 c . moreover , the width of the ink inlet duct 31 e is set so as to be approximately equal to the width at the forming position of the ink inlet duct 31 e of the ink pressurizing chamber 31 c but smaller than the main width of the ink pressurizing chamber 31 c . the width of the ink inlet duct 31 e is preferably not larger than 2 . 5 times the plate thickness . the width of the ink inlet duct 31 e approximately equal to the plate thickness tends to produce shape errors during the fabrication process . in the present embodiment , the width of the ink inlet duct 31 e is of the order of 0 . 2 mm which is approximately twice the plate thickness . then , the resists 39 , 40 are removed , as shown in fig7 c . if , in this case , dry resist films are used as the resists 39 , 40 , an aqueous solution of sodium hydroxide with a concentration of not higher than 5 % of sodium hydroxide is used as a removing agent . if liquid resist films are used as the resists 39 , 40 , a dedicated alkaline solution is used as a remover . after removing the resists 39 , 40 , a resin material 41 of , for example neoflex ( manufactured by mitsui toatsu kagaku kogyo kk ) having a thickness of approximately 50 μm and a glass transition temperature of not higher than 250 ° c . is bonded by thermal pressure bonding to the opposite side major surface 31 b of the ink pressurizing chamber forming member 31 . this thermal pressure bonding is effected by applying a pressure of the order of 20 to 30 kgf / cm 2 at a press - working temperature of 230 ° c . by setting the condition for thermal pressure bonding in this manner , the bonding strength between the ink pressurizing chamber forming member 31 and the resin material 41 can be increased , while these can be bonded together efficiently . also , since the ink emission hole 33 a is not formed in this case in the resin material 41 , the bonding step in the process of bonding the resin material 41 to the ink pressurizing chamber forming member 31 can be performed easily to the extent that highly accurate position matching is not required . moreover , since the resin material 41 is bonded to the ink pressurizing chamber forming member 31 without using an adhesive , there is raised no problem of the adhesive stopping up the ink flow duct 31 d . the liquid repellant film 42 is then formed on the surface of the resin material 41 facing the ink pressurizing chamber forming member 31 . the liquid repellant film 42 is preferably formed of a material which repels the ink and which produces no ink remaining affixed in the vicinity of the ink emission hole while producing no burrs without causing ink film delamination in case the ink emission hole 33 a is formed by excimer laser . such material may be typified by the fluorine resin dispersed in a polyimide material ( such as modified eep material sold under the trade name of 958 - 207 by dupont ; a polyimide based material having a hygroscopicity of 0 . 4 % or less , such as polyimide based overcoat ink sold under the trade name of epicoat fs - 100l and fp - 100 by ube kosan ; and liquid - repellant polybenzoimidazole , such as coating type polybenzoimidazole material sold under the trade name of npbi by hoechist ag . the resin material 41 is then irradiated perpendicularly with an excimer laser beam , from the side of the major surface 31 a of the ink pressurizing chamber forming member 31 , via the ink pressurizing chamber 31 c and the ink inlet duct 31 e , for forming the ink emission hole 33 a in the resin material 41 and in the liquid repellant film 42 , as shown in fig7 e . this gives the above - mentioned orifice plate 33 . since the orifice plate 33 is formed of the resin material 41 , the ink emission hole 33 a can be formed easily . the liquid repellant film 42 is formed of a material having excellent excimer laser working characteristics , the ink emission hole 33 a can be formed easily . moreover , since the ink inlet duct 31 e is larger in diameter than the ink emission hole 33 a , position matching between the resin material 41 and the ink pressurizing chamber forming member 31 during laser working need not be strict , while it becomes possible to evade the risk of the light beam being shielded during laser working by the ink pressurizing chamber forming member 31 . then , a piezoelectric material 43 is bonded to the major surface of the second vibrating plate 32 y of the double - layered vibrating plate 32 to a thickness of approximately 30 μm via an electrically conductive adhesive 34 , as shown in fig8 a . in this case , a pressure of the order of 20 to 30 kgf / cm 2 is preferably used for bonding in order to reduce the thickness of the electrically conductive adhesive to as small a value as possible . this stabilizes the electrical resistance of the junction portion between the piezoelectric material 43 and the vibrating plate 32 while assuring stable adhesion in view of strength . on both sides of the piezoelectric material 43 is formed an electrically conductive film of , for example copper - nickel alloys , approximately 0 . 2 μm thick , for assuring electrical connection , by a thin - film forming method , such as sputtering . as the electrically conductive adhesive 34 , an epoxy - based adhesive cured at room temperature , admixed with electrically conductive materials , such as carbon particles , for example , is used . a resist material 201 , shaped similarly to the ink pressurizing chamber 31 c , is formed on the piezoelectric material 43 , as shown in fig8 b . as this resist material 201 , a resist for sandblasting , such as bf - 405 or bf - 403 ( trade names ) sold by tokyo oka or a powder beam etching resist may be used . by using these resist materials , the resolution of the order of 50 μm in terms of the minimum line width may be realized . then , using a sand - blasting device or a powder beam etching device , a solid - gaseous two - phase jet stream containing diamond particles 5 to 30 μm in size is sprayed onto the piezoelectric material 43 carrying the resist material 201 for processing the piezoelectric material 43 to a shape corresponding to that of the resist material 201 to produce a piezoelectric device 35 , as shown in fig8 c . by using fine diamond particles of the order of 5 to 30 μm , a value of 8 to 9 can be realized as the value of processing speed ratio of the piezoelectric material 43 which later becomes the piezoelectric device 35 to the copper material making up the second vibrating plate 32 y . that is , the processing speed for the piezoelectric material is 8 to 9 times faster than that for the copper material . the result is that , in the processing process of the piezoelectric device 35 shown in fig8 c , the processing area can be limited to the copper material making up the second vibrating plate 32 y . the vibrating plate 32 , carrying the piezoelectric device 35 , is immersed in a ferric chloride solution , or a shower of the ferric chloride solution is sprayed onto the vibrating plate 32 carrying the piezoelectric device 35 , for removing the portion of the second vibrating plate 32 y not carrying the piezoelectric device 35 . since the first vibrating plate 32 x is formed of a polyimide or titanium material , and hence is not attacked during the removal process by the aqueous solution of ferric chloride as the etching solution for the second vibrating plate 32 y , only the second vibrating plate 32 y is removed , as shown in fig8 d . the resist material 201 , left on the piezoelectric device 35 , is then removed , using a dedicated removing solution , as shown in fig8 e . although the above explanation has been made of removing the second vibrating plate 32 y , using , as a mask , the resist material 201 used for forming the piezoelectric device 35 , it is also possible to remove the resist 201 before the step of removing the second vibrating plate 32 y , as shown in fig9 a , and to remove the second vibrating plate subsequently , using the piezoelectric device 35 as a mask , as shown in fig9 b . if the second vibrating plate 32 y is removed using the resist material 201 as a mask , the electrode material formed on each side of the piezoelectric device 35 can be protected more reliably , whereas , if the second vibrating plate 32 y is removed after removal of the resist material 201 , using the piezoelectric device 35 as a mask , the etching can be improved in precision because the aqueous solution of ferric chloride as the etching solution for the second vibrating plate 32 y can penetrate into the inside of a narrow groove more promptly . although the foregoing description has been made of using the double layer structure for the vibrating plate 32 comprised of the first and second vibrating plates 32 x and 32 y and removing the second vibrating plate 32 y , at least one layer towards the piezoelectric device 35 is etched off if the vibrating plate 32 is the multi - layered structure composed of three or more layers . next , the ink pressurizing chamber forming member 31 carrying the orifice plate 33 is bonded to the vibrating plate 32 carrying the piezoelectric device 35 , as shown in fig1 a . an epoxy - based adhesive may be used as an adhesive . if the polyimide material of neoflex is used as the material for the first vibrating plate 32 x , bonding may be achieved , without using the adhesive , by using a hot - press working process at a temperature of 220 to 230 ° c . under a pressure of 20 to 30 kgf / cm 2 , by exploiting the adhesive properties of the polyimide material , thereby improving resistance against chemicals . if a titanium material is used for the first vibrating plate 32 x , which is used as an actuator for the printer , its resonance frequency can be raised for increasing the ink emission speed . an ink supply duct 36 is then bonded to the site of the through - hole 32 b of the vibrating plate 32 , using , for example , an epoxy - based adhesive . this completes an ink jet printer head 15 . the above - described manufacture of the ink jet printer head 15 makes it possible to form the piezoelectric device 35 to an optional shape inclusive of a linear shape , in contradistinction from the conventional practice in which the shape of the piezoelectric device 35 is necessarily linear . the separation between neighboring piezoelectric devices 35 can be set easily to 100 μm or less . this renders it possible to reduce the nozzle pitch in the printer device . moreover , in the conventional manufacturing method , abrasion to the tool needs to be taken into account in designing . in the manufacturing method of the present embodiment , there is no necessity of taking the abrasion of the blade into account , thus realizing a designing which places more emphasis on the ink emission performance . also , in the manufacturing method of the printer device of the present embodiment , substantially the entire surface of the piezoelectric material 43 bonded to the vibrating plate 32 can be split simultaneously , thus significantly reducing the processing time . in the present embodiment , the present invention is applied to a serial type ‘ carrier jet ’ printer . a serial type ‘ carrier jet ’ printer 50 ( abbreviated to printer device 50 ) includes a cylindrically - shaped drum 51 , and a paper sheet pressing controller 52 provided at a pre - set position on the outer peripheral surface thereof parallel to the drum 51 . with the present printer device 50 , a printing paper sheet 53 , as a printing support , is sandwiched between the drum 51 and the paper sheet pressing controller 52 for pressing the printing paper sheet 53 in position against the drum 51 . at a small separation from the outer periphery of the drum 51 of the printer device is mounted a feed screw 54 parallel to the drum 51 . on this feed screw 54 is mounted a ‘ carrier jet ’ printer head 54 via a supporting member 55 meshing with the feed screw 54 . by rotating the feed screw 54 , this ‘ carrier jet ’ printer head 56 is adapted for being moved along with the supporting member 55 meshing with the feed screw 54 axially of the drum 51 as shown by arrow a in fig1 . the drum 51 is coordinated to a motor 60 via a first pulley 57 , a belt 58 and a second pulley 59 , and hence is rotated in a direction indicated by arrow b in fig1 with rotation of the motor 60 . the printer device 50 is controlled by a controller 61 , as shown in fig1 . in the controller , the signal processing control circuit 21 , memory 23 , driving controller 24 and the correction circuit 25 are the same as the signal processing control circuit 21 , memory 23 , driving controller 24 and the correction circuit 25 and hence are not explained in detail . the controller 61 of the printer device 50 of the present embodiment includes a first driver 62 for emitting the ink and a second driver 63 for emitting the dilution liquid . in actuality , plural first drivers 62 corresponding to the number of the ink emission holes and plural second drivers 63 corresponding to the number of the dilution liquid emission holes are provided , respectively . the first driver 62 and the second driver 63 are used for driving controlling the first piezoelectric device ( quantitation side ) provided for emitting the ink via the ink emission holes and for driving controlling the second piezoelectric device ( emission side ) provided for emitting the dilution liquid via the dilution liquid emission holes , respectively . the first and second drivers 62 , 63 driving - control the associated first and second piezoelectric devices , respectively , under control by a serial / parallel conversion circuit 64 and a timing control circuit 65 , provided in the signal processing control circuit 21 , as shown in fig1 . specifically , the serial / parallel conversion circuit 64 sends digital half - tone data d 1 to the first driver 62 and to the second driver 63 . on reception of a letter - printing trigger signal t 1 , the timing control circuit 65 sends out timing signals to the first and second drivers 62 , 63 at pre - set timing . this letter - printing trigger signal t 1 is sent at a letter printing timing to the timing control circuit 65 . the first and second drivers 62 , 63 send to associated first and second piezoelectric devices driving signals ( driving voltage signals ) corresponding to the timing signals from the timing control circuit 65 . the timing control circuit 65 sends the timing signals to the first and second drivers 62 , 63 so that the driving voltage signals applied to the first and second piezoelectric devices will be of the timing as shown for example in fig1 . it is noted that the first and second piezoelectric devices are associated with paired ink emission holes and dilution liquid emission holes , respectively . in the present embodiment , the emission period is 1 msec ( frequency of 1 khz ). the ink quantitation and mixing and emission of liquid droplets take place during this time period . there takes place no ink quantisation and mixing if the digital half - tone data d 1 from the serial / parallel conversion circuit 64 is lower than a pre - set threshold value . referring to fig1 , the ‘ carrier jet ’ printer head 56 includes a plate - shaped pressurizing chamber forming member 71 on one major surface 71 a and on the opposite side major surface 71 b of which a vibrating plate 72 and a plate - shaped orifice plate 73 are bonded , respectively . in the ‘ carrier jet ’ printer head 56 , a first piezoelectric device 76 ( corresponding to the above - mentioned first piezoelectric device ) and a second piezoelectric device 77 ( corresponding to the above - mentioned second piezoelectric device ) are bonded to one 72 a of the major surfaces of the vibrating plate 72 . there is formed a liquid repellant film 67 around the portions of the orifice plate 73 in which are opened an ink emission hole 73 a and a dilution liquid emission hole 73 b as later explained . the pressurizing chamber forming member 71 is formed by a metal plate of stainless steel with a thickness of approximately 0 . 1 mm . the pressurizing chamber forming member 71 is formed with an ink pressurizing chamber 71 c for pressurizing the ink charged therein to a pre - set pressure , and an ink flow duct 71 d communicating with one end of the ink pressurizing chamber 71 c and adapted for serving as a conduit for supplying the ink to the ink pressurizing chamber 71 c . the pressurizing chamber forming member 71 is also formed with an ink inlet hole 71 e at the opposite end of the ink pressurizing chamber 71 c and adapted for serving as a through - hole for conducting the ink charged into the ink pressurizing chamber 71 c to the ink emission hole 73 a . the pressurizing chamber forming member 71 is also formed with an ink buffer tank 71 f for supplying the ink to the ink flow duct 71 d , and a first connection hole 71 g for sending the ink supplied from an ink supply duct 78 into the ink buffer tank 71 f . the pressurizing chamber forming member 71 is also formed with a dilution liquid pressurizing chamber 71 h for pressurizing the dilution liquid charged therein to a pre - set pressure , and a dilution liquid flow duct 71 i communicating with one end of the dilution liquid pressurizing chamber 71 h and adapted for serving as a conduit for supplying the dilution liquid to the dilution liquid pressurizing chamber 71 h . the pressurizing chamber forming member 71 is also formed with a dilution liquid inlet hole 71 j at the opposite end of the dilution liquid pressurizing chamber 71 h and adapted for serving as a through - hole for conducting the dilution liquid charged into the dilution liquid pressurizing chamber 71 h to the dilution liquid emission hole 73 b . the pressurizing chamber forming member 71 is also formed with a dilution liquid buffer tank 71 k for supplying the dilution liquid to the dilution liquid flow duct 71 i , and a first connection hole 71 l for sending the dilution liquid supplied from an dilution liquid supply duct 79 into the dilution liquid buffer tank 71 k . the ink pressurizing chamber 71 c is formed for extending from a mid portion along the thickness of the pressurizing chamber forming member 71 to the major surface 71 a of the pressurizing chamber forming member 71 . the ink inlet duct 71 e is formed at the opposite end of the ink pressurizing chamber 71 c for extending from a mid portion along the thickness of the pressurizing chamber forming member 71 to the opposite major surface 71 b of the pressurizing chamber forming member 71 . similarly to the ink inlet hole 71 e , the ink flow duct 71 d is formed for extending from a mid portion along the thickness of the pressurizing chamber forming member 71 to the opposite major surface 71 b of the pressurizing chamber forming member 71 . the ink flow duct 71 d is separated by a first member 71 m from the ink inlet hole 71 e . the ink flow duct 71 d is formed so that a portion thereof on the side of the first member 71 m communicates with an end of the ink pressurizing chamber 71 c . similarly to the ink inlet hole 71 e and the ink flow duct 71 d , the ink buffer tank 71 f is formed for extending from a mid portion along the thickness of the pressurizing chamber forming member 71 to the opposite major surface 71 b of the pressurizing chamber forming member 71 . the ink buffer tank 71 f is a linear sole piping communicating with plural ink flow ducts 71 d and has the function of supplying the ink to the ink flow ducts 71 d , as shown in fig1 . the first connection hole 71 g is formed for extending from a mid portion along the thickness of the pressurizing chamber forming member 71 to the major surface 71 a thereof for communicating with the ink buffer tank 71 f . the pressurizing chamber forming member 71 includes a first member 71 m , a second member 71 n and a third member 71 o . the first member 71 m forms the bottom surface of the ink pressurizing chamber 71 c and a portion of the opposite side major surface 71 b of the pressurizing chamber forming member 71 and is contacted with a lateral surface of the ink inlet hole 71 e and a lateral surface of the ink flow duct 71 d for separating the ink inlet hole 71 e from the ink flow duct 71 d . the second member 71 n forms the top surface of the ink flow duct 71 d and a portion of the major surface 71 a of the pressurizing chamber forming member 71 and is contacted with a lateral surface of the ink pressurizing chamber 71 c and a lateral surface of the first connection hole 71 g for separating the ink pressurizing chamber 71 c from the first connection hole 71 g . the third member 71 o is contacted with the lateral surface of the ink buffer tank 71 f and the opposite lateral surface of the first connection hole 71 g and constitutes the major surface 71 a and a portion of the opposite side major surface 71 b of the pressurizing chamber forming member 71 . the voids delimited by the first to third members 71 m , 71 n and 71 o and a seventh member 71 s as later explained correspond to the ink pressurizing chamber 71 c , ink inlet hole 71 e , ink flow duct 71 d , ink buffer tank 71 f and the first connection hole 71 g , respectively . the dilution liquid pressurizing chamber 71 h is formed for extending from a mid portion along the thickness of the pressurizing chamber forming member 71 towards the major surface 71 a thereof . the dilution liquid flow duct 71 j is formed at the opposite end of the dilution liquid pressurizing chamber 71 h and is formed for extending from a mid portion along the thickness of the pressurizing chamber forming member 71 towards the opposite side major surface 71 b thereof . similarly to the dilution liquid inlet duct 71 j , the dilution liquid flow duct 71 i is formed for extending from a mid portion along the thickness of the pressurizing chamber forming member 71 towards the opposite side major surface 71 b thereof . the dilution liquid flow duct 71 i is separated from the dilution liquid inlet duct 71 j by a fourth member 71 p which will be explained subsequently . the dilution liquid flow duct 71 i is formed so that part thereof towards the fourth member 71 p communicates with one end of the dilution liquid pressurizing chamber 71 h . similarly to the dilution liquid inlet duct 71 j and the dilution liquid flow duct 71 i , a dilution liquid buffer tank 71 k is formed for extending from a mid portion along the thickness of the pressurizing chamber forming member 71 towards the opposite side major surface 71 b thereof . similarly to the ink buffer tank 71 f , the dilution liquid buffer tank 71 k is a sole linear piping communicating with plural dilution liquid flow ducts 71 i , as shown in fig1 , and performs the function of supplying the ink to the dilution liquid flow ducts 71 i . a second connection hole 71 l is formed for extending from a mid portion along the thickness of the pressurizing chamber forming member 71 towards the major surface 71 a of the pressurizing chamber forming member 71 . the pressurizing chamber forming member 71 is formed with a fourth member 71 p , a fifth member 71 q and a sixth member 71 r . the fourth member 71 p forms the bottom surface of the dilution liquid pressurizing chamber 71 h and a portion of the opposite side major surface 71 b of the pressurizing chamber forming member 71 and is contacted with a lateral surface of the dilution liquid inlet hole 71 j and a lateral surface of the dilution liquid flow duct 71 i for separating the dilution liquid inlet hole 71 j from the dilution liquid flow duct 71 i . the fifth member 71 q forms the top surface of the dilution liquid flow duct 71 i and a portion of the major surface 71 a of the pressurizing chamber forming member 71 and is contacted with a lateral surface of the dilution liquid pressurizing chamber 71 h and a lateral surface of the second connection hole 71 l for separating the dilution liquid pressurizing chamber 71 h from the second connection hole 71 g . the third member 71 r is contacted with the lateral surface of the dilution liquid buffer tank 71 k and with the opposite lateral surface of the second connection hole 71 l and constitutes the major surface 71 a and a portion of the opposite side major surface 71 b of the pressurizing chamber forming member 71 . the pressurizing chamber forming member 71 is also formed with a seventh member 71 s surrounded by the opposite lateral surface of the ink pressurizing chamber 71 c , opposite lateral surface of the ink inlet hole 71 e , opposite lateral surface of the dilution liquid pressurizing chamber 71 h and by the opposite lateral surface of the dilution liquid inlet duct 71 j for forming one major surface 71 a and a portion of the opposite side major surface 71 b of the pressurizing chamber forming member 71 . the voids delimited by the fourth to seventh members 71 p , 71 q , 71 r and 71 s correspond to the dilution liquid pressurizing chamber 71 h , dilution liquid inlet hole 71 i , dilution liquid flow duct 71 j , dilution liquid buffer tank 71 k and the first connection hole 71 l , respectively . on the opposite side major surface 71 b of the pressurizing chamber forming member 71 is bonded , by thermal pressure bonding , the ink inlet hole 71 e , ink flow duct 71 d , ink buffer tank 71 f , dilution liquid inlet duct 71 j , dilution liquid flow duct 71 i and the dilution liquid buffer tank 71 k . this orifice plate 73 is formed of , for example , neoflex ( manufactured by mitsui toatsu kagaku kogyo kk ) having a thickness of approximately 50 μm and a glass transition temperature of not higher than 250 ° c . in this orifice plate 73 is obliquely formed the ink emission hole 73 a of a pre - set diameter so as to be directed to a dilution liquid emission hole 73 b as later explained . the ink emission hole 73 a communicates with the ink inlet hole 71 e and is adapted for emitting the ink supplied from the ink pressurizing chamber 71 c via the ink inlet hole 71 e . in the orifice plate 73 is also formed a dilution liquid emission hole 73 b of a columnar cross - section of a pre - set diameter . the dilution liquid emission hole 73 b communicates with the dilution liquid inlet duct 71 j and is adapted for emitting the dilution liquid supplied from the dilution liquid pressurizing chamber 71 h via the dilution liquid inlet duct 71 j . by having the orifice plate 73 formed with the ink emission hole 73 a and with the dilution liquid emission hole 73 b in this manner , chemical stability can be assured for the ink and the dilution liquid . the above - mentioned first and second piezoelectric devices 76 , 77 are shaped similarly to the ink pressurizing chamber 71 c and the dilution liquid pressurizing chamber 71 h , as shown in fig1 . the separation between the neighboring first and second piezoelectric devices 76 , 77 is set to not larger than 100 μm . the ink pressurizing chamber 71 c is designed so that the width c 4 at the site of the ink inlet hole 71 e is smaller than the main width c 3 of the ink pressurizing chamber 71 c and larger than the opening diameter a 2 towards the in - k inlet hole 71 e of the ink emission hole 73 a . specifically , with the main width c 3 of the ink pressurizing chamber 71 c of 0 . 4 to 0 . 6 mm , the width c 4 at the site of the ink inlet hole 71 e of the ink pressurizing chamber 71 c is of the order of 0 . 2 mm which is approximately twice the plate thickness of the pressurizing chamber forming member 71 . on the other hand , the width h 2 at the site of the dilution liquid inlet duct 71 j of the dilution liquid pressurizing chamber 71 h is set so as to be smaller than the main width h 1 of the dilution liquid pressurizing chamber 71 and larger than the opening diameter b 1 towards the dilution liquid inlet duct 71 j of the dilution liquid emission hole 73 b . specifically , with the main width h 1 of the dilution liquid pressurizing chamber 71 h of 0 . 4 to 0 . 6 mm , the width h 2 at the site of the dilution liquid inlet hole 71 j of the dilution liquid pressurizing chamber 71 h is of the order of 0 . 2 mm which is approximately twice the plate thickness of the pressurizing chamber forming member 71 . the width c 4 at the site of the ink inlet hole 71 e of the ink pressurizing chamber 71 c and the width h 2 at the site of the dilution liquid inlet hole 71 j of the dilution liquid pressurizing chamber 71 h are preferably set so as to be not larger than 2 . 5 times the thickness of the pressurizing chamber forming member 71 . in the present embodiment , the dilution liquid emission hole 73 b is formed such as to communicate with the mid portion of the dilution liquid inlet duct 71 j . similarly to the ink emission hole 33 a of the first embodiment , the dilution liquid emission hole 73 b is tapered along the direction of emission of the dilution liquid . the cross - sectional shape at an opening area of the dilution liquid emission hole 73 b is circular with a diameter of approximately 35 μm , while its cross - sectional shape towards the pressurizing chamber forming member 71 is circular with a diameter of approximately 80 μm . thus , the width h 2 at the site of the dilution liquid inlet hole 71 j of the dilution liquid pressurizing chamber 71 h is smaller than the main width h 1 of the dilution liquid pressurizing chamber 71 h but larger than the opening diameter b 1 of the dilution liquid emission hole 73 b towards the dilution liquid inlet duct 71 j . moreover , since the ink emission hole 73 a is formed obliquely , it is of an elliptical cross - section . in the present embodiment , the cross - sectional shape of the ink emission hole 73 a towards the pressurizing chamber forming member 71 is of a diameter along the short axis of approximately 80 μm . therefore , the width c 4 at the site of the ink inlet hole 71 e of the ink pressurizing chamber 71 c is smaller than the main width c 3 of the ink pressurizing chamber 71 c but larger than the opening diameter a 2 towards the ink inlet hole 71 e of the ink emission hole 73 a . on the major surface 71 a of the pressurizing chamber forming member 71 is bonded , by an adhesive , a double - layered vibrating plate 72 for closing the ink pressurizing chamber 71 c and the opening of the dilution liquid pressurizing chamber 71 h . the opening of the ink pressurizing chamber 71 c and that of the dilution liquid pressurizing chamber 71 h mean the opening portions of the ink pressurizing chamber 71 c and the dilution liquid pressurizing chamber 71 h in the major surface 71 a of the pressurizing chamber forming member 71 . the vibrating plate 72 is of a double - layered structure formed by a first vibrating plate 72 x and a second vibrating plate 72 y . the first vibrating plate 72 x is positioned towards the ink pressurizing chamber 71 c and a dilution liquid pressurizing chamber 71 h and is adapted for closing all openings of the ink pressurizing chamber 71 c and the dilution liquid pressurizing chamber 71 h , whilst the second vibrating plate 72 y is shaped similarly to a piezoelectric device 75 formed on the vibrating plate 72 . in this vibrating plate 72 are formed a first through - hole 72 b and a second through - hole 72 c in register with the first connection hole 71 g and a second connection hole 71 l , respectively . in these first and second through - holes 72 b , 72 c are mounted an ink supply duct 78 and a dilution liquid supply duct 79 , respectively , connected to an ink tank and a dilution liquid tank , not shown , respectively . thus , the ink supplied from the ink tank is supplied via ink supply duct 78 and ink buffer tank 71 f to an ink flow duct 71 d and thence to the ink pressurizing chamber 71 c . the dilution liquid supplied form the dilution liquid tank is supplied via a dilution liquid supply duct 79 and a dilution liquid buffer tank 71 k to a dilution liquid flow duct 71 i so as to be charged into the dilution liquid pressurizing chamber 71 h . for the first vibrating plate 72 x of the double - layered vibrating plate 72 , neoflex ( manufactured by mitsui toatsu kagaku kogyo kk ) having a thickness of approximately 50 μm and a glass transition temperature of not higher than 250 ° c . is used , as in the case of the orifice plate 73 . as the first vibrating plate 72 x of the double - layered vibrating plate 72 , a copper plate approximately 15 μm thick , for example , is used . on the major surface of the second vibrating plate 72 y are bonded a first piezoelectric device 76 and a second piezoelectric device 77 via an electrically conductive adhesive 74 . although the vibrating plate 72 of the present embodiment is a double - layered structure comprised of the first and second vibrating plates 72 x , 72 y , the vibrating plate 72 may also be formed as a sole - layer structure or a multi - layered structure of three or more layers . if a driving voltage is applied across the first piezoelectric device 76 in a state shown in fig1 a , the first piezoelectric device 76 is displaced in a direction indicated by arrow a in fig1 b for warping the vibrating plate 72 to decrease the volume of the ink pressurizing chamber 71 c to raise the pressure therein . if a driving voltage is applied across the second piezoelectric device 77 in a state shown in fig1 b , the second piezoelectric device 77 is displaced in a direction indicated by arrow b in fig1 c for warping the vibrating plate 72 to decrease the volume of the dilution liquid pressurizing chamber 71 h to raise the pressure therein . the operation of the ‘ carrier jet ’ printer head 56 is now explained . in the stand - by state , the ink and the dilution liquid , charged into the ink pressurizing chamber 71 c and in the dilution liquid pressurizing chamber 71 h , respectively , produce meniscuses in a stabilized state in the vicinity of the ink emission hole 73 a and the dilution liquid emission hole 73 b , by equilibrium with surface tension , as shown in fig1 a . during ink quantitation , a driving voltage is applied across the first piezoelectric device 76 for displacing the first piezoelectric device in a direction indicated by arrow a in fig1 b . with this displacement of the first piezoelectric device 76 , the vibrating plate 72 is displaced in a direction indicated by arrow a in fig1 b . by this displacement of the vibrating plate 72 , the ink pressurizing chamber 71 c is decreased in pressure so that the pressure therein is increased . since time changes of the driving voltage applied across the first piezoelectric device 76 are moderately set to prevent the ink from flying from the ink emission hole 73 a , the ink is simply extruded without flying from the ink emission hole 73 a . since the driving voltage applied across the first piezoelectric device 76 is set to a value in meeting with the gradation of the picture data , the amount of the ink emitted from the distal end of the ink emission hole 73 a corresponds to picture data . the ink extruded from the ink emission hole 73 a is contacted and mixed with the dilution liquid forming the meniscus in the vicinity of the distal end of the dilution liquid emission hole 73 b . during ink emission , a driving voltage is applied across the second piezoelectric device 77 for displacing the first piezoelectric device in a direction indicated by arrow b in fig1 c . with this displacement of the first piezoelectric device 76 , the vibrating plate 72 is displaced in a direction indicated by arrow b in fig1 c . by this displacement of the vibrating plate 72 , the dilution liquid pressurizing chamber 71 h is decreased in pressure so that the pressure therein is increased . this emits the mixed solution having an ink concentration in meeting with the picture data from the dilution liquid emission hole 73 b . it is noted that time changes of the driving voltage applied across the second piezoelectric device 77 are set to permit the mixed solution to be emitted via the dilution liquid emission hole 73 b . referring to fig1 to 21 , the manufacturing method for the ‘ carrier jet ’ printer head 56 is hereinafter explained . referring first to fig1 a , a resist 83 of , for example , a photosensitive dry film or a liquid resist , is coated on one of the major surfaces 82 a of a metal member 82 of , for example , stainless steel , approximately 0 . 1 mm thick . then , pattern light exposure is carried out using a mask having a pattern corresponding to the ink pressurizing chamber 71 c , first connection hole 71 g , dilution liquid pressurizing chamber 71 h and to the second connection hole 71 l , at the same time as a resist 84 such as a photosensitive dry film or a liquid resist material , is coated on the opposite side major surface 82 b of the metal member 82 . then , pattern light exposure is carried out using a mask having a pattern corresponding to the ink inlet hole 71 e , ink buffer tank 71 f , dilution liquid inlet duct 71 j , dilution liquid flow duct 71 i and the dilution liquid buffer tank 71 k . then , as shown in fig1 b , the metal member 82 is etched by dipping for a pre - set time in an etching solution composed of , for example , an aqueous solution of ferric chloride , using , as masks , a resist 83 patterned in meeting with the ink pressurizing chamber 71 c , first connection hole 71 g , dilution liquid pressurizing chamber 71 h and the second connection hole 71 l , and a resist 84 patterned in meeting with the ink inlet hole 71 e , ink flow duct 71 d , ink buffer tank 71 f , dilution liquid inlet duct 71 j , dilution liquid flow duct 71 i and to the dilution liquid buffer tank 71 k , for forming the ink pressurizing chamber 71 c , first connection hole 71 g , dilution liquid pressurizing chamber 71 h and the second connection hole 71 l on the major surface 82 a of the metal member 82 . on the opposite side major surface 82 are formed the ink inlet hole 71 e , ink flow duct 71 d , ink buffer tank 71 f , dilution liquid inlet duct 71 j , dilution liquid flow duct 71 i and the dilution liquid buffer tank 71 k . this completes the above - mentioned pressurizing chamber forming member 71 . the amounts of etching from the major surface 82 a and the opposite side major surface 82 b of the metal member 82 are both set so as to be slightly larger than approximately one - half the thickness of the metal member 82 . since the thickness of the metal member 82 is set in the present embodiment to 0 . 1 mm , the etching amount from a side of the metal member 82 is set to approximately 0 . 0055 mm . by setting the etching amount to this value , the ink pressurizing chamber 71 c , first connection hole 71 g , ink inlet hole 71 e , ink flow duct 71 d , ink buffer tank 71 f , dilution liquid pressurizing chamber 71 h , second connection hole 71 l , dilution liquid inlet duct 71 j , dilution liquid flow duct 71 i and the dilution liquid buffer tank 71 k can e improved in dimensional accuracy and can be manufactured in stability . moreover , the etching amount from the major surface 82 a of the metal member 82 is the same as that from the opposite side major surface 82 b , the etching condition used for forming the ink pressurizing chamber 71 c , the connection hole 71 g , dilution liquid pressurizing chamber 71 h and the second connection hole 71 l on the major surface 82 a of the metal member 82 may be substantially equated to that used for forming the ink inlet duct 71 e , ink flow duct 71 d , ink buffer tank 71 f , dilution liquid inlet duct 71 j , dilution liquid flow duct 71 i and the dilution liquid buffer tank 71 k on the opposite side major surface 82 b of the metal member 82 , thus enabling the etching process to be completed easily in a shorter time . it is noted that the widths of the ink inlet duct 71 e and the dilution liquid inlet duct 71 j are set so as to be larger than the diameter of the ink emission hole 73 a and the dilution liquid emission hole 73 b so that pressure rise in the in - k pressurizing chamber 71 c and in the dilution liquid pressurizing chamber 71 h is not affected by pressure applied across the ink pressurizing chamber 71 c and the dilution liquid pressurizing chamber 71 h . moreover , the width of the ink inlet duct 71 e is set so as to be approximately equal to the width at the forming position of the ink inlet duct 71 e of the ink pressurizing chamber 71 c but smaller than the main width of the ink pressurizing chamber 71 c , while the width of the dilution liquid inlet duct 71 j is set so as to be approximately equal to the width at the forming position of the dilution liquid inlet duct 71 j of the dilution liquid pressurizing chamber 71 h but smaller than the main width of the dilution liquid pressurizing chamber 71 h . the widths of the ink inlet duct 71 e and the dilution liquid inlet duct 71 j are preferably not larger than 2 . 5 times the plate thickness . if the widths of the ink inlet hole 71 e and the dilution liquid inlet duct 71 j are of the same order as the plate thickness , shape errors tend to be produced during manufacturing processes . therefore , the widths are preferably not less than the plate thickness from the viewpoint of the manufacturing processes . in the present embodiment , the widths of the ink inlet hole 71 e and the dilution liquid inlet duct 71 j are of the order of 0 . 2 mm which is approximately twice the plate thickness . then , the resists 83 , 84 are removed , as shown in fig1 c . if , in this case , dry resist films are used as the resists 83 , 84 , an aqueous solution of sodium hydroxide with a concentration of not higher than 5 % of sodium hydroxide is used as a removing agent . if liquid resist films are used as the resists 83 , 84 , a dedicated alkaline solution is used as a remover . after removing the resists 83 , 84 , a resin material 85 of , for example neoflex ( manufactured by mitsui toatsu kagaku kogyo kk ) having a thickness of approximately 50 μm and a glass transition temperature of not higher than 250 ° c . is bonded by thermal pressure bonding to the opposite side major surface 71 b of the ink pressurizing chamber forming member 71 . this thermal pressure bonding is effected by applying a pressure of the order of 20 to 30 kgf / cm 2 at a press - working temperature of 230 ° c . by setting the condition for thermal pressure bonding in this manner , the bonding strength between the ink pressurizing chamber forming member 71 and the resin material 85 can be increased , while these can be bonded together efficiently . also , since the ink emission hole 73 a or the dilution liquid emission hole 73 b is not formed in this case in the resin material 85 , the bonding step in the process of bonding the resin material 85 to the ink pressurizing chamber forming member 71 can be performed easily to the extent that highly accurate position matching is not required . moreover , since the resin material 85 is bonded to the ink pressurizing chamber forming member 71 without using an adhesive , there is raised no problem of the adhesive stopping up the ink flow duct 71 d or the dilution liquid flow duct 71 i . the liquid repellant film 67 is then formed on the surface of the resin material 85 facing the ink pressurizing chamber forming member 71 . the liquid repellant film 67 is preferably formed of a material which repels the ink and which produces no ink remaining affixed in the vicinity of the ink emission hole while producing no burrs without causing ink film delamination in case the ink emission hole 33 a is formed by excimer laser . such material may be typified by the fluorine resin dispersed in a polyimide material ( such as modified eep material sold under the trade name of 958 - 207 by dupont ; a polyimide based material having a hygroscopicity of 0 . 4 % or less , such as polyimide based overcoat ink sold under the trade name of epicoat fs - 100l and fp - 100 by ube kosan ; and liquid - repellant polybenzoimidazole , such as coating type polybenzoimidazole material sold under the trade name of npbi by hoechist ag . the resin material 85 is then irradiated perpendicularly with an excimer laser beam , from the side of the major surface 71 a of the ink pressurizing chamber forming member 71 , via the dilution liquid pressurizing chamber 71 h and the dilution liquid inlet duct 71 j , for forming the dilution liquid emission hole 73 b in the resin material 85 , as shown in fig1 e . also , the resin material 85 is irradiated perpendicularly with an excimer laser beam , from the side of the major surface 71 a of the ink pressurizing chamber forming member 71 , via the ink pressurizing chamber 71 c and the ink inlet duct 71 e , for forming the ink emission hole 73 a in the resin material 85 this gives the above - mentioned orifice plate 33 . since the orifice plate 33 is formed of the resin material 85 , the ink emission hole 73 a and the dilution liquid emission hole 73 b can be formed easily . the liquid repellant film 67 is formed of a material having excellent excimer laser working characteristics , the ink emission hole 73 a and the dilution liquid emission hole 73 b can be formed easily . moreover , since the ink inlet duct 71 e and the dilution liquid inlet duct 71 j are larger in diameter than the ink emission hole 73 a and the dilution liquid emission hole 73 b , position matching between the resin material 85 and the ink pressurizing chamber forming member 71 during laser working need not be strict , while it becomes possible to evade the risk of the light beam being shielded during laser working by the ink pressurizing chamber forming member 71 . then , a piezoelectric material 75 about 30 μm thick is bonded to the major surface of the second vibrating plate 72 y of the double - layered vibrating plate 72 via an electrically conductive adhesive 74 , as shown in fig1 a . in this case , a pressure of the order of 20 to 30 kgf / cm 2 is preferably used for bonding in order to reduce the thickness of the electrically conductive adhesive to as small a value as possible . this stabilizes the electrical resistance of the junction portion between the piezoelectric material 75 and the vibrating plate 72 while assuring stable adhesion in view of strength . on both sides of the piezoelectric material 43 is formed an electrically conductive film of , for example copper - nickel alloys , approximately 0 . 2 μm thick , for assuring electrical connection , by a thin - film forming method , such as sputtering . as the electrically conductive adhesive 74 , an epoxy - based adhesive cured at room temperature , admixed with electrically conductive materials , such as carbon particles , for example , is used . then , resist materials 202 , 203 , shaped similarly to the ink pressurizing chamber 71 c and the dilution liquid pressurizing chamber 71 h , are formed on the piezoelectric material 75 , as shown in fig1 b . as these resist materials 202 , 203 , a resist for sandblasting , such as bf - 405 or bf - 403 ( trade names ) sold by tokyo oka , or a powder beam etching resist , may be used . by using these resist materials , the resolution of the order of 50 μm in terms of the minimum line width may be realized . then , using a sand - blasting device or a powder beam etching device , a solid - gaseous two - phase jet stream containing diamond particles 5 to 30 μm in size is sprayed onto the piezoelectric material 75 carrying the resist materials 202 , 203 for processing the piezoelectric material 75 to a shape corresponding to that of the resist materials 202 , 203 to produce first and second piezoelectric device 76 , 77 , as shown in fig1 c . by using fine diamond particles of the order of 5 to 30 μm , a value of 8 to 9 can be realized as the value of processing speed ratio to the copper material making up the second vibrating plate 32 y of the piezoelectric materials 76 , 77 which later become the first and second piezoelectric device 76 , 77 . that is , the processing speed for the piezoelectric material is 8 to 9 times faster than that for the cop - per material . the result is that , in the processing process of the piezoelectric devices 76 , 77 shown in fig1 c , the processing area can be limited to the copper material making up the second vibrating plate 72 y . the vibrating plate 72 , carrying the first and second piezoelectric devices 76 , 77 , is immersed in a ferric chloride solution , or a shower of the ferric chloride solution is sprayed onto the vibrating plate 72 carrying the piezoelectric devices 76 , 77 , for removing the portion of the second vibrating plate 72 y not carrying the piezoelectric devices 76 , 77 since the first vibrating plate 72 x is formed of a polyimide or titanium material , and hence is not attacked during the removal process by the aqueous solution of ferric chloride as the etching solution for the second vibrating plate 72 y , only the second vibrating plate 72 y is removed , as shown in fig1 d . the resist materials 202 , 203 , left on the piezoelectric devices 76 , 77 , are then removed , using a dedicated removing solution , as shown in fig1 e . although the above explanation has been made of removing the second vibrating plate 72 y , using , as a mask , the resist materials 202 , 203 , used for forming the piezoelectric devices 76 , 77 , it is also possible to remove the resists 202 , 203 before the step of removing the second vibrating plate 72 y , as shown in fig2 a , and to remove the second vibrating plate subsequently , using the piezoelectric devices 76 , 77 as a mask , as shown in fig2 b . if the second vibrating plate 72 y is removed using the resist material 201 as a mask , the electrode material formed on each side of the first and second piezoelectric devices 76 , 77 can be protected more reliably , whereas , if the second vibrating plate 72 y is removed after removal of the resist materials 202 , 203 , using the first and second piezoelectric devices 76 , 77 as a mask , the etching can be improved in precision because the aqueous solution of ferric chloride as the etching solution for the second vibrating plate 72 y can penetrate into the inside of a narrow groove more promptly . although the foregoing description has been made of using the double layer structure for the vibrating plate 32 comprised of the first and second vibrating plates 72 x and 72 y and removing the second vibrating plate 72 y , at least one layer towards the first and second piezoelectric devices 76 , 77 is etched off if the vibrating plate 72 is of the multi - layered structure composed of three or more layers . next , the ink pressurizing chamber forming member 71 carrying the orifice plate 73 is bonded to the vibrating plate 72 carrying the first and second piezoelectric devices 76 , 77 , as shown in fig2 a . an epoxy - based adhesive may be used as an adhesive . if the polyimide material of neoflex is used as the material for the first vibrating plate 72 x , bonding may be achieved , without using the adhesive , by using a hot - press working process at a temperature of 220 to 230 ° c . under a pressure of 20 to 30 kgf / cm 2 , by exploiting the adhesive properties of the polyimide material , thereby improving resistance against chemicals . if a titanium material is used for the first vibrating plate 72 x , which is used as an actuator for the printer , its resonance frequency can be raised for increasing the ink emission speed . an ink supply duct 78 is then bonded to the site of the through - hole 72 b of the vibrating plate 72 , using , for example , an epoxy - based adhesive , as shown in fig2 b . this completes the ‘ carrier jet ’ printer head 56 . the above - described manufacture of the ‘ carrier jet ’ printer head 56 makes it possible to form the first and second piezoelectric devices 76 , 77 to an optional shape inclusive of a linear shape , in contradistinction from the conventional practice in which the shape of the piezoelectric device is necessarily linear . the separation between neighboring piezoelectric devices 76 , 77 can be set easily to 100 μm or less . this renders it possible to reduce the nozzle pitch in the printer device . moreover , in the conventional manufacturing method , abrasion to the tool needs to be taken into account in designing . in the manufacturing method of the present embodiment , there is no necessity of taking the abrasion of the blade into account , thus realizing a designing which places more emphasis on the ink emission performance . also , in the manufacturing method of the printer device of the present embodiment , substantially the entire surface of the piezoelectric material 75 bonded to the vibrating plate 72 can be split simultaneously , thus significantly reducing the processing time . other embodiment in the above - described first embodiment , the method has been described in which the vibrating plate 32 carrying the piezoelectric device 35 is bonded to the pressurizing chamber forming member 31 carrying the orifice plate 33 to manufacture the ink jet print head 7 . this invention , however , is not limited to this configuration . for example , it is also possible to bond the vibrating plate 32 to the pressurizing chamber forming member 31 carrying the orifice plate 33 and subsequently to form the piezoelectric device 35 on this vibrating plate 32 , as shown in fig2 . that is , a vibrating plate 32 and a piezoelectric material 43 of a dual - layer structure are bonded to the major surface 31 a of the pressurizing chamber forming member 31 carrying the orifice plate 33 , as shown in fig2 a . then , a pattern is formed on the resist material 201 on the piezoelectric material 43 , as shown in fig2 b . then , using this resist material 201 as a mask , a piezoelectric device 35 shaped similarly to the resist material 201 is formed by powder beam etching or sandblasting , at the same time as the second vibrating plate 32 y is removed by an etching process employing an aqueous solution of ferric chloride . after formation of the piezoelectric device 35 and the second vibrating plate 32 y to the desired shape , the ink supply duct 36 is bonded at the site of the through - hole 32 b in the first vibrating plate 32 x . as in the first embodiment , the delamination process for the resist material 201 may be executed before or after the etching process employing an aqueous solution of ferric chloride . the method for bonding the vibrating plate 32 to the pressurizing chamber forming member 31 and the method for bonding the vibrating plate 32 to the piezoelectric device 35 may be the same as those used in the first embodiment . the method for bonding the vibrating plate 32 to the pressurizing chamber forming member 31 may precede the method for bonding the vibrating plate 32 to the piezoelectric device 35 or vice versa . with the above - described method , position matching accuracy can be improved because the position matching accuracy for the piezoelectric device 35 is equivalent to the patterning precision for the resist material 201 . this method can be used for manufacturing the ‘ carrier jet ’ printer device 50 , explained by way of the second embodiment , with similar effects . in the above - described first embodiment , the vibrating plate 32 is substantially of the same size as the pressurizing chamber forming member 31 , and the through - hole 32 b is formed in the vibrating plate 32 for connection to the ink supply duct 36 . however , the present invention is not limited to this embodiment , such that similar effects can be obtained even if the vibrating plate 32 is smaller than the pressurizing chamber forming member 31 provided that the vibrating plate 32 is at least just large enough to cover the ink pressurizing chamber 31 c . that is , the ink jet print head 7 may be configured so that the vibrating plate 32 is not present around the connection hole 31 g provided in the pressurizing chamber forming member 31 . since the through - hole 32 b formed in the ink jet print head 7 of the first embodiment need not be provided in the present ink jet print head 7 , the step of punching the vibrating plate 32 can be omitted , while the bonding area between the vibrating plate 32 and the pressurizing chamber forming member 32 v can also be reduced . moreover , if the piezoelectric device 35 is formed after bonding the vibrating plate 32 to the pressurizing chamber forming member 31 as described above , the position matching reference can be directly provided in the pressurizing chamber forming member 31 , thus further improving position matching accuracy . meanwhile , this method can be applied to the manufacturing method for the ‘ carrier jet ’ printer device 50 , explained by way of the second embodiment , thus realizing similar effects . in the above - described first embodiment , the orifice plate 33 formed of neoflex having a glass transition temperature of not higher than 250 ° c . however , the present invention is again not limited to this configuration . that is , the effects similar to those realized with the above - described first embodiment can be realized using an orifice plate 91 shown in fig2 in place of the orifice plate 33 used in the first embodiment . this orifice plate 91 is made up of a first resin material 92 of capton ( manufactured by du pont ) having a thickness of approximately 125 μm and a glass transition temperature of not higher than 250 ° c . and a second resin material 93 of neoflex having a thickness of approximately 7 μm and a glass transition temperature of not higher than 250 ° c . the second resin material 93 of neoflex is coated on one of the major surfaces of the first resin material 92 . if this orifice plate 91 is used , an ink emission hole 33 a communicating with the ink inlet duct 31 e is formed in the orifice plate 91 . since the orifice plate 91 is thicker than the orifice plate 33 used in the first embodiment , a higher strength can be achieved than if the orifice plate 33 is used . moreover , since the ink emission hole 33 a can be increased in length , the emitted ink liquid droplets can be improved in direction characteristics . although the above - described second embodiment refers to a case of using an orifice plate 73 of neoflex having the glass transition temperature not higher than 250 ° c ., the present invention is not limited to this configuration . that is , the effects similar to those realized with the above - described first embodiment can be realized using an orifice plate 91 shown in fig2 in place of the orifice plate 73 used in the second embodiment . in particular , if the orifice plate 91 is used in the ‘ carrier jet ’ printer head 56 , a certain allowance may be endowed to the angle of inclination of the ink emission hole 73 a , while the separation between the ink pressurizing chamber 71 c and the dilution liquid pressurizing chamber 71 h can be easily enlarged thus assuring positive prevention of ink leakage and leakage of the dilution liquid . in this case , the ink emission hole 73 a an the dilution liquid emission hole 73 b communicating with the ink inlet hole 71 e and with the dilution liquid inlet duct 71 j , respectively , are formed in the orifice plate 91 . in the above - described first and second embodiments , the present invention is applied to the serial type ‘ carrier jet ’ printers 1 and 50 . however , the present invention is not limited to this configuration . for example , the present invention can be applied to a line type printer device 120 shown in fig2 or to a drum rotation type printer device 130 shown in fig2 . in fig2 and 26 , parts or components similar to those of the serial type ‘ carrier jet ’ printer device 1 shown in fig2 are denoted by the same reference numerals . in the line type printer device 120 , a line head 121 comprised of a linear array of a large number of printer heads is mounted stationarily for extending in the axial direction . this line type printer device 120 is configured for simultaneously printing one row of letters by the line head 121 and for rotating the drum by one row of letters on completion of letter printing for a given row of letters to proceed to the letter printing of the next row . there may be contemplated such a method in which all lines are printed collectively or divided in plural blocks , or printing is made every other row . in the drum rotation type printer device 130 , the ink is emitted from the print head 6 in synchronism with drum rotation to emit the ink from the print head 6 to generate an image on the printing paper sheet 4 . when the drum 2 completes one revolution to complete one row of letters on the printing paper sheet 4 in the circumferential direction , the feed screw 5 is rotated about its axis to move the printer head 6 by one pitch to proceed to next printing . in this case , the drum 2 and the feed screw 5 can be rotated simultaneously to move the printer head 6 slowly simultaneously with printing . if the printer head is a multi - ink - emission - hole type head , or the same place is printed repeatedly , printing is made spirally whist the drum 2 and the feed screw 5 are rotated simultaneously in operative association with each other . in the above - described first and second embodiments , the ink pressurizing chamber forming member 31 and the pressurizing chamber forming member 71 are fabricated using metal members 38 , 82 of , for example , stainless steel , approximately 0 . 1 mm in thickness . the present invention , however , is not limited to this configuration because various other numerical figures may be used as the thicknesses of the metal members 38 , 82 . since various chambers and holes in the ink pressurizing chamber forming member 31 and the pressurizing chamber forming member 71 are formed by etching , as described above , the thicknesses of the metal members 38 , 82 are desirably set to not less than 0 . 07 mm . by setting the thicknesses of the metal members 38 , 82 to not less than 0 . 07 mm , sufficient strength may be afforded to the metal members 38 , 82 to enable the pressure increase in the ink pressurizing chambers 31 c or 71 c or in the dilution liquid pressurizing chamber 71 h . in the above - described embodiments , the orifice plates 33 , 73 are thermally pressure - bonded to the ink pressurizing chambers 31 c , 71 c at a press - working temperature of approximately 230 ° c . under a pressure of 20 to 30 kgf / cm 2 the present invention , however , is not limited to this configuration , such that various other numerical values may be used for thermally pressure bonding the orifice plates 33 , 73 to the ink pressurizing chambers 31 , 71 insofar as sufficient adhesion strength is assured . in the above - described first and second embodiments , the excimer laser is used for forming the ink emission hole 33 a in the resin material 41 and for forming the ink emission hole 73 a and the dilution liquid emission hole 73 b in the resin material 85 . the present invention , however , is not limited to this configuration because various other lasers , such as carbonic gas laser , may be used to form the ink emission hole 33 a , ink emission hole 73 a and the dilution liquid emission hole 73 b . in the above - described first and second embodiments , the ink pressurizing chamber 31 c and the ink pressurizing chamber 71 c are used as ink chambers in which the ink is charged to set a pre - set pressure . the present invention , however , is not limited to this configuration such that various other ink chambers may be used . in the above - described first and second embodiments , the ink flow duct 31 d and the ink flow duct 71 d are used as ink flow ducts formed obliquely to the arraying direction of the ink chambers and adapted for supplying the ink supplied from the ink supply source to the ink chambers . the present invention , however , is not limited to this configuration such that various other ink flow ducts may be used . also , in the above - described first and second embodiments , the ink emission hole 33 a and the ink emission hole 73 a are used as the ink emission holes for emitting the ink from the ink chambers onto the recording medium when the pressure is applied to the respective ink flow ducts . the present invention , however , is not limited to this configuration such that various other ink emission holes may be used . in the above - described second embodiment , the dilution liquid pressurizing chamber 71 h is used as a dilution liquid pressurizing chamber into which is charged and pressurized the dilution liquid which is mixed with the ink during emission . the present invention , however , is not limited to this configuration such that various other dilution liquid chambers may be used . in the above - described second embodiment , the dilution liquid flow duct 71 i is used as the dilution liquid flow duct formed at an angle relative to the arraying direction of the dilution liquid chamber and which is adapted for supplying the dilution liquid supplied from the dilution liquid supply source to the respective dilution liquid chambers . the present invention , however , is not limited to this configuration such that various other dilution liquid flow ducts may be used . in the above - described second embodiment , the dilution liquid emission hole 73 b is used as the dilution liquid emission hole via which the dilution liquid supplied from the dilution liquid chambers is emitted to the recording medium when the pressure is applied to the respective dilution liquid flow ducts . the present invention , however , is not limited to this configuration such that various other dilution liquid emission holes may be used . in the above - described second embodiment , the ink pressurizing chamber forming member 31 and the pressurizing chamber forming member 71 are used as metal plates in which the ink chambers and ink ducts are formed by punching . the present invention , however , is not limited to this configuration such that various other dilution metal plates formed with the ink chambers and ink ducts may be used . in the above - described second embodiment , the orifice plates 33 , 73 are used as the plate - shaped resin members formed with ink emission holes . the present invention , however , is not limited to this configuration such that various other dilution liquid emission holes may be used . in the above - described second embodiment , the orifice plates 33 , 73 formed of neoflex having a thickness of approximately 50 μm and the glass transition temperature of not higher than 250 ° c . are used as the resin members having the glass transition temperature of not higher than 250 ° c . the present invention , however , is not limited to this configuration such that various other resin members may be used if the glass transition temperature thereof is not higher than 250 ° c . in the above - described second embodiment , the orifice plate 91 is used as the layered resin material comprised of a first resin material with the glass transition temperature of not lower than 250 ° c . and a second resin material with the glass transition temperature of not higher than 250 ° c . the present invention , however , is not limited to this configuration since various other resin members may be used as the layered resin material comprised of the first resin material with the glass transition temperature of not lower than 250 ° c . and the second resin material with the glass transition temperature of not higher than 250 ° c . also , in the above - described first and second embodiments , the ink buffer tank 31 f and the ink buffer tank 71 f are used as ink delivery means for delivering the ink supplied from the ink supply source . the present invention , however , is not limited to this configuration since various other ink delivery means may be used . further , in the above - described first and second embodiments , the ink buffer tank 71 f is used as dilution liquid delivery means for delivering the dilution liquid supplied from the dilution liquid supply means for mixing with the ink at the time of emission . the present invention , however , is not limited to this configuration since various other dilution liquid delivery means may be used .

US-14123402-A

the invention is a thermal recycling system for converting lower quality thermal sources into higher quality thermal sources . in one embodiment , at least one photonic crystal radiator is combined with at least one substantially different radiator within a low loss thermal recycling cavity . thermal recycling is based on the use of spectrum , polarization and temporal restrictions . these systems can be used in cooling , heating , and energy production .

fig1 depicts a recycling optical cavity containing reflective light emitting diodes 2 contained within a low absorption cavity 3 and an output aperture 1 . if the emitting area of the light emitting diodes 2 is larger than the area of the output aperture 1 and the losses within the cavity are low enough , the watts per unit area at the output aperture 1 will be higher than the watts per unit area of the light emitting diodes 2 outside the cavity . this effect is presently used to enhance brightness for projection and other low etendue sources and is described in greater detail in u . s . pat . nos . 6 , 869 , 206 and 6 , 960 , 872 , commonly assigned as the present application and herein incorporated by reference . fig2 depicts light rays 4 and 5 within the cavity . ray tracing is used as an illustration tool to describe the basic principles of this invention . the validity of ray tracing to describe optical systems is well documented . in addition , heisenberg uncertainty principles are already used in commercial ray tracing algorithms to accurately predict wave based effects such as edge diffraction from companies such as lambda research . the intent of the invention is to disclose recycling system which can be used to enhance low quality thermal systems based on the theory previously discussed . fig3 depicts an optical path length histogram of rays within a recycling cavity . in an ideal cavity with no losses , the average optical length can be directly related to average optical path length 6 of this histogram . the optical path length is directly related to the time constant of the optical system . the use of recycling cavities to temporally broaden laser pulses is well documented and commercially available . by increasing the time constant of the optical system ( e . g . increasing uncertainty of δt ), the energy density elsewhere within the optical system can be increased ( e . g . decreased uncertainty of se ). this invention relates to creating thermal recycling systems which take advantage of these effects . in the case of optical recycling cavities containing reflective leds , broadening the average optical path length within the cavity enables the brightness / radiance of the output aperture to be increased by factors of 2 or more . by definition , the flux density in watts per unit area is also increased by factors of 2 or more relative to the emitting sources outside the recycling cavity . fundamental to the success of this approach is elimination of losses within the cavity and at the sources . in the case of optical recycling cavities the sources exhibit very low absorption losses to the wavelengths of light emitted , while the aperture exhibits very high absorption to the wavelengths of light emitted . in addition the cavity itself and air within the cavity absorb very little of the light emitted . in order for this effect to be used with thermal sources , low loss recycling systems must be created . fig4 depicts the various losses imposed by the ambient environment . due to the broad nature of typical blackbody radiation , absorption losses are difficult to minimize in thermal recycling systems . typically low quality thermal sources will radiate between 1 micron and 10000 microns of wavelength . the classic planckian curve is illustrated in fig4 . it should be noted that , between 10 microns and 1000 microns , there is very strong absorption within our atmosphere . these absorption losses limit the efficiency of any recycling cavity . in addition , no one naturally occurring material exists which does not absorb over a significant portion of the wavelength range of a typical blackbody radiator . also shown in fig4 are the transmission spectrum of csi which is transparent between 0 . 1 microns and 40 microns and teflon which exhibits low absorption losses between 1000 microns and audio frequencies . in both cases , absorption loss within the region between 10 s of microns and 1000 microns ( which also coincides with the majority of the power emitted by a typical blackbody ) becomes the determining factor in the efficiency of any recycling system . these absorption losses can be overcome using the techniques disclosed in this invention . fig5 depicts a blackbody radiation spectrum which has been modified through the use of a photonic bandgap structure . blackbody thermal radiators emit over a wide spectral range , as stated earlier most materials absorb in a significant percentage of this spectral range , including air . as known in the art , photonic bandgap structures can be used to restrict the emission spectra of thermal sources . as shown in fig5 , excluded wavelengths 7 are not allowed based on the structure of the emitting surface . this effect was used to enhance the efficiency of emission in the visible spectrum for incandescent sources based on the work out of sandia labs . in this invention , restriction of the wavelength range permits the creation of a non - blackbody radiator . the use of this type of emitter in a thermal recycling cavity is disclosed . in general , any thermal emitter which restricts the spectral range of emission may be used in this invention , including but not limited to layered materials , metal flakes in a matrix , polarization films , and surfaces with large thermal gradients . alternately , from a theoretical standpoint , the restriction of the emission wavelength leads to a decrease in the uncertainty of the wavelength range of the surface . since wavelength is inversely proportionate to time , decreasing the uncertainty of the wavelength range of a source can be used to decrease the uncertainty of energy being present at another surface within the optical system . so from both a practical and theoretical standpoint , non - blackbody radiators can be used to create enhancement of thermal sources . restriction of wavelength , polarization , and temporal emission are all embodiments of this invention . fig6 depicts a basic thermal recycling cavity of the present invention . a larger area non - blackbody surface 8 is coupled to a smaller highly absorbing surface 10 via a low loss media 9 . in these systems it is important that losses are minimized as such vacuum is a preferred low loss media 9 . the use of photonic band gap structures for either non - blackbody surface 8 and / or highly absorbing surface 10 is a preferred embodiment . however , any means which modifies the absorptivity and emissivity relationship of either non - blackbody surface 8 and / or highly absorbing surface 10 can be used including , but not limited to , metal flakes in a matrix , surfaces with large thermal gradients , and layered materials . the intent is to create a substantial difference in the radiative characteristics of highly absorbing surface 10 and non - blackbody surface 8 such that localization of energy can occur . spectral range , polarization state , and / or temporal changes can all be used to create substantially dissimilar radiative characteristics for surfaces 8 and 10 . as an example , restricting emission to a specific polarization state using carbon nanowire radiators for surface 8 would enable enhancement energy at surface 10 . fig7 depicts a thermal recycling cavity with an outer surface 11 and an inner surface 12 which exhibit substantially different radiative properties . in this embodiment , a input fluid 13 including , but not limited to , liquids , gases and solids are heated by inner surface 12 to a higher temperature such that exiting fluid 14 is hotter than input fluid 13 . the selection of substantially different radiative properties and area ratios for outer surface 11 and inner surface 12 is determined by the ambient environment to which outer surface 11 is exposed and the desired temperature of inner surface 12 . as an example , if heated air at 150 degrees c . from a geothermal source is used to define the ambient environment for outer surface 11 the radiative properties of both outer surface 11 and inner surface 12 might be different than if the ambient environment were determined by 60 degrees c . cooling water from nuclear reactor . fig8 depicts a thermal recycling cavity in which inner surface 18 is also a thermoelectric element which directly converts the temperature gradient created with thermal recycling cavity into electricity . outer surface 17 again is designed to localize energy density on inner surface 18 but in this case the resulting temperature difference is used to create a temperature gradient across a thermoelectric element 18 . electrons would flow via contacts 15 and 16 . alternately contacts 15 and 16 may also be used as thermal connections for inner surface 18 to ambient environment to which outer surface 17 is exposed such that a temperature gradient is created within the thermoelectric element . fig9 depicts how a thermal recycling cavity 21 can be used within a plenum 20 containing a flowing media 19 . in this embodiment , input fluid 22 experience multiple stages of enhancement from a single ambient environment . each stage may or may not be the same thermal recycling cavity design depending on the desired state of output fluid 23 . fig1 depicts a micro thermal recycling cavity for mobile applications for the replacement of batteries . in this case outer surface 23 is exposed to body heat and room ambient temperature and inner surfaces 24 are thermoelectric elements which directly convert the generated temperature gradient into electricity . the use of thermal recycling sources to eliminate batteries is preferred embodiment of this invention . fig1 depicts a distributed power source 25 for residential applications containing thermal recycling cavity sources . the use of thermal recycling sources to provide electricity and hot water 26 to residential applications is a preferred embodiment of this invention . while the invention has been described with the inclusion of specific embodiments and examples , it is evident to those skilled in the art that many alternatives , modifications and variations will be evident in light of the foregoing descriptions . accordingly , the invention is intended to embrace all such alternatives , modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims .

US-80447510-A

a telescopic actuator has a lead screw and one or more concentric or tiered screws . each screw has one or more tangential interference stop features such as stop cogs . as the lead screw is rotated , it translates out of the concentric screws . as the lead screw reaches its maximum extension , a tangential interference stop feature on the lead screw tangentially contacts a tangential interference stop feature on the concentric screw with which the lead screw is threadably engaged . upon tangential contact , the associated concentric screw rotates in unison with the lead screw . when there are additional concentric screws , as each concentric screw reaches its maximum extension , the system of tangential contacting of tangential interference stop features causes the other concentric screws to extend out in sequential fashion .

the present invention is a telescopic actuator , a preferred embodiment of which is illustrated in fig1 . referring to fig1 the telescopic actuator 10 of the present invention has housing 20 . housing 20 is telescopic in nature , and in the embodiment illustrated in fig1 has tubular walls 22 , 24 , 26 and 28 . while four housing walls are illustrated in fig1 more could be employed as the need arises . the housing walls 22 , 24 , 26 , and 28 are rotatably keyed to each other , such that each housing segment translates relative to its adjacent segment . a grounding bracket 18 is attached to one end of the actuator 10 to prevent that end of the actuator from turning . also , idler stops 11 a ; 12 a , 12 b and 12 c ; 13 a , 13 b and 13 c ; and 14 b and 14 c are attached to the inner and outer walls of the housing segments to mark the position of minimum compression and maximum extension of the actuator . that is , idler stops 11 a , 12 a , 12 b , 12 c , 13 a , 13 b , 13 c , 14 b and 14 c function as longitudinal limit stops which preserve a limited portion of overlapping sleeved engagement between the housing segments . the housing walls 22 , 24 , 26 and 28 can telescope down to a minimal length equal to the length of the largest housing segment , or telescope out to a maximum length substantially equal to the sum of the lengths of all the housing segments . fig1 shows the actuator 10 substantially extended out to its maximum length . the orientation of housing 20 can be an initial female segment from which successive male segments telescope out of and back into as illustrated in fig1 or an initial male segment from which successive female segments telescope off of and back onto . whether the actuator 10 functions as male to female or female to male depends on which screw segment initiates the turning of the actuator . the housing segments 22 , 24 , 26 and 28 are machined so that they easily slide out of and back into , or off of and back onto , their respective mating segments . contained within housing 20 is telescoping threaded screw 30 . threaded screw 30 consists of threaded tiers or segments 32 , 34 , 36 , and 38 . as with the housing 20 , while four threaded segments are illustrated in fig1 many more segments could be used depending upon the application . the screw segments 32 , 34 , 36 , and 38 can progress from male to female connections as shown in fig1 ( i . e . male screw 32 connecting with female end of screw 34 , male end of screw 34 connecting with female end of screw 36 , and so on ), or from female to male connections . additionally , housing segments that initiate with a male segment and progress and translate outward from within female segments can be combined with a threaded screw that begins with a female segment that translates off male segments . similarly , housing segments that initiate with a female segment and progress and extend off male segments can be combined with a threaded screw that begins with a male segment and progresses out from female segments . ( see fig4 ). moreover , both the housing and screw can initiate with a female segment and telescope off a male segment , or both can start with a male segment and telescope out from a female segment . segments 32 , 34 , 36 , and 38 in fig1 may be threaded along their entire length , or threaded on only a portion of the segment . threading only a portion of a segment saves on machining costs , especially for the interior threads which are more difficult to cut than the threads on the outside diameter of a segment . the actuator 10 will extend to its maximum length with only partial threading if the mating threads that the partial threads engage run the entire length of the segment . therefore , if partially threaded and fully threaded segments are cut in an alternating manner , the actuator can extend to its maximum length . [ 0015 ] fig2 is a longitudinal section of the actuator 10 in a fully collapsed state . specifically , fig2 illustrates threaded screw 32 with threads 52 that form a pitch p 1 . attached to threaded screw 32 is a stop cog 72 . stop cog 72 can be attached at the distal end of screw 32 , or anywhere along the threads 52 . stop cog 72 has longitudinal faces 83 and 84 that are perpendicular to the axis of screw 32 and transverse faces 85 and 86 ( not visible in fig2 ) that are parallel to the axis of screw 32 . placing the stop cog 72 along the mid - point of the screw 32 will shorten the distance that the actuator 10 telescopes . while this will shorten the maximum extension of the actuator 10 , the strength of the extended actuator will be increased because of the double walls formed by the partially extended screw segments . [ 0016 ] fig2 further illustrates threaded screw 34 which contains inner threads 54 a that form pitch p 1 so that threads 52 of screw 32 mate with inner threads 54 a of screw 34 in a male to female connection . screw 34 further contains outer threads 54 b , forming a pitch p 2 . outer threads 54 b form the male connection for inner threads 56 a ( which also form a pitch p 2 ) on the next screw segment 36 . attached to screw 34 are stop cogs 74 a and 74 c which are attached to the interior surface of screw 34 at the proximal and distal ends respectively , and stop cog 74 b which is attached to outer threads 54 b . stop cog 74 a has longitudinal faces 93 and 94 , and transverse faces 95 and 96 ( not visible in fig2 ). stop cog 74 c has longitudinal faces 153 and 154 , and transverse faces 155 and 156 ( not visible in fig2 ). similarly , stop cog 74 b has longitudinal faces 103 and 104 , and transverse faces 105 and 106 ( not visible in fig2 ). screw 36 has exterior threads 56 b , forming a pitch p 3 , which engage with the inner threads 58 a ( also forming pitch p 3 ) of screw 38 . screw 36 also has stop cogs 76 a , 76 b , and 76 c , with longitudinal faces 113 and 114 , 123 and 124 , and 163 and 164 , and transverse faces 115 and 116 ( not visible in fig2 ), 125 and 126 ( not visible in fig2 ), and 165 and 166 ( not visible in fig2 ). screw 38 , the terminal screw segment in this embodiment , has stop cog 78 a with longitudinal faces 133 and 134 , and transverse faces 135 and 136 ( not visible in fig2 ), and stop cog 78 c with longitudinal faces 173 and 174 , and transverse faces 175 and 176 ( not visible in fig2 ). it should be noted that the pitches of the different screw segments may all be equal . alternatively , some screw segments may have different pitches than others . different pitches will not affect the function of the invention as long as the mating pitches are equal . while the embodiment just described has four screw segments 32 , 34 , 36 and 38 , as explained earlier , more threaded segments could be added onto the screw 30 if the need arose . the actuator 10 operates as follows . fig2 shows the actuator 10 in a fully collapsed state . to begin the extension of the actuator , the lead screw 32 is rotated in the direction that will cause it to translate out from the segment 34 that it engages , thereby extending the length of the actuator 10 . while the direction of the rotation depends upon whether the lead screw 32 is left - handed or right - handed , the type of screw thread is not critical to the invention and the invention can work with either . as the lead screw 32 rotates out of the actuator 10 , stop cog 72 , because it is attached to threads 52 , rotates circumferentially with the screw 32 and travels toward stop cog 74 a of screw segment 34 . the actuator is designed so that stop cog 72 contacts stop cog 74 a not on the longitudinal faces 83 and 94 respectively , but on the transverse faces 85 or 86 and 95 or 96 which are parallel to the axis of rotation of the screw 32 . whether transverse face 85 of stop cog 72 contacts transverse face 95 of stop cog 74 a , or transverse face 86 of stop cog 72 contacts transverse face 96 of stop cog 74 a depends on the direction of rotation of the lead screw 32 . in either case , when lead screw 32 is rotated to its maximum extension , stop cog 72 contacts stop cog 74 a . ( see fig3 ). the contact of stops cogs 72 and 74 a is a simple surface to surface contact between transverse face 85 or 86 of stop cog 72 and one of the corresponding transverse faces 95 or 96 of stop cog 74 a that does not require frictional force . this is illustrated in fig1 and 3 wherein stop cog 74 a is shown partially in phantom since it is positioned behind stop cog 72 . this simple surface to surface contact can be described as a tangential interference or a tangential contact . a frictional engagement between longitudinal faces 83 and 94 on the other hand can be referred to as an axial engagement or an interlocking engagement . because frictional force is not involved in the tangential contact , disassociation of transverse and contacting stop cogs during collapse occurs by simple reversal of the screw rotation direction . that is , no unlocking force is required to overcome friction as it would be in an engagement of interlocking longitudinal faces . after stop cog 72 of screw 32 has contacted stop cog 74 a of screw 34 , the continued rotation of lead screw 32 causes screw 34 , which is engaged to screw 32 via threads 52 and threads 54 a , to rotate with screw 32 . as screw 32 and screw 34 rotate together , the outer threads 54 b of screw 34 with pitch p 2 rotate through the inner threads 56 a of screw 36 which has pitch p 2 . as this happens , screw 32 and screw 34 , now rotatably linked via stop cogs 72 and 74 a , extend further out from the collapsed portion of the actuator 10 . screw 34 will continue to rotate and move along the threaded pathway until stop cog 74 b of screw 34 engages stop cog 76 a of screw 36 . ( see fig1 ). at that point , the actuator 10 is now extended to a length that is substantially equal to the length of the screw segments 32 , 34 and 36 . in similar fashion , if the rotation of segments 32 and 34 is continued , screw segment 36 will rotate in unison with segments 32 and 34 , and stop cog 76 b will approach stop cog 78 a of screw segment 38 . when stop cog 78 a engages stop cog 76 b , the actuator will be extended to a maximum length that is substantially equal to the sum of the lengths of segments 32 , 34 , 36 , and 38 . ( see fig1 ). to reverse the process and collapse the actuator 10 , the rotation of the screw segment 32 is reversed , which causes the screw 32 to travel back into ( or onto ) segment 34 until stop cog 72 of screw 32 tangentially engages stop cog 74 c of screw 34 . at that point , further rotational force applied to segment 32 will cause segment 34 to rotate back into segment 36 until stop cog 74 b of screw 34 engages stop cog 76 c of screw 36 . this process is then continued until the actuator 10 has returned to its completely collapsed state . the rotation itself , whether to extend or collapse the actuator 10 , can be initiated and sustained by several methods supplying rotary motion and torque including an electric motor drive or mechanical shaft power . while the invention has been described in its preferred embodiment , it is to be understood that the words used are words of description rather than limitation and that changes may be made within the purview of the appended claims without departing from the true scope and spirit of the invention in its broader aspects .

US-77171604-A

a combustion control method for the rich pulse control of diesel engines with lean no x trap systems includes identifying areas within a diesel engine operating regime in which reduced recirculated exhaust gas and air with increased pre - mixed combustion is effective in providing fuel rich combustion , and a second , lower load , region in which low temperature combustion is particularly desirable .

a typical diesel engine map , representing the load and speed operating range of a diesel engine , is illustrated in fig1 . in accordance with the present invention , a low - load area in which the reduction of excess air combined with increased pre - mixed fuel , as taught by the above - referenced u . s . pat . no . 5 , 732 , 554 , is ineffective in providing rich pulse control , is delimited ( i . e ., the boundaries set ). this area is identified on the engine map of fig1 as the “ low temperature combustion region .” diesel engines typically operate in a lean to very lean combustion mode . therefore , when products of rich combustion are required , for example , for the periodic regeneration of a lean no x trap , actions must be taken to supply a fuel rich exhaust gas . the course of action taken in accordance with the present invention to provide fuel rich combustion is referred to herein as rich pulse control . when rich pulse control is required , the control method in accordance with the present invention , is illustrated in fig4 . on receiving a command to provide rich pulse control , such as after a predetermined length of time of operation or by an appropriate sensor , as indicated at start block 10 , the desired low temperature combustion pulse control region of the engine operating map is delimited , or defined , as indicated at block 16 . the upper boundaries of the low temperature combustion pulse control region is largely a function of engine speed and engine load , initially set at standard temperature and atmospheric conditions using a defined fuel . the low temperature combustion pulse control region set under standard conditions may be modified in response to various sensed conditions , such as the engine coolant temperature at block 18 , the altitude at block 20 , the ambient temperature at block 22 , and fuel properties , including cetane value and aromatic fractions , of the combustion fuel as indicated at block 24 . for example , the low temperature combustion pulse control region of the engine operating regime is increased , i . e ., the engine operating load value raised , in response to a decrease in engine coolant temperature and an increase in altitude , i . e , barometric pressure . in a similar manner , the low temperature combustion control region of the engine operating map is decreased , i . e ., the engine operating load lowered , in response to an increase in ambient temperature or the use of a fuel having a higher cetane value than the fuel used to set the initial map . also , the low temperature combustion control region of the engine operating map is decreased in response to an increase in aromatics fraction . if the sensed coordinates of engine speed n as represented in block 12 , and engine load t as indicated at block 14 , are within the defined low temperature combustion pulse control region of the engine operating map , as indicated at block 26 , the exhaust gas recirculation rate is increased as indicated at block 50 by sending a signal to an exhaust gas recirculation controller , represented by block 30 . also , the volume of intake air is reduced , as indicated at block 52 , by delivering a signal to the intake air controller , represented by block 34 . intake air may be controlled by various well known means such as an intake air throttle or by opening the waste gate or variable nozzle ( on turbocharged engines ), or both . also , a signal is delivered to a fuel injector controller represented by block 38 to increase the main fuel injection volume , as indicated at block 54 , and advance the timing of the main fuel injection , as indicated at block 56 . the respective changes in exhaust gas recirculation rate and intake air , when operating in the low temperature combustion pulse control region of the engine operating map , are shown in the left - hand portion of fig2 . the main injection timing , exhaust gas recirculation rate , and intake air volume providing normal lean combustion prior to implementing rich pulse control , are represented by area 100 . to provide rich pulse control when the engine is operating within the defined low temperature combustion region , the increase in exhaust gas recirculation rate , referenced by block 50 in fig4 , is indicated at area 108 . similarly , the reduction in intake air , referenced by block 52 in fig4 , is indicated by area 110 in fig2 . as shown in fig2 , the timing of the main fuel injection is also advanced , as noted at block 56 in fig4 , concurrently with the described increase in exhaust gas recirculation rate and reduction of intake air volume . turning again to fig4 , if the coordinates of engine load t and engine speed n are outside of the defined low temperature combustion region of the engine operating map , represented by the “ no ” path from decision block 26 , the exhaust gas recirculation rate is decreased as indicated at block 28 by a signal delivered to the exhaust gas recirculation rate controller represented by block 30 . also , the volume of intake air is reduced as indicated at block 32 by way of a signal delivered to the intake air controller represented by block 34 . the main fuel injection volume is increased , i . e ., the injection pressure and / or pulse width increased as indicated at block 36 . increasing the volume of main fuel injection may result solely from an increase in injection pressure as indicated at block 35 , or by solely extending the length of time that the fuel is injected , i . e ., an increase in pulse width , or by a combination of increased injection pressure and extended pulse width . the appropriate increase in injection volume is directed by way of one or more signals sent to the fuel injection controller represented by block 38 . also , the main fuel injection timing is retarded , as indicated at block 40 , by way of a signal to the fuel injection controller . the modification of exhaust gas recirculation rate , intake air volume , and main injection timing for rich pulse control when the engine is operating outside of the defined low temperature combustion region , is illustrated graphically in the right hand portion of fig2 . the exhaust gas recirculation rate , intake air volume , and injection timing prior to implementing rich pulse control are represented by the area 100 . the concurrent delay in injection timing and decrease in exhaust gas recirculation rate , including reduction to 0 , is indicated by the area 102 , whereas decreasing intake air volume is indicated by the area 104 . when the engine load t and engine speed n operating coordinates are outside of the defined low temperature combustion region , it may also be desirable to modify pilot fuel injection to support engine load requirements and maintain combustion stability when rich pulse control is implemented , discussed above in reference to blocks 42 , 44 , and 46 , is illustrated in the left hand portion of fig3 , as shown in fig3 , main injection timing is retarded from the standard operating condition injection timing . combustion is aided by utilizing the heat release of the pilot injected fuel and the resultant produced species . although the present invention is described in terms of a preferred illustrated embodiment , those skilled in the art will recognize that variations in the described embodiment can be made in carrying out the rich pulse control method of the present invention . for example , additional engine and environmental parameters may be sensed and used to set the boundaries of the low temperature combustion pulse control region of the engine operating map . such changes embodying the present invention are intended to fall within the scope of the following claims . other aspects , features and advantages of the present invention may be obtained from a study of this disclosure and the drawings , along with the appended claims .

US-16821605-A

a food tray for holding food and a condiment is formed from a unitary paperboard blank . the food tray has a food compartment and a condiment compartment , and the condiment compartment is deployable from a stowed position overlaying one or more sidewalls of the food compartment to a deployed position for holding condiments . multiple trays can be stacked in a nested fashion when the condiment compartment is stowed .

referring now to the drawings , wherein the showings are for the purpose of illustrating several embodiments of the invention only and not for the purpose of limiting same , fig1 illustrates a food tray 10 that is assembled by folding and gluing a unitary blank 12 of paperboard stock . to facilitate the description of the present invention , the tray will be generally described in a position in which it is normally used by a consumer , that is , with the opening for food at the top and with the bottom wall resting on a flat support surface ( not shown ). referring to fig1 - 6 , tray 10 includes a food compartment 11 and a condiment compartment 13 . food compartment 11 has a pair of opposed first and second sidewalls 18 , 20 , a front wall 22 , a rear wall 24 , and a bottom panel 26 . first sidewall 18 has an upper edge 28 , and is joined with bottom panel 26 along a first fold line 32 . first and second triangular glue flaps 34 , 36 are coextensive and integral with the edges of first sidewall 18 and are connected thereto at a second fold line 38 and a third fold line 40 respectively . second and third fold lines 38 , 40 are outwardly divergent , making first sidewall 18 trapezoidal . second triangular glue flap 36 has a concave upper edge portion 42 which , as will be explained hereinafter , provides access to the condiment compartment movable wall so that that wall can be moved . second sidewall 20 has an upper edge 44 , and is joined with the bottom panel edge along a fourth fold line 48 generally running parallel to first fold line 32 . third and fourth triangular glue flaps 50 , 52 are integral with rear and front edges of second sidewall 20 and are joined to the second sidewall along a fifth fold line 54 and a sixth fold line 56 respectively , which the fold lines are mutually divergent . rear wall 24 is trapezoidal , includes an upper edge 60 , and is joined at its lower edge with the rear edge of the bottom panel along a seventh fold line 62 generally perpendicular to first and fourth fold lines 32 , 48 . rear wall 24 further includes slanted side edges 64 , 66 . front wall 22 has an upper edge 68 , and a bottom edge that meets bottom panel 26 along an eighth fold line 72 generally parallel to seventh fold line 62 . front wall 22 also includes two opposed slanted side edges 74 and 76 and a concave upper edge portion 78 which overlays the concave edge portion 42 of second triangular glue flap 36 when condiment compartment 13 is in a stowed position . condiment compartment 13 , which is more specifically defined as the area between first and second triangular walls 80 and 82 , a portion of first sidewall 18 , and a portion of front wall 22 , and which is integral with the food compartment , includes a first triangular wall 80 , a second triangular wall 82 joined and coextensive with first triangular wall 80 along a ninth fold line 90 , a first condiment compartment glue flap 84 joined and integral with first triangular wall 80 along a tenth fold line 88 , and a second condiment compartment glue flap 86 integral and coextensive with second triangular wall 82 along an eleventh fold line 92 . first glue flap 84 is joined and integral with upper edge 68 of front wall 22 along a twelfth fold line 94 from which second portion 16 as a whole is attached to first portion 14 of unitary blank 12 . first triangular wall 80 of condiment compartment 13 has a convex edge portion 96 along its upper edge where , in the folded configuration of the condiment compartment , convex edge portion 96 extends peripherally beyond concave edge portion 78 of the front wall 22 and concave edge portion 42 of second triangular glue flap 36 . convex edge portion 96 provides a gripping location at which the condiment compartment walls can be gripped and pulled out into a deployed or use position . in the preferred embodiment , first and second triangular walls 80 , 82 are generally isosceles . that is , tenth fold line 88 , ninth fold line 90 , and eleventh fold line 92 all have about the same length . moreover , as best seen in fig5 and 6 , the distance between a first point a and a second point b in the assembled , and deployed , condiment compartment 13 is less than the distance between point c and point d of the second portion of panel 16 . these relative distances , as will be explained herein , provide for a snap - out deployment of condiment compartment 13 which allows condiment compartment 13 to stay in a deployed configuration without any condiment inside . as best seen in fig5 condiment compartment 13 has an inverted pyramid shape in its deployed position . it should also be appreciated that the bottom portion of the inverted pyramid shaped condiment compartment is held closely against the lower edge of the front wall of the tray . that is , edge 98 of first glue flap 84 overlays eighth fold line 72 of the tray . the assembly of tray 10 will now be explained with reference to the blank shown in fig6 . first sidewall 18 is folded up along first fold line 32 toward bottom panel 26 . second sidewall 20 is folded up along fourth fold line 48 toward bottom panel 26 . rear wall 24 is then folded up along seventh fold line 62 . next , first triangular glue flap 34 is folded along second fold line 38 inwardly where side edge 66 coincides with second fold line 38 and then glue flap 34 is adhesively bonded onto the back surface of rear wall 24 . similarly , third triangular glue flap 50 is folded along fifth fold line 54 inwardly and behind rear wall 24 until side edge 64 coincides on top of fifth fold line 54 and then third triangular glue flap 50 is adhesively bonded to the back surface of rear wall 24 . second and fourth triangular glue flaps 36 and 52 are folded along third and sixth fold lines 40 and 56 , respectively , and are adhesively bonded to the back surface of front wall 22 , where side edge 76 coincides on top of third fold line 40 , and side edge 74 coincides on top of sixth fold line 56 . at this point , food compartment 11 of tray 10 is assembled . now , the assembly of condiment compartment 13 , which is integral with the food compartment will be described . second triangular wall 82 is folded under first triangular wall 80 along ninth fold line 90 and the two triangular walls are symmetrically placed on top of one another . eleventh fold line 92 coincides along tenth fold line 88 as second condiment glue flap 86 partially overlays on first condiment glue flap 84 . next , second portion 16 as a whole is folded up and into the food compartment along twelfth fold line 94 until first triangular wall 80 and first condiment glue flap 84 are flush with front wall 22 of tray 10 . at this point , upper edge 98 of first glue condiment flap 84 becomes aligned with and eighth fold line 72 . first condiment glue flap 84 is adhesively bonded to the interior surface of front wall 22 . first triangular wall 80 is free to fold along tenth fold line 88 . also , second triangular wall 82 is free to fold along ninth fold line 90 . second condiment glue flap 86 is adhesively bonded to the interior side of first sidewall 18 at a location and position which is determined by aligning ninth fold line 90 with third fold line 40 and second triangular wall 82 flush with first wall 18 . this results in the stowed configuration of the condiment compartment . in order to deploy the condiment compartment , the user pulls convex edge 96 of first triangular wall 80 in the direction of the interior of the food compartment . the first and second triangular walls 80 and 82 are flexible thus bend to allow the wall to shift from the stowed position shown in fig4 to the deployed position shown in fig5 . as stated earlier , because the distance between points c and d is longer than the distance between points a and b , the wall snaps open into a deployed position and remains deployed even with no condiment inside . referring now to fig1 and 13 , a second embodiment of the invention is illustrated . in this embodiment , elements common to the first embodiment are identified by like numerals . the condiment compartment in this embodiment is elongated , spans the width of the tray and deploys and stows relative to the front wall of the tray . of course , this compartment could also be formed along one of the long sides of the rectangular tray or along the rear wall of the tray . a flap 100 is attached to front wall 22 along a perforated cut line 102 , and spans the width of the upper edge of front wall 22 . when folded over front wall 22 and attached thereto as described below , this flap will form a condiment compartment 113 having a main wall 104 . condiment compartment 113 shown in an open position in fig1 , further includes a first triangular portion 106 integral with main wall 104 along a fourteenth fold line 118 on one side , and integral with a third glue flap 108 along a fifteenth fold line 120 on the opposing side . a second triangular portion 110 is integral with main wall 104 along a sixteenth fold line 116 on one side , and is joined and integral with a fourth glue flap 112 along a seventeenth fold line 114 . a glue flap 124 is integral with the lower edge of main wall 104 along an eighteenth fold line 122 . fourteenth and sixteenth fold lines 116 , 118 are divergent . it should be appreciated that condiment compartment 113 is the area confined between first and second triangular portions 106 and 110 , main wall 104 , front wall 22 , and is closed off on the corners along the fifteenth and seventeenth fold lines 120 and 114 , and on the bottom along eighth fold line 72 of bottom panel 26 . all edges of the condiment compartment are glued to the sidewalls and / or bottom wall of the tray thus providing a good seal to hold a condiment in place . as stated hereinabove , main wall 104 is joined with front wall 22 on the unitary blank along the perforated thirteenth line 102 , which may is scored along most of its length and connected to wall 22 at a small number of locations . this arrangement holds panel 100 to wall 22 during manufacture and assembly , but allows a user to easily break the connections between wall 22 and panel 100 when the tray is assembled so that the condiment compartment can be deployed . the food compartment is assembled in the same way as the first embodiment explained hereinabove . the condiment compartment 113 is assembled as follows : first , top portion 124 is slightly folded outwardly along eighteenth fold line 122 . next , main wall 104 is folded inwardly into the food compartment along thirteenth fold line 102 and is placed flush with front wall 22 . eighteenth fold line 122 overlays eighth fold line 72 and top portion 124 rests on the top surface of bottom panel 26 and is adhesively bonded thereon . fourth glue flap 112 is adhesively bonded to the inner surface of second sidewall 20 and seventeenth fold line 114 overlays sixth fold line 56 and side edge 74 of front wall 22 . similarly , at the opposing side , third glue flap 108 is adhesively bonded to the inner surface of first sidewall 18 in such configuration that fifteenth fold line 120 overlays third fold line 40 and side edge 76 of front wall 22 . therefore , second portion 100 is adhesively bonded and secured to first portion 14 where in the stowed position and configuration of the condiment compartment , main wall 104 is flush with front wall 22 , bottom portion 124 is secured on the top surface of bottom panel 26 , and third and fourth glue flaps 108 , 112 are secured to first and second sidewalls 18 , 20 . to deploy condiment compartment 113 , main wall 104 is pulled away from front wall 22 breaking the few connections therebetween . as best seen in fig1 , the distance e - f - g - h is greater that the distance between points e and f , and therefore , when panel 104 is moved away from front wall 22 , front panel 22 and the triangular panels 106 and 110 are deformed until panel 104 reaches the position shown in fig1 . because these panels also need to be deformed to move panel 104 back against front wall 22 , the condiment compartment tends to stay in an open position , even when it is empty . referring now to fig7 - 11 , a third embodiment of the invention is illustrated . this embodiment is identical to the second embodiment described above , except a second identical condiment compartment is utilized at the opposing side of the tray along rear wall 24 . reference numerals with primes are used to designate portions of the second compartment , for example the second compartment 113 ′ includes a wall 104 ′ corresponding to wall 104 of the second embodiment . the production and assembly of this embodiment will easily be understood from reading the above description of a tray having single compartment spanning its width and will not be described further . a fourth embodiment of the invention is shown in fig1 and 15 . this embodiment is substantially the same as the second embodiment described above except in the area of the top edges of the front wall and the condiment compartment wall . fig1 shows a front view of a fourth embodiment of the invention . the container includes a front wall 220 having a top edge 222 which includes first and second linear outer portions 224 , 226 and a sinusoidal central portion having a first arched section 228 curving away from front wall 220 and a second arched section 230 cut into front wall 220 . the panel further includes a wall 232 that shifts to form a condiment compartment as described above . wall 232 has a top edge 234 with a first portion 236 arching away from the center of wall 232 and a second portion 238 cutting into wall 232 . when the container is assembled , first arched section 236 of wall 232 overlies the second arched section 230 of front wall 220 . this arrangement produces a wall for forming a condiment compartment that functions substantially the same as the previous embodiment but which provides an increased gripping surface to make the condiment compartment wall 232 easier to separate from front wall 220 . a blank for forming a tray according to this embodiment is shown in fig1 . while preferred embodiments have been shown and described , various modifications and changes may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . accordingly , it is to be understood that the present invention has been described by way of illustration only , and such illustrations and embodiments as have been disclosed herein are not to construed as limiting to the claims .

US-89265301-A

a battery - powered device comprising : a memory storing software essential to the provision of normal functions of the device ; a first processing section comprising a data processor capable of executing the software , the device being capable of operating the first processing section in a normal mode in which it can execute the software and a low power mode ; a second processing section having a clock for maintaining a time , and being capable of triggering behavior of the device in response to the time of the clock preceding a user - set time by a pre - set advance interval ; the device being configured to , in response to triggering by the second processing section when the first processing section is in the low power mode , cause the first processing section to enter the normal mode and to load the software .

in a preferred embodiment of the present invention the communication terminal 1 is a mobile phone that offers an alarm clock facility . whilst the phone is turned off the alarm clock facility is operated by a background function of the phone . when the alarm time set by the user is reached the background function can cause the phone to turn back on and the alarm to sound . in this invention the turning on of the phone is begun shortly before the alarm time so that there is time to load essential software of the phone ( e . g . some or all of its operating system and associated variables ) before the alarm time . this allows power to be saved when the device is turned off , and yet the device is fully functional at the alarm time . the system shown in fig1 will now be described in more detail . the mobile phone 1 comprises a central processing unit 16 , which controls the operation of the phone in accordance with software stored in a read only memory 13 . the central processing unit is connected to a display 12 for displaying information to a user , a keypad 10 for obtaining input from a user , a loudspeaker 7 for outputting audio to be heard by the user and a microphone 8 for receiving audio from the user . the central processing unit contains random access memory ( ram ) 2 that can be used for storing temporary data , as can an external ram 3 . a background processing unit 5 can handle background processes whilst the phone is in its “ off ” state . the background function uses very little power compared to the main processing function 16 . the background processing unit implements a real - time clock under the control of a crystal oscillator 6 . the mobile phone also has a communication subsystem 11 for communicating with a mobile telephony network . the communication subsystem comprises an antenna 15 and a communication engine 14 . the communication engine 20 is connected between the antenna and the processor 10 . the communication engine handles conversion between baseband and radio frequency and handles signalling communications with the wireless network . at least some functional elements of the communication engine may be implemented on a common chip with one or more parts of the central processing unit . the processor has access to a non - volatile memory 4 for storing user settings . the mobile phone is powered by a battery 12 . the mobile phone may be operable in accordance with any suitable communications protocol . examples include gsm and 3g ( umts ). when the phone is turned on by means of the user pressing a power on key on the keyboard 10 the phone starts by loading its essential software from rom into working memory . that process typically includes configuring operating variables for use . once that process is completed it can begin to provide functions to the user . the user can configure the phone to turn on automatically , for example using an alarm clock function of the phone or by using a power saving function that automatically turns the phone off at a preset time of day and back on at another preset time . such a power saving function would normally be set so as to turn the phone off automatically overnight . to operate either of these functions the user uses the keypad 10 to navigate a menu structure of the phone and then enters the desired on time and , for the power saving function , an off time . the phone stores the set on and off times in non - volatile memory 4 and compares those with the value of the real - time clock maintained by the background function 5 . when the value of the real time clock matches the value stored for the on time ( taking into account a pre - load offset interval as described below ) the phone enters a turn - on routine . if the phone has been turned on by means of the alarm clock function then it also sounds an alarm at the set time . the turn - on routine will now be described . first , the phone powers up the components such as processor 16 and ram 3 that are required for normal operation . preferably user interface devices such the display are not powered on at that time . then the phone loads from rom 13 the essential software that it requires for operation . any essential working variables are configured and the variables and the software required for subsequent operations are stored in working memory . typically this process will involve loading the operating system of the phone . when this load operation has been completed the phone is ready for normal operation . this operation takes some time , and so a pre - load offset interval is stored in the phone , for example in the non - volatile memory 4 or in the background function 5 which triggers the turn - on routine . the background function 5 is configured to initiate the turn - on routine at a time of the real - time clock that precedes the pre - set on time by the pre - load offset interval . the pre - load offset interval is set so that there is sufficient time to load the operating system before the turn - on time is reached . the result of this procedure is that the phone is ready for use immediately , for the provision of its full normal range of functions to a user , at the turn - on time . the user may also configure the phone to load content data before turn - on . for example , the user may want the phone to load the latest news , weather or horoscopes ( including text , image , video , audio and other data ) so that he can view them when the phone turns on . the data could be loaded in any suitable form , but options include loading the data from websites or from rss ( rdf site summary ) feeds . to activate this function the user uses the keypad 10 to navigate a menu structure of the phone and then enters the address ( es ) of the desired content data . the phone stores the addresses in non - volatile memory 4 . the turn - on routine can then include the downloading of the content data from the defined addresses . this may be done after the essential software has been fully loaded , or may be done in parallel with the loading of some of the software if those parts of the software needed for downloading the content data have already been loaded . the content data can be downloaded via any suitable connection to the phone , but conveniently it can be downloaded by means of a connection to a network via the communication subsystem 11 . for example , it could be downloaded by means of a circuit - switched or packet - switched connection to an internet gateway of a mobile phone network . alternative types of connection include wireless lan ( local area network ) and wired data connections . the pre - load offset time should take account of the time required to load the content data ; thus the pre - load offset time should be set so that there is sufficient time to load the operating system and the content data before the turn - on time is reached . the user can then view the loaded data ( using a suitable viewer application of the phone , for example a web browser ) at the turn - on time . in order to successfully set the pre - load offset time when the phone is to download content data during the turn - on routine , the phone should estimate the time that will be taken to download the data . it may do this based on the number of stored addresses and the type of data ( if any ) with which they are associated . it may also take into account how long downloads of data from those addresses have taken in the past . similarly , the pre - load offset time allowed for loading of the essential software may be set rigidly , or may be adjusted depending on how long the loading has taken in the past . in the most basic embodiment , the offset time could be unalterably fixed at a time that is likely to be sufficient for loading the software and user data in most normal circumstances , e . g . 5 or 10 minutes . if the turn - on routine is completed before the pre - set on time then some or all of the user interface devices ( e . g . the display ) preferably remain powered down until the on - time . this saves on battery power . in an optional mode of operation , the phone may continue to load software and if necessary download content data when the pre - set alarm clock on time is reached , irrespective of whether or not the user presses a button to enter a snooze mode . this provides an advantage over prior art phones in which the essential software is not loaded until the user actually cancels the alarm . in either mode , if the alarm is not cancelled or acknowledged within a pre - set period of time ( e . g . 20 minutes ) from the alarm on time then the phone is shut down and re - enters its sleep state . if the turn - on routine is initiated but the phone does not have sufficient power to last until the next alarm , it automatically switches to the sleep state without loading the essential software in order to preserve power . under the control of the background processing system it then reawakens at the alarm on time in order to sound the alarm . if the phone does not have sufficient power to last until the alarm goes off even in the off state then the user is warned that they need to charge the phone . the present invention is not limited to use with mobile phones . it could be used with other ( preferably battery - powered ) devices . non - limiting examples of such devices include personal digital assistants ( pdas ) laptop computers , personal music players , radios etc . the applicant hereby discloses in isolation each individual feature described herein and any combination of two or more such features , to the extent that such features or combinations are capable of being carried out based on the present specification as a whole in the light of the common general knowledge of a person skilled in the art , irrespective of whether such features or combinations of features solve any problems disclosed herein , and without limitation to the scope of the claims . the applicant indicates that aspects of the present invention may consist of any such individual feature or combination of features . in view of the foregoing description it will be evident to a person skilled in the art that various modifications may be made within the scope of the invention .

US-66441105-A

high fence supports can be expensive , difficult to ship , and awkward to install . often , and particularly for the control of deer , it is desirable to increase the height of existing fence that uses steel t - posts for support . the t - post extender combined with a steel t - post becomes a high fence support useful for supporting high fence . a t - post extender consists of a longitudinal element , typically a length of steel rebar , and a stop element , typically a washer welded to the longitudinal element at a selected location along its length . for existing t - post fence supports , the t - post extender is slipped into place alongside the top of the t - post where it is captured laterally by existing wire ties and vertically by the stop element resting against the top of the t - post under the force of gravity . this arrangement has cost , installation , and shipping advantages both in new high fence construction and in the case where the height of existing t - post supported fence must be increased .

the preferred embodiment described here is a realization of the t - post extender and high fence support proven to function as intended . fig1 shows a length of fence 1 that is supported by two identical high fence supports 25 each comprised of a steel t - post 2 and t - post extender 8 . the t - posts have been driven into the ground 3 . a 47 inch ( 1 . 19 m ) width of woven wire 4 and three barb wires 5 are shown tied to the t - posts with wire ties 6 and 7 of the type customarily supplied when t - posts are purchased . some additional detail of the upper part of a high fence support 25 is shown in fig3 a . referring to fig1 and fig3 a , a t - post extender 8 is shown slipped into place alongside the top part of each t - post 2 . each t - post extender is comprised of a longitudinal element 9 and a stop element 10 fixed to the longitudinal element at a specified position from the lower end 15 of the longitudinal element . wire tires 6 that attach one or more of the upper fence wires 5 to the t post 2 also constrain the t - post extender 8 laterally against the upper part of the t - post . at least one wire tie 6 is needed for this lateral support . if fence wires 5 are not yet tied to the t - post so that there is no upper fence wire 5 with wire tie 6 that is suitable for this purpose , then a simple wire tie 11 about the upper part of the t - post 2 will be temporarily sufficient until such fence wires 5 are installed . stop element 10 fixes the vertical position of the t - post extender 8 and prevents it from sliding under the force of gravity further down alongside the t - post 2 . additional fence wires 13 , shown in fig1 as barb wires , are tied to the t - post extenders 8 with wire wraps 12 , thereby completing the resulting high fence . in exceptional cases , especially where the ground has a pronounced dip in the vicinity of a t - post , tension in the wires 13 will tend to lift the t - post extender 8 up and away from its position where the stop element 10 rests on top of the t - post 2 . in these cases , the t - post extender can be restrained in position with one or more wire ties 17 . in fig1 , two wire ties 17 hold the lower one of barb wires 13 in place relative to the upper one of barb wires 5 in the vicinity of a high fence support 25 . in fig1 , each of the wire ties 17 consists of a length of 14 gauge galvanized wire wrapped at its one end around the lower one of barb wires 13 and at its other end around the upper one of barb wires 5 . because wires 13 and 5 are tied respectively to a t - post extender 8 and a t - post 2 by wire wrap 12 and wire tie 6 respectively , the wire ties 17 prevent the t - post extender from lifting up from the top of its t - post . construction detail of a t - post extender is illustrated in fig2 a . the longitudinal element 9 is shown with two lengths removed to allow a drawing scale where detail may be seen . in this embodiment , the longitudinal element 9 is a 4 - ft ( 1 . 22 m ) length 16 of ½ inch ( 13 mm ) diameter steel reinforcing bar ( rebar ) customarily used to reinforce concrete . either 40 or 60 grade rebar may be used . in the case of ½ inch 40 grade rebar , the moment restraint capability is almost 500 lb - in ( 56 nt - m ); or with 60 grade , almost 750 lb - in ( 85 nt - m ). while this has been proved sufficient , it is reasonable that moment restraint capability as low as 200 lb - in ( 23 nt - m ) may be useful in some cases , where ⅜ inch ( 10 mm ) diameter rebar could be used as the longitudinal element . the stop element 10 for the preferred embodiment is a steel washer having internal diameter just large enough so that it may be slipped over the longitudinal element 9 and welded to it at a distance 14 from a first end 15 . in this embodiment , the distance 14 is 18 inch ( 0 . 46 m ). a ½ inch steel flat washer has been found satisfactory for use as the stop element . care should be taken that not too much heat is applied in the attachment by welding of the stop element to the support element , especially in the case where 60 grade rebar is used , as that could cause the rebar to become brittle over too large a region . the use of 40 grade rebar will alleviate this potential difficulty , but 40 grade rebar is not as strong as 60 grade ( see numbers above ). it has been found that light welds 19 applied at a pair of diametrically opposite points about the rebar to anchor the washer 10 to the rebar 9 will give satisfactory results with either 40 or 60 grade rebar . referring now to fig3 a as well as fig1 and 2a , the length 14 from the first end 15 to the stop element 10 is sufficient so that the t - post extender may be laterally captured alongside the upper part of a t - post 2 by wire ties 6 and possibly 11 as previously discussed . only the upper part of the t - post is shown in fig3 a . in the preferred embodiment , the length 14 is 18 inch ( 0 . 46 m ), which is long enough that wire ties 6 for the upper two of wires 5 ( refer to fig1 and fig3 a ) laterally capture the t - post extender 8 . the remaining length of the longitudinal element 9 is the effective increase in fence support height caused by the t - post extender . in the case of the preferred embodiment , this remaining length is 30 inch ( 0 . 76 m ), which is the length 16 of the longitudinal element 9 minus the length 14 . the length 16 of the longitudinal element was chosen to be 48 inch ( 1 . 22 m ) because , with no scrap , that allowed five longitudinal elements to be cut from a standard 20 ft ( 6 . 10 m ) length of rebar and a satisfactory ( 30 inch ) height extension . when used with an 8 - ft ( 2 . 44 m ) t - post with 18 inch ( 0 . 46 m ) in the ground , the combination of t - post and t - post extender yields a high fence support extending 9 ft ( 2 . 74 m ) above the ground . if a 7 . 5 ft ( 2 . 29 m ) t - post were used , the high fence support would be 8 . 5 ft ( 2 . 59 m ) above the ground . either height is usually sufficient to control deer . in new fence situations where steel t - posts and t - post extenders are to be installed before fastening any fence to the supports , it will be useful to add one or more simple wire ties 11 to laterally support each t - post extender in place alongside the top of each steel t - post ( refer to fig1 and fig3 a ). the fence can then be wire - tied to the high fence supports ( combination of t - posts and t - post extenders ). a number of wire tie arrangements can work to tie fence to the t - post extenders . one method is the wire wrap 12 illustrated in fig1 and fig3 a , with expanded view in fig3 b . wire wrap 12 as detailed in fig3 b is efficiently applied and has been found satisfactory in preventing vertical slippage of fence wires 13 along the longitudinal elements 9 of the t - post extenders . wire for the wire wraps 12 can be carried as a roll and short lengths cut and applied as an installer moves along a fence . more efficiently , wire may be pre - cut and bent as in the shape of the two views of fig4 a and 4b . in attaching a fence wire , the installer hooks the hooked end 22 of the wire 21 of fig4 a and 4b onto a fence wire 13 and then wraps it around the longitudinal element 9 of the t - post extender 8 following the pattern illustrated in fig3 b . in the preferred embodiment , total wire length for the wire 21 of fig4 a and 4b is about 15 inch ( 0 . 38 m ). galvanized , 14 gauge wire has been found satisfactory for this purpose . although ½ inch rebar and ½ inch washer for the longitudinal and stop elements respectively have proved satisfactory , other rebar and washer sizes may be used . as diameter of the rebar increases , both its strength and cost increase . there is no evidence that larger sizes than ½ - inch diameter rebar are useful . referring to fig3 a , it can be seen that the available space along the upper part of a t - post 2 between it and a wire tie 6 is limited . the ½ - inch size rebar fits well , but larger sizes can require loosening the wire ties 6 to allow the t - post extender to slip into place . smaller size rebar is not as strong as ½ - inch rebar , but in some cases may be a preferred choice because of its lower cost . in that event , the stop element is sized to match . the length of the longitudinal element and the desired position of the stop element along the longitudinal element may be selected differently for different situations . it is not necessary that rebar be used as the longitudinal element . all that is required is a longitudinal element that can be inserted adjacent a t - post , be captured laterally by wire ties , and adequately resist applied bending moments . neither is it necessary that a round flat washer be used as the stop element . any stop element that can be attached to the longitudinal element to prevent it from sliding down alongside a t - post can be used . the preferred embodiment attaches the stop element to the longitudinal element by welding . any attachment means is acceptable that will cause the stop element to be maintained at a desired position along the longitudinal element . for example , another means of attaching the stop element to the longitudinal element is by crimping the stop element to the longitudinal element . in fig2 b , a stop element 10 formed from a disc shaped piece of steel has had cross slots cut in its center area , and then the disc has been pressed into place along the longitudinal element 9 . crimping of the resulting bent portions 10 e of the disc down toward the plane of the disc and against the longitudinal element 9 may or may not be required depending on the circumstances . in some cases it may be useful to make the position of the stop element along the longitudinal element adjustable . that can be accomplished , for example , with a stop element that is held in place along the longitudinal element by adjustable attachment means . fig2 c shows part of a t - post extender 8 with a stop element 10 comprised of a washer a with a threaded nut b fixed to it by weld c and a thumb screw d for tightening against the longitudinal element 9 . by this means , the effective height of the t - post extender ( length 16 minus length 14 in fig2 a and fig3 a ) is adjustable . an alternative adjustable stop element is shown in fig2 d . in this arrangement the stop element 10 is comprised of a washer e , a split sleeve f having protrusions g that are integral with the split sleeve f , and an over - centering lever h with elongated oval - shaped hole j . the split sleeve f is welded to washer e at k . when over - centering lever h is rotated clockwise , the periphery of its oval - shaped hole j acts against the protrusions g and urges the sleeve f to tighten against the longitudinal element 9 of the t - post extender 8 . the geometry is arranged so that maximum tightening of sleeve f occurs just before lever h completes its maximum clockwise rotation and comes to rests against washer e . instead of lever h and protrusions g , a simple hose clamp , readily available at any automotive parts store , can be slipped over the sleeve f and tightened . either the hose clamp or the over - centering lever arrangement will tighten the sleeve f against the longitudinal element 9 and fix the stop element 10 to the longitudinal element 9 . in compliance with the statute , the invention has been described in language more or less specific as to its features . the invention is not limited to the specific features shown , because the means and construction herein disclosed comprise a preferred form of putting the invention into effect . the invention is , therefore , claimed in any of its forms or modifications within the proper scope of the appended claims appropriately interpreted in accordance with the doctrine of equivalents .

US-78920204-A

a case assembly for a gas turbine engine comprising annular case components each having a central axis . radial struts each have a radial axis and intersect the annular case components . a stress dissipation mass projecting from a continuous surface of at least one of the struts at the intersection with a corresponding annular case component , the stress absorption mass being on either side of a plane passing through the radial axis of the strut and the central axis of the corresponding annular case component . a method for dissipating thermal and mechanical stresses on a strut in a case assembly for a gas turbine engine is also provided .

referring to fig1 , a turbofan gas turbine engine which is an exemplary application of the described subject matter includes an engine outer case 10 , a core case 11 , a low pressure spool assembly ( not indicated ) which includes a fan assembly 12 , a low pressure compressor assembly 13 and a low pressure turbine assembly 14 connected by a shaft 15 , and a high pressure spool assembly ( not indicated ) which includes a high pressure compressor assembly 16 and a high pressure turbine assembly 17 connected by a turbine shaft 18 . the core case 13 surrounds the low and high pressure spool assemblies to define a main fluid path ( not numbered ) therethrough . the high and low pressure spool assemblies co - axially define a rotational engine axis x of the engine 10 . it should be noted that the terms “ radial ”, “ axial ” and “ circumferential ” used throughout this specification and appended claims , unless otherwise specified , are with respect to the engine axis x . as shown concurrently in fig1 and 2 , an intermediate case 22 is illustrated having an inner hub 24 and an outer ring 26 . the inner hub 24 may be mounted onto the turbine shaft 18 to support the turbine shaft 18 when it rotates . the intermediate case 22 may be immediately downstream of the fan case surrounding fan 12 as shown in fig1 . a plurality of struts 28 extend from the inner hub 24 to the outer ring 26 . splitter ring 30 separates the bypass air flow from the flow entering the compressor section ( fig1 ), with the flow entering the compressor section being radially inward of the bypass air flow . the splitter ring 30 is supported by the struts 28 , and may have a gaspath baffle 31 . a support ring 32 may also be connected to the struts 28 ( e . g ., welded ) between the inner hub 24 and the splitter ring 30 , and may be used to support a bleed - off valve , among other possibilities . referring now to fig2 and 3 , a stress dissipating mass 36 ( i . e ., stress distribution mass ) is positioned at the joint 34 between one of the struts 28 and the splitter ring 30 , which joint 34 typically comprises a fillet . the stress dissipating mass 36 is formed by a pair of bulges 36 a , 36 b ( a . k . a ., lobes ), placed symmetrically , one on either side of a plane extending in the radial axis of the strut 28 and the longitudinal axis of the inner hub 24 ( i . e ., the engine axis x ). the bulges 36 a , 36 b mirror geometries , although they may not be mirror images of one another as well . according to an embodiment , the stress dissipating mass 36 may be machined from the stock forming the strut 28 , or may have other constructions as well . as shown in fig3 , the strut 28 may comprise a flange - like portion 38 to contact the splitter ring 30 , with the bulges 36 a and 36 b at the junction between the main radial portion of the strut 28 and the flange - like portion 38 . the flange - like portion 38 of the strut 28 may be welded to the splitter ring 30 along weld lines 40 , among other possibilities . the distance between the bulges 36 a , 36 b and the weld line 40 is established to avoid the weld bead being close to the bulge radius . the bulges geometry may be proportional to the strut leading edge fillet radius , to spread the load in front of the strut 28 . the minimum width ( in the tangential direction , also referred to as length ) may be equivalent to the strut leading edge fillet radius . the lobe width should not exceed 2 times the strut fillet radius . larger lobes will add weight to the part without any further stress reduction . in the embodiment in which there is no welded joint in front of the strut 28 ( e . g ., weld line 40 ), the bulges 36 a , 36 b may be longer . a suitable maximum length may be one time the strut leading edge fillet radius . in an embodiment , the bulges 36 a , 36 b are not in the gas path , as they are underneath the gaspath baffle 31 to avoid disturbing the gas flow . hence , the height of the bulges 36 a , 36 b may be smaller than a height of the baffle 31 . stated differently , the bulges 36 a , 36 b are used to spread the load in front of the strut 28 . the load and thus the stress was concentrated in the strut leading edge area . the stress dissipating mass 36 redistributes the load without adding extra thickness all over the splitter ring 30 and thus without adding excessive weight . referring to fig4 , one of the bulges 36 a is shown being about 0 . 150 in away from the weld line 40 to avoid having double stress concentration ( the distance being given as an example ). the bulge 36 a has a height h that may be about 3 times the ring thickness to have significant stiffness change to transfer the stress away from the leading edge of the strut 28 . referring to fig5 , an exemplary embodiment is shown in which there is no weld line at the junction between strut 28 and splitter ring 30 . in such a case , the length l of bulge 36 a may be increased , for instance up to about 3 times the strut leading edge fillet radius rl . also , the radius rg of the bulge 36 a may be increased to reduce the stress concentration the discretely selected , increased mass from the bulges 36 a , 36 b dissipates the thermal and mechanical stresses at the joint of the strut 28 and the splitter ring 30 , without adding significant weight to the assembly . the location of the stress dissipating mass 36 at the junction between the strut 28 and the splitter ring 30 may stiffen the overall carcass from bending . moreover , the junction between the strut 28 and the splitter ring 30 may be a critical location in terms of fatigue , whereby the stress dissipating mass 36 strengthens the junction . it is contemplated that the stress dissipating mass 36 be applied in other case sections , for instance the exhaust case 20 . the stress dissipation mass 36 may be defined as a protuberance on the surface of the strut 28 , which would otherwise be a generally continuous and arcuate junction between two generally planar surface . the stress dissipating mass 36 is radially inward oriented relative to the splitter ring 30 . due to its location and relatively low profile , the stress dissipating mass 36 does not have a significant on gas flow . the above description is meant to be exemplary only , and one skilled in the art will recognize that changes may be made to the embodiments described without departing from the scope of the invention disclosed . other modifications which fall within the scope of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art , in light of a review of this disclosure , and such modifications are intended to fall within the appended claims .

US-201314135651-A

a rocker arm is disclosed for valve actuation in an internal combustion engine . the rocker arm includes at least two rotational axes which can be selected as desired to modify a relation between a force arm and a load arm . control times and valve lift can thus be influenced in a targeted manner .

the exemplary embodiment shown in fig1 of a rocker arm includes a rocker arm body 1 . in the exemplary embodiment shown , the rocker arm body 1 is driven by a push rod 9 . in an alternative variant embodiment , it may also be driven directly by the camshaft . a ball socket 2 serves to receive the push rod 9 . the ball socket 2 is seated with a press fit in the rocker arm body 1 . it can also be screwed in . an actuation head 4 is disposed on the opposite end of the rocker arm body 1 , and a valve 20 can be actuated by it . the rocker arm is embodied such that in a first position , it can rotate freely about an eccentric bush 5 . the eccentric bush 5 is inserted into a central bore 8 of the rocker arm body and is capable of rotating freely about a central shaft 6 of the rocker arm by a defined angle . upon an exertion of force , the eccentric bush 5 has the tendency to rotate counterclockwise . a stop pin 7 provided as a means of preventing relative rotation prevents that . as a result , the rocker arm rotates about a first rotational axis 10 . a slaving pin 3 , loaded by a compression spring 12 , is kept in the enabling position by means of oil pressure . if the oil pressure is reduced to a minimum , then the slaving pin 3 connects the rocker arm body 1 to the eccentric bush 5 . the rocker arm body 1 then rotates together with the eccentric bush 5 about the rotational axis 11 of the central shaft 6 . in fig2 , the two different rotational axes 10 and 11 of the rocker arm are each marked by crosshairs on the rocker arm body 1 . depending on the pivot point about which the rocker arm is rotating , the step - up ratio of the force arm l 1 and load arm l 2 varies , as can be seen from fig3 and fig4 . fig5 and 6 show a top view and a sectional view of the eccentric bush 5 , which in the assembled state of the rocker arm is received by the central bore of the rocker arm body . the eccentric bush 5 is an element used for attaining the different step - up ratios . it is provided with an axial bore 13 and has a milled recess 14 on its surface , with a slaving face 15 . an oil bore 15 extends from the milled recess 14 in the direction of the axial bore 13 . a stop face 17 serves to brace the stop pin . as can be seen from fig1 and fig7 , the eccentric bush 5 is slipped onto the central shaft 6 with the rotational axis 11 and is secured by the stop pin 7 . the stop pin 7 and the stop face 17 are in contact with one another and prevent rotation of the eccentric bush 5 about the rotational axis 11 of the central shaft 6 . this tendency of the eccentric bush 5 to rotate is caused by the torque m , which arises upon the exertion of force when the valve opens . as a result , it is assured that the rotational axis of the rocker arm continues to be the rotational axis 10 . this is shown in fig8 . in particular , fig8 also shows the forces f 1 - f 3 that occur upon opening of the valve and that result in the torque m , which attempts to rotate the eccentric bush 5 . as long as the spring - loaded slaving pin 3 does not enter into engagement with the slaving face 15 , the rocker arm can rotate freely about the eccentric bush 5 with the first rotational axis 10 . the eccentric bush 5 cannot rotate relative to the central shaft 6 , since it is blocked by the stop pin 7 . in this state , the rocker arm operates with a low step - up ratio , in accordance with fig3 . fig9 shows the status of the rocker arm in which a switchover is made from a low to a high step - up ratio ; the rocker arm accordingly rotates as in fig4 about the rotational axis 11 of the central shaft . a circle drawn around it in fig9 highlights the slaving pin 3 that is responsible for the switchover operation . this slaving pin is acted upon by oil pressure via the oil bore 16 when the engine is running in the low rpm range . the oil pressure acts counter to the spring force of the compression spring 12 and keeps the slaving pin 3 out of engagement with the slaving face 15 of the eccentric bush 5 . the oil pressure originates for instance in the oil circulation system of the engine and is fed into the central shaft 6 , which is embodied as a hollow shaft . the oil reaches the switchover mechanism in the rocker arms through continuous bores in the central shaft . if the load state of the engine changes such that a switchover to longer control times and a longer valve lift is expedient , this is done by the engine management system . to that end , an electrically actuatable hydraulic valve can be activated in an exemplary embodiment , which reduces the oil pressure in the rocker arm system to a minimum , but an adequately large amount of lubrication is still assured . with the disappearance of the contrary force of the oil pressure , the compression spring 12 can now press the slaving pin 3 in the direction of the eccentric bush 5 . as soon as the valve has closed , the milled recess in the eccentric bush 5 is uncovered , and the slaving pin 3 drops into the bush and enters into engagement with the slaving face 15 . as a result , the eccentric bush 5 is mechanically connected to the rocker arm body 1 . this switchover operation takes place within fractions of a second while the engine is running . now , the rocker arm body 1 rotates together with the eccentric bush 5 about the rotational axis 11 of the central shaft 6 . as a result , the rocker arm has a high step - up ratio for the valve actuation , as shown in fig4 . fig1 shows the rocker arm with the valve open . the reference numerals match those of fig1 . the circle highlights the fact that the eccentric bush 5 can rotate out of the stop between the stop pin 7 and the stop face 17 . the eccentricity of the eccentric bush 5 determines the valve lift difference and the difference in the nominal control times . the longer lift that results from the change in the rotational axis can be seen directly by a comparison of fig1 and 10 . in the graphs in fig1 a , fig1 b and fig1 , the influence on the control time and on the valve lift of the switchover can be seen . the camshaft used in this example is distinguished by high power in the high rpm range . in the low rpm range , without a switchover to short control times , it would not produce satisfactory results . the graph in fig1 a for instance shows a valve lifting curve at a rocker arm step - up ratio of 1 . 5 : 1 , which represents the normal situation . the valve play setting is 0 . 55 mm . the effective control time is 284 °. the effective valve lift is 12 . 06 mm long . the graph in fig1 b shows the course of the valve lift at a rocker arm step - up ratio of 1 . 1 : 1 . the valve play setting is again 0 . 55 mm . the effective control time is now 2680 , and the effective valve lift attains 8 . 71 mm in length . in fig1 , the two graphs of fig1 a and fig1 b are combined , in order to make the differences in the effective control times and the effective valve lift visible . fig1 shows a further exemplary embodiment of the rocker arm in an exploded view . identical elements are identified by the same reference numerals . once again , the rocker arm body is identified by reference numeral 1 . the rocker arm body 1 is provided with a central bore 8 , which receives the eccentric bush 5 . the milled recess on the circumferential face of the eccentric bush 5 is identified by reference numeral 14 and serves to receive two slaving pins 3 , which are guided in bores in the rocker arm body 1 . the compression springs , which are again seated in the bores and load the slaving pins 3 , are not shown in fig1 . the actuation head 4 of the rocker arm body 1 is embodied in forked form and between the tines of the fork has an actuation roller 18 , which is fixed via an axle pin 19 . a bore 26 receives the stop pin 7 . the axial bore 13 in the eccentric bush 5 receives the central shaft 6 . it can be seen from this drawing that the central shaft 6 is embodied as a hollow shaft , for delivering oil . an adjusting body 20 for the basic setting of the rocker arm is also seated on the central shaft 6 . this adjusting body can be connected to the eccentric bush 5 . the entire rocker arm is mounted via the central shaft 6 on a rocker - arm holder 21 with leadthroughs 22 for the central shaft 6 . a milled recess 23 , which assures the adjustability of the adjusting body 6 is provided on the rocker - arm holder 21 . the eccentric bush shown in fig1 - fig1 is again identified by reference numeral 5 . the milled recess on the circumferential face of the eccentric bush 5 is identified by reference numeral 14 . in the region of the slaving face of the eccentric bush 5 , an axial receiving bore 24 is provided for a roller pin 25 . the roller pin 25 can be of a hardened steel and can be freely rotatable in a loose fit in the receiving bore 24 . the two rotational axes of the rocker arm body are indicated by reference numerals 10 and 11 in the side view in fig1 and the sectional view in fig1 . the bore in the eccentric bush 5 into which the stop pin 7 ( fig1 ) is press - fitted is again identified by reference numeral 26 . fig1 and 18 show a variant of the slaving pin , which belongs to the eccentric bush of fig1 - fig1 and which is again identified overall by reference numeral 3 . the slaving pin 3 has a polished face 27 . in the switchover operation , the polished face 27 rolls over the roller pin 25 in the eccentric bush 5 ( fig1 - 16 ). the curvature of the polished face 27 is embodied such that the contact between the slaving pin 3 and the roller pin 25 is always a linear contact . this reduces the pressure per unit of surface area . the embodiment of the slaving pin and the modified eccentric bush with the roller pin also prevent tilting of the slaving pin . this can improve the switchover properties . the embodiment details of the rocker arm components in fig1 - fig1 also make it possible for the eccentric bush 5 itself to be made from an unhardened steel . it is sufficient to harden the components that come into contact with one another , that is , the roller pin 25 and the slaving pin 3 . the modified slaving pin 3 also has a turned peg 28 , which serves to receive the compression spring that is thrust with slight pressure against the turned peg 28 . the compression spring is fixed via a spring cap . the slaving pin 3 is thus secured against relative rotation via the compression spring that is seated with a press fit on the turned peg 28 . it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the present invention can be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof . the presently disclosed embodiments are therefore considered in all respects to be illustrative and not restricted . the scope of the invention is indicated by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description and all changes that come within the meaning and range and equivalence thereof are intended to be embraced therein .

US-6146205-A

the user requesting the search is enabled to analyze the list of excessive hits in a manner organized through a web content manager on the user &# 39 ; s display screen , and reduce the excessive hits through the elimination of extraneous domains or subdomains captured by the search . an implementation for reducing an excessive number of hits in a search result received at one of the receiving display stations on the web comprising conventional means for displaying at said receiving display station , web documents received from sources on the web , and means for conducting keyword searches on the web . there are means associated with the receiving display stations for displaying the number of web documents hit by said keyword searches , together with means , responsive to an excessive number of web document hits , for enabling a user to display a hierarchical level of the domains of the web documents hit by said searches with a count of the number of hits for each domain , and means enabling the user to interactively eliminate selected domains to thereby reduce the excess number of hits in said search .

referring to fig1 , a typical data processing terminal is shown that may function as a basic computer controlled web receiving terminal used in implementing the present invention for displaying and examining search results and reducing the search context of web domains searched whenever the number of web documents hits is excessive and must be reduced . the system may also be used for conventional servers used throughout the web for web access servers , source database servers . the system may function as the web servers used by the service providers in accordance with this invention to modify the context of searches relative to the domains searched , and to store such modified search contexts as to be usable in subsequent keyword searches , as will be hereinafter described in greater detail . a central processing unit ( cpu ) 10 , such as one of the pc microprocessors or workstations , e . g . risc system / 6000 ™ series available from international business machines corporation ( ibm ), or dell pc microprocessors , is provided and interconnected to various other components by system bus 12 . an operating system 41 runs on cpu 10 , provides control and is used to coordinate the function of the various components of fig1 . operating system 41 may be one of the commercially available operating systems , such as ibm &# 39 ; s aix 6000 ™ operating system or microsoft &# 39 ; s windowsxp ™ or windows2000 ™, as well as unix and other ibm aix operating systems . application programs 40 , controlled by the system , are moved into and out of the main memory random access memory ( ram ) 14 . these programs include the programs of the present invention that will hereinafter be described for operations wherein the system of fig1 functions as the web server used by the service providers in accordance with this invention in reducing the scope or context of the searches . a read only memory ( rom ) 16 is connected to cpu 10 via bus 12 and includes the basic input / output system ( bios ) that controls the basic computer functions . ram 14 , i / o adapter 18 and communications adapter 34 are also interconnected to system bus 12 . i / o adapter 18 may be a small computer system interface ( scsi ) adapter that communicates with the disk storage device 20 . communications adapter 34 interconnects bus 12 with an outside internet or web network . i / o devices are also connected to system bus 12 via user interface adapter 22 and display adapter 36 . keyboard 24 and mouse 26 are all interconnected to bus 12 through user interface adapter 22 . it is through such input devices that the user may interactively relate to the programs of this invention . display adapter 36 includes a frame buffer 39 that is a storage device that holds a representation of each pixel on the display screen 38 . images may be stored in frame buffer 39 for display on monitor 38 through various components , such as a digital to analog converter ( not shown ) and the like . by using the aforementioned i / o devices , a user is capable of inputting information to the system through keyboard 24 or mouse 26 and receiving output information from the system via display 38 . before going further into the details of specific embodiments , it will be helpful to understand from a more general perspective the various elements and methods that may be related to the present invention . since a major aspect of the present invention is directed to documents , such as web pages and media content therein , transmitted over networks , an understanding of networks and their operating principles would be helpful . we will not go into great detail in describing the networks to which the present invention is applicable . reference has also been made to the applicability of the present invention to a global network , such as the internet or web . for details on internet nodes , objects and links , reference is made to the text , mastering the internet , g . h . cady et al ., published by sybex inc ., alameda , calif ., 1996 . the internet or web is a global network of a heterogeneous mix of computer technologies and operating systems . higher level objects are linked to the lower level objects in the hierarchy through a variety of network server computers . these network servers are the key to network distribution , such as the distribution of web pages and related documentation . in this connection , the term “ documents ” is used to describe data transmitted over the web or other networks and is intended to include web pages with displayable text , graphics , other images and audio . this displayable information may be still , in motion or animated , e . g . animated gif images . web documents are conventionally implemented in html language , which is described in detail in the text entitled just java , van der linden , 1997 , sunsoft press , particularly at chapter 7 , pp . 249 - 268 , dealing with the handling of web pages ; and also in the above - referenced mastering the internet , particularly at pp . 637 - 642 , on html in the formation of web pages . in addition , aspects of this description will refer to web browsers . a general and comprehensive description of browsers may be found in the above - mentioned mastering the internet text at pp . 291 - 313 . more detailed browser descriptions may be found in the text internet : the complete reference , millennium edition , young et al ., 1999 , osborne / mcgraw - hill : chapter 19 , pp . 419 - 454 , on the netscape navigator ; chapter 20 , pp . 455 - 494 , on the microsoft internet explorer ; and chapter 21 , pp . 495 - 512 , covering lynx , opera and other browsers . in the description of the invention , search engines will be used to locate and pre - access the previously accessed web documents stored at the receiving display stations . as described in the above - mentioned internet : the complete reference , millenium edition text , pp . 395 and 522 - 535 , search engines use keywords and phrases to query the web for desired subject matter . in carrying out its search , the search engine looks through the database for matches to keywords subject to the engine syntax . the search engine then presents to the user a list of the web pages it determines to be closest to the requested query . some significant search engines are : altavista , infoseek , lycos , magellan , webcrawler and yahoo . a generalized diagram of a portion of the web in which the computer controlled display terminal 57 used for web page receiving during searching or browsing is connected as shown in fig2 . computer display terminal 57 may be implemented by the computer system set up in fig1 and connection 58 ( fig2 ) is the network connection shown in fig1 . for purposes of the present embodiment , computer 57 serves as the receiving web display station that will access web documents , e . g . pages that are displayed 56 . reference may be made to the above - mentioned mastering the internet , pp . 136 - 147 , for typical connections between local display stations to the web via network servers ; any of which may be used to implement the system on which this invention is used . the system embodiment of fig2 has a host - dial connection . such host - dial connections have been in use for over 30 years through network access servers 53 that are linked 61 to the web 60 . the web servers 53 that also may have the computer structure described with respect to fig1 , may be maintained by a web service provider to the client &# 39 ; s display terminal 57 . such web or internet service providers ( isps ) are described generally in the above - mentioned text , internet : the complete reference , millenium edition at pages 14 - 18 . the web server 53 is accessed by the client receiving terminal 57 through a normal dial - up telephone linkage 58 via modem 54 , telephone line 55 and modem 52 . any conventional digital or analog linkages , including wireless connections , are also usable . the previously described search engines 67 contacted conventionally via web access servers search the web and send the selected web documents back to the receiving display station 57 on which they may be conventionally displayed on a real - time basis . as will be hereinafter described in greater detail , many of the functions of a receiving display station 57 with respect to the web may be carried out by a web browser program 59 associated with the station . the web documents are accessed from the web database sources 64 through appropriate web database access servers 65 . other database sources , such as sources 61 and 62 , may be accessed through web servers 66 . now , with respect to fig3 through 5 , we will provide an illustrative example of how the present invention may be used to reduce web search contexts to eliminate domains of lesser or no interest whenever a keyword search provides an excessive number of hits . web page list 70 , fig3 , is an illustration of the displayed list of web documents conventionally presented to the user at the receiving display station setting forth search results . in the illustrative example shown , the user who is interested in motion picture film preservation has searched the web with the combination of keywords “ coating ”, “ film ” and “ decay ” 73 . unfortunately , the search has resulted in 138 , 000 hits , 74 for this combination of terms . obviously , this is much more than the user can handle . in accordance with the invention , he needs to get a better understanding of the domains and subdomains of the web databases covered by the search so that he may reduce the search context by eliminating some of the domains . with his cursor or pointer , he clicks on button 71 , “ search tree ”, and is presented with the display screen of fig4 that shows a search tree or hierarchy showing all of the domains : 76 , 77 , 78 and 79 included in the search , as well as their respective subdomains 80 . for each domain and subdomain , the number of web document or page hits is shown . the domain tree shown in fig4 on the receiving user &# 39 ; s display station may be organized on the web server 53 serving the display station . the dynamic organization of such a presentation may be done using a web content manager program , such as those distributed by interwoven inc . or the ibm content manager express server program for dynamic web content management . the various search programs described above , of course , track the source domains of their hits and the content manager program can be set up with a program as will hereinafter be described for presenting the hit tree shown in fig4 . the user is prompted by dialog 81 to examine the tree and to eliminate domains from the search context . accordingly , fig5 , the user who is interested in motion picture film preservation has examined the domain tree and has clicked with his cursor 83 to eliminate the “ tooth ” 76 , “ pipefitting ” 77 and “ fruit ” 78 domains as shown by hatched lines so that the modified context of the search only includes the “ movies ” 79 domain . although not illustrated with respect to fig5 , it is possible to individually eliminate one or more of the subdomains . in this regarded , subdomains are conventionally noted in sections succeeding the domain in the url http path definition , e . g . any database source levels in this path definition are the equivalent of subdomains in defining the present invention . upon the selection of domains to be eliminated as shown , the user may click onto button 82 to save the search context for future searches . such a saved context may be saved in connection with the web server or as the receiving display station that requested the search . fig6 is a flowchart showing the development of a process according to the present invention for reducing an excessive number of hits in a search result received at a receiving display web station . most of the programming functions in the process of fig6 have already been described in general with respect to fig3 through 5 . a web browser is provided at a receiving display station on the web for accessing web pages in the conventional manner and loading them at the display station , step 90 . the web pages are conventionally obtained via a web server provided by an isp . the web browser has the capability of requesting searches from one or more search engines available through the web . conventional capability is provided at the display station requesting the search to list sequentially all web documents found in the search , and to provide the total number for these hits , step 91 . in the event that the user finds that this total number of hits exceeds what the user can handle , the user is enabled , through a previously described web content manager program preferably maintained at the web server , to display a hierarchy of domains of the web documents found in the search along with the number of hits from each domain , step 92 , as shown in fig4 and 5 . provision is made for the prompting of the user to interactively select from the displayed hierarchy in step 92 which domains the user wished to eliminate from the search context , step 93 . the user is also enabled to save the search context created in step 93 for future web searches , step 94 . the user is also enabled , step 95 , to rerun the initial search using the search context created in step 93 . in addition , the user at the receiving station may request , step 96 , that all subsequent web searches that may use different keywords still use the same search context created in step 93 . finally , provision is made for the web browser at the receiving display station to interface with the web server in the execution of the above steps . the running of the process set up in fig6 and described in connection with fig3 through 5 will now be described with respect to the flowchart of fig7 . let us assume that we are in a web browsing session through the browser . the flowchart represents some steps in a routine that will illustrate the operation of the invention . an initial search is requested by a receiving display station on the web via its web browser and the web server for the receiving station , step 101 . the search results are listed , step 101 , and the number of hits totaled , as in fig3 . a determination is made as to whether the number of hits is excessive , step 103 . if no , then the listed web documents are conventionally browsed through and displayed , step 108 . if yes , the number of hits is determined to be excessive , then a domain hierarchy is displayed , step 104 , as in fig4 . the user is prompted to selectively eliminate some of the domains , step 105 , and the resulting search context is saved as a new search context , step 106 . the initial search is then repeated but using the new search context , step 107 , and the process is returned to step 103 where a redetermination is made as to excessive number of hits . after step 108 , a determination may be conveniently made as to whether the session is over . if yes , the session is exited . if no , a determination is made as to whether a new search is to be made . if no , the process is returned to step 109 . if the decision is yes , a new search is to be made , then a further determination is made as to whether the search is to be made in the new context resulting from the previous eliminations of domains , step 111 . if no , then the process is returned via branch “ a ” to initial step 101 . if yes , then this new modified search context is used but with new or different keywords , step 112 , in conducting a search . upon the completion of this search , the process is returned to step 103 where the search result including the number of hits is viewed . although certain preferred embodiments have been shown and described , it will be understood that many changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the scope and intent of the appended claims .

US-18779608-A

the introspection capability of java is utilized by the described verification tool to verify validity of a target bean &# 39 ; s java archive file . the deployment descriptor class is verified first according to enterprise java bean . specification rules . the remaining classes : remote interface , home interface and bean class are all loaded into a java virtual machine and verified by the described verification tool through java introspection .

with reference now to the figures , and in particular with reference to fig1 a distributed computing system in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention , is depicted . system 100 includes server 102 , enterprise java bean 104 ( ejbean ), internet 106 and separate installations 108 through 112 . on server 102 , multiple ejbean 104 components may exist at any one time , providing various business related functions . server 102 must be enterprise java bean compliant and must supply a standard set of services to support ejbean 104 components . additionally , server 102 must provide a container for the ejbean 104 component which implements control and management for classes of the ejbean 104 . since ejbean 104 components do not require a specific container system , virtually any application server can be adapted to support ejbean 104 components , by adding support for the service defined in the ejb specification . in the present invention , internet 106 provides the connection between systems 108 - 112 and systems 108 - 112 represent local area networks ( lan ), standalone computers , wide area networks ( wan ), any data processing system that may connect with server 102 through internet 106 . multiple systems may connect at the same time with ejbean 104 , via home and remote interfaces , utilizing internet 106 browser clients . each enterprise java bean is stored in a logical container ( see fig1 b ) and any number of ejbean 104 classes can be present in a single container . a container may not necessarily be present in a single server location and the ejb container could be replicated and distributed across many systems . ejbean 104 may be transient or persistent . a transient bean is termed a “ session ” bean and a persistent bean is termed an “ entity ” bean . session beans are temporary and usually exist only for a single client / server session . referring to fig1 b , a high - level block diagram of operation of an enterprise java bean in accordance with the present invention , is illustrated . client 120 is a java compliant program originating on a data processing system that is typically remote from the server . container 114 is the interface between client 120 and ejbean 104 . when ejbean 104 is to be deployed ( accessed by client 120 ), container 114 automatically produces home interface 116 and remote interface 118 . remote interface 118 provides access , by client 120 , to business methods within ejbean 104 . home interface 116 identifies ejbean 104 class and is utilized to create , find and remove ejbean l 04 instances . essentially , container 114 acts as a filter and provides rules concerning transactions , state , security , etc ., on all operations . additionally , container 114 provides an interface with data sources 122 , external to the container , that ejbean 104 utilizes during transactions . introspection is the process of discovering properties , methods and events of a component object , all the necessary information about a bean , at runtime . introspection of an ejbean is accomplished through a set of java &# 39 ; s runtime classes . java development kit ( jdk ) includes three parts : the interpreter or jvm ; a runtime class library —“ classes . zip ”, which includes all the java runtime classes that can be used by a java program ; and a set of programming tools including the java compiler . introspection utilized in the present invention is part of the java runtime class library and consists of several classes : “ class ”, “ method ”, “ field ”, “ array ” and “ modifier . to introspect an object a call is made to retrieve information on each class . for instance , a “ getclass ” call is made to get the object &# 39 ; s “ class ” details . a “ getmethods ” call is made on the “ class ” object to retrieve a “ method ” object array of all the methods defined in that class . all the fields ( properties ) and constructors defined on that class are retrieved in a similar fashion . the process then loops through each “ method ” or “ field ” to get more detailed information such as method parameters and field types . the introspection classes provide the detailed information of a class and the information is utilized to verify the ejbean . referring now to fig2 a , a high - level flow diagram for verifying enterprise java beans , whether imported or developed locally , in accordance with the present invention is depicted . the process begins with step 200 , which depicts activation of a verifier tool . the process then proceeds to step 202 , which illustrates the verifier tool invoking introspection methods . the process then proceeds to step 204 , which depicts a java development kit introspecting a deployment descriptor of the subject ejbean . next , the process proceeds to step 206 , which is a determination of whether the class inheritance of the deployment descriptor is a subclass of either an entitydescriptor or a sessiondescriptor ( types of bean descriptors ). if the class inheritance is neither an entitydescriptor or a sessiondescriptor the process proceeds to step 207 , which depicts throwing ( signaling or indicating ) an error . each error thrown is specifically determined by the verifier tool and displayedon the tool operator &# 39 ; s terminal , thus providing efficient error discovery and thus , efficient error correction . the process then proceeds to step 209 , which illustrates the verifier tool aborting the verification process . returning to step 206 , if the class inheritance is a subclass of either an entitydescriptor or a sessiondescriptor , the process proceeds instead , to step 208 , which illustrates a determination of whether data type linked to the ejbean is primitive , remote or value type . if container managed ( cm ) field &# 39 ; s data type is neither primitive , remote nor value type , the process proceeds to step 207 , which illustrates the verifier tool throwing an error . the process then proceeds to step 209 , which depicts the verifier tool aborting , or stopping , the verification process . if the data type is primitive , remote or value type , the process then passes from step 208 to step 210 , which illustrates determining whether each cm field has a matching ejbean field . mapping between cm field and ejbean field is not 1 : 1 mapping . for each cm field there must be a ejbean field to match it , though not all ejbean fields require a matching cm field . if any cm field does not have a matching ejbean field the process proceeds to step 207 , which depicts an error being thrown respective to the field mismatch . the process then proceeds to step 209 , which illustrates the verifier tool stopping the verification process . returning to step 210 , if the ejbean fields and container managed fields all match , the process then proceeds to step 212 , which depicts a determination of whether the entity bean key class is serializable . if the key class is not serializable , the process moves to step 213 , which illustrates an error being thrown . the process then passes to step 209 , which depicts the verifier tool aborting verification . returning to step 212 , if the entity bean key class is serializable , the process then passes to step 214 , which illustrates a determination of whether each key field has a matching container field . if there is a key field and container managed field mismatch , the process proceeds to step 213 , which illustrates an error being thrown . each key field requires a matching cm field , but some cm fields may not have a matching key field . the process then proceeds to step 209 , which illustrates the verifier tool aborting the verification process . returning to step 214 , if each key field has a matching cm field , the process then proceeds to step 216 , which illustrates a determination of whether , at most , one control descriptor has no bean method . if this is not true , the process proceeds to step 213 , which illustrates an error being thrown . the process then passes to step 209 to discontinue the verification process . returning to step 216 , if at most , only one control descriptor has no bean method , the process continues to step 217 , which illustrates a determination of whether there are two control descriptors defined for the same bean method . if there are two control descriptors defined for the same bean method , the process proceeds to step 213 , which depicts throwing an error . the process then passes to step 209 , which illustrates the verification tool aborting the verification process . if more than one control descriptor are found for the same method , the process proceeds instead from step 217 to step 218 , which depicts determining whether the descriptor method matches the method in the ejbean . if the methods don &# 39 ; t match , an error is thrown and the process moves to step 209 , where the verification tool aborts the verification process . if the descriptor method does match the method in the ejbean , the process then passes to step 230 in fig2 b via connector a , which illustrates beginning introspection of the ejbean remote interface . referring to fig2 b , a high - level flow diagram for verifying the remote interface of an ejbean in accordance with the present invention is illustrated . the process begins with connector a , which is a continuation of a successful verification of the deployment descriptor . the process proceeds to step 230 , which depicts introspection of the remote interface . the process then passes to step 232 , which illustrates a determination of whether the class inheritance is a subclass to ejbobject . if the class inheritance is not a subclass the process passes to step 233 , which depicts an error being thrown . process then passes to step 234 , which illustrates the verification tool aborting the verification process . returning to step 232 , if class inheritance is a subclass of ejbobject , the process instead proceeds to step 236 , which depicts a determination of whether the method returned type is void , primitive , remote or value type . if the return type is not void , primitive , remote or value type , the process proceeds to step 233 , which depicts an error being thrown . the process then passes to step 234 , which depicts the verification tool aborting the verification process . returning to step 236 , if the return type is void , primitive , remote or value type , the process instead proceeds to step 238 , which illustrates a determination of whether each argument data type is primitive , remote or value type . if any argument data type is not primitive , remote or value type , the process proceeds to step 233 , which depicts an error being thrown . the process then proceeds to step 234 which illustrates the verification tool aborting the verification process . returning to step 238 , if each data type is primitive , remote or value type , the process then passes to step 240 , which depicts a determination of whether each remote interface method throws a java . rmi . remoteexceltion . if any remote interface method does not throw the java . rmi . remoteexception , the process passes to step 233 , which illustrates throwing an error . the process then proceeds to step 234 , which depicts the verification tool aborting the verification process . if , in step 240 , the determination is made that each method does throw a java . rmi . remoteexception , the process instead proceeds to step 242 , which illustrates a determination of whether there is a matching ejbean method for each method in the remote interface . each method in the remote interface must have a matching bean method , but the bean method is not required to match up with the remote interface method . if each method in the remote interface does not match each ejbean method , the process passes to step 233 , which depicts an error been thrown . the process then continues to step 234 , which illustrates discontinuing the verification process . if the determination is made that each method in the remote interface has a matching ejbean method , the process instead passes to step 250 in fig2 c via connector b to begin a verification process for the home interface . referring now to fig2 c , a high - level flow diagram for verifying validity of a home interface for an enterprise java bean in accordance with the present invention is depicted . beginning with connector b , following a successful verification of the remote interface , the process moves to step 250 , which depicts the verifier tool beginning introspection of the home interface . the process passes to step 252 , which illustrates a determination of whether ejbean &# 39 ; s home interface class inheritance is a subclass of ejbhome . if the class inheritance is not a subclass of ejbhome , the process proceeds to step 253 , which depicts an error regarding class inheritance being thrown . the process then passes to step 254 , which illustrates the verification tool aborting the verifications process . if it is determined that the class inheritance is a subclass of ejbhome , the processpasses instead to step 260 in fig2 d , via connector c . referring now to fig2 d , a high - level flow diagram for verifying validity of the home interface of an enterprise java bean in accordance with the present invention is continued from fig2 c . the process moves from connector c to step 260 , which depicts a determination of whether the ejbean has only finder or create methods . if not , the process proceeds to step 262 , which illustrates an error being thrown . the process then passes to step 264 , which illustrates aborting the verification process . arguments of each finder methodare used by entity bean implementation to locate requested entity objects . arguments of the create methods are typically used to initialize the state of a created entity object and the return type of a create method is the entity bean &# 39 ; s remote interface . the throws clause of every finder and create method includes java . rmi . remoteexception , javax . ejb . finderexception or javax . ejb . createexception . returning to step 260 , if there are only finder or create methods , the process then passes to step 266 , which depicts a determination of whether the ejbean is a session bean . if the ejbean is a session bean , the process proceeds to step 268 . returning to step 266 , if the determination is made that the ejbean is not a session bean , the process instead proceeds to step 267 , which illustrates a determination of whether a findbyprimarykey method is present . if the findbyprimarykey ( allows a client to locate an entity object using a primary key ; return type is entity bean &# 39 ; s remote interface ) method is present , the process passes to step 270 which depicts confirming the data type . the process then continues , via connector d to steps 274 and 278 in fig2 e . if there is no findbyprimarykey method , the process passes from step 267 to step 262 , which depicts an error being displayed / thrown . next the process continues to step 264 , which illustrates the verification tool discontinuing the verification process . returning to step 268 , if the determination is made that there is no finder method present , the process passes instead to step 269 , which illustrates a determination of whether the ejbean is a stateless session bean . if the ejbean is determined not to be stateless , the process proceeds to step 270 , which depicts confirming the data type . if the ejbean is determined to be stateless , the process instead proceeds to step 272 , which depicts a determination of whether there is “ one create method without parameter ” present . if not , the process moves to step 262 , which illustrates an error being thrown . the process then passes to step 264 , which depicts discontinuing the verification process . if the one create method without parameter is present , the process instead proceeds to step 270 , which illustrates confirming the data type . the verification process then proceeds to step 274 in fig2 e via connector d . referring to now fig2 e , a high - level flow diagram for verifying validity of the home interface of an enterprise java bean in accordance with the present invention is continued from fig2 d . continuing from fig2 d via connector d , the process proceeds to step 274 , which depicts a determination of whether the create method returns ejbobject ( class instance that implements the ejbean &# 39 ; s remote interface ). if not , the process passes to step 276 , which illustrates an error being thrown / displayed . the process continues to step 277 , which illustrates the verification tool aborting the verification process . if , in step 274 , create method returns ejbobject , the process proceeds instead to step 282 , which depicts a determination of whether the parameter &# 39 ; s data type is remote , value type or primitive . if the parameter &# 39 ; s data type is not remote , value type or primitive , the process passes to step 276 , which illustrates an error being returned and the process continues to step 277 , which depicts discontinuation of the verification process . returning to connector d , concurrently with step 274 , the process passes to step 278 , which depicts a determination of whether the finder method returns either ejbobject or enumeration . if not , the process passes to step 279 , which illustrates an error being thrown by the process . the process then passes to step 280 , which depicts discontinuing the verification process . if the finder method does return ejbobject or enumeration in step 278 , the process instead proceeds to step 282 , where a determination is made whether the parameter &# 39 ; s data type is remote , value type or primitive . if not , the process passes to step 276 , which illustrates an error being thrown by the process . the is process then continues to step 277 , signifying that the verification process is discontinued . returning to step 282 , if both the finder method and the create method have a correct return type and the parameter &# 39 ; s data type is remote , value type or primitive , the process proceeds to step 284 and 286 simultaneously . step 284 , illustrates whether a create method of the ejbean &# 39 ; s remote interface throws createexception and remote exception . a create method must throw createexception and remote exception . create methodmay also throw user defined exceptions , but not any other system exceptions . if not , the process passes to step 276 , which depicts an error being thrown . the process then continues to step 277 , which illustrates discontinuation of the verification process . if the home &# 39 ; s create method throws createexception and remoteexception , the process proceeds instead to step 288 , which depicts a determination of whether the finder and create method is throwing any system exception other than remote , finder or create . no other system exception may be thrown unless the exception is a remote exception , create exception or finder exception . if the determination is made that a system exception other than a remote , create or finder exception is thrown , the process passes to step 287 , which illustrates an error being thrown . the process continues to step 280 , which depicts the verification process being discontinued . if the determination is made that the only system exception thrown is either a remote , create or finder exception , the process proceeds instead , to step 290 , which illustrates a determination of whether the ejbean method is mapped . if not , the process passes to step 287 , which illustrates an error being thrown . next , the process passes to step 280 , which depicts discontinuing the verification process . at the same time that the determination is being made on whether the createfinder method throws createexception and remoteexception , the process concurrently passes to step 286 , which illustrates determination of whether the finder method throws finderexception and remoteexception if not , the process moves to step 287 , which depicts throwing an error . the process then proceeds to step 280 , which illustrates discontinuation of the verification process . returning to step 286 , if the determination is made that the home &# 39 ; s finder method throws finderexception and remoteexception , the process proceeds instead to step 288 , which depicts a determination of whether the finder and create method is throwing any other system exception . if not , the process passes to step 287 , which depicts throwing an error and continues to step 280 , which illustrates discontinuing the verification process . if the determination is made that a system exception other than a remote , create or finder exceptionis thrown , the process passes instead to step 290 , which depicts a determination of whether the ejbean method is mapped . if the ejbean is not mapped , the process passes to step 287 , which illustrates throwing an error . the process continues to step 280 , which depicts discontinuation of the verification process . if instead , the determination is made that the ejbean method is mapped , the process instead , proceeds to step 300 , in fig2 f , via connector e . referring now to fig2 f , a high - level flow diagram for verifying validity of an enterprise java bean through introspection in accordance with the present invention , is depicted . beginning with connector e , the process continues to step 300 , which depicts beginning introspection of the enterprise java bean utilizing the jar files of the bean . the process passes to step 302 , which illustrates a determination of whether the bean is an entity bean or a session bean . if the bean is an entity bean , the process proceeds to step 303 , which depicts a determination of whether the entity bean implements javax . ejb . entitybean . if not the process proceeds to step 314 , which illustrates an error being thrown and the process continues to step 316 , which depicts the verification tool aborting the verification process . if the entity bean implements javax . ejb . entitybean , the process proceeds instead to step 308 , which illustrates a determination that the ejbean class is public and not abstract . the process then passes to step 310 , which depicts confirmation of the validity of the enterprise java bean . returning to step 302 , if the determination is made that the ejbean is a session bean , the process passes to step 304 , which depicts a determination of whether the session bean is stateless or not . if the session bean is stateless , the process passes to step 306 , which illustrates a determination of whether the bean implements javax . ejb . sessionsynchronization ( provides session bean instances with transaction synchronization interface ). if javax . ejb . sessionsynchronization is implemented , the process proceeds to step 308 , which depicts a determination that the ejbean class is public and not abstract . the process continues to step 310 , which illustrates verifidation of the enterprise java bean as valid . if javax . ejb . sessionsynchronization is not implemented the process proceeds instead , to step 314 , which depicts the verification process throwing an error . the process then continues to step 316 , which illustrates discontinuing the verification process . returning to step 304 , if the enterprise java bean is determined not to be stateless , the process proceeds instead to step 312 , which depicts a determination of whether the session bean implements javax . ejb . sessionbean . if not , the :. process passes to step 314 , which illustrates an error being thrown . the process then passes to step 316 , which depicts the discontinuation of the verification process . if in step 312 , the session bean does implement javax . ejb . sessionbean , the process proceeds instead to step . 308 , which depicts the enterprise java bean class being designated as public and not abstract . the process continues to step 310 , which , illustrates confirmation of the validity of the enterprise java bean . it is important to note that while the present invention has been described in the context of a fully functional data processing system and / or network ; those skilled in the art will appreciate that the mechanism of the present invention is capable of being distributed in the form of a computer usable medium of instructions in a variety of forms , and that the present invention applies equally regardless of the particular type of signal bearing medium used to actually carry out the distribution . examples of computer usable mediums include : nonvolatile , hard - coded type mediums such as read only memories ( roms ) or erasable , electrically programmable read only memories ( eeproms ), recordable type mediums such as floppy disks , hard disk drives and cd - roms , and . transmission type mediums such as digital and analog communication links . an exemplary set of instructions for determining validity of an enterprise java bean in accordance with the preferred embodiment is shown below . it should be understood by those skilled in the art that changes in structure and order of the compilation may be made without altering the scope and spirit of the embodiment . while the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to a preferred embodiment , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention .

US-40440499-A

a closed cycle recovery system and apparatus for continuously recovering residual products which have been washed or flushed from tank trucks , tank cars , and other transportation or storage containers while simultaneously separating and recovering the water , solvent or other fluids which are used to wash or flush such tanks and containers in which a mixture of the water , solvent , and other fluids , and the residual product is separated by evaporation of the water , solvent , or other fluids by passing the mixture through a distillation chamber having a series of tube and flat plate heat exchange surfaces so that the individual fluids and product may be purified and separately stored for further use .

with continued reference to the drawings a portion of a closed cycle recovery tank or container cleaning system 10 is shown in fig1 . the purpose of the portion of the system as shown is to process and separate incoming mixtures of solvents , water , and any number of products which have been cleaned or flushed from a transportation or storage container . when it is desired to clean the interior of a storage tank or container such as a tanker truck , the truck is located adjacent the recovery system 10 and one or more spray bars ( not shown ) are positioned within the tank . in order to receive the residual products from within the tank together with the flushing agent , the discharge valve from the tank is connected to the recovery tank system by way of an inlet 11 which directs the incoming contaminated mixture into a receiving tank 12 . with the system of the present invention it is possible to utilize one or more solvents which are individually stored in one or more solvent containers 13 . to accelerate the cleaning process , the solvents may be introduced and heated with steam which is generated by steam generator 14 which is connected to a clean water storage tank 15 . steam from the steam generator may be mixed with the solvent as the solvent is drawn by the primary cleaning pump 16 through one or more valves 17 and directed toward the cleaning nozzles located within the tank or container being cleaned ( not shown ). as the solvents and water are drained with the residual product from within the container , they are received by the receiving tank 12 . as it is desired to separate the solvents from the water and residual chemical products which may include oils , resins , epoxys , paints , and other chemicals or chemical wastes , the closed cycle recovery system 10 provides means for separating and separately collecting each of the foregoing fluids in a purified state . the mixture of contaminated liquid in the receiver tank 12 is first filtered through a pair of filter elements 20 and 21 and thereafter retained in a pair of holding tanks 23 and 24 . the filtered mixture stored within the holding tanks 23 and 24 is thereafter selectively drawn by the distillation feed pump 25 and introduced through one or more injector nozzles 26 into a distillation chamber 30 . prior to being conveyed into the distillation chamber 30 , the mixture is preheated as will hereinafter be described in greater detail . the distillation chamber includes a housing 31 having front and back walls 32 and 33 which are connected at either side by side walls 34 and 35 . the housing is closed at the bottom by a bottom panel member 36 and at the top by a dome - like lid member 37 . one or more openings 38 are provided in the uppermost portion of the lid 37 through which the injector nozzles 26 are located . another opening 39 is provided through the lid and oriented towards the side wall 35 of the chamber . the opening 39 is sealed by a window 40 which permits visual inspection of the distillation chamber . another large opening 41 is made through the lid 37 oriented toward the front wall 32 of the chamber . opening 41 provides an outlet for vapor generated within the chamber which vapor is conducted by way of ducting 43 to one or more condenser units 45 in a manner as will be discussed in greater detail hereinafter . heat is provided within the distillation chamber by oil which is introduced by way of oil inlet line 46 into a liquid distribution header 47 which is located inside the chamber adjacent a door portion 48 which extends outwardly from the front wall 32 thereof . the oil within the distribution header 47 passes through a tubular heat exchanger 49 which consists of a plurality of rows of tubular heat exchange pipes 50 into a vertical heating chamber 51 . the vertical heating chamber is defined between the rear wall 33 of the chamber 30 and an interior wall 33 &# 39 ; which extends vertically and generally parallel to the rear wall 33 and between the side walls 34 and 35 . at least two flat plate heat exchangers 52 and 53 are disposed below the tubular heat exchanger 49 . the first or uppermost flat plate heat exchanger 52 is generally hollow and has an opening 54 along its length which communicates with the vertical heating chamber 51 so that oil within the vertical heating chamber is free to flow between the upper and lower surfaces 55 and 56 thereof outwardly through oil outlet line 57 . the flow of oil through the flat plate heat exchanger may be retarded and distributed by means of a baffle plate 58 having a plurality of spaced semicircular openings 59 therein . with particular reference to fig4 it should be noted that the upper flat plate heat exchanger extends from the inner wall 33 &# 39 ; forwardly towards the front wall 32 of the chamber and terminates in spaced relationship thereto thereby providing a passageway 60 through which fluid is free to flow downwardly toward the second flat plate heat exchanger 53 . the flat plate heat exchanger 53 is also hollow and communicates with the vertical heating chamber 51 by way of elongated opening 61 so that oil may flow between the upper and lower walls 62 and 63 thereof . oil flowing within the heat exchanger 53 is retarded and distributed by a baffle plate 64 having a plurality of openings 65 therein , and oil passing therethrough is conducted out through oil outlet 66 . a plurality of tubular members 67 are provided through the second heat exchanger adjacent the opening 61 whereby fluid flowing along the upper surface 62 thereof may pass into a collection or product outlet chamber 70 . although not specifically shown in the drawings , the upper surfaces 55 and 62 of the flat plate heat exchangers 52 and 53 , respectively , may have a plurality of weirs or other ridges placed or formed thereon . the weirs or ridges would be used to restrict the flow of fluid along the surface of the heat exchangers and also to make the flow more turbulent thereby further promoting vaporization of water and solvent from the mixture being separated . the collection chamber 70 includes a tapered inner bottom heat exchange plate 71 which is spaced from the bottom wall 36 so as to provide a hollow chamber 72 in which oil flows from the vertical chamber outwardly through an oil outlet line 73 . the heat exchange plate 71 provides an additional heat exchange surface and is designed to funnel liquid collected thereon towards a product collection pipe 74 . in order to provide a means to further process or distill the product deposited on the plate 71 a weir 75 is provided and extends across the plate 71 so as to obstruct the flow of fluid passing to the product outlet pipe 74 . as fluid is collected on the plate 71 , such fluid will collect against the weir and thereby be retained in a pool until such time as the height of liquid retained by the weir is such as to cause the liquid to flow over the top thereof and outwardly through the collection pipe 74 . by making the weir adjustable in height , the collection time may be increased or decreased depending upon the volatility of the products being vaporized . with particular reference to fig3 and 6 , as the contaminated fluid or mixture is sprayed through nozzles 26 into the distillation chamber , the mixture will first impact against a porous screen member 76 which extends across the full depth and width of the still at a location above the tubular heat exchanger 49 . the screen is provided to insure that the incoming contaminated fluid does not pass quickly and directly through the tubular heat exchanger 49 . the fine mesh screen decelerates the incoming liquid and causes the liquid to drip therefrom on to the heat exchange tubes 50 at a low velocity . the screen also functions to disperse the incoming liquid so that it is uniformly distributed across the surface thereof . as the liquid drips from the screen on to the surface of the tubular heat exchange elements 50 the drops will have a tendency to travel around the tube as a thin film thus permitting the solvent and water therein to be heated and vaporized . after the liquid passes through the series of tubular heat exchange members , it flows by gravity to the upper surface of the first flat plate heat exchanger 52 . the first flat heat exchanger is sloped approximately 1 / 8 inch per foot towards the front of the distillation chamber thereby permitting the liquid thereon to travel slowly by gravity across the upper surface and down through the passage 60 to the upper surface of the second flat plate heat exchanger 53 . the fluid continues to travel downwardly on a slope of approximately 1 / 2 inch per foot towards the tubular openings 67 which communicate the second flat plate heat exchanger with the lower heat exchange surface of the distillation chamber . as shown in the drawings there are four rows of heat exchange tubes 50 which extend between the oil distribution header 47 and the vertical heating chamber . the number of rows of heat exchange tubes may , of course , be increased to provide for additional heat exchange surface area . as previously discussed , heat is supplied to the distillation chamber by oil which is circulated by a pump , ( not shown ), which is connected between the oil inlet line 46 and the oil outlets 57 , 66 , and 73 . the oil is heated by a plurality of emersion heaters 78 which are disposed in the hollow chamber 72 adjacent the lower portion of the distillation chamber as shown in fig4 . an expansion tank or valve 79 is also provided and is located above and in open communication with the vertical heating chamber . in the operation of the distilling chamber , the contaminated fluid from the holding tanks is preheated as it passes through a serpentined pipe 80 which extends through the vertical heating chamber of the distilling chamber . as the preheated contaminated fluid passes through the nozzles 26 into the upper portion of the distilling chamber the reduction in pressure causes a first portion of the water or solvent contained in the mixture to become vaporized . the remaining contaminated liquid impacts against the porous screen member 76 and is distributed across the width of the distilling chamber . as the liquid drips through the screen , it falls in contact with the tubular exchange pipes 50 . as the fluid is moving at a slow velocity , it will tend to travel around the outer surface of the tubular heating members causing further vaporization of the water and solvents which are contaminating the residual product which has been flushed from a tank or container . after passing through the tubular heating exchanger , the fluid will be collected on the first flat plate heat exchanger and subsequently on to the second flat heat exchanger wherein further vaporization of the water and solvent is accomplished . the substantially pure residual product thereafter falls to the bottom plate of the distilling chamber where such fluid is subjected to additional heat as it is delayed for a short period of time by the weir member 75 so that any remaining solvents or water will be vaporized before the pure residual product is conducted to a storage container , ( not shown ), where it is retained for future use of resale . by regulating the temperatures of the oil within the distilling chamber , the vaporization of both high and low boiling point chemicals may readily be achieved . with reference to fig4 the liquid level in the bottom of the distillation chamber may be visually checked by means of a window 81 which is provided in the door panel 48 . the vapor which is created during the distillation process passes through the vapor outlet 41 and is conducted to one or more condensers 45 where the vapor is converted to a liquid for subsequent storage in solvent tanks 13 or a water retention tank 15 . in order to separate the low molecular weight or low boiling point chemicals from the higher molecular weight , higher boiling point chemicals , a fractionating separator or column may be disposed between the distillation chamber and the condenser so that the individual or separate solvents may be separately removed and condensed for future use .

US-51889183-A

a shifting device is provided for the preferably powerless transmission of shift commands to a fully automatic or semi - automatic transmission of a motor vehicle and a frame and / or housing and a gearshift lever mounted pivotably along a shift gate . a first shift stop and a second shift stop are provided for the gearshift lever which each define a shift position for the said gearshift lever . at least one detection device is provided for detecting the shift position . an inoperative position is provided into which the gearshift lever pivots back by itself from the deflected shift position , driven by a restoring force . the shifting device has an actuating device , which can countermand a shift stop , so that the gearshift lever can be pivoted beyond the shift position defined by this shift stop .

[ 0033 ] fig1 shows a schematic view of a longitudinal section of a preferred shifting device according to the present invention . obvious and known individual parts of the shifting device are not shown for clarity &# 39 ; s sake , and the presentation was limited to the essential functional structural components of the embodiment according to the invention . for example , the generally known detection devices for detecting a particular shift position are not shown . [ 0034 ] fig1 shows the shifting device according to the present invention with a gearshift lever 1 , which is mounted pivotably around a shift axis 5 . a pin 4 , which acts as a gearshift lever - side stop face , is located at the gearshift lever 1 on the side . the gearshift lever 1 has a shift knob 3 and , at the lower end , a right - angled extension , which accommodates a sliding element 17 , which is pressed by a spring 18 elastically onto a curve 16 arranged on the housing side . the curve 16 is designed such that the gearshift lever 1 stabilizes itself in the position being shown , while a deflection into a front or rear position takes place only by an ergonomically pleasant resistance by the sliding element 17 compressing the spring 18 during its sliding over the curve 16 . this correspondingly leads to a restoring force for the gearshift lever 1 from the deflected positions , which always causes a return in unloaded situations into the neutral position being shown here . a stop contour 24 , which is struck by the gearshift lever 1 as soon as the latter is deflected in a forward direction , which corresponds to the right - hand side here , is located in the housing 2 , which is shown only very schematically , so that a first shift position is defined hereby . this shift position is detected by corresponding detection means and can be passed on to an automatic or semi - automatic transmission . this situation is shown in fig2 which shows the gearshift lever 1 in the front shift position , wherein the gearshift lever 1 has struck the stop contour 24 , which is a rigid part of the housing . if the gearshift lever is moved , as is shown in fig3 in the rearward direction , the pin 4 arranged to the side of the gearshift lever 1 with its stop face 21 strikes the stop face 22 of the rocker arm 6 and thus forms a second shift position of the gearshift lever 1 . this shift position is detected by a detection device in this case as well and it can be passed on , if desired , to the automatic transmission , so that a corresponding shifting operation is initiated in the automatic transmission . the rocker arm 6 , at the front end of which the stop face 22 is located , is mounted pivotably by means of a rocker arm pivot axis 7 . the rocker arm pivot axis 7 is located , in turn , at the end of a likewise pivotably mounted emergency lever 8 , wherein the emergency lever shaft 9 , around which the emergency lever 8 is pivotable , is located at the opposite end of the rocker arm pivot axis 7 . the emergency lever shaft 9 is stationarily connected in this embodiment with the housing 2 or with the frame connected thereto , which is not shown in detail here . a bowden cable 12 , which is responsible for the mechanical release of the parking brake of the automatic transmission , acts between the rocker arm pivot axis 7 and the emergency lever shaft 9 . it shall be pointed out that the second shifting device being shown here cannot be pushed over by any means in the state of the shift position being shown in fig1 through 3 by a normal force application at the gearshift lever 1 , but only the two end positions of the gearshift lever being shown in fig1 through 3 are available to the driver in this state , and the gearshift lever always pivots back by itself from these end positions into the middle , neutral position . consequently , this is the shifting principle of a “ tiptronic ” shifting , in which a certain command is passed on to the automatic transmission by briefly pivoting the gearshift lever out into a front or rear position in relation to the neutral position . this may mean , on the one hand , the command for upshifting or downshifting the transmission , or the front position is used for a transmission situation for the normal forward drive , and the rear shift position is used to engage the reverse gear , in which case an additional logic verification is necessary , so that damage to the transmission cannot occur due to the gearshift lever 1 being accidentally moved into an r position if the vehicle is moving forward at a high rate of speed . if the driver would now like to shift the automatic transmission into a park state or the p position , he can actuate a pushbutton 20 located at the knob , by which the actuating device according to the present invention allows the rear shift stop to become ineffective . in the exemplary embodiment being shown here , this actuating device is a plunger 14 , which causes the rocker arm 6 to jump up around the rocker arm pivot axis 7 by means of an electromagnetic drive 13 by acting on a pin 15 arranged laterally at the rocker arm . it shall be pointed out in this connection that besides the electric or electronic connection between the pushbutton 20 at the gearshift lever 1 and the actuating device , it is also possible to provide a mechanical coupling . for example , a bowden cable , which brings about the disengagement of the rocker arm 6 , can be actuated by actuating the pushbutton 20 . if the gearshift lever 1 is in the rear shift position being shown in fig4 the corresponding shift command can be passed on to the automatic transmission by a detection device . it shall be additionally pointed out that in its rear position , the gearshift lever 1 strikes a second stop contour 23 , which is a rigid part of the housing or frame here , and the third shift position is thus unambiguously defined . if the pushbutton 20 is now released by the driver , the lowering of the plunger 14 brings about at the same time the pivoting down of the rocker arm 6 , which has a hook - like contour on its front side and surrounds the pin 4 of the gearshift lever 1 , so that locking of the gearshift lever 1 is generated in this position . [ 0044 ] fig5 shows such a situation , and it shall also be pointed out , in addition , that a locking lever 10 with a pin 25 at the rear end of the rocker arm 6 engages an opening 26 at the rocker arm . the emergency lever 8 is at the same time prevented from pivoting by this coupling between the rocker arm 6 and the locking lever 10 , whose pivot axis is mounted rigidly on the housing , so that emergency release of the transmission by the bowden cable 12 , which acts on the emergency lever 8 , is not possible . an actuating device for the locking lever 10 , which said actuating device is not shown explicitly here , is actuated only by an additional action on the part of the driver , preferably by the removal of the ignition key , so that the locking lever 10 is pivoted upward around the locking lever pivot axis 11 and , as is shown in fig6 it releases the rocker arm 6 in conjunction with the emergency lever 8 for forward movement . such a forward movement after the release of the rocker arm 6 due to the raising of the locking lever 10 is shown in fig7 . on its front side , the rocker arm 6 is fastened to the pin 4 at the gearshift lever , so that the pivoting of the gearshift lever into the front shift position also brings about at the same time the pulling out of the core of the bowden cable 12 , as a result of which the mechanical release of the parking brake of the automatic transmission of the vehicle is triggered . the shifting device may include or be used with an electronic or program - controlled control circuit or control unit 50 for controlling the actuating device 13 , 14 for countermanding a shift stop , taking into account the current driving conditions and / or the current shifting state . the electronic or program - controlled circuit 50 may also be provided for triggering the locking element taking into account the current driving conditions and / or the current shifting state . the embodiment of the shifting device according to the present invention being shown here consequently demonstrates that it is possible to design a monostable shifting device such that besides a first shift position and a second shift position , which can be reached by simply tipping the gearshift lever , a third shift position is additionally possible , but this is made available to the driver only under predetermined conditions of the transmission or the vehicle , and the driver can unambiguously recognize by a haptic feedback whether this third shift position can be engaged based on the status of the vehicle or the vehicle transmission , and , in addition , the gearshift lever remains in or can be maintained in this third shift position once it has been engaged . this is achieved due to the fact that a monostable shifting device , whose movement is limited at first by two stops to two shift positions , can be moved into a third position by disengaging at least one of the limiting stops and optionally , if the second stop is also disengaged , into a fourth position , and this takes place as a function of the particular situation of the transmission . it is obvious that the above - described features of the present invention are applicable not only in the particular combination described , but also in other combinations or alone without going beyond the scope of the present invention . bringing about a mechanical reversal of the functions of the individual mechanical elements of the present invention is also within the scope of the present invention . while a specific embodiment of the invention has been shown and described in detail to illustrate the application of the principles of the invention , it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles .

US-81400604-A

an outdoor decoration , primarily intended for the holiday season , with a wire frame that is divided into segments , the segments having either the same size or with as many segments as possible having the same size , the segments not having the same size to be comparative in size , to permit fitting the segments together for convenient shipping . the segments are held together by clips and lights are placed on the frame .

referring to fig1 through 4 , a wire frame 21 is shown for a wreath to be used as an outdoor decoration . such a wire frame 21 can be built as one piece but , outdoor decorations , have a substantial size . as a result , unless the wreath is being used where it is constructed , shipment of the wreath for any distance is difficult and most certainly expensive . in fig3 and 4 , the wire frame 21 for the wreath is shown separated along its central plane resulting in two half sections 23 , each having a substantially semicircular cross section 25 . the two half sections 23 , namely a front section 27 and a rear section 29 , are mirror images of one another . each half section 23 is then divided into equal segments . as best seen in fig3 one half section 23 is divided into segments 31 , fig3 showing two equal segments 31 . in fig4 one half section 23 is divided into four equal segments 31 . when the two half sections 23 are each divided into four segments 31 , the entire wire frame 21 is broken down into eight equal segments 31 . the selection of four segments 31 for each half section 23 might be appropriate for a four foot wreath but the number of segments 31 may be increased , or as shown in fig3 even decreased . the use of six or eight segments 31 is perfectly acceptable and is to be anticipated with larger decorations . since with a wreath , each segment 31 has the same shape and the same size , all eight segments 31 fit together readily , as is shown in fig9 . this results in a compact package for shipping . if there were twelve or sixteen segments 31 , the result would be the same but with a reasonably larger and heavier package . since a wreath is symmetrical , it is easily capable of being divided into equal segments 31 but this is not possible with a irregularly shaped design such as a candy cane which is shown in fig6 . however , with careful planning , the number of shapes can be kept to a minimum resulting in segments 31 that can be readily put together for shipment . the result with a candy cane , as shown in fig6 , 8 and 10 , is segmnet 31 with three different shapes and a total of eight segments 31 . as shown in fig1 , the eight segments 31 , readily fit together to form a reasonably compact package . although the segments 31 shown in fig1 have varying lengths , they are still capable of being readily stacked for easy shipment and storage . a candy cane has two basic parts , namely a shaft 33 , which is straight and elongated , and the handle 35 which is bent around roughly in a u - shape . actually a true u - shape does not provide the best appearance and the handle 35 is best a little over bent as can be seen in fig6 . the shaft 33 can be divided into an equal number of segments 31 . in fig8 the front section 27 of the shaft 33 is shown divided into two equal segments 31 . the rear section 29 is a mirror image of the front section 27 . this results in the shaft 33 having four equal segments 31 . the front section 27 and the rear section 29 of the handle 35 are both also separated into two segments 31 which results in a total of four segments 31 for the handle 35 . however , the inside segment 37 of the handle 35 in the front section 27 , which is connected to the shaft 33 , is the same as the outside segment 39 in the rear section 29 of the handle 35 remote from the shaft 33 . similarly , the inside segment 41 of the rear section 29 which is connected to the shaft 35 is the same as the outside segment 43 of the front section 27 . as a result , the handle 35 has four segments 31 but with only two different shapes . the shaft 33 has four segments 31 each with the same shape but distinctive from the shape of the segments 31 in the handle 35 . the result is a total of eight segments 31 having three different shapes , as previously stated , for the entire wire frame 21 of a candy cane . with both the wreath , as shown in fig1 through 5 and the candy cane as shown in fig6 through 8 , each segment 31 has longitudinal wire members 45 extending longitudinally along the segments 31 and cross wire members 47 which cross the longitudinal wire members 45 . the longitudinal wire members 45 and the cross wire members 47 are fused to one another at the points at which they cross . in assembling a wire frame 21 at the site where it is to be displayed , the segments 31 are secured by any form of suitable clip means ( not shown ). actually , even tying with string or thin wire would be satisfactory . the wire members 45 , 47 of the segments 31 is placed into the clip means and thereby secured . by opening or cutting the clip means , the segments 31 are readily separated and can be again stacked as shown in fig9 and 10 . once the wire frame 21 is assembled , lights 49 need to be placed on the wire frame 21 to produce the unusual and the highly attractive three dimensional appearance . as best seen in fig1 , the lights 49 for a wreath , are formed in a mat 51 about an inner circle 53 and an outer circle 55 , both the inner circle 53 and the outer circle 55 being electric lines . strands 57 extend between and are connected to both the outer circle 55 and the inner circle 53 . a structural cord 59 , which does not carry electrical power , serves to space the strands 57 . electrical power is supplied by electrical leads 61 to the inner circle 53 and to the outer circle 55 . lights 49 are mounted on the strands 57 in electrical series with one another . the individual strands 57 are electrically in parallel to one another . the details of the electrical circuitry are shown in fig1 while the pysical arrangment of the mat 51 is shown in fig1 . a transformer 63 is used to step down the usually available one hundred twenty volt power to twelve volts . alternatively , five lights 49 and four lights 49 are placed on strands 57 , which strands 57 are electrically in parallel with one another . the lights 49 in any one strand 57 are in series with one another . in this way , the burning out of one light 49 will extinguish the strand in which that light 49 is located but at most only five lights 49 need be checked to correct the situation . the alternating pattern of five lights 49 and four lights 49 shown in fig1 continues to a total of twenty eight strands with five lights 49 and twenty seven strands with four lights 49 . by shaping the mat 51 ( fig1 ) to the size and shape of a half section 23 of a wire frame 21 , two mats 51 of lights 49 are needed to cover the entire wire frame 21 of a decoration . with a candy cane or any other shaped decoration , the same concept is used to form a mat 51 that covers a half section 23 of the decoration and with two mats 51 the entire wire frame 21 is covered . the inner circle 53 and the outer circle 55 are replaced by the inside and outside lines of the candy cane . the mats 51 are connected to one another and to the wire frame 21 by retainer means ( not shown ) which like the clip means previously mentioned may be used in any number of forms . the decoration in the form of a wreath is shown in fig1 with the lights installed . the three dimensional effect of the lights on the rear section shining through the lights on the front section creates a very unusual and attractive appearance not known in previous decorations . the use of half sections 23 and segments 31 illuminated by two mats 51 of lights 49 is equally as applicable to wire frames 21 having various configurations other than a wreath and a candy cane . it is to be understood that the drawings and description matter are in all cases to be interpreted as merely illustrative of the principles of the invention , rather than as limiting the same in any way , since it is contemplated that various changes may be made in various elements to achieve like results without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims .

US-95525001-A

a process is provided for removing carbon dioxide out of combustion exhaust gas by scrubbing the exhaust gas with an aqueous solution of monoethanolamine in a scrubber , and regenerating the carbon dioxide - loaded aqueous solution of monoethanolamine in a regenerator . the process is provided with means for replenishing the aqueous solution of monoethanolamine with a stock , aqueous solution containing from about 70 % to about 75 % by weight of monoethanolamine . by providing a stock , aqueous solution containing from about 70 % to about 75 % by weight of monoethanolamine , which is injected into the carbon dioxide - loaded aqueous solution of monoethanolamine being transferred from the scrubber to the regenerator , the entire carbon dioxide recovery system is free from flammables , rendering fire - fighting precautions unnecessary .

a power plant with carbon dioxide recovery equipment attached thereto according to the first aspect of the invention is exemplified in fig1 . only major components are shown and auxiliaries omitted . where necessary , valves , pumps , heat exchangers , etc . are installed . the parts similar to those shown in fig6 are designated by like numerals . fig1 shows a tank 15 as a storage unit for the carbon dioxide absorbing solution having absorbed carbon dioxide and a tank 16 as a storage unit for the regenerated carbon dioxide absorbing solution . these units enable the absorber 7 to operate for carbon dioxide absorption day and night as long as the generation of electricity is in progress . however , the absorbing solution that has absorbed carbon dioxide is not regenerated during the period , e . g ., daytime , when the power supply tends to become short compared with increased demand . thus , in daytime , steam is not extracted from line 12 and the production of electric power can be increased accordingly . throughout this period the carbon dioxide - containing absorbing solution from the absorber 7 is stored in the tank 15 and , during the low demand period , e . g ., at night , the regenerator 10 is operated for regeneration . the intermittent operation of the regenerator 10 necessitates the installation of the tank 16 for storing the regenerated carbon dioxide absorbing solution . the capacities of these tanks vary partly with actual differences in power demand between day and night . generally , the tanks desirably have capacities to hold at least one - third to one - half of the daily processing capacities of the absorber 7 and the regenerator 10 , respectively . examples of the carbon dioxide absorbing solution include : aqueous alkaline solutions , such as those of hindered amine compounds and potassium carbonate ; aqueous alkanolamine solutions , such as of monoethanolamine , diethanolamine , triethanolamine , methyldiethanolamine , diisopropanolamine , and diglycolamine ; and mixtures of these aqueous solutions . an aqueous monoethanolamine solution is preferably used . the present invention necessitates the addition of the tanks 15 and 16 to the conventional plant illustrated in fig6 . however , it is worthy of special mention that the economical merit of increased power generation during the daytime when the demand is heavy distinctly outweighs the drawback of extra investment on the tanks . currently the construction of a power plant , say a 600 - mw power plant , is known to cost about one hundred thousand yen per kilowatt of the generating capacity . also , approximately 30 percent of the low pressure steam produced is consumed for the regeneration of carbon dioxide - containing absorbing solution . in view of these , our estimate is that if the incorporation of the present invention permits the plant to generate about 10 percent more electricity , it will be possible to recover about six billion yen of the investment on the installation . addition of two tanks , e . g ., each capable of holding about 40 , 000 m 3 of a carbon dioxide absorbing solution , such as an aqueous monoethanolamine solution , will involve an expenditure of about one billion yen . it is clear that the present invention will make a substantial cost reduction possible . as has been described in detail , the first and second aspects of the present invention make it possible for a power plant which generates electricity and which uses a carbon dioxide absorber for removing carbon dioxide from the combustion exhaust gas to operate efficiently and respond to increased power demands during the daytime . fig2 shows as an example an equipment to be used for the method of the third aspect of the invention in absorbing carbon dioxide from combustion exhaust gas containing the carbon dioxide . only major devices are shown , with the pumps and other auxiliary components being omitted in fig2 . combustion exhaust gas is introduced via line 25 into a combustion exhaust gas cooler 21 , where it is cooled and transferred through line 26 into an absorber 22 . the absorber 22 is supplied , at its top , with an aqueous solution of monoethanolamine at a concentration of about 20 to 30 percent by weight via line 29 . the aqueous monoethanolamine solution falls in countercurrent contact with the combustion exhaust gas , takes up carbon dioxide from the gas , and , as an aqueous monoethanolamine solution containing the absorbed carbon dioxide , flows out at the bottom of the absorber column and is led through line 27 to an aqueous monoethanolamine regenerator 23 . the combustion exhaust gas from which carbon dioxide has been removed by absorption is released from the top of the absorber 22 to the atmosphere through line 28 . steam from a reboiler 32 passes through the aqueous monoethanolamine regenerator 23 , and regenerates the aqueous monoethanolamine solution . the regenerated solution is returned to the absorber 22 via line 29 . carbon dioxide is conducted through line 30 to a recovery process . while this carbon dioxide absorption - recovery system is in operation , monoethanolamine is gradually lost as partly entrained by the gas being discharged or as deterioration products . to make up for the loss , for example , a stock solution of monoethanolamine is supplied from a tank 24 and likewise diluting water is supplied from a tank 31 to line 27 . the stock solution of monoethanolamine is usually delivered to the equipment by a tank truck or the like . the third aspect of the present invention is characterized by the use of a nonflammable aqueous monoethanolamine solution as a stock solution in place of the conventional monoethanolamine solution that has been substantially the only flammable material in carbon dioxide recovery equipment . inasmuch as the monoethanolamine stock solution received by the tank 24 for subsequent use is nonflammable , the entire carbon dioxide recovery system is free from flammables . this makes it practically unnecessary to take precautionary measures for handling flammable matter . hence all the motors , measuring instruments , electric facilities , etc . to be employed need not be explosion - proof , and fire - fighting arrangements are no longer essential . although the present invention necessitates a slightly larger tank than usual for the monoethanolamine stock solution , this shortcoming is trivial compared with the great safety and economical merit of constructing the entire equipment without explosion proofing . the monoethanolamine stock solution to be used in the present invention is a nonflammable aqueous solution . table 1 shows the relationship between the monoethanolamine concentration in the aqueous solution and the physical properties such as the flash point and fire point . the flash point was determined by the cleveland method . the table indicates that the maximum concentration of monoethanolamine up to which the aqueous solution remains non - flammable is somewhere between 75 percent and 80 percent by weight . it will be appreciated that the maximum concentration can be easily attained by diluting with a small amount of water the aqueous monoethanolamine solution at a concentration of about 85 percent by weight ( nonfreezing grade ), or the solution of lowered solidifying point often used in conventional equipment for carbon dioxide recovery from combustible gases . the stock solution to be used in this invention is satisfactory if it is nonflammable and has a sufficiently high concentration for use as an absorbing solution . in order to minimize the volume of the storage tank for the stock solution and provide an allowance for safety at the same time , it is desirable to use an aqueous monoethanolamine solution at a concentration of 70 to 75 percent by weight . as described above , using a nonflammable aqueous monoethanolamine solution prepared in accordance with the third aspect of the invention as a stock solution for the solution to absorb carbon dioxide from combustion exhaust gases brings a marked improvement in safety of the carbon dioxide recovery equipment against fire hazards . all the motors , measuring instruments , electric facilities , etc . can be without explosion proofing . in addition , fire - fighting arrangements are no longer essential . fig3 shows , as an example , an equipment to be used for the method of the fourth to sixth aspects of the invention in recovering carbon dioxide by absorption from combustion exhaust gas containing carbon dioxide . only major devices are shown and auxiliary components are omitted in fig3 . for the method of carbon dioxide recovery in accordance with the fourth to sixth aspects of the present invention , it is important to bring combustion exhaust gas into contact with an aqueous solution of monoethanolamine after the gas temperature has been adjusted to a range from over 50 ° c . to 80 ° c ., preferably from 55 ° c . to 80 ° c . the temperature adjustment to the range from over 50 ° c . to 80 ° c . is desirably done by wet cooling , using an apparatus such as a cooler 41 shown in fig3 but it is not a limitation to the invention . combustion exhaust gas from a boiler or the like is discharged through a flue and introduced , usually at 100 ° c . to 150 ° c ., into a combustion exhaust gas cooler 41 via line 45 . the gas in the cooler is humidified and cooled by countercurrent contact with water which is circulated through line 53 by a pump 52 . according to the fourth to sixth aspects of the invention it is not necessary to cool the gas by the cooler 41 down to the range from 30 ° c . to 50 ° c . as is required in conventional processes . the gas need not be cooled below the range from over 50 ° c . to 80 ° c . the heat exchanger that has been conventionally required is not essential in the line 53 ; the line has only to circulate water in the liquid form according the present invention . water is not limited to fresh water from river but may also be seawater . the loss of water due to wet cooling is replenished via line 55 to the line 53 from a source not shown . the cooler 41 is required merely to bring water and gas into contact , and the existence of packing material or the like in the column is not a requisite . the gas temperature at the exit of the cooler 41 can be adjusted with the amount of water being circulated by the pump 52 . the gas wet - cooled to a temperature in the range from over 50 ° c . to 80 ° c . is transferred through line 46 into an absorber 42 . the absorber 42 is supplied , at its top , with an aqueous solution of monoethanolamine at a concentration of about 20 to 30 percent by weight via line 49 . the aqueous monoethanolamine solution falls in countercurrent contact with the combustion exhaust gas , takes up carbon dioxide from the gas , and , as an aqueous monoethanolamine solution containing the absorbed carbon dioxide , flows out at the bottom of the column and is led through line 47 to an aqueous monoethanolamine regenerator 43 . the combustion exhaust gas from which carbon dioxide has been removed by absorption is released from the top of the absorber 42 to the atmosphere through line 48 . inside the aqueous monoethanolamine regenerator 43 , heating with steam from a reboiler 54 regenerates the aqueous monoethanolamine solution , and the regenerated solution is returned to the absorber 42 via line 49 . carbon dioxide is conducted through line 50 to a recovery station . while this carbon dioxide absorption - recovery system is in operation , monoethanolamine is gradually lost from the system , partly entrained by the gas discharged or partly as by - products due to degradation . to make up for the loss , for example , a stock solution of monoethanolamine is supplied from a tank 44 , and likewise diluting water is supplied from a tank 51 , both to the line 47 . as described above , the cooler 41 simply brings hot gas and water into contact , whereby the gas is wet - cooled to the range from over 50 ° c . to 80 ° c . although the curve of saturation with carbon dioxide of the aqueous monoethanolamine solution has the tendency shown in fig5 the aqueous monoethanolamine solution in contact with the gas at such a relatively high temperature exhibits a greater carbon dioxide absorption capacity than when in contact with a low - temperature gas . this is presumably attributable to a large measure to the carbon dioxide absorption rate of the aqueous monoethanolamine solution . the gas thus simply cooled by humidification and still at a relatively high temperature may be brought into contact with the aqueous monoethanolamine solution . consequently , the line 53 requires no heat exchanger for cooling the circulating water . this results in a significant reduction of equipment and operation costs . the method of the invention is applicable to the gases resulting from the combustion of fuels , e . g ., natural gas , heavy oil , and coal . the fourth to six aspects of the invention are explained by the following experimental example . fig4 shows the results of investigations made on the relation between the temperature of combustion exhaust gas cooled by wet cooling using the apparatus shown in fig3 and the amount of carbon dioxide absorbed by an aqueous monoethanolamine solution . the abscissa and ordinate units in fig4 are the same as those used in fig5 . the wet - cooled temperature of the gas was adjusted with the amount of circulating water . ( 3 ) monoethanolamine concentration in aqueous solution in the line 49 : 30 % by weight as is obvious from fig4 the amount of carbon dioxide absorbed increases with temperature until it approximately reaches the peak around 70 ° c . this suggests that it is not necessary to cool the combustion exhaust gas to be treated down to 30 ° c . to 50 ° c ., the accepted range in conventional processes . as has been described in detail , the fourth to sixth aspects of the present invention renders it possible to have carbon dioxide absorbed efficiently from combustion exhaust gas by an aqueous monoethanolamine solution , by cooling the gas to a range from over 50 ° c . to 80 ° c . and then bringing it into contact with the monoethanolamine solution . mere wet cooling with water suffices for the cooling of hot gas , and there is no need of using a heat exchanger or the like that has been considered essential in conventional methods and apparatuses for enhanced cooling of cooling water .

US-80815497-A

film cooling of turbine component surfaces , such as high - lift airfoil surfaces , is achieved by a flow of cooling air through film cooling holes of generally constant cross - sectional area , which extend from the surfaces to a radial cooling passage within the airfoil . the film cooling holes are angularly offset from that portion of the radial cooling passage immediately upstream of the film cooling holes by an acute angle which effects a radial reversal of the flow of cooling air into the film cooling holes from the radial cooling passage to reduce the momentum of airflow through the film cooling holes to reduce separation of cooling air film from the surface .

referring to fig1 , a turbofan gas turbine engine 5 has a longitudinal axis 7 about which the rotors 8 within stator 9 rotate . stator 9 circumscribes the rotors . a fan 10 disposed at the engine inlet draws air into the engine . a low pressure compressor 15 located immediately downstream of fan 10 compresses air exhausted from fan 10 and a high pressure compressor 20 located immediately downstream of low pressure compressor 15 , further compresses air received therefrom and exhausts such air to combustors 25 disposed immediately downstream of high pressure compressor 20 . combustors 25 receive fuel through fuel injectors 30 and ignite the fuel / air mixture . the burning fuel - air mixture ( working medium fluid ) flows axially to a high pressure turbine 35 which extracts energy from the working medium fluid and in so doing , rotates hollow shaft 37 , thereby driving the rotor of high pressure compressor 20 . the working medium fluid exiting the high pressure turbine 35 then enters low pressure turbine 40 , which extracts further energy from the working medium fluid . the low pressure turbine 40 provides power to drive the fan 10 and low pressure compressor 15 through low pressure shaft 42 , which is disposed interiorly of the hollow shaft 37 , coaxial thereto . working medium fluid exiting the low pressure turbine 40 provides axial thrust for powering an associated aircraft ( not shown ) or a free turbine ( also not shown ). bearings 43 , 45 , 50 and 53 radially support the concentric high pressure and low pressure turbine shafts from separate frame structures 52 , 54 , 55 and 56 respectively , attached to engine case 57 , which defines the outer boundary of the engine &# 39 ; s stator 9 which circumscribes rotors 8 . however , the present invention is also well suited for mid - turbine frame engine architectures wherein the upstream bearings for the low and high pressure turbines are mounted on a common frame structure disposed longitudinally ( axially ) between the high and low pressure turbines . referring to fig2 , a high pressure turbine blade 60 comprises an airfoil shaped surface 65 having a concave pressure portion 66 and a convex suction portion 67 extending radially outwardly from a platform 70 which defines the radially innermost boundary of the working fluid flow path through high pressure turbine 35 . a dovetail shaped root portion 75 is provided at the radially innermost end of blade 60 and is accommodated within a mating slot provided in the radially outer portion of a disk shaped blade retainer ( not shown ) mounted on the turbine shaft . a number of film cooling holes 80 open onto the airfoil surface 65 to provide a film of cooling air which flows over the airfoil surface 65 thereby providing a thermal boundary layer to protect the surface 65 from the deleterious thermal effects associated with working fluid which passes over blade 60 as the working fluid flows through the turbine . turbine blade 60 is a high lift airfoil which , as described hereinabove , maximizes the energy captured from the working fluid by the turbine blade . as further set forth hereinabove , working fluid flowing over the airfoil surface of such high - lift turbine blades exhibits a ratio of static pressure to total pressure in proximity to airfoil surface 65 greater than approximately 0 . 9 across a substantial portion of the airfoil surface of blade 60 . as further set forth hereinabove , such levels of static pressure to total pressure ratio can , with prior art film cooling hole configurations , cause the cooling air film flowing over the airfoil surface to separate or blow off the airfoil surface thereby severely jeopardizing the film &# 39 ; s ability to protect the airfoil surface from the extreme destructive thermal effects of working fluid heat . referring to fig3 , the interior of turbine blade 60 is provided with a radial cooling air passage 85 which accommodates a radially outward flow of cooling air provided by the engine &# 39 ; s compressor in the direction of arrow 90 . cooling air flowing through passage 85 convectively cools the body of the blade . each of film cooling holes 80 extends between airfoil surface 65 and radial cooling passage 85 , intersecting radial that portion of cooling passage 85 immediately upstream of film cooling hole 80 at an acute angle a of approximately 25 ° whereby cooling air flowing through radial cooling passage 85 is angularly displaced greater than 90 degrees as it enters film cooling holes 80 . this angular displacement of cooling air as it enters film cooling holes 80 from radial cooling passage 85 , lowers the momentum of cooling air flowing through film cooling hole 80 prior to reaching the airfoil surface and therefore enhances the cooling air film &# 39 ; s ability to remain attached to airfoil surface 65 to maximize the thermal protection of airfoil surface 65 afforded by the film from the deleterious thermal effects of the working fluid passing over the blade surface . still referring to fig3 , the sidewalls of radial passage 85 and film cooling holes 80 intersect to define a flow diverter 95 which effects the turning of the cooling air as it enters film cooling holes 80 from radial passage 85 . as shown in fig3 , film cooling holes 80 arc of a generally constant cross - sectional area throughout the length thereof since the momentum reducing turning of the cooling air as it enters film cooling holes 80 from radial passage 85 reduces the momentum of the cooling air flowing through holes 80 and thus renders shaped outer diffuser openings of the film cooling holes unnecessary to maintain the cooling air film attached to airfoil surface 65 . accordingly , since shaped diffuser film cooling hole openings are unnecessary with the momentum reducing turning of the cooling air as it enters the film cooling holes from the radial cooling passage , the film cooling hole configuration of the present invention is equally well - suited for stationary stator vane and outer air seals since centrifugal force is not necessary to keep any shaped cooling hole openings filled with cooling air to prevent blow off of the cooling air film from airfoil surface 65 . furthermore , since shaped diffuser cooling hole openings are not employed with the present invention , the film cooling holes may be conveniently and economically produced in the turbine blades and vanes by well - known and economical drilling methods , thereby rendering the expensive and intricate electro - discharge machining of shaped film cooling hole openings unnecessary . while the present invention has been described within the context of a high lift gas turbine engine turbine rotor blade , it will be appreciated that the invention herein is equally well - suited for conventional ( not high lift ) turbine blades wherein the risk of cooling air film blow off from the blade &# 39 ; s airfoil surfaces is not as high . also , while the invention herein has been described in connection with a turbine blade , as set forth hereinabove , this invention is equally well - suited for stationary turbine stator vanes and outer air seals . furthermore , while a specific number of film cooling holes opening onto a specific portion of the rotor blade &# 39 ; s airfoil surface have been illustrated , the invention herein may be employed with any required number of film cooling holes opening onto any portion of the blade &# 39 ; s airfoil surface ( pressure or suction ) as required to achieve required film cooling of the surface . accordingly , it will be understood that various modifications to the preferred embodiment described herein may be made without departing from the present invention , and it is intended by the appended claims to cover such modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention .

US-201113328733-A

in a roll bearing machine having an apron movable in suitable manner to fom roll bales of crop material and air springs for maintaining tension in the apron , a method of adjusting the apron tension is disclosed . the method comprises adjusting the air pressure in the air springs to any desired level within a predetermined range .

referring to fig1 the roll baling machine embodying the preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a base frame 10 having opposite sides each formed generally of frame members 12 , 14 , 16 rigidly connected in a triangular configuration with side plates substantially covering the space therebetween . each side of the base frame 10 includes an upper section , as best seen in fig7 which consists of a frame member 18 rigidly connected to the frame member 16 , a bracket 20 rigidly connected to frame member 14 , and a frame member 22 rigidly connected between the frame member 18 and the bracket 20 . a plate 24 is connected to and covers the space between the frame members 14 , 16 , 18 and 22 . a rear frame 26 is pivotally connected at 28 to the base frame 10 by suitable bearings . the rear frame 26 has opposite sides each formed generally of frame members 30 , 32 , 34 , 36 rigidly connected in a substantially trapezoidal configuration with side plates substantially covering the space therebetween . other frame members ( not shown ) extend transversely of the machine and connect the opposite sides of the base frame 10 and the opposite sides of the rear frame 26 . in fig1 and 2 , the forward end of the machine is to the left and the rearward end thereof is to the right . the rear frame 26 is pivotally movable from the lower position of fig1 to an upper position ( not shown ) by conventional means such as hydraulic cylinders ( not shown ) mounted at the sides of the machine and connected between the base frame 10 and the rear frame 26 . an arm assembly 38 is rotatably mounted on the base frame 10 for rotational movement between a forward position shown in fig1 and a rearward position shown in fig2 . the arm assembly 38 , as also shown in fig6 and 9 , includes arms 40 disposed inboard the sides of the machine . each arm 40 consists of two portions 40a and 40b which are preferably box - shaped members of rectangular cross - section welded together . the arms 40 are rigidly connected to a cross tube 42 by bracket members 44 . each bracket member 44 includes a pair of flat plates 44a welded at one end to an arm portion 40a and having holes at the other end for receiving the cross tube 42 . the flat plates 44a are welded to the cross tube 42 . each bracket member 44 also has a flat plate 44b connected between the flat plates 44a . the cross tube 42 is rotatably mounted in bearing members 46 and 48 , best seen in fig7 carried by the brackets 20 on the opposite sides of the base frame 10 . the arm assembly 38 also includes auxiliary arms 50 disposed outboard the sides of the machine and rigidly connected to the cross tube 42 . each auxiliary arm 50 consists of a pair of flat plates 50a having holes at one end for receiving the cross tube 42 . the flat plates 50a are welded to the cross tube 42 . braces 52 are connected between the bracket members 44 and the auxiliary arms 50 . the arm assembly 38 carries rotatable guide members 54 and 56 on its arm portions 40a and 40b , respectively . the base frame 10 supports rotatable guide members 58 , 60 and cam guide members 62 inboard its opposite sides . preferably , the cam guide members 62 are of the known type disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 901 , 007 and designated therein by the numeral &# 34 ; 118 &# 34 ;. sprockets 64 are provided inboard the opposite sides of the base frame 10 and are fixed on a shaft 66 that is rotatably mounted in suitable bearings on the base frame 10 . the rear frame 26 supports rotatable guide members 68 , 70 , 72 , 74 inboard its opposite sides . the guide members 74 are carried on brackets 76 projecting from the frame members 30 of the rear frame 26 . a flexible bale forming apron 78 is movably supported on the aforementioned guide members and sprockets following the path shown in fig1 when the machine is empty . the apron 78 is preferably formed of a pair of endless link - type chains 80 connected at spaced intervals by transverse bars or slats 82 as seen in partial view in fig1 . the apron chains 80 extend around and engage the various guide members and the sprockets 64 . from the sprockets 64 , the apron chains 80 extend upwardly around the guide members 58 , 54 , 60 and 56 in succession to dispose the part of the apron 78 supported by the arm assembly 38 in a substantially s - shaped configuration in side elevation . the guide members 58 , 60 mounted on the base frame 10 engage the outer surfaces of the apron chains 80 , and the guide members 54 , 56 carried on the arm assembly 38 engage the inner surfaces of the apron chains 80 . the apron 78 is of the known type disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 901 , 007 and designated therein by the numeral &# 34 ; 82 &# 34 ;. a floor roller 84 extends transversely of the machine and is rotatably supported by brackets 86 on the opposite sides of the base frame 10 . preferably , the floor roller 84 consists of a hollow metal drum with a coating or layer of rubber on its outer surface . when the machine is empty as seen in fig1 the upper surface of the floor roller 84 cooperates with the course of the apron 78 that extends upwardly and rearwardly from the guide members 74 over the cam guide members 62 and then downwardly and forwardly to the sprockets 64 to define an expandable bale chamber 88 having an initial wedge shape in side elevation . in this initial wedge shape , the forward end of the bale chamber 88 is narrower than the rearward end thereof . a stripper roller 90 , preferably rubber coated , extends transversely of the machine and is rotatably supported on the opposite sides of the base frame 10 . the stripper roller 90 is positioned at the forward end of the bale chamber 88 in close proximity to the apron 78 . a pickup header 92 extends transversely of the machine and is supported by brackets 94 on the opposite sides of the base frame 10 . the pickup header 92 is preferably of conventional type having a series of projecting fingers 96 rotating in the path 98 for engaging and picking up windrowed crop material . a pair of wheels 100 mounted on the opposite sides of the base frame 10 support the machine . another pair of wheels 102 are mounted to the brackets 94 to provide support primarily for the pickup header 92 . a tongue 104 is provided on the forward end of the base frame 10 for connection to a tractor . the machine includes drive means ( not shown ) adapted for connection to the power take off unit ( pto ) of a tractor . referring to fig1 rotary driving power will be delivered from the tractor pto in a manner to cause rotation of the sprockets 64 , the floor roller 84 , the stripper roller 90 , and the pickup header fingers 96 in the same direction 106 . rotation of the sprockets 64 will drive the apron chains 80 thereby propelling the apron 78 around the various guide members in the base frame 10 and the rear frame 26 in the direction and along the path indicated . preferably , the peripheral speed of the floor roller 84 should be equal to or slightly higher than the speed of the apron 78 . this will tend to keep a roll of crop material toward the rearward end of the machine during formation . an air spring assembly 110 is connected between the arm assembly 38 and the base frame 10 at each side of the machine . each air spring assembly 110 , as best seen in fig8 includes a generally cylindrical air bag 112 , formed of resilient material such as rubber , and a generally frusto - conical piston 114 attached to the air bag 112 by a plate 116 and bolt 118 arrangement . the plate 116 is sealingly disposed inside one end of the air bag 112 , and the bolt 118 extends through the plate 116 and is threaded into the larger end of the piston 114 . a t - bar structure 120 is connected to the piston 114 by a bolt 122 . the t - bar structure 120 is formed of bar members 124 and 126 which are welded together . the bar member 124 is generally rectangular in cross - section and the bar member 126 is generally u - shaped in cross - section as seen in fig5 . the bolt 122 extends through the bar member 124 and is threaded into the smaller end of the piston 114 . a bracket 128 is connected to the air bag 112 by a plate 130 and bolt 132 arrangement . the plate 130 is sealingly disposed inside the other end of the air bag 112 opposite the plate 116 , and the bolts 132 extend through the plate 130 and the bracket 128 and threadedly receive nuts . tube members 134 extend through holes in the bar member 124 and are welded thereto . guide rods 136 extend through the tube members 134 and through bearing members 138 mounted on the bracket 128 by bolts . the ends of the guide rods 136 extending through the tube members 134 threadedly receive nuts 140 . the other ends of the guide rods 136 extending through the bearing members 138 are interconnected by a bar member 142 which is attached to the guide rods 136 by bolts 144 . the bar members 126 of the air spring assemblies 110 are pivotally connected by pins 146 to the auxiliary arms 50 of the arm assembly 38 . the brackets 128 of the air spring assemblies 110 are rigidly connected along their edges 128a to the base frame plates 24 by conventional means such as welding . braces 148 are connected between the brackets 128 and the base frame plates 24 . as the machine is pulled across a field by a tractor , the pickup header fingers 96 engage , pickup and deliver windrowed crop material onto the upper surface of the rotating floor roller 84 in the bale chamber 88 . the crop material is carried upwardly and then coiled back downwardly onto itself by the apron 78 which in its starting position of fig1 moves upwardly and rearwardly from the guide members 74 over the cam guide members 62 and the downwardly and forwardly to the sprockets 64 . this movement of the apron 78 in the bale chamber 88 effectively starts the core of the roll bale . the rotating stripper roller 90 removes crop material from the apron 78 at the forward end of the bale chamber 88 and delivers it back downwardly into the bale chamber 88 . the roll bale increases in diameter lifting the inner course of the apron 78 that extends between the guide members 74 and the sprockets 64 off the cam guide members 62 , and expanding the bale chamber 88 from its initial wedge shape to a substantially circular shape . the expansion of the bale chamber 88 results in expansion of the inner course of the apron 78 contacting the peripheral surface of the roll bale and movement of the apron 78 toward its final position of fig2 . this movement of the apron 78 is accomplished by rotation of the arm assembly 38 in a clockwise direction as viewed in fig1 from its forward position . when the bale reaches its maximum diameter , the apron 78 will be in its final position of fig2 and the arm assembly 38 will have rotated about 65 ° to its rearward position shown in fig2 . when the machine is empty , the arm assembly 38 is held in its forward position shown in fig1 by the air spring assemblies 110 . at this point , the air bags 112 each contain air under pressure ( for example , between 50 and 60 psi ) which acts on the larger ends of the pistons 114 attached thereto . force is applied through the pistons 114 and the t - bar structures 120 to the auxiliary arms 50 of the arm assembly 38 thereby urging the arm assembly 38 toward the forwrd position of fig1 while resisting rotation thereof toward the rearward position of fig2 . this maintains tension in the apron 78 by urging the apron 78 toward its starting position of fig1 while resisting movement of the apron 78 toward its final position of fig2 . the arm assembly 38 is provided with stop bolts 150 carried by brackets 152 attached to the arms 40 . the stop bolts 150 engage plates 154 attached to the frame members 14 of the base frame 10 to prevent counter - clockwise rotation of the arm assembly 38 as viewed in fig1 past the forward position . as a bale is formed in the bale chamber 88 , the arm assembly 38 is rotated from its forward position toward its rearward position shown in fig2 . this rotational movement of the arm assembly 38 causes the pistons 114 to be pushed into the air bags 112 decreasing the volume of the air bags 112 and further compressing the air therein . the force exerted through the pistons 114 and the t - bar structures 120 to the auxiliary arms 50 of the arm assembly 38 remains substantially constant during most of the rotational movement of the arm assembly 38 even though the air pressure in the air bags 112 increases . this is because the pistons 114 are conically tapered along their portion 114a in a manner which decreases the effective area of the pistons 114 acted upon by the air pressure in the air bags 112 as the pistons 114 penetrate the air bags 112 and increase the air pressure therein . therefore , the tension in the apron 78 remains substantially constant during the intermediate stage of the bale forming process as generally represented by the line 162 - 164 in fig1 . during the initial and final stages of the bale forming process , the tension in the apron 78 gradually increases as generally represented by the lines 160 - 162 and 164 - 166 , respectively , in fig1 . this is because the pistons 114 are formed along their portions 114b and 114c in a manner that increases the effective area of the pistons 114 acted upon the air pressure in the air bags 112 as the pistons 114 penetrate the air bags 112 , and thus gradually increases the force exerted through the pistons 114 and the t - bar structures 120 to the auxiliary arms 50 of the arm assembly 38 . therefore , the apron 78 effectively controls the density of a roll bale during formation and a roll bale of particular density is formed . if it is desired to form a bale of higher density , the air pressure in the air bags 112 is adjusted to a higher level ( for example , between 70 and 80 psi ) when the machine is empty and the arm assembly 38 is held in the forward position of fig1 . this results in higher tension in the apron 78 during bale formation as generally represented by the line 170 - 172 - 174 - 176 in fig1 , and a higher density bale is formed . if it is desired to form a bale of lower density , the air pressure in the air bags 112 is adjusted to a lower level ( for example , between 40 and 50 psi ) when the machine is empty and the arm assembly 38 is held in the forward position of fig1 . this results in lower tension in the apron 78 during bale formation as generally represented by the line 180 - 182 - 184 - 186 in fig1 , and a lower density bale is formed . it has been found that this adjustability of the air pressure in the air bags 112 provides a much wider range of apron tension and consequently a much wider range of bale density than is possible with the baling machine disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 901 , 007 . as the pistons 114 are pushed into the air bags 112 , the guide rods 136 slide through the bearing members 138 mounted on the brackets 128 and thus generally keep the pistons 114 aligned with the air bags 112 . as seen in fig4 the apertures 139 in the bearing members 138 are larger in diameter than the guide rods 136 . this permits a slight rocking movement of the components of the air spring assemblies 110 with the exception of the brackets 128 which are rigidly attached to the base frame plate 24 . with sufficient clearance between the apertures 139 in the bearing members 138 and the guide rods 136 , there is no binding in the air spring assemblies 110 as the pistons 114 penetrate the air bags 112 . when the machine is empty and it is desired to service the various components such as the apron 78 and its guide members , the air pressure in the air bags 112 is reduced to a level where the force urging the arm assembly 38 toward its forward position is overcome by the weight of the apron 78 . the apron 78 is then able to pull the arm assembly 38 from its forward position into its rearward position . this releases the tension in the apron 78 so that the various components of the machine may be easily serviced . the present invention is not limited to use on roll baling machines that employ the particular type of apron 78 . accordingly , the present invention may be used on roll baling machines employing other tyes of aprons such as the well known type of apron formed of a series of endless flat belts . the present invention is also not limited to use on roll baling machines that employ a roller type of floor . accordingly , the present invention may be used on roll baling machines employing other types of floors such as the well known conveyor type of floor shown in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 901 , 007 . the following claims are intended to cover all modifications and variations of the preferred embodiments of the invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention .

US-36168782-A

the present invention provides a means of greatly reducing interferences from mercury vapor , uv - absorbing compounds and water vapor in the measurement of ozone by uv absorbance . a heated graphite scrubber destroys greater than 99 % of ozone passing through it while reducing biases from typical atmospheric uv - absorbing interferents by large factors compared to conventional ozone scrubbers . substitution of a heated graphite scrubber in place of traditional ozone scrubbers such as hopcalite , metal oxides and heated silver scrubbers , results in a more accurate measurement of ozone by reducing the responses to uv - absorbing interferences and water vapor . the heated graphite scrubber also may be used in combination with other ozone sensors , such as electrochemical and hmos sensors , to provide a reference measurement with ozone selectively removed and thus greatly reduce contributions from interfering species in those measurement devices as well .

fig1 is a schematic diagram ( 100 ) of a single beam ozone monitor based on absorbance of uv light . other than the ozone scrubber , the ozone monitor is the same as prior art devices and therefore its operating parameters will not be discussed in detail . in general , sample gas such as ambient air is drawn into the instrument through inlet 1 by pump 8 . valve 2 alternately directs the gas sample directly into detection cell 7 ( path a ) or through an ozone scrubber 3 ( path b ) and into the detection cell . in a 2b technologies model 202 ozone monitor , valve 2 switches every two seconds , for example . from the absorbance cell , the sample gas passes through pump 8 and exits the instrument at outlet 9 . the sample gas flow rate is typically 0 . 5 to 3 l / min , with 1 l / min typical for single beam instruments and 2 l / min typical for dual beam instruments . the temperature of the detection cell is measured with temperature sensor 6 , and pressure within the detection cell is measured with pressure sensor 4 . lamp 5 produces uv light , which passes through the detection cell and strikes detector 10 to produce a signal proportional to the light intensity . the lamp is normally a low pressure mercury lamp . detector 10 is normally a phototube or photodiode . a band pass filter centered near 254 nm is commonly placed in front of the detector or built into it in the case of a photodiode to limit detection to the 253 . 7 nm emission line of mercury . the ozone concentration is calculated , in units of molecules / cm 3 for example , using the beer - lambert law , where i o is the detector signal when air is passing through the ozone scrubber ( no ozone in detection cell ) and i is the detector signal when the sample gas bypasses the ozone scrubber ( ozone present in detection cell ). here σ is the absorption cross section for ozone at 253 . 7 nm ( 1 . 15 × 10 − 17 cm 2 / molecule ) and / is the length of the detection cell ( 15 cm for the 2b technologies model 202 ozone monitor ). the measurements of pressure and temperature allow calculation of the total air molecule concentration within the detection cell using the ideal gas law , so that the concentration of ozone may be expressed as a mixing ratio ( mole fraction ) in units such as parts - per - billion by volume ( ppb ). note that any species that absorbs light at 253 . 7 nm will be detected if its concentration is reduced when passing through ozone scrubber 3 . however , the values of the light intensity i o ( sample gas passing through scrubber 3 ) and i ( sample gas bypassing scrubber ) will be identical if the uv - absorbing species is not removed by the scrubber , and the ozone concentration calculated from equation 1 will be zero . thus , selectivity against potential interferences from uv - absorbing species other than ozone is achieved if those compounds partially or completely pass through scrubber 3 without being destroyed or removed . the ideal ozone scrubber 3 would destroy or remove all ozone but quantitatively pass all other uv - absorbing compounds . a heated graphite scrubber is a more nearly ideal scrubber than solid - phase ozone scrubbers currently used in ozone monitors . fig2 is a schematic diagram showing typical heated tubular and packed graphite scrubbers . the upper drawing shows a cross - sectional view along the longitudinal axis of a graphite tube ( 200 ) housed in a typical temperature - controlled heating block consisting of a metal ( typically aluminum or stainless steel ) or ceramic block ( 201 ) to provide thermal mass , with cartridge heater ( 202 ), temperature sensor ( 203 ) and insulation ( 204 ). the lower drawing shows a cross - sectional view along the longitudinal axis of a temperature - resistant tube ( typically aluminum , stainless steel , alumina , glass , quartz or graphite ) packed with graphite particles ( 205 ) within the same heating block . this tube could also be an open tube with the interior coated with graphite . typically a temperature controller monitors the temperature sensor and varies the current through the cartridge heater to maintain a chosen temperature within a narrow range of typically 1 ° c . or better . many methods of maintaining a constant elevated temperature of the graphite scrubber are known and can be used with either tubular or packed graphite scrubbers . in particular , a current can be passed directly through the graphite tube so that the graphite tube simultaneously serves as the heating element , as is done in graphite furnace atomic absorption spectroscopy . note that multiple graphite tubes or multiple tubes packed with graphite particles may be used in parallel in order to enhance the flow conductance of the scrubber . in that case , the multiple tubes may be inserted into the same heating block ( 201 ). individual tubular or packed graphite scrubbers may be used in series to increase the surface area to which ozone is exposed , but at the cost of reduced conductance . fig3 compares the abilities of different ozone scrubbers to destroy ozone . experiments were performed with a 2b technologies model 202 ozone monitor with its normal hopcalite scrubber installed and with tg - 1 , tg - 2 and tg - 4 scrubbers installed at temperatures of 25 ° c . and 100 ° c . tg - 1 is a single graphite tube 6 inches in length , tg - 2 consists of two 6 - inch long graphite tubes in parallel , and tg - 4 consists of four 6 - inch graphite tubes in parallel . the graphite tubes were obtained from ohio carbon blank , inc . ( edm - af5 ) and are ¼ - in o . d . and ⅛ - in i . d . graphite tubes are widely used in the tooling , mold making and general manufacturing industries . the ozone monitor was exposed to known concentrations of ozone in the range 0 - 800 ppb . the hopcalite scrubber is known to destroy & gt ; 99 % of the ozone and serves as a control . rounding to three significant figures , the slopes of the linear regressions using the hopcalite scrubber are 1 . 01 at 25 ° c . a slope of 1 . 00 is expected if the instrument and ozone source are both perfectly calibrated . at 25 ° c ., the tg - 4 scrubber provides a regression slope of 1 . 01 as well , showing that it provides the same degree of ozone scrubbing (& gt ; 99 %) as the traditional hopcalite scrubber . the tg - 2 scrubber , however , provides a downwardly curved plot at 25 ° c ., indicating that it is not an adequate ozone scrubber at room temperature . at 100 ° c ., hopcalite , tg - 2 and tg - 4 scrubbers all provide regression slopes of 1 . 01 , indicating that tg - 2 and tg - 4 scrubbers both destroy ˜ 100 % of the ozone . at 100 ° c ., the tg - 1 scrubber provides a slope of 0 . 987 over the range 0 - 800 ppb and a slope of 1 . 01 over the range 0 - 400 ppb , showing that a single graphite tube is an adequate scrubber for ozone concentrations up to 400 ppb but not up to 800 ppb . these results are consistent with the expectation that ozone destruction is more effective at higher temperatures and for higher surface areas and longer residence times of exposure . fig4 shows the effect of varying the relative humidity of air passing through a 2b technologies model 202 ozone monitor with its internal dewline ™ ( nafion ® tube ) removed and using either the standard hopcalite or a tg - 2 ozone scrubber . with the dewline ™ removed , there is a & gt ; 20 ppb increase in the offset of the ozone measurement as relative humidity is increased from 15 - 90 % using the standard hopcalite scrubber . however , when the hopcalite scrubber is replaced with a tg - 2 scrubber at 100 ° c ., the effect of humidity on the offset is seen from fig3 to be very small , with only a ˜ 2 ppb decrease while varying relative humidity over the range 18 - 90 %. the same very small effect of water vapor also was seen when 100 ppb of ozone was present . this experiment demonstrates that the dewline ™ can be eliminated if the standard hopcalite scrubber is replaced with a heated graphite tg - 2 scrubber . however , the dewline ™ can be used in combination with the heated graphite scrubber as further assurance that any humidity interference is removed . fig5 is a plot of the relative responses to a source of mercury vapor using different internal scrubbers in a 2b technologies model 205 dual beam ozone monitor . a diffusion source of mercury was used and mercury concentration varied by changing the bath temperature ( 13 to 160 ° c .) of the mercury reservoir . measured equivalent ozone values are plotted for different internal ozone scrubbers vs values obtained using a standard hopcalite scrubber . a tg - 2 scrubber at 100 ° c . gave the smallest response ( least interference ) of all the scrubbers tested , which also included internal scrubbers taken from a teledyne - api model 400e ( t - api ) ozone monitor and silver wool ( ag wool ) scrubber heated to 100 ° c . ( similar to the ozone scrubber used in horiba model 360 ozone monitors ). silver wool provides the largest interference , removing ˜ 100 % of the mercury vapor , followed by hopalite which removes ˜ 93 %. the heated tg - 2 scrubber was found to make the ozone monitor ˜ 30 times less sensitive to hg than the convention hopcalite scrubber . fig6 shows the response of a 2b technologies model 202 ozone monitor fitted with different internal ozone scrubbers to measure concentrations of the common uv - absorbing atmospheric interferent p - xylene . ozone monitors with hopcalite , teledyne - api and thermo scrubbers responded identically within error to p - xylene in dry air . the linear regression slope of 0 . 053 to the combined data for these scrubbers indicate that ˜ 19 ppb of p - xylene will provide a false signal equivalent to 1 ppb of ozone . the linear regression to the heated tg - 2 scrubber yields a slope of 0 . 008 , indicating that it requires ˜ 125 ppb of p - xylene to provide a response equivalent to 1 ppb of ozone , an improvement of a factor of 6 . 5 over those commercially available scrubbers . fig7 shows the response of a 2b technologies model 202 ozone monitor fitted with different internal ozone scrubbers to known concentrations of the common uv - absorbing indoor air interferent phenol . the tg - 4 ozone scrubber heated to 80 ° c . and the tg - 2 scrubber heated to 100 ° c . both gave linear regression slopes of 0 . 05 , meaning that it requires 20 ppb of phenol to provide a response equivalent to 1 ppb of ozone . this is an improvement of a factor of ˜ 4 compared to the t - api , thermo and hopcalite scrubbers . birks , j . w . ; andersen , p . c . ; williford , c . j . ( 2006 ) ozone monitor with gas phase scrubber , u . s . pat . no . 8 , 395 , 776 b2 . hudgens , e . e . ; kleindienst , t . e . ; mcelroy , f . f . ; ollison , w . m . ( 1994 ) a study of interferences in ozone uv and chemiluminescent monitors . in international symposium on measurement of toxics and related air pollutants — research triangle park , n . c . ; proceedings of air and waste management association ; vip - 39 , air waste manage . assoc . : pittsburgh , pa . ; pp 405 - 415 . kleindienst , t . e . ; hudgens , e . e . ; smith , d . f . ; mcelroy , f . f . ; bufalini , j . j . ( 1993 ) comparison of chemiluminescence and ultraviolet ozone monitor responses in the presence of humidity and photochemical pollutants . j . air waste manage . assoc . 1993 , 43 , 213 - 222 . kleindienst , t . e . ; mciver , c . d . ; ollison , w . m . ( 1997 ) a study of interferences in ambient ozone monitors . in international symposium on measurement of toxics and related air pollutants — research triangle park , n . c . ; proceedings of air and waste management association ; vip - 74 , air waste manage . assoc . : pittsburgh , pa . ; pp 215 - 225 . leston , a . ; ollison , w . ( 1993 ) estimated accuracy of ozone design values : are they compromised by method interference ? in tropospheric ozone : nonattainment and design value issues — boston , mass . ; proceedings of air and waste management association ; tr - 23 , air waste manage . assoc . : pittsburgh , pa ., 1993 ; pp 451 - 456 . li , y ., lee , s - r . and wu , c - y . ( 2006 ) “ uv - absorption - based measurements of ozone and mercury : an investigation on their mutual interferences ,” aerosol and air quality research 6 , 418 - 429 . leston , a . r . ; ollison , w . m . ; spicer , c . w . ; satola ( 2005 ) j . potential interference bias in ozone standard compliance monitoring . in symposium on air quality measurement methods and technology , proceedings of the amma specialty conference , vip - 126 - cd , research triangle park , n . c ., air waste management assoc . : pittsburgh , pa . maddy , j . a . ( 1998 ) a test that identifies ozone monitors prone to anomalous behavior while sampling hot and humid air . in air and waste management association annual meeting — san diego , calif . ; proceedings of air and waste management association ; air waste manage . assoc . : pittsburgh , pa . maddy , j . a . ( 1999 ) evaluating a heated metal scrubbers effectiveness in preventing ozone monitor &# 39 ; s anomalous behavior during hot and humid ambient sampling . in air and waste management association annual meeting — st . louis , mo . ; proceedings of air and waste management association ; air waste manage . assoc . : pittsburgh , pa . meyer , c . p . ; elsworth , c . m . ; galbally , i . e . ( 1991 ) water vapor interference in the measurement of ozone in ambient air by ultraviolet absorption . rev . sci . instrum . 62 , 223 - 228 . u . s . environmental protection agency ( 1999 ) laboratory study to explore potential interferences to air quality monitors , epa - 454 / c - 00 - 002 . wilson , k . l . ( 2005 ) water vapor interference in the uv absorption measurement of ozone , ph . d . thesis , university of colorado , boulder , colo . wilson , k . l . ; birks , j . w ( 2006 ) mechanism and elimination of a water vapor interference in the measurement of ozone by uv absorbance , environmental science and technology 40 , 6361 - 6367 .

US-201514810311-A

an apparatus and method for continuously monitoring substation disconnects and transmission line switches to detect improper closing of the disconnects or switches is disclosed . the method includes the step of providing an apparatus adapted to measure , process , and transmit data associated with a disconnect or switch . the method further includes the steps of positioning the apparatus on or in close proximity to the disconnect or switch , using the apparatus to collect data of the disconnect or switch and processing the data for transmission to a remote receiver , and transmitting the processed data to a remote receiver .

referring to the drawings , an exemplary apparatus for monitoring substation disconnects and transmission line switches according to an embodiment of the invention is illustrated in fig5 - 7 and shown generally at reference numeral 10 . the apparatus 10 is an rf wireless sensor that can be installed on a moveable arm , fig6 , or on a stationary jaw side , fig7 . the apparatus 10 may be powered by a battery , by power harvesting from an ac magnetic field using a coil and inductor , and / or a battery or supercapacitor or combo thereof which is recharged by the ac magnetic field . the apparatus 10 includes electronics for monitoring conditions of the disconnects and switches as well as for providing data such as location and position . these electronics include an accelerometer for acceleration in one , two , or three dimensions ( dc and / or higher sampling rate ); a magnetometer to measure compass direction ; a gyroscope ; and a thermocouple for measuring temperature . in addition , the electronics measure the ac magnetic field . the thermocouple can measure the temperature of the arm or the jaw and is positioned as close as possible to the interface by extending the length of the thermocouple wire . referring to fig8 , a more detailed look at the apparatus 10 is provided . an electronics housing 11 includes a coil 12 , a battery 13 , a first electronic board 14 , a second electronic board 16 , an antenna 17 and matching strip - line pcb board 18 . the coil 12 includes a ferrite core with windings wrapped around the core and is adapted to harvest power from a magnetic field produced by current flowing in transmission lines . as shown , the battery 13 is a non - rechargeable battery and provides power to the apparatus 10 when there is no or low current flowing through the transmission lines to produce a magnetic field . the battery will last 2 years with no power . it should be appreciated that the battery may also be a rechargeable battery adapted to be recharged by the coil 12 when needed . the first electronic board 14 performs power harvesting , measurement and processing , storage of signals , and controls the whole measurement communications process . the board 14 has inputs for voltage from the coil 12 and a thermocouple assembly 20 . the voltage from the coil 12 is also harvested to power the apparatus 10 ( if high enough — if too low switches to battery 13 ). the board 14 also includes a 3d accelerometer chip which takes samples from dc to 2000 samples per second , a magnetometer , and a gyro . the second electronic board 16 is an rf transmitter . the board 16 is adapted for plug and play so that different rf boards can be utilized to enable different communications protocols , frequencies , and / or methods . the board 16 provides for two way rf communications to allow firmware of the apparatus 10 to be updated or reset and to allow data to be downloaded from the apparatus 10 to a remote location having computers or processors with software adapted to perform specified calculations . all of the electronics and rf communications are designed to be very low power to enable power harvesting and long battery life . the antenna 17 includes a stalk 21 that extends through the housing 11 and an antenna ball 22 and is electrically connected to the board 16 . the diameter of the ball and the height of the stalk are optimized for both rf transmission and omni - directional beam pattern . further , the shape of the antenna ball is optimized to prevent corona . the matching strip - line pcb board 18 is electrically connected to the antenna 17 and sits behind the antenna 17 to ensure that power is fully transmitted to the antenna 17 . the thermocouple assembly 20 is electrically connected to the first electronic board 14 and is adapted to measure temperature . the thermocouple assembly 20 includes a thermocouple 23 , a thermocouple tip 24 which houses a portion of the thermocouple 23 , an insulator bushing 26 positioned adjacent to or behind the tip 24 , a spring 27 positioned adjacent to or behind the bushing 26 , and a plug and play connector 28 to electrically connect the thermocouple 23 to the board 14 . the thermocouple assembly 20 is the only thermal and electrically conductive component in contact with the conductor 20 to prevent heat sinking and to enable a single point ground so that currents do not flow through the sensor 10 . a local or wireless receiver is used to obtain readings from the apparatus 10 . the receiver may be a hand held receiver for use by an operator in the field ; a local base station for downloading info to and from ; or a cell phone or satellite network . raw measurements may be sent to the receiver for processing or the measurements may be processed by the apparatus 10 and then sent to the receiver . in general the apparatus 10 may be mounted on or in close proximity to a stationary part of a disconnect or switch jaw , or on or in close proximity to a disconnect or switch arm . a thermocouple may be placed on or in close proximity to the jaw to measure temperature . the signal is then wirelessly transmitted to a local base or remote station and data is integrated . the wireless sensor can also be read during rounds inspections using a portable rf reader . scenario no . 1 — arm pivots on one side ( fig2 ) since the apparatus 10 is installed on the arm and steady state acceleration is being measured , the orientation of the arm with respect to the jaw may be determined with respect to “ earth ” by using the acceleration measured in the x , y , and z planes . this orientation is monitored after every operation , and if the disconnect has not fully closed , or is in a strange position , this information can be used at the time operation to ensure that the jaw is fully closed . if a second “ stationary ” apparatus 10 is installed on the jaw side , a reference measurement on the stationary side will provide a more precise measurement since the whole assembly may move with time ( e . g . foundation subsidence ). since the orientation measurement may be continuous , if the jaw shifts / arm alignment with expansion and contraction this may be identified and trigger a maintenance angle . the apparatus 10 includes a temperature measurement which is also known to be a good diagnosis technique under higher loading conditions and closer to failure . the apparatus 10 can also measure acceleration with a higher sampling rate , so that the acceleration curves and vibrations may be measured during opening and closing . these may also provide diagnostic information about the condition of the disconnect ( mechanical gears , motors , joints , etc .). acceleration will not change with respect to gravity in these types of disconnects . in this case , the magnetometer ( compass direction ) and gyro can be utilized to provide similar information . if all three are combined even more information will be available to make a diagnosis . the measurement of ac magnetic field allows the temperature to be correlated to current flowing through the jaw / arm connection so that one can determine whether the resulting heating is normal or just a function of high loading conditions . the ac magnetic field may also be used to power the sensor . this may be used in concert with non - rechargeable batteries for times of low loading , or rechargeable super capacitors / batteries . the foregoing has described an apparatus and method for monitoring substation disconnects and transmission line switches . while specific embodiments of the present invention have been described , it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications thereto can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . accordingly , the foregoing description of the preferred embodiment of the invention and the best mode for practicing the invention are provided for the purpose of illustration only and not for the purpose of limitation .

US-201615159286-A

a portable instrument for use in the field in detecting , identifying , and quantifying a component of a sampled fluid includes a sensor which chemically reacts with the component of interest or a derivative thereof , an electrical heating filament for heating the sample before it is applied to the sensor , and modulator for continuously varying the temperature of the filament between two values sufficient to produce the chemical reaction . in response to this thermal modulation , the sensor produces a modulated output signal , the modulation of which is a function of the activation energy of the chemical reaction , which activation energy is specific to the particular component of interest and its concentration . microprocessor which compares the modulated output signal with standard responses for a plurality of components to identify and quantify the particular component of interest . in particular , the concentration of the component of interest is proportional to the amplitude of the modulated output signal , while the identifying activation output energy of the chemical interaction indicative of that component is proportional to a normalized parameter equal to the peak - to - peak amplitude divided by the height of the upper peaks above a base line signal level .

in its broadest aspect , the present invention involves the generation of a large amount of information or data about a sample medium with the use of a single sensing apparatus by the technique of modulating the sensor signals . more particularly , the invention resides in energy modulation of an interactin between the sensor and the components to be detected , thereby producing a modulated output signal from the detector , and using this modulation information to derive a parameter ( related to the kinetic or thermodynamic characteristics of a chemical or chemical reaction ) which parameter can be used to determine the identification and concentration of the component of interest . while it is possible to use a number of different types of sensors and modulation means for ascertaining different parameters specific to a chemical of interest , the preferred embodiment described below utilizes thermal modulation of an electrochemical sensor signal for determining a kinetic parameter representative of the &# 34 ; activation energy &# 34 ; of a chemical reaction with air for the chemical being detected , identified , and quantified by the sensor system ( modulator and sensor ). referring to fig1 and 2 , there is illustrated a detector , generally designated by the numeral 10 , constructed in accordance with and embodying the features of the present invention . the detector 10 includes a gas mixer 11 , an air inlet 12 and another inlet which is coupled through a suitable valve to either an air inlet 13 or a sample gas inlet 14 . by this arrangement , either ambient air containing chemical components to be detected can be emitted directly to the gas mixer 11 , or laboratory samples to be identified can be mixed in the gas mixer 11 with air to a desired concentration range prior to analysis by the modulator / sensor . it will be appreciated that the gas mixer 11 is optional and that if desired ambient air or other source of a sample to be detected could be coupled directly to the remainder of the detector 10 . the gas mixer 11 has an outlet 15 which is coupled to the inlet of a sensing unit 20 . more particularly , the sensing unit 20 includes an electrochemical sensor 21 coupled to a potentiostat 22 for regulating electrode potentials and performing electro - oxidation of electro - reduction of the chemicals that enter the sensor . the sensing unit 20 also includes a heating filament 23 for heating the gas sample before it is admitted to the electrochemical sensor 21 . the filament 23 serves not only as a heater , but preferably also acts as a catalytic or chemical reactor . the filament 23 may be of a suitable material , e . g . noble metals like pt , pd , rh , au , ir , or other catalyst , depending upon the types of chemical components to be detected , and the particular electrochemical sensor 21 being used . in an experimental model of the invention , the filament 23 is formed of a noble metal , such as rh , but it will be appreciated that non - noble metal catalysts such as tungsten or molybdenum could also be used . further , any &# 34 ; microcatalytic &# 34 ; reactor capable of producing repeatable and rapid ( e . g . more rapid than sensor response ) modulation can be used . the filament 23 is coupled to the modulator 30 which includes a power supply 31 , a function generator 32 and a current amplifier 33 . more particularly , the power supply 31 is coupled to both the function generator 32 and the current amplifier 33 . the function generator 32 produces an output signal of predetermined waveform , such as a sawtooth wave , which is applied through the current amplifier 33 to one terminal of the filament 23 . the other terminal of the filament 23 is connected through an ammeter 34 to the power supply 31 . a voltmeter 35 may be connected across the terminals of the filament 23 . it will be appreciated that the current through the filament 23 and therefore the temperature thereof , is modulated by the output signal from the function generator 32 , as will be explained more fully below . the sample gas exits the electrochemical sensor 21 and passes through a flow meter 36 and a pump 37 to a suitable venting hood ( not shown ) or the like . this provides safe discharge of any chemicals that may be toxic or hazardous . the electrochemical sensor 21 produces an electrical output signal which is produced by the potentiostat 22 and read by an electronic processor 40 , which may include a microprocessor circuit . preferably , the processor 40 includes a comparator 41 which receives the output signal from the sensing unit 20 , and which is also coupled to a suitable memory 42 , such as a semiconductor memory . standard response parameters for a plurality of different chemical components are stored in the memory 42 . the modulation of the filament 23 causes a corresponding modulation of the output signal from the electrochemical sensor 21 to produce a characteristic output response parameter . this response parameter is compared in the comparator 41 with the standard response parameters stored in the memory 42 , and if a match is detected a suitable indication of the identity and concentration of the detected chemical component is produced in an indicator 43 , which may be of any desired type . for example , the indicator 43 may produce a readout on a digital display , such as a crt or other type of display . referring now also to fig3 a and 3b , the operation of the detector 10 will be explained by way of example , in connection with the detection of cyclohexane . for this purpose , the electrochemical sensor 21 is a co sensor , and the filament 23 is a rh filament . air contaminated with 200 ppm cyclohexane is passed over the filament 23 and thence to the sensor 21 . preferably , the modulator 30 is capable of varying temperature of the filament 23 between ambient and about 1500 ° c ., but the actual range of variation will be determined by the output signal from the function generator 32 . the filament 23 produces a pyrolysis reaction of cyclohexane in accordance with the reaction cyclohexane + air ( 20 % oxygen )= co + products . at low temperatures , e . g ., less than about 200 ° c ., little or no pyrolysis of cyclohexane occurs , i . e ., the reaction rate is very low at this temperature and , therefore , the electrochemical sensor 21 reads zero . but as the temperature is raised , this reaction begins to proceed at an appreciable rate , and the sensor 21 responds to the increase in co concentration . the usual kinetic expression for the rate of co production is where [ c ] is the concentration of catalyst , usually taken to the first power , and r is the rate constant . the concentration of air or cyclohexane can be taken to any power . the rate constant can be written where a is a pre - exponential factor , t is the absolute temperature , k is boltzmann &# 39 ; s constant , and e is the activation energy for the reaction . in this case , the function generator 32 produces a sawtooth output waveform , which results in a sawtooth modulation of the filament temperature in accordance with the waveform 50 in fig3 a , the temperature undergoing one complete cycle in about 40 seconds . the temperature cycles between a low point 51 of about 600 ° c . and a high point 52 of about 1000 ° c . this modulation of the filament temperature continuously varies the rate of co production to produce a modulated output signal from the sensor 21 , indicated by the waveform 60 in fig3 b . line 61 in fig3 b designates the background or base line level , i . e ., the output produced by the sensor 21 in response to pure air , the actual pure air response signal being indicated by a portion 62 of the waveform . as the gas sample bearing the cyclohexane contaminant is admitted to the sensor 21 its response builds up and approaches a steady state level indicated by the right - hand portion of the waveform 60 . as can be seen , this response is a modulated signal 63 which varies between upper peaks 64 and lower peaks 65 . the peak - to - peak amplitude of the signal 63 is a - b , where a is the distance between the base line 61 and the upper peak 64 , and b is the distance between the base line 61 and the lower peak 65 . it can be seen from the kinetic expression for the rate of co production , above , that the rate of co production and , therefore , the sensor output signal , will be proportional to the cyclohexane concentration if the concentration of air and catalyst are held virtually constant . also , it can be seen that a concentration - independent parameter is the rate of co production divided by the cyclohexane concentration , which is and is a constant at constant concentration and temperature . thus , from the aforementioned expression for the rate constant r , it can be seen that the temperature change in the filament produces a changing co concentration that is determined by the pre - exponential factor a and the activation energy e . this reaction rate constant r is very specific for chemical reactions . thus , the thermally modulated co concentration divided by the cyclohexane concentration is proportional to the activation energy characteristic for the production of co from cyclohexane over a heated rh filament . because the co concentration divided by the cyclohexane concentration is independent of the cyclohexane concentration , this information can be used to identify the contaminant as cyclohexane . this information is expressed by the normalized parameter h / a , where h = a - b , i . e ., the peak - to - peak amplitude of the waveform 60 divided by the magnitude or height of the upper peaks 64 . the magnitude of the height of the upper peaks 64 is found to be proportional to the cyclohexane concentration . it has also been found that the parameter h / a is proportional to a pseudo - activation energy in kcal / mol for a number of chemical components studied , including ammonia , acrylonitrile , cyclohexane , methane , toluene and benzene , as illustrated in fig4 . it has also been found that the peak - to - peak amplitude h of the signal response waveform 60 , as well as the height &# 34 ; a &# 34 ; of the upper peaks 64 , is proportional to the concentration of the chemical component being detected . thus , the processor 40 operates on the output waveform 60 from the sensing unit 20 to determine the quantity h and the parameter h / a , and compares this parameter with standard parameters ( i . e . the pseudo - activation energies ) stored in the memory 42 to identify the contaminant as cyclohexane and to register the concentration thereof . in the preferred embodiment just described , the catalytic surface of the filament 23 is separate from the electrochemical sensor 21 . but it will be appreciated that the principles of the present invention could also be utilized in a reaction scheme wherein the temperature of a semiconductor sensor is modulated to produce a catalytic reaction , and then the same surface is used as the gas detector . while , in the preferred embodiment , thermal modulation of an electrochemical co sensor has been described for detecting hydrocarbons , it will be appreciated that the principles of the present invention apply to other types of sensors and other types of modulation of other types of interactions . thus , for example , benzene could be detected by modulating the photon energy input to a photoionization detector for measuring the ionization potential of the interaction . infrared radiation input to a thermopile detector could be modulated to measure the infrared absorption coefficient for detecting chemicals which are strong infrared absorbers , such as methane . similarly , thermal energy input to a thermionic ionization detector could be modulated to measure ionization potential . another alternative would be the modulation of a chemical reagent , e . g ., ozone , in a chemi - luminescence detector for measuring related kinetic parameters , e . g ., rate order . such a technique might be useful in detecting nitric oxide , for example . another technique could involve the use of magnetic field modulation with a microwave detector for measuring magnetic energy levels of electrons with unpaired spins , which technique could be used for detecting odd molecules with unpaired electrons . in general , all that is necessary is to provide a means ( e . g . energy input ) to chemically or otherwise modulate the interaction of the chemical to be detected in the sample and then a means to detect the modulated signal . then one is able to determine the specific kinetic or thermodynamic parameters that describe the situation and this provides the selective information desired to identify and quantify the chemical of interest . a significant aspect of the invention is that it provides selective identification of a large number of chemical components utilizing a detector with a minimal number of parts , resulting in a detector with wide application which can be conveniently miniaturized for portability and field use . furthermore , it will be appreciated that the detector of the present invention can be designed to produce unambigous output indications so that it can be used by non - skilled personnel . while the present invention has been described in terms of operation with gaseous samples , it will be appreciated that the principles of the invention could also be applied to analysis of chemicals in a liquid medium .

US-30020689-A

a milling head for a rotary tool , which is preferably utilized to process , prepare , or otherwise impart a desired finish to a workpiece , preferably an end portion of a tube . in a preferred embodiment , the milling head includes at least three different cutting or milling surfaces each capable of performing a distinct operation on a workpiece . in one embodiment , the milling head includes a ) a membrane milling and / or outer diameter tube film removal element ; b ) a beveling element capable of imparting a bevel to the tube end ; and c ) an inner diameter tube film removal element . in yet a further embodiment , outer diameter tube film removal elements or blades are provided having a curved or rounded cutting or milling edge which can be utilized especially in milling operations having close quarters . in a preferred embodiment , the milling head outer diameter cutting blades are provided with elongated , slotted bores .

this description of preferred embodiments is to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings , which are part of the entire written description of this invention . in the description , corresponding reference numbers are used throughout to identify the same or functionally similar elements . relative terms such as “ horizontal ,” “ vertical ,” “ up ,” “ down ,” “ top ” and “ bottom ” as well as derivatives thereof ( e . g ., “ horizontally ,” “ downwardly ,” “ upwardly ,” etc .) should be construed to refer to the orientation as then described or as shown in the drawing figure under discussion . these relative terms are for convenience of description and are not intended to require a particular orientation unless specifically stated as such . terms including “ inwardly ” versus “ outwardly ,” “ longitudinal ” versus “ lateral ” and the like are to be interpreted relative to one another or relative to an axis of elongation , or an axis or center of rotation , as appropriate . terms concerning attachments , coupling and the like , such as “ connected ” and “ interconnected ,” refer to a relationship wherein structures are secured or attached to one another either directly or indirectly through intervening structures , as well as both movable or rigid attachments or relationships , unless expressly described otherwise . the term “ operatively connected ” is such an attachment , coupling or connection that allows the pertinent structures to operate as intended by virtue of that relationship . fig1 illustrates an elevational view of a milling head 10 of the present invention positioned above a workpiece 100 which in this instance is a tube . preferred workpieces are hollow cylinders . workpiece 100 is generally made of steel , but it is to be understood that other metals , or polymers , or combinations thereof can be utilized to form the workpiece . the milling head 10 of the present invention can be attached to a power tool 90 as illustrated in fig5 and utilized to perform a milling operation on workpiece 100 . the milling head 10 of the present invention is at least utilized to remove tube material from an inner portion or diameter of workpiece 100 , preferably in an area extending from an end portion of the tube . tube 100 shown in fig1 has been milled utilizing a milling head 10 of the present invention . workpiece 100 as shown is substantially cylindrical along central axis 20 . as illustrated , the upper milled end of workpiece 100 has an outer milled segment 104 on outer surface 102 , as well as beveled segment 106 , and inner milled segment 110 located on inner surface 108 . an angled shoulder is created at each location at the end of the inner and outer milling element 30 , 40 milling paths . the shoulder angles can be varied , can be gradual or pronounced , and generally depend on the needs or desires of the end user . the outer shoulder can have an angle which generally ranges from about 0 ° to about 85 °, desirably from 5 ° to about 60 °, with angles of about 10 ° to about 45 ° preferred , measured with respect to an axis perpendicular to central axis 20 . the outer shoulder angle can be produced by fixing a cutting edge 45 of the outer tube milling element 40 at one of the above - noted angles . a 45 ° cutting edge angle is shown in fig1 . the milling head 10 is preferably attached to a milling device such as rotary milling tool 90 shown in fig5 . rotary milling devices are well known in the art and are commercially available from sources such as h & amp ; s tool of wadsworth , ohio . examples include , but are not limited to , model mb , model ms , model b , model mt and model mft . rotary milling devices are generally electrically or pneumatically powered . milling head 10 as illustrated in fig1 through 4 includes a substantially cylindrical body 12 having an upper portion 14 and a lower portion 16 . it is to be understood that in other alternative embodiments body 12 can have other shapes and / or be formed having unitary construction , i . e . integrally formed upper and lower portions . being generally cylindrical , milling head 10 includes a central axis 20 extending in a direction along a longitudinal axis thereof . the lower portion 16 includes a tool mounting connection 18 for removable connection to a milling tool . in a preferred embodiment , the tool mounting connection 18 has a bore 22 , preferably cylindrical for attachment to an arbor or other portion of rotary milling tool 90 . in one embodiment , the cylindrical bore 22 includes a key slot 24 which matingly engages a key on the tool gearing to lock the rotary milling head 10 to the tool . in a further embodiment as illustrated in fig1 , mounting portion 18 is provided with a radially threaded bore 26 which receives a hexagonal head socket screw or other fastener in bore 26 which can be used to removably secure the milling head to rotary milling tool 90 . of course , various other means for mounting milling head 10 to an output shaft of a rotary milling tool are known , such as a threaded bore on a milling head mounting portion for screwing a milling head to a threaded output shaft of a rotary tool , or any of various conventional tool chucks or other means for mounting a tool piece to the rotary or output shaft of a rotary milling tool . as best shown in fig2 , milling head 10 of the present invention preferably includes an inner tube milling element 30 utilized to remove a predetermined amount of material from an inner portion of the tube preferably around the circumference thereof to a predetermined depth ; an outer tube milling element 40 designed to remove a predetermined amount of material from an outer portion of the tube preferably around the circumference thereof to a predetermined depth ; arid a bevel milling element 50 utilized to impart a beveled surface on an end of the tube . in relation to central axis 20 , the cutting surface 34 of inner milling element 30 is located radially closer thereto when compared to the cutting surface or blade 44 of outer milling element 40 as illustrated in fig2 . bevel milling element 50 also includes a cutting surface 54 having portions which are located radially closer to central axis 20 when compared to outer milling element 40 . bevel milling element 50 preferably has cutting surfaces located at radial distances which overlap with inner milling element 30 or outer element 50 cutting surfaces , or combinations thereof . the overlap between the milling elements is due to the strategic location or arrangement of milling elements 30 , 40 , and 50 on milling head 10 of the present invention as illustrated in the attached figures . the overlap between the various milling elements can be precisely controlled due to the adjustability of at least inner milling element 30 , or bevel milling element 50 , or a combination thereof in relation to the remaining portions of the milling head 10 . in a preferred embodiment , the outer milling element 40 is located in an upper portion 14 of milling head 10 which is fixably connected to lower milling head portion 16 such as by utilizing fasteners 28 as shown in fig2 . fig3 illustrates a lower portion 16 of milling head 10 which includes inner milling element 30 and bevel milling element 50 . inner milling element 30 is adjustably and removably secured to lower portion of milling head 16 utilizing a fastener system 32 , such as illustrated in fig3 . inner milling element 30 includes cutting surface 34 , generally a blade or other honed edge which is adapted to remove material such as by cutting , abrading , grinding , or the like from an inner surface of a workpiece . cutting surface 34 generally faces away from central axis 20 in order to remove material for the tube inner surface as depicted in fig1 . the cutting surface 34 of inner milling element 30 is connected to base 36 . inner milling element 30 can be fixably secured at a plurality of radial distances from central axis 20 in cutting element bed 17 of milling head 10 . cutting element bed 17 as illustrated in fig3 and 4 is generally a channel , groove , seat , slot or the like , having a predetermined depth such as about 0 . 25 inch to about 1 inch with about 0 . 50 inch being preferred formed in body 12 of milling head 10 . in a preferred embodiment , cutting element bed 17 extends a predetermined lateral distance in a radial direction in relation to central axis 20 . the width of the channel measured in a direction transverse to the radial axis is at least sufficient to accommodate or fit a portion , i . e . base 36 , of the desired milling element such as the inner tube milling element 30 or bevel milling element 50 , in order to secure the milling element to the body 12 of milling head 10 . at least one cutting element bed 17 is present on milling head 10 . in a preferred embodiment , a plurality of cutting element beds 17 are present , with one bed 17 for each milling element on lower portion 16 highly preferred . two beds 17 are illustrated in fig2 and 3 , one for the inner tube milling element 30 and one for a bevel milling element 50 . fastener system 32 includes at least one fastener in order to removably secure a milling element to a portion of the milling head 10 . in a preferred embodiment fastening system 32 comprises a threaded bore and a fastener such as a screw or bolt , although it is understood that other securing systems or fasteners can be utilized . as illustrated in fig3 , the fastening system includes a wedge 33 which is utilized to fixably attach a milling element to body 12 of milling head 10 . wedge 33 extends a predetermined distance along a length and width of bed 17 . in a preferred embodiment of fastening system 32 , a fastener is manipulated in the bore as shown in fig3 and the wedge is pushed against base 36 of inner milling element 30 whereby the inner milling element is secured on milling head body 12 between wedge 33 and a wall of bed 17 . in some embodiments , milling element base 36 , 56 , can have a tapered portion 57 which preferably form fits with a tapered portion of wedge 33 to securely hold the milling element during use . as illustrated in fig4 , the cutting surface 34 of inner milling element 30 is set at an angle with respect to an axis parallel to central axis 20 of milling head 10 in order to remove a desired amount of inner tube material . in most cases the angle will depend on the end use of the tube . for example in some cases a first tube to be milled has an inner diameter different than a second tube that will be welded to the end thereof . accordingly , the inner surface of the first tube will be milled sufficiently to match up the inner diameters of the tube at the ends thereof to prevent turbulence in the welded tubes and promote smooth flow . in still another scenario , the inner portion of the tube is milled sufficiently to accommodate a chill ring , which prevents weld material from running down the inside of a tube and creating flow problems . that said , the cutting surface 34 from a base to the end has an angle of generally from about 0 ° to about 60 °, desirably from about 5 ° to about 45 °, and preferably from about 10 ° to about 37 ° measured with respect to an axis parallel to the central axis 20 of the milling head . an angle of 10 ° is shown in fig4 for cutting surface 34 of inner tube milling element 30 . the inner tube milling element 30 cutting surface 34 can have any longitudinal length sufficient in order to mill a tube end to a desired depth , with about 0 . 25 to about 2 inches desired , and about 1 inch preferred . in a similar manner , bevel milling element 50 can be secured to milling head body 12 in cutting element bed 17 utilizing the fastener system 32 described . base 56 of element 50 can be secured as described hereinabove with respect to element 30 . bevel milling element 50 includes cutting surface 54 which is utilized to impart a frustoconical bevel on the end of a workpiece as exhibited by beveled segment 106 in fig1 . cutting surface or edge 54 of beveled milling element 50 is disposed at a predetermined angle in order to provide the desired frustoconical bevel . the angle of cutting edge 54 with respect to the central rotational axis 20 of milling head 10 is generally from about 30 ° to about 60 ° and preferably from about 30 ° to about 45 °. one or more bevel milling elements 50 can be present on each milling head 10 . the one or more bevel milling elements 50 are located at a predetermined radial distance from axis 20 such that the bevel cutting surface at least has an annular cutting sweep capable of beveling a tube from the inner diameter to the outer diameter thereof , either before or after an inner and / or outer tube film removal operation has been performed . in a preferred embodiment as illustrated in fig1 through 4 , one inner milling element 30 and one bevel milling element 50 are utilized on milling head 10 . preferably , the milling elements are located in substantially opposite radial sections of the milling head 10 as shown . outer workpiece milling element 40 as illustrated in fig1 and 5 is utilized to remove material or film from the outer diameter or surface of a tube by cutting , grinding or otherwise removing a film or thin annulus from the outer surface , preferably substantially completely or completely around the circumference thereof . that is , a portion of the tube outer diameter is removed , in addition to any weld overlay material and / or membrane material remaining on or surrounding the tube in the area where the outer diameter cleanup step is performed . milling head 10 has a configuration or design which allows the outer milling elements 40 to mill a portion of a tube , as well as any weld overlay and / or membrane that is present on one or more sides of the tube . the outer milling element 40 has a cutting face which is self - cleaning and provides for continuous cutting of surfaces , especially continuous or semi - continuous surfaces such as , but not limited to , tube circumference , weld overlay and membrane . the self - cleaning ability of the milling head substantially prevents the head from seizing , catching , and / or stopping during operation and sheds chips or shavings away from the blade cutting surfaces preferably allowing continuous , uninterrupted cutting and rotation . outer tube material removal with milling element 40 of milling head 10 , and optionally weld overlay removal and / or membrane removal is performed to a predetermined depth measured from a workpiece end generally from about 0 . 25 to about 0 . 75 inch , desirably to about 1 inch , and preferably to about 1 . 5 inches or more . the outer tube milling element 40 removes an outer radial portion of the workpiece in a range generally in an amount from about 2 % up to about 20 %, or about 25 %, desirably up to about 15 %, and preferably up to about 5 % or about 10 % of the total tube radial thickness ( annulus ), measured from the inner radius to the outer radius of the tube in a radial direction from the center point or longitudinal axis 20 of the tube . the outer tube film removal step exposes a clean , bare - metal surface on the outer portion of the tube in the cleanup area . rust , scale , or the like is removed during cleaning . the outer milled tube surface provides a strong bonding area for a subsequent welding operation . as illustrated in fig2 , the milling head 10 includes one or more , and preferably a plurality of milling element supports 46 which are formed as part of the upper portion 14 of milling head 10 preferably at an end thereof . milling element support 46 includes a cylindrical bore preferably threaded to accept a securing element or fastener 48 such as a screw . in one embodiment as illustrated in fig2 , milling element 40 includes a face surface having a countersink or recess surrounding a bore through which the fastener connects milling element 40 to a portion of the milling head , i . e . milling element support 46 . in a preferred embodiment which advantageously provides the ability to cut away and remove workpiece films , weld overlay , or membrane , or a combination thereof , fastener has a head , end portion , or the like which extends a distance away or out from the face surface of the milling element which is less than or about equal to a second distance measured from an outer edge of fastener 48 to the nearest cutting edge 45 . the first distance when compared to the second distance is generally less than about 100 percent , desirably less than about 95 percent , and preferably less than about 90 percent . in a further preferred embodiment , blade recess is dimensioned so that fastener 48 in a seated position provides the blade with a flat face . that is , the top of the head of fastener 48 is flush mounted or recess mounted on blade face , see fig7 for example . a preferred cutting blade is described in u . s . application ser . no . 10 / 721 , 539 , herein fully incorporated by reference . the cutting sweep of cutting edge 45 of outer milling element 40 is such that a predetermined amount of the outer radial portion of the workpiece is removed , within the above stated ranges . the cutting edges of the blades can have either positive , neutral , or negative rakes . the shape of the milling element 40 is not limited to the embodiment shown in fig1 and 2 and alternatively could be triangular , curved , or otherwise . the milling elements 30 , 40 , 50 of the invention can be arranged on milling head 10 so that the cutting surfaces or blades are located a predetermined distance from each other when measured with respect to the central axis 20 . in a preferred embodiment , the outer tube milling element 40 extends from the bottom of milling head 10 nearest tool mounting connection 18 a greater distance than inner tube milling element 30 . likewise , distances between bevel milling element 50 and inner and outer tube milling elements 30 and 50 respectively can be varied and often depend on end use application . a preferred method for utilizing milling head 10 is as follows . milling head 10 is attached through tool mounting connection 18 to rotary milling tool 90 . the rotary milling tool 90 is preferably temporarily connected or secured to the inner surface of the workpiece utilizing a collet 92 as illustrated in fig5 . the milling head 10 is advanced toward the tube and the outer milling element blades 44 contact and mill the outer circumference of the workpiece to a predetermined degree . milling head 10 is further advanced along and down the tube as the milling operation is performed . any membrane and / or weld overlay present on the surface of the workpiece is also removed within the cutting sweep of blade cutting edge 45 . as the milling head is advanced along the tube , the bevel milling element bore 50 and inner tube milling element 30 contact the workpiece and mill a bevel into the tube or remove inner tube film , respectively . depending on the configuration of milling elements 50 and 30 , one operation may begin before another . for example , the inner surface of the workpiece may be milled by the inner milling element 30 before the bevel milling element 50 makes contact with the workpiece due to blade height , or vice versa . after the desired milling operation has been performed , the rotary milling tool is disconnected from the workpiece leaving the workpiece having a beveled end section , a section where outer tube film has been removed , and a section where inner tube surface has been removed as illustrated in fig1 with respect to workpiece 100 . in yet another embodiment of the present invention , an outer diameter tube film removal cutting element or blade 210 is provided having a curved or a rounded cutting edge 212 , on at least one segment of the blade cutting edge surface , see fig6 . as described herein , in addition to being adapted to mill and remove tube material from the outer surface of a tube , cutting blade 210 can remove membrane and / or weld overlay or the like if present on the tube outer surface . in fig6 , cutting blade 210 includes a cutting surface having an annular edge 212 . in a preferred embodiment , cutting blade 210 has a cutting edge comprising generally at least ⅛ of a circumferential segment of a circle , desirably at least ¼ or ½ of a circumferential segment of a circle , and is preferably annular or circular . alternatively , a cutting blade 210 is provided with a curved cutting edge 214 having unequal radii from a predetermined point such as bore center 217 as shown in fig1 . thus , cutting blade 210 has an oval or ovoid - like shape in one embodiment . the curved cutting blade 210 includes an aperture or bore 216 which can accept a securing element or fastener 218 so blade 210 can be secured to a cutting blade support 220 . in one embodiment , the curved cutting blade face has a countersink or recess 222 around bore 216 . preferably , the head 219 of the securing element 218 in a seated or tightened position is substantially flush with the face of the cutting blade 210 and located within the countersink 222 as shown in fig7 . in a preferred embodiment which allows a user the ability to cut away and remove outer diameter tube film , weld overlay , or membrane , or a combination thereof , the securing element 218 has a head , end portion or the like which extends a distance “ a ” away or out from the face surface 215 or plane of the blade face which is less than or equal to a second distance “ b ” measured from an outer , lower edge of securing element 218 to the bottom or lower surface of cutting edge 212 opposite the end of the milling head attachable to a milling tool , as shown in fig6 and 8 . distance “ b ” is a percentage of a radial distance from the center point 217 of bore 216 to the outer edge of blade 210 to a bottom edge thereof as shown in fig6 . distance “ a ” when compared to distance “ b ” is generally less than about 100 %, desirably less than about 95 % and preferably less than about 50 %. distance “ a ” is zero in fig7 as the end of head 219 of securing element 218 is flush with the plane of face surface 215 of blade 210 . the milling heads of the present invention having a curved or rounded edge cutting blade 210 are particularly useful in milling tubes having a relatively narrow width of membrane , such as less than ½ inch , between adjacent tubes . the curved cutting edge milling blades 210 are used to produce a milled tube 300 having curved or rounded shoulder 302 where the milling operation has been discontinued or terminated , see fig1 . when annular edge cutting blades are utilized , in a preferred embodiment the diameter of the blade can range generally from about 0 . 25 to about 0 . 50 inch , desirably from about 0 . 25 to about 0 . 437 inch , and preferably from about 0 . 312 to about 0 . 375 inch . fig1 illustrates a tube 300 which has been milled with a milling head of the present invention having annular tube film removal blades 210 such as shown in fig6 . as illustrated in fig1 , the cutting blades 210 have been utilized to remove an outer portion of the tube 300 around the entire circumference thereof . a rounded shoulder 302 is created at the terminus of the milling operation by the tube film removal blades 210 due to the shape of cutting blade 210 which is annular on at least the cutting surface thereof . the end of tube 300 has also been beveled and an inner diameter portion of the tube has been milled utilizing a milling head of the present invention . membrane 303 between adjacent tubes has also been removed with cutting blade 210 of the present invention . in yet a further embodiment of the present invention , cutting blade 210 is provided with an elongated or slotted bore 224 , see fig1 for example . fig9 a and 9b show a square outer tube film removal cutting blade 260 having a slotted bore 224 . cutting blade 210 , 260 having a slotted bore is preferably utilized with the elongated axis of the slot arranged perpendicular to the central or longitudinal axis 230 of the milling head . the milling element support 220 is fabricated to allow for adjustment of the cutting blade in relation thereto utilizing the slotted bore present therein . for example , one of the milling element support edges shown in fig1 would not present in one embodiment so that the cutting blade 260 having a slotted bore 224 could be adjusted along an axis approximately 45 ° from the central axis 20 . the height of the slot , i . e . perpendicular to the elongated axis , is preferably slightly greater than the diameter of the securing element designed to secure the blade to the milling head . the slotted bore 224 is preferably countersunk to allow at least a portion of a head or end portion of the securing element , and preferably the entire end portion , to be flush or recess mounted in the blade in a fastened position , see countersink 222 . the length of the slot can vary depending on the size of the cutting blade and / or securing element utilized and in a preferred embodiment ranges generally from about 0 . 15 to about 0 . 25 , desirably from about 0 . 18 to about 0 . 22 , and preferably from about 0 . 18 to about 0 . 20 inch measured on the back side of the blade opposite the face . cutting blade 210 , 260 having a slotted bore 224 is attached to a milling element support 220 with a securing element 218 . before the securing element 218 is completely tightened , the cutting blade 210 , 260 is set at a desired position , preferably with respect to the central axis 230 . that is , the cutting blade 210 , 260 is adjusted laterally along the elongated axis of the bore , preferably perpendicular to central axis 20 of the milling head in one embodiment , or otherwise on an axis at a predetermined degree or an angle with respect to central axis 20 such as described hereinabove , so an inner edge or other portion of the cutting blade is located a predetermined distance from central axis 20 . in a preferred embodiment , each cutting blade 210 , 260 of the milling head is aligned in substantially the same position and / or distance with respect to the central axis in order that smooth , consistent milling with the milling head can be achieved . if desired , indicia such as lines , notches or the like are provided on the cutting blade 210 , 260 or milling element support 220 , or a combination thereof to aid in positioning of the cutting blade 210 , 260 on the milling head 10 . in accordance with the patent statutes , the best mode and preferred embodiment have been set forth , the scope of the invention is not limited thereto , but rather by the scope of the attached claims .

US-10582505-A

an apparatus for stripping a three - wire armor covered , lead jacketed , insulated flat electrical cable comprising a quide roll means for feeding the cable into a stripping means ; a stripping means having adjustable cable cutting means for longitudinally cutting the cable in a plurality of places to adjustable depths and die means for stripping the lead jacket and the insulation from the wires ; and a pulling means for evenly pulling the cable wires from the guide roll means and through the stripping means . a method is also provided for stripping the cable , wherein the cable is fed into a stripping means , the cable is longitudinally cut in multiple predetermined places to adjustable depths , the armor cover is removed , and the lead jacket and insulation are removed .

referring to fig1 of the drawings , the cable stripping apparatus of the present invention is indicated generally at a . the apparatus a comprises three basic components or sections , a guide roll assembly or cable feed means b , a stripper assembly or cable stripping means c and a puller assembly or cable pulling means d . each of these sections is described in more detail hereinafter . although forming no part of the cable stripping apparatus , per se , a cable reel assembly or cable supply means e is schematically shown illustrating one method or means by which a cable 20 may be supplied to the apparatus a . the reel assembly e includes a suitable stand or frame 21 on which a reel 22 containing or holding a supply of cable 20 , is rotatably mounted on a removable axle or pin 23 suitably positioned in the frame 21 . the stripper assembly c includes a table or frame 30 having legs 31 , 32 ( not seen ), 33 and 34 ( not seen ) on which parallel frame members 35 and 36 ( not seen ) are mounted therein . the frame 30 is preferably constructed from steel such as angle iron members which are welded or otherwise joined together . the frame can be made from any other suitable materials , and should be strong enough to support the various components mounted or attached thereon . a plate 37 is bolted to the outside of legs 31 and 32 and the guide assembly b is mounted thereon . a motor support frame 38 is welded to the underside of the frame 30 and comprises horizontal members 38a and 38b ( not seen ) and vertical members 38c and 38d ( not seen ). horizontal members 38a and 38b are attached to table legs 31 and 32 , respectively , and to vertical members 38c and 38d , respectively . vertical members 38c and 38d are attached to frame members 35 and 36 , respectively . a protective cover 39 is suitably attached to the motor support frame 30 and covers the moving parts of a motor mounted on the frame 30 . the guide roll assembly b includes a pair of somewhat l - shaped support brackets 40 and 41 ( not seen ) welded to a rectangular plate 42 which is bolted on plate 37 . a pair of adjustable guide rollers 43 and 44 ( not seen ) are positioned on rods 45 and 46 ( not seen ), respectively , which are welded to support brackets 47 and 48 ( not seen ), respectively , which are welded to plate 49 welded to and joining support brackets 40 and 41 . a guide and straightening roller assembly 50 is bolted on the upper portion of the plate 37 above the brackets 40 and 41 . the stripper assembly c comprises an armor cutting section or unit 60 , an armor removal or peel off unit 70 , a lead shield removal unit 80 , and an insulation or rubber stripper unit 90 , each of which are mounted on the frame 30 . the puller assembly d is positioned adjacent stripper assembly c and comprises a frame 100 , a cable pulling unit 110 mounted thereon and a motor 120 mounted on the frame 100 for driving the pulling unit 110 . the frame 100 is also preferably constructed of steel or other suitable materials and includes legs 101 , 102 , 103 and 104 jointed together by lower frame members 105 and 106 and upper frame members 107 and 108 . pulling unit 110 is mounted on upper frame members 107 and 108 , and motor 120 is mounted on lower frame members 105 and 106 . referring now to fig2 , 4 and 5 , the guide roll assembly or section b is illustrated in more detail . support brackets 40 and 41 are welded to rectangular plate 42 which is welded to legs 31 and 32 . plate 42 has a plurality of slots or openings 42a , 42b , 42c and 42d thereon for receiving the bolts 42e , 42f , 42g and 42h , respectively . plate 42 is bolted to support plate 37 by means of the hex bolts and corresponding nuts ( not seen ). plate 37 has suitable openings ( not seen ) therein for receiving bolts 42e , 42f , 42g and 42h , respectively . the slots in plate 42 enable the brackets 40 and 41 to be vertically adjusted as required or desired . plate 49 is welded to support brackets 40 and 41 and has suitable openings ( not seen ) therein for receiving bolts 49a , 49b , 49c and 49d . rod support brackets 47 and 48 also have suitable bolt receiving openings therein . brackets 47 and 48 are bolted to plate 49 by bolts 49a and 49b and bolts 49c and 49c , respectively , and corresponding nuts ( not seen ) on each bolt . guide rollers 43 and 44 are merely slipped over rods 45 and 46 , respectively , and supported by brackets 47 and 48 , respectively . the guide rollers freely rotate about their respective rods . preferably , the openings in support brackets 40 and 41 are longitudinal ones and permit the rollers to be adjusted for the width of a particular cable 20 . an adjustable upper roller 130 and a fixed lower roller 131 are positioned oppositely and spaced apart from each other and between support brackets 40 and 41 . roller 131 is rotatably mounted on threaded bolt or pin 132 in which the ends thereof are inserted in openings or holes 40a and 41a . the ends of bolt 132 extend sufficiently outward from brackets 40 and 41 to receive flange bushings 132a and 132b and nuts 132c and 132d . a gear 133 is fixed to roller 131 and positioned on pin 132 between the roller 131 and support bracket 40 . a small gear 134 is positioned below roller 131 and below gear 133 so as to mesh with the latter . gear 134 is attached to axle 135 so as to rotate with it . axle 135 is positioned in bushing 136 which is inserted in opening 40b or bracket 40 . a removable hand crank or handle 137 is attached to the exterior end of axle 135 . axle 135 may be moved inwardly so as to move gear 134 out of mesh with gear 133 . adjustable roller 130 is rotatably mounted on axle or pin 138 which is installed on yoke 139 . the ends of axle 138 are inserted in openings 139a and 139b in yoke 139 . a set screw 140 is fixed in the upper end of yoke 139 and is threadedly engaged with yoke support 141 by means of threaded opening 141a . rotation or turning of screw 140 permits yoke 139 and upper roller 130 to be raised or lowered as desired . guide straightening and roller assembly 50 includes a movable guide and straightening roller or wheel 51 and fixed guide and straightening roller or wheel 52 . assembly 50 is attached to plate 37 on frame 30 by means of plate or support member 53 . plate 53 has a plurality of bolt receiving slots 53a , 53b , 53c and 53d . the plate 53 is attached to plate 37 by means of hex bolts 53e , 53f , 53g and 53h , which are inserted in their respective slots in plate 53 and openings therefor in plate 37 and suitable nuts . the slots in plate 53 permit the plate 53 to be fixed in a desired position . upper horizontal bracket 54 and lower horizontal bracket 55 are welded to plate 53 and provide the support for fixed wheel 52 . a pin or axle 52a is inserted in hole 54a in bracket 54 and hole 55a in bracket 55 . wheel 52 and bushings 52b and 52c are positioned on axle 52a . a horizontal bracket 56 and a vertical bracket 57 are also welded to the plate 53 and these brackets along with lower horizontal bracket 55 provide the support for movable yoke 58 . yoke 58 includes a pair of arms 58a and 58b joined together in a parallel spaced apart relationship by member 58c . openings 58d and 58e are provided in their respective arms or brackets 58a and 58b for receiving the ends of axle or pin 51a on which wheel 51 is positioned . a set screw 58f is fixed in member 58c and is threadedly engaged with bracket 57 by means of threaded hole 57a . rotation of screw 58f moves yoke 58 and wheel 51 inwardly or outwardly as desired . plate 53 has a relatively large slot or channel 53i cut therein and in alignment with the space between wheels 51 and 52 for allowing cable 20 to pass therethrough . a cable hold down guide or guide means 59 comprises a pair of spaced apart bars or members 59a and 59b with bolt receiving openings on each end thereof and which are attached to plate 53 by bolts or other suitable means . plate 53 has slotted openings therein for receiving bolts 59c and 59d in upper bar 59a and bolts 59e and 59f ( not seen ) in lower bar 59b . the slotted openings in plate 53 enable the guide means 59 to be suitably adjusted to receive cable 20 in the desired alignment . cable 20 passes through channel 53i in plate 53 and between upper guide bar 59a and lower guide bar 59b . referring now to fig6 , 8 and 8a , stripper assembly c includes armor cutting unit 60 , armor removal unit 70 , lead shield removal unit 80 and rubber stripping unit 90 , and motor m and associated parts for driving unit 60 all of which are suitably mounted on table 30 . cutting unit 60 is mounted on base plate or support member 61 which is suitably fixed on upper frame members 35 and 36 of frame 30 . circular saw blades 62 are mounted on shaft 63 . the blades are in parallel alignment with each other and spaced apart to provide a desired cutting location . locking nuts 63a and 63b are provided for locking the blades on the shaft . shaft 63 is positoned in pillow blocks 64 and 65 which are suitably attached to plate 61 . roll pins 66 and 67 are suitably attached to each end of shaft 63 and inserted in pillow blocks 64 and 65 , respectively . a large chain sprocket 68 is attached to one end of shaft 63 and held thereon by set screw 68a . a small chain sprocket 69 is also attached on shaft 63 between sprocket 68 and block 64 . also mounted on plate 61 are pillow blocks 161 and 162 with shaft 163 positioned therein . a movable coller 164 with circular saw blade 165 fixed thereon is installed on shaft 163 between pillow blocks 161 and 162 . the collar and blades may be moved along the shaft to position the blade in a desired cutting position . a small chain sprocket 166 is attached to one end of the shaft 163 exterior of pillow block 162 and in alignment with small sprocket 69 . motor m in motor mount m &# 39 ; on frame support members 38a and 38b has a drive shaft 142 on which chain sprocket 143 is attached to an end thereof . sprocket 142 and sprocket 68 are operably connected together by chain 144 . sprocket 69 and sprocket 166 are operably joined together by small chain 145 . the motor m is preferably an electrical one and includes suitable electrical connections and switches therefor . the motor could also be a gasoline type or any other suitable type . motor m and its associated shafts , sprockets , chains and related parts provide the driving force for rotating cutting blades 62 and cutting blade 165 . motor cover 39 and sprocket cover 146 provide protective shielding of moving parts . cutting unit 60 also includes a cable guide unit or assembly 150 ( fig8 ) which is mounted in plate 61 below cutting blades 62 . the unit 150 comprises an adjusting block 151 with adjusting screw 152 threadedly engaged therein by means of threaded opening 151a . screw 152 extends through an opening 61a in plate 61 and is removably attached to cable guide 153 by means of bearing 154 . four coil springs 155 are inserted in channels or openings 154a therefor in cable guide block 153 . a cable guide 156 is positioned on cable guide block 153 . guide 156 has a channel 156a therein for receiving cable 20 . the cable guide 156 is cut and sized for the particular size cable to be stripped . it is removable , and cable guides suitable for use with other size cables can be substituted therefor . angle iron guide members 157 and 158 are attached to the upper side of plate 61 and retain cable guide block 153 in position and enable said block to be moved vertically within the confines thereof . armor removal unit 70 is mounted on bar 71 attached to frame members 35 and 36 and in alignment with cutting blades 62 and 165 . as best seen in fig1 , the armor removal unit 70 comprises a pair of paralleledly spaced apart armor stripping members 72 and 73 bolted or otherwise suitably attached to mounting members 74 and 75 ( not seen ), respectively , suitably fixed or positioned on the bar 71 . stripping members 72 and 73 are substantially identical . member 72 has a more or less flat face 72a for contacting and stripping away the outer steel armor of the cable 20 . preferably , the member 72 also has a tapered edge 72b . the members 72 and 73 are so positioned in relation to each other and the cable 20 , that as the cable 20 is pulled toward the unit 70 , the steel armor is stripped from the cable so as to divide the cable into its three separate lead jacketed wires . one wire passes outwardly of the member 72 , one wire passes outwardly of member 73 and the center wire passes between the members 72 and 73 . lead shield removal unit 80 is mounted on bar 81 attached to frame members 35 and 36 . as best seen in fig1 , unit 80 includes three spaced apart lead stripping members 82 removably secured by screws or other suitable means to support bar 83 . each of the members 82 has a semi - circular shaped channel or groove 82 extending across the upper side thereof which is sized for the cable being stripped . different size lead stripping members are used for different sizes of cable . one edge or face 82b of the members 82 is tapered or slanted . the members 82 also preferably have a notched or cut - out portion 82c on the upper edge thereof . rubber stripping unit 90 includes bar 91 suitably attached to frame members 35 and 36 with roller 92 mounted on shaft 93 the ends thereof which are removably positioned in suitable openings in shaft support members 94 and 95 . roller 92 has three parallel grooves therein sized to the particular sized cable of which the rubber or insulation is to be stripped therefrom . the unit 90 also includes bar 96 on which three rubber stripping means 97 ( fig1 ) are attached thereto in a spaced apart parallel relationship . rubber strippers 97 are also sized to the particular cable being stripped . various size strippers may be interchanged as desired . each of the members 97 has a somewhat pointed edge 97a which is shaped so as to strip the rubber from the cable wires . the other stripping members 97 are substantially identical and are positioned on the bar 96 in a parallel and spaced apart manner so that each edge 97a will strip the rubber insulation from the three rubber insulated wires as the wires are pulled past the strippers 97 . preferably , the stripping unit 90 also includes three cutting blades 98 which are mounted paralleledly and spaced apart on a shaft 98a in the somewhat u - shaped mounting bracket 99 positioned on top of the members 97 and attached to bar 96 . the blades 98 are positioned so that they are aligned with the saw cuts in the insulation on the respective wires directed there towards . the blades 98 assure that the rubber insulation is fully cut should the saw cuts be inadequate for subsequent stripping of the cable . referring now to fig9 and 10 , puller assembly d comprises frame 100 , pulling unit 110 and motor 120 . frame 100 is positioned adjacent from 30 , particularly adjacent legs 33 and 34 thereof , and includes legs 101 , 102 , 103 ( not seen ) and 104 ( not seen ), lower frame members 105 and 106 ( not seen ), upper frame members 107 and 108 ( not seen ) and upper cross members 111 and 112 . legs and frame members not seen are comparable to their opposite leg or member shown . motor 120 is supported by motor unit 121 fixed to frame members 105 and 106 . the motor is preferably an electric one , but could be any suitable type , such as a gasoline motor or other type . the motor also includes the usual electrical connections and switches necessary for the operation thereof . the motor 120 has a drive shaft on which is mounted a sprocket . a chain 122 is connected to the motor sprocket and to pulling unit sprocket 113 mounted on shaft 114 . drive roller 115 is positioned on shaft 113 . roller 115 has a knurled surface thereon . shaft 113 is positioned in pillow blocks 116 and 117 attached to the underside of angle frame members 107 and 108 , respectively . pulling unit 110 also includes a pair of upper rollers 118 and 119 mounted on shafts 210 and 211 , respectively . shaft 210 is supported by pillow blocks 212 and 213 positioned on the upper side of frame members 107 and 108 , respectively . shaft 211 is supported by pillow blocks 214 and 215 also positioned on the upper side of frame members 107 and 108 , respectively . pillow blocks 212 and 213 are attached to turnbuckle screws 216 and 217 , respectively , which are threadedly engaged in turnbuckle mounts 218 and 219 , respectively fixed to the upper sides of frame members 107 and 108 , respectively . pillow blocks 214 and 215 are attached to turnbuckle screws 220 and 221 , respectively , which are threadedly engaged in screw mounts 222 and 223 also attached to the upper sides of members 107 and 108 , respectively . rotation of the various turnbuckle screws moves the rollers 118 and 119 horizontally and inwardly or outwardly as desired . the cable to be stripped is a three - wire armor covered , lead jacketed , insulated flat cable . such a 3 - phase wire armored cable typically includes three multi - strand copper wires individually insulated in the usual manner with rubber such as epdm . the three insulated wires are encased or surrounded by a lead jacket . around the lead jacket is a braided material such as a woven cloth . around the woven cloth is an insulating tape such as pvft . finally , the entire assembly is encased or surrounded by an armored jacket of steel . in some instances , an insulating tape may also be wrapped around the steel armor . as seen in fig1 , the cable 20 includes three separate multi - strand wires 20a , 20b and 20c . each of the wires is covered with rubber or other suitable insulation 20d , 20e and 20f , respectively . around the rubber on each wire is lead jackets 20g , 20h and 20i , respectively . around the lead jackets of each wire is an insulated tape covered woven or braided cloth 20j , 20k and 20l , respectively . finally , a steel armor 20m encases or surrounds the three covered wires . in the drawing , some of the components of the cable are exaggerated for purposes of illustration . such types of cables are well known in the art . it can be appreciated that such a cable may be manufactured in a variety of ways using various materials . basically though such cable includes three insulated electric wires which are separately encased in a lead jacket and which lead jacketed wires are protected by an outer armor . for purposes herein , the term &# 34 ; cable &# 34 ; means any type of lead jacketed , armored cable . the terms &# 34 ; copper wire &# 34 ; or &# 34 ; wire &# 34 ; means any suitable wire of one or more strands of electric conducting material . the terms &# 34 ; rubber insulation &# 34 ; or &# 34 ; rubber coated &# 34 ;, &# 34 ; rubber &# 34 ; or any combination thereof means any suitable insulation material placed around the copper wires . the term &# 34 ; lead jacket &# 34 ; means any type of jacketing material encasing the insulated copper wires such as lead , lead alloy or similar types of materials . the term &# 34 ; armor &# 34 ; or &# 34 ; steel &# 34 ; or any combination thereof means the outer protective casing or covering which is made of steel or any other suitable materials . the term &# 34 ; woven cloth &# 34 ; means any type of braided material or other material which may be used for such purpose . the term &# 34 ; tape &# 34 ; means any type of insulating or other tape which may be used for such purpose . although the apparatus illustrated is particularly constructed for stripping a 3 - phase armored cable , it can be appreciated that the apparatus can be readily varied to strip a cable having any number of wires . more or less cutting or saw blades , lead stripping members or dies , lead shield removal members and rubber stripping members can be installed as desired . parts of the apparatus necessary to handle a particular size of cable can readily be installed . in the operation of the apparatus of the instant invention , the apparatus must first be adjusted to handle the stripping operation of a particular size armored cable . in the guide roller assembly 50 , adjustable guide rollers 43 and 44 are positioned so that they are spaced apart sufficiently to enable the cable 20 to be guided thereby and readily pass therebetween . upper roller 130 is vertically adjusted so that the cable will be guided by and readily move between rollers 130 and 131 , over lower roller 131 and under upper roller 130 . movable roller 51 is horizontally adjusted so that the cable may be guided by and readily moved between roller 51 and fixed roller 52 . the cable also passes through hold down guide 59 . with the foregoing adjustments , the assembly 50 is ready to guide the cable 20 into the proper position for cutting and stripping operations . in the armor cutting unit 60 , the three saw blades 62 are positioned so that three parallel and suitably spaced apart cuts may be made longitudinally in the cable 20 so as to cut from the upper side of the cable down to the copper wire , i . e ., so as to make three distinct cuts through all parts of the cable except the copper wire . the fourth saw blade 165 is adjusted so that the cable may be cut longitudinally from the bottom through the steel armor . this latter cut is preferably made more or less in the center of the cable ; however , such center position is not critical . a cable guide 156 of a proper size to guide the cable 20 therethrough is positioned under the blades 62 . the guide 156 is adjusted to proper height for cutting the cable by means of adjusting screw 162 which raises or lowers cable guide block 153 as necessary . armor removal unit 70 is positioned so that the steel armor may be removed from the cable 20 after the cable has been cut by blades 62 and 165 . the lead shield removal unit is adjusted so that the lead shield around the cable 20 may be stripped therefrom after the cable has passed through the armor removal unit 70 . rubber stripping unit 90 is also adjusted to a proper position to enable the rubber insulation to be stripped from the cable 20 after the cable has passed through the lead shield removal unit 80 . after the various components of the apparatus a have been adjusted or positioned for receiving and handling a particular size of flat armored cable , one end of the cable 20 is fed from the reel 22 between guide rollers 43 and 44 and between rollers 130 and 131 . the roller 131 is then turned by means of hand crank 137 and drives the cable 20 forward between rollers 51 and 52 and into cutting position . motor m is actuated so that the rotary blades 62 and 165 make the desird cuts in the cable . the cable is then pulled thru the armor removal unit 70 , which strips the steel armor from the cable as it is moved forward . the cable is pulled forward thru the lead shield removal unit 80 which strips the lead shield from the cable . the cable is then hand stripped of the rubber and fed thru the rubber stripping unit 90 . the cable is pulled forward and the three wires are fed into the pulling unit d . the wires are fed over the roller 118 , under roller 115 and over roller 119 . the rollers 115 , 118 and 119 are adjusted so that the 3 wires are firmly held and can be moved therethrough . operation of the motor 120 drives rollers which pull the wires forward where they can be wound on a suitable reel or other container . once the wires are positioned in the pulling unit , operation of the motor 120 causes the cable to be pulled from the reel 22 and through the various cutting and stripping operations . the operation is continued until all or a desired amount of cable is stripped . as best seen in fig1 , a portion of the cable 20 is illustrated after the cable has passed through the armor cutting unit 60 . the saw blades 62 have made three distinct cuts 20x , 20y and 20z from the top down through armor 20m , through taped cloth 20j , 20k and 20l , through lead jackets 20g , 20h and 20i , through rubber insulation 20d , 20e and 20f , and to wires 20a , and 20b and 20c . saw blade 165 has made bottom cut 20p which extends thru armor 20m . as the cable 20 is pulled past the armor stripping unit 70 , the faces 72a and 73a and of the members 72 and 73 , respectively , force the armor 20m from the cable 20 so as to fall away in pieces 20m &# 39 ;, 20m &# 34 ;, etc . three separate covered wires as illustrated by taped cloth covering 20j , 20k and 20l emerge from the unit 70 . as seen in fig1 , the three separate taped cloth covered wires 20j , 20k and 20l are pulled through the lead shield removal unit 80 so as to strip lead jackets 20g , 20h and 20i and their respective covering 20j , 20k and 20l from the wire . three separate rubber covered wires as illustrated by rubber insulating 20d , 20e and 20f emerge from the unit 80 . as seen in fig1 , the multi - stranded wires 20a , 20b and 20c are pulled thru the rubber stripping unit 90 , rubber insulations 20d , 20e and 20 are removed . blades 98 are positioned so that a blade is aligned with each of the cuts 20x , 20y and 20z , respectively . each blade cuts any rubber not cut by the saw blades 62 down to the wires 20a , 20b and 20c , respectively . this assures that all rubber insulation will be stripped from the wires . the apparatus a enables flat armored cable to be completely stripped with relative ease . adjustments can readily be made to handle a particular size cable . the foregoing disclosure and description of the invention is illustrative and explanatory thereof and various changes in the size , shape and materials , as well as in the details of the illustrated construction , may be within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of the invention .

US-97297878-A

the present invention relates to an ethylene / α - olefin interpolymer product comprising at least one α - olefin interpolymerized with ethylene and , characterized in at least one aspect , as having improved properties when utilized in a hot melt adhesive formulation . the invention also relates to a process for manufacturing the interpolymer product wherein the process comprises employing two or more single site catalyst systems in at least one reaction environment and wherein the at least two catalyst systems have different comonomer incorporation capabilities or reactivities and / or different termination kinetics , both when measured under the same polymerization conditions . the interpolymer products are useful , for example , in applications such as hot melt adhesives , and also for impact , bitumen and asphalt modification , adhesives , dispersions or latexes and fabricated articles such as , but not limited to , foams , films , sheet , moldings , thermoforms , profiles and fibers .

the present invention provides an ethylene alpha olefin interpolymer with desired processability and physical characteristics . the present invention also provides a new process for making the interpolymer , comprising contacting one or more olefinic monomers or comonomers in the presence two or more single site catalysts ( when employing a single reactor ) or one or more single site catalysts ( when employing a multiple reactor process ); and effectuating the polymerization of the olefinic comonomers in said reactor ( s ) to obtain an olefin polymer . preferably , the catalysts have the ability to incorporate a substantially different amount of comonomer in the polymer produced , and / or produce a polymer of substantially different molecular weight under selected polymerization conditions . in the following description , all numbers disclosed are approximate values , regardless whether the word “ about ” or “ approximately ” is used in connection therewith . they may vary by up to 1 %, 2 %, 5 %, or sometimes 10 to 20 %. whenever a numerical range with a lower limit , r l , and an upper limit r u , is disclosed , any number r falling within the range is specifically disclosed . in particular , the following numbers r within the range are specifically disclosed : r = r l + k *( r u − r l ), wherein k is a variable ranging from 1 % to 100 % with a 1 % increment , i . e . k is 1 %, 2 %, 3 %, 4 %, 5 %, . . . , 50 %, 51 %, 52 %, . . . , 95 %, 96 %, 97 %, 98 %, 99 %, or 100 %. moreover , for any numerical range defined by two numbers then r , as defined in the text above , is also specifically disclosed . the term “ polymer ” as used herein refers to a macromolecular compound prepared by polymerizing monomers of the same or a different type . a polymer refers to homopolymers , copolymers , terpolymers , interpolymers , and so on . the term “ interpolymer ” used herein refers to a polymer prepared by the polymerization of at least two types of monomers or comonomers . it includes , but is not limited to , copolymers ( which usually refers to polymers prepared from two different monomers or comonomers ), terpolymers ( which usually refers to polymers prepared from three different types of monomers or comonomers ), and tetrapolymers ( which usually refers to polymers prepared from four different types of monomers or comonomers ), and the like . the term “ narrow composition distribution ” used herein describes the comonomer distribution for homogeneous interpolymers . the narrow composition distribution homogeneous interpolymers can also be characterized by their scbdi ( short chain branch distribution index ) or cdbi ( composition distribution branch index ). the scbdi or cdbi is defined as the weight percent of the polymer molecules having a comonomer content within 50 percent of the median total molar comonomer content . the cdbi of a polymer is readily calculated from data obtained from techniques known in the art , such as , for example , temperature rising elution fractionation ( abbreviated herein as “ tref ”) as described , for example , in wild et al , journal of polymer science , poly . phys . ed ., vol . 20 , p . 441 ( 1982 ), or in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 548 , 014 , the disclosure of which are incorporated herein by reference . thus , the following procedure for calculating cdbi can be used : ( 1 ) generate a normalized , cumulative distribution plot of copolymer concentration versus elution temperature , obtained from the tref . ( 2 ) determine the elution temperature at which 50 weight percent of the dissolved copolymer has eluted . ( 3 ) determine the molar comonomer content within the copolymer fraction eluting at that median elution temperature . ( 4 ) calculate limiting mole fraction values of 0 . 5 times and 1 . 5 times the molar comonomer content within the copolymer fraction eluting at that median temperature . ( 5 ) determine limiting elution temperature values associated with those limiting mole fraction values . ( 6 ) partially integrate that portion of the cumulative elution temperature distribution between those limiting elution temperature values . ( 7 ) express the result of that partial integration , cdbi , as a percentage of the original , normalized , cumulative distribution plot . the term “ different catalyst systems ” is used herein in reference to catalyst systems , which incorporate monomers at different amounts during interpolymerization . while the term principally refers to catalyst systems having different chemical compositions relative to one another , the term generally refers to any difference that results in different monomer incorporation or different polymerization reactivities or rates . as such , the term also refers to differences in concentrations , operating conditions , injection methods or timing and the like where the catalyst systems have the same chemical composition . one factor that influences the overall mwd is the difference between the molecular weights of the hmw component and the lmw component . in some embodiments , the ratio of the molecular weights of the polymer produced by one catalyst to the molecular weight of the polymer produced by the other catalyst , m wh / m wl is from about 1 to about 20 , preferably from about 1 . 5 to about 15 , more preferably from about 2 to about 10 . another factor that can have a substantial effect on the overall mwd is the “ polymer split ” of the composition . a “ polymer split ” is defined as the weight fraction of the high molecular weight polymer component in a polymer composition . the relative fractions of the high and low molecular weight components are determined from the deconvoluted gpc peak . the polymer composition of the present invention has a split of about 30 % to about 70 %, preferably of from about 40 % to about 60 %, more preferably of from about 45 % to about 55 %. in the process , a high molecular weight catalyst is defined relative to a low molecular weight catalyst . a high weight molecular weight catalyst refers to a catalyst which produces a polymer with a high weight - average molecular weight m wh from the monomers and any comonomers of choice under a set of given polymerization conditions , whereas a low molecular weight catalyst refers to a catalyst which produces a polymer with a low weight average molecular weight m wl from the same monomers and comonomers under substantially the same polymerization conditions . therefore , the terms “ low molecular weight catalyst ” and “ high molecular weight catalyst ” used herein do not refer to the molecular weight of a catalyst ; rather , they refer to a catalyst &# 39 ; s ability to make a polymer with a low or high molecular weight . the intrinsic molecular weight differences in the polymer produced by the chosen high and low molecular weight catalysts produces the “ polymer split ” of the composition . thus , a high molecular weight catalyst and a low molecular weight catalyst are determined with reference to each other . one does not know whether a catalyst is a high molecular weight catalyst or a low molecular weight catalyst until after another catalyst is also selected . therefore , the terms “ high molecular weight ” and “ low molecular weight ” used herein when referring to a catalyst are merely relative terms and do not encompass any absolute value with respect to the molecular weight of a polymer . after a pair of catalysts are selected , one can easily ascertain the high molecular weight catalyst by the following procedure : 1 ) select at least one monomer which can be polymerized by the chosen catalysts ; 2 ) make a polymer from the selected monomer ( s ) in a single reactor containing one of the selected catalysts under pre - selected polymerization conditions ; 3 ) make another polymer from the same monomer ( s ) in a single reactor containing the other catalyst under substantially the same polymerization conditions ; and 4 ) measure the molecular weight of the respective interpolymers . the catalyst that yields a higher mw is the higher molecular weight catalyst . conversely , the catalyst that yields a lower mw is the lower molecular weight catalyst . using this methodology , it is possible to rank a plurality of catalysts based on the molecular weight of the polymers they can produce under substantially the same conditions . as such , one may select three , four , five , six , or more catalysts according their molecular weight capability and use these catalysts simultaneously in a single polymerization reactor to produce polymers with tailored structures and properties . comonomer incorporation can be measured by many techniques that are known in the art . one technique which may be employed is 13 c nmr spectroscopy , an example of which is described for the determination of comonomer content for ethylene / alpha - olefin copolymers in randall ( journal of macromolecular science , reviews in macromolecular chemistry and physics , c29 ( 2 & amp ; 3 ), 201 - 317 ( 1989 )), the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference . the basic procedure for determining the comonomer content of an olefin interpolymer involves obtaining the 13 c nmr spectrum under conditions where the intensity of the peaks corresponding to the different carbons in the sample is directly proportional to the total number of contributing nuclei in the sample . methods for ensuring this proportionality are known in the art and involve allowance for sufficient time for relaxation after a pulse , the use of gated - decoupling techniques , relaxation agents , and the like . the relative intensity of a peak or group of peaks is obtained in practice from its computer - generated integral . after obtaining the spectrum and integrating the peaks , those peaks associated with the comonomer are assigned . this assignment can be made by reference to known spectra or literature , or by synthesis and analysis of model compounds , or by the use of isotopically labeled comonomer . the mole % comonomer can be determined by the ratio of the integrals corresponding to the number of moles of comonomer to the integrals corresponding to the number of moles of all of the monomers in the interpolymer , as described in randall , for example . the reactivity ratios of single site catalysts in general are obtained by known methods , for example , as described in “ linear method for determining monomer reactivity ratios in copolymerization ”, m . fineman and s . d . ross , j . polymer science 5 , 259 ( 1950 ) or “ copolymerization ”, f . r . mayo and c . walling , chem . rev . 46 , 191 ( 1950 ) incorporated herein in their entirety by reference . for example , to determine reactivity ratios the most widely used copolymerization model is based on the following equations : m 1 * + m 1 ⁢ → k 11 ⁢ m 1 * ( 1 ) m 1 * + m 2 ⁢ → k 12 ⁢ m 2 * ( 2 ) m 2 * + m 1 ⁢ → k 21 ⁢ m 1 * ( 3 ) m 2 * + m 2 ⁢ → k 22 ⁢ m 2 * ( 4 ) where m i refers to a monomer molecule which is arbitrarily designated as “ i ” where i = 1 , 2 ; and m 2 * refers to a growing polymer chain to which monomer i has most recently attached . the k ij values are the rate constants for the indicated reactions . for example , in ethylene / propylene copolymerization , k 11 represents the rate at which an ethylene unit inserts into a growing polymer chain in which the previously inserted monomer unit was also ethylene . the reactivity ratios follow as : r 1 = k 11 / k 12 and r 2 = k 22 / k 21 wherein k 11 , k 12 , k 22 and k 21 are the rate constants for ethylene ( 1 ) or propylene ( 2 ) addition to a catalyst site where the last polymerized monomer is an ethylene ( k 1x ) or propylene ( k 2x ). because the change in r 1 with temperature may vary from catalyst to catalyst , it should be appreciated that the term “ different comonomer incorporation ” refers to catalysts which are compared at the same or substantially the same polymerization conditions , especially with regard to polymerization temperature . thus , a pair of catalysts may not possess “ different comonomer incorporation ” at a low polymerization temperature , but may possess “ different comonomer incorporation ” at a higher temperature , and visa versa . for the purposes of this invention , “ different comonomer incorporation ” refers to catalysts , which are compared at the same or substantially the same polymerization temperature . because it is also known that different cocatalysts or activators can have an effect on the amount of comonomer incorporation in an olefin copolymerization , it should be appreciated that “ different comonomer incorporation ” refers to catalysts which are compared using the same or substantially the same cocatalyst ( s ) or activator ( s ). thus , for the purposes of this invention , a test to determine whether or not two or more catalysts have “ different comonomer incorporation ” should be conducted with each catalyst using the same method of activation for each catalyst , and the test should be conducted at the same polymerization temperature , pressure , and monomer content ( including comonomer concentration ) as is used in the instant inventive process when the individual catalysts are used together . when a low molecular weight catalyst with r 1 l and a high molecular weight catalyst with r 1 h are selected , the r 1 ratio , r 1 h / r 1 l , is another way to define the amount of comonomer incorporation by the low and high molecular weight catalysts . the ratio , r 1 h / r 1 l , preferably falls between about 0 . 03 to about 30 , more preferably between about 0 . 05 to about 20 , and most preferably between about 0 . 1 to about 10 . conventional wisdom would cause some to surmise that an interpolymer made from catalysts pairs possessing a r 1 h / r 1 l ratio less than unity might impart adhesive properties substantially better than an interpolymer where that ratio is greater than 1 . we have found that excellent adhesive performance can be obtained with interpolymers of the invention that fall into either category . see performance data reported in table 5 for adhesive formulations made from the ten examples of interpolymers prepared as recorded in table 3 . that data suggests that formulations based on polymer numbers 1 - 4 and 8 made from catalyst pairs having a r 1 h / r 1 l ratio of greater than unity , surprisingly exhibit equally good adhesive properties when compared to formulations based on polymer numbers 5 - 7 , 9 and 10 which were made with catalyst pairs having a r 1 h / r 1 l ratio less than unity . generally , a lower r 1 indicates a higher comonomer incorporation ability for the catalyst . conversely , a higher r 1 generally indicates a lower comonomer incorporation ability for the catalyst ( i . e ., a higher reactivity toward ethylene than comonomer and hence a tendency to make an ethylene homopolymer ). therefore , if one desires to make a copolymer with a minimal density split , it would be preferable to use at least two catalysts with substantially similar or identical r 1 , on the other hand , when one desires to make a blend of homopolymers and copolymers with a significant density split , it would be preferable to employ at least two catalysts with substantially dissimilar r 1 . the high molecular weight catalysts and the low molecular weight catalysts may be selected such that they have the ability to incorporate a different amount of comonomers in the polymer . in other words , under substantially the same conditions of temperature , pressure , and monomer content ( including comonomer concentration ), each catalyst incorporates a different mole percentage of comonomers into the resulting interpolymer . one way to quantify “ different ” mole percentage of comonomers is as follows : where a difference between the comonomer incorporation of the first catalyst and second catalyst of at least a 10 percent delta exists ; e . g ., for a first catalyst that incorporates 20 mole % comomoner a second catalyst will incorporate 18 or less mole % or 22 or greater mole % of the comonomer . preferably , for all of the ethylene homopolymers and interpolymers described immediately above , at least two of the catalysts used in a single reactor have different comonomer incorporation , and the process used is a gas phase , slurry , or solution process . more preferably , for all of the ethylene homopolymers and interpolymers described immediately above , at least two of the catalysts used in a single reactor have different comonomer incorporation , and m w h / m w l is from about 1 to about 20 , preferably from about 1 . 5 to about 15 , more preferably from about 2 to about 10 . preferably , the process used is a continuous solution process , especially a continuous solution process wherein the polymer concentration in the reactor at steady state is at least 10 % by weight of the reactor contents and the ethylene concentration is 3 . 5 % or less by weight of the reactor contents . still more preferably , the process used is a continuous solution process wherein the polymer concentration in the reactor at steady state is at least 18 % by weight of the reactor contents and the ethylene concentration is 2 . 5 % or less by weight of the reactor contents . most preferably , for all of the ethylene homopolymers and interpolymers described immediately above , at least two of the catalysts used in a single reactor have a different comonomer incorporation , and the process used is a continuous solution process wherein the polymer concentration in the reactor at steady state is at least 20 % by weight of the reactor contents and the ethylene concentration is 2 . 0 % or less by weight of the reactor contents . the catalysts used in the process of the present invention when used individually produce homogeneous ethylene / α - olefin interpolymers . the term “ homogeneous interpolymer ” is used herein to indicate a linear or substantially linear ethylene interpolymer prepared using a constrained geometry or single site metallocene catalyst . by the term homogeneous , it is meant that any comonomer is randomly distributed within a given interpolymer molecule and substantially all of the interpolymer molecules have the same ethylene / comonomer ratio within that interpolymer . the melting peak of homogeneous linear and substantially linear ethylene polymers , as determined by differential scanning calorimetry ( dsc ), will broaden as the density decreases and / or as the number average molecular weight decreases . the homogeneous linear or substantially linear ethylene polymers are characterized as having a narrow molecular weight distribution ( mw / mn ). for the linear and substantially linear ethylene polymers , the mw / mn is preferably about 1 . 5 or greater , preferably about 1 . 8 or greater to about 2 . 6 or less , preferably to about 2 . 4 or less . certain interpolymer compositions of the present invention when produced using multiple single site catalysts may , depending upon the relative contributions of each catalyst - derived product , exhibit much larger values . in such case , the molecular weight distribution ( mw / mn ) values may be from about 2 up to about 20 , preferably up to about 15 and more preferably up to about 12 . homogeneously branched linear ethylene / α - olefin interpolymers may be prepared using polymerization processes ( such as is described by elston in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 645 , 992 ) which provide a homogeneous short chain branching distribution . in his polymerization process , elston uses soluble vanadium catalyst systems to make such polymers . however , others such as mitsui petrochemical company and exxon chemical company have used so - called single site metallocene catalyst systems to make polymers having a homogeneous linear structure . homogeneous linear ethylene / α - olefin interpolymers are currently available from mitsui petrochemical company under the tradename “ tafmer ™” and from exxon chemical company under the tradename “ exact ™”. substantially linear ethylene polymers are homogeneous polymers having long chain branching . the long chain branches have the same comonomer distribution as the polymer backbone and can be as long as about the same length as the length of the polymer backbone . when a substantially linear ethylene polymer is employed in the practice of the invention , such polymer may be characterized as having a polymer backbone substituted with from 0 . 01 to 3 long chain branches per 1 , 000 carbons . for quantitative methods for determination , see , for instance , u . s . pat . nos . 5 , 272 , 236 and 5 , 278 , 272 ; randall ( rev . macromol . chem . phys ., c29 ( 2 & amp ; 3 ), p . 285 - 297 ), which discusses the measurement of long chain branching using 13c nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy , zimm , g . h . and stockmayer , w . h ., j . chem . phys ., 17 , 1301 ( 1949 ); and rudin , a ., modern methods of polymer characterization , john wiley & amp ; sons , new york ( 1991 ) pp . 103 - 112 , which discuss the use of gel permeation chromatography coupled with a low angle laser light scattering detector ( gpc - lalls ) and gel permeation chromatography coupled with a differential viscometer detector ( gpc - dv ). most preferred are interpolymers of ethylene with at least one c 3 - c 30 α - olefin , ( for instance , propylene , 1 - butene , 1 - pentene , 1 - hexene , 4 - methyl - 1 - pentene , and 1 - octene ), with interpolymers of ethylene with at least one c 4 - c 20 α - olefin , particularly at least one c 6 - c 10 α - olefin , being most preferred . another preferred class of interpolymers of ethylene are those prepared with at least one comonomer being styrene . substantially linear ethylene / α - olefin interpolymers are available from the dow chemical company as affinity ™ polyolefin plastomers . substantially linear ethylene / alpha - olefin interpolymers may be prepared in accordance with the techniques described in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 272 , 236 and in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 278 , 272 , the entire contents of both of which are herein incorporated by reference . the present invention is a polymer composition , derived from ethylene and alpha olefin , which can be used as an alternative to conventional hot melt adhesives that are subsequently used to bond articles , yet which composition yields adhesive properties similar to adhesives containing polymer , wax and tackifier . the present invention has discovered that use of a specific type of homogeneous interpolymer can unexpectedly be used by itself or in combination with a tackifier to produce commercially acceptable hot melt adhesives . the present invention is a hot melt adhesive comprising a specific synthetic interpolymer that , when combined with a suitable tackifier , can be used as an alternative to hot melt adhesive formulations that incorporate a three - component wax , polymer and tackifier mixture . the homogenous interpolymer of the present invention may be prepared using a mixture of the constrained geometry catalysts . such catalysts are disclosed in u . s . pat . nos . 5 , 064 , 802 , 5 , 132 , 380 , 5 , 703 , 187 , 6 , 034 , 021 , ep 0 468 651 , ep 0 514 828 , wo 93 / 19104 , and wo 95 / 00526 , all of which are incorporated by references herein in their entirety . another suitable class of catalysts is the metallocene catalysts disclosed in u . s . pat . nos . 5 , 044 , 438 ; 5 , 057 , 475 ; 5 , 096 , 867 ; and 5 , 324 , 800 , all of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety . it is noted that constrained geometry catalysts may be considered as metallocene catalysts , and both are sometimes referred to in the art as single - site catalysts . for example , catalysts may be selected from the metal coordination complexes corresponding to the formula : wherein : m is a metal of group 3 , 4 - 10 , or the lanthanide series of the periodic table of the elements ; cp * is a cyclopentadienyl or substituted cyclopentadienyl group bound in an η 5 bonding mode to m ; z is a moiety comprising boron , or a member of group 14 of the periodic table of the elements , and optionally sulfur or oxygen , the moiety having up to 40 non - hydrogen atoms , and optionally cp * and z together form a fused ring system ; x independently each occurrence is an anionic ligand group , said x having up to 30 non - hydrogen atoms ; n is 2 less than the valence of m when y is anionic , or 1 less than the valence of m when y is neutral ; l independently each occurrence is a neutral lewis base ligand group , said l having up to 30 non - hydrogen atoms ; m is 0 , 1 , 2 , 3 , or 4 ; and y is an anionic or neutral ligand group bonded to z and m comprising nitrogen , phosphorus , oxygen or sulfur and having up to 40 non - hydrogen atoms , optionally y and z together form a fused ring system . suitable catalysts may also be selected from the metal coordination complex corresponds to the formula : wherein r ′ each occurrence is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen , alkyl , aryl , silyl , germyl , cyano , halo and combinations thereof having up to 20 non - hydrogen atoms ; x each occurrence independently is selected from the group consisting of hydride , halo , alkyl , aryl , silyl , germyl , aryloxy , alkoxy , amide , siloxy , and combinations thereof having up to 20 non - hydrogen atoms ; l independently each occurrence is a neutral lewis base ligand having up to 30 non - hydrogen atoms ; y is — o —, — s —, — nr *-, — pr *-, or a neutral two electron donor ligand selected from the group consisting of or *, sr *, nr * 2 , pr * 2 ; m , n , and m are as previously defined ; and z is sir * 2 , cr * 2 , sir * 2 sir * 2 , cr * 2 cr * 2 , cr *= cr *, cr * 2 sir * 2 , ger * 2 , br *, br * 2 ; wherein : r * each occurrence is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen , alkyl , aryl , silyl , halogenated alkyl , halogenated aryl groups having up to 20 non - hydrogen atoms , and mixtures thereof , or two or more r * groups from y , z , or both y and z form a fused ring system . it should be noted that whereas formula i and the following formulae indicate a monomeric structure for the catalysts , the complex may exist as a dimer or higher oligomer . further preferably , at least one of r ′, z , or r * is an electron donating moiety . thus , highly preferably y is a nitrogen or phosphorus containing group corresponding to the formula — n ( r ″″)— or — p ( r ″″)—, wherein r ″″ is c 1 - 10 alkyl or aryl , i . e ., an amido or phosphido group . additional catalysts may be selected from the amidosilane - or amidoalkanediyl - compounds corresponding to the formula : wherein : m is titanium , zirconium or hafnium , bound in an η 5 bonding mode to the cyclopentadienyl group ; r ′ each occurrence is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen , silyl , alkyl , aryl and combinations thereof having up to 10 carbon or silicon atoms ; e is silicon or carbon ; x independently each occurrence is hydride , halo , alkyl , aryl , aryloxy or alkoxy of up to 10 carbons ; m is 1 or 2 ; and n is 1 or 2 depending on the valence of m . examples of the above metal coordination compounds include , but are not limited to , compounds in which the r ′ on the amido group is methyl , ethyl , propyl , butyl , pentyl , hexyl , ( including isomers ), norbornyl , benzyl , phenyl , etc . ; the cyclopentadienyl group is cyclopentadienyl , indenyl , tetrahydroindenyl , fluorenyl , octahydrofluorenyl , etc . ; r ′ on the foregoing cyclopentadienyl groups each occurrence is hydrogen , methyl , ethyl , propyl , butyl , pentyl , hexyl , ( including isomers ), norbornyl , benzyl , phenyl , etc . ; and x is chloro , bromo , iodo , methyl , ethyl , propyl , butyl , pentyl , hexyl , ( including isomers ), norbornyl , benzyl , phenyl , etc . specific compounds include , but are not limited to , ( tertbutylamido )( tetramethyl - η 5 - cyclopentadienyl )- 1 , 2 - ethanediylzirconium dimethyl , ( tert - butylamido )( tetramethyl - η 5 - cyclopentadienyl )- 1 , 2 - ethanediyhitanium dimethyl , ( methylamido )( tetramethyl - η 5 - cyclopentadienyl )- 1 , 2 - ethanediylzirconium dichloride , ( methylamido )( tetramethyl - η 5 - eyelopentadienyl )- 1 , 2 - ethanediyltitanium dichloride , ( ethylamido )( tetramethyl - η 5 - cyclopentadienyl ) methylenetitanium dichloride , ( tertbutylamido ) diphenyl ( tetramethyl - η 5 - cyclopentadienyl ) silanezirconium dibenzyl , ( benzylamido ) dimethyl ( tetramethyl - η 5 - cyclopentadienyl ) silanetitaniumdichloride , phenylphosphido ) dimethyl ) tetramethyl - η 5 - cyclopentadienyl ) silanezirconium dibenzyl , and the like . another suitable class of catalysts is substituted indenyl containing metal complexes as disclosed in u . s . pat . nos . 5 , 965 , 756 and 6 , 015 , 868 , which are incorporated by reference in their entirety . other catalysts are disclosed in copending applications u . s . pat . nos . 6 , 268 , 444 ; 6 , 515 , 155 ; 6 , 613 , 921 and wo 01 / 042315a1 . the disclosures of all of the preceding patent applications or publications are incorporated by reference in their entirety . these catalysts tend to have a higher molecular weight capability . one class of the above catalysts is the indenyl containing metal wherein : m is titanium , zirconium or hafnium in the + 2 , + 3 or + 4 formal oxidation state ; a ′ is a substituted indenyl group substituted in at least the 2 or 3 position with a group selected from hydrocarbyl , fluoro - substituted hydrocarbyl , hydrocarbyloxy - substituted hydrocarbyl , dialkylamino - substituted hydrocarbyl , silyl , germyl and mixtures thereof , the group containing up to 40 non - hydrogen atoms , and the a ′ further being covalently bonded to m by means of a divalent z group ; z is a divalent moiety bound to both a ′ and m via σ - bonds , the z comprising boron , or a member of group 14 of the periodic table of the elements , and also comprising nitrogen , phosphorus , sulfur or oxygen ; x is an anionic or dianionic ligand group having up to 60 atoms exclusive of the class of ligands that are cyclic , delocalized , π - bound ligand groups ; x ′ independently each occurrence is a neutral lewis base , having up to 20 atoms ; p is 0 , 1 or 2 , and is two less than the formal oxidation state of m , with the proviso that when x is a dianionic ligand group , p is 1 ; and q is 0 , 1 or 2 . the above complexes may exist as isolated crystals optionally in pure form or as a mixture with other complexes , in the form of a solvated adduct , optionally in a solvent , especially an organic liquid , as well as in the form of a dimer or chelated derivative thereof , wherein the chelating agent is an organic material , preferably a neutral lewis base , especially a trihydrocarbylamine , trihydrocarbylphosphine , or halogenated derivative thereof . wherein r 1 and r 2 independently are groups selected from hydrogen , hydrocarbyl , perfluoro substituted hydrocarbyl , silyl , germyl and mixtures thereof , the group containing up to 20 non - hydrogen atoms , with the proviso that at least one of r 1 or r 2 is not hydrogen ; r 3 , r 4 , r 5 , and r 6 independently are groups selected from hydrogen , hydrocarbyl , perfluoro substituted hydrocarbyl , silyl , germyl and mixtures thereof , the group containing up to 20 non - hydrogen atoms ; m is titanium , zirconium or hafnium ; z is a divalent moiety comprising boron , or a member of group 14 of the periodic table of the elements , and also comprising nitrogen , phosphorus , sulfur or oxygen , the moiety having up to 60 non - hydrogen atoms ; p is 0 , 1 or 2 ; q is zero or one ; with the proviso that : when p is 2 , q is zero , m is in the + 4 formal oxidation state , and x is an anionic ligand selected from the group consisting of halide , hydrocarbyl , hydrocarbyloxy , di ( hydrocarbyl ) amido , di ( hydrocarbyl ) phosphido , hydrocarbyl sulfido , and silyl groups , as well as halo -, di ( hydrocarbyl ) amino -, hydrocarbyloxy - and di ( hydrocarbyl ) phosphino - substituted derivatives thereof , the x group having up to 20 non - hydrogen atoms , when p is 1 , q is zero , m is in the + 3 formal oxidation state , and x is a stabilizing anionic ligand group selected from the group consisting of allyl , 2 -( n , n - dimethylaminomethyl ) phenyl , and 2 -( n , n - dimethyl )- aminobenzyl , or m is in the + 4 formal oxidation state , and x is a divalent derivative of a conjugated diene , m and x together forming a metallocyclopentene group , and when p is 0 , q is 1 , m is in the + 2 formal oxidation state , and x ′ is a neutral , conjugated or non - conjugated diene , optionally substituted with one or more hydrocarbyl groups , the x ′ having up to 40 carbon atoms and forming a π - complex with m . wherein : r 1 and r 2 are hydrogen or c 1 - 6 alkyl , with the proviso that at least one of r 1 or r 2 is not hydrogen ; r 3 , r 4 , r 5 , and r 6 independently are hydrogen or c 1 - 6 alkyl ; m is titanium ; y is — o —, — s —, — nr *-, — pr *-; z * is sir * 2 , cr * 2 , sir * 2 sir * 2 , cr * 2 cr * 2 , cr *= cr *, cr * 2 sir * 2 , or ger * 2 ; r * each occurrence is independently hydrogen , or a member selected from hydrocarbyl , hydrocarbyloxy , silyl , halogenated alkyl , halogenated aryl , and combinations thereof , the r * having up to 20 non - hydrogen atoms , and optionally , two r * groups from z ( when r * is not hydrogen ), or an r * group from z and an r * group from y form a ring system ; p is 0 , 1 or 2 ; q is zero or one ; with the proviso that : when p is 2 , q is zero , m is in the + 4 formal oxidation state , and x is independently each occurrence methyl or benzyl , when p is 1 , q is zero , m is in the + 3 formal oxidation state , and x is 2 -( n , n - dimethyl ) aminobenzyl ; or m is in the + 4 formal oxidation state and x is 1 , 4 - butadienyl , and when p is 0 , q is 1 , m is in the + 2 formal oxidation state , and x ′ is 1 , 4 - diphenyl - 1 , 3 - butadiene or 1 , 3 - pentadiene . the latter diene is illustrative of unsymmetrical diene groups that result in production of metal complexes that are actually mixtures of the respective geometrical isomers . other catalysts , cocatalysts , catalyst systems , and activating techniques which may be used in the practice of the invention disclosed herein may include those disclosed in ; u . s . pat . no . 5 , 616 , 664 , wo 96 / 23010 , published on aug . 1 , 1996 , wo 99 / 14250 , published mar . 25 , 1999 , wo 98 / 41529 , published sep . 24 , 1998 , wo 97 / 42241 , published nov . 13 , 1997 , wo 97 / 42241 , published nov . 13 , 1997 , those disclosed by scollard , et al ., in j . am . chem . soc 1996 , 118 , 10008 - 10009 , ep 0 468 537 b1 , published nov . 13 , 1996 , wo 97 / 22635 , published jun . 26 , 1997 , ep 0 949 278 a2 , published oct . 13 , 1999 ; ep 0 949 279 a2 , published oct . 13 , 1999 ; ep 1 063 244 a2 , published dec . 27 , 2000 ; u . s . pat . nos . 5 , 408 , 017 ; 5 , 767 , 208 ; 5 , 907 , 021 ; wo 88 / 05792 , published aug . 11 , 1988 ; wo88 / 05793 , published aug . 11 , 1988 ; wo 93 / 25590 , published dec . 23 , 1993 ; u . s . pat . nos . 5 , 599 , 761 ; 5 , 218 , 071 ; wo 90 / 07526 , published jul . 12 , 1990 ; u . s . pat . nos . 5 , 972 , 822 ; 6 , 074 , 977 ; 6 , 013 , 819 ; 5 , 296 , 433 ; 4 , 874 , 880 ; 5 , 198 , 401 ; 5 , 621 , 127 ; 5 , 703 , 257 ; 5 , 728 , 855 ; 5 , 731 , 253 ; 5 , 710 , 224 ; 5 , 883 , 204 ; 5 , 504 , 049 ; 5 , 962 , 714 ; 6 , 150 , 297 , 5 , 965 , 677 ; 5 , 427 , 991 ; wo 93 / 21238 , published oct . 28 , 1993 ; wo 94 / 03506 , published feb . 17 , 1994 ; wo 93 / 21242 , published oct . 28 , 1993 ; wo 94 / 00500 , published jan . 6 , 1994 , wo 96 / 00244 , published jan . 4 , 1996 , wo 98 / 50392 , published nov . 12 , 1998 ; wang , et al ., organometallics 1998 , 17 , 3149 - 3151 ; younkin , et al ., science 2000 , 287 , 460 - 462 , chen and marks , chem . rev . 2000 , 100 , 1391 - 1434 , alt and koppl , chem . rev . 2000 , 100 , 1205 - 1221 ; resconi , et al ., chem . rev . 2000 , 100 , 1253 - 1345 ; ittel , et al ., chem rev . 2000 , 100 , 1169 - 1203 ; coates , chem . rev ., 2000 , 100 , 1223 - 1251 ; wo 96 / 13530 , published may 9 , 1996 ; all of which patents and publications are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety . also useful are those catalysts , cocatalysts , and catalyst systems disclosed in u . s . pat . nos . 5 , 965 , 756 ; 6 , 150 , 297 ; and publications u . s . pat . nos . 6 , 268 , 444 and 6 , 515 , 155 ; all of which patents and publications are incorporated by reference in their entirety . in addition , methods for preparing the aforementioned catalysts are described , for example , in u . s . pat . no . 6 , 015 , 868 , the entire content of which is incorporated by reference . the above - described catalysts may be rendered catalytically active by combination with an activating cocatalyst or by use of an activating technique . suitable activating cocatalysts for use herein include , but are not limited to , polymeric or oligomeric alumoxanes , especially methylalumoxane , triisobutylaluminum modified methylalumoxane , or isobutylalumoxane ; neutral lewis acids , such as c 1 - 30 hydrocarbyl substituted group 13 compounds , especially tri ( hydrocarbyl ) aluminum or tri ( hydrocarbyl ) boron compounds and halogenated ( including perhalogenated ) derivatives thereof , having from 1 to 30 carbons in each hydrocarbyl or halogenated hydrocarbyl group , more especially perfluorinated tri ( aryl ) boron and perfluorinated tri ( aryl ) aluminum compounds , mixtures of fluoro - substituted ( aryl ) boron compounds with alkyl - containing aluminum compounds , especially mixtures of tris ( pentafluorophenyl ) borane with trialkylaluminum or mixtures of tris ( pentafluorophenyl ) borane with alkylalumoxanes , more especially mixtures of tris ( pentafluorophenyl ) borane with methylalumoxane and mixtures of tris ( pentafluorophenyl ) borane with methylalumoxane modified with a percentage of higher alkyl groups ( mmao ), and most especially tris ( pentafluorophenyl ) borane and tris ( pentafluorophenyl ) aluminum ; non - polymeric , compatible , non - coordinating , ion forming compounds ( including the use of such compounds under oxidizing conditions ), especially the use of ammonium -, phosphonium -, oxonium -, carbonium -, silylium - or sulfonium - salts of compatible , non - coordinating anions , or ferrocenium salts of compatible , non - coordinating anions ; bulk electrolysis and combinations of the foregoing activating cocatalysts and techniques . the foregoing activating cocatalysts and activating techniques have been previously taught with respect to different metal complexes in the following references : ep - a - 277 , 003 , u . s . pat . nos . 5 , 153 , 157 , 5 , 064 , 802 , ep - a - 468 , 651 ( equivalent to u . s . ser . no . 07 / 547 , 718 ), ep - a - 520 , 732 ( equivalent to u . s . ser . no . 07 / 876 , 268 ), and ep - a - 520 , 732 ( equivalent to u . s . ser . no . 07 / 884 , 966 filed may 1 , 1992 ). the disclosures of the all of the preceding patents or patent applications are incorporated by reference in their entirety . combinations of neutral lewis acids , especially the combination of a trialkyl aluminum compound having from 1 to 4 carbons in each alkyl group and a halogenated tri ( hydrocarbyl ) boron compound having from 1 to 20 carbons in each hydrocarbyl group , especially tris ( pentafluorophenyl ) borane , further combinations of such neutral lewis acid mixtures with a polymeric or oligomeric alumoxane , and combinations of a single neutral lewis acid , especially tris ( pentafluorophenyl ) borane with a polymeric or oligomeric alumoxane are especially desirable activating cocatalysts . it has been observed that the most efficient catalyst activation using such a combination of tris ( pentafluoro - phenyl ) borane / alumoxane mixture occurs at reduced levels of alumoxane . preferred molar ratios of group 4 metal complex : tris ( pentafluorophenylborane : alumoxane are from 1 : 1 : 1 to 1 : 5 : 10 , more preferably from 1 : 1 : 1 to 1 : 3 : 5 . such efficient use of lower levels of alumoxane allows for the production of olefin polymers with high catalytic efficiencies using less of the expensive alumoxane cocatalyst . additionally , polymers with lower levels of aluminum residue , and hence greater clarity , are obtained . suitable ion forming compounds useful as cocatalysts in some embodiments of the invention comprise a cation which is a br { acute over ( ø )} nsted acid capable of donating a proton , and a compatible , non - coordinating anion , a − . as used herein , the term “ non - coordinating ” means an anion or substance which either does not coordinate to the group 4 metal containing precursor complex and the catalytic derivative derived therefrom , or which is only weakly coordinated to such complexes thereby remaining sufficiently labile to be displaced by a neutral lewis base . a non - coordinating anion specifically refers to an anion which , when functioning as a charge balancing anion in a cationic metal complex , does not transfer an anionic substituent or fragment thereof to the cation thereby forming neutral complexes during the time which would substantially interfere with the intended use of the cationic metal complex as a catalyst . “ compatible anions ” are anions which are not degraded to neutrality when the initially formed complex decomposes and are non - interfering with desired subsequent polymerization or other uses of the complex . preferred anions are those containing a single coordination complex comprising a charge - bearing metal or metalloid core which anion is capable of balancing the charge of the active catalyst species ( the metal cation ) which may be formed when the two components are combined . also , the anion should be sufficiently labile to be displaced by olefinic , diolefinic and acetylenically unsaturated compounds or other neutral lewis bases such as ethers or nitriles . suitable metals include , but are not limited to , aluminum , gold and platinum . suitable metalloids include , but are not limited to , boron , phosphorus , and silicon . compounds containing anions which comprise coordination complexes containing a single metal or metalloid atom are , of course , known in the art and many , particularly such compounds containing a single boron atom in the anion portion , are available commercially . preferably such cocatalysts may be represented by the following general formula : wherein l * is a neutral lewis base ; ( l *- h )+ is a bronsted acid ; a d − is an anion having a charge of d −, and d is an integer from 1 to 3 . more preferably a d − corresponds to the formula : [ m ′ q 4 ] − , wherein m ′ is boron or aluminum in the + 3 formal oxidation state ; and q independently each occurrence is selected from hydride , dialkylamido , halide , hydrocarbyl , hydrocarbyloxy , halosubstituted - hydrocarbyl , halo substituted hydrocarbyloxy , and halo - substituted silylhydrocarbyl radicals ( including perhalogenated hydrocarbyl -, perhalogenated hydrocarbyloxy - and perhalogenated silylhydrocarbyl radicals ), the q having up to 20 carbons with the proviso that in not more than one occurrence is q halide . examples of suitable hydrocarbyloxy q groups are disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 296 , 433 . in a more preferred embodiment , d is one , that is , the counter ion has a single negative charge and is a − . activating cocatalysts comprising boron which are particularly useful in the preparation of catalysts of this invention may be represented by the following general formula : wherein l * is as previously defined ; m ′ is boron or aluminum in a formal oxidation state of 3 ; and q is a hydrocarbyl -, hydrocarbyloxy -, fluorinated hydrocarbyl -, fluorinated hydrocarbyloxy -, or fluorinated silylhydrocarbyl - group of up to 20 non - hydrogen atoms , with the proviso that in not more than one occasion is q hydrocarbyl . most preferably , q in each occurrence is a fluorinated aryl group , especially a pentafluorophenyl group . preferred ( l *- h ) + cations are n , n - dimethylanilinium , n , n - di ( octadecyl ) anilinium , di ( octadecyl ) methylammonium , methylbis ( hydrogenated tallowyl ) ammonium , and tributylammonium . illustrative , but not limiting , examples of boron compounds which may be used as an activating cocatalyst are tri - substituted ammonium salts such as : trimethylammonium tetrakis ( pentafluorophenyl ) borate ; triethylammonium tetrakis ( pentafluorophenyl ) borate ; tripropylammonium tetrakis ( pentafluorophenyl ) borate ; tri ( n - butyl ) ammonium tetrakis ( pentafluorophenyl ) borate ; tri ( sec - butyl ) ammonium tetrakis ( pentafluorophenyl )- borate ; n , n - dimethylanilinium tetrakis ( pentafluorophenyl ) borate ; n , n - dimethylanilinium n - butyltris ( pentafluorophenyl ) borate ; n , n - dimethylanilinium benzyltris ( pentafluorophenyl ) borate ; n , n - dimethylanilinium tetrakis ( 4 -( t - butyldimethylsilyl )- 2 , 3 , 5 , 6 - tetrafluorophenyl ) borate ; n , n - dimethylanilinium tetrakis ( 4 -( triisopropylsilyl )- 2 , 3 , 5 , 6 - tetrafluorophenyl ) borate ; n , n - dimethylanilinium pentafluorophenoxytris ( pentafluorophenyl ) borate ; n , n - diethylanilinium tetrakis ( pentafluorophenyl ) borate ; n , n - dimethyl - 2 , 4 , 6 - trimethylanilinium tetrakis ( pentafluorophenyl ) borate ; trimethylammonium tetrakis ( 2 , 3 , 4 , 6 - tetrafluorophenyl ) borate ; triethylammonium tetrakis ( 2 , 3 , 4 , 6 - tetrafluorophenyl ) borate ; tripropylammonium tetrakis ( 2 , 3 , 4 , 6 - tetrafluorophenyl ) borate ; tri ( n - butyl ) ammonium tetrakis ( 2 , 3 , 4 , 6 - tetrafluorophenyl ) borate ; dimethyl ( t - butyl ) ammonium tetrakis ( 2 , 3 , 4 , 6 - tetra fluorophenyl ) borate ; n , n - dimethylanilinium tetrakis ( 2 , 3 , 4 , 6 - tetrafluorophenyl ) borate ; n , n - diethylanilinium tetrakis ( 2 , 3 , 4 , 6 - tetrafluorophenyl ) borate ; and n , n - dimethyl - 2 , 4 , 6 - trimethylanilinium tetrakis ( 2 , 3 , 4 , 6 - tetrafluorophenyl ) borate ; dialkyl ammonium salts such as : di -( i - propyl ) ammonium tetrakis ( pentafluorophenyl ) borate ; and dicyclohexylammonium tetrakis ( pentafluorophenyl ) borate ; tri - substituted phosphonium salts such as : triphenylphosphonium tetrakis ( pentafluorophenyl ) borate ; tri ( o - tolyl ) phosphonium tetrakis ( pentafluorophenyl ) borate ; and tri ( 2 , 6 - dimethylphenyl )- phosphonium tetrakis ( pentafluorophenyl ) borate ; di - substituted oxonium salts such as : diphenyloxonium tetrakis ( pentafluorophenyl ) borate ; di ( o - tolyl ) oxonium tetrakis ( pentafluorophenyl ) borate ; and di ( 2 , 6 - dimethylphenyl ) oxonium tetrakis ( pentafluorophenyl ) borate ; di - substituted sulfonium salts such as : diphenylsulfonium tetrakis ( pentafluorophenyl ) borate ; di ( o - tolyl ) sulfonium tetrakis ( pentafluorophenyl ) borate ; and bis ( 2 , 6 - dimethylphenyl ) sulfonium tetrakis ( pentafluorophenyl ) borate . preferred silylium salt activating cocatalysts include , but are not limited to , trimethylsilylium tetrakispentafluorophenylborate , triethylsilylium tetrakispentafluorophenylborate and ether substituted adducts thereof . silylium salts have been previously generically disclosed in j . chem . soc . chem . comm ., 1993 , 383 - 384 , as well as lambert , j . b ., et al ., organometallics , 1994 , 13 , 2430 - 2443 . the use of the above silylium salts as activating cocatalysts for addition polymerization catalysts is disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 625 , 087 , which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety . certain complexes of alcohols , mercaptans , silanols , and oximes with tris ( pentafluorophenyl ) borane are also effective catalyst activators and may be used in embodiments of the invention . such cocatalysts are disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 296 , 433 , which is also incorporated by reference in its entirety . the catalyst system may be prepared as a homogeneous catalyst by addition of the requisite components to a solvent in which polymerization will be carried out by solution polymerization procedures . the catalyst system may also be prepared and employed as a heterogeneous catalyst by adsorbing the requisite components on a catalyst support material such as silica gel , alumina or other suitable inorganic support material . when prepared in heterogeneous or supported form , it is preferred to use silica as the support material . at all times , the individual ingredients , as well as the catalyst components , should be protected from oxygen and moisture . therefore , the catalyst components and catalysts should be prepared and recovered in an oxygen and moisture free atmosphere . preferably , therefore , the reactions are performed in the presence of a dry , inert gas such as , for example , nitrogen or argon . the molar ratio of metal complex : activating cocatalyst employed preferably ranges from 1 : 1000 to 2 : 1 , more preferably from 1 : 5 to 1 . 5 : 1 , most preferably from 1 : 2 to 1 : 1 . in the preferred case in which a metal complex is activated by trispentafluorophenylborane and triisobutylaluminum modified methylalumoxane , the transition metal : boron : aluminum molar ratio is typically from 1 : 10 : 50 to 1 : 0 . 5 : 0 . 1 , and most typically from about 1 : 3 : 5 . in general , the polymerization may be accomplished at conditions for ziegler - natta or metallocene - type polymerization reactions , that is , reactor pressures ranging from atmospheric to 3500 atmospheres ( 354 . 6 mpa ). the reactor temperature should be greater than 80 ° c ., typically from 100 ° c . to 250 ° c ., and preferably from 100 ° c . to 180 ° c ., with higher reactor temperatures , that is , reactor temperatures greater than 100 ° c . generally favoring the formation of lower molecular weight polymers . in most polymerization reactions the molar ratio of catalyst : polymerizable compounds employed is from 10 − 12 : 1 to 10 − 1 : 1 , more preferably from 10 − 9 : 1 to 10 − 5 : 1 . solution polymerization conditions utilize a solvent for the respective components of the reaction . preferred solvents include mineral oils and the various hydrocarbons which are liquid at reaction temperatures . illustrative examples of useful solvents include alkanes such as pentane , isopentane , hexane , heptane , octane and nonane , as well as mixtures of alkanes including kerosene and isopar e ™, available from exxon chemicals inc . ; cycloalkanes such as cyclopentane and cyclohexane ; and aromatics such as benzene , toluene , xylenes , ethylbenzene and diethylbenzene . the solvent will be present in an amount sufficient to prevent phase separation in the reactor . as the solvent functions to absorb heat , less solvent leads to a less adiabatic reactor . the solvent : ethylene ratio ( weight basis ) will typically be from 2 . 5 : 1 to 12 : 1 , beyond which point catalyst efficiency suffers . the most typical solvent : ethylene ratio ( weight basis ) is in the range of from 3 . 5 : 1 to 7 : 1 . the polymerization may be carried out as a batchwise or a continuous polymerization process , with continuous polymerizations processes being required for the preparation of substantially linear polymers . in a continuous process , ethylene , comonomer , and optionally solvent and diene are continuously supplied to the reaction zone and polymer product continuously removed therefrom . the interpolymers of the present invention may also contain a number of additional components , such as a stabilizer , plasticizer , filler or antioxidant . among the applicable stabilizers or antioxidants which can be included in the adhesive composition of the present invention are high molecular weight hindered phenols and multifunctional phenols , such as sulfur - containing and phosphorous - containing phenols . hindered phenols , known to those skilled in the art , may be described as phenolic compounds , which also contain sterically bulky radicals in close proximity to the phenolic hydroxyl group . specifically , tertiary butyl groups generally are substituted onto the benzene ring in at least one of the ortho positions relative to the phenolic hydroxyl group . the presence of these sterically bulky substituted radicals in the vicinity of the hydroxyl group serves to retard its stretching frequency , and correspondingly , its reactivity . it is this hindrance that provides the stabilizing properties of these phenolic compounds . representative hindered phenols include ; but are not limited to : 2 , 4 , 6 - trialkylated monohydroxy phenols ; 1 , 3 , 5 - trimethyl - 2 , 4 , 6 - tris -( 3 , 5 - di - tert - butyl - 4 - hydroxybenzyl )- benzene ; pentaerythritol tetrakis - 3 ( 3 , 5 - di - tert - butyl - 4 - hydroxyphenyl )- propionate , commercially available under the trademark irganox ® 1010 ; n - octadecyl - 3 ( 3 , 5 - di - tert - butyl - 4 - hydroxyphenyl )- propionate ; 4 , 4 ′- methylenebis ( 4 - methyl - 6 - tert - butyl - phenol ); 4 , 4 ′- thiobis ( 6 - tert - butyl - o - cresol ); 2 , 6 - di - tertbutylphenol ; 6 -( 4 - hydroxyphenoxy )- 2 , 4 - bis ( n - octyl - thio )- 1 , 3 , 5 triazine ; 2 -( n - octylthio ) ethyl 3 , 5 - di - tert - butyl - 4 - hydroxy - benzoate ; di - n - octadecyl 3 , 5 - di - tert - butyl - 4 - hydroxy - benzylphosphonate ; and sorbitol hexa ( 3 , 3 , 5 - di - tert - butyl - 4 - hydroxyphenyl )- propionate . antioxidants include , but are not limited to , butylated hydroxy anisole (“ bha ”) or butylated hydroxy toluene (“ bht ”) which may also be utilized to render the formulation more thermally stable . these stabilizers and antioxidants are added in amounts ranging approximately 0 . 01 % to approximately 5 % by weight of the formulation . utilizing known synergists in conjunction with the antioxidants may further enhance the performance of these antioxidants . some of these known synergists are , for example , thiodipropionate esters and phosphates . chelating agents and metal deactivators , may also be used . examples of these compounds include ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (“ edta ”), and more preferably , its salts , and disalicylalpropylenediamine . distearylthiodipropionate is particularly useful . when added to the adhesive composition , these stabilizers , if used , are generally present in amounts of about 0 . 1 to about 1 . 5 weight percent , and more preferably in the range of about 0 . 25 to about 1 . 0 weight percent . the present invention also contemplates the addition of a polymeric additive to the adhesive . the polymeric additive can be selected from the group consisting of ethylene methyl acrylate polymers containing 10 to 28 weight percent by weight methyl acrylate ; ethylene acrylic acid copolymers having an acid number of 25 to 150 ; polyethylene ; polypropylene ; poly ( butene - 1 - co - ethylene ) polymers and low molecular weight and / or low melt index ethylene n - butyl acrylate copolymers . when such a polymeric additive is added , it is present in amounts up to about 15 weight percent by weight of composition . depending on the specific end uses contemplated for formulations of the interpolymers , other additives such as plasticizers , pigments and dyestuffs may be included . a plasticizer may be used in lieu of , or in combination with a secondary tackifier to modify viscosity and improve the tack properties of an adhesive composition . a dispersant can also be added to these compositions . the dispersant can be a chemical , which may , by itself , cause the composition to be dispersed from the surface to which it has been applied , for example , under aqueous conditions . the dispersant may also be an agent which when chemically modified , causes the composition to be dispersed from the surface to which it has been applied . as known to those skilled in the art , examples of these dispersants include surfactants , emulsifying agents , and various cationic , anionic or nonionic dispersants . compounds such as amines , amides and their derivatives are examples of cationic dispersants . soaps , acids , esters and alcohols are among the known anionic dispersants . the addition of a dispersant may affect the recyclability of products to which a hot - melt adhesive may have been applied . the surfactants can be chosen from a variety of known surface - active agents . these can include nonionic compounds such as ethoxylates available from commercial suppliers . examples include alcohol ethoxylates , alkylamine ethoxylates , alkylphenol ethyoxylates , octylphenol ethoxylates and the like . other surfactants , such as a number of fatty acid esters may be employed ; for example , but not limited to , glycerol esters , polyethyleneglycol esters and sorbitan esters . in order to formulate hot melt adhesives from the polymers of the present invention , the addition of tackifier is desirable to allow for bonding prior to solidifying or setting of the adhesive . an example of this is in high - speed cereal box sealing operations where the overlapping flaps of the box need to adhere to one another while the hot melt adhesive solidifies . such tackifying resins include aliphatic , cycloaliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons and modified hydrocarbons and hydrogenated versions ; terpenes and modified terpenes and hydrogenated versions ; and rosins and rosin derivatives and hydrogenated versions ; and mixtures thereof . these tackifying resins have a ring and ball softening point from 70 ° c . to 150 ° c ., and will typically have a viscosity at 350 ° f . ( 177 ° c . ), as measured using a brookfield viscometer , of no more than 2000 centipoise . they are also available with differing levels of hydrogenation , or saturation , which is another commonly used term . useful examples include eastotac ™ h - 100 , h - 115 , h - 130 and h - 142 from eastman chemical co . in kingsport , tenn ., which are partially hydrogenated cycloaliphatic petroleum hydrocarbon resins with softening points of 100 ° c ., 115 ° c . and 130 ° c ., respectively . these are available in the e grade , the r grade , the l grade and the w grade , indicating differing levels of hydrogenation with e being the least hydrogenated and w being the most hydrogenated . the e grade has a bromine number of 15 , the r grade a bromine number of 5 , the l grade a bromine number of 3 and the w grade has a bromine number of 1 . eastotac ™ h - 142r from eastman chemical co . has a softening point of about 140 ° c . other useful tackifying resins include escorez ™ 5300 , 5400 , and 5637 , partially hydrogenated aliphatic petroleum hydrocarbon resins , and escorez ™ 5600 , a partially hydrogenated aromatic modified petroleum hydrocarbon resin all available from exxon chemical co . in houston , tex . ; wingtack ™ extra , which is an aliphatic , aromatic petroleum hydrocarbon resin available from goodyear chemical co . in akron , ohio ; hercolite ™ 2100 , a partially hydrogenated cycloaliphatic petroleum hydrocarbon resin available from hercules , inc . in wilmington , del . there are numerous types of rosins and modified rosins available with differing levels of hydrogenation including gum rosins , wood rosins , tall - oil rosins , distilled rosins , dimerized rosins and polymerized rosins . some specific modified rosins include glycerol and pentaerythritol esters of wood rosins and tall - oil rosins . commercially available grades include , but are not limited to , sylvatac ™ 1103 , a pentaerythritol rosin ester available from arizona chemical co ., unitac ™ r - 100 lite , a pentaerythritol rosin ester from union camp in wayne , n . j ., permalyn ™ 305 , a erythritol modified wood rosin available from hercules and foral 105 which is a highly hydrogenated pentaerythritol rosin ester also available from hercules . sylvatac ™ r - 85 and 295 are 85 ° c . and 95 ° c . melt point rosin acids available from arizona chemical co . and foral ax is a 70 ° c . melt point hydrogenated rosin acid available from hercules , inc . nirez v - 2040 is a phenolic modified terpene resin available from arizona chemical co . another exemplary tackifier , piccotac 115 , has a viscosity at 350 ° f . ( 177 ° c .) of about 1600 centipoise . other typical tackifiers have viscosities at 350 ° f . ( 177 ° c .) of much less than 1600 centipoise , for instance , from 50 to 300 centipoise . exemplary aliphatic resins include those available under the trade designations eastotac ™, escorez ™, piccotac ™, mercures ™, wingtack ™, hi - rez ™, quintone ™, tackirol ™, etc . exemplary polyterpene resins include those available under the trade designations nirez ™, piccolyte ™, wingtack ™, zonarez ™, etc . exemplary hydrogenated resins include those available under the trade designations escorez ™, arkon ™, clearon ™, etc . exemplary mixed aliphatic - aromatic resins include those available under the trade designations escorez ™, regalite ™, hercures ™, ar ™, imprez ™, norsolene ™ m , marukarez ™, arkon ™ m , quintone ™, etc . other tackifiers may be employed , provided they are compatible with the homogeneous linear or substantially linear ethylene / alpha .- olefin interpolymer . although the present invention has been described with a certain degree of particularity , it is to be understood that the examples below are merely for purposes of illustrating the present invention , the scope of the present invention is not intended to be defined by the claims . unless otherwise stated , the following test methods are employed and percentages or parts are by weight . density is measured in accordance with astm d - 792 . the samples are annealed at ambient conditions for 24 hours before the measurement is taken . comonomer content of the invention polymer is determined by nuclear magnetic resonance ( nmr ) analysis . the analysis sample is prepared by adding about 3 g of a 50 / 50 mixture of tetrachloroethane - d 2 / orthodichlorobenzene ( to which sufficient chromium acetylacetonate is added so the mixture is 0 . 025m in the chromium compound ) to a 0 . 4 g sample of the polymer in a 10 mm nmr tube . samples are dissolved and homogenized in the tube by heating it and contents to 150 ° c ./ 302 ° f . data is collected using a varian unity plus 400 mhz nmr spectrometer , corresponding to a 13 c resonance frequency of 100 . 6 mhz . acquisition parameters are selected to ensure quantitative 13 c data acquisition in the presence of the chromium acetylacetonate which acts as a relaxation agent . data is acquired using gated 1 h decoupling , 4000 transients per data file , a 6 second pulse repetition delay , spectral width of 24 , 200 hz and a file size of 64k data points with the probe head heated to 130 ° c ./ 266 ° f . molecular weights are determined by gel permeation chromatography ( gpc ). the chromatographic system consists of either a polymer laboratories model pl - 210 or a polymer laboratories model pl - 220 . the column and carousel compartments are operated at 140 ° c . three polymer laboratories 10 - micron mixed - b columns are used with a solvent of 1 , 2 , 4 trichlorobenzene . the samples are prepared at a concentration of 0 . 1 g of polymer in 50 ml of solvent . the solvent used to prepare the samples contains 200 ppm of butylated hydroxytoluene ( bht ). samples are prepared by agitating lightly for 2 hours at 160 ° c . the injection volume used is 100 microliters and the flow rate is 1 . 0 ml / min . calibration of the gpc column set is performed with narrow molecular weight distribution polystyrene standards available from polymer laboratories . the polystyrene standard peak molecular weights are converted to polyethylene molecular weights using appropriate mark - houwink coefficients for polyethylene and polystyrene ( as described by williams and ward in journal of polymer science , polymer letters , vol . 6 , ( 621 ) 1968 ) in the equation : where m is the molecular weight , a has a value of 0 . 4316 and b is equal to 1 . 0 . polyethylene equivalent molecular weight calculations are performed using viscotek trisec software version 3 . 0 . weight average molecular weight , m w , is calculated in the usual manner according to the following formula : m j =( σw i ( m i j )) j ; where w i is the weight fraction of the molecules with molecular weight m i eluting from the gpc column in fraction i , and j = 1 when calculating m w , and j =− 1 when calculating m n . melt viscosity is determined in accordance with the following procedure : viscosity was measured according to the astm d 3236 method , using a brookfield laboratories dvii + viscometer equipped with disposable aluminum sample chambers . the spindle used is a sc - 31 hot - melt spindle , suitable for measuring viscosities in the range of from 30 to 100 , 000 centipoise . a cutting blade is employed to cut samples into pieces small enough to fit into the 1 inch wide , 5 inches long sample chamber . the sample is placed in the chamber , which is in turn inserted into a brookfield thermoset and locked into place with bent needle - nose pliers . the sample chamber has a notch on the bottom that fits the bottom of the brookfield thermoset to ensure that the chamber is not allowed to turn when the spindle is inserted and spinning . the sample is heated to the desired temperature ( 149 ° c ./ 300 ° f . or 177 ° c ./ 350 ° f . ), with additional sample being added until the melted sample is about 1 inch below the top of the sample chamber . the viscometer apparatus is lowered and the spindle submerged into the sample chamber . lowering is continued until brackets on the viscometer align on the thermosel . the viscometer is turned on , and set to a shear rate which leads to a torque reading in the range of 30 to 60 percent . readings are taken every minute for about 15 minutes , or until the values stabilize , which final reading is recorded . the drop point is measured using astm d 3954 on a mettler toledo fp90 central processor with fp83ht dropping point cell . percent crystallinity is determined by differential scanning calorimetry ( dsc ) using a ta instruments supplied model q1000 differential scanning chromatograph . a sample of about 5 to 8 mg size is cut from the material to be tested and placed directly in the dsc pan for analysis . for higher molecular weight materials a thin film is normally pressed from the sample , but for the samples of the present invention that preparation is normally not necessary as they are either too sticky or flow too readily during pressing . samples for testing may , however , be cut from plaques that are prepared and used for density testing . the sample is first heated to 180 ° c . and held isothermally for 3 minutes at that temperature to ensure complete melting ( the first heat ). then the sample is cooled at a rate of 10 ° c . per min to negative 60 ° c . and held there isothermally for 3 minutes , after which it is again heated ( the second heat ) at a rate of 10 ° c . per min to 150 ° c . and the thermogram from this second heat is referred to as the “ second heat curve ”. thermograms are plotted as watts / gram ( energy ) versus temperature . using heat of fusion data generated in the second heat curve ( heat of fusion normally computed automatically by typical commercial dsc equipment by integration of the relevant area under that heat curve ) the percent crystallinity in a sample may be calculated with the equation : where percent cryst . represents the percent crystallinity , and h f represents the heat of fusion of the ethylene interpolymer sample in joules per gram ( j / g ). unless otherwise stated , melting points of samples of the interpolymers and adhesive formulations of the invention are determined from the second heat curves obtained from dsc as described above . the evaluation of the adhesive properties of the invention formulations is conducted by coating onto 40 pound kraft paper . the shear adhesion failure temperature (“ saft ”) test , ( a commonly used test to evaluate adhesive performance , and well known to those versed in the industry ) is conducted using a standard saft test method ( astm d 4498 ) using 500 g weights . the tests are started at room temperature ( 25 ° c ./ 77 ° f .) and the temperature increased at the average rate of 0 . 5 degrees c ./ min . peel adhesion failure temperature (“ paft ”) is conducted according to astm d - 4498 modified for peel mode and using 100 gram weights . samples for saft and paft testing are prepared using two sheets of 40 pound kraft paper , each of about 6 × 12 in ( 152 × 305 mm ) dimensions . on the bottom sheet , lengthwise and separated by a gap of 1 in ( 25 mm ), are adhered in parallel fashion two 1 . 75 or 2 in ( 45 or 51 mm ) wide strips of a one sided , pressure - sensitive tape such as masking tape . the adhesive sample to be tested is heated to 177 ° c . ( 350 ° f .) and is drizzled in an even manner down the center of the gap formed between the tape strips . then before the adhesive can unduly thicken two glass rods , one rod riding immediately upon the tapes and shimmed on each side of the gap with a strip of the same tape followed by the second rod and ( between the two rods ) the second sheet of paper , are slid down the length of the sheets . this is done in a fashion such that the first rod evenly spreads the adhesive in the gap between the tape strips and the second rod evenly compress the second sheet over the top of the gap and on top of the tape strips . thus a single 1 inch wide strip of sample adhesive is created , between the two tape strips , and bonding the paper sheets . the sheets so bonded are cut crosswise into strips of width 1 inch and length of about 3 inches , each strip having a 1 × 1 in ( 25 × 25 mm ) adhesive sample bond in the center . the strips may then be employed in the saft or paft , as desired . percent fiber tear on corrugated paper board stock is conducted according to standard industry test methods . the adhesive is heated to 177 ° c ./ 350 ° f . and is applied on the board stock cut into 1 × 3m ( 25 × 76 mm ) rectangular sheets with the corrugated flutes running lengthwise . the adhesive to be tested is applied , running lengthwise , as about a 5 mm / 0 . 2 in wide strip and may be drawn down with a spatula or hot melt applicator . then a second strip is applied within 2 seconds and held , with moderate pressure , for 5 seconds to laminate . laminated samples are conditioned for at least 24 hours at the temperature selected for testing . a laminated sheet is held near one corner and using a spatula , one corner of one of the laminated sheets is folded back to form a hand - hold . with the laminate held as near as possible to the source of heating or cooling in order to maintain the conditioning temperature , the folded corner is manually pulled as rapidly as possible at roughly a 45 to 90 degree angle relative to each sheet &# 39 ; s lengthwise axis to tear the adhesive bond . the percent of torn fiber is estimated ( fiber tear or ft ) in 25 % increments ; i . e ., 0 %, 25 %, 50 %, 75 % and 100 %. unless otherwise stated , the ft test is normally repeated on five replicate samples and the average of these five runs is reported . a series of ethylene / α - olefin interpolymers were also prepared in a 1 gallon oil jacketed , continuously stirred tank reactor . a magnetically coupled agitator with lightning a - 320 impellers provided the mixing . the reactor ran liquid full at 475 psig ( 3 , 275 kpa ). process flow was in at the bottom and out of the top . a heat transfer oil was circulated through the jacket of the reactor to remove some of the heat of reaction . at the exit of the reactor was a micro - motion ™ flow meter that measured flow and solution density . all lines on the exit of the reactor were traced with 50 psi ( 344 . 7 kpa ) steam and insulated . isopar e solvent and comonomer were supplied to the reactor at 30 psig ( 206 . 8 kpa ) pressure . the solvent feed to the reactors was measured by a micro - motion ™ mass flow meter . a variable speed diaphragm pump controlled the solvent flow rate and increased the solvent pressure to reactor pressure . the comonomer was metered by a micro - motion ™ mass flow meter and flow controlled by a research control valve . the comonomer stream was mixed with the solvent stream at the suction of the solvent pump and is pumped to the reactor with the solvent . the remaining solvent was combined with ethylene and ( optionally ) hydrogen and delivered to the reactor . the ethylene stream was measured by a micro - motion ™ mass flow meter just prior to the research valve controlling flow . three brooks flow meter / controllers ( 1 - 200 sccm and 2 - 100 sccm ) were used to deliver hydrogen into the ethylene stream at the outlet of the ethylene control valve . the ethylene or ethylene / hydrogen mixture combined with the solvent / comonomer stream at ambient temperature . the temperature of the solvent / monomer as it enters the reactor was controlled with two heat exchangers . this stream enters the bottom of the 1 gallon continuously stirred tank reactor . in an inert atmosphere box , a solution of the transition metal compounds was prepared by mixing the appropriate volumes of concentrated solutions of each of the two components with solvent to provide the final catalyst solution of known concentration and composition . this solution was transferred under nitrogen to a pressure vessel attached to a high - pressure metering pump for transport to the polymerization reactor . in the same inert atmosphere box , solutions of the primary cocatalyst , methylbis ( hydrogenatedtallowalkyl ) ammonium tetrakis ( pentafluorophenyl ) borate and the secondary cocatalyst , mmao type 3a , were prepared in solvent and transferred to separate pressure vessels as described for the catalyst solution . the ratio of a1 to transition metal and b to transition metal was established by controlling the volumetric flow output if the individual metering pumps to attain the molar ratios in the polymerization reactor as presented in table 2 . the multiple component catalyst system and its solvent flush also enter the reactor at the bottom but through a different port than the monomer stream . polymerization was stopped with the addition of water into the reactor product line after the meter measuring the solution density . the reactor effluent stream then entered a post reactor heater that provides additional energy for the solvent removal flash . this flash occurs as the effluent exits the post reactor heater and the pressure is dropped from 475 psig down to 10 at the reactor pressure control valve . this flashed polymer entered a hot oil jacketed devolatilizer . approximately 90 % of the volatiles were removed from the polymer in the devolatilizer . the volatiles exit the top of the devolatilizer . the remaining stream is condensed with a chilled water jacketed exchanger and then enters a glycol jacket solvent / ethylene separation vessel . solvent is removed from the bottom of the vessel and ethylene vents from the top . the ethylene stream is measured with a micro - motion mass flow meter . this measurement of unreacted ethylene was used to calculate the ethylene conversion . the polymer separated in the devolatilizer and was pumped out with a gear pump . the product is collected in lined pans and dried in a vacuum oven at 140 ° c . for 24 hr . table 2 summarizes the kinetic parameters of the catalysts used , table 3 summarizes the polymerization conditions and table 4 the properties of the resulting polymers . a cat 1 was ( c 5 me 4 sime 2 n t bu ) ti ( η 4 - 1 , 3 - pentadiene ) prepared according to example 17 of u . s . pat . no . 5 , 556 , 928 , the entire disclosure of which patent is incorporated herein by reference . cat 2 was ( 1h - cyclopenta [ 1 ]- phenanthrene - 2 - yl ) dimethyl ( t - butylamido ) silanetitanium dimethyl prepared according to examples 1 and 2 of u . s . pat . no . 5 , 150 , 297 , the entire disclosure of which patent is incorporated herein by reference . cat 3 was ( c 5 me 4 sime 2 n t bu ) zrme 2 prepared according to examples 1 and 86 of u . s . pat . no . 5 , 703 , 187 , the entire disclosure of which patent is incorporated herein by reference . cat 4 was [ n -( 1 , 1 - dimethylethyl )- 1 , 1 - dimethyl - 1 -[ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 - η )- 3 , 4 - diphenyl - 2 , 4 - cyclopentadienyl - 1 - yl ] silanaminato ( 2 )- κn ]- dimethyl - titanium , prepared according to examples 1 and 2 of wo 02 / 092610 , the entire disclosure of which patent is incorporated herein by reference . a the primary cocatalyst for all polymerizations was armeenium borate , [ methylbis ( hydrogenatedtallowalkyl ) ammonium tetrakis ( pentafluorophenyl ) borate prepared as in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 919 , 983 , ex . 2 , the entire disclosure of which patent is incorporated herein by reference . b the secondary cocatalyst for all polymerizations was a modified methylalumoxane ( mmao ) available from akzo nobel as mmao - 3a ( cas # 146905 - 79 - 10 ). c for examples 1 - 4 , 8 and 10 the term tr refers to the total titanium content of the mixed catalyst system . for examples 5 - 7 and 9 the term tr refers to the zr content only of the mixed catalyst system . d for examples 1 - 4 and 8 it can be noted that the r 1 h / r 1 l ratio exceeds unity and , surprisingly ( see table 5 ), properties of formulations made from such interpolymers are quite good and comparable to those from examples 5 - 7 and 9 - 10 . ingredients were blended in a metal container to a total weight of 100 g . tackifier resin was added into the container and allowed to heat for 10 minutes with a heating mantle for temperature control . the polymer was slowly added over 3 - 5 minutes . once melted , the ingredients were mixed by hand using a metal spatula at a moderate rate of speed . after complete addition of the polymer , the adhesive was allowed to mix an additional 15 minutes to assure uniformity . the final adhesive temperature in all cases was 350 - 360 ° f . (˜ 177 - 182 ° c .). the properties of the resulting adhesives are summarized in table 5 and may be compared with the properties of some commercially available adhesives summarized in table 6 .

US-201213347993-A

apparatus designed to coat the internal surfaces of tubular structures , and particularly for coating small diameter tubular structures having porous walls with a controlled coating material which may be a polymer , for example . the arrangement includes structure for rotating the tube to be coated simultaneously with structure for moving a coating applicator apparatus longitudinally through the tube for imparting an evenly dispersed coating throughout the longitudinally extent thereof . the arrangement is such that the apparatus may , selectively , impart a water or other solvent spray against , the already formed coating for extraction of a solvent from the coating . the coating characteristics are controlled by the use of a sintered metal and / or porous applicator , together with a controlled pressurized source of coating material .

referring to the drawings in which like reference characters refer to like parts throughout the several views thereof , fig1 and 2 illustrate the invention as employed in coating a vascular graft and the arrangement for holding the graft in position for that purpose including the arrangement for movement of the applicator versus the graft during the coating procedure . as shown in fig1 and 2 , the device 10 includes a support platform structure 12 for supporting the arrangement in a vertical orientation so that the tube itself to be coated is positioned in a vertical orientation relative to the coating apparatus moving therethrough . as can be seen in fig1 and 2 , stepper motors 16 and 18 rotate the graft while coating takes place . each stepper motor has applied thereto a barb holding shaft 36 , 38 , respectively , with each such barb holding shaft having a barb 40 , 42 , respectively , attached thereto for holding the graft 20 in proper position for movement of the coating apparatus 26 therethrough . stepper motor 14 has connected thereto , through appropriate gearing 28 , a lead screw 22 for movement of platform 30 upwardly and downwardly on rails 31 . the syringe 24 is mounted on platform 30 for feeding the polymer coating material to coating head 26 . stepper motor 22 , in this connection , is connected to platform 30 for incorporating a threaded rod within its housing . motor 22 turns the rod providing linear motion of the rod and is used to push the plunger of syringe 24 to deliver at an appropriate rate the polymer material to be coated on the internal surface of graft 20 . each of the stepper motors is operated and energized through a control 72 from a source of power 80 through line 74 ( not shown in fig1 for clarity ). the stepper motors operate through lines 76 , 78 , 82 , 86 and 88 in an appropriate manner to not only rotate the graft during the coating operation in a proper sequence of rotational speed relative to the movement of the coating apparatus 26 , but also they provide the linear movement of coating apparatus 26 in a controlled manner through the graft for the coating , while providing appropriate pressurized feed of the polymer material from syringe 24 to the applicator 48 and , if desired , an appropriate pressurized water spray head 44 for washing away the solvent immediately following the application of the coating . a source of water 90 supplies water to water spray head 44 ( fig2 and 4 ) through line 92 , pump 94 and a flexible water line 96 to junction block 34 connected to water spray head 44 . referring now to fig3 an enlarged coating apparatus 26 is shown incorporating a polymer feed applicator 48 and a water spray head 44 . as shown , graft 20 is held in place at each end by barbs 40 , 42 . water is fed through line 46 from water source 90 to water spray head 44 , while polymer is fed through line 50 from syringe 24 to the polymer applicator head 48 . during the coating procedure , it is appropriate to move the combined coating apparatus 26 with no feed longitudinally through the graft to be coated until the spray head moves out of the end of graft 20 shown in fig1 and 2 . subsequently , the stepper motors are actuated in appropriate manner for moving the coating apparatus longitudinally upwardly through graft 20 for application of initially a polymer coating 54 and for application of a water spray 58 immediately after to wash away the solvent for immediately setting the final polymer coating on the internal surface of the tube 20 . as illustrated in fig3 and 4 , the movement of the spray head is according to arrow 60 while the rotation of the graft during this longitudinal movement of the spray head is by rotation illustrated by the arrows 52 . as a further feature of the invention , the water spray head 44 is configured to provide the appropriate controlled amount of water spray to the already applied coating the purpose of this is to provide a controlled amount of water , while at the same time not disturbing the coating once it has been applied . for this reason , a water spray head such as that shown in spray head 44 shown in fig5 and 6 has downwardly positioned orifices such as illustrated in the cross sectional view indicated at 64 in fig6 . the flow of water is illustrated by the arrow 62 . a further embodiment of spray head is shown in fig7 wherein the orifices become larger toward the end of the spray head such as illustrated at 68 and 70 in fig7 . thus , the initial application of water spray to the polymer coating is more subdued through the orifices 68 , whereas once the solvent has been initially extracted from the coating and partial setting takes place , a larger spray in quantity with less force can be passed through the orifices 70 . as purely illustrative of one application of the method and apparatus herein , and as discussed above in a general sense , a vascular graft may be coated internally in accordance with this invention . a representative coating material is polyurethane , for example , which may be made up with a solvent which is water soluble , such as dimethylacetamide or dimethylformamide . it is appropriate that the graft , which may be polytetrafluoroethylene , be oxidized prior to coating in order for the surface to receive the precise coated material required in proper form and degree in order to maintain the graft in appropriate condition for use . in application of the coating material , a 10 or 20 cc syringe 24 may be used and removed from its package . the syringe is prepared for appropriate application of the coating procedure herein including taking the stopper from the syringe and mounting it on the stainless steel plunger , not shown , which is part of the equipment attached to stepper motor 22 and its associated support structure 29 on movable platform 30 . the syringe is then filled with the coating material selected , which may be polyurethane as discussed above . once the syringe barrel has been mounted in appropriate position , stepper motor 22 may be activated to position the syringe barrel for pumping the polymer solution through the device to applicator 48 . then stepper motors 16 and 18 are set to the desired speed for graft rotation through the main control module 72 . also , the desired speed is set for the stepper motor 14 to control the rate at which the combined coating apparatus 26 moves through graft during the coating procedure . subsequently , graft 20 is mounted on the barbs 42 , 40 as shown in fig3 for example so that there is no slack in the graft , but also with no undue tension . thereafter , coating apparatus 26 is moved longitudinally through the graft to a position outside or below the lower end of the graft prior to coating . this is done by appropriate movement of stepper motor 14 for that purpose . then the desired speed of stepper motor 22 is set in order to achieve the proper delivery rate through polymer spray head 48 of coating apparatus 26 . this is done by observing the actual delivery rate through applicator 48 prior to its passage through graft 20 . thereafter , stepper motors 16 , 18 are activated for rotating the graft prior to the longitudinal movement of coating apparatus 26 through the graft to be coated . at this point , the coating polymer is still being pumped out of applicator 48 even though it is outside the graft . thereafter , stepper motor 14 is activated for pulling the combined coating apparatus 26 through graft 20 . this movement is continued until the coating apparatus 26 reappears outside the upper end of graft 20 , positioned as shown in fig1 and 2 . as will be understood by practitioners - in - the - art , the graft is then removed from the device and appropriate procedures are taken for maintaining the graft in proper condition for subsequent use including further flushing of the graft to remove any residual solvent and heating in an oven at an elevated temperature for a period of time . further , as purely illustrative of representative speeds of the stepper motors utilized in the above procedure , stepper motors 16 , 18 may be set , for example , at 11 revolutions per minute during the coating procedure , whereas stepper motor 22 may be set to move at 2 . 4 mils per minute , and stepper motor 14 at 30 inches per minute . a representative drip rate for this proposed sequence of movement and time is one drop every five seconds of polymer material from polymer applicator 48 . it should be understood that the procedure discussed above is representative only of methods and apparatus of the invention herein . obviously , the apparatus can be modified for coating a variety of dimensions of a tubular object for a controlled coating of the internal surface thereof . the invention is particularly appropriate , as discussed previously , for coating the internal surface of very elongated objects versus the diameter of the object involved . accordingly , and as will be apparent from the foregoing , there are provided in accordance herewith , methods and apparatus for the precise , controlled coating internally of longitudinal tubular objects . the invention , as will be understood by practitioners in the art is particularly appropriate for the very precise and required detailed control of a coating on the internal surface of a vascular graft . with such an arrangement , such small dimensional objects may be coated internally for a variety of applications as discussed above where this precise control is required . with the vast number of operations being conducted on a daily basis , the methods and apparatus herein are particularly appropriate and useful for providing the properly controlled coatings necessary for such sensitive applications . while the methods and apparatus herein disclosed form preferred embodiments of this invention , this invention is not limited to these specific methods and apparatus , and changes can be made therein without departing from the scope of this invention which is defined in the appended claims .

US-46803790-A

a combination bicycle / ski carrier has a carrier frame attachable to an automobile , supports for one or more cycles , and ski carriers which are retractable when not in use to avoid damage to cycles on the carrier .

with reference to the drawings wherein like numerals indicate like elements , fig1 shows the rear portion of a typical automobile a with a rear bumper b and a trunk lid l . the combination bicycle / ski rack of this invention is generally designated by the numeral 10 , and includes a first u - shaped frame element 12 with two upwardly extending parallel arms 14 at a lower end of the frame 10 . the upper ends of the two arms 14 are also the upper end of the frame 10 . and a cross arm 16 joining the lower ends of the two arms 14 . a second u - shaped frame element 18 has two parallel arms 20 connected at a front end by a cross bar 22 . the two cross bars 16 , 22 carry shock absorbing sleeves 24 which protect the surface finish of the vehicle a against scratching by the carrier 10 . the carrier 10 is secured to the automobile as shown in fig1 by two pairs of retraining straps , a lower pair of straps 26 which hooks to the underside of the bumper b , and an upper pair of straps 28 , only one of which is shown in the drawing , which hooks to the front edge of the trunk lid l in a manner well known in the art . the two frame elements 12 , 18 are connected together at the intersection of the arms 14 and 20 and are fixed at a particular angle relative to each other by linkages 30 . a bicycle c shown in phantom lining in fig2 is supported on the carrier 10 by resting the cross bar or top tube of the bicycle frame on the supporting arms 20 of the carrier 10 . the bicycle frame then generally lies against the frame element 12 of the carrier , away from contact with the vehicle a . additional straps and ties may be used to secure the bicycle c in place during road travel of the vehicle a . the carrier 10 has two cross bars 32 mounted between the arms 14 of frame element 12 . each cross bar 32 has two ski attachments 34 , and a pair of snow skis s joined bottom - to - bottom are retained to the carrier 10 by two spaced apart attachments 34 , one attachment on each cross bar 32 , as shown in fig3 . the two cross bars 32 are similar to each other in all respects , and are mounted in mutually parallel spaced apart relationship between the two parallel arms 14 , as already described . the skis are supported parallel to the arms 14 , and extending between the upper and lower ends of the frame 10 . the arrangement of the ski attachments 34 and cross bar 32 is better understood by reference to fig4 through 6 . each cross bar 32 is a straight tubular segment with opposite ends 36 , seen in fig6 fitted within cylindrical sockets 38 which are mounted on the parallel arms 14 . the cross bar 32 is free to rotate about its longitudinal axis within the two sockets 38 . each cross bar 32 mounts two ski attachments or ski carrier 34 . each ski carrier consists of a rigid post 40 which passes diametrically through the cross bar 32 and is held in place by a radial flange 52 on the post and a nut 42 threaded onto the end 44 of the post 40 . the free opposite end 44 of the post is bent to a right angle , leaving a straight intermediate length 46 . each ski attachment 34 also includes a flexible strap 48 which is anchored at one end 50 between the cross bar 32 and the radial flange 52 of the post 40 . a pair of holes 56 are punched in the strap 48 near the opposite free end 54 of the strap , as best understood by reference to fig5 . the free end 54 is engageable to the post 40 by hooking the perforated strap onto the bent end 44 of the post , as in fig4 . when so engaged , the strap 48 forms a semicircular loop to retain a pair of skis s against the post 40 . the ski attachments 34 on each cross bar 32 rotate jointly between an operative , extended position shown in fig5 and a retracted position , seen in fig4 and 6 . in the retracted position , the ski attachments 34 generally are contained in and lie within a plane defined by the cross bars 32 and the parallel arms 14 . in the extended position of fig5 the ski attachments extend at a right angle to this plane , and are perpendicular to the parallel arms 14 . in this extended position , the posts 40 extend generally in the direction of , i . e . generally parallel with , the supporting arms 20 of the carrier 10 in fig3 . the ski carriers 34 are independent of and do not functionally cooperate with the cycle supports 20 . the ski carriers 34 are inoperative for supporting the bicycle c in either their extended or retracted positions . a detent pin 60 is fixed radially to the cross bar 32 . the left hand side socket 38 in fig4 - 6 has two axial slots 62 , 64 which are circumferentially spaced by 90 degrees . the detent pin 60 is held in one of the two slots to keep the cross bar 32 from turning in the socket 38 . slot 62 fixes the detent pin 60 so as to lock the ski attachments 34 in the extended position , as shown in fig5 . slot 64 receives the detent pin 60 to lock the ski attachments 34 in the retracted position of fig4 . a spring 66 is captive in the other socket 38 , at the opposite end of the cross bar on the right hand side in the drawings , and normally urges the cross bar 32 into the opposite socket 38 , keeping the detent pin 60 in engagement within one of the slots 62 , 64 . the ski attachments 34 are moved from one position to another by manually displacing the cross bar 32 against the force of the spring 66 so as to withdraw the detent pin 60 from the slot as indicated by arrow a in fig4 and then turning the cross bar 32 as shown by arrow b in the same figure , to move the ski attachments from their retracted position to the extended position of fig5 . the ski attachments are retracted by reversing this process . while a presently preferred embodiment of the invention has been described and illustrated for purposes of clarity and example , it must be understood that many changes , substitutions and modifications to the described embodiment will become apparent to those possessed of ordinary skill in the art , without thereby departing from the scope and spirit of the invention which is defined by the following claims .

US-93735692-A

apparatus , systems , and methods are provided for reducing voltage source inverter losses . one apparatus includes a sensor couplable to the motor and configured to sense an operating frequency of the motor and an amount of torque produced by the motor . the apparatus also includes a controller coupled to the sensor , the controller configured to determine a zero vector modulation based on the sensed frequency and torque . a system includes means for sensing a threshold output frequency of the motor and means for sensing a threshold torque of the motor . the system also includes means for determining a zvm for the inverter based on the sensed threshold frequency and threshold torque . one method includes sensing that a motor is operating below a threshold frequency and is producing torque above a threshold torque amount . the method also includes determining a zvm for the inverter based on the sensed frequency and torque .

the following detailed description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the invention or the application and uses of the invention . furthermore , there is no intention to be bound by any expressed or implied theory presented in the preceding technical field , background , summary , or the following description of exemplary embodiments . fig1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a conventional motor drive system 100 including a voltage source inverter ( vsi ) 110 and an alternating current ( ac ) motor 120 . vsi 110 includes a power supply ( v batt ), a plurality of diodes ( e . g ., diodes d 11 - d 23 ), and a plurality of switches ( e . g ., switches 111 - 123 ). fig1 also shows vsi 110 as having a plurality of nodes ( e . g ., nodes n 11 - n 15 ) for illustrative purposes . as illustrated in fig1 , v batt includes a positive terminal (+) coupled to node n 11 , and a negative terminal (−) coupled to node n 12 . the cathode of diode d 11 is coupled to node n 11 , and the anode is coupled to node n 13 . the cathode of diode d 12 is coupled to node n 11 , and the anode is coupled to node n 14 . the cathode of diode d 13 is coupled to node n 11 , and the anode is coupled to node n 15 . similarly , the cathode of diode d 21 is coupled to node n 13 , and the anode is coupled to node n 12 . the cathode of diode d 22 is coupled to node n 14 , and the anode is coupled to node n 12 . the cathode of diode d 23 is coupled to node n 15 , and the anode is coupled to node n 12 . diodes d 11 - d 23 are each coupled in parallel with a respective one of switches 111 - 123 . this combination of a diode coupled in parallel with a switch is known as a “ power switch ” configuration . each power switch is capable of conducting current in two directions , and is also capable of stopping voltage in one direction . two series - coupled power switches form what is generally known as an “ inverter branch .” as fig1 illustrates , vsi 110 comprises three inverter branches ( e . g ., inverter branches 150 , 250 , and 350 ). switches 111 - 123 control the flow of current within a portion of each respective branch of vsi 110 . in one embodiment ( see fig2 ), switches 111 - 123 are software controlled switches utilizing high frequency pulse width modulation ( pwm ) techniques . as used herein , reference to an “ upper switch ” refers to one or more of switches 111 - 113 , and reference to a “ lower switch ” refers to one or more of switches 121 - 123 . ac motor 120 includes three terminals ( e . g ., terminals i 1 - i 3 ) coupled to vsi 110 . terminal i 1 is coupled to node n 13 , terminal i 2 is coupled to node n 14 , and terminal i 3 is coupled to node n 15 . ac motor 120 is energized with a voltage supplied from vsi 110 and produces a mechanical output based on the supplied voltage . vsi 110 includes six current bi - directional , voltage uni - directional power switches ( e . g ., switches 111 , 112 , 113 , 121 , 122 , and 123 ). during operation , one switch in each inverter branch is open and the other switch is closed . in this configuration , closing a switch allows current to flow within a portion of the inverter branch , whereas opening the switch prevents current from flowing within that portion . for example ( see fig1 ), closing switch 111 allows current to flow from power supply v batt to terminal i 1 via node n 13 . alternatively , closing switch 111 may also allow current to flow in the opposite direction from terminal ii 1 to supply v batt ( via node n 13 ), depending on the operating conditions of ac motor 120 . a high frequency pwm technique is utilized to control the output voltage magnitude , phase angle , and the frequency . that is , while the power switches are controlled to operate at a substantially constant switching frequency ( f sw ), the switch duty cycles are modulated to produce three - phase voltages of desired magnitude , phase , and frequency . fig2 is a schematic diagram of one exemplary embodiment of a system controller 200 for managing the thermal properties and current distortion of the power switches in vsi 110 when ac motor 120 is producing large amounts of torque at low speeds . system 200 includes one or more sensors 210 coupled to ac motor 120 . the sensors employed may be either , or a combination of , physical hardware sensors or their virtual software or mathematical equivalents . the one or more sensors 210 are configured to sense the torque ac motor 120 is producing ( or a current - mapped representation of the torque ) and the rotational frequency of ac motor 120 . the torque ac motor 120 is producing and the rotational frequency at which it is operating is transmitted from sensor ( s ) 210 to system controller 220 . system controller 220 , in addition to being coupled to sensors 210 , is coupled to vsi 110 . system controller 220 is configured to receive the sensed torque and rotational frequency data of ac motor 120 and to selectively apply a zero vector modulation ( discussed below ) to vsi 110 . more specifically , if ac motor 120 is producing torque greater than a threshold amount of torque and is operating at a rotational frequency below a threshold rotational frequency , then system controller 220 applies the zero vector modulation . fig3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a more detailed view of system controller 220 , which comprises a plurality of switch controllers 211 - 223 configured to control switches 111 - 123 , respectively . system controller 220 is a control device configured to receive data from sensor 210 , process the received data , and transmit control signals to switch controllers 211 - 223 based on the processed data . in one embodiment , system controller 220 includes hardware and / or software configured to receive pwm signals from a pulse - width modulator ( not shown ). the pwm signals include instructions for operating one or more power switches ( discussed below ) and for producing individual power switch control signals based on the received pwm signals , as is known in the art . for example and with reference to fig1 - 3 , system controller 220 is implemented as a processing unit comprising one or more memory devices 2210 ( e . g ., a programmable read - only memory ( prom ), an erasable programmable read - only memory ( eprom ), an electrically erasable programmable read - only memory ( eeprom ), and the like ) storing software to enable system controller 220 to conduct various operations . system controller 220 also comprises a database 2220 ( e . g ., a look - up table ) including a space vector structure ( see e . g ., table 1 below ) defining a switching space vector associated with the switches within each inverter branch ( discussed below ) for any given switching combination . switch controllers 211 - 223 are control devices configured to receive control signals from system controller 220 and supply control signals to an associated power switch . in one embodiment , switch controllers 211 - 223 include hardware and / or software configured to supply power switch control signals to their respective power switch in response to the control signals supplied from system controller 220 . that is , switch controller 211 provides power switch control signals to the power switch comprised of switch 111 and diode d 11 . similarly , the remaining switch controllers each provide a power switch control signals to their respective power switches . table 1 is representative of database 2220 ( e . g ., a look - up table ) associated with vsi 110 and system controller 220 ( see fig1 - 3 , respectively ). the switching space vectors v 0 - v 7 in table 1 are associated with the power switches within each inverter branch for any given switching combination . inverter branches 150 , 250 , and 350 each represent two current bi - directional , voltage uni - directional power switches with one switch within the inverter branch open , while the other switch within the inverter branch is closed . switching space vectors v 0 - v 7 are created when the three phase - to - neutral voltages sum - up to zero by allowing each of switching space vectors v 0 - v 7 to be associated with a specific inverter switch state . as illustrated in table 1 , a vsi comprising three inverter branches ( each inverter branch including two power switches ) provides eight possible switching space vector combinations ( i . e ., v 0 - v 7 ). in an example , and with reference to fig1 - 3 and table 1 , a “ 0 ” represents the upper switch of the indicated inverter branch as being the open switch , while the lower switch within that inverter branch is the closed switch . a “ 1 ” represents the lower switch of the indicated inverter branch as being the open switch , while the upper switch within that inverter branch is the closed switch . in this example , switching space vector v 1 indicates that inverter branch 150 is configured with switch 111 closed and switch 121 open . furthermore , inverter branch 250 is configured with switch 122 closed and switch 112 open , and inverter branch 350 is configured with switch 123 closed and switch 113 open . table 1 additionally includes a status column indicating either a “ zero ” state or an “ active ” state for each switching configuration . an active state indicates that the associated switch configuration results in a net voltage being applied to the load ( e . g ., ac motor 120 ). a zero state indicates that the associated switch configuration results in the load being effectively shorted . fig4 is a hexagonal space vector structure diagram 400 illustrating potential combinations of inverter switch states of system controller 220 ( see fig2 and table 1 ) in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention . in fig4 , the active states ( v 1 - v 6 ) from table 1 are utilized to form the vertices of hexagonal space vector structure diagram 400 , and the zero states ( v 0 , v 7 ) are located at the center of hexagonal space vector structure diagram 400 . the area lying between the different active states within the hexagon boundaries are labeled as “ s = 1 , s = 2 , s = 3 , . . . , s = 6 ” and are referred to as “ space vector ” areas . space vector areas are based on one of the switching space vectors v 0 - v 7 that define each respective area . during use , any voltage requirement falling within the boundaries of hexagonal space vector structure diagram 400 may be produced by a combination of the switching space vectors on a per - cycle basis . producing the voltage requirement is accomplished by adjusting a combination of one or more active state and / or one or more zero state duty cycles within a period ( which is discussed below with reference to fig5 ). in one example , and with reference to fig4 , a voltage requirement falling within space vector area “ s = 1 ” may be produced by adjusting a combination of active states v 1 and v 2 and zero states v 0 and v 7 of duty cycles within a given period t s to achieve the required voltage . fig5 is an exemplary space vector area diagram 500 illustrating a portion of hexagonal space vector structure diagram 400 ( see fig4 ) and a reference vector v * that represents a desired magnitude and phase of the output voltage of hexagonal space vector structure diagram 400 . in one embodiment ( see fig4 and 5 ), mapping the reference vector v * to the space vector area diagram 500 enables the space vector area to be determined ( e . g ., the space vector area s = 1 of fig4 ). in this embodiment , determination of the space vector area allows determination of duty cycles t 1 - t 6 associated with active state switching space vectors v 1 - v 6 ( which define the space vector area within a given switching period t s ). once duty cycles t 1 - t 6 for active state switching space vectors v 1 - v 6 are determined , duty cycles t 0 and t 7 for zero state switching space vectors v 0 and v 7 may then be determined . in one example with reference to fig5 , the total duty cycle t 0 + t 7 of zero state switching space vectors v 0 and v 7 is equal to the duration of the period t s less the duty cycles t 1 and t 2 for the switching space vectors v 1 and v 2 . this example may be expressed as the following mathematical equation : d =( t 0 + t 7 )/ t s = 1 −[( t 1 + t 2 )/ t s ] ( 1 ) in this example , zero state switching space vector v 0 and / or v 7 may be used during the switching period t s to achieve the completion of the switching period t s without affecting the average value of the output voltage delivered to the load . in one embodiment , utilization of zero state switching space vector v 0 and / or v 7 allows optimization of pwm sequencing to achieve , for example , minimal switching losses , minimal voltage distortion , minimal current distortion , and the like . furthermore , utilization of the zero state switching space vectors v 0 and / or v 7 allows distribution of conduction losses among vsi power switches in the inverter branch carrying the largest current . at low output frequencies the reference vector v * has a small magnitude . in one embodiment , the zero vector duty cycle “ d z ” for reference vector v * may be mathematically expressed as : d z & gt ;& gt ;( t 0 + t 7 )/ t s & gt ;& gt ;[( t 1 + t 2 )/ t s ] ( 2 ) when pwm is utilized so that the highest phase current is not switched , power dissipation for the power switch carrying the largest amount of current ( i max ), is equal to the maximum conduction power ( p cond ) losses ( i . e ., ( p cond ) is a function of ( i max )). the power dissipation may be reduced when conduction loss of the switch carrying the peak current for the duration of the zero vector duty cycle “ d ” is greater than the amount of energy needed to turn the switch on and off ( e sw ) at the peak current and the switching frequency f sw . in an example , and with continued reference to fig5 , zero vector duty cycle “ d z ” is the duty cycle d z for zero state switching space vector v 7 . in this example , the expression may be mathematically expressed as : [ p cond ( i max )· d z ]& gt ;[ e sw · f sw ] ( 3 ) utilization of either zero state switching space vectors v 0 or v 7 and / or utilization of a combination of zero state switching space vectors v 0 and v 7 is referred to as “ zero vector modulation ” ( zvm ). the zero state switching space vectors v 0 or v 7 are selected periodically at a zvm frequency f zvm and a zero vector modulation duty cycle d zvm to reduce power dissipation in the switch carrying the largest current . a f zvm of 100 hz utilizing a zvm duty cycle d zvm of 0 . 5 are examples of zvm implementation . when zvm is utilized , average power dissipation for a zvm period ( t zvm ) for the power switch experiencing the greatest amount of stress may be mathematically expressed as : p cond ( i max )− d zvm [ p cond ( i max )· d z − e sw · f sw ], ( 4 ) where zvm duty cycle d zvm is the complementary zero state duty cycle do for zero state switching space vector v 0 for the embodiment in fig5 ( i . e ., the power dissipation for the switch carrying the largest current is reduced ). however , the total losses for the inverter branch carrying the largest current are increased and the increase may be mathematically expressed as : based on equations 4 and 5 , utilizing a smaller complementary zvm duty cycle d zvm results in a reduction of power dissipation of the power switch experiencing the greatest amount of stress while producing a relatively small increase in total inverter loss . in an example with reference to fig5 , a zvm frequency f zvm of 10 hz utilized with a duty cycle d 7 for zero state switching space vector v 7 of 0 . 7 , and utilizing a zvm duty cycle d zvm of 0 . 65 for zero state switching space vector v 0 results in negligible switching losses within a metal oxide semiconductor field - effect transistor ( mosfet ) inverter . in this example , zvm reduces power dissipation within the power switch carrying the largest amount of current , thereby allowing control of the junction temperatures . fig6 is a flow diagram illustrating a method 600 for providing improved thermal management in a vsi ( e . g ., vsi 110 ) utilizing zvm according to one exemplary embodiment of the invention . method 600 begins by monitoring ac motor 120 ( step 610 ). ac motor 120 is monitored to determine if ac motor 120 is operating at a frequency less than a threshold frequency ( step 620 ). in one embodiment , the threshold frequency is in the range of about 3 hz to about 5 hz . other embodiments contemplate that the threshold frequency may be less than 3 hz or greater than 5 hz . if ac motor 120 is operating at a frequency greater than the threshold frequency , a zvm is not applied to vsi 110 ( step 625 ). ac motor 120 is also monitored to determine if ac motor 120 is producing an amount of torque greater than a threshold amount of torque ( step 630 ). in one embodiment , the threshold amount of torque is in the range of about 50 % to about 70 % of the maximum torque ac motor 120 is capable of producing . other embodiments contemplate that the threshold amount of torque may be less than 50 % or greater than 70 % of the maximum torque ac motor 120 is capable of producing . if ac motor 120 is producing an amount of torque less than the threshold amount of torque , a zvm is not applied to vsi 110 ( step 635 ). if ac motor 120 is operating at a frequency less than the threshold frequency and is producing an amount of torque greater than the threshold amount of torque , a zvm is determined for vsi 110 ( step 640 ). in one embodiment , a desired output voltage ( magnitude and phase ), or desired output voltage vector ( e . g ., a “ reference vector ”) associated with the sensed low output frequency condition is mapped to a space vector area within a space vector structure diagram . in an example with reference to fig4 and 5 , a voltage requirement falling within space vector area “ s = 1 ” may be produced by adjusting a combination of the duty cycles for active state switching space vectors v 1 and v 2 and zero state switching space vectors v 0 and v 7 within a given period t s to achieve the required voltage . in this example and with reference to table 1 , each active and zero state switching space vector comprises three associated inverter branch configurations ( e . g ., inverter branches 150 , 250 , and 350 ) defined in table 1 . the determined zvm is then applied to vsi 110 to reduce thermal stress of vsi 110 ( step 650 ). in one embodiment , the space vector area including the reference vector is defined by two active state switching space vectors and a zero vector . a combination of the use of active state switching space vectors for a pre - determined time ( e . g ., the active state duty cycle ) within an operating period produces the reference vector . the remaining time ( e . g ., the operating period less the active state duty cycle ) is allocated for the use of a combination of zero state switching space vectors . in an example with reference to fig5 , the duty cycles t 1 and t 2 for the switching space vectors v 1 and v 2 are determined based on the reference vector v *. the total duty cycle to + t 7 of zero state switching space vectors v 0 and v 7 is equal to the duration of the period t s less the duty cycles t 1 and t 2 for the switching space vectors v 1 and v 2 . in this example , either zero state switching space vectors v 0 or v 7 , or a combination of both zero state switching space vectors v 0 and v 7 may be used during the switching period t s to achieve the completion of the switching period t s without affecting the average value of the output voltage delivered to the load . power is then delivered to the load ( e . g ., ac motor 120 ) based on the duty cycles of the active and zero state switching space vectors that are associated with the specific inverter branch configurations discussed with reference to table 1 . ac motor 120 is further monitored to determine if a zvm should be applied to vsi 110 ( step 660 ). ac motor 120 may be further monitored after a zvm has been applied to determine if the operating frequency and torque conditions remain and the zvm should continue to be applied , or to determine that the operating frequency and / or torque conditions no longer exist and the zvm should cease to be applied . furthermore , ac motor 120 may be further monitored prior to a zvm being applied to determine if the operating frequency and torque conditions exist so that a zvm should be applied to vsi 10 , or to determine that the operating frequency and / or torque conditions continue not to exist and a zvm should continue to not be applied . fig7 is a graph 700 illustrating the conditions when a zvm is applied to vsi 110 in accordance with the various exemplary embodiments of the invention . the vertical axis of graph 700 represents the amount of torque ( as a percentage ) ac motor 120 is capable of producing , and the horizontal axis of graph 700 represents the operating frequencies of ac motor 120 . graph 700 indicates that a zvm is applied to vsi 110 when the amount of torque ac motor 120 is producing is greater than a threshold amount of torque ( e . g ., 50 - 70 % of the torque ac motor 120 is capable of producing ) and the operating frequency of ac motor is less than a threshold operating frequency ( e . g ., 3 - 5 hz ). graph 700 also indicates that a zvm is not applied to vsi 110 when the amount of torque ac motor 120 is producing is less than the threshold amount of torque and / or the operating frequency of ac motor is greater than the threshold operating frequency . although specific ranges of threshold torque values and threshold operating frequencies have been discussed , the invention contemplates the use any torque values and / or operating frequencies , whether expressed as a percentage and / or an absolute value . that is , the invention is not limited to the exemplary values discussed above . while at least one exemplary embodiment has been presented in the foregoing detailed description , it should be appreciated that a vast number of variations exist . it should also be appreciated that the exemplary embodiment or exemplary embodiments are only examples , and are not intended to limit the scope , applicability , or configuration of the invention in any way . rather , the foregoing detailed description will provide those skilled in the art with a convenient road map for implementing the exemplary embodiment or exemplary embodiments . it should be understood that various changes may be made in the function and arrangement of elements without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims and the legal equivalents thereof .

US-75642107-A

provided are an encapsulating film , an electronic device and a method of manufacturing the same . an encapsulating film having excellent moisture blocking property , handleability , workability and durability and a structure including a diode encapsulated with the encapsulating film may be provided .

hereinafter , a film will be described in further detail with reference to examples and comparative examples , but the scope of the film is not limited to the following examples . hereinafter , physical properties shown in examples and comparative examples are evaluated by the following methods . a contact angle was measured with respect to a coating layer formed by preparing a solution having a solid content of 15 wt % by dissolving a base resin in a dilutable solvent , coating the prepared solution on a glass to have a thickness of 10 μm and drying the coated solution . particularly , the contact angle was measured using dsa100 produced by kruss . deionized water was dropped to the coating layer at approximately 25 ° c ., which was repeated 10 times , and then an average of the measured results was determined as the contact angle . a resin composition was prepared by dissolving the component for the first layer used in example or the resin used in comparative example in a solvent . the resin composition was coated on a base film ( releasing polyester film , rs - 21g , skc ) having a thickness of 38 μm . subsequently , the coated composition was dried at 110 ° c . for 10 minutes , and thereby a film - type layer having a thickness of 100 μm was prepared . afterward , the base film was detached , the film - type layer was maintained at 100 ° f . and a relative humidity of 100 %, and then a wvtr with respect to a thickness direction of the film - type layer was measured . the wvtr was measured as prescribed in regulations of astm f1249 . a resin composition was prepared by dissolving a first or second layer prepared in example or comparative example in a solvent . the resin composition was coated on a base film ( releasing polyester film , rs - 21g , skc ) having a thickness of 38 μm . subsequently , the coated composition was dried at 110 ° c . for 10 minutes , and thereby a film - type layer having a thickness of 40 μm was prepared . the prepared coating layer was designed to be coated in a length direction , and then cut in a size of 50 mm × 10 mm ( length x width ), thereby preparing a specimen . both terminal ends of the specimen were taped to leave 25 mm in a length direction . subsequently , while the taped part was extended at 25 ° c . at a rate of 18 mm / min , a tensile modulus was measured . calcium ( ca ) was deposited on a glass substrate having a size of 12 mm × 12 mm ( length x width ) to have a size of 10 mm × 10 mm ( length x width ). separately , a film formed in example or comparative example was cut to a size of 12 mm × 12 mm ( length x width ). subsequently , the first layer or one surface of the film was transferred to a cover glass . afterward , an opposite surface to that of the film on which the cover glass was disposed was laminated on the calcium of the glass substrate , and thermally pressed using a vacuum press at 80 ° c . for 2 minutes , and cured at 100 ° c . for 3 hours , thereby forming an encapsulating layer . thus , a specimen was manufactured . then , while the specimen was maintained in a constant temperature and constant humidity chamber at 85 ° c . and a relative humidity of 85 % for approximately 500 hours , a length of the calcium - deposited part which was oxidized and made transparent was measured . since calcium had a total length in one direction of 10 mm , the length of the oxidized part of the calcium from one terminal end became 5 mm , which meant that all of the calcium was oxidized . a film formed in example or comparative example was laminated between soda lime glass substrates , thermally pressed using a vacuum press at 80 ° c . for 2 minutes , and curing the substrates at 100 ° c . for 3 hours , thereby forming an encapsulating layer . as a result , a specimen was prepared . afterward , while the specimen was maintained in a constant temperature and constant humidity chamber at 85 ° c . and a relative humidity of 85 % for approximately 500 hours , it was observed whether or not lifting occurred at an interface between the glass substrate and the encapsulating layer . two of 0 . 7 t glass substrates were crossed to be disposed in a t shape , and a film having a size of 5 mm × 40 mm ( width × length ) formed in example or comparative example was disposed on a contact point of the two substrates . the film was thermally pressed using a vacuum press at 80 ° c . for 2 minutes , and cured at 100 ° c . for 3 hours . afterward , while a terminal end of the t - shaped glass specimen was pressed using a tensile tester at a uniform pressure , power when the attached glass specimen was separated was measured , which was defined as an adhesive strength . a film formed in example or comparative example was cut to a size of 90 mm × 90 mm ( length × width ), and a first layer or one surface of the film was transferred to a cover glass . then , an opposite surface to that of the film on which the cover glass was disposed was thermally pressed on a glass substrate having a size of 100 mm × 100 mm ( length × width ) using a vacuum press at 80 ° c . for 2 minutes , and cured at 100 ° c . for 3 hours , thereby preparing a specimen . it was observed whether or not bubbles were generated in the specimen . a moisture scavenger solution was prepared by adding 100 g of calcined dolomite as a moisture scavenger and 0 . 5 g of stearic acid as a dispersing agent to a toluene to have a solid content of 50 wt %. in addition , separately , 65 g of a polyisobutene resin ( weight average molecular weight of 450 , 000 ) and 5 g of a maleic acid anhydride - grated styrene - ethylene - butadiene - styrene block copolymer ( ma - sebs , product name : fg - 1901x , manufacturer : kraton ) were added as base resins for the first layer to a reaction vessel at room temperature , and 30 g of a hydrogenated dicyclopentadiene - based resin ( softening point : 125 ° c .) was added thereto as a tackifier and diluted with toluene to have a solid content of approximately 20 wt %. the previously prepared moisture scavenger solution was added to the solution to have a content of the calcined dolomite of 30 parts by weight with respect to 100 parts by weight of the base resins for the first layer , and mixed together , thereby preparing a first layer solution . 200 g of a silane - modified epoxy resin ( ksr - 177 , kukdo chemical ) and 150 g of a phenoxy resin ( yp - 50 , tohto kasei ) were added to a reaction vessel at room temperature , and then diluted with methylethylketone . 4 g of imidazole ( shikoku chemical ) which was a curing agent was added to the homogenized solution , and stirred at a high speed for 1 hour , thereby preparing a second layer solution . a first layer was formed to have a thickness of 40 μm by coating the solution of a first layer prepared above on a release surface of releasing pet and drying the coated solution at 110 ° c . for 10 minutes . a second layer was formed to have a thickness of 15 μm by coating the solution of a second layer prepared above on a release surface of releasing pet and drying the coated solution at 130 ° c . for 3 minutes . a multilayer film was formed by laminating the first and second layers . a first layer solution , a second layer solution and a film were prepared as described in example 1 , except that 60 g of polyisobutene and 10 g of ma - sebs were used instead of 65 g of polyisobutene and 5 g of ma - sebs as base resins for the first layer . a first layer solution , a second layer solution and a film were prepared as described in example 1 , except that 55 g of polyisobutene and 15 g of ma - sebs were used instead of 65 g of polyisobutene and 5 g of ma - sebs as base resins of a first layer . a first layer solution , a second layer solution and a film were prepared as described in example 2 , except that a styrene - butadiene - styrene block copolymer ( sbs , product name : d - 1101 , manufacturer : kraton ) was used instead of ma - sebs of the base resins for the first layer . a first layer solution , a second layer solution and a film were prepared as described in example 2 , except that a styrene - isoprene - styrene block copolymer ( sis , product name : d - 1107 , manufacturer : kraton ) was used instead of ma - sebs of the base resins for the first layer . a first layer solution , a second layer solution and a film were prepared as described in example 2 , except that 70 g of a polyisobutene resin was used instead of 60 g of a polyisobutene resin and 10 g of ma - sebs as base resins for the first layer . a second layer solution and a film were prepared as described in example 1 , except that the second layer solution in example 1 was used as a first layer solution . an acrylic resin solution was prepared by reacting 15 g of n - butyl acrylate ( n - ba ), 40 g of methylethyl acrylate ( mea ), 20 g of isobornyl acrylate ( iboa ), 15 g of methylacrylate ( ma ) and 10 g of 2 - hydroxyethyl acrylate ( hea ) in a 1 l reaction vessel refluxing a nitrogen gas and equipped with a cooling device to facilitate temperature control . a first layer solution was prepared by mixing the moisture scavenger solution previously prepared in example 1 with the solution to have a content of calcined dolomite of 30 parts by weight with respect to 100 parts by weight of the solid content of the acrylic resin solution . a second layer solution was prepared as described in example 1 . a film was formed as described in example 1 , except that the solution prepared in comparative example 2 was used as a first layer solution . a first layer solution , a second layer solution and a film were prepared as described in comparative example 2 , except that a trimethylolpropane - type epoxy resin ( sr - tmp , sakamoto ) was added to an acrylic resin solution as an epoxy crosslinking agent at 5 parts by weight with respect to 100 parts by weight of a solid content of an acrylic resin solution , and a triarylsulfonium salt - type with sbf6 as anions ( cpi - 110a , san apro ltd .) was further added as a cationic initiator at 5 parts by weight with respect to 100 parts by weight of the epoxy crosslinking agent . a film was formed as described in example 1 , except that no second layer was included .

US-201414323703-A

a method for forming a diffusion coating on the interior of surface of a hollow object wherein a filament , extending through a hollow object and adjacent to the interior surface of the object , is provided , with a coating material , in a vacuum . an electrical current is then applied to the filament to resistively heat the filament to a temperature sufficient to transfer the coating material from the filament to the interior surface of the object . the filament is electrically isolated from the object while the filament is being resistively heated . preferably , the filament is provided as a tungsten filament or molybdenum filament . preferably , the coating materials are selected from the group consisting of ag , al , as , au , ba , be , bi , ca , cd , co , cr , cu , dy , er , eu , fe , ga , ge , hg , in , k , li , mg , mn , na , ni p , pb , pd , pr , s , sb , sc , se , si , sn , sr , te , tl , y , yb , zn , and combinations thereof . the invention additionally allows for the formation of nitrides , hydrides , or carbides of all the possible coating materials , where such compounds exist , by providing a partial pressure of nitrogen , hydrogen , hydrocarbons , or combination thereof , within the vacuum .

a series of experiments were conducted to demonstrate the method of the present invention . while these experiments demonstrated the suitability of the present invention for producing aluminide coatings on three hollow objects ( or substrates ) in four separate sizes , the present invention should in no way be limited to the specific coating materials , substrates , substrate sizes shown . rather , these experiments should be considered as merely exemplary of the capabilities of the present invention , and the present invention should be understood to broadly encompass the full range of coating materials , filaments , hollow objects , and sizes , as set forth above in the summary of the invention . substrates for these experiments included 0 . 375 - in . diameter 4130 steel and type 316 stainless steel tubes , and 1 . 5 - in . and 2 . 0 - in . diameter al - alloy 6061 tubes . coating / substrate systems included al on 4130 and 316ss , ni and fe on 6061 , and co - deposited al and fe on 6061 . these experiments demonstrated the ability of the present invention to produce aluminide coatings that could be used for a variety of applications including , but not limited to , heavy - duty diesel engine fuel injector nozzles , hydraulic fluid tubing , al - alloy engine cylinder linings , fossil fuel power plant hot gas filters , and exhaust gas recirculator heat exchangers . control of aluminide coating thickness on 4130 and 316ss was demonstrated over a range from 2 - 60 μm , and control of the coating composition was demonstrated over a range of 50 - 100 w / o al . aluminide coatings on 4130 exhibited hardness values in excess of 800 h k , and the coatings exhibited a porus layer of al - rich material on the surface that could be beneficial for post - process machining and lubricant retention . aluminide coatings on 316ss tubes exhibited hardnesses up to 767 h k , and they exhibited a dense microstructure potentially beneficial for erosion or corrosion resistance . the iron - and nickel - aluminide coatings produced on the inner surface of 6061 tubes ranged in thickness from 4 - 10 μm . these coatings were well - bonded , smooth , and of uniform thickness . these coatings produced multi - layer microstructures consisting of isolated or mixed fe - and ni - rich aluminides . overall , the results of the experiments demonstrated the versatility of the present invention with regard to coating materials , substrate materials , substrate geometry , coating thickness , coating composition , and coating microstructure . in addition to the experiments described herein , the method of the present invention was used to produce aluminide coatings on the inner surface of stainless steel tubes as small as 0 . 34 - in . inner diameter and up to 158 in . long , and ni coatings on zr - base alloy tubes with 0 . 27 - in . inner diameter and 14 in . long as shown in table 1 . in these examples , the source coating material was incorporated into a tungsten wire filament placed in the center of the tube to provide an electrical path for resistive heating , thereby melting and subsequently evaporating the coating material . the coating process is line - of - sight and approximately 97 % efficient with complete coverage of the tube interior surface . uniformity of the coating is related to the uniformity of radiant heating of the tube by the filament . the radiant heating also allows rapid interdiffusion of coating and substrate materials , creating a true metallurgical bond . coating composition can be varied by adjusting process times and temperatures , and coating thickness is controlled by the amount of source material incorporated in the tungsten filament . coating process times are short , typically requiring only a few minutes , and no hazardous feed materials or effluents are needed . the coating process normally is conducted in vacuum of better than 10 − 4 torr . for short tubes ( less than 6 ft long ), the method of the present invention usually is conducted in a vertical orientation . for longer tubes , a horizontal orientation is preferred . the tube and filament are held in a strongback with appropriate ceramic guides to provide electrical isolation between the tube and filament . the ceramic guides allow independent thermal expansion of the filament and tube and therefore maintain alignment as well as electrical isolation throughout the coating process . fig1 shows a typical arrangement for the ceramic guides on a 14 - in . long tube . for the present study , only short tubes were of interest to demonstrate the desired coating characteristics . therefore , a length of 2 in . was selected for both the 0 . 375 - in . diameter 4130 and 316ss tubes , and the 1 . 5 - in . and 2 . 0 - in . diameter 6061 tubes . to produce repeatable results , a common set of guides were developed for the 0 . 375 - in . tubes and filaments . coating was performed with the filament and tube in a vertical orientation . the tube was held in place and aligned vertically by ceramic bushings seated in stainless steel plates . the plates were attached to a stainless steel frame that allowed the tubes to be raised or lowered as needed . the filament was suspended in the center of the tube , using ceramic guides at the top and bottom to maintain alignment with , and electrical isolation from , the tube . the filaments were connected to the power supply leads at top and bottom with semi - rigid copper tubing anchored to the same frame that held the tube support plates . fig2 shows a typcial arrangement for the 0 . 375 - in . tubes and filaments . the fixturing for the 2 . 0 - in . tubes was somewhat simpler due to the increased clearance between the filament and the substrate , but an arrangement comparable to the one shown in fig2 was used . radiant heating from the filament was adequate to heat the 0 . 375 - in . tubes to the desired temperature during coating , but resistive heating was needed to provide adequate heating with the larger 6061 tubes . small holes were drilled and tapped on opposite sides of the tubes , to which the electrical leads were attached . alternatively , the larger tubes were heated by passing current through cu plates in contact with the ends of the tube . because the tubes were only 2 in . long in the present study , the long vertical coating chamber shown in fig1 was not necessary . a relatively large vacuum chamber ( interior dimensions roughly 12 in . diameter and 12 in . tall ) was modified for use instead . all existing internal fixtures were removed , and four electrical feedthroughs were installed to supply power to the filaments and the 6061 tubes . the modified vacuum chamber provided ample room for fixturing and wiring and proved a very flexible experimental apparatus . a diffusion pump backed by a centrifugal pump provided better than 10 − 4 torr vacuum for coating . the vacuum chamber is shown in fig3 with a representative set of fixtures inside . power to the filament typically was provided by a sorensen dcr - 40 - 70b dc power supply , with 80 a maximum output . to provide substrate heating with the 1 . 5 - in . and 2 - in . 6061 tubes , two of the sorensen dc power supplies were connected in parallel to provide adequate current . for these cases , a hdr zfl480 - 40c ac power supply , with 40 v maximum output , was used to provide power to the filament . the dc power supplies provided a very stable source of current that allowed precise temperature control . temperature feedback was obtained in two ways . a type k ( chromel - alumel ) thermocouple was spot - welded onto the outer surface of the tubes and pipes , and the signal was fed through a port in the vacuum chamber to a digital thermometer and a computer - based data logger . in addition , a e 2 technologies pulsar ii infrared ( ir ) detector was focused on the outer surface of the sample near the thermocouple leads via a quartz window near the midplane of the vacuum chamber . the ir detector allowed variable emissivity input to accurately measure the temperature of a variety of materials . the emissivity for clean 4130 steel , type 316 stainless steel and aluminum alloy 6061 were experimentally determined as a function of temperature by comparing thermocouple and ir detector output . when using al source materials , the typical coating run included a pre - heat to a tube temperature of approximately 350 ° c ., followed by a rapid increase in filament temperature until the tube temperature reached 500 - 900 ° c . control of the coating microstructure and composition was controlled primarily by the peak temperature achieved during coating , although the total time at temperature also had an impact on the coating composition . the al in the filament melts at 660 ° c ., but high deposition rates are not achieved until the vapor pressure reaches approximately 10 − 2 torr . this condition occurs at approximately 1200 ° c . for al as reported in mattox , dm . 1998 . handbook of physical vapor deposition ( pvd ) processing . park ridge , n . j . : noyes publications . the heating rate of the filament must be sufficiently high to traverse the range 660 - 1200 ° c . quickly , because the al will not wet the w filament below about 900 ° c . between 660 ° c . and 900 ° c ., the al will flow down the filament and can cause an electrical short between the filament and the tube if a large - enough droplet of al bridges the gap between the two . however , if the filament heating rate is too high , the al will not evaporate as individual atoms , but rather as micron - scale droplets that result in rough and poorly bonded coatings . cooling after coating deposition was conducted in vacuum to below 300 ° c ., at which point argon was introduced to the vacuum chamber . the vacuum chamber was not opened to the atmosphere until the sample had cooled to below 100 ° c . when using fe or ni source materials , a single coating pulse typically was not feasible due to the higher temperatures necessary to achieve rapid deposition rates for these metals . nickel and fe melt at 1453 ° c . and 1535 ° c ., respectively , and the temperatures at which they achieve a partial pressure of 10 − 2 torr are 1510 ° c . and 1480 ° c ., respectively . extended periods of time at these temperatures will weaken the w filaments and cause dimensional distortion or even breakage . as a result , the fe and ni coatings were produced by employing multiple short pulses rather than a single longer pulse , as with the al coatings . typically , the filament was allowed to pre - heat to approximately 1100 ° c ., followed by a rapid increase to 1500 - 1600 ° c . for a few seconds , then reduced to the pre - heat temperature of 800 - 900 ° c . multiple coating pulses proved an effective way to control thickness , as long as the 6061 substrate was cleaned and heated sufficiently to ensure bonding between the different coating layers . when co - depositing fe and al from the same filament , a single short pulse typically was used . sufficient current was applied to the filament to rapidly pass through the al and fe evaporation temperatures as quickly as possible to minimize the time between al and fe deposition . the filament typically was pre - heated to approximately 500 ° c ., followed by a rapid increase to 1600 ° c . ( or higher ) for a few seconds . multiple pulse were not considered due to the fact that all of the al would have been deposited during the first pulse . therefore , process parameters were selected to ensure complete fe evaporation in a single pulse . several w / al filament designs were tested throughout the course of the study . the initial al coating attempts on the 0 . 375 - in . diameter tubes were made with 1 × 7 stranded filaments composed of one 0 . 030 - in . al wire surrounded by six spirally - wrapped 0 . 030 - in . w wires . the wire pitch was approximately 0 . 81 in ., and the al wire was completely enclosed by w . the 1 × 7 stranded filaments were purchased from osram sylvania , and are shown in fig4 . unfortunately , the gap between the filament and the inner surface of the tube was too large to allow effective radiant beating of the tube , and the maximum tube temperature achievable in this configuration was only about 400 ° c ., which limited interdiffusion between al and the substrate . to achieve higher temperatures and a wider range of coating compositions , a coiled , loose - lay ( i . e . the al was not completely enclosed by w ) stranded filament design was used . these filaments had three 0 . 020 - in . w wires stranded together with a 0 . 020 - in . al wire , and the stranded filament was then wrapped around a mandrel to produce the final coiled filament . the coiled filaments were purchased from rd mathis portland , oreg ., and are shown in fig4 . the initial coiled filaments had an od of 0 . 25 in . and 14 spiral wraps over a 2 - in . length . later filaments had an od of 0 . 22 in . to ease alignment concerns while still providing adequate radiant heating to the tube , and they incorporated 21 spiral wraps over a 2 - in . length to increase the amount of al available for deposition . fig4 shows a typical 21 - wrap coiled w / al filament . the fe source material was 0 . 014 - in . wire , two of which were wrapped onto a 0 . 070 - in . diameter w rod between a 0 . 020 - in . diameter w wire wrap with 0 . 060 - in . pitch , as shown in fig4 . the fe wire was purchased from ed fagan , sacramento calif ., while the w - wire - wrapped w rods were purchased from rd mathis . when co - depositing al and fe , the rd mathis filaments were used with 0 . 014 - in . fe wire and 0 . 020 - in . al wire uniformly wrapped in the desired mass ratio . the ni source material was a 1 × 7 w / ni stranded filament , analogous to the 1 × 7 w / al filaments described above , except the ni and w wire diameters were 0 . 040 in . the w / ni filaments were purchased from osram sylvania pa ., and are shown in fig4 . the aisi 4130 steel ( nominal composition fe - 0 . 95cr0 . 5mn - 0 . 3c - 0 . 2mo ) was selected as a readily - available representative high - strength steel that could serve as an analog for heavy - duty diesel engine fuel injector nozzles . type 316 stainless steel ( nominal composition fe - 17cr - 12ni - 2 . 5mo ) was selected as a representative material for hydraulic fluid piping and related components . finally , aluminum alloy 6061 was selected as a readily - available analog for aluminum - alloy engine cylinders and diesel engine exhaust gas recirculator heat exchanger tubing . surface preparation of all these alloys was critical to obtaining good coating adhesion and interdiffusion . the 4130 samples were soaked in a solution of hydrochloric acid for 30 - 45 min , followed by abrasion with 600 grit sandpaper to remove any remaining soot . the 6061 samples were soaked in a solution of sodium hydroxide for 60 min . the 316ss samples required no special surface preparation . all three materials were given an ethanol wash immediately before loading in the vacuum chamber to remove any loose particulate . after etching and cleaning , the samples were handled with gloves to avoid introducing any volatile contaminants into the vacuum chamber . the 4130 and 6061 samples were placed under vacuum within a few minutes after finishing the cleaning process to avoid excessive growth of surface oxides prior to coating . no such precautions were necessary with the 316ss samples . all three of the materials are shown in fig5 , in the 2 - in . length that was used for coating development . the coated samples were sectioned both longitudinally , to evaluate coating uniformity along the length of the sample , and transversely , to evaluate the circumferential uniformity of the coating . optical microscopy also was performed to evaluate adhesion and provide feedback for coating process parameter development . knoop hardness measurements were performed on selected metallographic samples using a future tech fm microhardness testing apparatus . all hardness measurements were made with a 25 g load on the indenter . selected metallographic sample mounts were examined in more detail via scanning electron microscopy ( sem ) using a jeol jsm 840 microscope in both secondary and backscattered electron modes , as appropriate . finally coating composition was evaluated using energy dispersive x - ray spectroscopy ( eds ). the eds detector was manufactured by robinson and the software used to quantify the data was isis 300 . the eds spectra were calibrated by oxford scientific using traceable standards . the aluminide coatings deposited on the 4130 steel tubes were produced in thicknesses ranging from 2 μm to just over 30 μm using the stranded filaments shown in fig4 . the coating thickness was controlled by the adjusting the current through the filament and the deposition time . fig6 shows the relationship between coating thickness , filament current and deposition time . these data highlight the predictability of the ipvd process and the manner in which parameters for a specific coating thickness may be selected . the upper limit of 30 μm represented deposition of all the available al in the 0 . 030 - in . 1 × 7 stranded w / al filaments . thicker coatings were produced in later experiments by using the coiled filaments that incorporated more al . the typical thickness of coatings produced using the 14 - wrap coiled filaments was about 45 μm , while the typical thickness of coatings produced using the 21 - wrap coiled filaments was about 60 μm . fig7 shows a representative optical micrograph of an aluminide coating on 4130 steel . typically , these coatings exhibited two layers with different al concentrations . in general , they all exhibited good adhesion with visible diffusion bonding as long as the surface was etched prior to coating . coating thickness was uniform both around the circumference of the tube and along its length . the coating layer adjacent to the substrate ( the interphase ) typically was much harder than the substrate and the surface layer . depending on the peak temperature experienced by the tube during coating , the interphase tended to have a composition close to one of three intermetallic phases . in order of increasing peak temperature these were feal 3 , fe 2 al 5 , and feal 2 . the thickness of the interphase varied from 40 - 80 % of the toal coating thickness , with the relative interphase thickness varying as a function of the peak tube temperature . the surface layer of the coating tended to be a two - phase mixture of feal 3 and al , and typically exhibited some degree of porosity mostly oriented in the radial direction . some coatings exhibited circumferential cracks between the interphase and the surface layer . the circumferential cracks generally were associated with the presence of fe 2 al 5 interphase layers , which tend to be very brittle . the circumferential cracks probably formed during cooling in response to differential thermal stresses , and cracks like these are very undesirable because they lead to spalling of the surface coating layers . the radial cracks potentially could be beneficial , however , because they could improve the self - lubricating ability of the coating by holding fuel or oil . similarly , the al - rich surface layer could be beneficial if a compliant layer was desirable over the hard interphase layer . if the al - rich layer was not desirable for a given application , the interior surface of the tube could be easily machined to remove or thin it . the process of machining the surface layer also might heal the exposed radial cracks if a porous coating was not desirable . fig8 shows a representative al and fe composition profile obtained via eds superimposed over the corresponding sem image . the image shows good bonding and interdiffusion between the aluminide coating and the 4130 substrate . the two - layer microstructure of the coating is clearly evident , with an interphase of feal 3 and a two - phase ( feal 3 + al ) surface layer with al content increasing to greater than 80 w / o at the coating surface . the thickness of the interphase is 10 - 15 μm and is relatively uniform . the coating shown in fig8 was taken from a sample processed to a peak temperature of 640 ° c ., with an interphase hardness of 864 h k . although the two - layer microstructure of the coating is very similar to the sample shown in fig7 , the composition of the interphase is different . the sample in fig7 possessed a fe 2 al 5 interphase , while the sample in fig8 possessed a feal 3 interphase , suggesting that the transition from feal 3 and fe 2 al 5 occurs between peak temperatures of 640 ° c . and 676 ° c . fig9 shows the hardness of the interphase as a function of the peak processing temperature of the tube and the total time at temperature . the peak hardness occurred at a peak temperature of approximately 650 ° c . below this temperature there is a rapid decrease in hardness of the interphase , while above this temperature the decrease is less dramatic . the data along the curve labeled “ free cooling ” in fig9 were taken from tubes that were allowed to cool to 300 ° c . in vacuum with no power to the filament . the cooling rate for the curve labeled “ slow cooling ” in fig9 was controlled by slowly decreasing power to the filament after deposition . when the coated tubes were cooled at half the free - cooling rate after deposition , the increased time at temperature resulted in a softening of the interphase relative to the freely - cooled tubes coated to the same peak temperature . interestingly , the slowly - cooled tubes exhibited an interphase with hardness independent of peak temperature . no eds data were obtained for the coatings on the slowly - cooled tubes , so the composition of their interphase was not determined . fig1 relates the composition of the interphase to the peak coating temperature , while fig1 shows the dependence of interphase hardness on composition . by comparing these plots with the data in fig9 , one can draw conclusions regarding the composition of the interphase that produces the peak hardness . it appears that the peak hardness in fig9 ( average h k = 823 ) corresponds to a feal 3 phase at 63 w / o al . this composition is within the solubility range of feal 3 near 650 ° c ., according to the fe - al phase diagram shown in kubachewski , o . 1982 . jron - binary phase diagrams . berlin , germany : springer - verlag . the plateau in hardness in fig9 ( average h k = 746 ) between peak temperatures of 650 ° c . and 850 ° c . corresponds closely to a fe 2 al 5 composition , while the slightly lower hardness value ( h k = 666 ) above 850 ° c . appear to correspond to a feal 2 composition . peak temperatures lower than 600 ° c . produce coating compositions very rich in al without the hard interphase , which explains the rapid decrease in hardness below a peak temperature of 650 ° c . the measured hardness of the feal 3 interphase ( 823 h k ) agrees reasonably well with literature values ( 764 h k ), while the measured hardness of the fe 2 al 5 interphase ( 746 h k ) is about 20 % below literature values ( 933 h k ) reported in ivanko , aa . 1971 . handbook of hardness data . washington , d . c . : national bureau of standards . the scatter in the hardness values for a given composition in fig1 probably is due to the fact that the interphase tends to be thin relative to the knoop hardness indenter . fig1 shows the thickness of the interphase as a fraction of the total coating thickness as a function of peak tube temperature . the coatings represented by the data in fig1 were produced with three different filaments having three different amounts of al available , which produced different overall coating thicknesses as described herein . therefore , a relative measure of the interphase thickness is necessary to compare between coatings produced with different filament types . coatings deposited at a peak tube temperature of approximately 750 ° c . appear to produce the thickest interphase layers relative to the total coating thickness . in absolute terms , the data point in fig1 at the peak of the curve corresponds to an interphase thickness of about 40 μm in a 52 μm coating . the harder feal 3 interphases produced at peak tube temperatures near 650 ° c . had thicknesses between 40 % and 50 % of the overall coating thickness . in order to avoid annealing the 4130 steel substrate , it was important to determine the upper limit on peak tube temperature . fig1 shows hardness data for tubes processed between 635 ° c . and 940 ° c . the horizontal band between 256 h k and 291 h k represents the range of hardness values measured on as - received 4130 steel tubes . based on these data , it appears that peak temperatures up to at least 676 ° c . do not significantly soften the steel substrate . while specific peak temperature limits must be determined independently different substrate materials , the data in fig1 demonstrate that hard aluminide coatings can be deposited on alloy steels using ipvd without annealing the substrate . fig1 shows the peak al concentration in the coatings on type 316 stainless steel tubes . the important fact to be discerned from the data in fig1 is that the composition of the coatings is a predictable function of the peak substrate temperature . thickness of the coatings on 316ss was not varied because only one filament type was used . however , the thickness of these coatings could be controlled in the same manner as demonstrated on the 4130 coatings shown in fig6 . fig1 shows a representative optical micrograph of an aluminide coating on the inner surface of a 0 . 375 - in . 316ss tube . in general , the microstructure of the aluminide coatings on 316ss were similar to those on 4130 . the coatings all exhibited good adhesion and diffusion bonding , without any special surface preparation other than light swabbing with ethanol . circumferential and axial thickness uniformity was good . there are two distinct layers in the coating . the layer adjacent to the substrate ( interphase ) is the harder phase , and varied in al content as a function of peak tube temperature . the coating in fig1 had an interphase with a composition near ( fe , cr , ni ) al 3 ( also denoted as mal 3 ). the surface coating layer is a two - phase mixture of mal 3 and al . the coatings on the 316ss substrate did not exhibit the radially - oriented porosity observed in the coatings on 4130 , but coatings on 316ss that had an interphase composition near m 2 ai 5 exhibited the same circumferential cracking observed in the coatings on 4130 with the fe 2 al 5 interphase . the denser coatings on 316ss would make them more suitable for erosion - or corrosion - resistance , but the hard interphase still would make them suitable for wear - resistance if lubricant retention was not an issue . also , the al - rich surface layer in the coatings on 316ss was very soft , which would facilitate post - process machining if required . fig1 shows an eds composition profile overlaid on a sem image of an aluminide coating on 316ss processed to a peak tube temperature of 829 ° c . the two - layer microstructure is visible in the sem image , but additional detail is evident in this image as well . the mal 3 interphase increases slightly in al content with increasing distance from the coating / substrate interface . the fe content of the mal 3 interphase is relatively constant at 28 w / o throughout its depth , but the cr content decreases with increasing distance from the coating / substrate interface ( 6 w / o to 4 w / o ) and the ni content decreases with increasing distance from the coating / substrate interface ( 5 w / o to 3 w / o ). the variation in al , cr and ni content probably are responsible for the difference in compositional contrast seen in the sem image . also present in the mal 3 interphase are small , dark precipitates of indeterminate composition . these probably are fe -, ni - or cr - rich precipitates . the microstructure of the mal 3 + al layer is more complex than the coatings on 4130 , with several phases present . the difference in contrast between the various phases probably is due to their relative al , fe , cr , and ni content . fig1 depicts the knoop hardness of the interphase as a function of the peak tube temperature for the coatings on 316ss . the trend in hardness is clearly different than observed for coatings on 4130 steel , with hardness increasing with peak temperature between 620 ° c . and 960 ° c . there also is significantly more scatter in the hardness data for the coatings on 316ss than for those on 4130 . the hardness of the mal 3 interphases range from 243 - 700 h k . the sample exhibiting the highest hardness had an interphase thickness of 18 μm . the other coatings with mal 3 interphases were only 2 - 4 μm thick , so their hardness values are questionable because the size of the knoop indentation in many cases was larger than the interphase thickness . the value of 709 h k for the 18 μm thick interphase is slightly lower than the hardness of the feal 3 coatings ( 781 - 864 h k ), and the difference probably is due to the more complex microstructure and presence of cr and ni aluminide phases . fig1 relates the interphase al concentration to the peak tube temperature . unlike the aluminide coatings on 4130 , the interphase composition is relatively independent of peak tube temperature to at least 830 ° c . above this temperature , the interphase composition changes dramatically , with a mal composition achieved at a peak tube temperature of 960 ° c . intermediate interphase compositions might be achievable in the temperature range 830 - 960 ° c ., but no data from the present study were available . the data in fig1 demonstrate that even at a peak tube temperature of 960 ° c ., the 316ss substrate was not softened . although the upper coating temperature will be a function of the amount of cold work present and the time spent at temperature , these data at least demonstrate that coatings can be deposited without significantly degrading the stainless steel substrate . further , for peak tube temperatures in the range 61 8 - 960 ° c ., radiative cooling in vacuum was sufficient to avoid sensitization in 316ss , as verified by calculations using the ssdos code described in bruemmer , sm . 1988 . “ quantitative measurement and modeling of sensitization development in stainless steels ,” ph . d . dissertation . beaverton , oreg . : oregon graduate center . fig2 shows a sem image of a ni coating deposited on a 2 - in . diameter al - alloy 6061 cylinder . this coating was deposited in five pulses , with the peak cylinder temperature reaching 476 ° c . on the final pulse . the overall coating thickness was approximately 6 μm . the coating is well - adhered , smooth , and of uniform thickness . in a few places , the coating exhibited radial cracks that resembled shrinkage cracks from differential thermal stresses . these may have been caused by non - uniformities in the temperature of the al - alloy cylinder around its periphery . little structure is evident within the coating in fig2 , but the eds data shown in fig2 suggest the presence of at least two distinct layers . adjacent to the substrate the ni concentration varies between 51 w / o and 56 w / o , suggesting a two - phase mixture of nial 3 and ni 2 al 3 . closer to the coating surface , the ni concentration varies between 55 w / o and 65 w / o , which could indicate a two - phase mixture of ni 2 al 3 and nial . it is not surprising that there are not broad regions of single - phase nickel aluminides because these intermetallic compounds do not have the wide solubility ranges typically found in the iron aluminides described above for the al coatings on 4130 and 316ss as described in dupin , n , i ansara , hl lukas and b sundman . 1997 . “ an assessment of the al - ni system ,” journal of alloys and compounds , 247 : 20 - 30 . fig2 shows a sem image of a fe coating on a 2 - in . diameter al alloy 6061 cylinder . this coating was deposited with a single pulse resulting in a peak cylinder temperature of 433 ° c . the fe coating appears to be a bit rougher than the ni coating described above , with more radial cracking . typically , this type of cracking can be minimized by more uniform substrate temperature control . the coating is well - adhered and the thickness is relatively uniform at about 6 μm . the al and fe concentration profile shown in fig2 reveals some fe diffusion into the 6061 substrate , but little al diffusion into the fe coating . nevertheless , a good diffusion bond was obtained , with an interdiffusion zone about 3 μm thick . the peak tube temperature of 433 ° c . in this case probably was too low to create a thick iron aluminide coating on the surface . at slightly higher temperatures , there is a good likelihood of producing an fe - rich aluminide structure such as fe 3 al , which exhibits many of the attractive features of the feal 3 coatings described above , but with better ductility and improved oxidation and sulfidation resistance . to produce fe - rich iron aluminides without excessively heating the al 6061 substrate , al and fe were deposited near - simultaneously from the same filament . although the al evaporated from the filament slightly before the fe , the coating materials retained sufficient energy upon deposition to promote thorough mixing . fig2 shows a typical micrograph of the resulting coating on a tube that reached a peak temperature of 340 ° c . the coating was well - adhered , dense , and smooth . no evidence of radial cracking or spalling was observed . the overall coating thickness was relatively consistent along the length of the tube and around the circumference , varying between 2 μm and 4 μm . the coating appeared to consist of two distinct layers that conform to a fe 3 al composition on the surface and a feal composition at the coating / substrate interface . the thickness of the surface layer varied between 1 μm and 2 μm along the length of the cylinder . fig2 shows the composition of the surface layer along the length of the cylinder , and fig2 shows composition profiles through the coating at two axial locations . the surface layer composition is very uniform top - to - bottom , and the depth profiles at the two locations are very similar , even though the overall coating thickness differs by approximately 1 μm . experiments were conducted with al deposition in a n 2 atmosphere in order to produce aln coatings . stranded 1 × 7 filaments containing a 0 . 030 - in . al wire surrounded by six 0 . 030 - in . w wires were suspended in the center of 14 - in . long type 316 stainless steel tubes with 0 . 336 - in . inner diameter . tube pre - heat temperatures ranged from 356 ° c . to 542 ° c . the deposition of al typically occurred in a three - step process , with an initial al melting and tinning step of 75 s at 54 - 60 a and tube temperatures of 639 - 698 ° c ., followed by a rapid increase in current to approximately 90 a for 20 s to deposit the al at peak tube temperatures of 800 - 962 ° c . after the initial deposition step , the current typically was reduced to 78 - 88 a for 30 - 240 s to limit the peak temperature of the tube to less than 1000 ° c ., provide time for reaction between the al and n 2 , and diffuse the al into the stainless steel substrate . the coating chamber was initially pumped to a vacuum in the 10 − 5 to 10 − 6 torr range , with n 2 added before or during the coating run . a low - pressure regulator was fitted to a n 2 cylinder , and a needle valve was used to control the flow of n 2 into the coating chamber . in some cases flowing n 2 was passed through the chamber before and during the pre - heat and coating steps at partial pressures of 10 − 4 to 10 − 1 torr . in other tests , n 2 was admitted to the chamber and held static at pressures ranging from − 4 in . hg to 5 psig after the tube pre - heat , before the al deposition step , or immediately after the al deposition step . coatings were produced that contained up to 17 a / o n on the surface . a representative sem image of the surface of such a sub - stoichiometric aln coating is shown in fig2 . while a preferred embodiment of the present invention has been shown and described , it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many changes and modifications may be made without departing from the invention in its broader aspects . the appended claims are therefore intended to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention .

US-40676603-A

a computer - implemented method is provided for ranking files from an internet search . in one embodiment , the method comprises assigning a score to each file based on at least one of the following factors : recency , editorial popularity , clickthru popularity , favorites metadata , or favorites collaborative filtering . the file may be organized based on the assigned scores to provide users with more accurate search results .

it is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the invention , as claimed . it may be noted that , as used in the specification and the appended claims , the singular forms “ a ”, “ an ” and “ the ” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise . thus , for example , reference to “ a crawler ” may include multiple crawlers , and the like . references cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety , except to the extent that they conflict with teachings explicitly set forth in this specification . referring now to fig1 , a schematic is shown of the truveo search engine which is configured for use with the present ranking scheme . as seen in fig1 , the search engine may include a recommendation engine 10 . the engine 10 may use reasoning algorithms to provide highly accurate search results with minimal user input . in one embodiment , the recommendation engine may use a ranking scheme as set forth below . r r ⁢ { 1 - 1 t e ⁢ ( d c - d f ) , for ⁢ ⁢ ( d c - d f ) & lt ; t e 0 , for ⁢ ⁢ ( d c - d f ) & gt ; t e ⁢ ⁢ t e = expiration ⁢ ⁢ time ⁢ ⁢ ( perhaps ∼ 30 ⁢ ⁢ days ) ⁢ this yields the relationship as shown in fig2 . each database entry ( e . g ., item ) is assigned a value for ‘ editorial_rank ’, based on how popular the content is expected to be . this could be based on expected viewership for known brand names , previous neilsen ratings , etc . the most popular content should approach r e = 1 . unknown or unpopular content should approach r e = 0 . optionally , the editorial popularity rank may also have a time decay component to give weight or more weight to more recent popularity information . to implement the clickthru popularity rating , the following fields need to be added to the video data table : total_clicks = the running tally of clicks that this item has seen since date found cpm = clicks per minute cpm_counter_buffer = running tally of clicks on this item since cpm_last_calc cpm_last_calc = the time when cpm was last calculated and cpm_count_buffer was flushed for every user with cookies enabled , each clicked item is stored anonymously in a cookie . upon a subsequent request to the truveo search engine ( during that same session ), the clickthru data in the cookie is processed as follows : for every item clicked , increment total_clicks , cpm_count_buffer , cph_count_buffer , and cpd_buffer by 1 . once this is complete , the user &# 39 ; s browser cookie may be flushed to eliminate all cached clickthrus . note that if the user has not registered for an account , this ranking , r md , is zero . if the user does have a valid account , r md will be determined as follows : user favorites metadata is stored in 3 database tables : favorite_titles , favorite_people , favorite_keywords . if any entry in favorite_titles matches any part of the title field or the keywords field , r md = 1 . if any entry in the favorite_people table matches any part of any of the fields : actor , director , keywords , producer , writer , long_description , short_description , r md = 1 if any entry in the favorite_keywords table matches any part of any of the fields : actor , category , director , genre , host_site_name , host_site_url , keywords , long_description , short_description , producer , title , writer , r md = 1 . note : be sure to filter matches on trivial metadata entries like single characters , articles or whitespace characters . a user &# 39 ; s favorites may be determined by , but not limited to , providing a mechanism for the user to indicate their favorite videos , recording the video items they select to view ( e . g . through the use of cookies ), or by recording the video items they choose to forward via e - mail to other people . the favorite_title , favorite_people , and favorite_keywords tables are populated for the user by extracting the appropriate meta data from the video record of the indicated favorite video . optionally , embodiments of the present application may also include the use of a unique cookie to identify an anonymous user as a substitute for a user account . a listing of the favorite items ( video data records ) for each user is stored in the database table favorite_items . note that , if the user has not registered for an account , this ranking , r cf , is zero . if the user does have a valid account , r cf is determined as follows : first , calculate the distance between user i and all other users , j : d i , j = distance ⁢ ⁢ between ⁢ ⁢ user ⁢ ⁢ i + j = n i - n i , j n i = 1 - n i , j n i where n i is the number of favorite items user i has stored , and n i , j is the number of user i &# 39 ; s favorites that match favorites of user j . note that if all of user i &# 39 ; s favorites match a favorite of user j , then d i , j = 0 . if none match , d i , j = 1 . similarly , a measure of the similarity between user i and j can be calculated as follows : s i , j = similarity between users i and j =( 1 − d i , j )= note : s i , j = 1 when the users are completely similar , and 0 when there are no similar favorites between users . we can now select the k - nearest neighbors to user i based on the similarity ranking . for example , assuming user i has three favorite items : user id ( j ) n i , j d i , j s i , j favorite items id 1 1 0 . 66 0 . 33 101 , 102 , 103 , 110 2 2 0 . 33 0 . 66 103 , 104 , 105 , 106 , 107 3 0 1 0 101 4 3 0 1 103 , 104 , 107 , 112 5 2 0 . 33 0 . 66 106 , 107 , 109 , 110 , 111 , 112 6 1 0 . 66 0 . 33 103 , 104 from this ordered list , the k - nearest neighbors are the first k items . from the k - nearest neighbors , we can also determine a popularity rating for each new favorite item . this can be calculated from the fraction of the k neighbors that have item l in their favorites list . where : s max , l = maximum similarity across all users with item l in their favorites list popularity = 1 when all knn contain item 1 , and p 1 = 0 when no knn contain item 1 . now , we can determine a ranking for every new item in the k - nearest neighbors list : in other words , r cf is a weighted sum of the maximum user similarity for item l and the popularity of item l among knn such that 0 ≦ r cf ≦ 1 . the weighting factor is calculated as a function of n , since the relative importance of user similarity , as compared to popularity , increases with the number of specified favorite items . in other words , if a user has only specified one favorite item , n i = 1 , then the similarity will be either 0 or 1 , and therefore it does not have much meaning . therefore , when n i is small , similarity should be weighed less than popularity . c max sim should be set to the value that the similarity weighting factor should approach as n i becomes large . a good range is probably 0 . 3 ≦ c max sim ≦ 0 . 8 . more specifically , the relationship of the similarity and popularity weighting coefficients can be plotted as shown in fig3 . now , for each new item in knn , we can calculate the rank r cf : if the maximum similarity to user i for item l is 1 , and item l is a favorite of all knn users , r cf = 1 the popularity will never be below 1 / knn , but the similarity can be zero . as a result , r cf will never be 0 unless c max sim = 1 and n i ∞. optionally , embodiments of the present invention may also include a factor for crawl quality in the ranking of search results . by way of non limiting example , application crawler results are ranked higher than rss feed results and rss feed results higher than results from a generic web crawler . referring now to fig4 , one embodiment of a user interface for presenting the search results is shown . as seen in fig4 , the results may display description of the video content , length of video , time the video was posted , title , website origin , video type , and / or video quality . referring now to fig5 , another embodiment of a user interface is shown . this intuitive media center user interface may be used to bring web video to a television and other non - pc video devices . in one embodiment , the present invention provides tivo style recommendations as well as keyword queries . as seen in fig1 , the television interface ( or media center interface ) shown in fig5 may access the results from the ranking engine and application crawler . again , video quality , bit rate , description , and other information may be displayed . videos may also be categorized based on categories such as , but not limited to , news , sports , movies , and other subjects . while the invention has been described and illustrated with reference to certain particular embodiments thereof , those skilled in the art will appreciate that various adaptations , changes , modifications , substitutions , deletions , or additions of procedures and protocols may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . for example , with any of the above embodiments , the recommendation may use a ranking scheme having only a subset of the ranking terms set forth in the formula . by way of example and not limitation , some embodiments may not include term 5 , the favorites collaborative filtering ranking . in other embodiments , variations may be made to the present embodiment such as but not limited to computing the ranking terms in a different order or the like . it should be understood that the present ranking scheme is not limited to video files and may be used to rank or organize other types of files . it should be understood that the term “ files ” as in “ video files ” may include the delivery of the content of the file in the form of a stream from a server ( i . e . a media server ). the publications discussed or cited herein are provided solely for their disclosure prior to the filing date of the present application . nothing herein is to be construed as an admission that the present invention is not entitled to antedate such publication by virtue of prior invention . further , the dates of publication provided may be different from the actual publication dates which may need to be independently confirmed . u . s . provisional application ser . no . 60 / 630 , 552 filed nov . 22 , 2004 and u . s . provisional application ser . no . 60 / 630 , 423 filed nov . 22 , 2004 , are fully incorporated herein by reference for all purposes . all publications mentioned herein are incorporated herein by reference to disclose and describe the structures and / or methods in connection with which the publications are cited . expected variations or differences in the results are contemplated in accordance with the objects and practices of the present invention . it is intended , therefore , that the invention be defined by the scope of the claims which follow and that such claims be interpreted as broadly as is reasonable .

US-201213620981-A

a slicing machine comprising a rotatable circular cutter blade , a reciprocatable feed carriage to carry stock to be sliced by the cutter blade , and a receiving device to receive slices severed by the cutter blade from such stock . the receiving device is coupled to the feed carriage to be angularly displaced in co - ordination with the reciprocation of the feed carriage and is provided with a plurality of spikes to project from a slice receiving surface of the receiving device by an amount sufficient to enable a plurality of severed slices to be stacked on the receiving device , which is further provided with stripper means to strip such stack of slices off the spikes .

referring now to the drawings , fig1 and 2 show a slicing machine , which comprises a motor housing 1 , a revolving , preferably electrically driven circular cutter blade 2 and a reciprocating feed carriage 3 for the stock or material to be sliced . this carriage is slidably mounted by guide rails 4 and 5 and comprises a pivotably mounted retaining lever 6 for pressing the stock to be sliced against the circular cutter blade 2 . on the side of the circular blade 2 remote from the feed carriage 3 , a receiving device 7 is journalled to be at the level of the severing location and to be rotatable about a vertical axis 8 . the receiving device comprises an approximately semi - circular cylindrical receiving surface 9 , surmounted by a frusto - conical section , the axis of generation of which coincides with the rotational axis 8 ( fig3 and 4 ). the upper , frusto - conical portion of the receiving device 9 comprises a plurality of individual inwardly bent tongues 11 and serves as a supporting surface for severed slices . in the lower cylindrical receiving surface 9 , sharp spikes 12 are disposed in two rows one above the other to point radially outwards . between the two rows of spikes , the receiving surface 9 has rectangular openings 13 , in which are disposed movble segment members 14 conforming to the shape of movable receiving surface . these movable segment members are connected to be pivotable about a vertical axis by means of levers 15 and 16 rigidly attached to them , to a member 18 slidable along two guide tubes 17 towards the receiving surface and away from it . the member 18 comprises two parallel tubes 20 , which are joined together by yoke - like webs 19 and which are capable of sliding in the manner of a telescope in the guide tubes 17 . the guide tubes 17 are rigidly attached to the receiving device 7 , whereas the slider member 18 , the levers 15 and 16 and the movable segment members 14 are displaceable relative to the receiving device 7 . the interfitting tubes 20 and 17 are surrounded by a helical spring 21 , which bears at one end on the slider member 18 and at the other end on the receiving device 7 and which urges the slider member 18 together with the tubes 20 out of the guide tubes 17 . in addition , a retaining bar 22 is connected to the receiving device 7 and a handle 23 to the slider member 18 . when the spring 21 is relaxed ( expanded ), the slider member 18 is at its furthest position from the receiving surface 9 and the segment members 14 are pulled back into the openings 13 of the receiving surface 9 , so that they in effect form part of that surface . when the handle 23 is pushed against the force of the helical spring 21 up against the retaining bar 22 , then the segment members 14 are pushed outwards of the openings 13 by the levers 15 and 16 and in a direction parallel to the radially oriented spikes 12 projecting from the receiving surface 9 , thereby to strip off the slices on the spikes 12 . in fig1 and 4 , the levers 15 and 16 as well as the segment members 14 are shown in the extended position by dot - and - dash lines . the movable segment members together with the levers 15 and 16 and the slider member 18 thus constitute a stripper apparatus . the receiving device 7 is keyed onto a vertical driving shaft 24 , which in turn is keyed onto a sheave 25 . a driving belt 28 is attached to the feed carriage 3 and passes around this sheave 25 and guide pulleys 26 and 27 ( fig1 ). by means of this belt 28 , the reciprocation of the feed carriage 3 is translated into a synchronous , oscillatory rotation of the driving shaft 24 and therefore of the receiving device 7 . the connection between the receiving device 7 and the driving shaft 24 is releasable , so that the receiving device 7 can easily be removed from the slicing machine , for example by gripping the retaining bar 22 and the handle 23 . it is also possible to fit the driving shaft 24 with a lockable hinge , so that unlocking the hinge enables the receiving device 7 to be pivoted perpendicularly to the driving shaft 24 without being disconnected from it ; this embodiment of the invention is not shown in the drawing . directly behind the severing location , a guide element 31 is disposed between the circular cutter blade 2 and the receiving device 7 ; this guide element 31 serves for guiding and pressing the severed slices onto the receiving device 7 . the guide element 31 is mounted to be pivotable about a vertical axis 32 and comprises a guide plate 33 and a pusher bar 35 , attached thereto to be pivotable about a vertical axis 34 ( fig4 ). the guide plate 33 extends on its side nearest to the circular cutter blade 2 at an acute angle right up close to the circular cutter blade 2 , so that it guides the severed slices away from the circular cutter . at the opposite side , the guide plate extends right up close to the receiving surface 9 of the receiving device 7 . milled into the guide plate 33 are horizontal grooves 36 , through which the spikes 12 pass . by means of the guide plate 33 , the cut off slices are guided so closely onto the receiving surface 9 that they are laid against that surface , the spikes 12 penetrating and holding the slices . the pusher bar 35 is provided at its lower end with an actuating lever 37 , against which an entraining member 38 mounted on the receiving device 7 strikes as it rotates , thus causing the push bar 35 to be pivoted about the axis 34 and to press against a slice pierced by one or more of the spikes 12 and force it firmly against the receiving surface 9 , so that the points of the spikes 12 are then free to receive a further slice . a helical spring 39 surrounding the shaft 34 causes the pusher bar 35 then to be swung back into its rest position . in operation , the receiving device 7 is rotationally driven by the belt 28 synchronously with the movement of the feed carriage 3 , so that the circumferential speed of the receiving surface 9 and the linear speed of the feed carriage 3 are substantially equal . a slice severed by the circular cutter blade 2 can therefore be placed by the guide plate 33 against the receiving surface 9 and be firmly pushed by the pusher bar 35 onto the spikes 12 . when the feed carriage 3 returns , the receiving device 7 also rotates back . when the next slice is severed , it is again pressed against the receiving surface on top of the slice already held there . in this manner , a stack of slices can be collected upon the receiving device 7 according to the quantity desired or the length of the spikes 12 . as soon as the desired quantity has been reached , the receiving device 7 is removed from the driving shaft 24 and the stripper apparatus is actuated at a desired location by pushing forward the handle 23 and thus the slider 18 . the receiving device 7 is then replaced on the driving shaft 24 and is ready to receive a new stack of slices . as already described above , it is also possible not to remove the receiving device 7 from the driving shaft 24 , but to pivot it about a lockable hinge . it is also possible to effect the releasing of the hinge , the pivoting of the receiving device 7 and the actuating of the stripper apparatus in such a case by a drive powered by the slicing machine .

US-52118574-A

the invention provides compositions and methods for engineering bacteria to produce fucosylated oligosaccharides , and the use thereof in the prevention or treatment of infection .

human milk glycans , which comprise both oligosaccharides ( hmos ) and their glycoconjugates , play significant roles in the protection and development of human infants , and in particular the infant gastrointestinal ( gi ) tract . milk oligosaccharides found in various mammals differ greatly , and their composition in humans is unique ( hamosh m ., 2001 pediatr clin north am , 48 : 69 - 86 ; newburg d . s ., 2001 adv exp med biol , 501 : 3 - 10 ). moreover , glycan levels in human milk change throughout lactation and also vary widely among individuals ( morrow a . l . et al ., 2004 j pediatr , 145 : 297 - 303 ; chaturvedi p et al ., 2001 glycobiology , 11 : 365 - 372 ). previously , a full exploration of the roles of hmos was limited by the inability to adequately characterize and measure these compounds . in recent years sensitive and reproducible quantitative methods for the analysis of both neutral and acidic hmos have been developed ( erney , r ., hilty , m ., pickering , l ., ruiz - palacios , g ., and prieto , p . ( 2001 ) adv exp med biol 501 , 285 - 297 . bao , y ., and newburg , d . s . ( 2008 ) electrophoresis 29 , 2508 - 2515 ). approximately 200 distinct oligosaccharides have been identified in human milk , and combinations of a small number of simple epitopes are responsible for this diversity ( newburg d . s ., 1999 curr_med chem , 6 : 117 - 127 ; ninonuevo m . et al ., 2006 j agric food chem , 54 : 7471 - 74801 ). hmos are composed of 5 monosaccharides : d - glucose ( glc ), d - galactose ( gal ), n - acetylglucosamine ( glcnac ), l - fucose ( fuc ), and sialic acid ( n - acetyl neuraminic acid , neu5ac , nana ). hmos are usually divided into two groups according to their chemical structures : neutral compounds containing glc , gal , glcnac , and fuc , linked to a lactose ( galβ1 - 4glc ) core , and acidic compounds including the same sugars , and often the same core structures , plus nana ( charlwood j . et al ., 1999 anal_biochem , 273 : 261 - 277 ; martín - sosa et al ., 2003 j dairy sci , 86 : 52 - 59 ; parkkinen j . and finne j ., 1987 methods enzymol , 138 : 289 - 300 ; shen z . et al ., 2001 j chromatogr a , 921 : 315 - 321 ). approximately 70 - 80 % of oligosaccharides in human milk are fucosylated , and their synthetic pathways are believed to proceed in a manner similar to those pathways shown in fig1 ( with the type i and type ii subgroups beginning with different precursor molecules ). a smaller proportion of the oligosaccharides in human milk are sialylated , or are both fucosylated and sialylated . fig2 outlines possible biosynthetic routes for sialylated ( acidic ) hmos , although their actual synthetic 7 pathways in humans are not yet completely defined . interestingly , hmos as a class , survive transit through the intestine of infants very efficiently , a function of their being poorly transported across the gut wall and of their resistance to digestion by human gut enzymes ( chaturvedi , p ., warren , c . d ., buescher , c . r ., pickering , l . k . & amp ; newburg , d . s . adv exp med biol 501 , 315 - 323 ( 2001 )). one consequence of this survival in the gut is that hmos are able to function as prebiotics , i . e . they are available to serve as an abundant carbon source for the growth of resident gut commensal microorganisms ( ward , r . e ., niñonuevo , m ., mills , d . a ., lebrilla , c . b ., and german , j . b . ( 2007 ) mol nutr food res 51 , 1398 - 1405 ). recently , there is burgeoning interest in the role of diet and dietary prebiotic agents in determining the composition of the gut microflora , and in understanding the linkage between the gut microflora and human health ( roberfroid , m ., gibson , g . r ., hoyles , l ., mccartney , a . l ., rastall , r ., rowland , i ., wolvers , d ., watzl , b ., szajewska , h ., stahl , b ., guarner , f ., respondek , f ., whelan , k ., coxam , v ., davicco , m . j ., léotoing , l ., wittrant , y ., delzenne , n . m ., cani , p . d ., neyrinck , a . m ., and meheust , a . ( 2010 ) br j nutr 104 suppl 2 , s1 - 63 ). a number of human milk glycans possess structural homology to cell receptors for enteropathogens , and serve roles in pathogen defense by acting as molecular receptor “ decoys ”. for example , pathogenic strains of campylobacter bind specifically to glycans in human milk containing the h - 2 epitope , i . e ., 2 ′- fucosyl - n - acetyllactosamine or 2 ′- fucosyllactose ( 2 ′- fl ); campylobacter binding and infectivity are inhibited by 2 ′- fl and other glycans containing this h - 2 epitope ( ruiz - palacios , g . m ., cervantes , l . e ., ramos , p ., chavez - munguia , b ., and newburg , d . s . ( 2003 ) j biol chem 278 , 14112 - 14120 ). similarly , some diarrheagenic e . coli pathogens are strongly inhibited in vivo by hmos containing 2 ′- linked fucose moieties . several major strains of human caliciviruses , especially the noroviruses , also bind to 2 ′- linked fucosylated glycans , and this binding is inhibited by human milk 2 ′- linked fucosylated glycans . consumption of human milk that has high levels of these 2 ′- linked fucosyloligosaccharides has been associated with lower risk of norovirus , campylobacter , st of e . coli - associated diarrhea , and moderate - to - severe diarrhea of all causes in a mexican cohort of breastfeeding children ( newburg d . s . et al ., 2004 glycobiology , 14 : 253 - 263 ; newburg d . s . et al ., 1998 lancet , 351 : 1160 - 1164 ). several pathogens are also known to utilize sialylated glycans as their host receptors , such as influenza ( couceiro , j . n ., paulson , j . c . & amp ; baum , l . g . virus res 29 , 155 - 165 ( 1993 )), parainfluenza ( amonsen , m ., smith , d . f ., cummings , r . d . & amp ; air , g . m . j virol 81 , 8341 - 8345 ( 2007 ), and rotoviruses ( kuhlenschmidt , t . b ., hanafin , w . p ., gelberg , h . b . & amp ; kuhlenschmidt , m . s . adv exp med biol 473 , 309 - 317 ( 1999 )). the sialyl - lewis x epitope is used by helicobacter pylori ( mahdavi , j ., sondén , b ., hurtig , m ., olfat , f . o ., et al . science 297 , 573 - 578 ( 2002 )), pseudomonas aeruginosa ( scharfman , a ., delmotte , p ., beau , j ., lamblin , g ., et al . glycoconj j 17 , 735 - 740 ( 2000 )), and some strains of noroviruses ( rydell , g . e ., nilsson , j ., rodriguez - diaz , j ., ruvoën - clouet , n ., et al . glycobiology 19 , 309 - 320 ( 2009 )). while studies suggest that human milk glycans could be used as prebiotics and as antimicrobial anti - adhesion agents , the difficulty and expense of producing adequate quantities of these agents of a quality suitable for human consumption has limited their full - scale testing and perceived utility . what has been needed is a suitable method for producing the appropriate glycans in sufficient quantities at reasonable cost . prior to the invention described herein , there were attempts to use several distinct synthetic approaches for glycan synthesis . novel chemical approaches can synthesize oligosaccharides ( flowers , h . m . methods enzymol 50 , 93 - 121 ( 1978 ); seeberger , p . h . chem commun ( camb ) 1115 - 1121 ( 2003 )), but reactants for these methods are expensive and potentially toxic ( koeller , k . m . & amp ; wong , c . h . chem rev 100 , 4465 - 4494 ( 2000 )). enzymes expressed from engineered organisms ( albermann , c ., piepersberg , w . & amp ; wehmeier , u . f . carbohydr res 334 , 97 - 103 ( 2001 ); bettler , e ., samain , e ., chazalet , v ., bosso , c ., et al . glycoconj j 16 , 205 - 212 ( 1999 ); johnson , k . f . glycoconj j 16 , 141 - 146 ( 1999 ); palcic , m . m . curr opin biotechnol 10 , 616 - 624 ( 1999 ); wymer , n . & amp ; toone , e . j . curr opin chem biol 4 , 110 - 119 ( 2000 )) provide a precise and efficient synthesis ( palcic , m . m . curr opin biotechnol 10 , 616 - 624 ( 1999 )); crout , d . h . & amp ; vic , g . curr opin chem biol 2 , 98 - 111 ( 1998 )), but the high cost of the reactants , especially the sugar nucleotides , limits their utility for low - cost , large - scale production . microbes have been genetically engineered to express the glycosyltransferases needed to synthesize oligosaccharides from the bacteria &# 39 ; s innate pool of nucleotide sugars ( endo , t ., koizumi , s ., tabata , k ., kakita , s . & amp ; ozaki , a . carbohydr res 330 , 439 - 443 ( 2001 ); endo , t ., koizumi , s ., tabata , k . & amp ; ozaki , a . appl microbiol biotechnol 53 , 257 - 261 ( 2000 ); endo , t . & amp ; koizumi , s . curr opin struct biol 10 , 536 - 541 ( 2000 ); endo , t ., koizumi , s ., tabata , k ., kakita , s . & amp ; ozaki , a . carbohydr res 316 , 179 - 183 ( 1999 ); koizumi , s ., endo , t ., tabata , k . & amp ; ozaki , a . nat biotechnol 16 , 847 - 850 ( 1998 )). however , low overall product yields and high process complexity have limited the commercial utility of these approaches . prior to the invention described herein , which enables the inexpensive production of large quantities of neutral and acidic hmos , it had not been possible to fully investigate the ability of this class of molecule to inhibit pathogen binding , or indeed to explore their full range of potential additional functions . prior to the invention described herein , chemical syntheses of hmos were possible , but were limited by stereo - specificity issues , precursor availability , product impurities , and high overall cost ( flowers , h . m . methods enzymol 50 , 93 - 121 ( 1978 ); seeberger , p . h . chem commun ( camb ) 1115 - 1121 ( 2003 ); koeller , k . m . & amp ; wong , c . h . chem rev 100 , 4465 - 4494 ( 2000 )). also , prior to the invention described herein , in vitro enzymatic syntheses were also possible , but were limited by a requirement for expensive nucleotide - sugar precursors . the invention overcomes the shortcomings of these previous attempts by providing new strategies to inexpensively manufacture large quantities of human milk oligosaccharides for use as dietary supplements . the invention described herein makes use of an engineered bacterium e . coli ( or other bacteria ) engineered to produce 2 ′- fl , 3fl , ldft , or sialylated fucosyl - oligosaccharides in commercially viable levels , for example the methods described herein enable the production of 2 ′- fucosylactose at & gt ; 50 g / l in bioreactors . engineering of e . coli to generate host strains for the production of fucosylated human milk oligosaccharides the e . coli k12 prototroph w3110 was chosen as the parent background for fucosylated hmos biosynthesis . this strain had previously been modified at the ampc locus by the introduction of a tryptophan - inducible p trpb - ci + repressor construct ( mccoy , j . & amp ; lavallie , e . current protocols in molecular biology / edited by frederick m . ausubel . . . [ et al .] ( 2001 )), enabling economical production of recombinant proteins from the phage λ p l promoter ( sanger , f ., coulson , a . r ., hong , g . f ., hill , d . f . & amp ; petersen , g . b . j mol biol 162 , 729 - 773 ( 1982 )) through induction with millimolar concentrations of tryptophan ( mieschendahl , m ., petri , t . & amp ; hänggi , u . nature biotechnology 4 , 802 - 808 ( 1986 )). the strain gi724 , an e . coli w3110 derivative containing the tryptophan - inducible p trpb - ci + repressor construct in ampc , was used at the basis for further e . coli strain manipulations ( fig1 ). biosynthesis of fucosylated hmos requires the generation of an enhanced cellular pool of both lactose and gdp - fucose ( fig3 ). this enhancement was achieved in strain gi724 through several manipulations of the chromosome using λ red recombineering ( court , d . l ., sawitzke , j . a . & amp ; thomason , l . c . annu rev genet 36 , 361 - 388 ( 2002 )) and generalized p1 phage transduction ( thomason , l . c ., costantino , n . & amp ; court , d . l . mol biol chapter 1 , unit 1 . 17 ( 2007 )). fig1 is a table presenting the genotypes of several e . coli strains constructed for this invention . the ability of the e . coli host strain to accumulate intracellular lactose was first engineered in strain e183 ( fig1 ) by simultaneous deletion of the endogenous β - galactosidase gene ( lacz ) and the lactose operon repressor gene ( laci ). during construction of this deletion in gi724 to produce e183 , the laciq promoter was placed immediately upstream of the lactose permease gene , lacy . the modified strain thus maintains its ability to transport lactose from the culture medium ( via lacy ), but is deleted for the wild - type copy of the lacz ( β - galactosidase ) gene responsible for lactose catabolism . an intracellular lactose pool is therefore created when the modified strain is cultured in the presence of exogenous lactose . subsequently , the ability of the host e . coli strain to synthesize colanic acid , an extracellular capsular polysaccharide , was eliminated in strain e205 ( fig1 ) by the deletion of the wcaj gene , encoding the udp - glucose lipid carrier transferase ( stevenson , g ., andrianopoulos , k ., hobbs , m . & amp ; reeves , p . r . j bacteriol 178 , 4885 - 4893 ( 1996 )) in strain e183 . in a weal null background , gdp - fucose accumulates in the e . coli cytoplasm ( dumon , c ., priem , b ., martin , s . l ., heyraud , a ., et al . glycoconj j 18 , 465 - 474 ( 2001 )). a thya ( thymidylate synthase ) mutation was introduced into strain e205 to produce strain e214 ( fig1 ) by p1 transduction . in the absence of exogenous thymidine , thya strains are unable to make dna , and die . the defect can be complemented in trans by supplying a wild - type thya gene on a multicopy plasmid ( belfort , m ., maley , g . f . & amp ; maley , f . proceedings of the national academy of sciences 80 , 1858 ( 1983 )), this complementation is used herein as a means of plasmid maintenance ( eliminating the need for a more conventional antibiotic selection scheme to maintain plasmid copy number ), one strategy for gdp - fucose production is to enhance the bacterial cell &# 39 ; s natural synthesis capacity . for example , this is enhancement is accomplished by inactivating enzymes involved in gdp - fucose consumption , and / or by overexpressing a positive regulator protein , rcsa , in the colanic acid ( a fucose - containing exopolysaccharide ) synthesis pathway . collectively , this metabolic engineering strategy re - directs the flux of gdp - fucose destined for colanic acid synthesis to oligosaccharide synthesis ( fig3 ). by “ gdp - fucose synthesis pathway ” is meant a sequence of reactions , usually controlled and catalyzed by enzymes , which results in the synthesis of gdp - fucose . an exemplary gdp - fucose synthesis pathway in escherichia coli as described in fig3 is set forth below . in the gdp - fucose synthesis pathway set forth below , the enzymes for gdp - fucose synthesis include : 1 ) mana = phosphomannose isomerase ( pmi ), 2 ) manb = phosphomannomutase ( pmm ), 3 ) manc = mannose - 1 - phosphate guanylyltransferase ( gmp ), 4 ) gmd = gdp - mannose - 4 , 6 - dehydratase ( gmd ), 5 ) fcl = gdp - fucose synthase ( gfs ), and 6 ) δwcaj = mutated udp - glucose lipid carrier transferase . glucose → glc - 6 - p → fru - 6 - p → 1 man - 6 - p → 2 man - 1 - p → 3 gdp - man → 4 , 5 gdp - fuc 6 colanic acid . specifically , the magnitude of the cytoplasmic gdp - fucose pool in strain e214 is enhanced by over - expressing the e . coli positive transcriptional regulator of colanic acid biosynthesis , rsca ( gottesman , s . & amp ; stout , v . mol microbiol 5 , 1599 - 1606 ( 1991 )). this over - expression of rcsa is achieved by incorporating a wild - type rcsa gene , including its promoter region , onto a multicopy plasmid vector and transforming the vector into the e . coli host , e . g . into e214 . this vector typically also carries additional genes , in particular one or two fucosyltransferase genes under the control of the pl promoter , and thya and beta - lactamase genes for plasmid selection and maintenance . pg175 ( seq id no : 1 and fig7 ), pg176 ( seq id no : 2 ), pg177 ( seq id no : 3 and fig1 ), pg171 ( seq id no : 5 ) and pg180 ( seq id no : 6 ) are all examples of fucosyltransferase - expressing vectors that each also carry a copy of the rcsa gene , for the purpose of increasing the intracellular gdp - fucose pool of the e . coli hosts transformed with these plasmids . over - expression of an additional positive regulator of colanic acid biosynthesis , namely rcsb ( gupte g , woodward c , stout v . isolation and characterization of rcsb mutations that affect colanic acid capsule synthesis in escherichia coli k - 12 . j bacteriol 1997 , jul ; 179 ( 13 ): 4328 - 35 . ), can also be utilized , either instead of or in addition to over - expression of rcsa , to increase intracellular gdp - fucose levels . over - expression of rcsb is also achieved by including the gene on a multi - copy expression vector . pg186 is such a vector ( seq id no : 8 and fig1 ). pg186 expresses rcsb in an operon with futc under pl promoter control . the plasmid also expresses rcsa , driven off its own promoter . pg186 is a derivative of pg175 in which the α ( 1 , 2 ) ft ( wbsj ) sequence is replaced by the h . pylori futc gene ( futc is myc - tagged at its c - terminus ). in addition , at the xhoi restriction site immediately 3 ′ of the futc cds , the e . coli rcsb gene is inserted , complete with a ribosome binding site at the 5 ′ end of the rcsb cds , and such that futc and rcsb form an operon . a third means to increase the intracellular gdp - fucose pool may also be employed . colanic acid biosynthesis is increased following the introduction of a null mutation into the e . coli lon gene . lon is an atp - dependant intracellular protease that is responsible for degrading rcsa , mentioned above as a positive transcriptional regulator of colanic acid biosynthesis in e . coli ( gottesman , s . & amp ; stout , v . mol microbiol 5 , 1599 - 1606 ( 1991 )). in a lon null background , rcsa is stabilized , rcsa levels increase , the genes responsible for gdp - fucose synthesis in e . coli are up - regulated , and intracellular gdp - fucose concentrations are enhanced . the lon gene was almost entirely deleted and replaced by an inserted functional , wild - type , but promoter - less e . coli lacz + gene ( δlon :: ( kan , lacz + ) in strain e214 to produce strain e390 . λ red recombineering was used to perform the construction . fig1 illustrates the new configuration of genes engineered at the lon locus in e390 . fig1 presents the complete dna sequence of the region , with annotations in genbank format . genomic dna sequence surrounding the lacz + insertion into the lon region in e . coli strain e390 is set forth below ( seq id no : 7 ) the lon mutation in e390 increases intracellular levels of rcsa , and enhances the intracellular gdp - fucose pool . the inserted lacz + cassette not only knocks out lon , but also converts the lacz − host back to both a lacz + genotype and phenotype . the modified strain produces a minimal ( albeit still readily detectable ) level of β - galactosidase activity ( 1 - 2 units ), which has very little impact on lactose consumption during production runs , but which is useful in removing residual lactose at the end of runs , is an easily scorable phenotypic marker for moving the lon mutation into other lacz − e . coli strains by p1 transduction , and can be used as a convenient test for cell lysis ( e . g . caused by unwanted bacteriophage contamination ) during production runs in the bioreactor . the production host strain , e390 incorporates all the above genetic modifications and has the following genotype : ampc ::( p trpb λci + ), p laci q ( δlaci - lacz ) 158 lacy + , δwcaj , thya 748 :: tn10 , δlon ::( kan , lacz + ) an additional modification of e390 that is useful for increasing the cytoplasmic pool of free lactose ( and hence the final yield of 2 ′- fl ) is the incorporation of a laca mutation . laca is a lactose acetyltransferase that is only active when high levels of lactose accumulate in the e . coli cytoplasm . high intracellular osmolarity ( e . g ., caused by a high intracellular lactose pool ) can inhibit bacterial growth , and e . coli has evolved a mechanism for protecting itself from high intra cellular osmolarity caused by lactose by “ tagging ” excess intracellular lactose with an acetyl group using laca , and then actively expelling the acetyl - lactose from the cell ( danchin , a . bioessays 31 , 769 - 773 ( 2009 )). production of acetyl - lactose in e . coli engineered to produce 2 ′- fl or other human milk oligosaccharides is therefore undesirable : it reduces overall yield . moreover , acetyl - lactose is a side product that complicates oligosaccharide purification schemes . the incorporation of a laca mutation resolves these problems . strain e403 ( fig1 ) is a derivative of e390 that carries a deletion of the laca gene and thus is incapable of synthesizing acetyl - lactose . the production host strain , e403 incorporates all the above genetic modifications and has the following genotype : ampc ::( p trpb λci + ), p laci q ( δlaci - lacz ) 158 lacy + , δwcaj , thya 748 :: tn10 , δlon ::( kan , lacz + ) δlaca various alternative α ( 1 , 2 ) fucosyltransferases are able to utilize lactose as a sugar acceptor and are available for the purpose of 2 ′- fl synthesis when expressed under appropriate culture conditions in e . coli e214 , e390 or e403 . for example the plasmid pg175 ( cole1 , thya +, bla +, p l2 - wbsj , rcsa +) ( seq id no : 1 , fig7 ) carries the wbsj α ( 1 , 2 ) fucosyltransferase gene of e . coli strain o128 : b12 and can direct the production of 2 ′- fl in e . coli strain e403 . in another example plasmid pg171 ( cole1 , thya +, bla +, p l2 - futc , rcsa +) ( seq id no : 5 ), carries the h . pylori 26695 futc α ( 1 , 2 ) fucosyltransferase gene ( wang , g ., rasko , d . a ., sherburne , r . & amp ; taylor , d . e . mol microbiol 31 , 1265 - 1274 ( 1999 )) and will also direct the production of 2 ′- fl in strain e403 . in a preferred example , the plasmid pg180 ( cole1 , thya +, bla +, p l2 - wcfw , rcsa +) ( seq id no : 6 ) carries the previously uncharacterized bacteriodes fragilis nctc 9343 wcfw α ( 1 , 2 ) fucosyltransferase gene of the current invention and directs the production of 2 ′- fl in e . coli strain e403 . the addition of tryptophan to the lactose - containing growth medium of cultures of any one of the strains e214 , e390 or e403 , when transformed with any one of the plasmids pg171 , pg175 or pg180 leads , for each particular strain / plasmid combination , to activation of the host e . coli tryptophan utilization repressor trpr , subsequent repression of p trpb , and a consequent decrease in cytoplasmic ci levels , which results in a de - repression of p l , expression of futc , wbsj or wcfw , respectively , and production of 2 ′- fl . fig8 is a coomassie blue - stained sds page gel of lysates of e . coli containing pg175 and expressing wbsj , and of cells containing pg171 and expressing futc . prominent stained protein bands running at a molecular weight of approximately 35 kda are seen for both wbsj and futc at 4 and 6 h following p l induction ( i . e ., after addition of tryptophan ). fig1 is a coomassie blue - stained sds page gel of lysates of e . coli containing pg180 and expressing wcfw , and of cells containing pg171 and expressing h . pylori futc . prominent stained bands for both wcfw and futc are seen at a molecular weight of approximately 40 kda at 4 and 6 h following p l induction ( i . e ., after addition of tryptophan to the growth medium ). for 2 ′- fl production in small scale laboratory cultures (& lt ; 100 ml ) strains were grown at 30c in a selective medium lacking both thymidine and tryptophan to early exponential phase ( e . g . m9 salts , 0 . 5 % glucose , 0 . 4 % casaminoacids ). lactose was then added to a final concentration of 0 . 5 or 1 %, along with tryptophan ( 200 μm final ) to induce expression of the α ( 1 , 2 ) fucosyltransferase , driven from the p l promoter . at the end of the induction period (˜ 24 h ) tlc analysis was performed on aliquots of cell - free culture medium , or of heat extracts of cells ( treatments at 98c for 10 min , to release sugars contained within the cell ). fig1 shows a tlc analysis of cytoplasmic extracts of engineered e . coli cells transformed with pg175 or pg171 . cells were induced to express wbsj or futc , respectively , and grown in the presence of lactose . the production of 2 ′- fl can clearly be seen in heat extracts of cells carrying either plasmid . fig1 shows a tlc analysis of cytoplasmic extracts of engineered e . coli cells transformed with pg180 or pg171 . cells were induced to express wcfw or futc , respectively , and grown in the presence of lactose . the production of 2 ′- fl can clearly be seen with both plasmids . prior to the present invention the wcfw gene had never been shown to encode a protein with demonstrated α ( 1 , 2 ) fucosyltransferase activity , or to utilize lactose as a sugar acceptor substrate . the dna sequence of the bacteroides fragilis strain nctc 9343 wcfw gene ( protein coding sequence ) is set forth below ( seq id no : 4 ). 2 ′- fl can be produced in the bioreactor by any one of the host e . coli strains e214 , e390 or e403 , when transformed with any one of the plasmids pg171 , pg175 or pg180 . growth of the transformed strain is performed in a minimal medium in a bioreactor , 10l working volume , with control of dissolved oxygen , ph , lactose substrate , antifoam and nutrient levels . minimal “ ferm ” medium is used in the bioreactor , which is detailed below . 150 g glycerol ( initial batch growth ), followed by fed batch mode with a 90 % glycerol - 1 % mgso 4 - 1 × trace elements feed , at various rates for various times . production cell densities of a 600 & gt ; 100 are routinely achieved in these bioreactor runs . briefly , a small bacterial culture is grown overnight in “ ferm ”— in the absence of either antibiotic or exogenous thymidine . the overnight culture (@ ˜ 2 a 600 ) is used to inoculate a bioreactor ( 10l working volume , containing “ ferm ”) to an initial cell density of ˜ 0 . 2 a 600 . biomass is built up in batch mode at 30 ° c . until the glycerol is exhausted ( a 600 ˜ 20 ), and then a fed batch phase is initiated utilizing glycerol as the limiting carbon source . at a 600 ˜ 30 , 0 . 2 g / l tryptophan is added to induce α ( 1 , 2 ) fucosyltransferase synthesis . an initial bolus of lactose is also added at this time . 5 hr later , a continuous slow feed of lactose is started in parallel to the glycerol feed . these conditions are continued for 48 hr ( 2 ′- fl production phase ). at the end of this period , both the lactose and glycerol feeds are terminated , and the residual glycerol and lactose are consumed over a final fermentation period , prior to harvest . 2 ′- fl accumulates in the spent fermentation medium at concentrations as much as 30 times higher than in the cytoplasm . the specific yield in the spent medium varies between 10 and 50 g / l , depending on precise growth and induction conditions . fig1 is a tlc of culture medium samples removed from a bioreactor at various times during a 2 ′- fl production run utilizing plasmid pg171 transformed into strain e403 . all of the input lactose was converted to product by the end of the run , and product yield was approximately 25 g / l 2 ′- fl . 2 ′- fl purification from e . coli fermentation broth is accomplished though five steps : fermentation broth is harvested and cells removed by sedimentation in a preparative centrifuge at 6000 × g for 30 min . each bioreactor run yields about 5 - 7 l of partially clarified supernatant . clarified supernatants have a brown / orange coloration attributed to a fraction of caramelized sugars produced during the course of the fermentation , particularly by side - reactions promoted by the ammonium lons present in the fermentation medium . a column packed with coarse carbon ( calgon 12 × 40 tr ) of ˜ 1000 ml volume ( dimension 5 cm diameter × 60 cm length ) is equilibrated with 1 column volume ( cv ) of water and loaded with clarified culture supernatant at a flow rate of 40 ml / min . this column has a total capacity of about 120 g of sugar ( lactose ). following loading and sugar capture , the column is washed with 1 . 5 cv of water , then eluted with 2 . 5 cv of 50 % ethanol or 25 % isopropanol ( lower concentrations of ethanol at this step ( 25 - 30 %) may be sufficient for product elution ). this solvent elution step releases about 95 % of the total bound sugars on the column and a small portion of the color bodies ( caramels ). in this first step capture of the maximal amount of sugar is the primary objective . resolution of contaminants is not an objective . the column can be regenerated with a 5 cv wash with water . a volume of 2 . 5 l of ethanol or isopropanol eluate from the capture column is rotary - evaporated at 56c and a sugar syrup in water is generated ( this typically is a yellow - brown color ). alternative methods that could be used for this step include lyophilization or spray - drying . a column ( ge healthcare hiscale50 / 40 , 5 × 40 cm , max pressure 20 bar ) connected to a biotage isolera one flash chromatography system is packed with 750 ml of a darco activated carbon g60 ( 100 - mesh ): celite 535 ( coarse ) 1 : 1 mixture ( both column packings obtained from sigma ). the column is equilibrated with 5 cv of water and loaded with sugar from step 3 ( 10 - 50 g , depending on the ratio of 2 ′- fl to contaminating lactose ), using either a celite loading cartridge or direct injection . the column is connected to an evaporative light scattering ( elsd ) detector to detect peaks of eluting sugars during the chromatography . a four - step gradient of isopropanol , ethanol or methanol is run in order to separate 2 ′- fl from monosaccharides ( if present ), lactose and color bodies . e . g ., for b = ethanol : step 1 , 2 . 5 cv 0 % b ; step 2 , 4 cv 10 % b ( elutes monosaccharides and lactose contaminants ); step 3 , 4 cv 25 % b ( elutes 2 ′- fl ); step 4 , 5 cv 50 % b ( elutes some of the color bodies and partially regenerates the column ). additional column regeneration is achieved using methanol @ 50 % and isopropanol @ 50 %. fractions corresponding to sugar peaks are collected automatically in 120 - ml bottles , pooled and directed to step 5 . in certain purification runs from longer - than - normal fermentations , passage of the 2 ′- fl - containing fraction through anion - exchange and cation exchange columns can remove excess protein / dna / caramel body contaminants . resins tested successfully for this purpose are dowex 22 and toyopearl mono - q , for the anion exchanger , and dowex 88 for the cation exchanger . mixed bed dowex resins have proved unsuitable as they tend to adsorb sugars at high affinity via hydrophobic interactions . fig1 illustrates the performance of darco g60 : celite 1 : 1 in separating lactose from 2 ′- fucoyllactose when used in flash chromatography mode . 3 . 0 l of 25 % b solvent fractions is rotary - evaporated at 56c until dry . clumps of solid sugar are re - dissolved in a minimum amount of water , the solution frozen , and then lyophilized . a white , crystalline , sweet powder ( 2 ′- fl ) is obtained at the end of the process . 2 ′- fl purity obtained lies between 95 and 99 %. sugars are routinely analyzed for purity by spotting 1 μl aliquots on aluminum - backed silica g60 thin layer chromatography plates ( 10 × 20 cm ; macherey - nagel ). a mixture of ldft ( rf = 0 . 18 ), 2 ′- fl ( rf = 0 . 24 ), lactose ( rf = 0 . 30 ), trehalose ( rf = 0 . 32 ), acetyl - lactose ( rf = 0 . 39 ) and fucose ( rf = 0 . 48 ) ( 5 g / l concentration for each sugar ) is run alongside as standards . the plates are developed in a 50 % butanol : 25 % acetic acid : 25 % water solvent until the front is within 1 cm from the top improved sugar resolution can be obtained by performing two sequential runs , drying the plate between runs . sugar spots are visualized by spraying with α - naphtol in a sulfuric acid - ethanol solution ( 2 . 4 g α - naphtol in 83 % ( v / v ) ethanol , 10 . 5 % ( v / v ) sulfuric acid ) and heating at 120c for a few minutes . high molecular weight contaminants ( dna , protein , caramels ) remain at the origin , or form smears with rfs lower than ldft . any one of e . coli host strains e214 , e390 or e403 , when transformed with a plasmid expressing an α ( 1 , 3 ) fucosyltransferase capable of using lactose as the sugar acceptor substrate , will produce the human milk oligosaccharide product , 3 - fucosyllactose ( 3fl ). fig9 illustrates the pathways utilized in engineered strains of e . coli of this invention to achieve production of 3fl . for example , the plasmid pg176 ( cole1 , thya +, bla +, p l2 - futa , rcsa +) ( seq id no : 2 ), is a derivative of pg175 in which the α ( 1 , 2 ) ft ( wbsj ) sequence is replaced by the helicobacter pylori futa gene ( dumon , c ., bosso , c ., utille , j . p ., heyraud , a . & amp ; samain , e . chembiochem 7 , 359 - 365 ( 2006 )). pg176 will direct the production of 3fl when transformed into any one of the host e . coli strains e214 , e390 or e403 . fig1 shows a tlc analysis of 3fl production from e403 transformed with pg176 . additionally there are several other related bacterial - type α ( 1 , 3 )- fucosyltransferases identified in helicobacter pylori which could be used to direct synthesis of 3fl , e . g ., “ 11639 fucta ” ( ge , z ., chan , n . w ., palcic , m . m . & amp ; taylor , d . e . j biol chem 272 , 21357 - 21363 ( 1997 ); martin , s . l ., edbrooke , m . r ., hodgman , t . c ., van den eijnden , d . h . & amp ; bird , m . i . j biol chem 272 , 21349 - 21356 ( 1997 )) and “ ua948 fucta ” ( rasko , d . a ., wang , g ., palcic , m . m . & amp ; taylor , d . e . j biol chem 275 , 4988 - 4994 ( 2000 )). in addition to α ( 1 , 3 )- fucosyltransferases from h . pylori , an α ( 1 , 3 ) fucosyltransferase ( hh0072 , sequence accession aap76669 ) isolated from helicobacter hepaticus exhibits activity towards both non - sialylated and sialylated type 2 oligosaccharide acceptor substrates ( zhang , l ., lau , k ., cheng , j ., yu , h ., et al . glycobiology ( 2010 )). furthermore , there are several additional bacterial α ( 1 , 3 )- fucosyltransferases that may be used to make 3fl according to the methods of this invention . for example , close homologs of hh0072 are found in h . h . bilis ( hrag_01092 gene , sequence accession eeo24035 ), and in c . jejuni ( c1336_000250319 gene , sequence accession efc31050 ). 3fl biosynthesis is performed as described above for 2 ′- fl , either at small scale in culture tubes and culture flasks , or in a bioreactor ( 10l working volume ) utilizing control of dissolved oxygen , ph , lactose substrate , antifoam and carbon : nitrogen balance . cell densities of a 600 ˜ 100 are reached in the bioreacter , and specific 3fl yields of up to 3 g / l have been achieved . approximately half of the 3fl produced is found in the culture supernatant , and half inside the cells . purification of 3fl from e . coli culture supernatants is achieved using an almost identical procedure to that described above for 2 ′- fl . the only substantive difference being that 3fl elutes from carbon columns at lower alcohol concentrations than does 2 ′- fl . the simultaneous production of human milk oligosaccharides 2 ′- fucosyllactose ( 2 ′- fl ), 3 - fucosyllactose ( 3fl ), and lactodifucohexaose ( ldft ) in e . coli e . coli strains e214 , e390 and e403 accumulate cytoplasmic pools of both lactose and gdp - fucose , as discussed above , and when transformed with plasmids expressing either an α ( 1 , 2 ) fucosyltransferase or an α ( 1 , 3 ) fucosyltransferase can synthesize the human milk oligosaccharides 2 ′- fl or 3fl respectively . the tetrasaccharide lactodifucotetrose ( ldft ) is another major fucosylated oligosaccharide found in human milk , and contains both α ( 1 , 2 )- and α ( 1 , 3 )- linked fucose residues . pg177 ( fig1 , seq id no : 3 ) is a derivative of pg175 in which the wbsj gene is replaced by a two gene operon comprising the helicobacter pylori futa gene and the helicobacter pylori futc gene ( i . e ., an operon containing both an α ( 1 , 3 )- and α ( 1 , 2 )- fucosyltransferase ). e . coli strains e214 , e390 and e403 produce ldft when transformed with plasmid pg177 and grown , either in small scale or in the bioreactor , as described above . in fig1 ( lanes pg177 ), ldft made in e . coli , directed by pg177 , was observed on analysis of cell extracts by thin layer chromatography . the first step in the production of 3 ′- sialyllactose ( 3 ′- sl ) in e . coli is generation of a host background strain that accumulates cytoplasmic pools of both lactose and cmp - neu5ac ( cmp - sialic acid ). accumulation of cytoplasmic lactose is achieved through growth on lactose and inactivation of the endogenous e . coli β - galactosidase gene ( lacz ), being careful to minimize polarity effects on lacy , the lac permease . this accumulation of a lactose pool has already been accomplished and is described above in e . coli hosts engineered for 2 ′- fl , 3fl and ldft production . specifically , a scheme to generate a cytoplasmic cmp - neu5ac pool , modified from methods known in the art , ( e . g ., ringenberg , m ., lichtensteiger , c . & amp ; vimr , e . glycobiology 11 , 533 - 539 ( 2001 ); fierfort , n . & amp ; samain , e . j biotechnol 134 , 261 - 265 ( 2008 )), is shown in fig5 . under this scheme , the e . coli k12 sialic acid catabolic pathway is first ablated through introduction of null mutations in endogenous nana ( n - acetylneuraminate lyase ) and nank ( n - acetylmannosamine kinase ) genes . by “ sialic acid catabolic pathway ” is meant a sequence of reactions , usually controlled and catalyzed by enzymes , which results in the degradation of sialic acid . an exemplary sialic acid catabolic pathway in escherichia coli is set forth in fig5 . in the sialic acid catabolic pathway in fig5 , sialic acid ( neu5ac ; n - acetylneuraminic acid ) is degraded by the enzymes nana ( n - acetylneuraminic acid lyase ) and nank ( n - acetylmannosamine kinase ). other abbreviations for the sialic acid catabolic pathway in fig5 include : ( nant ) sialic acid transporter ; ( δnana ) mutated n - acetylneuraminic acid lyase ; ( δnank ) mutated n - acetylmannosamine kinase ; ( mannac - 6 - p ) n - acetylmannosamine - 6 - phosphate ; ( glcnac - 6 - p ) n - acetylglucosamine - 6 - phosphate ; ( glcn - 6 - p ) glucosamine - 6 - phosphate ; ( fruc - 6 - p ) fructose - 6 - phosphate ; ( neua ), cmp - n - acetylneuraminic acid synthetase ; ( cmp - neu5ac ) cmp - n - acetylneuraminic acid ; and ( neub ), n - acetylneuraminic acid synthase . next , since e . coli k12 lacks a de novo sialic acid synthesis pathway , sialic acid synthetic capability is introduced through the provision of three recombinant enzymes ; a udp - glcnac 2 - epimerase ( e . g ., neuc ), a neu5ac synthase ( e . g ., neub ) and a cmp - neu5ac synthetase ( e . g ., neua ). equivalent genes from c . jejuni , e . coli k1 , h . influenzae or from n . meningitides can be utilized ( interchangeably ) for this purpose . the addition of sialic acid to the 3 ′ position of lactose to generate 3 ′- sialyllactose is then achieved utilizing a bacterial - type α ( 2 , 3 ) sialyltransferase , and numerous candidate genes have been described , including those from n . meningitidis and n . gonorrhoeae ( gilbert , m ., watson , d . c ., cunningham , a . m ., jennings , m . p ., et al . j biol chem 271 , 28271 - 28276 ( 1996 ); gilbert , m ., cunningham , a . m ., watson , d . c ., martin , a ., et al . eur j biochem 249 , 187 - 194 ( 1997 )). the neisseria enzymes are already known to use lactose as an acceptor sugar . the recombinant n . meningitidis enzyme generates 3 ′- sialyllactose in engineered e . coli ( fierfort , n . & amp ; samain , e . j biotechnol 134 , 261 - 265 ( 2008 )). fig2 shows a tlc analysis of culture media taken from a culture of e . coli strain e547 ( ampc ::( p trpb λci + ), p laci q ( δlaci - lacz ) 158 lacy + , δlaca , δnan ) and carrying plasmids expressing neua , b , c and a bacterial - type α ( 2 , 3 ) sialyltransferase . the presence of 3 ′- sialylactose ( 3 ′- sl ) in the culture media is clearly seen . the production of human milk oligosaccharide 3 ′- sialyl - 3 - fucosyllactose ( 3 ′- s3fl ) in e . coli prior to the invention described herein , it was unpredictable that a combination of any particular fucosyltransferase gene and any particular sialyl - transferase gene in the same bacterial strain could produce 3 ′- s3fl . described below are results demonstrating that the combination of a fucosyltransferase gene and a sialyl - transferase gene in the same lacz + e . coli strain resulted in the production of 3 ′- s3fl . these unexpected results are likely due to the surprisingly relaxed substrate specificity of the particular fucosyltransferase and sialyl - transferase enzymes utilized . humans synthesize the sialyl - lewis x epitope utilizing different combinations of six α ( 1 , 3 ) fucosyl - and six α ( 2 , 3 ) sialyl - transferases encoded in the human genome ( de vries , t ., knegtel , r . m ., holmes , e . h . & amp ; macher , b . a . glycobiology 11 , 119r - 128r ( 2001 ); taniguchi , a . curr drug targets 9 , 310 - 316 ( 2008 )). these sugar transferases differ not only in their tissue expression patterns , but also in their acceptor specificities . for example , human myeloid - type α ( 1 , 3 ) fucosyltransferase ( fut iv ) will fucosylate type 2 ( galβ1 -& gt ; 4glc / glcnac ) chain - based acceptors , but only if they are non - sialylated . in contrast “ plasma - type ” α ( 1 , 3 ) fucosyltansferase ( fut vi ) will utilize type 2 acceptors whether or not they are sialylated , and the promiscuous “ lewis ” α ( 1 , 3 / 4 ) fucosyltransferase ( fut iii ), found in breast and kidney , will act on sialylated and non - sialylated type 1 ( galη1 -& gt ; 3glcnac ) and type 2 acceptors ( easton , e . w ., schiphorst , w . e ., van drunen , e ., van der schoot , c . e . & amp ; van den eijnden , d . h . blood 81 , 2978 - 2986 ( 1993 )). a similar situation exists for the family of human α ( 2 , 3 ) sialyl - transferases , with different enzymes exhibiting major differences in acceptor specificity ( legaigneur , p ., breton , c ., el battari , a ., guillemot , j . c ., et al . j biol chem 276 , 21608 - 21617 ( 2001 ); jeanneau , c ., chazalet , v ., augé , c ., soumpasis , d . m ., et al . j biol chem 279 , 13461 - 13468 ( 2004 )). this diversity in acceptor specificity highlights a key issue in the synthesis of 3 ′- sialyl - 3 - fucosyllactose ( 3 ′- s3fl ) in e . coli , i . e ., to identify a suitable combination of fucosyl - and sialyl - transferases capable of acting cooperatively to synthesize 3 ′- s3fl ( utilizing lactose as the initial acceptor sugar ). however , since human and all other eukaryotic fucosyl - and sialyl - transferases are secreted proteins located in the lumen of the golgi , they are poorly suited for the task of 3 ′- s3fl biosynthesis in the bacterial cytoplasm . several bacterial pathogens are known to incorporate fucosylated and / or sialylated sugars into their cell envelopes , typically for reasons of host mimicry and immune evasion . for example ; both neisseria meningitides and campylobacter jejuni are able to incorporate sialic acid through 2 , 3 - linkages to galactose moieties in their capsular lipooligosaccharide ( los ) ( tsai , c . m ., kao , g . & amp ; zhu , p . i infection and immunity 70 , 407 ( 2002 ); gilbert , m ., brisson , j . r ., karwaski , m . f ., michniewicz , j ., et al . j biol chem 275 , 3896 - 3906 ( 2000 )), and some strains of e . coli incorporate α ( 1 , 2 ) fucose groups into lipopolysaccharide ( lps ) ( li , m ., liu , x . w ., shao , j ., shen , j ., et al . biochemistry 47 , 378 - 387 ( 2008 ); li , m ., shen , j ., liu , x ., shao , j ., et al . biochemistry 47 , 11590 - 11597 ( 2008 )), certain strains of helicobacter pylori are able not only to incorporate α ( 2 , 3 )- sialyl - groups , but also α ( 1 , 2 )-, α ( 1 , 3 )-, and α ( 1 , 4 )- fucosyl - groups into lps , and thus can display a broad range of human lewis - type epitopes on their cell surface ( moran , a . p . carbohydr res 343 , 1952 - 1965 ( 2008 )). most bacterial sialyl - and fucosyl - transferases operate in the cytoplasm , i . e ., they are better suited to the methods described herein than are eukaryotic golgi - localized sugar transferases . strains of e . coli engineered to express the transferases described above accumulate a cytoplasmic pool of lactose , as well as an additional pool of either the nucleotide sugar gdp - fucose , or the nucleotide sugar cmp - neu5ac ( cmp - sialic acid ). addition of these sugars to the lactose acceptor is performed in these engineered hosts using candidate recombinant α ( 1 , 3 )- fucosyl - or α ( 2 , 3 )- sialyl - transferases , generating 3 - fucosyllactose and 3 ′- sialyllactose respectively . finally , the two synthetic capabilities are combined into a single e . coli strain to produce 3 ′- s3fl . an e . coli strain that accumulates cytoplasmic pools of both lactose and gdp - fucose has been developed . this strain , when transformed with a plasmid over - expressing an α ( 1 , 2 ) fucosyltransferase , produces 2 ′- fucosyllactose ( 2 ′- fl ) at levels of ˜ 10 - 50 g / l of bacterial culture medium . a substitution of the α ( 1 , 2 ) fucosyltransferase in this host with an appropriate α ( 1 , 3 ) fucosyltransferase leads to the production of 3 - fucosyllactose ( 3fl ). the bacterial α ( 1 , 3 ) fucosyltransferase then works in conjunction with a bacterial α ( 2 , 3 ) sialyltransferaseto make the desired product , 3 ′- s3fl . an α ( 1 , 3 ) fucosyltransferase ( hh0072 ) isolated from helicobacter hepaticus exhibits activity towards both non - sialylated and sialylated type 2 oligosaccharide acceptor substrates ( zhang , l ., lau , k ., cheng , j ., yu , h ., et al . glycobiology ( 2010 )). this enzyme is cloned , expressed , and evaluated to measure utilization of a lactose acceptor and to evaluate production of 3fl in the context of the current gdp - fucose - producing e . coli host . hh0072 is also tested in concert with various bacterial α ( 2 , 3 ) sialyltransferases for its competence in 3 ′- s3fl synthesis . as alternatives to hh0072 , there are two characterized homologous bacterial - type 3 - fucosyltransferases identified in helicobacter pylori , “ 11639 fucta ” ( ge , z ., chan , n . w ., palcic , m . m . & amp ; taylor , d . e . j biol chem 272 , 21357 - 21363 ( 1997 ); martin , s . l ., edbrooke , m . r ., hodgman , t . c ., van den eijnden , d . h . & amp ; bird , m . i . j biol chem 272 , 21349 - 21356 ( 1997 )) and “ ua948 fucta ” ( rasko , d . a ., wang , g ., palcic , m . m . & amp ; taylor , d . e . j biol chem 275 , 4988 - 4994 ( 2000 )). these two paralogs exhibit differing acceptor specificities , “ 11639 fucta ” utilizes only type 2 acceptors and is a strict α ( 1 , 3 )- fucosyltransferase , whereas “ ua948 fucta ” has relaxed acceptor specificity ( utilizing both type 1 and type 2 acceptors ) and is able to generate both α ( 1 , 3 )- and α ( 1 , 4 )- fucosyl linkages . the precise molecular basis of this difference in specificity was determined ( ma , b ., lau , l . h ., palcic , m . m ., hazes , b . & amp ; taylor , d . e . j biol chem 280 , 36848 - 36856 ( 2005 )), and characterization of several additional α ( 1 , 3 )- fucosyltransferase paralogs from a variety of additional h . pylori strains revealed significant strain - to - strain acceptor specificity diversity . in addition to the enzymes from h . pylori and h . hepaticus , other bacterial α ( 1 , 3 )- fucosyltransferases are optionally used . for example , close homologs of hh0072 are found in h . bilis ( hrag_01092 gene , sequence accession ee024035 ), and in c . jejuni ( c1336_000250319 gene , sequence accession efc31050 ). described below is 3 ′- s3fl synthesis in e . coli . the first step towards this is to combine into a single e . coli strain the 3 - fucosyllactose synthetic ability , outlined above , with the ability to make 3 ′- sialyllactose , also outlined above . all of the chromosomal genetic modifications discussed above are introduced into a new host strain , which will then simultaneously accumulate cytoplasmic pools of the 3 specific precursors ; lactose , gdp - fucose and cmp - neu5ac . this “ combined ” strain background is then used to host simultaneous production of an α ( 1 , 3 ) fucosyltransferase with an α ( 2 , 3 ) sialyltransferase , with gene expression driven either off two compatible multicopy plasmids or with both enzyme genes positioned on the same plasmid as an artificial operon . acceptor specificities for some of the bacterial α ( 1 , 3 ) fucosyltransferases and α ( 2 , 3 ) sialyltransferases , particularly with respect to fucosylation of 3 ′- sialyllactose and sialylation of 3 - fucosyllactose and different combinations of α ( 1 , 3 ) fucosyltransferase and α ( 2 , 3 ) sialyltransferase enzymes are evaluated . production levels and ratios of 3 ′- sl , 3fl and 3 ′- s3fl are monitored , e . g ., by tlc , with confirmation of identity by nmr and accurate quantitation either by calibrated mass spectrometry utilizing specific lon monitoring , or by capillary electrophoresis ( bao , y ., zhu , l . & amp ; newburg , d . s . simultaneous quantification of sialyloligosaccharides from human milk by capillary electrophoresis . anal biochem 370 , 206 - 214 ( 2007 )). the sequences corresponding to the seq id nos described herein are provided below . while the invention has been described in conjunction with the detailed description thereof , the foregoing description is intended to illustrate and not limit the scope of the invention , which is defined by the scope of the appended claims . other aspects , advantages , and modifications are within the scope of the following claims . the patent and scientific literature referred to herein establishes the knowledge that is available to those with skill in the art . all united states patents and published or unpublished united states patent applications cited herein are incorporated by reference . all published foreign patents and patent applications cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference . genbank and ncbi submissions indicated by accession number cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference . all other published references , documents , manuscripts and scientific literature cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference . while this invention has been particularly shown and described with references to preferred embodiments thereof , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention encompassed by the appended claims .

US-201213398526-A

an optical waveguide bend element is configured to change a direction of travel of light from a first direction to a second direction . the bend element includes a block of material . the block has an input face configured to receive light travelling in the first direction and an output face configured to transmit light travelling in the second direction . the second direction is substantially different from the first direction . the block also has a convex surface defined between the input face and the output face . the convex surface is configured to keep the light within the bend element through total internal reflection .

referring to fig1 a distributed lighting system ( dls ) 100 may be installed in an automobile 105 . the dls may include several subsystems 110 . each subsystem distributes light from a light source , such as a high - intensity discharge ( hid ) lamp assembly 115 , to one or more light emitters of the automobile . light emitters include , for example , indicator lights 120 on the dashboard panel 125 of the automobile and cabin dome lights 130 . other subsystems of the dls may distribute light to exterior light emitters such as head lights 135 , 140 ; tail lights 145 , 150 ; and turn signals 155 , 160 , 165 , and 170 . as shown , the dls includes several independent subsystems 110 , each of which is connected to a subset of the vehicle &# 39 ; s lights and includes a separate light source . the dls also may be implemented using only a single light source . each subsystem 110 may include a hid lamp assembly 115 and optical conduits 175 that transmit light from the lamp assembly 115 to the light emitters . an optical conduit 175 may be , for example , a plastic or glass waveguide or a plastic or glass optical fiber bundle . one suitable plastic fiber is large core , plastic optical fiber having a three millimeter diameter and covered with a half millimeter protective jacket . an optical conduit also may include a glass or quartz rod having a first end adjacent to a lamp of the lamp assembly and a second end connected to a glass or plastic optical fiber . fig2 illustrates an implementation of a high - intensity discharge ( hid ) lamp assembly 115 as a light source in a dls . the assembly 115 includes a hid lamp 200 having a base 205 and a bulb 210 . the base is mounted in a housing 215 , and the bulb 210 is enclosed by a housing 220 . the hid lamp 200 is surrounded by optical conduits 60 . a fixture 225 holds the optical conduits in place , with an end of each optical conduit close to the bulb 210 . in most instances , the ends of the optical conduits are within one to five millimeters from the bulb to increase the efficiency with which the conduits collect light emitted by the bulb . the ends of the optical conduits may contact each other . due to the proximity of the ends of the optical conduits to the bulb , and the heat associated with the bulb , the optical conduits are implemented using glass rods having optical fibers or waveguides connected to the ends that are not positioned next to the bulb . glass optical fibers or waveguides , or heat resistant plastic optical fibers or waveguides , also may be used . the lamp assembly 115 also includes a mechanism 230 that controls whether light enters particular ones of the optical conduits 60 . the mechanism 230 includes an array 235 of electromechanical shutters . a shutter corresponding to a particular optical conduit may be selectively opened or closed to control whether light enters the optical conduit . the shutters are controlled by solenoids 240 positioned in a housing 245 of the lamp assembly 115 . referring also to fig3 - 5 , the fixture 225 is formed from a sheet 300 of heat - resistant material , such as aluminum . the sheet is cut to have a desired outline 305 . thereafter , the sheet is folded along fold lines 310 to form the fixture 225 . the fixture includes twenty - four holes 315 , each of which is located on a side of the fixture and accommodates an optical conduit . four extensions 320 project from the bottom of the fixture 225 and are folded at their ends to form a pedestal 325 . the pedestal 325 is used to attach the fixture 225 to the base 215 of the hid lamp 200 . as shown in fig5 the fixture 225 has an opening 230 at its top that permits the bulb of the hid lamp to extend out of the fixture . the opening 230 also permits insertion of the electro - mechanical shutters into the fixture 225 . fig6 illustrates operation of the array 235 of electromechanical shutters . for ease of illustration , fig6 shows three shutters 350 , 355 and 360 that may be used to selectively control whether light produced by the hid lamp 200 enters associated optical conduits 365 , 370 or 375 . actual implementations may include more shutters . for example , a typical automobile may require from 30 to 50 separately controlled optical conduits to provide interior lighting and about 13 optical conduits to provide exterior lighting . the shutters are located at ends of the optical conduits closest to the hid lamp . this shutter position permits the optical conduits to be continuous , without any need for cutting or splicing optical conduits to install the shutter array . the shutter 350 is shown in the closed or &# 34 ; off &# 34 ; position . in this position , the shutter 350 prevents light from reaching the optical conduit 365 . shutters 355 and 360 are shown in the open or &# 34 ; on &# 34 ; position so that light passes through the shutters and reaches the optical conduits 370 and 375 . fig7 and 8 show another hid lamp assembly 700 . like the assembly 115 , the assembly 700 includes a hid lamp 200 having a base 205 and a bulb 210 . the hid lamp 200 provides light to an optics assembly 705 . the optics assembly 705 includes four light collecting tubes 710 . each light collecting tube has a rectangular cross section that increases in size with increasing distance from the end closest to the hid lamp . light collecting tubes having circular or other cross sections also could be used . a light collecting tube may be implemented using a hollow tube or a solid piece of glass or high temperature plastic , such as the optical waveguide collector element discussed below . interior surfaces of the light collecting tube are polished or covered with reflective material . a light collecting tube directs light emitted by the lamp to a bundle 715 of optical conduits 720 positioned at the end of the tube that is furthest from the lamp . in addition to collecting the light , the light collecting tube changes the angle of the light so that the light meets the acceptance angle of the conduit . referring to fig9 each light collecting tube 710 of the assembly 700 includes an array of liquid crystal light valves ( lclvs ) 725 that modulate the light emitted by the hid lamp 200 . the lclvs 725 are located between the light collecting tube 710 and the bundle 715 of optical conduits 720 . the lclvs may be , for example , twisted nematic lclvs . this type of lclv is light - absorbing and is regularly used in applications such as wrist watch displays . an lclv 725a is shown in the closed or &# 34 ; off &# 34 ; mode . in this mode , the lclv is nearly opaque and prevents most light from entering a corresponding optical conduit 720a . an lclv 725b is shown in the open or &# 34 ; on &# 34 ; mode , in which the lclv allows light to pass through the lclv and enter a corresponding optical conduit 720b . referring to fig1 a and 10b , an alternative modulation arrangement includes a device 730 , such as a solenoid , connected to a light collecting tube 710 by a rod 735 . a shutter 740 extends from the bottom of the light collecting tube 710 . as shown in fig1 a , in a first configuration , the light collecting tube 710 is positioned between the bulb 210 and the optical conduits 720 . in this configuration , the light collecting tube 710 directs light from the bulb 210 into the optical conduits 720 . when it is desired to prevent light from reaching the optical conduits 720 , the device 730 is activated to move the light collecting tube 710 and the shutter 740 to the configuration shown in fig1 b . in this configuration , the light collecting tube 710 is no longer aligned with the optical conduits 720 . instead , the shutter 740 is positioned between the bulb 210 and the optical conduits 720 . the shutter 740 is opaque and prevents light from reaching the optical conduits 720 . the optical conduits 720 may have generally circular cross - sections or may have other shapes . fig1 shows a set of optical conduits placed next to each other . in this configuration , ends 750 of the optical conduits do not form a solid planar surface . instead , gaps 755 are located between the conduits . accordingly , a portion of the light emitted by the hid lamp ( fig7 ) passes into the gaps and is lost . as shown in fig1 , the ends 750 of the optical conduits 720 may be fused together to form a solid planar surface 760 that eliminates the gaps ( fig1 ) between the optical conduits and improves the light collecting efficiency thereof . referring to fig1 , an alternative embodiment of the dls may include optical waveguide elements , such as a bend element 800 or a collector element 810 . the collector element 810 is placed in close proximity to the hid lamp 200 to collect the light emitted from the lamp and direct the light to the bend element 800 . the bend element 800 guides light through tight turns in interior spaces of the vehicle where space is at a premium , such as the engine compartment . the bend element 800 provides a smaller turning radius than is provided by optical fibers , which may be damaged when bent in a small turning radius . the output of the bend element 800 may be connected to a bundle of optical fibers that are connected to the light emitters of a vehicle as described above . light enters the bend element 800 through an input face 820 and is reflected internally until the light reaches an output face 830 . in the illustrated embodiment , the output face 830 forms an angle of 90 ° with the input face 820 . other angles also could be provided . referring also to fig1 , the bend may be formed of solid glass or plastic material , such as acrylic , and may have bevelled angular surfaces 840 . an acrylic bend can be easily and inexpensively manufactured by injection molding . the outer surface 860 of the bend element forms an interface between the material and air , although other materials with appropriate optical characteristics may surround the bend element . the inside corner region 880 of the bend element 800 is essentially bypassed by the light rays , which allows the bend to be mounted to a fixture 910 without disturbing the optical characteristics of the bend . referring further to fig1 , a light ray 850 entering the input face 820 proceeds through the bend element 800 until the light ray reaches an outer surface 860 of the bend element , which in this embodiment is an interface between the material of the bend element 800 and air . at the outer surface 860 , light is reflected in accordance with snell &# 39 ; s law . if the angle of incidence of the light ray 850 at the outer surface 860 is less than a threshold referred to as the critical angle , then the light ray is reflected internally , with no light escaping . this phenomenon is known as total internal reflection . the critical angle depends on the index of refraction of the material of which the bend element is composed relative to that of the material surrounding the bend element . for example , if the bend element were made from acrylic , which has an index of refraction of approximately 1 . 5 , and surrounded by air , the critical angle , θ c , would be : θ c = arcsin ( n a / n b )= arcsin ( 1 / 1 . 5 )= 41 . 8 ° where n a is the index of refraction of air ( 1 . 0 ) and n b is the index of refraction of acrylic ( 1 . 5 ). bevelled angular surfaces 840 of the bend element are oriented so that most of the light entering the bend element 800 is internally reflected until the light reaches the output face 830 . for example , a light ray 850 entering the input face with an angular direction of + 8 ° relative to horizontal ( the horizontal plane being perpendicular to the input face ) reaches an outer surface 860 that is inclined at an angle of - 15 ° relative to horizontal . the angle of incidence of the light ray 850 on the outer surface 860 is 23 °, which is less than the critical angle of 42 °, and the light ray is reflected internally . since , the angle of reflection is equal to the angle of incidence , the light ray 850 reflects from the outer surface 860 at an angular direction of - 38 ° relative to horizontal . the light ray 850 continues through the bend element until it reaches a second outer surface 870 that is inclined at an angle of - 65 ° relative to horizontal . the angle of incidence at the second surface 870 is 27 ° ( the absolute value of - 65 minus - 38 ). accordingly , the light ray 850 is reflected at an angle of - 92 ° relative to horizontal . the light ray 850 continues through the bend element until it reaches the output face 830 . the angle of incidence of the light ray 850 at the output face is 88 ° which is greater that the critical angle , therefore the light ray 850 passes through the output face rather than being reflected . in another example , a light ray 890 entering the input face with an angular direction of - 24 ° relative to horizontal reaches an outer surface 870 that is inclined at an angle of - 65 ° relative to horizontal . since , the angle of incidence of the light ray 890 on the outer surface 870 is 41 °, which is less than the critical angle of 42 °, the light ray will be reflected internally . the light ray 890 reflects from the outer surface 870 at an angular direction of - 106 ° relative to horizontal . the light ray 890 continues through the bend element until it reaches a second outer surface 900 that is inclined at an angle of - 77 ° relative to horizontal . the angle of incidence at the second surface 900 is 29 °. accordingly , the light ray 890 is reflected at an angle of - 48 ° relative to horizontal . the light ray 890 continues through the bend element until it reaches the output face 830 . the angle of incidence of the light ray 890 at the output face is 48 °, which is greater than the critical angle , therefore the light ray 890 passes through the output face rather than being reflected . referring also to fig1 , the collector element 810 may also be formed of solid glass or plastic and functions in a manner similar to the bend element 800 . the sides 920 of the collector element 810 may be bevelled and are oriented so that most of the light entering the input face 930 either passes directly through to the output face 940 or is internally reflected until reaching the output face 940 . the planar top 950 and bottom 960 surfaces may be sloped to allow reflection of light rays that enter the collector element 810 at larger angles relative to horizontal . the amount of light energy entering a collector element 810 depends , in part , on the azimuthal and zenith angles relative to the light source that are subtended by the input face of the collector element . for example , if a light source is surrounded by four collector elements in a manner similar to that illustrated in fig8 each input face 930 subtends an azimuthal angle of 90 °. each collector element receives one - fourth of the total light energy collected from the light source ( excluding losses , such as surface losses , hot mirror losses , etc .). the collector element concentrates the light energy received through the input face through total internal reflection as described above with respect to the bend element . the optical conduit connected to the output face 940 of the collector element therefore receives approximately one - fourth of the light energy collected from the light source even though the output face 940 of the collector element subtends an azimuthal angle of less than 90 °. the use of collector elements allows a significant portion of the light energy from the light source to be directed into optical conduits without the necessity of placing the optical conduits in immediate proximity to the light source . this is an important advantage when heat - sensitive components , such as lclvs 725 are positioned at the input of the optical conduit . fig1 shows another embodiment of the bend element . instead of beveled angular surfaces , there is an outer curved surface 970 and an inner curved surface 975 . the radius of curvature 980 of the inner curved surface is , in general , smaller than the radius of curvature 985 of the outer curved surface 985 . the curved surfaces are configured to internally reflect light entering the input face 995 until the light reaches the output face 990 in a manner similar to that described above with respect to the faceted surfaces 840 . the curved surfaces constitute , in effect , an infinite number of faceted surfaces ( i . e ., as the number of faceted surfaces 840 increases , their area decreases and the properties of the bend approach those of a smooth curve ). the center of curvature 1000 of the outer curved surface may be offset from the center of curvature 1005 of the inner curved surface . such an offset leads to an output face 990 that has a larger area than the input face 995 . as an alternative to or in addition to offsetting the centers of curvature , the output arm 1010 may be flared to a trapezoidal shape as shown by the dashed lines 1015 in fig1 , further increasing the area of the output face 990 . widening the output arm may enable connection of the output face 990 directly to a bundle of fiber optic cables without the need for a collector element .

US-79168397-A

a color image can be obtained from a color photographic element by multiple color development steps . the first color development is carried out in the usual manner after imagewise exposure . the second color development step is carried out after bleaching with a rehalogenating bleaching agent , and is used to develop only rehalogenated silver halide . this specific development is possible by either using a chloride rehalogenating agent in the bleaching solution , using a sulfite fixing agent before bleaching , or by fogging the element between bleaching and the second color development step .

in one embodiment of the present invention the photographic material is subjected to a fix bath before the rehalogenating bleach bath . without this fix bath it would be desirable to ensure that the rehalogenated silver halide and the existing silver halide could be easily discriminated by the second colour developer bath . one way of doing this would be for the photographic material to have silver bromide or bromoiodide emulsions and for the rehalogenating bath to form silver chloride . the so - formed silver chloride would be more developable than the original halide as is well understood . preferably a fix bath is introduced between the first development step and the bleach step . the preferred fixer comprises sulphite ions . for example the fix bath may comprise water containing 12 - 190 , preferably 20 - 125 and particularly 30 - 100 g ions / litre of sulphite . preferably sodium or potassium sulphite is used . fixers containing significant amounts of thiosulphate ions are unsuitable in the process of the present invention . the rehalogenating bleach bath may be based on a ferricyanide or ferric edta bleach or , preferably , a peroxide bleach . the peroxide bleach solution may further comprise a base , a halide ( preferably a chloride ) and optionally a metal - chelating compound . it preferably has a ph above 5 , preferably in the range 6 to 9 and contains from 25 to 100 ml , preferably from 30 to 65 ml , 30 % hydrogen peroxide solution per litre . preferably the silver halide emulsions of the photographic material are silver chloride , for example at least 85 mole percent silver chloride . preferably the material has low total silver halide coating levels , for example levels below 500 mg / m 2 , preferably below 300 mg / m 2 and particularly below 150 mg / m 2 ( as silver ). between the rehalogenation and before the next image forming step there is preferably a fogging step either by light or chemical means to render the rehalogenated silver more rapidly developable . the additional rehalogenation and colour development steps may be repeated any number of times until the desired dye density is achieved . in addition to the processing steps described above there may be added other processing steps , for example , appropriate stop , wash , fix and stabilise steps . the colour developer solution for the second colour development step may be same as that used for the first colour development or it may be different . if the same , the material may be passed to the tank containing the first colour developer or to a different tank containing the same or a different solution . apparatus wherein the material can be recycled to a previous bath is described in our copending u . k . applications 93007504 . 2 ; 93007505 . 9 ; 93007513 . 3 and 93007514 . 1 all filed apr . 13 , 1993 . before subjecting the material to the second colour development step , it may be desirable to remove any bleaching agent , e . g . hydrogen peroxide , from the material . this can be done by washing in water or a sulphite or metabisulphite solution . in a particular embodiment the photographic material is subjected to the following processing steps : 3 . a bleach stage to convert the silver image into silver halide , 4 . a second chromogenic development stage to produce a second amount of dye , 5 . a bleach stage to convert silver into a solubilisable form , 6 . a fix stage to remove silver salts from the image , and steps 3 and 4 could be repeated to provide more dye production from the same amount of silver . for example a coating of 377 mg / m 2 silver halide ( half the normal laydown ) could be processed using the above cycle . two chromogenic stages produce the required amounts of dye for satisfactory contrast and density range . alternatively if the bleach / develop cycle is repeated to give 5 development stages , the coated silver can be reduced to about 161 mg / m 2 . step 2 could involve two baths , one to provide silver solubilising agent and a second to ensure adequate removal of dissolved silver . preferably the fixing agent is sodium sulphite which avoids the use of fixers such as thiosulphate which can lengthen the time needed for bleaching . step 4 proceeds more readily if the silver halide formed on bleaching has been fogged . this can be done by exposure to light or by a chemical added in a separate stage or in the second developer solution . the rehalogenating bleach may comprise known compositions based on ferricyanides , persulphates , and metal complexes of edta and the like polycarboxylic acid chelating agents . examples of process cycles using the stages described can include wash stages in between the stages described to reduce the carry - over of chemicals from one bath to another by the photographic layers . without such wash stages it is likely that some redox amplification will take place . redox amplification processes have been described , for example in british specification nos . 1 , 268 , 126 , 1 , 399 , 481 , 1 , 403 , 418 and 1 , 560 , 572 . in such processes colour materials are developed to produce a silver image ( which may contain only small amounts of silver ) and then treated with a redox amplifying solution ( or a combined developer - amplifier ) to form a dye image . the developer - amplifier solution contains a colour developing agent and an oxidising agent which will oxidise the colour developing agent in the presence of the silver image which acts as a catalyst . oxidised colour developer reacts with a colour coupler to form the image dye . the amount of dye formed depends on the time of treatment or the availability of colour coupler and is less dependent on the amount of silver in the image as is the case in conventional colour development processes . examples of suitable oxidising agents include peroxy compounds including hydrogen peroxide and compounds which provide hydrogen peroxide , eg addition compounds of hydrogen peroxide ; cobalt ( iii ) complexes including cobalt hexammine complexes ; and periodates . mixtures of such compounds can also be used . a particular application of this technology is in the processing of silver chloride colour paper , especially such paper with low silver levels . examples of process cycles using the stages described without intermediate wash steps involve contact of the photographic material already containing either developer composition with a subsequent peroxide bleach bath , or paper already containing peroxide bleach with a subsequent developer bath . in both cases the paper will contain simultaneously peroxide and developer and some redox amplification image formation would be expected . if the process takes place in a processing machine it is preferred to use minimal volumes in the application devices . such apparatus is described in our pct application nos . ep91 / 00266 , ep91 / 00256 and ep91 / 00785 . where a developer is likely to become contaminated by peroxide , this peroxide can be destroyed by the use of relatively large amounts of antioxidants , particularly sulphite in the developer . for developer - contaminated peroxide bleach solutions , the developing agent can be oxidised and removed by a suitable scavenging agent . the present method may employ photographic materials , processing compositions and methods set out in research disclosure item 308119 , deccember 1989 published by kenneth mason publications , emsworth , hants , united kingdom . the following examples are included for a better understanding of the invention . two multilayer colour photographic papers were coated ( 12 . 5 cm web ), similar to currently available silver chloride colour paper . the silver laydowns were as follows : ______________________________________ cyan magenta yellow totalexpt . mg / m . sup . 2 mg / m . sup . 2 mg / m . sup . 2 mg / m . sup . 2______________________________________ ( a ) coating 1 198 281 283 762 ( control )( b ) coating 2 104 140 99 343______________________________________ one strip from coating 1 and two strips from coating 2 were exposed to a four colour wedge , ( giving red , green , blue and neutral exposures ) for 0 . 1 sec on a sensitometer , utilising a filter pack containing a wratten 2b plus 60m and 60y cc filters . ______________________________________ ( 1 ) working ra4 developer700 ml developer replenisher275 ml demineralised water 25 ml starter solution1000 ml ( 2 ) ra4 bleach fix solution ( 3 ) 2 % acetic acid solution ( 4 ) peroxide bleachdemineralised water 500 ml100 vol ( 30 %) hydrogen peroxide 50 mlkcl 0 . 5 gkhco . sub . 3 25 g1 - hydroxyethylidene - 1 , 1 &# 39 ;- diphosphonic acid 1 mldiethyltriamine - penta - acetic acid 1 mldemin water to 1 literph 8 . 0 ( 5 ) sulphite fixdemin water 500 mlglacial acetic acid 50 ml50 % naoh solution 70 mlsodium sulphite 100 gdemin water to 1 literph 7 . 0______________________________________ the exposed strips were processed as follows on a kodak h11 drum processor . ______________________________________1 soln ( 1 ) ra4 developer 45 &# 34 ; 35 ° c . ( drum 1 ) 2 soln ( 3 ) acetic stop 30 &# 34 ; ( drum 2 ) 3 wash 30 &# 34 ; 4 soln ( 2 ) ra4 bleach - fix 60 &# 34 ; 5 wash 60 &# 34 ; ______________________________________ the processed strips were read using an x - rite reflection densitometer and the neutral sensitometric parameters were calculated . the results are shown in table 1 . coating ( a ) showed normal paper reflection densities while coating ( b ) showed lower values because of the lower coating weight . ______________________________________1 soln ( 1 ) ra4 developer 45 &# 34 ; 2 soln ( 5 ) sulphite fix 45 &# 34 ; 3 wash 30 &# 34 ; 4 soln ( 4 ) peroxide bleach 45 &# 34 ; rehalogenation5 wash 30 &# 34 ; light fog 12 &# 34 ; ( 250 watt @ 15 cm ) 6 soln ( 1 ) ra4 developer 30 &# 34 ; 7 wash 30 &# 34 ; 8 soln ( 4 ) peroxide bleach 45 &# 34 ; 9 wash 30 &# 34 ; 10 soln ( 5 ) sulphite fix 45 &# 34 ; 11 wash 60 &# 34 ; ______________________________________ the reflection densitometry gave the parameters shown in table 1 . table 1 shows substantially higher contrasts are obtained ( especially in the blue layer ) and would warrant further silver reductions . the higher dmin results from incomplete removal of cd3 developing agent at stage 7 . table 1__________________________________________________________________________dmin dmax contrast shoulder toepaperr g b r g b r g b r g b r g b__________________________________________________________________________a 0 . 107 0 . 122 0 . 079 2 . 63 2 . 68 2 . 44 3 . 46 3 . 98 2 . 97 1 . 82 2 . 00 1 . 75 0 . 312 0 . 316 0 . 287b 0 . 104 0 . 116 0 . 060 1 . 76 2 . 00 1 . 71 1 . 93 2 . 06 1 . 86 1 . 39 1 . 47 1 . 30 0 . 381 0 . 369 0 . 339c 0 . 171 0 . 264 0 . 203 2 . 78 2 . 64 2 . 49 3 . 90 4 . 10 3 . 59 2 . 11 2 . 22 2 . 00 0 . 317 0 . 382 0 . 345__________________________________________________________________________ a control coating 1 b coating 2 c rehalogenation ( coating 2 ) a multilayer colour photographic paper was coated ( 12 . 5 cm web ), similar to currently available silver chloride colour paper with the following silver laydowns and grain sizes : ______________________________________ cyan magenta yellow total______________________________________grain size 0 . 384 0 . 312 0 . 384 ( ega microns ) silver ( mg / m . sup . 2 ) 32 . 3 37 . 7 53 . 8 123 . 8______________________________________ four strips of the coating were exposed to a four colour wedge ,( giving red , green , blue and neutral exposures ) for 0 . 1 sec on a sensitometer , utilising a filter pack containing a wratten 2b plus 60m and 60y cc filters . ______________________________________ ( 6 ) developer______________________________________demin water 700 ml1 - hydroxyethylidene - 1 , 1 &# 39 ;- diphosphonic acid 0 . 60 gdiethyltriamine - pentaacetic acid 2 . 0 mlkbr 1 mgkcl 0 . 50 gdiethylhydroxylamine ( 85 % soln ) 4 . 0 mlcatechol disulphonate ( na salt ) 0 . 60 g4 - n - ethyl - n -( β - methanesulphonamido - ethyl )- - o - 3 . 50 gtoluidine sesquisulphatek . sub . 2 co . sub . 3 25 gdemin water to 1 literph 10 . 3 ( 27 ° c .) ______________________________________ a number of processing cycles were carried out to illustrate the combination of rehalogenation and redox ( rx ) amplification . all processing was carried out at 32 ° c . and the first two steps were carried out on two kodak h11 drum processors . ______________________________________d ( 6 ) 45 &# 34 ; = developer ( 6 ) for 45 secs ( drum 1 ) f ( 5 ) 30 &# 34 ; = fix ( 5 ) for 30 secs ( drum 2 ) b ( 4 ) 45 &# 34 ; = bleach ( 4 ) for 45 secs ( 2l tank ) fog = light fog ( 250 watt @ 15 cm ) w = wash______________________________________ in processing cycles ( a )-( d ) the dye images were formed by both direct chromogenic development with ( and without ) rehalogenation and also by rx amplification where developer soaked paper was introduced to the bleach bath and where a bleached soaked paper was introduced into a developer bath . silver ( metal ) and silver halide would be left in the dye image as follows : the amounts present were low because of the low silver coating weight . leaving silver halide in the image ( and no silver ) was visually least objectionable . the strips were read on an x - rite densitometer and the parameters are listed in table 2 . the best sensitometry was obtained with cycle ( d ) i . e . using rehalogenation followed by three rx stages . this demonstrates the potential advantages of a multibath process . table 2__________________________________________________________________________ ( neutral sensitometry ) process dmin dmax contrast shoulder toecycle r g b r g b r g b r g b r g b__________________________________________________________________________a 0 . 122 0 . 142 0 . 095 1 . 73 1 . 50 2 . 30 2 . 08 1 . 72 2 . 88 1 . 34 1 . 28 1 . 73 0 . 322 0 . 446 0 . 294b 0 . 128 0 . 150 0 . 100 1 . 44 1 . 78 1 . 77 2 . 05 2 . 18 1 . 75 1 . 27 1 . 40 1 . 29 0 . 360 0 . 364 0 . 406c 0 . 139 0 . 166 0 . 114 2 . 14 2 . 07 2 . 49 2 . 87 2 . 43 2 . 89 1 . 68 1 . 62 1 . 76 0 . 314 0 . 361 0 . 308d 0 . 131 0 . 158 0 . 106 2 . 52 2 . 34 2 . 72 3 . 73 3 . 38 4 . 21 1 . 98 1 . 89 2 . 07 0 . 291 0 . 313 0 . 261__________________________________________________________________________

US-22422294-A

disclosed is a display apparatus . the display apparatus comprises a monitor for displaying image thereon ; and a hinge arrangement for rotatably connecting the monitor to a body and thereby allowing a torque to be adjusted depending upon a rotation angle of the monitor .

reference will now be made in greater detail to a preferred embodiment of the invention , an example of which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings . herein below , an embodiment of the present invention will be described in connection with a notebook computer . in this specification , a word “ body ” designates an element which is connected with a display apparatus in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention , such as a computer . however , a person skilled in the art will readily recognize that the concept of the present invention can be applied to a tv or the like in which a body and a display apparatus are integrally formed with each other . a computer to which the display apparatus is hingedly connected in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention , has , as shown in fig1 a body 1 and a monitor 4 which is connected to the body 1 to display image thereon . in the body 1 , there are arranged components for a desired computer system . an input unit ( keyboard ) 2 is also connected to the body 1 to allow desired information to be input into the body 1 . the monitor 4 cooperates with a hinge arrangement 100 ( see fig2 ) at ‘ a ’ which will be described in detail below , according to the present invention . as can be readily seen from fig2 the hinge arrangement 100 is disposed between the body 1 and the monitor 4 . the hinge arrangement 100 enables the monitor 4 to be tilted relative to the body 1 and allows a torque to be adjusted in a diversity of ways depending upon a rotation angle of the monitor 4 . the hinge arrangement 100 includes a fixed bracket 10 which is fastened to the body 1 , a rotating bracket 20 which is affixed to the monitor 4 to be rotated or tilted relative to the fixed bracket 10 , first and second adjusting brackets 30 and 40 which are located adjacent to one surface and the other surface , respectively , of the rotating bracket 20 to limit a rotation angle of the rotating bracket 20 , and a hinge shaft 50 which is fitted through the fixed bracket 10 , the rotating bracket 20 and the first and second adjusting brackets 30 and 40 . as shown in fig2 and 3 , the fixed bracket 10 has a fastening portion 11 and a bent portion 14 . the fastening portion 11 is defined with a plurality of first screw passing holes 12 in a manner such that the fixed bracket 10 can be fastened to the body 1 at the fastening portion 11 by means of screws which pass through the plurality of first screw passing holes 12 , respectively . the bent portion 14 is bent substantially perpendicular to the fastening portion 11 and is defined with a first shaft hole 15 in a manner such that the hinge shaft 50 can extend through the first shaft hole 15 , and the hinge shaft is prevented from rotating in first shaft hole 15 . the rotating bracket 20 has an affixing portion 22 and an elongated portion 24 . the affixing portion 22 is defined with a plurality of second screw passing holes 23 in a manner such that the rotating bracket 20 can be affixed to the monitor 4 at the affixing portion 22 by means of screws which pass through the plurality of second screw passing holes 23 , respectively . the elongated portion 24 is bent substantially perpendicular to the affixing portion 22 and is defined with a second shaft hole 25 in a manner such that the hinge shaft 50 can extend through the second shaft hole 25 . as described above , the first and second adjusting brackets 30 and 40 are located adjacent to the one planer surface 24 a and the other planer surface 24 b , respectively , of the elongated portion 24 of rotating bracket 20 to limit the rotation angle of the rotating bracket 20 . at this time , the first and second adjusting brackets 30 and 40 are formed to have lengths which are smaller than a length of the elongated portion 24 of rotating bracket 20 . as best shown in fig4 the first and second adjusting brackets 30 and 40 are bent ( have a v bend ) at center portions thereof by predetermined angles of a 1 and a 2 , respectively , relative to the straight elongated portion 24 of rotating bracket 20 . the first and second adjusting brackets 30 and 40 are defined with third and fourth shaft holes 33 and 44 , respectively , in a manner such that the hinge shaft 50 can extend through the third 17 and fourth shaft holes 33 and 44 . a pair of first stoppers 31 a and 31 b are formed at respective opposite ends of the first adjusting bracket 30 and a pair of second stoppers 41 a and 41 b are formed at respective opposite ends of the second adjusting bracket 40 , in a manner such that the first stoppers 31 a and 31 b and the second stoppers 41 a and 41 b are brought into contact with an edge surface of the elongated portion 24 of rotating bracket 20 to limit the rotation angle of the rotating bracket 20 . the pair of first stoppers 31 a and 31 b and the pair of second stoppers 41 a and 41 b project from both ends of the first and second adjusting brackets 30 and 40 toward the rotating bracket 20 . that is , the pair of first stoppers 31 a and 31 b and the pair of second stoppers 41 a and 41 b extend horizontally from both ends of the vertically extending first and second adjusting brackets 30 and 40 toward each other and toward the rotating bracket 20 . a pair of friction members 70 are intervened between the rotating bracket 20 and the first and second adjusting brackets 30 and 40 , respectively , in a manner such that the pair of friction members 70 are fitted around the hinge shaft 50 . the friction members 70 are made of soft rubber so as to present elasticity and absorb friction upon rotation of the rotating bracket 20 relative to the first and second adjusting brackets 30 and 40 disposed between the first and second adjusting brackets 30 and 40 . the hinge shaft 50 has a first shaft portion 52 which is inserted through the first shaft hole 15 of the fixed bracket 10 , and a second shaft portion 53 which is inserted through the second , third and fourth shaft holes 25 , 33 and 44 . an externally threaded portion 53 a is formed on a circumferential outer surface of , and adjacent to , a free end of the second shaft portion 53 , and a flange portion 55 is formed on a circumferential outer surface of the hinge shaft 50 between the first shaft portion 52 and the second shaft portion 53 . a nut 60 is threaded to the threaded portion 53 a so as to prevent the brackets 20 , 30 and 40 from being separated from the hinge shaft 50 . a first pair of spring washers ( or disk springs ) 80 are interposed between the flange portion 55 of the hinge shaft 50 and the first adjusting bracket 30 , and a second pair of spring washers 80 and a flat washer 90 are interposed between the second adjusting bracket 40 and the nut 60 . a pair of friction members 70 are positioned adjacent to opposite sides of second shaft hole 25 and space the first and second adjusting brackets 30 and 40 from the elongated portion 24 of rotating bracket 20 . here , positions , kinds and the numbers of the friction members 70 , spring washers 80 and the plain washer 90 can be varied as occasion and design demands . hereinafter , a procedure for assembling the display apparatus according to the present invention , constructed as mentioned above , to the body 1 , will be described in detail . first , by inserting the screws through the plurality of first screw passing holes 12 which are defined in the fastening portion 11 of the fixed bracket 10 , the fixed bracket 10 is fastened to the body 1 . then , the first shaft portion 52 of the hinge shaft 50 is inserted through the first shaft hole 15 which is defined in the bent portion 14 of the fixed bracket 10 . thereupon , after the pair of first spring washers 80 are fitted around the second shaft portion 53 of the hinge shaft 50 , the first adjusting bracket 30 is fitted around the hinge shaft 50 in manner such that the second shaft portion 53 of the hinge shaft 50 is inserted through the third shaft hole 33 of the first adjusting bracket 30 . next , after the rotating bracket 20 and the second adjusting bracket 40 are sequentially fitted around the second shaft portion 53 of the hinge shaft 50 in a state wherein the pair of friction members 70 are intervened between the rotating bracket 20 and the first and second adjusting brackets 30 and 40 , respectively , in a manner such that the second shaft portion 53 of the hinge shaft 50 is inserted through the second shaft hole 25 of the rotating bracket 20 and the fourth shaft hole 44 of the second adjusting bracket 40 , the pair of second spring washers 80 and the flat washer 90 are fitted around the second shaft portion 53 of the hinge shaft 50 . thereafter , the nut 60 is threadedly coupled to the threaded portion 53 a of the hinge shaft 50 . by finally affixing the rotating bracket 20 to the monitor 4 at the affixing portion 22 , the procedure for assembling the display apparatus according to the present invention to the body 1 is completed . it is preferred that a pair of hinge arrangements 100 are disposed between the body 1 and the monitor 4 . if assemblage of the display apparatus to the body 1 is completed in this way , the rotating bracket 20 and the first and second adjusting brackets 30 and 40 are configured as shown in fig4 . from this state , torque changes which occur when tilting the rotating bracket 20 in a stepwise manner by predetermined angles of a 1 , a 2 and a 3 , will be explained below . first , when the monitor is rotated backward , i . e ., away from the user , the rotating bracket 20 is first tilted to the angle of a 1 , as shown in fig5 . the torque applied to the elongated portion 24 of rotating bracket 20 by friction members 70 is unchanged until and the edge surface of the rotating bracket 20 is brought into contact with the upper first stopper 31 a of the first adjusting bracket 30 . at this time , unless force is additionally applied to the rotating bracket 20 , the rotating bracket 20 which is initially tilted by the angle of a 1 , is not tilted any more due to engagement between the edge surface of the rotating bracket 20 and the upper first stopper 31 a of the first adjusting bracket 30 . if the rotating bracket 20 is further tilted to the angle of a 2 so as to increase a tilting angle of the monitor 4 , since the edge surface of the rotating bracket 20 is engaged with the upper first stopper 31 a of the first adjusting bracket 30 , the rotating bracket 20 is tilted integrally with the first adjusting bracket 30 . at this time , a greater amount of force is required when compared to the case of tilting only the rotating bracket 20 to the angle of a 1 due to the force applied to the first adjusting bracket 30 by the first pair of spring washers 80 . when the rotating bracket 20 is further titled to the angle of a 2 as just described above , as can be readily seen from fig6 the edge surface of the rotating bracket 20 is brought into contact with the upper second stopper 41 a of the second adjusting bracket 40 . in this state , upper portions of the rotating bracket 20 and the first and second adjusting brackets 30 and 40 are overlapped with one another as shown in fig6 . if the rotating bracket 20 is further tilted to the angle of a 3 , as can be readily seen from fig7 so as to still further increase a tilting angle of the monitor 4 , a greater amount of force is required when compared to the case of tilting the rotating bracket 20 to the angle of a 2 due to the force applied to the second adjusting bracket 40 by the second pair of spring washers 80 . likewise , in the case that the monitor is rotated in a forward direction toward the user , which is opposite to the backward direction as described above , the edge surface of the rotating bracket 20 is first brought into contact with the lower first stopper 31 b of the first adjusting bracket 30 , thereafter the rotating bracket 20 is integrally tilted with the first adjusting bracket 30 . then , due to further forward rotation of the monitor , the the edge surface of the rotating bracket 20 is brought into contact with the lower second stopper 41 b of the second adjusting bracket 40 , and the rotating bracket 20 is integrally tilted with the first and second adjusting brackets 30 and 40 . as a consequence , by adjusting a torque in a diversity of ways in conformity with a tilt angle of the monitor 4 , it is possible to hold a tilt angle of the monitor 4 at a variety of values , whereby an optimum viewing angle for the monitor 4 can be reliably secured . additionally , an increased in torque occurs when tilting the monitor towards a closed position , thereby preventing the monitor from falling to the closed position absent user manipulation . as a result , according to the present invention , a display apparatus which enables a torque to be adjusted in a diversity of ways depending upon a rotation angle of a monitor , is provided . in the drawings and specification , there have been disclosed typical preferred embodiments of the invention and , although specific terms are employed , they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation , the scope of the invention being set forth in the following claims .

US-90215601-A

the present invention relates to a surface mount package for a silicon condenser microphone and methods for manufacturing the surface mount package . the surface mount package uses a limited number of components which simplifies manufacturing and lowers costs , and features a substrate that performs functions for which multiple components were traditionally required , including providing an interior surface on which the silicon condenser die is mechanically attached , providing an interior surface for making electrical connections between the silicon condenser die and the package , and providing an exterior surface for surface mounting the package to a device &# 39 ; s printed circuit board and for making electrical connections between package and the device &# 39 ; s printed circuit board .

while the invention is susceptible of embodiments in many different forms , there is shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail several possible embodiments of the invention with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the broad aspect of the invention to the embodiments illustrated . the present invention is directed to microphone packages . the benefits of the microphone packages disclosed herein over microphone packaging utilizing plastic body / lead frames include the ability to process packages in panel form allowing more units to be formed per operation and at much lower cost . the typical lead frame for a similarly functioning package would contain between 40 and 100 devices connected together . the present disclosure would have approximately 14 , 000 devices connected together ( as a panel ). also , the embodiments disclosed herein require minimal “ hard - tooling ” this allows the process to adjust to custom layout requirements without having to redesign mold , lead frame , and trim / form tooling . moreover , many of the described embodiments have a better match of thermal coefficients of expansion with the end user &# 39 ; s pcb , typically made of fr - 4 , since the microphone package is also made primarily of fr - 4 . these embodiments of the invention may also eliminate the need for wire bonding that is required in plastic body / lead frame packages . the footprint is typically smaller than that would be required for a plastic body / lead frame design since the leads may be formed by plating a through - hole in a circuit board to form the pathway to the solder pad . in a typical plastic body / lead frame design , a ( gull wing configuration would be used in which the leads widen the overall foot print . now , referring to fig1 - 3 , three embodiments of a silicon condenser microphone package 10 of the present invention are illustrated . included within silicon microphone package 10 is a transducer 12 , e . g . a silicon condenser microphone as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 870 , 482 which is hereby incorporated by reference and an amplifier 16 . the package itself includes a substrate 14 , a back volume or air cavity 18 , which provides a pressure reference for the transducer 12 , and a cover 20 . the substrate 14 may be formed of fr - 4 material allowing processing in circuit board panel form , thus taking advantage of economies of scale in manufacturing . fig6 is a plan view of the substrate 14 showing the back volume 18 surrounded a plurality of terminal pads . the back volume 18 may be formed by a number of methods , including controlled depth drilling of an upper surface 19 of the substrate 14 to form a recess over which the transducer 12 is mounted ( fig1 ); drilling and routing of several individual sheets of fr - 4 and laminating the individual sheets to form the back volume 18 , which may or may not have internal support posts ( fig2 ); or drilling completely through the substrate 14 and providing a sealing ring 22 on the bottom of the device that will seal the back volume 18 during surface mounting to a user &# 39 ; s “ board ” 28 ( fig3 - 5 ). in this example , the combination of the substrate and the user &# 39 ; s board 28 creates the back volume 18 . the back volume 18 is covered by the transducer 12 ( e . g ., a mems device ) which may be “ bumpbonded ” and mounted face down . the boundary is sealed such that the back volume 18 is operably “ air - tight .” the cover 20 is attached for protection and processability . the cover 20 contains an aperture 24 which may contain a sintered metal insert 26 to prevent water , particles and / or light from entering the package and damaging the internal components inside ; i . e . semiconductor chips . the aperture 24 is adapted for allowing sound waves to reach the transducer 12 . the sintered metal insert 26 will also have certain acoustic properties , e . g . acoustic damping or resistance . the sintered metal insert 26 may therefore be selected such that its acoustic properties enhance the functional capability of the transducer 12 and / or the overall performance of the silicon microphone 10 . referring to fig4 and 5 the final form of the product is a silicon condenser microphone package 10 which would most likely be attached to an end user &# 39 ; s pcb 28 via a solder reflow process . fig5 illustrates a method of enlarging the back volume 18 by including a chamber 32 within the end user &# 39 ; s circuit board 28 . another embodiment of a silicon condenser microphone package 40 of the present invention is illustrated in fig7 - 10 . in this embodiment , a housing 42 is formed from layers of materials , such as those used in providing circuit boards . accordingly , the housing 42 generally comprises alternating layers of conductive and non - conductive materials 44 , 46 . the non - conductive layers 46 are typically fr - 4 board . the conductive layers 44 are typically copper . this multi - layer housing construction advantageously permits the inclusion of circuitry , power and ground planes , solder pads , ground pads , capacitance layers and plated through holes pads within the structure of the housing itself . the conductive layers provide emi shielding while also allowing configuration as capacitors and / or inductors to filter input / output signals and / or the input power supply . in the embodiment illustrated , the housing 42 includes a top portion 48 and a bottom portion 50 spaced by a side portion 52 . the housing 42 further includes an aperture or acoustic port 54 for receiving an acoustic signal and an inner chamber 56 which is adapted for housing a transducer unit 58 , typically a silicon die microphone or a ball grid array package ( bga ). the top , bottom , and side portions 48 , 50 , 52 are electrically connected , for example with a conductive adhesive 60 . the conductive adhesive may be provided conveniently in the form of suitably configured sheets of dry adhesive disposed between the top , bottom and side portions 48 , 50 and 52 . the sheet of dry adhesive may be activated by pressure , heat or other suitable means after the portions are brought together during assembly . each portion may comprise alternating conductive and non - conductive layers of 44 , 46 . the chamber 56 may include an inner lining 61 . the inner lining 61 is primarily formed by conductive material . it should be understood that the inner lining may include portions of non - conductive material , as the conductive material may not fully cover the non - conductive material . the inner lining 61 protects the transducer 58 against electromagnetic interference and the like , much like a faraday cage . the inner lining 61 may also be provided by suitable electrically coupling together of the various conductive layers within the top , bottom and side portions 48 , 50 and 52 of the housing . in the various embodiments illustrated in fig7 - 10 and 23 - 26 , the portions of the housing 42 that include the aperture or acoustic port 54 further include a layer of material that forms an environmental barrier 62 over or within the aperture 54 . this environmental barrier 62 is typically a polymeric material formed to a film , such as a polytetrafluoroethylene ( ptfe ) or a sintered metal . the environmental barrier 62 is supplied for protecting the chamber 56 of the housing 42 , and , consequently , the transducer unit 58 within the housing 42 , from environmental elements such as sunlight , moisture , oil , dirt , and / or dust . the environmental barrier 62 will also have inherent acoustic properties , e . g . acoustic damping / resistance . therefore the environmental barrier 62 is chosen such that its acoustic properties cooperate with the transducer unit 58 to enhance the performance of the microphone . this is particularly true in connection with the embodiments illustrated in fig2 and 25 , which may be configured to operate as directional microphones . the environmental barrier layer 62 is generally sealed between layers of the portion , top 48 or bottom 50 in which the acoustic port 54 is formed . for example , the environmental barrier may be secured between layers of conductive material 44 thereby permitting the layers of conductive material 44 to act as a capacitor ( with electrodes defined by the metal ) that can be used to filter input and output signals or the input power . the environmental barrier layer 62 may further serve as a dielectric protective layer when in contact with the conductive layers 44 in the event that the conductive layers also contain thin film passive devices such as resistors and capacitors . in addition to protecting the chamber 56 from environmental elements , the barrier layer 62 allows subsequent wet processing , board washing of the external portions of the housing 42 , and electrical connection to ground from the walls via thru hole plating . the environmental barrier layer 62 also allows the order of manufacturing steps in the fabrication of the printed circuit board - based package to be modified . this advantage can be used to accommodate different termination styles . for example , a double sided package can be fabricated having a pair of apertures 54 ( see fig2 ), both including an environmental barrier layer 62 . the package would look and act the same whether it is mounted face up or face down , or the package could be mounted to provide directional microphone characteristics . moreover , the environmental barrier layer 62 may also be selected so that its acoustic properties enhance the directional performance of the microphone . referring to fig7 , 8 , and 11 - 13 the transducer unit 58 is generally not mounted to the top portion 48 of the housing . this definition is independent of the final mounting orientation to an end user &# 39 ; s circuit board . it is possible for the top portion 48 to be mounted face down depending on the orientation of the transducer 58 as well as the choice for the bottom portion 50 . the conductive layers 44 of the top portion 48 may be patterned to form circuitry , ground planes , solder pads , ground pads , capacitors and plated through hole pads . referring to fig1 - 13 there may be additional alternating conductive layers 44 , non - conductive layers 46 , and environmental protective membranes 62 as the package requires . alternatively , some layers may be deliberately excluded as well . the first non - conductive layer 46 may be patterned so as to selectively expose certain features on the first conductive layer 44 . fig1 illustrates an alternative top portion 48 for a microphone package . in this embodiment , a connection between the layers can be formed to provide a conduit to ground . the top portion of fig1 includes ground planes and / or pattern circuitry 64 and the environmental barrier 62 . the ground planes and or pattern circuitry 64 are connected by pins 65 . fig1 illustrates another embodiment of a top portion 48 . in addition to the connection between layers , ground planes / pattern circuitry 64 , and the environmental barrier 62 , this embodiment includes conductive bumps 66 ( e . g . pb / sn or ni / au ) patterned on the bottom side to allow secondary electrical contact to the transducer 58 . here , conductive circuitry would be patterned such that electrical connection between the bumps 66 and a plated through hole termination is made . fig1 illustrates yet another embodiment of the top portion 48 . in this embodiment , the top portion 48 does not include an aperture or acoustic port 54 . referring to fig7 , 8 and 14 - 18 , the bottom portion 50 is the component of the package to which the transducer 58 is primarily mounted . this definition is independent of the final mounting orientation to the end user &# 39 ; s circuit board . it is possible for the bottom portion 50 to be mounted facing upwardly depending on the mounting orientation of the transducer 58 as well as the choice for the top portion 48 construction . like the top portion 48 , the conductive layers 44 of the bottom portion 50 may be patterned to form circuitry , ground planes , solder pads , ground pads , capacitors and plated through hole pads . as shown in fig1 - 18 , there may be additional alternating conductive layers 44 , non - conductive layers 46 , and environmental protective membranes 62 as the package requires . alternatively , some layers may be deliberately excluded as well . the first non - conductive layer 46 may be patterned so as to selectively expose certain features on the first conductive layer 44 . referring to fig1 a through 14 d , the bottom portion 50 comprises a laminated , multi - layered board including layers of conductive material 44 deposited on layers of non - conductive material 46 . referring to fig1 b , the first layer of conductive material is used to attach wire bonds or flip chip bonds . this layer includes etched portions to define lead pads , bond pads , and ground pads . the pads would have holes drilled through them to allow the formation of plated through - holes . as shown in fig1 c , a dry film 68 of non - conductive material covers the conductive material . this illustration shows the exposed bonding pads as well as an exposed ground pad . the exposed ground pad would come in electrical contact with the conductive epoxy and form the connection to ground of the side portion 52 and the base portion 50 . referring to fig1 d , ground layers can be embedded within the base portion 50 . the hatched area represents a typical ground plane 64 . the ground planes do not overlap the power or output pads , but will overlap the transducer 58 . referring to fig1 , an embodiment of the bottom portion 50 is illustrated . the bottom portion 50 of this embodiment includes a solder mask layer 68 and alternating layers of conductive and non - conductive material 44 , 46 . the bottom portion further comprises solder pads 70 for electrical connection to an end user &# 39 ; s board . fig1 and 17 illustrate embodiments of the bottom portion 50 with enlarged back volumes 18 . these embodiments illustrate formation of the back volume 18 using the conductive / non - conductive layering . fig1 shows yet another embodiment of the bottom portion 50 . in this embodiment , the back portion 50 includes the acoustic port 54 and the environmental barrier 62 . referring to fig7 - 10 and 19 - 22 , the side portion 52 is the component of the package that joins the bottom portion 50 and the top portion 48 . the side portion 52 may include a single layer of a non - conductive material 46 sandwiched between two layers of conductive material 44 . the side portion 52 forms the internal height of the chamber 56 that houses the transducer 58 . the side portion 52 is generally formed by one or more layers of circuit board material , each having a routed window 72 ( see fig1 ). referring to fig1 - 22 , the side portion 52 includes inner sidewalls 74 . the inner sidewalls 74 are generally plated with a conductive material , typically copper , as shown in fig2 and 21 . the sidewalls 74 are formed by the outer perimeter of the routed window 72 and coated / metallized with a conductive material . alternatively , the sidewalls 74 may be formed by may alternating layers of non - conductive material 46 and conductive material 44 , each having a routed window 72 ( see fig1 ). in this case , the outer perimeter of the window 72 may not require coverage with a conductive material because the layers of conductive material 44 would provide effective shielding . fig2 - 26 illustrate various embodiments of the microphone package 40 . these embodiments utilize top , bottom , and side portions 48 , 50 , and 52 which are described above . it is contemplated that each of the top , bottom , and side portion 48 , 50 , 52 embodiments described above can be utilized in any combination without departing from the invention disclosed and described herein . in fig2 , connection to an end user &# 39 ; s board is made through the bottom portion 50 . the package mounting orientation is bottom portion 50 down . connection from the transducer 58 to the plated through holes is be made by wire bonding . the transducer back volume 18 is formed by the back hole ( mounted down ) of the silicon microphone only . bond pads , wire bonds and traces to the terminals are not shown . a person of ordinary skilled in the art of pcb design will understand that the traces reside on the first conductor layer 44 . the wire bonds from the transducer 58 are be connected to exposed pads . the pads are connected to the solder pads via plated through holes and traces on the surface . in fig2 , connection to the end user &# 39 ; s board is also made through the bottom portion 50 . again , the package mounting orientation is bottom portion 50 . connection from the transducer 58 to the plated through holes are made by wire bonding . the back volume is formed by a combination of the back hole of the transducer 58 ( mounted down ) and the bottom portion 50 . in fig2 , connection to the end user &# 39 ; s board is also made through the bottom portion 50 . again , the package mounting orientation is bottom portion 50 . connection from the transducer 58 to the plated through holes are made by wire bonding . with acoustic ports 54 on both sides of the package , there is no back volume . this method is suitable to a directional microphone . in fig2 , connection to the end user &# 39 ; s board is made through the top portion 48 or the bottom portion 53 . the package mounting orientation is either top portion 48 down or bottom portion 50 down . connection from the transducer 58 to the plated through holes is made by flip chipping or wire bonding and trace routing . the back volume 18 is formed by using the air cavity created by laminating the bottom portion 50 and the top portion 48 together . some portion of the package fabrication is performed after the transducer 58 has been attached . in particular , the through hole formation , plating , and solder pad definition would be done after the transducer 58 is attached . the protective membrane 62 is hydrophobic and prevents corrosive plating chemistry from entering the chamber 56 . referring to fig2 - 29 , the portion to which the transducer unit 58 is mounted may include a retaining ring 84 . the retaining ring 84 prevents wicking of an epoxy 86 into the transducer 58 and from flowing into the acoustic port or aperture 54 . accordingly , the shape of the retaining ring 84 will typically match the shape of the transducer 58 foot print . the retaining ring 84 comprises a conductive material ( e . g ., 3 mil . thick copper ) imaged on a non - conductive layer material . referring to fig2 , the retaining ring 84 is imaged onto a nonconductive layer . an epoxy is applied outside the perimeter of the retaining ring 84 , and the transducer 58 is added so that it overlaps the epoxy 86 and the retaining ring 84 . this reduces epoxy 86 wicking up the sides of the transducer &# 39 ; s 58 etched port ( in the case of a silicon die microphone ). alternatively , referring to fig2 , the retaining ring 84 can be located so that the transducer 58 does not contact the retaining ring 84 . in this embodiment , the retaining ring 84 is slightly smaller than the foot print of the transducer 58 so that the epoxy 86 has a restricted path and is , thus , less likely to wick . in fig2 , the retaining ring 84 is fabricated so that it contacts the etched port of the transducer 58 . the following tables provide an illustrative example of a typical circuit board processing technique for fabrication of the housing of this embodiment . table 5 describes the formation of the side portion 52 . this process involves routing a matrix of openings in fr - 4 board . however , punching is thought to be the cost effective method for manufacturing . the punching may done by punching through the entire core , or , alternatively , punching several layers of no - flow pre - preg and thin core c - stage which are then laminated to form the wall of proper thickness . after routing the matrix , the board will have to be electroless or dm plated . finally , the boards will have to be routed to match the bottom portion . this step can be done first or last . it may make the piece more workable to perform the final routing as a first step . table 6 describes the processing of the top portion . the formation of the top portion 48 involves imaging a dry film cover lay or liquid solder mask on the bottom ( i . e . conductive layer forming the inner layer . the exposed layer of the top portion 48 will not have a copper coating . it can be processed this way through etching or purchased this way as a one sided laminate . a matrix of holes is drilled into the lid board . drilling may occur after the imaging step . if so , then a suitable solder mask must be chosen that can survive the drilling process . fig3 is a plan view illustrating a panel 90 for forming a plurality of microphone packages 92 . the microphone packages 92 are distributed on the panel 90 in a 14 × 24 array , or 336 microphone packages total . fewer or more microphone packages may be disposed on the panel 90 , or on smaller or larger panels . as described herein in connection with the various embodiments of the invention , the microphone packages include a number of layers , such as top , bottom and side portions of the housing , environmental barriers , adhesive layers for joining the portions , and the like . to assure alignment of the portions as they are brought together , each portion may be formed to include a plurality of alignment apertures 94 . to simultaneously manufacture several hundred or even several thousand microphones , a bottom layer , such as described herein , is provided . a transducer , amplifier and components are secured at appropriate locations on the bottom layer corresponding to each of the microphones to be manufactured . an adhesive layer , such as a sheet of dry adhesive is positioned over the bottom layer , and a sidewall portion layer is positioned over the adhesive layer . an additional dry adhesive layer is positioned , followed by an environmental barrier layer , another dry adhesive layer and the top layer . the dry adhesive layers are activated , such as by the application of heat and / or pressure . the panel is then separated into individual microphone assemblies using known panel cutting and separating techniques . the microphone , microphone package and method of assembly herein described further allow the manufacture of multiple microphone assembly , such as microphone pairs . in the simplest form , during separation two microphones may be left joined together , such as the microphone pair 96 shown in fig3 . each microphone 98 and 100 of the microphone pair 96 is thus a separate , individually operable microphone in a single package sharing a common sidewall 102 . alternatively , as described herein , conductive traces may be formed in the various layers of either the top or bottom portion thus allowing multiple microphones to be electrically coupled . while specific embodiments have been illustrated and described , numerous modifications come to mind without significantly departing from the spirit of the invention , and the scope of protection is only limited by the scope of the accompanying claims .

US-201213732265-A

a clumping animal litter is disclosed which includes non - swelling particles and a swelling agent coated on the non - swelling particles . in one embodiment , the non - swelling particles are manufactured by agglomerating clay fines .

referring to fig1 absorbent particles 10 include clay fines agglomerated into clay particles 12 , which are coated with a powder 14 . in one embodiment , absorbent particles 10 are utilized in an animal litter . in alternative embodiments , the animal litter includes cat , dog , hamster and livestock litter . the clay fines used in the agglomeration process are about − 50 mesh in size and are sometimes referred to as a clay seed base or a seed material . in an exemplary embodiment , clay particles 12 range in size from about − 10 mesh to about + 50 mesh , based on standard u . s . mesh . in an exemplary embodiment , the clay fines are agglomerated using a pin mixer . a powder 14 is applied to particles 12 to form a coating . powder 14 is the active ingredient of the litter . exemplary coating powders include at least one of a sodium bentonite powder and a bentonite / guar gum blended powder . however , the powder coatings may be augmented with either or both of an odor control agent and an anti - microbial agent . particle 10 is spherical in shape , the shape shown is by way of example only as it is contemplated that a host of shapes and sizes of coated particles can be produced by the embodiments and processes described herein . one specific embodiment includes recovery of waste fines which include calcium - montmorillonite . the calcium - montmorillonite fines are agglomerated in a pin mixer using water as a binder . the agglomerated fines have a moisture content of about 20 % to about 40 %. in another embodiment , the fines have a moisture content of about 28 % to about 34 %. the agglomerated fines are then coated with a bentonite powder of about 200 mesh using a centrifugal coater or a rotary coater / dryer system . in one embodiment , the clay fines are fed into a pin mixer using a screw extruder . moisture ( water ) is added to the fines to act as a binder , in one embodiment about 28 %, while in the extruder . the fines and the moisture result in a cake like substance as it enters the pin mixer . a pin mixer includes a shaft with a series of pins which breaks up the cake and results in the formation of small , spherically shaped particles which are separated from the cake - like batch using shaker screens . as previously described , in one embodiment , the clay fines are about − 50 mesh in size and after addition of the moisture and the pin mixing process , resulting in particles 12 of between about − 10 mesh and + 50 mesh in size . other methods are contemplated which include using binders of guar gum and water or starch and water . another embodiment utilizes a blend of clay fines and bentonite fines with water as a binder to produce particles 12 through the pin mixing process . still another embodiment utilizes sodium bentonite fines with water as a binder to produce particles 12 of between about − 10 mesh and + 50 mesh in size through the pin mixing process . the agglomerated fines , including the clay and bentonite embodiment , or the bentonite embodiment , are then coated with a bentonite powder of about 200 mesh using a centrifugal coater or a rotary coater / dryer system for improved clumping capability . in alternative embodiments , methods for coating an outer surface of clay particles 12 with powder 14 include utilization of at least one of a fluidized bed dryer , a semi - continuous centrifugal coater or a rotary coating and drying system . in the rotary system , clay particles 12 and powder 14 are tumbled in a drum to mix for about 60 seconds . the litter is then removed from the drum and the drum is heated to about 300 ° to about 400 ° farenheit and the litter is returned to the drum and dried until about an 8 % moisture content is obtained . the resulting coated litter is typically in the − 10 to + 50 mesh size range , with a moisture content from about 15 % to about 5 %, preferably with a moisture content of about 8 %. in one embodiment , the bentonite coating is about 20 % to about 40 % by weight of a coated particle . in an alternative embodiment , the bentonite coating is about 25 % to about 35 % by weight of a coated particle . in a further alternative embodiment , the bentonite coating is about 30 % by weight of a coated particle . in alternative method for producing the litter , the agglomerated fines are placed in a fluidized bed and bentonite coating is sprayed in a low concentration solution . [ 0020 ] fig2 and 3 are an analysis of several samples of coated clumping litter which includes 70 % by weight particles produced from fines as described above and 30 % by weight 200 mesh bentonite coating . fig2 illustrates clumping weight and clumping strength for several representative samples and is charted based upon wetting , for example , 15 minutes after wetting with a saline solution , and for 15 minutes , one hour , and 24 hours after being wetted with a standard urine sample . fig3 shows a screen analysis , a bulk density , and a moisture content for each sample analyzed in fig2 . the screen analysis indicates a weight and a percentage for each sample that passed through standard mesh screens , for example , 8 , 12 , 14 , 20 , 40 , and 50 mesh screens . the litter resulting from the compositions and methods described above has superior clumping properties as the active clumping agent is kept on the surface of the particles , where the clumping bonds are formed . in addition , the litter has a dust content which is lower than known clumping litters , resulting in less tracking , as the coating processes described above result in a shell being formed around the agglomerated particles . further , the litter is easier to remove from litter boxes than known clumping litters as the litter described herein is less likely to attach to litter boxes . in the above described embodiments , coating with bentonite provides a litter which includes the clumping and absorption qualities of a litter which is composed solely of sodium bentonite . however , due to the coating process , the amount by weight of sodium bentonite is reduced over known clumping litters , resulting in more efficient use of the sodium bentonite while providing a production cost savings over those litters with higher percentage amounts of sodium bentonite . in addition , the coated litter produced provides a lighter weight product and has a unique , homogeneous appearance that appeals to consumers . further , the agglomeration process results in a utilization of clay product fines , which heretofore have been considered waste products , and since clay is not biodegradable , clay fines have traditionally required space for disposal . while the invention has been described in terms of various specific embodiments , those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the claims .

US-6805802-A

a resources sharing container having logic - linking mechanism for logically linking program code to pages , pages to applications and applications to solutions . the resources sharing container will have the ability to create finished solutions by using its logic functionalities , application requirements and preconfigured enhancements , and have the final solution tailored to each user &# 39 ; s prerequisites . moreover , it will permit the creation of a global resource sharing of logically linked software code blocks , application pages and application page &# 39 ; s settings that can be shared in house , over a network or globally over the internet , thus , reducing replication and distribution costs , since all the developments , securities and enhancements are at the resources level at a single location .

the present invention now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings , in which preferred embodiments of the invention are shown . this invention may , however , be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein . rather , these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete , and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art . like numbers refer to like elements throughout . as will be appreciated by one of skill in the art , the present invention may be embodied as a method , software development technique of resources sharing container , or a computer program product . accordingly , the present invention may take a form of an entirely software embodiment or an embodiment combining software and hardware . furthermore , the present invention may take the form of a computer program product on a computer - readable storage medium having computer - readable program code means embodied in the medium . any computer readable medium may be utilized including hard disks , cd - roms , optical storage devices , or magnetic devices . furthermore , any reference to names of a product or of a company is for the purpose of clarifying our discussion and they are registered to their respective owners . the resources sharing container contains all the required components for building robust logic - pages , applications and their integration to solutions . the resources sharing container can be programmed , database integrated by the user - supplied data stored in tables or the combination of both . once it is programmed or data is stored within , they can be shared by any page , application or solution . also , changes and upgrades need be applied to the resources sharing container only once without having the redistribution efforts and expenses associated with new software versions . also , by having a logically linking mechanism at the resource level , once a solution is integrated it can be virtually replicated by simply registering it to a different user . the user can be a company owner of the solution . the first solution becomes a template - mode for its virtual replication . it is like having a single car that can be driven by the whole family at the same time at different locations and tailored to each individual family - member as per each individual tastes and preferences . moreover , the resources sharing container has all of the requirements to integrate program code and other parameters related means to a page . then the page can be integrated to an application , finally , the application can be integrated to one or more solutions . in other words , the resources sharing container has pieces of program code , settings , interfacing , rendering parameters , etc . it can be located in the database , user supplied files or user input . each part of the resources sharing container is like a plug in , but may not be associated to any specific page , application or solution . therefore , they are loose by making and ready to be plugged in into a page , application or solution as required . the plug in mechanism functions like an electric switch . except it is a logic switch , switching program code , settings , interfacing , etc ., in and out as needed . furthermore , the resources sharing container can be compared to an electrical wiring system and all the devices connected thereof . each device connected to an electrical wring system usually has a switch of some sort , to switch it on and off . at the resources sharing container , the switching is done with the use of program logic . lets proceed with the example of the devices connected to the electrical wring system . if these devices were integrated at the resources sharing container , each device could have been of any shape , size , colors , and so on . lets say that a light bulb is the device that we &# 39 ; re talking about . now , if the light bulb were within the resources sharing container . the light bulb could &# 39 ; ve been of any size , shape , color , intensity , and so on . not only that , but the light bulb would &# 39 ; ve been only one and replicated , reshaped , resized , etc ., according to each one needs and preferences . lets move on and learn how this process works by turning to fig1 , and it illustrates the resources sharing container 100 , the logic functionalities 110 , the application requirements 120 and the final solution 130 . now , translation and securities 140 ; interfacing , renderings and settings 150 are preconfigured enhancements to the resources sharing container . they can be part of the resources sharing container ( be embedded to the resources sharing container &# 39 ; s pages , applications and solutions ), like translations and securities , or , they can be user supplied , like settings , interfacing and renderings . in the case of translations and securities , all solutions will use them and they are integrated at the resource level . all others are user supplied and will differ for each solutions . many other enhancements can be created and integrated as well . as we progress , it will become clear how each one interacts within the resources sharing container . the logic functionalities 110 contain all the code - logic , program code , logic - linking nodes , applications and solutions setting , translations , securities , etc ., and they have the logic - linking mechanism for their integration to any page , application of solution . the application requirements 120 are the user defined needs for the integration of pages to applications , and the integration of applications to solutions . the solution 130 is the final user - defined solution and it is the byproduct of logic functionalities 110 , and application requirements 120 . turning to fig1 a , and it is a further embodiment of fig1 . fig1 a shows preconfigured enhancements 160 and they are linked / available to pages 164 through logic links 162 . as we will see in the following examples , some preconfigured enhancements are embedded to the resources sharing container , others are user supplied and only available to the user &# 39 ; s application . lets continue . pages 164 are linked to applications 168 through logic links 166 , and applications 168 are linked to solutions 172 through logic links 170 . as it is with any software solution , it is programmed as components and later integrated ( linked ) to code - pages at machine runtime . the two most popular are dll ( dynamic linking library ) and the latest microsoft . net . they both are linked at runtime . dll &# 39 ; s are integrated at the operating system level and are registered with the operating system and they can be shared by any application , that is , they are dynamically linked to applications at runtime . the . net shares some similarities with its predecessor dll . it is linked at runtime but it is part of the . net resource infrastructure that allows the creation of binaries ( compiled code that is read by a binary interpreter ) and it is language independent . unlike dll &# 39 ; s and . net , logically linked pages , application and solutions are not dynamically linked at runtime . the linking process is done automatically by the resource and it is based on each application requirements . that is the reason it is called logic - linked . as it has been mentioned before , the resource can contain all kind of parameter - based files , database tables , program code block and many other techniques can be developed and used as well , from now on their combinations will be referred as logic - linking components . once these logic - linking components are integrated at the resources sharing container they are free to be logic - linked to any solution and not being specific to any page , application or solution . lets delve a little further into the logic - linking process and turn to fig2 ; it illustrates the logic linking of pages that are within the “ resources sharing container ” 200 . “ page a ” 202 is linked to the “ resources sharing container ” 200 by node “ l1 ” 210 . the logic linking mechanism can be an “ if - then - else ”, “ case blocks ” or any other form for integrating code to a page ( fig7 illustrates an “ if - then - else ” method ). it can also be integrated as part of the resource itself . the same explanation applies to “ page b ” 204 and it has the node “ l2 ” 212 and “ page c ” 206 has the node “ l3 ” 214 . “ page d ” 208 differs from the other pages , it doesn &# 39 ; t have any logic - linking node , it is integrated into the resource and it can be used by any application or solution . it can be a page common to all applications and / or solutions like : a login page . fig3 is a further embodiment of fig2 and it illustrates a page with its logic - linking node . as with pages that are linked to applications through logic - linking nodes , pages have logic - linking mechanism as well and they allow the integration of code - logic blocks ( piece of program code ). as we see “ application page ” 302 has one ready linked code - logic block 307 . node “ n1 ” 305 links code - logic block 308 ; node “ n2 ” 304 links code - logic block 309 and node “ n3 ” 303 links code - logic block 310 . by having code - logic blocks that are logically linked to pages , it allows any common used code block to be integrated in more than one page , thus , reducing code replication and maintenance . lets proceed by turning to fig4 , and it illustrates the resources sharing container 400 along with logic - linking pages of different functionalities . lets start from the bottom part of the “ resources sharing container ” 400 . the first page , “ page a ” 418 is a program logic - page and it has a logic - linking node “ l1 ” 410 ; the second page is a page with “ settings ” 420 ( user supplied ) and it has a logic - linking node “ l2 ” 412 ; the third is a means for “ translation ” 422 and it is integrated at the resource level and it is indicated by the “ double arrow line ” 414 ; finally , there is a “ template ” 424 ( user supplied ) and it is logic - linked by node “ l3 ” 416 . the “ settings ” 420 and “ template ” 424 are both user supplied . both of them will be integrated to the user &# 39 ; s specific solutions and not having any effect to any other solutions therewith . continuing with fig4 . now lets review the solutions that are above the resources sharing container 400 . there are four solutions , lets just review the first one , “ solution a ” 402 , and it has a “ double - arrow ”, which indicates that it is already logic - linked , since it has already been explained at fig2 . the logic - link is not shown in this figure . it is done as is for sake of simplicity and not intended to obscure this invention . “ page a ” 418 is linked through logic - link “ l1 ” 410 and it can be used , logically linked , by any of the above solutions . “ settings ” 420 shows logic - link “ l2 ” 412 and “ template ” 424 shows logic - link “ l3 ” 416 . these two are logically linked to their respective user &# 39 ; s solutions and not necessarily linked to the resources sharing container , although they can be linked to resources sharing container as well . “ translation ” 422 is linked ( integrated / embedded ) to the resources sharing container and shown by the “ arrow ” 414 . translation is available to all solutions . the purpose of this figure arrangement is to illustrate that more than one solution can be integrated by having the same pages logically linked to any one of them in any arrangement . the explanation for the other solutions ( solution b 404 , solution c 406 and solution d 408 ) are as for the above one , and anyone skilled in the art will be able to follow its explanation and understand the other ones as well . as we turn to fig5 , it illustrates what has already been explained . the resources sharing container 500 along with four pages . lets move to fig6 and it is a database table of the resources share container and it represents fig5 embodiment . as we review fig6 , fig5 will be fully explained as well . lets proceed with fig6 and explain the first two rows of the resources sharing container &# 39 ; s database table 600 . the first row # 1 ( id column ) at the “ page_link ” column we see the value of “ l1 ”, and it is the logic - link node “ l1 ” 501 of “ first page ” 502 of fig5 . next column is the “ codeblock_link ” column and it has the value of “ dl_l1 — 1 ”, and it represents the two - arrow link 506 of fig5 . the value “ dl_l1 — 1 ” of column “ codeblock_link ” deserves special attention . any time a value at this column has the starting value of “ dl ” it means that the logic code block is directly linked to the page or application , in this case it is part of the page , it can be any other value as well . the last column , “ location ” has “ c :/ resources / dl_l1 — 1 . inc ” and it is the folder location where the logic code block 507 of fig5 is located . the second row # 2 ( id column ) at the “ page_link ” column we see the value of “ l1 ”, and it is the logic - link node “ l1 ” 501 of first page 502 of fig5 . next column is the “ codeblock_link ” column and it has the value of “ n1 ”, and it represents the “ n1 ” 505 of fig5 . the last column , “ location ” has “ c :/ resources / n1 . inc ” and it is the folder location where the logic code block 508 of fig5 is located . the last three rows of the database table show the value of “ cp ” for the “ page_link ” column , and it is the abbreviation for “ common page ” 522 of fig5 . all other rows in the database table are self - explanatory and anyone skilled in the art will be able to follow the above explanation along with what has already been explained so far and fully understand their meanings . fig7 illustrates how to implement the logic - linking mechanism that has been discussed so far . it uses a “ function firstpage ( )” and it can be called from any page , and once called its “ if - then - else ” will include the code based in the application requirements selected by the user . the code can be in the form of dll , include file , objects from database , etc . as it has been explained before , other methods can be used as well for the same purpose , like case statements , logic part of the resources sharing container , or a compiler can be developed for the same purpose and be used to compile the code for each application and solution as they are fetched for the first time by the computer . continuing with fig7 , lets review the first “ if ” statement of the function “ firstpage ( )” and it is “ if ( getresources (“ n1 ”))”. as the function &# 39 ; s code is processed the function “ getresources ( sparm )” will be called and the parameter of “ n1 ” will be passed on to the function “ getresources ( )”, and it will in turn call “ checkresources ( )” function and pass the “ n1 ” parameter to it . the “ checkresources ( )” function will use the received parameter “ n1 ” and compare it to the resource and if the user has selected the node “ n1 ”, that is , the node “ n1 ” is part of the user &# 39 ; s resources . if it is , the function “ checkresources ( )” will return “ true ” to “ getresources ( )” and “ getresources ( )” will return “ true ” to the “ firstpage ( )” function , thus , finalizing the process , and the code within the “ if ” statement “ if ( getresources (“ n1 ”))” will be included into the page . fig8 , 9 and 10 illustrate the supplying of interface templates , interface settings and program logic for applications , fig1 shows the same method for a solution . we &# 39 ; ll be using fig5 and fig8 . starting with fig8 , and it illustrates the application requirements “ firstapp ” 800 and it has “ interfacenode = n7 ” for interface templates 810 , and , it is the node “ n7 ” 525 fig5 logically linked to common page 522 fig5 . next the interface settings 820 have “ canvasbgcolor = blue ” and “ textcolor = white ” and they are interface rendering . they can user supplied by uploading a file , or they can be integrated to the resources sharing container from a database table . its use will fully explained as we review fig2 . following is the program logic 830 , and it has the “ plnodes = n4 ; n6 ” and they are “ n4 ” 514 and “ n6 ” 512 of fig5 logically linked to second page 516 fig5 ; “ pllinks = l2 ; l3 ” are “ l2 ” 511 and “ l3 ” 530 of fig5 . lets review what has been done and turn to fig5 . the application that integrates the above resource ( firstapp ) now has the value “ secondpage ” 516 with code logic block 517 , code logic block n4 518 and code logic block n6 520 . it also has the “ third page ” 529 and all of its code logic blocks . the means for supplying these requirements to the resources can be in the form of check boxes , uploaded files , part of the resources sharing container itself or any other user supplied means . other kind o requirements can be include when needed , as well . the same explanation applies to fig9 , 10 and 11 and anyone skilled in the art will be able to follow the explanation given for fig8 and fully understand them as well . fig1 and fig1 don &# 39 ; t have any value for the interface settings 1020 and 1120 respectively . it simply means that the application “ thirdapp ” 1000 and the solution “ globalsol ” 1100 didn &# 39 ; t require any interface rendering . once these application requirements are supplied to the resources sharing container , they can be stored in a database table or any other storing means . also , the process of supplying requirements can be done with check boxes , pull down menus , drag - and - drop , etc . we &# 39 ; ll be using fig8 and fig1 . fig1 illustrates a database table for the applications and solution of fig8 , 9 , 10 and 11 . lets proceed and review the database table &# 39 ; s column “ id ” first row # 1 . under the column “ application_id ” and on id row # 1 we see the “ firstapp ” and it is “ firstapp ” 800 fig8 . next column “ interfacing ” and under row # 1 we see “ n7 ” and it the “ interfacenode = n7 ” of interface template 810 , fig8 . next , the column “ settings ” and on row # 1 we see “ canvasbgcolor = blue ; textcolor = white ”. they are “ canvasbgcolor = blue ” and “ textcolor = white of interface settings ” 820 , fig8 . finally , the column “ code_logic ” and on row # 1 we see the values “ plnodes = n4 ; n6 | pllinks = l2 ; l3 ”. they are the “ plnodes = n4 ; n6 ” and “ pllinks = l2 ; l3 ” of program logic 830 , fig8 . row # 2 relates to fig9 ; row # 3 relates to fig1 and row # 4 relates to fig1 . they use the same principle as for the row # 1 and anyone skilled in the art will be able to follow the above explanation and fully understand them as well . once application requirements are supplied to an application and it has all of its necessary logic requirements for its support then it is ready to be logically integrated to one or more solutions and the receiving solution will be able to launch them as needed . as we turn to fig1 , it illustrates a solution “ globalsol ” 1300 having three logic - integrated application : application “ firstapp ” 1310 , application “ secondapp ” 1320 and application “ thirdapp ” 1330 . as we move to fig1 , it illustrates a database table 1400 with two columns : “ solution_id ” and “ application_id ”. they represent what we &# 39 ; ve discussed for fig1 . the column “ solution_id ” indicates “ globalsol ” and it has three applications ( firstapp , secondapp and thirdapp ) linked to it . once again , as with the supplying of application requirements , the linking of applications to solutions can be done with check boxes , pull down menus , drag - and - drop , etc . as we turn to fig1 , it is a further embodiment of fig1 and in addition of , it illustrates applications “ firstapp ” 1510 and “ thirdapp ” 1540 being integrated to more than one solution . application “ firstapp ” 1510 is integrated to solution “ globalsol ” 1500 and solution “ globalsolx ” 1520 ; application “ thirdapp ” 1540 is integrated to solution “ globalsol ” 1500 and solution “ globalsoly ” 1550 . moving on to fig1 , it illustrates the data base table 1600 and it is what we &# 39 ; ve discussed about application integration to more than one solution for fig1 . lets review the database table 1600 of fig1 . the first three rows and at the column “ solution_id ” has “ globalsol ” at each row , the next column , “ application_id ” has the three applications : “ firstapp ”, “ secondapp ” and “ thirdapp ” ( rows # 1 -# 3 ). they are firstapp 1510 , secondapp 1530 and thirdapp 1540 of fig1 . the last two rows are for solutions globalsolx 1520 and globalsoly 1550 . “ globalsolx ” has “ firstapp ” ( application_id column ) and it is firstapp 1510 of fig1 . finally , “ globalsoly ” has “ thirdapp ” ( application_id column ) and it is thirdapp 1540 of fig1 . once requirements are supplied to an application and the application is logically - integrated to a solution , the solution is ready for the final replication and use by any number of users . this process is much like the replication of software in cd &# 39 ; s or any other recording media . the only difference is that , the replicating process is done virtually . since the application - logic , application requirements , solution and its respective applications reside in the resources sharing container . they can be replicated by just assigning the solution to a user . as we review fig1 and 17 a . they illustrate the same arrangement of fig1 , except , this time the same solution along with its application have been replicated to two users . fig1 illustrates the solution “ globalsol ” 1710 is assigned to user “ user_a ” 1700 along with its applications “ firstapp ” 1720 , “ secondapp ” 1730 and “ thirdapp ” 1740 . fig1 a illustrates the solution “ globalsol ” 1750 is assigned to user “ user_b ” 1760 along with its applications “ firstapp ” 1770 , “ secondapp ” 1780 and “ thirdapp ” 1790 . lets proceed to fig1 , and it illustrates the same table of fig1 with two new column added , the “ user_id ” and “ type ” columns , and as we examine the “ user_id ” column , it illustrates the same solution along with its application assigned to two different users : “ user_a ” and “ user_b ” in a virtual replication mode , and they are , “ user_a ” 1700 of fig1 , and , “ user_b ” 1760 of fig1 a . finally , the column “ type ” indicates what kind , applications or solutions , the resource identities are . lets review the first four rows of the database table 1800 . the first three rows has the value for “ application ” and it is for type “ application ” for “ firstapp ” 1720 ; “ secondapp ” 1730 and “ thirdapp ” 1740 fig1 . row # 4 has the value “ solution ” and it is for the solution “ globalsol ” 1710 of fig1 . proceeding to fig1 , two tables are illustrated and they are fig1 and fig1 respectively . replicated here and showing a database table &# 39 ; s relation 1910 by the “ application_id ” column of each table . lets start with fig1 database table 1900 ( top database table ) has “ user_id ” column and it is the user which has a solution assigned to . once a user logs in , the resources sharing container will initiate a search for the user at the “ user_id ” then retrieve the user &# 39 ; s solution based on the “ appliction_id ” of the resources table 1920 ( bottom database table ). the application and solution resources are retrieved , the resource for each user along with the user &# 39 ; s solution is created . this process will be fully explained once we review fig2 - 24 . after a user logs in and the solution for the user is loaded and resources are created , they are presented for the user &# 39 ; s selection and can be of any form for selecting an application within the user &# 39 ; s solution . a linking means will be illustrated later on . lets turn to fig1 , top table 1900 . it has two users illustrated at the “ user_id ” column : “ user_a ” and “ user_b ”. lets now say that “ user_a ” is logged in and the applications “ firstapp ”, “ secondapp ”, “ thirdapp ” and “ globalsol ” are assigned to the logged in user . since the two tables are related , table 1900 and table 1920 . a group of links will be created for “ firstapp ”, “ secondapp ” and “ thirdapp ”. the “ globalsol ” ( forth row ) can be programmed to behave differently than the previous three . it can be programmed to load any requirement to be used by the solution , like , loading database tables , settings , interfacing , etc ., plus the links for applications “ firstapp ”, “ secondapp ” and “ thirdapp ”. once the user selects any of the application links , lets say that the first link , “ firstapp ” is selected . now lets move to database table 1920 id # 1 ( first row ) and last column ( code_logic ). at the “ code_logic ” column there is the value of “ pllinks = l2 ; l3 ”. now , the program logic will fetch the value “ pllinks = l2 ; l3 ” and extract the values “ l2 ” and “ l3 ” then it will formulate a structured query language ( sql ) statement ( not shown for simplicity ) and search the column “ pplink_id ” of database table 2000 of fig2 , thus , fetching the rows # 2 and # 3 of id column . these two rows have the values “ l2 ” and “ l3 ” at the “ pllink_id ” column respectively . following these two rows at “ solutionresourceslocation ” column there is the code logic for each page , “ c :/ resources / second_page . asp ” for “ l2 ” and “ c :/ resources / third_page . asp ” for “ l3 ”. the previous two logic - links : “ l2 ” and “ l3 ” are the logic - links “ l2 ” 511 and “ l3 ” 530 of fig5 . lets review this process from the beginning . the user selects the solution link for “ globalsol ” and “ firstapp ”, “ secondapp ” and “ thirdapp ” links are displayed . the user selects the link for “ firstapp ” and the links for “ second page ” and “ third page ” ( solutionresource_id database table 2000 — fig2 ) are displayed . the user selects a link , lets assume , the “ second page ” link ( second row of database table 2000 — fig2 ). the page “ second_page . asp ” located at the folder named “ resources ” at drive “ c :” is processed . before we move on , lets review the last row of fig2 ( pllink_id column ) database table 2000 and id # 4 . it shows the value of “ cp ”. it represents a “ common page ” 522 fig5 , and it has already been described and it means that , the page is directly connected to the resources sharing container and available to all applications and solution therein . the applications and solution we &# 39 ; ve discussed , can be any commercial solution , like , accounting and the applications can be like , accounts payable , accounts receivable , inventory , etc ., and they are part of the solution accounting . there are two - kind of resources : application resource and solution resource , and they both can be replicated and assigned to a user for the application and the solution holder of the application ( s ). the replication process takes place at runtime as the resources sharing container retrieves various parameters from storage sources like : database tables , files , and other means as well , it process them and they are used to create the new application and / or solution for the requesting user . the application resource contains all the necessary information to launch the application and the solution resource contains all the necessary information to launch itself along with all of its applications as well . it is at this time that logic linking takes places and information is loaded from files , also , fetched from database tables . we &# 39 ; ll be using fig1 , fig2 and fig2 . as we turn to fig2 , it illustrates the creation of a resource . each element of the resource is extracted from a database table that has already been discussed . lets now focus at resources for the “ firstapp ” for the user “ uuser_a ” 2120 at the resource 2100 . the first and second line “ plnodes = n4 ; n6 ” 2102 and “ pllinks = l2 ; l3 ” 2104 are retrieved from the first row of the “ code_logic ” column of the database table 1920 of fig1 . the third line 2105 , “ pages = second page | c :/ resources / second_page . asp ; third page | c :/ resources / third_page . asp ” are retrieved from the database table second and third rows ( columns : solutionresource_id and solutionresourceslocation — database table 2000 of fig2 ). for each parameter of this line there are two parts ( second page | c :/ resources / second_page . asp ). the first one before the “|” is the link &# 39 ; s choice ( second page ) and it is used for the end user &# 39 ; s selection of the application page , and the application &# 39 ; s page is the second part of the link ( c :/ resources / second_page . asp ). the forth line 2106 , “ interfacenode = n7 ” is retrieved from the “ interfacing ” column ( first row ) of database table 1920 of fig1 . the fifth lines 2108 , “ canvasbgcolor = blue ” and the sixth line 2110 , “ textcolor = white ”, are retrieved from the “ settings ” column of database table 1920 of fig1 ( first row ). finally , the last line 2112 , “ type = application ” is retrieved from the “ type ” column of database table 1900 of fig1 ( first row ). lets skip fig2 and fig2 , since the explanation for fig2 , applies to both of them as well . we &# 39 ; ll be using fig1 and fig2 . lets turn to fig2 , and it illustrates the resource for the solution . it differs from the previous three resources . lets look at the top of the resource for fig2 - 23 , there is “ application_id ” for them , and for the solution resource there is “ solution_id ” 2405 . it identifies that the resource is a solution &# 39 ; s resource . now , lets review the fifth and sixth lines of the resource 2400 . the fifth line 2410 has , “ type = solution ” and it is retrieved from the “ type ” column of database table 1900 of fig1 ( forth row ), and , the sixth column 2420 , has the value : “ applications = firstapp ; secondapp ; thirdapp ” and they are retrieved from the first three rows of the “ application_id ” column of the database table 1900 of fig1 . once the solution resource is loaded into memory and processed , it will display the three applications that are part of it ( firstapp , secondapp and thirdapp ), and this process is what we &# 39 ; ve just explained . this covers the creation and replication of solutions along with their replication to users , and anyone skilled in the art will be able to follow the explanations given and fully understand its functionalities . we &# 39 ; ll be using fig2 - 25 . lets turn to fig2 , it illustrates the integration of an interfacing logic - node and it is retrieved from the forth line of the resource ( see fig2 - 24 ). the line of code “& lt ;%= getresources (“ n1 ”)%& gt ;” once read by the computer will call a function named “ getresources (“ n1 ”)”— it is illustrated at fig7 , and it has already been explained . the function will read the first line of the resource ( fig2 - 24 — plnodes ) and include the program code that was assigned as part of the application or the solution requirements ( plnodes ). in this example , “ n1 ” will integrate ( logically link ) application 2300 of fig2 ( plnodes = n1 ; n5 ) and solution 2400 of fig2 ( plnodes = n1 ; n2 ). fig2 is a further embodiment of fig2 and it illustrates at its first line “& lt ; table bgcolor =′& lt ;%= getsettings (“ canvasbgcolor ”)%& gt ;′& gt ;” another function ( not shown for simplicity ) that is used to include rendering parameters at a page . as shown , the function “ getsettings (“ canvasbgcolor ”)” will read the fifth line of the resource ( fig2 - 24 ) and if one is present , it will fetch its parameter and insert it into the page . we &# 39 ; ll be using fig2 - 29 as we explain the process of launching a solution . once a solution has been created and replicated to a user , all that is needed is the means for launching it to an end user at a client . fig2 illustrates the means for creating and displaying a menu 2700 with three choices : “ choice_a ”, “ choice_b ” and “ choice_c ”. the first line has the menu - bar dimension , the second line the menu - bar choices , the third line fetches the code “ a2 ” 2710 by executing the line “ execute = a2 ” it uses its code logic 2720 to display the menu . lastly , after the menu choices are displayed on the screen and inside the menu - bar , the process for displaying a menu dropdown for one of its choice begins by executing the next line “ load = a3 ” and the code block “ a3 ” is executed 2810 and it has the program code - logic 2820 is used to display the menu dropdown . the menu dropdown 2800 has the choices for the “ choice_a ” 2700 ( choice_a { choice globalsoly : globalsol ;}) and they are two solutions . lets concentrate in the solution that we &# 39 ; ve discussed so far , the “ globalsol ”. the “ globalsol ” link is shown at fig2 and it contains the “ user_id ” for the solution ( user_id = user_a ) and the solution id for the “ user_a ” and it is globalsol ( solution_id = golobalsol ). after an end user at a client access the resources sharing container it will start at a page within a folder assigned to the user &# 39 ; s solution . the page will have all the information that is required to launch the user &# 39 ; s solution . once the user &# 39 ; s solution is launched it start the process at fig2 , and after an end user selects the solutions link ( fig2 ), the client will send the link &# 39 ; s information to the server , at the server the resources for the user &# 39 ; s application will be created ( fig2 - 24 ) and more links for the applications will be displayed , the third line of fig2 - 24 . after a link for an application page is selected the page will be launched according to its logic - code requirements , program code - logic will be logically linked and the page will be executed . the complete process has been explained for fig2 - 24 . anyone skilled in the art of computer programming will be able to follow the explanations given and fully understand this invention . many more arrangements can be created and incorporated in this invention . while it has been fully described in connection with the illustrated embodiments , it will be appreciated and understood that modifications may be made without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention . we &# 39 ; ve used examples of code - logic although it can be any other means for linking a program - code component to a page , a page to an application and an application to a solution . furthermore , this invention will allow the creation of easy of use , low maintenance and virtual replication without the overhead that other currently available solutions require .

US-16009905-A

a new class of protective fabrics having good ballistic and fragmentary protection also provide wearable drape , softness , and moisture transport , as well as good uv and abrasion resistance and color acceptance , making them comfortable to wear as garment fabrics . the protective fabrics are constructed from yarns having at least 20 % ballistic fibers with greater than 12 gpd tenacity . a combined cover factor of between 55 % and 80 % avoids added stiffness due to yarn distortion at the crossing points . in embodiments , a long - float weave such as twill or satin with reduced crossing point density improves the hand of the fabric , and in some embodiments provides a different character on each face so that a predominantly staple fabric face is in contact with skin of a user , thereby providing better wearing comfort than a plain weave .

in embodiments , the yarns required to produce the present mid - cover invention are 70 denier ( 70 / 1 cc ) or larger . from a yarn production perspective , the lower limit on para - aramid yarns is 70 denier in the form of 70 / 2 cc . for abrasion durability and protection , either filament yarns or 2 - ply staple yarns are preferred . the cover factor used to define the present invention is based on calculation of the yarn diameter based on the denier , the specific gravity , and the assumption that the diameter of a round cross section monofilament will remain constant regardless of the number of filaments in a multi filament yarn . this simplifying monofilament treatment avoids any assumptions about multifilament yarn bundle cross section shape . all warp and fill yarn cover calculations use this same calculation of diameter . the protective fabrics of the present invention can be described as having mid - range cover factors . there are full cover fabrics in the prior art that have maximum practical cover factors , such as in the howland &# 39 ; 264 patent . the mid - cover fabrics of the present invention have a range of cover factors from 25 to 65 % in each yarn direction , so that the simple combined cover in both yarn directions is greater than 80 %. the simple combined cover factor is the sum of the monofilament cover factors in each of the 2 yarn directions . for production efficiency , the warp direction typically has the higher cover factor , with embodiments exceeding 50 % warp cover , and some embodiments exceeding 60 %. these higher cover factors are facilitated in various embodiments by using weave designs that float yarns and reduce the number of crossing points . twills and satin weaves are typical examples of this type of float yarn construction . fig1 a and 1b present 100 × magnified images of the face of an 8 harness satin of the present invention and the back or non - wear side of a 10 harness satin fabric of the present invention , showing a filament - dominated face . fig2 a and 2b are 100 × magnified images of the filament face and staple face respectively of a twill in an embodiment of the present invention . these twill and satin micrographs show the representative cover ratios and the lack of open interstices in these designs . they also show the mixed filament and staple character of embodiments of the present invention . furthermore , they are both examples of how the floats in the weave design are integral to the development of the system . in embodiments , the drape or softness is controlled by the use of floats in the construction . fig3 is a 235 × magnified image of a 200 d lcp protective plain weave mid - cover fabric plain weave that meets the lower cover limit of the present invention . note in these figures that there are minimal or no openings at the interstices . even for embodiments having floats that are 12 yarns in length , the interstices are not open . this requirement sets a lower limit for the cover factor of the invention , in that the mid - cover fabrics of the present invention are characterized by closed interstices without distortion of the yarns at the crossing points . by contrast , fig4 is a 178 × magnified image of an oxford cloth that falls below the minimum cover factor and minimum durability of the present invention . in this oxford construction the interstice size of low - mid cover fabrics is evident . low - mid weaves are still competent fabrics , but do not have enough cover to be fully protective , and lack durability . on the other hand , because the novelty of the present invention lies in a combination of protection , softness , and durability , the simple cover factor must be limited if there are no floats in the weave . as the cover factor is increased , the packing of the yarns must increase . eventually , the yarns will become over - packed , especially at the crossing points , and will distort . this is illustrated in fig5 and 6 , which present 30 × magnified images of protective full - cover plain weave staple fabrics that exceed the maximum cover factor limit of the present invention . even in the optical micrograph on the left of fig5 it can be see that the over - packed structure of full cover fabrics compresses the fiber into the interstices . note the distortion of the yarn shape as they exit the crossing points . as can be seen in fig5 and 6 , in a full cover plain weave fabric the yarn becomes packed tightly enough to begin to distort at the crossing points . this distortion effect leads to increased stiffness , and sets an upper limit on the cover factor range of the present invention , because designs that are packed so tightly as to distort the yarns at the crossing points are not sufficiently soft as measured by circular bending . the mid cover fabric construction of the present invention provides for protection from fragments without the loss of mobility and softness that would result from full cover packing and the resultant yarn distortion . the density of crossing points in a weave affects many characteristics of the fabric , including stiffness , abrasion , and cut resistance . accordingly , the simple combined cover factor can only be used to compare fabrics that have the same crossing point density . in embodiments , the mid - cover fabrics of the present invention make significant use of long weave floats , and some embodiments are not plain weaves . in order to compare effective cover factors for different weave types , we have found it useful to use a metric referred to as the “ sccf × cpd ,” whereby the crossing point density ( cpd ) for a long - float weave , divided by the crossing point density of a plain weave , is multiplied times the simple combined cover factor ( sccf ). with reference to fig8 , a unit weave cell is selected to compare the crossing point density of various weaves . this unit cell must be large enough for the most complex weave with the largest unit cell . for example , the 5 harness satin illustrated in fig8 required a 6 × 6 unit cell , and all the other weaves were drafted using this unit cell . the transitions are counted in both warp and fill and summed for each weave . the percentage of each of the weaves relative to the plain weave is calculated for each . in embodiments , according to circular bending tests and garment tests , the product of the simple combined cover factor (“ sccf ”) and the crossing point density (“ cpd ”) expressed as a percentage of a simple weave fabric (“ sccf × cpd ”), is less than 100 % for mid - cover fabrics in the lower fabric mass range . for similar embodiments in the center range of mass , the sccf × cpd is less than 40 %, even when the sccf is well about 80 %. this is accomplished by reducing the cpd to 50 % or less in these fabrics . fig9 is a table that presents representative fragmentation results for embodiments of the present invention . when combined into a garment with liners and additional under - layers , it is possible to achieve 16 gr fragment resistance in the 1000 - 1300 fps range . this is the result of multiple layers of the midcover fabrics and mid to low cover fabrics of the present invention . however , it illustrates how much protection can be achieved with mid cover materials in garment applications . the balance of performance required for mid - cover fabrics includes the need for softness . full cover fabrics provide sufficient abrasion resistance and protection , but they are not flexible or soft enough for many garment applications . the mid - cover fabrics of the present invention are characterized by a “ soft hand ,” both by subjective evaluation and per aatcc procedure # 5 fabric hand : guidelines for the evaluation and objective evaluation per astm d4032 - 08 ( 2012 ) standard test method for stiffness of fabric by the circular bend procedure . all of these results represent acceptable fabric softness for garment applications . embodiments of the present invention run at the high end of the range of circular bending , as a result of the compromise in the need for penetration performance and abrasion resistance . fig1 is a table that presents fabric hand data obtained using aatcc procedure # 5 . fig1 is a table that presents a comparison of features for various full cover , low - mid - cover and low cover fabrics . high cover fabrics have protective and durability but lack the softness of mid - cover fabrics . low - cover fabrics lack the durability of mid - cover fabrics in demanding outer wear garment applications . fig1 is a table that presents minimum yarn sizes and fabric masses for durable mid cover fabrics . there is a practical lower limit on the size of protective yarns containing lcp vectran , para aramid kevlar - twaron - technora etc , meta aramid nomex conex etc , uhmwpe dynemma - spectra , or pbo xylon . in most cases , practical yarns are larger than 70 denier or 70 / 1 cc . for durability , the mid - cover fabrics of the present invention are made from filament yarns of greater than 140 denier , or from 2 ply staple yarns greater than 70 / 2 denier , or a combination of both staple and filament yarns . this effective lower limit , combined with the required cover factors , sets a lower limit on the fabric mass of a mid - cover fabric of approximately 95 g / yd2 . it is difficult to define an upper bound on protective yarn size . in practice approximately 1500 denier may be used as the upper limit of the yarn denier . a mid - cover fabric can be created using this yarn size and a reduced cpd of approximately 450 g / yd2 . the protection of this fabric per ply is good , as is its abrasion resistance . however a 15 oz / yd2 fabric is too stiff and has poor thermal behavior in garments . in many garment configurations , 2 or more plies of a lighter mid - cover design according to the present invention can be used in areas requiring high protection or abrasion resistance . such multi - ply solutions improve flexibility . fig1 is a graph that presents the relationship between yarn density and fabric mass for various embodiments of the present invention . some embodiments of the present invention include para aramid fibers , while other embodiments include other fiber types according to the requirements of the application . blending para aramid is also effective in applications . in embodiments , para aramid or another protective fiber may have insufficient resistance to chemical , abrasive or uv degradation , or to a combination of these factors . in some of these embodiments a coating is applied to the fiber to improve its resistance to such attacks . the type of protection that is required defines the coating type . in many embodiments , acrylic , urethane , neoprene , nitrile , or silicone emulsions or solvent solutions are used . these coating resins can produce soft , thin deposits that have very limited impact on the stiffness of the fabric . these resins can be modified with fillers and additives as required to improve the resistance of the fabric to attack . a typical add - on for a resin - filler system is 0 . 5 - 2 . 5 % of the fabric weight . with reference to fig8 , in testing and comparison it was found that a 5 harness satin required a 6 × 6 unit cell . accordingly , all of the other weaves were drafted using this same unit cell . the transitions are counted in the figure in both warp and fill , and summed for each weave . the crossing point percent of each of the weaves relative to the plain weave is calculated for each . following are abrasion behavior martindale results for durability in embodiments of the present invention : all these results represent good durability results and will support long wearing and good garment life . following are perm - ref range results for embodiments of the present invention , which has a direct effect on the comfort of the fabrics the resistance of a fabric to moisture vapor transmission at 35 c skin temperature is a very sensitive measure of the textile &# 39 ; s ability to support evaporative cooling at the skin of a user in hot weather . the values of ref in the 3 to 6 range for the present invention are typical of the ref values of conventional uniform and work garment fabrics , and support comfortable wear even in a hot climate . the foregoing description of the embodiments of the invention has been presented for the purposes of illustration and description . it is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed . many modifications and variations are possible in light of this disclosure . it is intended that the scope of the invention be limited not by this detailed description , but rather by the claims appended hereto .

US-201414206076-A

a prefinished curved reflector suitable for use in recessed lighting , downlighting , head lamps , and tail lamps is made from metal sheet , preferably an aluminum alloy sheet . an outer surface of the metal sheet is either anodized , laminated , or polymer coated to provide desired appearance and performance . surprisingly , the metal sheet retains its reflectivity and resistance to corrosion even after deformation into a curved reflector .

several particularly preferred embodiments of our invention are described in the following examples . in a first embodiment of the invention , an aluminum alloy sheet is uncoiled and cleaned to remove surface contaminants from at least one outer surface . the sheet has a thickness of about 0 . 3 - 3 mm , preferably about 0 . 5 - 2 . 5 mm . a particularly preferred sheet has a thickness of about 1 . 3 mm ( 0 . 050 in ). next , the sheet is brightened , for example by treatment with a chemical brightener such as a hot mixture of phosphoric and nitric acids . the brightening treatment starts with 85 % phosphoric acid and 70 % nitric acid , in a 19 : 1 volumetric ratio . this ratio is reduced as aluminum phosphate accumulates in the brightening solution . a conversion coating is next applied to the sheet in order to improve adhesion to a polymeric adhesive layer and for improved corrosion resistance . both chrome - containing and chrome - free systems are suitable . the chrome conversion coating generally contains a chromate and a phosphate . some known non - chrome conversion coatings are solutions containing zirconate , titanate , molybdate , tungstate , vanadate , and silicate ions , generally in combination with hydrogen fluoride or other fluoride compounds . one suitable chrome - free conversion coating is the betz dearborn 1903 dry - in - place system . a suitable chrome - containing conversion coating is the betz dearborn 1904 dry - in - place system . these coatings are preferably applied via roll - coating to both sides of the sheet . we prefer coating compositions containing about 20 - 50 wt % of the unsaturated polyester , possibly containing about 5 - 40 wt % pigment particles , and about 20 - 50 wt % organic solvent . the pigment particles may be titanium dioxide , alumina , silica , or mixtures thereof , and are preferably titanium dioxide . a particularly preferred coating composition made by ppg industries , inc . of delaware , ohio is sold under the trademark truform coatings . a preferred coating thickness is about 0 . 50 - 1 . 5 mil ( 10 - 38 microns ). the coating may be applied by dipping , spraying , or roll coating and is preferably applied by roll coating . in the case of a clear coating system , the aluminum alloy substrate may be chemically or electrochemically brightened prior to conversion coating to enhance surface reflectivity . in another embodiment , the aluminum alloy sheet is uncoiled and cleaned in an aqueous alkaline cleaning solution to remove organic surface contaminants from at least one outer surface . the sheet has a thickness of about 0 . 3 - 3 mm , preferably about 0 . 5 - 2 . 5 mm . a particularly preferred sheet has a thickness of about 1 . 3 mm ( 0 . 050 in ). a conversion coating is next applied to the sheet in order to improve adhesion to a polymeric adhesive layer and for improved corrosion resistance . both chrome - containing and chrome - free systems are suitable . the chrome conversion coating generally contains a chromate and a phosphate . some known non - chrome conversion coatings are solutions containing zirconate , titanate , molybdate , tungstate , vanadate , and silicate ions , generally in combination with hydrogen fluoride or other fluoride compounds . one suitable chrome - free conversion coating is the betz dearborn 1903 dry - in - place system . a suitable chrome - containing conversion coating is the betz dearborn 1904 dry - in - place system . these coatings are preferably applied via roll - coating to both sides of the sheet . a polymeric adhesive layer is applied to the front side of the cleaned and conversion coated sheet surface . the adhesive layer is preferably a polypropylene - containing adhesive such as morton m805 , and may be an epoxy - containing adhesive such as morton 503a together with co - reactant f . the adhesive has a thickness of about 5 - 50 microns ( 0 . 2 - 2 mil ). a particularly preferred adhesive layer has a thickness of about 10 microns ( 0 . 4 mil ). optionally , a thinner layer of an inexpensive coating may also be applied to the back side of the aluminum alloy sheet . the backside coating may be a ppg 1bhc5428 epoxy with a thickness of about 3 - 8 microns ( 0 . 1 - 0 . 3 mil ). the front side adhesive layer is joined to a polymer sheet that may have an interior side coated with a reflective metal layer . the polymer sheet is preferably a polyolefin such as polypropylene or a polypropylene - polyethylene copolymer , and may also be a polyester such as polyethylene terephthalate ( pet ) or polybutylene terephthalate ( pbt ), a polyimide , or polyvinyl chloride . if coated with a reflective metal layer , the polymer sheet must be resistant to outgassing when placed in a vacuum sputtering chamber . the polymer sheet may have a thickness of about 10 - 100 microns , and preferably about 10 - 30 microns . a particularly preferred polypropylene sheet has a thickness of about 1 mil ( 25 microns ). an interior side of the polyester sheet can be vacuum sputtered with a reflective metal layer having a thickness of about 1 , 000 - 10 , 000 å . the metal layer may be silver , chromium , nickel , stainless steel , aluminum , or combinations thereof . a silver layer having a total thickness of about 5 , 000 - 10 , 000 å is preferred . in a third embodiment of the invention , an aluminum alloy sheet is uncoiled , cleaned , conversion coated , and coated with a layer of polymeric adhesive , all as described above . the polymeric adhesive is joined to a polymeric carrier film having an interior side adjacent the carrier film and an exterior side coated with a reflective metal layer . the carrier film is preferably a polyolefin such as polypropylene or a polypropylene - polyethylene copolymer , and may also be a polyester such as polyethylene terephthalate or polybutylene terephthalate ( pbt ), a polyimide , or polyvinyl chloride . the carrier film must be resistant to outgassing when placed in a vacuum sputtering chamber . the carrier film may have a thickness of about 10 - 100 microns , preferably about 10 - 30 microns . an exterior side of the carrier film is vacuum sputtered with a reflective metal layer having a thickness of less than about 10 , 000 å . the metal layer may be chromium , nickel , stainless steel , aluminum , silver , or combinations thereof a stainless steel layer having a thickness of about 1 , 000 å is preferred . optionally , the reflective metal layer is covered with a clear protective layer to improve scratch resistance . the protective layer is thinner than the metal layer and is preferably an oxide of silicon or titanium applied at a thickness of about 50 - 5000 å . optionally , the protective layer may be a transparent polymer . the protective layer is most preferably a layer of silicon dioxide sputtered in a vacuum chamber over the reflective metal layer . in a fourth embodiment , the aluminum alloy sheet is cleaned to remove surface contaminants from at least one outer surface . the sheet has a thickness of about 0 . 3 - 3 mm , preferably about 0 . 5 - 2 . 5 mm . a particularly preferred sheet has a thickness of about 1 . 3 mm ( 0 . 050 in ). aluminum alloy sheet of the present invention may be as - rolled or bright rolled sheet . the sheet is uncoiled and then cleaned in a non - etching aqueous alkaline cleaning solution to remove surface contaminants . next , the sheet is brightened , for example by treatment with a chemical brightener such as a hot mixture of phosphoric and nitric acids . the brightening treatment starts with 85 % phosphoric acid and 70 % nitric acid , in a 19 : 1 volumetric ratio . this ratio is reduced as aluminum phosphate accumulates in the brightening solution . the brightened aluminum alloy sheet is dc anodized to provide a protective layer of anodic aluminum oxide over the brightened surface . the anodizing bath contains an acid , preferably about 26 - 32 wt % sulfuric acid . the temperature of the bath is about 60 - 82 ° f . ( 16 - 28 ° c . ), optimally about 74 ° f . current density is at least about 18 amperes per square foot , preferably about 27 - 150 amperes per square foot . the surface is anodized for a period of time sufficient to provide an anodic oxide thickness of about 0 . 06 to 0 . 22 mils ( 1 . 5 - 6 microns ). the time required to produce this thickness will vary with current density , and is generally about 0 . 5 - 2 minutes . the coating thickness should not exceed about 0 . 22 mils in order to avoid attenuating the surface reflectance . after anodizing , the sheet material is rinsed in deionized water . the anodized surface is preferably sealed in a nickel acetate solution and then dried . other water - soluble nickel compounds may also be used for sealing the anodized surface . curved reflectors made in accordance with all 4 examples of our invention were subjected to the following performance tests . this test demonstrates the ability of a material to withstand degradation during exposure to cycles of uv light and water condensation . specimens are continuously cycled for 1000 hours through an 8 hour uv light exposure cycle at 140 ° f . followed by a four hour uv light - free condensation cycle at 120 ° f . and 100 % humidity . both scribed and non - scribed areas of the material are subjected to an astm d3359 tape pulling test . the objective of this test is to observe any surface deterioration of materials exposed to uv light , temperature cycles , and water condensation for extended time periods . this test demonstrates the ability of a material to withstand degradation upon continuous exposure to a 100 % humidity environment . specimens are continuously exposed to 100 % humidity at 100 ° f . for 1 , 000 hours in a cleveland condensing humidity cabinet . both scribed and non - scribed areas of the material are subjected to an astm d3559 tape pulling test . the specimens are observed for delamination and metal corrosion . this test evaluates the ability of a material to withstand degradation upon continuous exposure to a corrosive environment . specimens are continuously exposed to a 5 % salt spray at 120 ° f . for 1 , 000 hours . scribed areas on the metal reflector surface are periodically evaluated for metal corrosion . circular blanks having a diameter of 8 . 5 inches were cut from sheets of material made in accordance with all 4 examples described above . the blanks were hydroformed in a 15 - ton hydroforming press to form cup - shaped reflectors having a 4 inch depth and a 4 inch inside diameter . surprisingly , the reflectors made in accordance with all 4 examples survived the accelerated exposure , humidity accelerated exposure , and salt spray exposure tests . having described the presently preferred embodiments , it is to be understood that the invention may be otherwise embodied without departing from the spirit and scope of the following claims .

US-53157900-A

a novel process for the preparation of omeprazole and its enantiomers , such as esomeprazole , as well as the preparation of related 2 -- 1h - benzimidazoles , including pantoprazole , lansoprazole and rabeprazole , as recemates or single enantiomers , and their alkali or alkaline salts has been developed . the novel process involves the surprising discovery that protection of the free - base benzimidazole sulfoxide , by reaction with an alkyl , aryl or aralkyl chloroformate following oxidation of the corresponding sulfide , eliminates the need for its direct isolation . subsequent removal of the protecting group with a solution of alkali or alkaline earth alkoxide in a c1 - c4 alcohol directly provides the corresponding salt . by eliminating the need to handle the free - base benzimidazole sulfoxide , this advantageous procedure provides increased chemical yields over processes described in the art .

the preparation of 3 is typically achieved by the enantioselective oxidation of sulfide 2 by any known method in the art , such as the procedure described in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 948 , 789 , followed by reaction with an alkyl , aryl or aralkyl chloroformate in the presence of a base , such as triethylamine to form crystalline compounds 3 . surprisingly , it was discovered that derivatives of 3 were readily isolable and purifiable , making the process efficient and practical for industrial scale . the reaction of the sulfoxide intermediate with the alkyl , aryl or aralkyl chloroformate is achieved in a suitable organic solvent , most preferably a c1 to c3 chlorinated hydrocarbon such as dichloromethane or a c3 to c6 dialkyl ketone such as methyl isobutyl ketone . this reaction is performed at about − 5 to about 30 ° c . and in the presence of an alkylamine base such as triethylamine . the stoichiometry of both the base and the chloroformate reagent is about 1 . 0 to 3 . 0 equivalents per equivalent of 2 . the products 3 are extracted into a suitable organic solvent , such as ethyl acetate or another c3 to c6 alkyl ester , and precipitated by concentration of the organic solvent and / or addition of an anti - solvent . examples of suitable anti - solvents include c6 to c9 hydrocarbons such as hexane or heptane . the most preferred anti - solvent is heptane . preferred chloroformates for use in the formation of 3 would be comprised of substituted or unsubstituted c1 - c6 alkyl groups , substituted or unsubstituted c6 - c9 aryl groups , or unsubstituted c7 - c10 aralkyl groups . more preferred chloroformates would be comprised of benzyl or tert - butyl groups . in another aspect of the invention , it has been found that when compounds 3 are treated with a c1 to c4 alkyl alcohol such as methanol , surprisingly , the n - protecting group is easily removed . after concentrating the alcoholic solution and / or addition of an anti - solvent , pure esomeprazole is precipitated and isolated by filtration . it has been also found that the above process is also suitable for preparing alkali or alkaline earth salts of esomeprazole . thus , the n - protected compounds 3 are treated with a solution of alkali or alkaline earth metal alkoxide in a c1 to c4 alkyl alcohol . the most preferred alcohol is methanol . the esomeprazole salt is isolated by concentration of the solution followed by the optional addition of an anti - solvent and / or by spray drying . the esomeprazole salts prepared by this process can be any pharmaceutically acceptable alkali or alkaline earth metal salts . preferably , the counter - ion would be an alkali or alkaline earth metal , selected from one of li , na , k , ca or mg . most preferably the alkali or alkaline earth metal would be selected from sodium or magnesium , with the most preferable amount of the alkali or alkaline earth metal alkoxide being about 1 or 0 . 5 equivalents , respectively , relative to esomeprazole . the reaction temperature is from about − 20 ° c . to refluxing temperature , preferably 0 to 25 ° c . preferred c1 to c4 alkyl alcohols include methanol , ethanol , iso - propanol , n - propanol , and n - butanol , with the most preferred alcohol being methanol . if a desired polymorph or amorphous form needs to be prepared , a person skilled in the art could make it accordingly . for example , if an amorphous form of the salt is required , an anti - solvent or anti - solvents could be added into the reaction mixture to precipitate the product in its amorphous form . the anti - solvents are organic solvents such as c4 to c8 alkyl ethers and c1 to c3 alkyl acetates , but not limited as such , in which the product has limited solubility . similarly , other polymorphs known in the prior art can be prepared accordingly . the following non - limiting examples further illustrate the manner of carrying out the inventive process described herein . to a solution of 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - dimethyl - 4 - methoxypyridyl ) methylthio ]- 5 - methoxy - benzimidazole 2 ( 10 g ) in 50 . 0 ml toluene under an inert atmosphere , was added ( d )- diethyl tartrate ( 2 . 75 g ). the mixture was heated to 50 - 55 ° c . and stirred for 30 minutes . titanium ( iv ) isopropoxide ( 1 . 73 g ) was added and the temperature was maintained at 50 - 55 ° c . for an additional 60 minutes . the reaction mixture was cooled to 0 - 5 ° c . whereupon diisopropylethylamine ( 1 . 33 g ) and 80 % cumene hydroperoxide ( 6 . 93 g ) were added while keeping the temperature below 10 ° c . the reaction mixture was stirred at 0 - 10 ° c . for 2 - 4 hours until the reaction was complete . the reaction mixture was warmed to room temperature , filtered through celite ™ and extracted with 12 - 14 % ammonium hydroxide . the aqueous and methyl isobutyl ketone ( mibk , 30 ml ) phases were cooled to 0 - 5 ° c . the ph was adjusted to 7 . 3 to 7 . 8 with acetic acid and phases were separated . the aqueous phase was extracted with mibk . the combined organic phases were washed with brine and vacuum distilled to 40 ml to give a solution of ( s )-(−)- 5 - methoxy - 2 -[[ 4 - methoxy - 3 , 5 - dimethyl - 2 - pyridinyl ) methyl ] sulfinyl ]- 1h - benzimidazole in mibk . the sulfoxide solution was diluted with dichloromethane ( 30 ml ) and triethylamine ( 4 . 61 g ). the mixture was cooled to 0 - 10 ° c . and 95 % benzyl chloroformate ( 6 . 0 g ) was added while keeping the temperature below 10 ° c . after stirring for 1 - 4 hours , water ( 30 ml ) and ethyl acetate ( 30 ml ) were added . the phases were separated and the aqueous phase was extracted with ethyl acetate . the combined organic phases was washed with brine and saturated sodium bicarbonate , vacuum distilled to 30 ml and filtered through celite ™. the filtrate was stirred while 80 ml of heptanes was added dropwise whereupon the suspension was cooled to 0 - 5 ° c . and maintained at this temperature for 1 - 2 hours . the suspension was filtered , washed with heptanes / ethyl acetate ( 4 / 1 ) and dried under vacuum at room temperature to afford ( s )- 5 / 6 - methoxy - 3 - benzyloxycarbonyl - 2 -[[ 4 - methoxy - 3 , 5 - dimethyl - 2 - pyridinyl )- methyl ] sulfinyl ]- 1 / h - benzimidazole . weight : 11 . 5 g . purity : 99 % by hplc . chiral purity : 99 . 5 % ( s - form ) by hplc . ratio of 5 - and 6 - methoxy products : ˜ 1 : 1 . the analytical data were consistent with the assigned structure . 5 - methoxy isomer : δ / ppm = 2 . 18 ( 3h , s ), 2 . 32 ( 3h , s ), 3 . 73 ( 3h , s ), 3 . 76 ( 3h , s ), 4 . 67 ( 2h , dd , j = 13 , 38 hz ), 5 . 54 ( 2h , s ), 6 . 95 - 7 . 01 ( 1h , m ), 7 . 38 ( 1h , d , j = 2 hz ), 7 . 40 - 7 . 43 ( 2h , m ), 7 . 47 - 7 . 59 ( 2h , m ), 7 . 68 ( 1h , d , j = 9 hz ), 8 . 05 ( 1h , s ); 6 - methoxy isomer : δ / ppm = 2 . 18 ( 3h , s ), 2 . 32 ( 3h , s ), 3 . 73 ( 3h , s ), 3 . 83 ( 3h , s ), 4 . 67 ( 2h , dd , j = 13 , 38 hz ), 5 . 53 ( 2h , s ), 6 . 95 - 7 . 01 ( 1h , m ), 7 . 29 ( 1h , d , j = 2 hz ), 7 . 40 - 7 . 43 ( 2h , m ), 7 . 47 - 7 . 59 ( 2h , m ), 7 . 75 ( 1h , d , j = 9 hz ), 8 . 05 ( 1h , s ). magnesium metal ( 0 . 26 g ) was added to methanol ( 60 ml ) and stirred at room temperature for 3 - 4 hours . to the mixture was added ( s )- 5 / 6 - methoxy - 3 - benzyloxycarbonyl - 2 -[[ 4 - methoxy - 3 , 5 - dimethyl - 2 - pyridinyl )- methyl ] sulfinyl ]- 1h - benzimidazole ( 10 g , ˜ 1 : 1 of 5 - and 6 - methoxy compounds ) in portions . after stirring for 20 - 30 minutes the methanol was evaporated to a small volume and ethyl acetate was added , which caused precipitation . the damp cake obtained by filtration was pulped in ethyl acetate for 2 - 3 hours . the cake obtained by filtration was vacuum - dried to afford optically pure esomeprazole magnesium salt . x - ray powder diffraction pattern demonstrated the amorphous nature of the product . weight : 7 . 1 g ( 75 % overall yield ). purity : 99 . 3 % by hplc . chiral purity : 99 . 2 % ( s - form ) by hplc . mg content : 3 . 4 %. analytical data were consistent with that from the prior art . to a solution of 5 - methoxy - 2 -[( 4 - methoxy - 3 , 5 - dimethylpyridin - 2 - yl ) methylthio ]- 1h - benzimidazole ( 30 g ) in dichloromethane ( 165 ml ) at 0 - 5 ° c ., under an inert atmosphere , was added meta - chloroperbenzoic acid ( 0 . 95 eq ) over 10 minutes . the mixture was stirred for 10 - 15 minutes . to the reaction was added 12 % ammonium hydroxide ( 180 ml ). the layers were separated . the organic layer was extracted with 12 % ammonium hydroxide ( 2 × 180 ml ). the combined aqueous layers were washed with toluene ( 90 ml ). to the aqueous layer was added dichloromethane ( 120 ml ) and the mixture was cooled to 0 - 5 ° c . the ph was adjusted to ph = 8 . 5 - 9 . 5 using 50 % aqueous acetic acid . the layers were separated . the aqueous layer was extracted with dichloromethane ( 2 × 90 ml ). the combined organic layers were washed with brine ( 30 ml ), dried over sodium sulfate , filtered through celite and vacuum distilled to 150 ml to give a solution of 5 - methoxy - 2 -[[( 4 - methoxy - 3 , 5 - dimethylpyridin - 2 - yl ) methyl ] sulphinyl ] 1h - benzimidazole in dichloromethane . the sulfoxide solution was treated with triethylamine ( 25 . 4 ml ). the mixture was cooled to 0 - 10 ° c . and 95 % benzyl chloroformate ( 13 . 5 g ) in dichloromethane ( 30 ml ) was added while keeping the temperature below 10 ° c . after stirring for 2 - 3 hours , water ( 90 ml ) was added . the phases were separated and the aqueous phase was extracted with dichloromethane ( 60 ml ). the combined organic phases were washed with brine ( 60 ml ) and saturated sodium bicarbonate ( 30 ml ) and vacuum distilled to 90 ml . ethyl acetate ( 180 ml ) was added to the solution and vacuumed distilled to 90 ml . the solution was stirred while 150 ml of heptanes was added at 20 - 25 ° c . the suspension was cooled to 0 - 5 ° c . and maintained at this temperature for 2 - 3 hours . the suspension was filtered and the damp cake was pulped in ethyl acetate ( 30 ml ) and heptanes ( 120 ml ) for 1 - 2 hours . the suspension was filtered , washed with heptanes / ethyl acetate ( 4 / 1 ) ( 2 × 30 ml ) and dried under vacuum at room temperature to afford 5 / 6 - methoxy - 1 - benzyloxycarbonyl - 2 -[[ 4 - methoxy - 3 , 5 - dimethyl - 2 - pyridinyl ) methyl ] sulfinyl ]- 1h - benzimidazole . weight : 25 . 91 g . yield : 59 %. ratio of 5 - and 6 - methoxy products : ˜ 3 : 2 . the analytical data was consistent with the assigned structure . 5 - methoxy isomer : δ / ppm = 2 . 19 ( 3h , s ), 2 . 33 ( 3h , s ), 3 . 74 ( 3h , s ), 3 . 77 ( 3h , s ), 4 . 68 ( 2h , dd , j = 13 , 29 hz ), 5 . 54 ( 2h , s ), 6 . 96 - 7 . 03 ( 1h , m ), 7 . 39 ( 1h , m ) 7 . 40 - 7 . 42 ( 2h , m ), 7 . 51 - 7 . 56 ( 2h , m ), 7 . 70 ( 1h , d , j = 9 hz ), 8 . 05 ( 1h , s ); 6 - methoxy isomer : δ / ppm = 2 . 19 ( 3h , s ), 2 . 33 ( 3h , s ), 3 . 74 ( 3h , s ), 3 . 84 ( 3h , s ), 4 . 68 ( 2h , dd , j = 13 , 29 hz ), 5 . 53 ( 2h , s ), 6 . 96 - 7 . 03 ( 1h , m ), 7 . 30 ( 1h , d , j = 2 hz ), 7 . 40 - 7 . 42 ( 2h , m ), 7 . 51 - 7 . 56 ( 2h , m ), 7 . 76 ( 1h , d , j = 9 hz ), 8 . 05 ( 1h , s ). magnesium metal ( 0 . 26 g ) was added to methanol ( 60 ml ) and stirred at room temperature for 3 - 4 hours . to the mixture was added 5 / 6 - methoxy - 3 - benzyloxycarbonyl - 2 -[[ 4 - methoxy - 3 , 5 - dimethyl - 2 - pyridinyl )- methyl ] sulfinyl ]- 1h - benzimidazole ( 10 g ) in portions . after stirring for 20 - 30 minutes the methanol was evaporated to a small volume and ethyl acetate was added , which caused precipitation . the damp cake obtained by filtration was pulped in ethyl acetate for 2 - 3 hours . the suspension was filtered and cake was vacuum - dried to afford omeprazole magnesium salt . weight : 7 . 0 g . purity : 99 . 5 % by hplc . as many changes can be made to the preferred embodiments of the invention without departing from the scope thereof , it is intended that all matter contained herein be considered illustrative of the invention and not in a limiting sense .

US-85566710-A

the invention relates to a solar receiver module for a concentrated photovoltaic power plant , comprising a first optic , referred to as primary optic , consisting of a fresnel lens , at least one second optic , referred to as secondary optic , having a straight frusto - conical shape or straight frusto - pyramidal shape , arranged below the primary optic , at least one photovoltaic cell arranged below a secondary optic , in order to receive the solar rays concentrated by the primary optic and said secondary optic , the receiver module also including temperature sensors for measuring temperature differences between a reference temperature and at least four points regularly distributed around the axis connecting the centre of the bases of the frustum of the cone or pyramid of a secondary optic , in order to produce a thermal cartography of same .

other advantages and features of the invention will become more clearly apparent on reading the detailed description of example embodiments thereof , given by way of nonlimiting illustration and with reference to the following figures , in which : fig1 is a schematic cross - sectional view of a cpv solar collector module according to the prior art , illustrating the relative arrangement of its various components and relative to the sun ; fig1 a is an exploded view showing a secondary lens and a photovoltaic cell of a module according to fig1 ; fig2 is a schematic side view of a payload incorporating a plurality of cpv modules and mounted on a prior - art tracker ; fig3 a and 3b are schematic cross - sectional views of one portion of a cpv solar collector module according to the prior art , illustrating the relative arrangement of these various components and relative to the sun , in a correctly and incorrectly aligned configuration , respectively ; fig4 a to 4c are schematic top views of a secondary lens arranged above a photovoltaic cell of a cpv module , showing the focal spot of the sun in a configuration that is correctly aligned relative to the sun , in a configuration that is incorrectly aligned with respect to the azimuth angle of the sun , and in a configuration that is incorrectly aligned with respect to the elevation angle of the sun , respectively ; fig5 a and 5b are top and perspective views , respectively , of a secondary lens of a cpv module comprising temperature sensors according to the invention ; fig6 illustrates the steps of a method for controlling a cpv solar collector module according to the invention , allowing it to pass from an incorrectly aligned configuration to a correctly aligned configuration ; fig7 a and 7b illustrate two different variants of the arrangement of the temperature sensors in a solar collector incorporating a plurality of cpv modules according to one embodiment of the invention ; and fig8 is a perspective view of a secondary lens of a cpv module comprising temperature sensors according to one variant of the invention . for the sake of clarity , given references designating given elements of the cpv solar collector module according to the prior art and of the cpv solar collector module according to the invention are used in all the fig1 to 7b . it will be noted that the various elements , in particular the primary and secondary lenses according to the invention , are shown merely for the sake of clarity and they are not to scale . fig1 , 1 a and 2 , which relate to a cpv solar collector module according to the prior art , have already been commented on in the preamble . they are not described in detail here . fig3 a shows a configuration in which a cpv solar collector module 1 is perfectly aligned relative to the sun . the rays from the sun are perfectly orthogonal to the surface of the primary lens 2 . the rays are therefore perfectly concentrated on the secondary lens 3 by means of the primary lens 2 , the secondary lens 3 then directing the light from the sun centrally onto the photovoltaic cell 4 . schematically , the focal spot of the sun is thus perfectly centered on the photovoltaic cell 4 ( fig4 a ). however , this correct alignment configuration is almost never achieved . this may be for a number of reasons including the drawbacks of the methods implemented in trackers , possible variations in the dimensions and assembly of the components of a cpv module , the sensitivity of the measurement sensors used in the tracking methods , variation in the assembly and its components over time ( warp especially ), etc . thus , in general , a cpv collector module will be incorrectly aligned relative to the sun . the rays from the sun are therefore not perfectly orthogonal to the surface of the primary lens 2 and thus they are therefore not perfectly concentrated on the secondary lens 3 ( fig3 b ). in other words , the focus of the primary lens 2 is imperfect . schematically , the focal spot of the sun is thus miscentered relative to the center of the photovoltaic cell : depending on the direction of the focal shift , the focal spot is shifted over the cell 4 . an azimuthal focal shift for example results in a right / left asymmetry in the focal spot on the cell 4 ( fig4 b ), whereas an elevational focal shift results in a front / back asymmetry in the focal spot on the cell 4 ( fig4 c ). as schematically symbolized to the right of fig4 a to 4c , a right / left asymmetry is an asymmetry along the horizontal axis relative to the earth &# 39 ; s surface whereas a front / back asymmetry is an asymmetry along the vertical axis relative to the earth &# 39 ; s surface . thus , any asymmetry results in the creation of a hot spot p , or in other words in local heating of the secondary lens ( fig3 b ). in other words , a configuration in which a cpv module is incorrectly aligned relative to the sun results in a nonuniform thermal gradient in a cross section of the right - frustopyramidal - shaped secondary lens . to avoid these incorrect cpv module alignment configurations , the inventors judiciously thought to quantify the thermal gradient in real time in the secondary lens 3 , in order to measure , relatively precisely , the position of the focal point of the primary lens 2 and its movement . thus , provision is made , according to the invention , to fasten four temperature sensors 8 . 1 , 8 . 2 , 8 . 3 , 8 . 4 to one face of one wall 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 of the secondary lens 3 , i . e . the sensors are regularly distributed at 90 ° to one another about the z - axis connecting the center of the bases of the frustopyramid representing the secondary lens . the temperature sensors may be thermocouples or resistance thermometer probes , such as platinum probes . preferably , as schematically shown in fig5 a and 5b , each temperature thermocouple 8 . 1 , 8 . 2 , 8 . 3 , 8 . 4 is fastened to the center and back face of one trapezoidal - shaped wall 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 . this fastening is achieved using an adhesive made of a thermally conductive material . typically , it may be a question of a polyimide kapton tab covered with a silicone adhesive or a piece of aluminum tape , particularly suitable when the secondary lens is made of aluminum . the size and type of bonding tab is preferably identical for each thermocouple . by virtue of the four temperature sensors 8 . 1 , 8 . 2 , 8 . 3 , 8 . 4 , it is possible to measure simultaneously the temperature at these four temperature points for a given length of time and thus to establish a thermal map , i . e . to determine the thermal gradient in the secondary lens 3 . this makes it possible to determine with precision the position of the focal point of the primary lens 2 and its movement . it is thus possible , while electricity is being generated by a solar collector incorporating a plurality of cpv modules , to correct ( refine ) control of the movement of a tracker on which the collector is mounted relative to a control method using astronomical calculations based on ephemerides . this correction to the control of the movement of the tracker may be made via closed - loop feedback . by way of an advantageous variant , it may be envisioned to fasten eight temperature sensors distributed in two groups each arranged in a plane parallel to the bases of the frustopyramid of the secondary lens . fig6 shows the various steps of a method for controlling the control unit of a solar collector comprising a plurality of cpv modules having thermocouples 8 . 1 to 8 . 4 fastened to their secondary lens 3 according to the invention . this control corresponds to correction of the movement of the tracker along the two axes x and y corresponding to the elevation and azimuth angles of the sun . specifically , the focal spot is shown initially shifted both to the left and top of the photovoltaic cell 4 . step a /: simultaneously measuring temperature differences by virtue of each of the four sensors 8 . 1 to 8 . 4 ; step b1 /: calculating a first subtraction of temperature differences measured with the two sensors 8 . 2 and 8 . 4 and comparing the result to a threshold value . typically the threshold value is equal to 4 ° c . ; step d1 /: correcting the pivot angle of the means supporting the cpv collector depending on the first angular correction along the y - axis ; step b2 /: calculating a second subtraction of temperature differences measured with the two other sensors 8 . 1 and 8 . 3 and comparing the result to the threshold value ; step d2 /: correcting the pivot angle of the means supporting the collector depending on the second angular correction . step e /: verifying the effectiveness of the corrections by measuring two temperature subtractions according to steps b1 / and b2 / and verifying the temperature drop obtained . step e ′: verifying the effectiveness of the corrections by measuring the electrical power delivered by a cpv module and comparing this to its maximum electrical power . step f : repeating step a /. in the embodiment in fig6 , a time increment of about thirty seconds is left between the correcting steps d1 / and d2 / and the new step a /. this increment is given by way of indication insofar as a larger time increment is also possible . thus , according to the invention , the position of the focal point of the primary lens 2 is therefore related to the subtractions carried out in steps b1 / and b2 /: the absolute value and the sign of these two subtractions is used in the tracker control unit . advantageously , it may be envisioned to zero the temperature measurements on each day on which electricity is generated . this makes it possible to factor out any ageing of temperature sensors , such as the thermocouples , which may induce a different measurement drift in the thermocouples 8 . 1 to 8 . 4 . fig7 a and 7b show two separate variant arrangements of temperature sensors according to the invention in a solar collector comprising twelve cpv modules incorporated on one and the same supporting means 60 , called a rack . the references 3 . i designate secondary lenses equipped with temperature sensors according to the invention whereas the references 3 designate known secondary lenses , i . e . lenses without temperature sensors . for a cpv solar collector the dimensions and assembly of which are subject to strict tolerances and quality control , it may be envisioned to arrange temperature sensors in order to produce the thermal map of the two secondary lenses 3 . i furthest from each other on the rack 60 of the collector ( fig7 a ). to make fine adjustments to the cpv modules after they have been fitted on the rack 60 , and to position the collector more precisely relative to the sun , provision may advantageously be made for each module 1 to comprise temperature sensors in order to produce the thermal map of the two secondary lenses 3 . 1 furthest from each other in each module ( fig7 b ). the expression “ comprising a ” must be understood as being synonymous with “ comprising at least one ” unless otherwise specified . the invention is not limited to the examples described above ; in particular features of the illustrated examples may be combined together in variants that are not illustrated . other improvements or variants may be made without departing from the scope of the invention . thus , it may advantageously be envisioned to implant eight temperature sensors distributed in two groups each arranged in a plane parallel to the bases of the frustopyramid of the secondary lens , as partially shown in fig8 , in which the sensors of one group 8 . 10 , 8 . 40 are arranged under the sensors 8 . 11 , 8 . 41 of the other group and parallel to the bases of the secondary lens 3 . the expression “ comprising a ” must be understood as being synonymous with “ comprising at least one ” unless otherwise specified .

US-201314428451-A

techniques for adjusting the surface acousic wave velocity of a packaged saw device are described . a first technique involves depositing a film from a cover of the device onto a surface wave propagating surface thereby providing a localized region on said surface where the acoustic properties and , hence , the velocity characteristics of the surface wave propagating surface are altered . an alternate embodiment of a pair of beams are directed through a transparent cover and converge on the surface wave propagating surface , selectively removing a portion of said surface to provide a localized alteration in the acoustic properties of the surface wave propagating surface .

referring now to fig1 , and 2a a packaged saw device here a resonator 10 includes a base 12 having a surface 12a which supports surface wave propagation , a cover 14 , and a glass frit seal 16 as shown . base 12 is here comprised of st - cut or rotated st - cut quartz , having disposed on surface 12a thereof , a pair of interdigitated transducers 20 and 24 ( idt ) and reflective gratings 27 , 29 . interdigitated transducers 20 and 24 are coupled to busbars 18a and 18b , and 19a and 19b respectively , as shown . disposed over the base 12 is the cover 14 here also comprised of st - cut or rotated st - cut quartz . quartz is typically 85 % to 95 % transparent to energy having wavelengths in the range of about 0 . 185 μm to 4 . 0 μm , for samples 1 - 3 mm thick . alternatively , base 12 and cover 14 may be comprised of other transparent materials such as lithium niobate . the base 12 and the cover 14 are sealed together using a suitable glass frit seal 16 . the cover 14 has a width w c less than the width w b of the base 14 such that when the cover is sealed to the base , busbars 18a and 18b , and 19a and 19b are exposed on a peripheral portion of the base thereof , to provide electrical contact to external components . as shown in particular in fig2 a , the inner surface 14a of cover 14 has disposed over a portion thereover , a layer here preferably a composite layer 26 comprised of a thermally buffering or shock absorbing layer 26a , a thermally absorbing or energy conversion layer 26b , and a thermally evaporating or ablating layer 26c . in this preferred arrangement , the thermally shock absorbing layer 26a comprises a dielectric material which is substantially transparent to the incident energy , which will be directed through the cover 14 of the saw device in a manner to be described , but which provides sufficiently thermal resistance to thermally buffer the cover 14 from the heat generated in the thermally absorbing layer 26b as will be described . energy conversion layer 26b is a material which substantially absorbs the incident energy directed through the cover 14 and the thermal shock layer 26a , and converts said incident directed energy into radiant energy or heat . the thermally ablating or evaporation layer 26c is disposed over the conversion layer 26b and absorbs some of the radiant energy generated in layer 26b , and if the energy therein is of sufficient intensity , the film 26c will be selectively removed , in particular , ablated or evaporated off the cover and will redeposit or condense onto the surface 12a , as shown in fig4 . the amount of this redeposited mass is selected to sufficiently alter the surface wave velocity characteristic of the saw device , and thus , change the frequency characteristics of the saw device , as required . referring now to fig3 , and 4a , incident energy 30 is shown directed through cover 14 towards the trim pad 26 . the incident energy passes through transparent buffer layer 26a and is absorbed by selected underlying portions of energy conversion layer 26b . layer 26b , converts the directed energy to heat . the heat in layer 26b causes the ablation or evaporation of portions of layer 26c as shown . in accordance with the pulse width , power level , wavelength , and repetition rate of said energy , the layer 26c is either evaporated off at low energy levels or ablated off at higher energy levels . moreover , at sufficiently high levels , selected portions of each of the layers 26a - 26c may be removed . the removed material whether ablated or evaporated condenses and redeposits as a layer 34 across the base portion 12 of the saw device 10 . the presence of layer 34 on surface 12a of base 12 reduces the surface wave velocity of the wave in this region due to mass loading effects , as the surface wave propagates . by increasing the number of these layers 34 and their width and total mass , the range of adjustment of the surface wave velocity characteristic is increased . specific examples of devices fabricated in accordance with the teachings of the present invention will now be described . as shown in fig3 , and 4a , incident energy here in the form of light beams , from laser sources as set forth in table , are formed having lengths which substantially traverse the length of the acoustic wave propagating surface and have widths which are generally on the order of the saw wavelength ( typically in the range of 2 . 5 μm to 50 μm . that is , a long narrow line across the length of the acoustic propagating surface and centered within and parallel to the acoustic aperture of the interdigitated transducer elements is directed towards the quartz cover . this energy passes through the quartz cover 14 and is absorbed by the composite trim pad 26 , disposed on the inner surface 14a of the cover 14 . with this laser beam pattern , the aluminum layer 26b is selectively heated in regions thereof , impinged by the incident laser beam . in response to this localized heating of the aluminum layer , portions of the aluminum oxide layer 26c are evaporated or ablated off the aluminum layer 26b and are redeposited onto the underlying surface wave propagating surface 12a . in particular , since the amount of frequency adjustment is related to the mass of the redeposited material on the surface wave propagating surface , the amount of frequency adjustment per line of the laser may be controlled by controlling the width and energy density of the laser beam , as well as the amount of material provided on the inner portion of the cover 14 . it is believed that the maximum amount of frequency shift could exceed 10 , 000 parts per million if the total area disposed between the interdigitated transducers was used . however , it is also believed that shifts of this order would degrade both the insertion loss and unloaded q of the device . however , since only about 25 to 50 parts per million is generally required to account for the uncertainty in the frequency after sealing of the package , only a small fraction of the pad area is generally redeposited onto active area between the idts . four devices operating at 402 mhz were trimmed using the above described technique . a trilevel film , as shown in fig4 comprising a 400 a thick layer of aluminum oxide al 2 o 3 corresponding to layer 26a , a 100 a thick layer of aluminum corresponding to layer 26b , and a 250 a thick layer of aluminum oxide corresponding to layer 26c were deposited on the inner portion of the cover 14 . the thicknesses of the deposit layers of 12a - 12c may be selected to provide different amounts of mass loading per pulse of incident energy light . therefore , the layer 26a may have a thickness typically in the range of 200 a to 1000 a , layer 26b will have a thickness in the range of 25 a to 200 a , and layer 26c will have a thickness in the range of 50 a to 500 a . the power level , number of pulses , and the number of redeposited lines provided to four illustrative examples of the present invention , as well as , the initial frequency , final frequency , and the frequency shift of these devices are shown in the table , examples 1 - 4 . alternatively , the incident laser beam may be directed through the base 12 towards the trim pad 26 . the incident laser energy then may be used to ablate regions off of the trim pad onto the cover , for example by turning the saw device upside down to again change the mass loading in said region , and accordingly , the surface wave velocity characteristics of the saw devices . table__________________________________________________________________________ device trim lengthwave - per pulsedensityenergy lengthpulse raterep widthline of # fo f ## str1 ## i . d . technique laser μm j / cm . sup . 2 ns hz μm lines mhz mhz ppm__________________________________________________________________________1 . trilevel excimer 0 . 193 5 15 1 7 5 401 . 831 401 . 817 - 35 film on cover2 . trilevel &# 34 ; &# 34 ; 5 15 1 7 5 401 . 840 401 . 828 - 30 film on cover3 . trilevel nd : yag 1 . 06 0 . 0025 250 1024 50 5 402 . 178 402 . 166 - 30 film on cover4 . trilevel nd : yag 1 . 06 0 . 00325 250 1024 60 1 402 . 219 402 . 203 - 40 film on cover5 . removal excimer 0 . 193 7 15 50 50 0 . 1 402 . 174 402 . 170 - 10 of saw surface6 . chemical excimer 0 . 193 5 15 10 100 5 401 . 962 401 . 955 - 17 conversion of al -- o cermet__________________________________________________________________________ referring now to fig5 an alternate embodiment of the present invention for selectively changing the frequency characteristics of a packaged saw device is shown . here the packaged saw device 10 &# 39 ; includes the aforementioned base 12 , and a cover 14 as generally described in conjunction with fig1 and 2 . in accordance with this aspect of the present invention , directed energy here in the form of light energy from an excimer laser is directed through the quartz cover 14 towards the base 12 . here a pair of beams of excimer laser light are directed through the quartz cover 12 at a selected incident angle such that the beams converge on the quartz base 12 to selectively remove or ablate a portion of the quartz base 12 in a region thereof , disposed between the pair of interdigitated transducers , as shown in particular in fig5 a . alternatively , three or more beams or a highly convergent beam may be used . the power density at the point where the beam or beams converge must be sufficient to remove selected amounts of material . since the cover comprised of quartz typically 1 - 2 mm thick is about 85 %- 95 % transmissive , the power density at the point of convergence must be sufficient to remove the quartz at that region . with this particular arrangement , since the acoustic properties of the surface wave propagating surface between the pair of transducers 20 and 24 is altered by the selectively removal of the material , the surface wave velocity characteristics between said pairs of transducers is also altered . thus , the frequency of the device incorporating this arrangement is selectively altered . again , the number , depth , and width of these regions 12c disposed within the surface wave propagating surface portion of the base 12 may be selected to provide a selected shift in the acoustic and , hence , frequency characteristics of the surface acoustic wave device . typically , the depth of the grooves will be approximately 0 . 5 microns , and the width of the grooves will be in the order of the surface wave propagating wavelength ( 2 to 50 microns ). with this particular arrangement , the intensity of beams 30a and 30b directed through the quartz cover 14 is insufficient to disrupt or disturb the material of the cover 14 . however , since at the point of convergence of the two beams , the intensity of the beams are added , then the intensity of the beam is sufficient to ablate a selected portion 12c of the surface wave propagating surface 12a . since the mass and propagation path of the surface wave propagating surface is altered by this arrangement , the surface wave propagating velocity and thus , frequency of the device will also be altered . example 5 in the table shows the results of a device trimmed using this technique . referring now to fig6 a further embodiment of the invention is shown to include a trim pad 26 disposed on the base within the acoustic aperture of the idt &# 39 ; s . here a beam or preferable a pair of converging laser beams may be used to selectively irradiate a portion of the trim pad 26 to ablate a portion of the trim pad 26 providing pad 26 &# 39 ;, as shown in fig6 a . alternatively the beams may be used to change the molecular bonding of that portion of the trim pad . again , since the mass loading in the region where the composition of the material is changed , the acoustic properties and , hence , surface velocity and frequency characteristics of the device are also changed . several approaches may be used to change the molecular bonding of the material of the trim pad . for example , an aluminum - oxygen cermet such as described in conjunction with a paper entitled &# 34 ; submicron patterning by projecting excimer - laser - beam induced chemistry &# 34 ; by ehrlich et al . j . vac . sci . tech . b 3 ( 1 ) january / february 1985 may be used . in this case , a cermet layer is deposited as the trim pad 26 . the excimer energy is directed towards the trim pad and in response al -- o bonds are broken and localized growth of al 2 o 3 within the trim pad occurs . again , the spacing and number of localized area of growth of al 2 o 3 is selected in accordance with desired amount of change in surface wave velocity . an example of this trimming technique is shown as example 6 in the table . alternatively , layers of al 2 o 3 , al may be provided as the trim pad 26 and the trim pad 26 again is subjected in selective regions to excimer light and al -- al and al -- o bonds are broken and a new phase al 2 o x would be provided where x would represent a non - stoichiometric composition . a further technique would have a layer of al deposited as the trim pad 26 . the cavity of the package 10 is filled with a reactant gas o 2 or no 2 for example , to a pressure typically in the range of 2 × 10 - 6 torr to 1 × 10 - 4 torr . incident energy is again directed towards the trim pad 26 where al -- al bonds are broken , causing al 2 o 3 to form pyrolytically . by controlling the amount of area irradiated , the selected amount of surface wave velocity change is provided . referring now to fig7 a a further embodiment of the invention is shown . here the packaged saw device comprised of the cover 14 and base 12 has sealed within it reactant gasses 32 . a laser beam such as excimer light , nd - yag etc . is directed through said device to photolytically break the bonds of these reactant gasses and have deposited out from said photolytic reaction a material onto the surface wave propagation surface . here selected patterns of excimer light would be provided to deposit selected patterns of said material onto the surface . reactant gasses may include oxygen and a source of a suitable metal such as aluminum , silicon , etc . for example , tmal ( trimethylaluminum ), sih 4 silane etc . may be used . the particular gas chosen for the metal source for example , would have to be stable during the sealing operation of the glass frit in those types of packages employing a glass - frit seal . the excimer laser light may be directed towards these selected gasses and photolytically break the bonds of the metal source gas . this free metal would then react with the oxygen and a metal oxide layer 34 &# 39 ; would be deposited out of the vapor over the substrate . thus , again a localized region of al 2 o 3 , for example , may be grown on the surface wave propagation surface . having described preferred embodiments in the invention , it will now become apparent to one of the skill in the art that other embodiments incorporating their concepts may be used . further , it would now become obvious to one of the skill in the art that a beam or a pair of converging beams may be used to selectively remove a pad disposed between the pair of interdigitated transducers on the base 12 , as shown in fig6 or to remove and redeposit portions of a trim pad disposed on an inner portion of the cover 14 , for example , by directing the beams through the base 12 or the cover 14 . it is felt , therefore , that these embodiments should not be limited to disclosed embodiments , but rather should be limited only to by the spirit and scope of the appended claims .

US-64657991-A

an insulated joint and a method for producing the joint in which first and second tubular members are joined together with an insulating member disposed in the gap therebetween . the first tubular member includes a cylindrical body with an outer circumferential portion having a larger internal diameter than the external diameter of the cylindrical body while the second tubular member has the same internal and external diameters as those of the cylindrical body of the first tubular member . at least a portion of the second tubular member is fitted in the outer circumferential portion of the first tubular member with a gap therebetween . an insulating member is disposed in the gap to hermetically couple the first and second tubular members while insulating them from each other .

the present applicants have succeeded in providing a satisfactory insulated joint which is completely free from defects such as an increased flow resistance , difficulties in the connecting the joint and an increased system size and as well as problems in production due to the difference in the shapes and sizes of the first and second tubular members while completely retaining the excellent characteristics of the aforementioned conventional joint . the construction and a method of producing a preferred embodiment of an insulated joint according to the present invention will be described hereinafter . a preferred embodiment of an insulated joint constructed according to the present invention is shown in fig3 . as shown , reference numeral 1 indicates a first tubular member in which a cylindrical body 1b is formed with a shoulder portion 13a with an outer circumferential portion 13 . reference numeral 2 indicates a second tubular member which has the same internal and external diameters as the cylindrical body 1b of the first tubular member 1 and which has its lower portion formed with a chamfered portion 2b . reference numeral 3 indicates an insulating member which is made of glass - mica material . a preferred method for producing the joint of fig3 according to the present invention will be described hereinafter with reference to fig4 . in fig4 the lefthand half shows conditions immediately before the pressure molding process and the righthand half of fig4 shows conditions after the pressure molding process . fig5 is a top plan view showing a side pressure member 15 . the splitting wall 5 the molding flask 6 and the pressure member 9 have the same constructions as those used in the conventional process described with reference to fig2 . reference numeral 14 indicates a holding member which has an external diameter corresponding to the internal diameter of both the cylindrical body 1b of the first tubular member 1 and the second tubular member 2 and which acts as an inner mold for the insulating member . reference numeral 15 indicates a side pressure member which has the same external diameter as the internal diameter of the second tubular member 2 and which has such a quadrant - split construction with both a conical throughhole 15a at its center and four gaps 15b . reference numeral 16 indicates a supporting member which is formed with a throughhole 16a at its center . the supporting member 16 encloses a portion of the first tubular member 1 and supports the outer circumferential portion 13 of the first tubular member 1 at a shoulder portion 13a . the mold flask 6 , the splitting wall 5 and the supporting member 16 together form an outer mold . reference numeral 17 indicates a pressure member the lower portion of which is formed in a conical shape adapted to be snugly received in the throughhole 15a in the side pressure member 15 . the pressure member 17 has a total length such that its upper end is even with the end face of the second tubular member 2 after the molding process has been finished . reference numeral 18 indicates a holding member which has a larger external diameter than the internal diameter of the second tubular member 2 . the side pressure member 15 , the pressure member 17 and the holding member 18 together are used to apply a pressure on the inner circumferential portion of the upper end of the second tubular member 2 . the first tubular member 1 and the second tubular member 2 are prepared as follows . the material for these tubular members is not particularly limited and may be any material having substantially the same strength at high temperatures as steel . moreover , the mold itself may be made of a similar material . the preliminary molded member 10 is prepared by pressure - molding a mixture of glass and mica powders at room temperature into a predetermined shape by the use of a second mold ( not shown ). an actual example of a method for producing the insulated joint in accordance with the invention will be described in detail . first , the preliminary molded member 10 was prepared using 55 wt % of glass powders which were prepared by pulverizing from a glass block to a 200 mesh size . a composition of the glass was 1 molar part pbo , 0 . 4 molar parts b 2 o 3 , 0 . 4 molar parts sio 2 and 0 . 2 molar parts alf 3 . this pulverized mixture was mixed with 45 wt % of powders of mica of synthetic gold fluoride of a size of 60 to 200 mesh . 5 wt % of water was added to the mixture . 65 gm of the resultant material was weighed and molded by a cold pressure molding process into a cylinder which had an internal diameter of 35 mmφ , an external diameter of 45 mmφ and a height of 35 mm using another mold ( not shown ). this molding was put in a drier at 120 ° c . for two hours to dry it , thus finishing the preparation of the preliminary molded member 10 . next , the first tubular member 1 was prepared by welding a stainless pipe , which had an internal diameter of 40 mmφ , an external diameter of 48 mmφ and a length of 30 mm , to a stainless pipe , which had an internal diameter of 26 mmφ , an external diameter of 34 mmφ and a length of 35 mm , through a disc of stainless steel which had a thickness of 5 mm and an external diameter of 48 mmφ and which had a center hole of diameter 26 mmφ . the second tubular member 2 was a pipe of stainless steel which had an internal diameter of 26 mmφ , an external diameter of 34 mmφ and a length of 70 mm and which had one end formed with a chamfered portion 2b on its outer circumference . in the mold , the holding member 14 and the supporting member 16 were enclosed in the split wall 5 which was assembled by the mold flask 6 . the side pressure member , the pressure member , the holding member 18 and the pressure member 9 were not assembled but were heated to 300 ° c . both the first tubular member 1 and the second tubular member 2 were heated to 550 ° c . and the preliminary molding 10 was heated to 600 ° c . after the respective heating processes had been completed , the first tubular member 1 was first inserted into the gap between the holding member 14 and the supporting member 16 and was placed on the supporting member 16 such that it was supported by the shoulder portion 13a . at that time , the leading end 1a was located in the gap . next , the second tubular member 2 was placed on the shoulder portion 13a of the first tubular member 1 with its chamfered portion 2b directed downward . then , the side pressure member 15 was placed on the holding member 14 and the pressure member 17 was inserted into the conical hole in the side pressure member 15 . the preliminary molded member 10 was next placed on the outer circumferential portion 13 of the first tubular member 1 . following this , the holding member 18 was placed upon the pressure member 17 . a total pressure of 5 tons was applied to the holding member 18 using a pressure molding machine . the condition at that time is shown in the lefthand side of fig4 . next , the pressure member 9 was placed upon the preliminary molded member 10 and a total pressure of 12 tons was applied to the pressure member 9 using the pressure molding machine . the condition following this is shown in the righthand side of fig4 . the method of the preliminary molded member 10 under pressure flowed downward through the gap 4 between the second tubular member 2 and the outer circumferential portion 13 . the pressure applied to the chamfered portion 2b at that time acted as a lifting pressure to lift the second tubular member 2 . when the upper end face 2a contacted the holding member 18 , the upward movement of the second tubular member was interrupted . as a result , the material of the preliminary molded member 10 completely filled the gap as shown in the righthand side of fig4 . the molding was cooled until the temperature of the insulating member 3 reached 300 ° c . after the cooling process , the mold was disassembled to allow the resultant product to be taken out and thus completing the molding process . in the aforementioned example of the method of the invention , specific features thereof will be described in more detail . the reason why pressure was applied to the pressure member 17 before pressure was applied to the preliminary molded member 10 is to establish a radial pressure on the side pressure member 15 so that an internal pressure is applied to the second tubular member 2 thereby to prevent the second tubular member 2 from being deformed by the pressure which is established in the direction of the arrow 12 when pressure is applied to the preliminary molded member 10 . in the conventional method , on the contrary , a thick tubular member was used to prevent such deformation which was later machined to form the final product . next , the reason why the second tubular member 2 has its lower end formed with the chamfered portion 2b is to lift the second tubular member 2 when pressure is applied to the preliminary molded member 10 . without this lift , it would be quite difficult to construct the inner insulating portion 3a which is located between the first and second tubular members 1 and 2 . since without the aforementioned chamfered portion 2b , it would be necessary to hold the second tubular member 2 not in contact with but spaced from the first tubular member 1 before the pressure molding process , the method of the invention is considered very effective . the reason why the external diameter of the holding member 18 is larger than the internal diameter of the second tubular member 2 is to provide a stop to the lifting of the second tubular member 2 to achieve its proper positioning . according to this method , the clearance for the inner insulating portion is always maintained uniform . in the preferred embodiment , since the pressure member 9 slides on the outer side of the holding member 18 , it is necessary to make the holding member 18 smaller than the internal diameter of the pressure member 9 . in the preferred embodiment , lead glass has been described as being used as the glass with which the preliminary molded member 10 is constructed . however , the invention is not limited thereto . a glaze for an enamelled iron device containing no lead , which glaze is commercially available , may be used . on the other hand , since the mica powders are heated to a temperature of about 600 ° c . or higher in the presence of the glass , mica powders decomposed at that temperature cannot be used . that is to say , natural mica cannot be used and instead synthetic mica must be used of which mica of synthetic phlogopite is the most suitable . next , the heating temperature relationships among the mold , the tubular members and the preliminary molding will be described . the temperature of the mold is closely dependent upon the transition temperature of the glass material . more specifically , in case the former temperature is excessively higher than the transition temperature , the insulating member may stick to the mold during the pressure molding process thereby making it difficult to open and separate the mold . if the mold temperature is excessively low , a portion having a low density may be formed . it is therefore desired that the temperature of the mold be held slightly lower than the transition temperature . moreover , since it is an essential condition that the temperature for pressure release and disassembly be lower than the transition temperature , it is important that the mold temperature take that point into consideration . the temperature of the first and second tubular members is closely dependent on the heating temperature of the preliminary molded member , as will be described below . if the transition temperature of the glass is exceeded , no portion of low density will be formed . if , on the contrary , the temperature of the tubular members is excessively lower than that of the preliminary molded member , the viscosity of the molding will be too high so that the fluidity of the material of the preliminary molded member will be so low that uniform filling becomes difficult . for an excessively high temperature , the mechanical strength of the metal members of the mold may be adversely affected leading to undesirable deformation thereof . it is desired that the temperature of the tubular members be slightly lower than the heating temperature of the preliminary molded member . the temperature of the preliminary molded member is directly related to the softening temperature of the glass material used . if glaze of an enamel for steel coatings is used , the enamelling temperature must be taken into account so that the temperature of the preliminary molded member may be as high as 800 ° to 850 ° c . the mixture ratio of the mica powders and the glass powders , which is related to the molding conditions , is an important factor . if the mixing ratio of the glass material is increased , the improved fluidity thereby resulting during pressure molding facilitates the molding process but may result in a lowering of the mechanical strength that the cracking of the insulating member takes place or the production of a uniform insulating member becomes difficult . in fact , the most preferable mixing ratio of the glass material falls within a range of 30 to 50 % in a volumetric ratio . in the description above of the present invention , the mold is described as using a splitting wall and a mold flask . in the case of the practical mass - production , the molded parts can be fixed by the use of a pressure molding machine which is equipped with a fixing member at a center portion and with drive units at upper and lower portions and can be heated by the use of a heater attached to that machine so that a continuous molding process can be performed . thus , it is possible to produce products of similar characteristics at a lower cost . the insulated joint according to the present invention is completely free from the most prominent defects of conventional joints , specifically , the difficulty in making connections due to the difference in internal and external diameters of the first and second tubular members , the increased flow resistance due to the difference in the internal diameters of the tubular members , the waste due to the use of an unnecessarily large joint in order to avoid an increased flow resistance and the resulting high prices . moreover , the invention retains completely the required desirable characteristics such as the hermetic sealing characteristics , the ability to withstand temperature changes and mechanical impact forces and resistance to changes due to aging . moreover , by the use of the side pressure member , a molding process using thin tubular members is made possible while making it unnecessary to use a first machining process which has been indispensable for the conventional method . as has been described hereinbefore , according to the present invention , it is possible to use tubular members which have the same size and a small thickness while yet retaining all the beneficial characteristics discussed above . although the above description of the present invention relates to an insulated joint through which a liquid flows under an insulated condition , the application of the insulated joint is not limited to liquid mediums and it can be used , for example , with a gas under a high pressure and a liquid or a gas at a high temperature .

US-25077881-A

a hospital bed includes an articulatable patient support with a fowler portion movable between horizontal and inclined positions relative to a frame of the bed . a reversible electric drive motor is supported on the frame of the bed and , through a reduction gearing arrangement and a releasible coupling mechanism , can rotatably drive a threaded shaft . a nut engages and is held against rotation with the shaft , and a linkage arrangement couples the nut to the fowler portion to effect reciprocal movement of the fowler portion in response to reciprocal movement of the nut along the shaft . a manual release is provided on the fowler portion and , when actuated , disengages the releasible coupling mechanism so that the threaded shaft is free to rotate independently of the motor and gearing arrangement .

fig1 shows part of a hospital bed 10 which embodies the present invention . the bed includes a metal frame 11 , an articulatable patient support 12 provided on the frame 11 , and an articulation control mechanism 13 for controlling the patient support 12 . the frame 11 includes two spaced side members 17 , one of which is visible in fig1 and two transverse members 18 and 19 which extend between and are fixably secured to the side members 17 . in the preferred embodiment , the members 17 - 19 are each made from a metal tube of square cross section , and could also be open section channels . the frame 11 also includes a u - shaped member having a bight 22 which serves as a drive mechanism support and having two spaced legs ( fig2 ) which are not shown in fig1 but which each extend leftwardly in fig1 from a respective end of the bight 22 and each have an outer end fixedly secured to the transverse member 18 . the articulatable patient support 12 includes a central portion 26 slidably supported in a conventional and not - illustrated manner on the frame 11 for movement in directions parallel to the arrows 27 , and a fowler portion 28 supported for pivotal movement about a pivot axis 29 relative to the central portion 26 . the portion 26 has its own movable frame which is not essential to the invention and which has been omitted from the drawings for clarity . the fowler portion 28 is moveable from an approximately horizontally extending position upwardly through a range of progressively more inclined positions , one of which is shown in fig1 . the central portion 26 of the patient support has an approximately rectangular frame 31 and a patient support plate 32 secured on the upper side thereof , and the fowler portion 28 also has an approximately rectangular frame 33 and a support plate 34 thereon . a conventional mattress or pad is normally provided on the support plates 32 and 34 , but has been omitted in fig1 for clarity . the central portion 26 serves as a seat for a patient , and the fowler portion 28 supports the upper body of the patient . two support links 36 are provided on respective sides of the bed , one of which is visible in fig1 . each support link 36 has one end pivotally supported at 37 on the fowler portion 28 , and its opposite end pivotally supported at 38 on a side member 17 of the frame 11 . a bracket 41 is secured to the frame of the fowler portion 28 , and supports a manually operable lever 42 for pivotal movement in the direction indicated by arrow 43 . in a conventional manner , the lever 42 controls a cable which extends to the lower portion of fig1 and which has a sleeve 46 with an elongate wire 47 slidably supported therein . movement of lever 42 causes the wire 47 to slide lengthwise within the sleeve 46 . a u - shaped bracket 51 made of sheet metal has a bight 52 and two spaced , parallel legs 53 and 54 . each of the legs 53 and 54 has , at an end remote from the bight 52 , a laterally outwardly projecting horizontal flange 56 which is disposed against an underside of the drive mechanism support 22 , and has a further flange 57 which projects upwardly from an edge of the horizontal flange 56 and which is disposed against a side surface of the support 22 . the bracket 51 is fixedly secured to the support 22 by a pair of bolts 58 and associated nuts , each bolt 58 extending through aligned openings in the support 22 and flange 56 . each of the legs 53 and 54 of the bracket 51 has a downwardly projecting flange portion 61 , and a pivot pin 62 extends between and has its ends fixedly secured to the flange portions 61 . an actuating plate 63 has its lower end pivotally supported on the pivot pin 62 , and has at its upper end two upwardly projecting and transversely spaced legs 67 and 68 . a flange 69 is secured to and projects downwardly from the legs 53 and 54 of the bracket , and has fixedly secured to it the end of sleeve 46 which is remote from bracket 41 and lever 42 . the end of wire 47 remote from lever 42 extends outwardly from the sleeve 46 and has its outer end coupled to the actuating plate 63 . when the lever 42 is manually pivoted in the direction of arrow 43 , the wire 47 is pulled leftwardly in fig1 so that the actuating plate 63 is in turn pivoted counterclockwise in fig1 . a thrust bearing 71 is secured to the bight 52 of bracket 51 , and a further bearing 72 is supported on the transverse member 19 of the frame 11 . the bearing 72 could alternatively be supported on the central portion 26 , in which case it would move with central portion 26 with the shaft 73 sliding within it . a threaded shaft 73 has its ends rotatably supported by the bearings 71 and 72 , and is held against axial movement . a nut 76 threadedly engages the shaft 73 between bearings 71 and 72 , and a fowler link 77 has one end pivotally coupled at 78 to the nut 76 and its other end pivotally coupled at 79 to one end of a fowler control arm 81 . the opposite end of the fowler control arm 81 is welded to a cylindrical rod 82 which in turn is fixedly secured to the frame 33 of the fowler portion 28 . the fowler control arm 81 and fowler link 77 prevent the nut 76 from rotating about the axis of the threaded shaft 73 . thus , as the shaft 73 rotates , the nut 76 moves axially along the shaft 73 . this in turn causes the fowler portion 28 to pivot upwardly or downwardly relative to the frame 11 , while the central portion 26 respectively slides leftwardly or rightwardly in fig1 . the articulation control mechanism 13 includes a drive assembly 86 which is supported by the drive mechanism support 22 in a manner described in more detail below , and includes a releasable coupling 87 which can releasably drivingly couple the drive assembly 86 to the threaded shaft 73 in a manner described in more detail later . the drive assembly 86 ( fig2 ) is a conventional commercially available part from the motor division of emerson electric company of st . louis , missouri , as part number k37xya223696 , but will be briefly described to the extent necessary to ensure an understanding of the present invention . more specifically , the drive assembly 86 includes a unitary housing which has a portion 91 containing a reversible electrical motor and a portion 92 containing a reduction gear mechanism . a rotatable output shaft 93 projects outwardly from the portion 92 of the housing , and is rotatably driven by the motor through the reduction gear mechanism . the housing portion 92 includes an annular collar 96 encircling the shaft 93 , and four ribs 97 which project radially outwardly from the collar 96 at equally angularly spaced intervals . the shaft 93 has an end portion 98 of reduced diameter , and has an axially extending keyway 99 in the portion between the collar 96 and end portion 98 . the portion between collar 96 and end portion 98 also has external threads 100 adjacent end portion 98 . the drive assembly 86 is supported on the drive mechanism support 22 by a support assembly 101 . the support assembly 101 includes a metal spacer 102 of rectangular shape which has spaced vertical holes 103 and 104 aligned with spaced vertical holes 106 and 107 provided through the support 22 , the holes 106 and 107 being disposed between spaced vertical holes 108 and 109 in support 22 which each receive a respective one of the bolts 58 ( fig1 ). the spacer 102 also has a hole 113 extending horizontally therethrough intermediate the holes 103 and 104 . two mounting plates 116 are identical , except that one has an inverted orientation with respect to the other . as shown for the lower mounting plate , the mounting plates 116 each have spaced holes 117 and 118 which are aligned with the holes 103 and 104 in spacer 102 , and have edge portions 121 and 122 bent at a right angle to the central portion so as to define flanges which project downwardly from opposite sides of the upper mounting plate and upwardly from opposite sides of the lower mounting plate . each of the flanges 121 and 122 has a pair of spaced cutouts 123 and 124 . an isolator member 126 , which is a rectangular block of neoprene rubber , is disposed between the mounting plates 116 and has two vertical holes 127 and 128 which are aligned with the holes 117 and 118 in the mounting plates and which each have disposed therein a respective one of two metal spacer sleeves 131 and 132 . each of the spacer sleeves 131 and 132 has a vertical height equal to the vertical height of the isolator member 126 , and has each of its ends disposed against a respective one of the mounting plates 116 . the isolator member 126 also has two horizontally extending holes 133 and 134 which are spaced outwardly from the holes 127 and 128 and which are each aligned with a respective one of the cutouts 123 and 124 . two bolts 136 and 137 each extend through one of the holes 106 and 107 in the support member 22 , one of the holes 103 and 104 in the spacer member 102 , one of the holes 117 and 118 in each of the mounting plates 116 , and one of the sleeves 131 and 132 in the holes 127 and 128 of the isolator member 126 , and each have a respective nut 138 or 139 on the lower end thereof to securely clamp all of these components to each other . two identical tubular mounting posts 141 and 142 are each made of nylon . as shown for the mounting post 142 , each has end portions 143 and 144 of different diameter and a disk portion 146 which is disposed between and has a diameter greater than that of portions 143 and 144 . the portion 143 of each mounting post 141 and 142 extends into a respective one of the horizontal holes 133 and 134 in the isolator member 126 , and has a length approximately equal to the width of the isolator member 126 , the disk portion 146 of each mounting post being disposed against a side surface of the isolator member 126 . two bolts 148 and 149 each extend through a respective washer 151 or 152 and through a respective one of the mounting posts 141 and 142 , and each threaded engage a respective one of two not - illustrated threaded openings in the housing portion 92 of the drive assembly . the neoprene rubber isolator member 26 provides both electrical and mechanical isolation for the drive assembly 86 with respect to metal support member 22 . the releasable coupling 87 of fig1 is shown in more detail in fig3 - 6 . it includes an annular metal spring holder 161 with an annular flange 162 which extends radially outwardly and an annular flange 163 which extends axially . the inside diameter of the spring holder 161 is only slightly larger than the distance between the radially outer ends of opposite ribs 97 on the drive housing , and the spring holder 161 closely encircles the ribs 97 . six metal spring washers which serve as brake springs encircle the axial flange 163 of the spring holder 161 . more or fewer spring washers could be used , depending on the requirements of the particular design . a brake washer 168 encircles the ribs 97 on the side of springs 166 remote from the spring holder 161 , but is held in a position radially spaced from the ribs through enlargement of its radially inner edge with a shallow annular recess 170 in a plastic brake disk 171 . the brake disk 171 has a central opening 172 with a diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the collar 96 on the drive housing , and has four rectangular notches 173 at equal angular intervals which each receive a respective one of the ribs 97 . the brake disk 171 is held against rotation with respect to the drive housing by the cooperation between the notches 173 and the ribs 97 on the housing . a brake cup 176 made of metal has an axially extending cylindrical wall 178 with a radially extending wall 177 therein near one end , and also has a radially extending braking flange 179 at that end . the flange 179 has an axially facing annular surface which slidably engages an axially facing annular surface on the brake disk 171 . the output shaft 93 of the drive mechanism extends rotatably through a central opening in the radial wall 177 . a conventional thrust bearing 181 has two races 182 and 183 which encircle the output shaft 93 , the race 182 being disposed against the radial wall 177 of the brake cup 176 . a plurality of ball bearings or needle bearings are disposed between the races . a metal driving member 186 has a central opening 187 through which the output shaft 93 extends , the central opening 187 having a key slot containing a key 188 which engages the keyway 99 in the output shaft 93 , thereby preventing relative rotation of the driving member 186 and output shaft 93 . one side of the driving member 186 engages the race 183 of the bearing 181 , and the other side has a shallow circular recess 191 . three projections 192 - 194 at equal angular intervals extend axially in a direction away from bearing 181 . the driving member 186 has an outside diameter which is substantially equal to the outside diameter of the axial wall 178 on brake cup 176 . a helical clutch spring 196 has an inside diameter which is slightly less than the outside diameters of driving member 186 and axial wall 178 of brake cup 176 , is made of spring wire of square cross section , and closely encircles each of these two components . a nut 197 is disposed in the recess 191 of driving member 186 and engages the threads 100 on output shaft 93 , in order to maintain the driving member 186 , bearing 181 , brake cup 176 , brake disk 171 , brake washer 168 , brake springs 166 and spring holder 161 in position on the housing portion 92 . the nut 197 is tightened sufficiently so that the brake springs 166 are axially compressed between the flange 162 of spring holder 161 and the brake washer 168 , and thus the springs 166 continuously resiliently urge the brake disk 171 against the braking flange 179 on the brake cup 176 , producing friction between them which tends to resist rotation of the brake cup 176 relative to the brake disk 171 and thus relative to the housing 92 , because the ribs 97 thereon hold the brake disk 171 against rotation . a cup - like isolation member 201 has an end wall 202 , and has projecting axially outwardly from one side of the end wall 202 an annular wall which includes a portion 206 with an inside diameter slightly larger than the outside diameter of driving member 186 and a portion 107 with an inside diameter slightly greater than the outside diameter of helical clutch spring 196 . an annular step 209 between the portions 206 and 207 can engage an end of the clutch spring 196 in order to prevent any significant axial movement of the clutch spring 196 . the outer end of the portion 207 has a radially outwardly projecting annular flange 208 . the end wall 202 has a radial bore 211 extending transversely through it , and has a blind bore 212 extending axially into it on a side remote from wall portions 206 and 207 . the isolation member 201 is made of a durable and electrically nonconductive synthetic material , such as the material commercially available under the name delrin . a driven member 216 is disposed within the portion 206 of the isolator member 201 . the driven member 216 is made of an insulating material , such as 30 % glass - filled nylon . the driven member 216 has a disk - like portion 217 which is disposed against end wall 202 and fixedly secured thereto by three not - illustrated screws , and has three axial projections 218 at equal angular intervals which extend toward the driving member 186 and are each disposed angularly between a respective pair of the projections 192 - 194 on the driving member 186 . although the driven member 216 and isolator member 201 are shown as separate parts in the figures , it will be recognized that they could be a single integral component . the disk - like portion 217 has a central opening which rotatably receives the reduced diameter portion 98 of output shaft 93 . a rubber spider 221 has an annular hub 222 which encircles the output shaft 93 at a location axially between the driving member 186 and driven member 216 , and has six radially outwardly projecting arms 223 which are each located angularly between a respective one of the projections 192 - 194 on driving member 186 and a respective one of the projections 218 on the driven member 216 . a sleeve - like metal decoupling member 226 has an inside diameter slightly larger than the outside diameter of the end wall 202 of isolator member 201 , and is axially slidably supported on the end of isolator member 201 having end wall 202 . the decoupling member 226 has at one end an annular axial lip 227 , and has a radially outwardly projecting annular flange 228 adjacent the lip 227 . the decoupling member 226 also has two axially extending slots 231 and 232 on diametrically opposite sides thereof , and has two approximately rectangular notches extending axially into the end thereof remote from lip 227 , the notches 233 and 234 being diametrically opposite each other . two inclined ramp surfaces 236 and 237 are provided on the same end of the decoupling member 226 as the notches , each of the ramp surfaces having ends which are axially offset with respect to each other and are respectively adjacent the notches 233 and 234 . a metal pin 241 extends through the radial bore 211 in the end wall 202 of isolator member 201 so that its ends are each disposed within one of the slots 231 and 232 , and has rollers 242 and 243 rotatably supported on its ends within the slots and held in place by respective snap rings 244 . the rollers 242 and 243 are each made of a durable nonconductive synthetic material , such as delrin . the rollers 242 and 243 each have a diameter which is slightly less than the width of the associated slot 231 or 232 , so that the rollers 242 and 243 can roll on the walls of the slots . a helical compression spring 246 encircles the isolator member 201 , has one end disposed against the radial flange 208 on isolator member 201 , and has its opposite end encircling lip 227 and disposed against radial flange 228 on the decoupling member 226 . the spring 246 yieldably urges the decoupling member 226 rightwardly in fig4 relative to the isolator member 201 , so that the rollers 242 and 243 are disposed at the left ends of the slots 231 and 232 . turning to the previously - mentioned bearing 71 , the bearing includes an outer race 251 with a flange which is secured by rivets 252 to the bight 52 of bracket 51 . an inner race 253 is provided within the outer race 251 , and the races have facing frustoconical surfaces with cylindrical roller bearings 254 disposed therebetween . the threaded shaft 73 has a nonthreaded end portion 256 of reduced diameter which is separated from the remainder of the shaft by a step 255 , which extends through inner race 253 , which has its outer end rotatably disposed in the blind bore 212 in isolator member 201 , and which has extending through it between isolator member 201 and bearing 71 a transverse radial bore 257 . a roller thrust bearing 258 is disposed between the bight 52 of bracket 51 and the annular step 255 on shaft 73 . a metal wing member 261 has an annular hub 262 which encircles the end portion 256 of shaft 73 between isolator member 201 and bearing 71 , and which has a transverse radial bore 263 therethrough . a pin 264 is disposed in the bore 263 in wing member 261 and in the transverse bore 257 in the shaft 73 so as to prevent relative rotation therebetween . the wing member 261 has two radially outwardly projecting wing portions 266 on diametrically opposite sides thereof , each wing portion 266 having an approximately rectangular cross section . when the reversible electric motor is energized and rotates the output shaft 93 of the drive assembly in a first direction , the driving member 186 is rotated in the same direction by the output shaft 93 . in this direction of rotation , the friction between driving member 186 and clutch spring 196 tends to unwind the clutch spring 196 a small amount , which reduces the friction to a point where the driving member 186 rotates independently of the clutch spring 196 , and thus also rotates relative to the brake cup 176 , rotation of which is yieldably resisted by its frictional engagement with the brake disk 171 under the axial pressure of braking springs 166 . it is also possible for the spring 196 to rotate with member 186 relative to brake cup 176 . the thrust bearing 181 facilitates rotation of the driving member 186 relative to brake cup 176 without friction therebetween . the axial projections 192 - 194 on the driving member 186 cooperate with the projections 218 on the driven member 216 through the arms 223 of spider 221 to rotate the driven member 216 in synchronism with driving member 186 , the driven member 216 in turn rotating the isolator member 201 to which it is fixedly secured . the spider 221 provides vibration and shock damping to avoid stripping gears in the gear reduction mechanism , primarily during high - speed re - engagement . through the pin 241 and rollers 242 and 243 , the decoupling member 226 is rotated with the isolator member 201 . during normal operation , the decoupling member 226 is in the axial position shown in fig4 and 7 , in which the two wings 266 on the wing member 261 engage the notches 233 and 234 in the decoupling member 226 , so that the wing member 261 is rotated by the decoupling member 226 and in turn , through pin 264 , rotates the threaded shaft 73 . as a result of rotation of threaded shaft 73 , the nut 76 will move axially along shaft 73 in a leftward direction in fig1 which causes the fowler portion 28 to pivot upwardly about pivot axis 29 ( clockwise in fig1 ). when the fowler portion 28 is at a desired position , the electric motor is de - energized to stop the fowler portion in this position . the weight of a patient on the fowler portion 28 will tend to urge the nut 76 rightwardly in fig1 which in turn will urge rotation of the shaft 73 in a second direction opposite the first direction . depending on the particular motor and reduction gearing used , it is possible that , when the motor is de - energized , the forces generated by patient weight on the fowler could , particularly in the case of a heavy patient , be sufficient to turn the rotor of the de - energized motor through the reduction gearing . as a result , the fowler 28 would not remain in the position selected by the operator , but would pivot downwardly toward its horizontal position . this phenomena is effectively eliminated in the apparatus according to the present invention . in particular , if forces acting on the fowler and urging rotation of the screw 73 in the second direction become sufficient to actually cause a small amount of rotation of driving member 186 and output shaft 93 in the second direction , the friction between the driving member 186 and spring 196 will urge the spring in the direction which tightens the coils of the spring , thus causing the spring to tightly grip both the driving member 186 and the brake cup 176 , thereby preventing the driving member 186 from rotating relative to the brake cup 176 . the driving member 186 thus can rotate in the reverse direction only if the torque applied to it is sufficient to overcome the friction between the braking surfaces on the brake disk 171 and flange 179 of the brake cup 176 . the brake springs 166 are selected to produce an axial force generating a degree of friction between these braking surfaces which is more than adequate to prevent rotation of the driving member 186 in response to downward forces applied to the fowler . if an operator decides at some point that the inclination of the fowler is to be reduced , then the electric motor is energized in a manner causing it to rotationally drive the output shaft 93 in the second direction . as the shaft 93 starts to rotate the driving member 186 in the second direction , the clutch spring 196 will couple the driving member 186 to the brake cup 176 in the manner described above , but in the preferred embodiment the electric motor and reduction gearing are selected to provide an output torque sufficient to overcome the friction between the brake cup 176 and brake disk 171 , and thus through the coupling assembly 87 the shaft 73 is rotated in the second direction by the motor so that the nut 76 moves progressively rightwardly in the fig1 and lowers the fowler portion 28 . if , when the fowler portion 28 is in a raised position such as that shown in fig1 a patient experiences a trauma such as a heart attack , it is important to rapidly lower the fowler portion 28 to a horizontal position so that appropriate therapy such as cardio - pulmonary resuscitation ( cpr ) can be administered . in order to move the fowler portion 28 to the horizontal position substantially faster than is possibly using the motor in drive mechanism 86 , or in situations where the fowler portion must be manually moved in the absence of electric power , an attendant manually presses the lever 42 ( fig1 ) in the direction of arrow 43 , which causes the wire 47 to be pulled leftwardly within the sleeve 46 of the cable . this in turn pivots the actuating plate 63 counterclockwise in fig1 about the pivot axis 62 , so that the legs 67 and 68 thereof ( fig1 and 3 ) slide the decoupling member 226 leftwardly in fig3 against the urging of the spring 246 . the rollers 242 and 243 facilitate this sliding movement of the decoupling member 226 regardless of any relative rotational torques which may exist between the pin 241 in isolating member 201 and the decoupling member 226 . as the decoupling member 226 moves leftwardly in the figures , the notches 233 and 234 therein move out of engagement with the wing portions 266 of the wing member 261 , until the wing member 261 is axially offset from the decoupling member 226 and can freely rotate without any engagement with the decoupling member 226 . at this point , the wing member 266 and shaft 73 can freely rotate in response to the rotational forces being applied to the shaft 73 by the nut 76 and downward forces acting on the fowler portion 28 . thus , the fowler portion 28 can be very rapidly lowered toward its horizontal position . alternatively , the fowler portion 28 could be manually raised to a greater degree of inclination . in either case , when the fowler portion 28 has been moved to a desired position , the lever 42 is released . when lever 42 is released , the spring 246 urges the decoupling member 226 rightwardly , which in turn pivots the actuating plate 63 clockwise in fig1 so that it pulls the wire 47 rightwardly and restores the lever 42 to its original position . it is possible to also provide an additional not - illustrated helical expansion spring which extends between the plate 63 and the bight 52 of the bracket , so that the legs 67 and 68 of plate 63 are pulled to a position spaced from the flange 228 in which they do not rub against the rotating flange to thereby avoid wear and audible noise . if the wing portions 266 are axially aligned with the notches 233 and 234 , the decoupling member 226 will immediately move to its rightmost position ( shown in fig3 and 7 ), in which the wing portions 266 are fully engaged with the notches 233 and 234 . usually , however , the wing portions 266 will be angularly offset from the notches and will move into engagement with the ramp surfaces 236 and 237 , as shown in fig8 . as the fowler 28 then attempts to move still further downwardly , the shaft 73 and wing member 261 will rotate clockwise in fig8 causing the wing portions 266 to slide along the ramp surfaces until they are aligned with the notches 233 and 234 . as shown in fig8 for the notch 234 , each notch has side surfaces 268 and 269 which , due to the inclination of the ramp surfaces , are of different length . the inclination of the ramp surfaces is such that the wing portions 266 each rotate into alignment with a respective notch from the side of the notch having the shorter side surface 268 , and thus the wing portions 266 cannot rotate past the notches 233 and 234 because each would engage the longer side surface 269 on the opposite side of the notch and thus have its rotation halted . the inclined ramp surfaces and the different length side surfaces 268 and 269 thus ensure that the wing portions 266 and the notches in decoupling member 226 promptly and reliably move into alignment when the lever 42 is released , even when the shaft 73 and wings are turning at a relatively high speed . the spring 246 then moves the decoupling member 226 rightwardly the rest of the way back to its original position , in which the wing portions 266 are fully received within the respective notches 233 and 234 . although a single preferred embodiment has been disclosed in detail for illustrative purposes , it will be recognized that there are variations or modifications of the disclosed apparatus , including the rearrangement of parts , which lie within the scope of the present invention .

US-96458292-A

a diode is provided which comprises a cathode , an anode , and at least one crystalline nanowire in electrical communication with said cathode and said anode . the crystalline nanowire comprises a group iv metal which is substantially straight and substantially free of nanoparticles .

methods are provided herein for synthesizing nanowires by thermally degrading a group iv organometallic precursor in a supercritical fluid in the presence of nanocrystals or nanoparticulates , or nanocrystal precursors or nanoparticulate precursors . the methods may be implemented as continuous or semi - batch processes . the nanocrystals or nanocrystal precursors can be tethered to an appropriate substrate surface or dispersed freely in solution . the resulting nanowires may be characterized by narrow diameters and size distributions . the use of supercritical fluids allows for the dispersion of high concentrations of nanocrystals and precursors in the fluid while maintaining high diffusion coefficients . this combination leads to fast and efficient nanowire production . moreover , the ability to manipulate precursor concentration , nanocrystal concentration and size , and the solvent strength of the supercritical fluid via temperature and pressure provides flexibility in controlling the nanowire composition and morphology . the inventors have surprisingly and unexpectedly discovered that by utilizing a flow reactor in combination with tethered nanocrystals in the production of the nanowires , substantially straight and substantially defect - free nanowires may be manufactured without sacrificing nanowire length and without the production of significant amounts of nanoparticles which are often produced in competitive reactions during nanowire production . the flow reactor provides kinetic tunability that minimizes undesirable particle deposition and optimizes the production of straight nanowires . the flow reactors provide superior results relative to batch processes due , at least in part , to a reduction in homogenous nucleation and growth of nanoparticles in the fluid phase . the reduction in nanoparticle growth and the increase in nanowire straightness may be optimized using the appropriate pressure , temperature , and flow rates . without intending to be bound to any particular theory , the inventors believe the advantages of the flow reactor are that is provides ( 1 ) fluid - phase reactant concentrations that vary less significantly with time than other reactors due to the ability to control reactant concentration flow rate ; and ( 2 ) a means to flush particulates formed in the fluid phase before depositing on the substrate . thus , continuous and semi - batch processes are capable of producing nanowires having very different and higher quality structures than their batch process counterparts . fig1 shows a schematic of a preferred embodiment for producing the nanowires . in fig1 a , a substrate is provided which comprises silicon having a silicon dioxide surface . the surface can be modified with a surface treatment to promote adsorption of a nanocrystal . onto this modified surface , the nanocrystal can be adsorbed . the nanocrystals can be surface treated to provide for steric stabilization . in other words , as shown in fig1 a , tethered , sterically stabilized gold nanocrystals can be used as seeds for further synthesis of nanowires , wherein the gold nanoparticles are adsorbed to the modified silicon substrate . fig1 b provides an enlarged view of the selected region in ( a ), showing dimensions such as the length of the sterically stabilizing group , the size of the nanocrystal , and the distance between the substrate surface and the nanocrystal . in fig1 b , this distance is occupied largely by the coupling agent . in fig1 c , the degradation of diphenyl silane ( dps ) to form si atoms is shown . these si atoms can dissolve into the nanocrystals to form alloy droplets on the substrate surface . in fig1 d , the si nanowires crystallize from the au nanocrystal seeds upon saturation of the particles . additional discussion for the present disclosure , including background and theoretical discussion , can be found in “ growth of single crystal silicon nanowires in supercritical solution from tethered gold particles on a silicon substrate ” by lu et al ., nanoletters , 2003 , vol . 3 , no . 1 , 93 - 99 , particularly the first four paragraphs , the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference . u . s . patent publication 2002 / 0172820 to majumdar et al . ( published nov . 21 , 2002 ) discloses nanowires . in addition , the following references can be used as guide to practicing the methodologies disclosed herein : ( 1 ) madou , fundamentals of microfabrication , 2 nd ed ., crc press , 2002 ( for example , the properties and growth of silicon , including crystalline silicon , are described at pages 125 - 204 ); ( 2 ) “ control of thickness and orientation of solution - grown silicon nanowires ”; holmes et al ., science , vol . 287 , feb . 25 , 2000 , pages 1471 - 1473 ( this reference discloses bulk quantities of defect - free silicon nanowires with nearly uniform diameters ranging from 40 - 50 angstroms grown to several micrometers with a supercritical fluid solution - phase approach ); ( 3 ) “ a laser ablation method for the synthesis of crystalline semiconductor nanowires ”; morales et al ., science , vol . 279 , jan . 9 , 1998 , pages 208 - 211 ; ( 4 ) “ nucleation and growth of germanium nanowires seeded by organic monolayer - coated gold nanocrystals ”; hanrath et al . ; j . am . chem . soc ., vol . 124 , no . 7 , 2002 , pages 1424 - 1429 ; ( 5 ) u . s . patent publication , 2003 / 0003300 a1 published jan . 2 , 2003 to korgel and johnston , in particular , describing supercritical fluid processes and use of organic silicon precursors to form silicon nanoparticles ; and ( 6 ) “ supercritical fluid - liquid - solid ( sfls ) synthesis of si and ge nanowires seeded by colloidal metal nanocrystals ,” hanrath , t . et al ., advanced materials , 2003 , 15 , no . 5 , mar . 4 , pages 437 - 440 . a nanowire is an individual nanowire , desirably a single crystal solid structure . the length , diameter and aspect ratio ( ratio of length over diameter ) of nanowires may vary over a considerable range . for example , the nanowires can have an average diameter of about 5 nm to about 50 nm , and more particularly , about 10 nm to about 20 nm . the length of the nanowires may vary , from a few microns to a hundreds of microns . in one typical embodiment , the nanowires may have an average length of about at least one micron , and more particularly , about at least 5 microns . generally nanowire may be characterized by an aspect ratio of 100 or larger and a diameter generally less than about 50 nm . for the purposes of this disclosure , the term nanowire also includes other nanometer - sized generally cylindrical structures that may go by different names , such as nanorods , nanofilaments , or nanowhiskers . nanowires are a plurality of these individual nanowires , a collection of single solid structures which in theory can be physically separated from each other and characterized individually . statistical methods , therefore , can be used to characterize nanowires such as average diameter , average length , and distributions . in many cases , narrow distributions such as monodisperse distributions are more desired than broader distributions . in general , the individual nanowires have the same composition when prepared from a common production method . upon production of the nanowires , isolation methods can be used , if desired , to separate fractions of subsets of nanowires . individual nanowires can be isolated and characterized , and remixed if desired . the nanowires can be crystalline including single crystal nanowires . single crystal characteristics can be determined by high resolution transmission electron microscopy ( hrtem ) analysis . in some embodiments , over 75 percent of the nanowires produced in accordance with the methods of this disclosure are crystalline . this includes embodiments where over 80 percent of the nanowires are crystalline and further includes embodiments where over 90 percent of the nanowires are crystalline . the nanowires can comprise , for example , group iv metals including silicon , germanium , tin , lead , and combinations thereof . the nanowires can comprise at least 90 atomic percent , or at least 98 atomic percent , of the group iv metal . nanowires comprising silicon may be particularly desirable . the nanowires are desirably substantially straight . as such , they may be substantially free of tortuous morphology such as kinks , curls , or bends , and substantially free of defects in the structure such as defects in a crystal lattice . for the purposes of this disclosure , the straightness of a nanowire may be characterized by a straightness parameter which is the ratio of the shortest end - to - end length measured along the surface of a nanowire divided by the shortest distance between two endpoints located at opposite ends of that nanowire . using this standard , a perfectly straight nanowire has a straightness parameter equal to 1 . the production process described by this disclosure can be varied to provide substantially straight , and even completely straight nanowires ( i . e . nanowires having a straightness parameter of about 1 or close to 1 such as , for example , 1 . 1 ). in some embodiments the nanowires produced in accordance with the methods of the present disclosure will have an average straightness parameter of no more than 3 . this includes embodiments where the nanowires produced in accordance with the methods of the present disclosure have an average straightness parameter of no more than about 2 and further includes embodiments where the nanowires produced in accordance with the methods of the present disclosure have an average straightness parameter of no more than about 1 . 5 . depending on the intended application of the nanowires , one skilled in the art can determine whether the collection of individual nanowires has a low enough content of nanowires which are not as straight as desired . the nanowires ( of a given composition ) can be manufactured such that they are substantially free or totally free of nanoparticles of the same or similar composition , in particular nanoparticles which can be potentially formed as a competitive reaction during the formation of the nanowires . in some synthetic approaches , the formation of the nanowire competes with the formation of nanoparticles , and conditions are preferred which result in nanowire production rather than nanoparticle production . for example , the nanoparticles are preferably produced in an amount of less than about 10 wt . %, and more preferably , less than about 5 wt . %, and more preferably , less than about 1 wt . % of the total mass of nanowire and nanoparticle production . when forming silicon nanowires , for example , the amount of silicon nanoparticle in the collection of silicon nanowires can be less than 5 wt . %, and less than 1 wt . % ( based on combined weight of nanowires and nanoparticles ). because the nanowires can be tethered to the substrate during formation , any unbound nanoparticles may be flushed away in the flow reactor . additionally , the nanowires can be treated by , for example , washing with solvent to remove free nanoparticles , particularly when the nanowires are bound to a substrate and the nanoparticles are not bound . for a given application , one skilled in the art can experiment and determine whether the amount of nanoparticle formation is too high . in saying that the nanowires are free or substantially free of nanoparticles , the following embodiment is not excluded : the nanowires can include nanocrystals at the end which are physically part of the nanowire . the nanowires can comprise nanocrystals , preferably metallic nanocrystals , at the ends of the nanowires , preferably at only one of the two ends . this terminal nanocrystal can result from the synthetic approach , wherein nanocrystals are used to seed the production of nanowires . in one embodiment , substantially all of the individual nanowires comprise the nanocrystal at the end . examples of nanocrystals include gold , silver , iron , titanium , nickel , and aluminum . the size of the nanocrystal can determine the diameter of the nanowire which grows from the nanocrystal . preferred sizes for the nanocrystal seed particle are within the range 2 - 25 nm in diameter . once the growth of the nanowires has proceeded to the desired extent , the nanowires may be removed ( untethered ) from the substrate using sonication in a suitable solvent or washing under suitable conditions . this process also allows for control of nanowire length . specifically , the length of the nanowires may be controlled by the level ultra sonic treatment that the wires are subjected to after synthesis . by increasing the extent of the sonication , the average nanowire length can be substantially reduced to a few microns from an initial average length of hundreds of microns . any suitable continuous reaction process can be used to produce the nanowires of the present disclosure provided that process provides sufficient control of the flow of reactant materials over the substrate to produce substantially straight , substantially defect - free nanowires , desirably with the substantial absence of nanoparticles . thus , suitable production processes will include both continuous and semi - batch processes . a variety of suitable flow reactors are known and commercially available , including those designed to withstand the temperature and pressure of supercritical fluid conditions . the process for preparing the nanowires according to the disclosure may comprise a combination of steps . in an initial step , a substrate may be provided which comprises nanocrystals , such as metallic nanocrystals , or nanocrystal precursors covalently attached ( tethered ) to the substrate surface using known reactions . examples of suitable substrates , including substrate surfaces , include silicon , and germanium , mica and highly ordered pyrolytic graphite . the substrate can be treated if desired to have a surface layer or coating , and either monolithic or multi - layered structures can be used . for example , the substrate may be silicon or germanium coated with a thermal oxide , gold , or aluminum . the nanocrystals or nanocrystal precursors may be tethered to the surface using known reactions . for example , coupling agents can be used to covalently attach the nanocrystals to the surface . suitable coupling agents include , but are not limited to , silane coupling agents which have a reactive moiety which binds to the substrate surface and a functional group which allows for attachment of the nanocrystal . the thickness of the layer of coupling agent may vary . in some embodiments , the thickness of the layer will be about 5 nm or as small as 1 nm . the surface coverage of the substrate by the tethered nanocrystals or nanocrystal precursors can be controlled by controlling the reaction conditions under which the nanocrystals or nanocrystal precursors are bound to the substrate surface . in some embodiments , the surface coverage is desirably low . for example , the surface coverage by the tethered nanocrystals or nanocrystal precursors may be less than 10 %, less than 5 %, or less than 3 %. the nanocrystals preferably are relatively uniformly distributed on the substrate surface . the nanocrystals preferably are not clumped together . nanocrystals or nanocrystal precursors can be contacted with the substrate surface in the form of colloidal dispersions , and the suspended nanocrystal can be transferred to the substrate by adsorption . the nanocrystals can be sterically stabilized with the use of , for example , adsorbed alkyl groups including c 5 - c 100 alkyl groups , and more particularly , c 6 - c 20 alkyl groups . for example , alkane sulfur compounds including alkane thiols such as dodecane thiol can be used to stabilize the nanocrystals . the steric stabilization layer can extend , for example , about 1 nm to about 5 nm from the particle . in an alternative step , the nanocrystals or nanocrystal precursors may not be attached to a substrate in any way . the nanocrystals may be freely dispersed in a solution comprising at least one organic solvent . the solution may also contain group iv metal precursor , or group iv metal precursor may be later exposed to the nanocrystals or nanocrystal precursors during a reaction step under appropriate reaction conditions . in a subsequent step , the process comprises continuously reacting the nanocrystals or nanocrystal precursors with group iv metal precursor in a supercritical fluid environment . the group iv precursor may comprise at least one group iv organometallic compound and the supercritical fluid may comprises at least one organic solvent . the organic solvent provides a supercritical fluid by heating the solvent above its critical temperature at a pressure above its critical pressure . the critical temperature and critical pressure for a fluid is known as the critical point . one skilled in the art can determine what pressures and temperatures are needed to achieve the supercritical fluid state for a particular solvent system , without undesired degradation . above the critical point , neither a liquid nor gas state exists . instead a phase known as a supercritical fluid exists . for example , a gas enters the supercritical state when the combination of pressure and temperature of the environment in which the gas is contained is above a critical state . the critical temperature and pressure of other components may be readily calculated or experimentally determined . supercritical fluids may have high solvating capabilities that are typically associated with compositions in the liquid state . supercritical fluids also have a low viscosity that is characteristic of compositions in the gaseous state . additionally , a supercritical fluid maintains a liquid &# 39 ; s ability to dissolve substances . generally , the solvent may be any solvent with an accessible supercritical state that is capable of dissolving the chosen precursor molecules . examples of solvents that may be used include , but are not limited to , hydrocarbons , alcohols , ketones , ethers and polar aprotic solvents ( e . g ., dimethyl formamide , dimethyl sulfoxide , etc ). hydrocarbon solvents include , but are not limited to aromatic and non - aromatic hydrocarbons . examples of aromatic hydrocarbon solvents include , but are not limited to benzene , toluene , and xylenes . examples of non - aromatic hydrocarbon solvents include cyclic hydrocarbons ( e . g ., cyclohexane , methylcyclohexane , cyclopentane , methylcyclopentane , etc .) and aliphatic hydrocarbons ( e . g ., pentane , hexane , heptane , octane , iso - octane , etc .). octanol and cyclohexane are particularly suitable organic solvents . the critical temperature of octanol , for example , is 385 ° c ., and the critical pressure of octanol is 34 . 5 bar . when octanol is subjected to temperatures and pressures above 385 ° c . and 34 . 5 bar , the octanol exists in a supercritical state . the supercritical temperature and pressure for cyclohexane are 280 ° c . and 40 . 5 bar , respectively . the organometallic group iv precursor can be a group iv metal compound that includes organic groups . as used herein , a “ group iv metal ” includes the elements of silicon , germanium , tin , and lead . generally , organometallic group iv precursors are compounds that may be thermally degraded to form nanowires that are composed primarily of the group iv metal . in some embodiments , the nanowire contains a mixture of group iv elements , such as si x ge 1 - x , si x sn 1 - x or ge x sn 1 - x . organometallic group iv precursors include , but are not limited to organosilicon , organogermanium , organotin , and organolead compounds . examples of group iv precursors include , but are not limited to , alkylsilanes , alkylgermanes , alkylstannanes , alkylplumbanes , chlorosilanes , chlorogermanes , chlorostannanes , chloroplumbanes , aromatic silanes , aromatic germanes , aromatic stannanes , and aromatic plumbanes . particular examples of organometallic silicon precursors include , but are not limited to , tetraethyl silane , diphenylsilane , and monophenylsilane . particular examples of organometallic germanium precursors include , but are not limited to , tetraethylgermane or diphenylgermane . when a substrate is used for the formation of nanowires , the substrate is treated with the organometallic group iv precursor , even though the organometallic group iv precursor begins reacting and decomposing when heated . it may not be clear whether the precursor has already fully decomposed by the time it reaches the substrate . when the nanocrystals are freely dispersed in solution rather than tethered to a substrate , the organometallic group iv precursor is preferably in solution with the nanocrystals prior to being exposed to the supercritical fluid under reaction conditions . however , the organometallic group iv precursor and nanocrystals may also be separated until reacted in a supercritical fluid environment under appropriate reaction conditions . the nanocrystal precursor may be any organometallic compound that reacts in situ to form the metal nanocrystals that will subsequently direct the growth of the semiconductor nanowires . for example , instead of adding colloidal metal nanocrystals , such as al nanocrystals , an organometallic precursor , such as trioctylaluminum , may be added that will decompose into al nanocrystals under appropriate reaction conditions . examples of organometallic precursors include , but are not limited to trialkylaluminum compounds ( trimethylaluminum , triethylaluminum , tributylaluminum , trioctylaluminum , etc . ), metal carbonyl compounds ( fe ( co ) 5 , fe 2 ( co ) 9 , co 2 ( co ) 8 ), and gold salts with reducing agents ( haucl 4 / nabh 4 ). the surface of the nanowires of the present disclosure may be modified in situ during a continuous or batch process of this disclosure by the addition of surface modifying agents during or after the formation of nanowires . a number of modifications may be made , and one of skill in the art may readily choose agents that modify surface characteristics depending on the particular application of the present disclosure . for example , agents may be chosen to passivate the surface of the nanowires of the present disclosure . surface - passivating agents include , but are not limited to 1 - alkenes , such as 1 - hexene , 1 - octene , 1 - dodecene , 1 - hexadecene , 1 - octadecene ; alcohols , such as 1 - octanol , 1 - dodecanol ; and thiols such as 1 - hexanethiol , 1 - octanethiol , 1 - dodecanthiol . example 4 below shows a ge nanowire passivated with 1 - hexene . the ge nanowire of example 4 shows very little surface oxidation after passivation with 1 - hexene . as noted above , both continuous reactions and semi - batch reactions can be used to produce the nanowires of the present disclosure . exemplary continuous reaction processes are described in detail in the examples sections below . an example of a flow reactor for use in a continuous process is provided in fig2 . the details of one flow reactor are provided in the working examples below . the elements of the flow reactor include a high pressure reaction cell , equipped with an inlet region and an outlet region . the reaction cell can be designed for loading in the substrate , allowing reactants to enter into the cell by the inlet region , allowing exhaust to exit the cell by the outlet region , and thermal control . the reaction cell can be equipped at one end , the outlet region , with a back pressure regulator . at the other end , the inlet region , the reaction cell can be equipped with a preheater zone . a plurality of lines can be used to allow the solvent , the reactive group iv metal compound , or both into the preheater zone . a typical semi - batch process may be carried out as follows : nanowires formed by the reaction of precursor molecules with tethered nanocrystals are deposited on a substrate , such as a silicon substrate , located inside a suitable reactor , such as a ti reactor . after synthesis the deposited nanowire product material is cleaned by rinsing the reactor cell with supercritical solvent , such as hexane . the nanowires may then be removed by vigorous flushing with the supercritical solvent . at this point the substrate is effectively clean and subsequent reactions are possible by recharging the reactor with reagents and repeating the synthetic process . alternatively , the conditions may be altered to allow for post - synthesis modification of the nanowires . in this embodiment , a semi - batch process is used wherein the nanowires may be ejected from the reactor and collected in a receiving vessel in which wet chemistry is used to modify the nanowire surface chemistry . this may be accomplished without exposing the nanowires to oxidizing atmospheric conditions . surface functionalization of the nanowires may be accomplished by transferring the nanocrystals ( either on a substrate or in solution ) under inert atmosphere ( argon or nitrogen gas ) into a vessel containing the desired reagent ( s ) and solvent . examples of suitable derivatization reagents include alcohols ( such as butanol , octanol , dodecanol , etc . ), alkenes ( such as octene , dodecene , hexadecene , etc . ), chlorosilanes ( such as octyltrichlorosilane ), and thiols ( such as octanethiol , dodecanethiol , etc .). solution - phase chemical synthesis ( described below ) is then used to derivatize the nanowire surface . this approach may be desirable because it can be adapted to the synthesis of large quantities of nanowires by simply recharging the reactor with reagents after expunging the formed nanowire material . an example of a batch - process for use in functionalizing ge nanowires is presented in example 2 , below . reaction temperatures , pressures , and times for both continuous and semi - batch reactions may vary depending on the nature of the reactants and the desired quality of the nanowires . the reaction temperature and pressure should be sufficiently high to provide a supercritical fluid reaction but not so high as to prematurely decompose the precursors . one skilled in the art can determine which temperatures and pressures , for a particular experimental setup , provide the correct combination of reactivity and lack of decomposition to provide the substantially straight crystalline nanowires which are substantially free of nanoparticles . typical reaction pressures for the supercritical fluids mentioned herein may be about 10 mpa to about 100 mpa , more particularly , about 15 mpa to about 50 mpa . typical reaction temperature for the supercritical fluids mentioned herein may be about 350 ° c . to about 800 ° c ., and more particularly , about 500 ° c . to about 600 ° c . the reaction time is not particularly limited but can be optimized for a given application . after reaction is terminated , the substrate can be washed or flushed with substantially pure solvent , without precursor , to remove nanoparticles . alternatively , the nanoparticles may be removed from the surface through sonication in a suitable solvent . the concentration of the organometallic group iv precursor can be varied . in some embodiments , the concentration of the organometallic group iv precursor will be 0 . 1 m to 0 . 9 m , and more particularly , about 0 . 1 m to about 0 . 4 m . flow rate of organometallic group iv precursor across the substrate surface area can be an important parameter . in general , lower flow rates are preferred . for example , a cross sectional flow rate parameter can be established by dividing the flow rate ( ml / min ) by the square centimeters of substrate area ( cm 2 ). based on the working examples , for example , good results were achieved with flow rate of 0 . 5 ml / min and substrate areas of 5 × 20 mm ( 1 cm 2 ). cross sectional flow rates below about 1 . 0 ml / min - cm 2 can be used . although the theory of the present disclosure is not fully understood , it is believed that modeling and kinetic studies can be used to help explain and practice the disclosure , particularly for the silicon embodiment . the transition between straight and tortuous wires depends on temperature . high temperatures tend to favor straight nanowires . sufficient si atoms can arrive at the crystallization sites to drive the growth of a 1 - d crystalline silicon nanowire . if the growth site is starved with respect to silicon atoms , or if crystallization is slow , the likelihood of incorporating a contaminant into the growing crystal to produce a defect becomes significant . both increased temperature and diphenyl silane ( dps ) concentration enhance the si atom supply rate , which favor straight wires . however , very high dps concentrations produce large amounts of homogeneously nucleated si particles in addition to the heterogeneously nucleated nanowires . presumably , there exists an important precursor concentration above which the heterogeneous nucleation pathway leading to nanowires is overwhelmed by homogeneous nucleation to form si nanoparticles . by manipulating both the dps concentration and the flow rate , the flow reactor can enable the production of straight wires with minimal si particulate formation on the substrate . at a dps concentration of 0 . 25 m and 500 ° c ., the wires produced at a low flow rate of 0 . 5 ml / min in fig5 a were straight and clean , whereas those produced in the batch reactor were shorter and surrounded by large quantities of si particles ( fig4 b ). a kinetic analysis of the flow system explains qualitatively the ability to produce straight wires with minimal nanoparticles in a flow reactor . in other embodiments ( see , for example , example 3 below ), a substrate is not used , and the nanowires may simply be collected from the reaction cell . sonication may still be used to control the length of the nanowires . the nanowires can be in a suitable solvent and not attached to a substrate during sonication . using the same principle as previously described , increasing the level of sonication can result in nanowires with a decreased average length . in embodiments such as example 3 , the concentration of the group iv organometallic precursor can range from , for example , about 0 . 001 m to about 0 . 9 m . the molar ratio of the amount of group iv organometallic precursor to metal nanocrystals can range from 10 , 000 : 1 to 100 : 1 , with 1000 : 1 being optimal . in other embodiments as illustrated in example 4 below , the concentration of the group iv organometallic precursor can range from about 0 . 001 m to about 0 . 9 m . the molar ratio of the amount of group iv organometallic precursor to metal nanocrystals can range from about 10 , 000 : 1 to about 100 : 1 , with 1000 : 1 being optimal . the amount of surface passivating agent is preferably no more than about 40 % ( by volume with respect to the solvent ), with about 10 % being optimal . in example 1 below , nanowires were produced in accordance with the present disclosure using a continuous flow reactor . as a comparative example , nanowires were also produced using a batch process . the results demonstrate that the continuous process unexpectedly produces superior nanowires . in example 2 below , surface functionalized nanowires were produced in accordance with the present disclosure using a semi - batch process . in example 3 , ge nanowires were produced using a continuous flow reactor in accordance with the present disclosure . example 3 is similar to example 1 , but the metal nanocrystals that direct nanowire growth are dispersed freely in solution rather than tethered to a substrate as in example 1 . in example 4 below , ge nanowires were produced with simultaneous in situ passivation in accordance with the present disclosure . this example is similar to example 3 except a surface passivating agent was added to the reaction solution containing the ge precursor and the metal nanocrystals . in example 5 below , ge nanowires were formed in a process similar to example 3 except the metal nanocrystals were formed in situ using organometallic precursors rather than adding already - made nanocystals to the reaction solution . si substrate preparation . a si wafer (& lt ; 100 & gt ;, with thermal oxide 10 nm , wafer world , inc .) was cut into 5 . times . 20 mm samples that were degreased with distilled deionized water ( d — h 2 o ) and acetone in an ultra - sonic bath . these small si substrates were immersed in a hcl / methanol ( w / w = 1 : 1 ) solution and then 98 % h 2 so 4 , each for 30 min . after rinsing with d — h 2 o and drying with n 2 , the substrates were immersed for 1 h in a dilute aqueous solution of 1 : 1 : 40 ( v / v / v ) 3 - mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane , mptms ( gelest , inc . )/ d - h 2 o / isopropyl alcohol to functionalize the surface . the mptms - treated si substrate was transferred to a colloidal dispersion of alkanethiol - coated au nanocrystals in chloroform . the au nanocrystals were synthesize according to the procedures described in the literature ( see references 22 and 23 ). this procedure was : dissolved 0 . 154 g haucl 4 in 15 ml d - h 2 o and 1 . 114 g ( c 8 h 17 ) 4 - nbr in 10 . 2 ml chcl 3 . combined the solutions obtained and stirred for 1 h . collected the organic phase and added 100 microliters of dodecanethiol ( c 12 h 25 sh ) into it while stirring . dissolved 0 . 197 g nabh 4 in 12 . 5 ml d - h 2 o and added the solution to the stirring organic phase , too . stirred 8 h . collected the organic phase , which was rich in gold nanocrystals . after incubating for 2 to 10 h at room temperature , the substrate was rinsed with and stored in d - h 2 o for later use . nanowire synthesis . diphenylsilane ( dps , gelest ) was stored in an inert atmosphere under n 2 . feedstock solutions of dps in anhydrous cyclohexane ( aldrich chemical co .) were prepared in a n 2 glovebox with concentrations ranging from 0 . 1 to 0 . 9 m . batch reactions were carried out by loading an mptms and au nanocrystal - treated si substrate and 0 . 5 ml dps feedstock solution into a 1 ml titanium grade - 2 cell ( 0 . 5 cm i . d ., 2 . 0 cm o . d ., and 7 . 0 cm long with a titanium grade - 2 lm6 hip gland and plug , high pressure equipment , inc .) in a n 2 glovebox . a brass block ( 7 × 25 × 17 cm ) designed to hold up to six reactors was used to heat the reactor . the block was thermostated with a thermocouple ( omega , inc .) and a temperature controller and heated by four 300 w ¼ in . diameter by 4 . 5 in . long cartridge heaters ( omega ). the block was heated to the desired reaction temperature prior to inserting the cell . the cell was inserted into the preheated block and reached the synthesis temperature within a few minutes with a calculated pressure ( see reference 24 ) of 29 . 0 mpa . the reaction proceeded another 15 min at this temperature . a special cell filled with a thermocouple verified that significant temperature gradients do not occur during the reaction and that the cell interior rapidly reaches synthesis temperature . the reaction was quenched by rotating the brass block upside down with a cable and sliding the cell by gravity into an ice - water bath . the cell contents cooled to less than 50 ° c . in two minutes . the entire device was shielded heavily with polycarbonate barricades . the flow reactor was a 2 ml ( 0 . 5 cm i . d ., 2 . 0 cm o . d ., and 12 . 5 cm long ) high - pressure titanium grade - 2 cell with both ends connected to 1 / 16 in . o . d . and 0 . 03 in , i . d . stainless steel high - pressure tubing via titanium grade - 2 lm - 6 hip reducers ( high pressure equipment ) ( fig2 .) cyclohexane and a modified si substrate were loaded into the cell under an inert n . sub . 2 atmosphere in a glovebox . two stainless steel cylinders ( 1 . 7 cm id ., 2 . 5 cm o . d ., and 20 cm long ) were equipped with stainless steel pistons and ethylene propylene o - rings . in the glovebox , one of these cylinders was loaded with cyclohexane and the other with dps / cyclohexane stock solution . the cylinders were removed from the glovebox and connected to the preheater tubing . the reaction cell was then removed from the glovebox and connected via a three - way valve to the preheater tubing . the preheater tubing and the reaction cell were covered with heating tape and glass wool insulation and heated from 300 ° c . to 350 ° c . and 350 ° c . to 500 ° c ., respectively , in 3 to 5 min . the temperature was measured by thermocouples under the heating tape and controlled to within about 5 ° c . in the preheater and 1 ° c . in the reactor . the cylinder containing pure cyclohexane was pressurized by pumping d - h 2 o into the back of the piston using an hplc ( high pressure liquid chromatography ) pump ( thermoquest ) to inject oxygen - free cyclohexane through the preheater tubing and into the reaction cell until reaching the desired pressure . the valves to the first cylinder containing only solvent were closed and the dps feed solution valves were opened . the hplc pump controlled the dps solution flow rates , which ranged from 0 . 5 to 3 ml / min . an ss - 4r3a back - pressure regulator ( swagelok ) connected after the reaction cell and a digital pressure gauge ( stratford ) between the preheater tubing and the cell maintained the pressure at 24 . 1 .+− 0 . 1 . 4 mpa . the reaction proceeded for 5 min before switching the valves back to the solvent cylinder . solvent was flushed through the cell at 3 ml / min to remove undesired reaction byproducts and particulates from the system . materials characterization . a leo 1530 high - resolution scanning electron microscope ( hrsem ) was used with a 10 kv accelerating voltage to study the morphology of the nanowires on the si substrate . x - ray photoelectron spectroscopy ( xps ) was performed using a physical electronics xps 5700 equipped with monochromatic al x - ray source ( al k . alpha ., 1 . 4866 kev ). high resolution transmission electron microscopy ( hrtem ) and selected area electron diffraction ( saed ) were performed using a jeol 2010f tem operating at 200 kv . images were obtained primarily with a gatan digital photography system . to avoid structural damage to the nanowires that occurs with sonication or solvent redispersion , samples were prepared for hrtem by scratching the surface of the silicon substrate with carbon - coated 200 mesh cu grids ( electron microscope sciences ). fig3 a shows an hrsem image of a si substrate after grafting au nanocrystals to the surface . the average diameter of the gold particles was 12 . 95 .+− 0 . 3 . 69 nm . in a control experiment , fig3 b shows the hrsem image of the si substrate with gold particles after being subjected to the reaction condition ( t = 500 . degree . c ., p = 24 . 1 mpa , flowing cyclohexane ). the gold particles have an average diameter of 13 . 09 .+− 0 . 2 . 67 nm . there was no significant change in the au nanocrystal size distribution , indicating minimal particle aggregation . this observation was consistent with the siloxane monolayer being stable at least up to 815 k ( see reference 25 ). fig3 c shows an xps of a si substrate after grafting au nanocrystals to the surface . although si nanowires could be grown from the substrate under batch conditions , the nanowire quality was generally poor . fig4 shows hrsem images of the si nanowires grown in a batch reactor from si substrates with 2 % au nanocrystal surface coverage . at 500 ° c . and [ dps ]= 0 . 9 m , straight si wires several micrometers in length were used observed ( fig4 a ). however , the wires were heavily surrounded by si particles ( see reference 26 ). lowering the dps concentration reduced si particle formation considerably ([ dps ]= 0 . 25 m ; fig4 b ); however , under these conditions , most of the wires were shorter than 1 micron . further reduction in dps concentration ([ dps ]= 0 . 1 m ) decreased particulate formation even more , but under these growth conditions , the wires exhibit a tortuous morphology due to defects in the crystal lattice ( fig4 c and 4f ). reduced temperature continued to decrease si particle formation ( fig4 d and 4e , [ dps ]= 0 . 25 m at 450 ° c . and 400 ° c ., respectively ), but at the expense of exceedingly tortuous nanowire production . a flow reactor provided the way to produce straight nanowires with minimal si particulate formation , because it provides ( 1 ) fluid - phase reactant concentrations that vary less significantly with time and ( 2 ) ways to flush the si particulates formed in the fluid phase before depositing on the substrate . si nanowires produced at 500 ° c ., [ dps ]= 0 . 25 m , and a feed rate of 0 . 5 ml / min were straight and contaminated with very few si particles ( fig5 a ). the inset in fig5 a shows a gold particle at the end of a nanowire , indicating that the au seeds participate directly in wire growth . the average si wire diameter measured by hrsem , 16 .+− 0 . 4 nm , resembles closely the au particle size and size distribution prior to wire growth . au particles imaged by tem appeared to be significantly smaller than when imaged by hrsem due to the difference in resolution limits of the two instruments . by tem , the diameter is 6 . 7 .+− 0 . 2 . 6 nm , whereas hrsem shows that the nanocrystal diameter is 13 . 0 .+− 0 . 4 nm . the nanowire diameters determined by tem match more precisely the nanocrystal diameter determined by tem , while the nanowire diameter determined by hrsem matches the nanocrystal diameters measured by hrsem . nanowires as short as 5 nm and longer than 10 microns were present in the sample . si particle formation increases at higher reactant flow rates . at 1 . 0 ml / min , particle formation became significant ( fig5 b ) and , at substantially higher flow rates ( 3 ml / min ), nearly all the substrate ended up covered by si particles ( fig5 c ). as in the batch reactor , reduced temperature resulted in bent and / or curly wires . for example , fig5 d shows curly wires formed at 0 . 5 ml / min at 450 ° c . comparing the observed si nanowire morphology resulting from different reaction conditions , it was found that high temperature and low flow rates produced straight wires with minimal particle formation . hrtem reveals the straight si nanowires to be single crystals . fig6 shows a representative image of a 7 . 2 nm diameter wire with the atomic planes spaced by 0 . 31 nm corresponding to the ( 111 ) d - spacing of diamond cubic silicon . the single - crystal electron diffraction pattern recorded perpendicularly to the long axis of the nanowires ( fig6 inset ) and the lattice resolved tem images of the crystalline si corresponds to a & lt ; 110 & gt ; nanowire growth direction . a cl - terminated ge nanowire sample was prepared . for background , see , for example , lu , z . h ., “ air - stable cl - terminated ge ( 111 )” appl . phys . lett ., 1996 . 68 ( 4 ): p . 520 . briefly , the oxide on the ge nanowires surface was removed with an hf etch ( 2 %, 4 min ) followed by a treatment in diluted hcl ( 10 %, 10 min ). the nanowire sample was dispersed in ethanol and transferred to a new si substrate for subsequent xps analysis . a sulfide surface passivation was carried out . see , for example , lyman et al ., “ structure of a passivated ge surface prepared from aqueous solution ,” surface science , 2000 . 462 : p . l594 ., wherein a hf etched nanowire sample was treated in an aqueous ( nh 4 ) 2 s solution at 80 ° c . for 20 minutes followed by several rinses in ethanol . nanowire surface hydrogermylation was performed . for background , see choi , k . and j . m . buriak , “ hydrogermylation of alkenes and alkynes on hydride terminated ge ( 100 ) surfaces ,” langmuir , 2000 . 16 : p . 7737 . fig7 illustrates a representation of the surface chemistry occurring in this method . briefly , the produced ge nanowires were ejected from the reactor cell into a heated solution of 1 - octene under an inert ar environment . the solution was then refluxed at 70 - 80 ° c . for 2 h . hydrogermylation experiments have also been carried out in - situ by injecting 1 - hexadecene into the ti reactor cell containing the produced nanowires . the reactor cell was maintained at 210 ° c . for 2 h after which excess alkene was flushed out of the reactor and the treated nanowires were transferred to an inert n 2 environment for storage . the derivatized ge nanowires do not show any signs of oxidation in energy dispersive x - ray spectroscopy ( eds ) or hrtem ( fig8 ). derivatization of ge nanowires was confirmed by ftir spectroscopy ( fig9 ). the peaks at 2875 and 2910 wavenumbers are due to c — h bond stretching and confirm the presence of alkyl groups on the ge nanowires . the absence of a peak at 3090 wavenumbers confirms that there are no c ═ c double bonds in the sample , providing evidence to support the hydrogermylation mechanism depicted in fig7 . example 3 is similar to example 1 described above . however , in example 1 , the au nanocrystals were tethered to a si substrate . in this example , au nanocrystals directing nanowire growth were dispersed freely in solution . the flow reactor was a 2 ml ( 0 . 5 cm i . d ., 2 . 0 cm o . d ., and 12 . 5 cm long ) high - pressure titanium grade - 2 cell with both ends connected to 1 / 16 in . o . d . and 0 . 03 in , i . d . stainless steel high - pressure tubing via titanium grade - 2 lm - 6 hip reducers ( high pressure equipment ) ( fig2 .) two stainless steel cylinders ( 1 . 7 cm id ., 2 . 5 cm o . d ., and 20 cm long ) were equipped with stainless steel pistons and ethylene propylene o - rings . in the glovebox , one of these cylinders was loaded with hexane and the other with 0 . 01 m diphenylgermane ( dpg ) and 0 . 00001 m au nanocrystals in hexane stock solution . the cylinders were removed from the glovebox and connected to the preheater tubing . the reaction cell was then removed from the glovebox and connected via a three - way valve to the preheater tubing . the preheater tubing and the reaction cell were covered with heating tape and glass wool insulation and heated to 300 ° c . and 500 ° c ., respectively . the temperature was measured by thermocouples under the heating tape and controlled to within about 5 ° c . in the preheater and 1 ° c . in the reactor . the cylinder containing pure hexane was pressurized by pumping d - h 2 o into the back of the piston using an hplc ( high pressure liquid chromatography ) pump ( thermoquest ) to inject oxygen - free hexane through the preheater tubing and into the reaction cell until reaching the desired pressure . the valves to the first cylinder containing only solvent were closed and the dpg / au nanocrystal reaction solution valves were opened . the hplc pump controlled the dpg / au nanocrystal solution flow rates , which ranged from 0 . 5 to 3 ml / min . an ss - 4r3a back - pressure regulator ( swagelok ) connected after the reaction cell and a digital pressure gauge ( stratford ) between the preheater tubing and the cell maintained the pressure at 24 . 1 .+− 0 . 1 . 4 mpa . the reaction proceeded for 30 min before switching the valves back to the solvent cylinder . example 4 is similar to example 3 as described above . however , in this example , the nanowires undergo in situ surface passivation by adding a surface passivating agent to the solution containing the ge precursor and the metal nanocrystals . in this example , 1 - hexene was chosen as the surface - passivating agent . the flow reactor was a 2 ml ( 0 . 5 cm i . d ., 2 . 0 cm o . d ., and 12 . 5 cm long ) high - pressure titanium grade - 2 cell with both ends connected to 1 / 16 in . o . d . and 0 . 03 in , i . d . stainless steel high - pressure tubing via titanium grade - 2 lm - 6 hip reducers ( high pressure equipment ) ( fig2 ) two stainless steel cylinders ( 1 . 7 cm id ., 2 . 5 cm o . d ., and 20 cm long ) were equipped with stainless steel pistons and ethylene propylene o - rings . in the glovebox , one of these cylinders was loaded with hexane and the other with 0 . 01 m diphenylgermane ( dpg ) and 0 . 00001 m au nanocrystals in a solvent consisting of 90 % hexane and 10 % 1 - hexene . the cylinders were removed from the glovebox and connected to the preheater tubing . the reaction cell was then removed from the glovebox and connected via a three - way valve to the preheater tubing . the preheater tubing and the reaction cell were covered with heating tape and glass wool insulation and heated to 300 ° c . and 400 ° c ., respectively . the temperature was measured by thermocouples under the heating tape and controlled to within about 5 ° c . in the preheater and 1 ° c . in the reactor . the cylinder containing pure hexane was pressurized by pumping d - h 2 o into the back of the piston using an hplc ( high pressure liquid chromatography ) pump ( thermoquest ) to inject oxygen - free hexane through the preheater tubing and into the reaction cell until reaching the desired pressure . the valves to the first cylinder containing only solvent were closed and the dpg / au nanocrystal reaction solution valves were opened . the hplc pump controlled the dpg / au nanocrystal solution flow rates , which ranged from 0 . 5 to 3 ml / min . an ss - 4r3a back - pressure regulator ( swagelok ) connected after the reaction cell and a digital pressure gauge ( stratford ) between the preheater tubing and the cell maintained the pressure at 24 . 1 .+− 0 . 1 . 4 mpa . the reaction proceeded for 30 min before switching the valves back to the solvent cylinder . fig1 a - b shows hrtem images of ge nanowires produced in this example using continuous flow synthesis with simultaneous in situ surface passivation . in fig1 , ft - ir spectra indicated successful surface passivation with hexyl groups . the bottom line of fig1 shows the unpurified ge nanowires according the present example , and the top line shows the same nanowires after washing multiple times with chloroform and ethanol . the peak at 2965 wavenumbers is due to c — h bonds , indicating successful surface passivation . the same peak present both before and after washing indicates the surface passivation is stable and not removed by routine handling or washing . in fig1 , the ge nanowires produced according to the present example showed some surface oxidation . fig1 shows ft - ir spectrum from the same ge nanowires both before ( bottom line ) and after ( top line ) washing . both lines of fig1 show a peak at 860 wavenumbers due to ge — o bonds indicating some surface oxidation , possibly due to incomplete surface passivation . the peak at 860 wavenumbers is unchanged after washing the ge nanowires multiple times with chloroform and ethanol indicating that routine handling and washing does not change the extent of oxidation . in fig1 , electron energy loss spectrum results ( eels ) confirmed the results obtained using ft - ir . fig1 shows a large carbon signal ( 280 ev ) indicating surface passivation with alkyl groups , a small oxygen signal ( 530 ev ) indicating some surface oxidation , and a germanium signal . example 5 is similar to example 3 described above . in example 3 , the reagent solution contained already - made metal nanocrystals to direct nanowire growth . in example 5 , organometallic precursors , trioctylaluminum , reacted in situ to form the metal nanocrystals that subsequently directed the growth of the semiconductor nanowires . the flow reactor was a 2 ml ( 0 . 5 cm i . d ., 2 . 0 cm o . d ., and 12 . 5 cm long ) high - pressure titanium grade - 2 cell with both ends connected to 1 / 16 in . o . d . and 0 . 03 in , i . d . stainless steel high - pressure tubing via titanium grade - 2 lm - 6 hip reducers ( high pressure equipment ) ( fig2 ). two stainless steel cylinders ( 1 . 7 cm id ., 2 . 5 cm o . d ., and 20 cm long ) were equipped with stainless steel pistons and ethylene propylene o - rings . in the glovebox , one of these cylinders was loaded with hexane and the other with 0 . 01 m diphenylgermane ( dpg ) and 0 . 00001 m trioctylaluminum in hexane stock solution . the cylinders were removed from the glovebox and connected to the preheater tubing . the reaction cell was then removed from the glovebox and connected via a three - way valve to the preheater tubing . the preheater tubing and the reaction cell were covered with heating tape and glass wool insulation and heated to 300 ° c . and 500 ° c ., respectively . the temperature was measured by thermocouples under the heating tape and controlled to within about 5 ° c . in the preheater and 1 ° c . in the reactor . the cylinder containing pure hexane was pressurized by pumping d - h 2 o into the back of the piston using an hplc ( high pressure liquid chromatography ) pump ( thermoquest ) to inject oxygen - free hexane through the preheater tubing and into the reaction cell until reaching the desired pressure . the valves to the first cylinder containing only solvent were closed and the dpg / trioctylaluminum reaction solution valves were opened . the hplc pump controlled the dpg / trioctylaluminum solution flow rates , which ranged from 0 . 5 to 3 ml / min . an ss4r3a back - pressure regulator ( swagelok ) connected after the reaction cell and a digital pressure gauge ( stratford ) between the preheater tubing and the cell maintained the pressure at 24 . 1 .+− 0 . 1 . 4 mpa . the reaction proceeded for 30 min before switching the valves back to the solvent cylinder . the following references can be used as a guide to facilitate practice of the present disclosure . by citing these references , the inventors do not admit that any of these references are prior art . ( 1 ) holmes , j . d . ; johnston , k . p . ; doty , r . c . ; korgel , b . a . science 2000 , 287 , 1471 . ( 2 ) morales , a . m . ; lieber , c . m . science 1998 , 279 , 208 . ( 4 ) cui , y . ; lauhon , l . j . ; gudiksen , m . s . ; wang , j . ; lieber , c . m . appl . phys . lett . 2001 , 78 , 2214 . ( 5 ) hanrath , t . ; korgel , b . a . j . am . chem . soc . 2002 , 124 , 1424 . ( 6 ) coleman , n . r . ; morris , m . a . ; spalding , t . r . ; holmes , j . d . j . am . chem . soc . 2001 , 123 , 187 . ( 7 ) duan , x . ; lieber , c . m . adv . mater . 2000 , 10 , 298 . ( 8 ) derycke , v . ; martel , r . ; appenzeller , j . nano lett . 2001 , 1 , 453 . ( 9 ) odom , t . w . ; huang , j . - l . ; kim , p . ; lieber , c . m . nature 1998 , 391 , 62 . ( 10 ) wagner , r . s . ; ellis , w . c . ; jackson , k . a . ; arnold , s . m . j . appl . phys . 1964 , 35 , 2993 . ( 11 ) heath , j . r . ; legoues , f . k . chem . phys . lett . 1993 , 208 , 263 . ( 12 ) hu , j . ; odom , t . w . ; lieber , c . m . acc . chem . res . 1999 , 32 , 435 . ( 14 ) zhang , y . f . ; tang , y . h . ; wang , n . ; lee , c . s . ; bello , i . ; lee , s . t . phys . rev . b 2000 , 61 , 4518 . ( 15 ) omi , h . ; ogino , t . appl . phys . lett . 1997 , 71 , 2163 . ( 16 ) shi , w . ; zhang , y . ; lee , c . s . ; lee , s . t . adv . mater . 2001 , 13 , 591 . ( 17 ) trentler , t . j . ; hickman , k . m . ; goel , s . c . ; viano , a . m . ; gibbons , p . c . ; buhro , w . e . science 1995 , 270 , 1979 . ( 18 ) gudiksen , m . s . ; lieber , c . m . j . am . chem . soc . 2000 , 122 , 8801 . ( 19 ) blackburn , j . m . ; long , d . p . ; cabanas , a . ; watkins , j . j . science 2001 , 294 , 141 . ( 20 ) shah , p . s . ; holmes , j . d . ; johnston , k . p . ; korgel , b . a . j . phys . chem . b 2002 , 106 , 2545 . ( 21 ) korgel , b . a . ; fitzmaurice , d . phys . rev . lett . 1998 , 80 , 3531 . ( 22 ) brust , m . ; walker , m . ; bethell , d . ; schiffrin , d . j . ; whyman , r . j . chem . soc ., chem . commun . 1994 , 801 , 1994 . ( 23 ) yaws , c . l . handbook of thermodynamic diagrams ; gulf publishing company : houston , tex ., 1996 . ( 24 ) kluth , g . j . ; sung , m . m . ; maboudian , r . langmuir 1997 , 13 , 3775 . ( 25 ) coutant , r . w . ; levy , a . “ a kinetic study of the thermal decomposition of selected cyclohexyl and phenylsilanes ”; aerospace research laboratories , 1969 . the above description of the present disclosure is illustrative , and is not intended to be limiting . it will thus be appreciated that various additions , substitutions and modifications may be made to the above described embodiments without departing from the scope of the present disclosure . accordingly , the scope of the present disclosure should be construed in reference to the appended claims .

US-94256910-A

compositions having a compound comprising at least one alkoxy silane moiety , and at least one moiety selected from a nitrosoaromatic or a nitrosoaromatic precursor and combinations thereof ; and an aqueous or water containing carrier medium are provided for use in polymer bonding . the water may allow for substantial hydrolysis of the compound . suitable polymers may have diene or allylic functionality within the polymer chain , for example an elastomer such as a natural or synthetic rubber . the polymers may be bonded to metals or substrates with hydroxylated surfaces such as glass . the nitrosobenzene precursor may be at least one of a quinone dioxime or a quinone oxime .

the rubber composition utilised in rubber bonding according to the present invention may further include known additives common to rubber compositions . these include reinforcing carbon blacks ; inactive fillers such as calcium carbonates , chalks , talcs , or metal oxides ; accelerator systems ; vulcanization retarders ; promoters such as zinc oxide or stearic acid ; plasticizers such as aromatic , paraffinic , naphthenic and synthetic mineral oils ; ageing , light - protecting ozone - protecting , fatigue , coloration , and processing auxiliaries ; and sulfur . commonly these additives may be present at a quantity of about 0 . 1 parts to about 80 parts per 100 parts by weight of the rubber composition . prior to application of the silane solution , the surface to be coated may be cleaned to allow better adhesion . for example , cleaning with solvent or alkaline material . additionally and or alternatively , the substrate may be grit blasted . application can then be conducted by a variety of methods , including dipping , spraying , brushing or wiping the solution onto the metal . it has been suggested that for improving rubber adhesion the coating remain partially cross - linked prior to vulcanisation . for this reason , the coating is usually air dried at room temperature as heat drying can cause a higher degree of cross - linking that will result in poorer adhesion between the rubber and the metal surface . compounds utilised in the compositions of the present invention were made as set out below : compounds a , b , c and d ( above ) were synthesised according to the following experimental procedure and as illustrated in the reaction scheme above . reaction ( 1 ) ( vide supra ) was carried out as outlined in j . j d &# 39 ; amico , c . c . tung and l . a . walker , j . am . chem . soc ., 5957 ( 1959 ). reaction ( 2 ): γ - isocyantopropyltriethoxysilane ( ge bayer silicones a - 1310 ) ( 2 . 35 g , 9 . 5 mmol ) was solvated in 10 ml of anhydrous thf in a 50 ml round bottom flask . the reaction flask was flushed with nitrogen and charged with n , n - bis -( 2 - hydroxyethyl )- 4 - nitroso - aniline ( 2 g , 9 . 5 mmol ), followed by a catalytic quantity of dibutyltin dilaurate ( 1 . 5 μmol ). the reaction was refluxed for an additional 2 hours under nitrogen . consumption of the isocyanate ( 2275 cm − 1 ) was monitored using infrared spectroscopy . the solvents were removed under reduced pressure to give the product in a quantitative yield . reaction ( 3 ): γ - isocyantopropyltrimethoxysilane ( abcr gmbh ) ( 1 . 5 g , 7 . 3 mmol ) was solvated in 8 ml of anhydrous thf in a 50 ml round bottom flask . the reaction flask was flushed with nitrogen and charged with n , n - bis -( 2 - hydroxyethyl )- 4 - nitroso - aniline ( 1 . 53 g , 7 . 3 mmol ), followed by a catalytic quantity of dibutyltin dilaurate ( 1 μmol ). the reaction was refluxed for an additional 2 hours under nitrogen . consumption of the isocyanate ( 2275 cm − 1 ) was monitored using infrared spectroscopy . the solvents were removed under reduced pressure to give the product in a quantitative yield . reaction ( 4 ): γ - isocyantopropyltriethoxysilane ( ge bayer silicones a - 1310 ) ( 2 . 35 g , 9 . 5 mmol ) was solvated in 10 ml of anhydrous thf in a 50 ml round bottom flask . the reaction flask was flushed with nitrogen and charged with n , n - bis -( 2 - hydroxyethyl )- 4 - nitroso - aniline ( 1 g , 4 . 75 mmol ), followed by a catalytic quantity of dibutyltin dilaurate ( 1 . 5 μmol ). the reaction was refluxed for an additional 5 hours under nitrogen . consumption of the isocyanate ( 2275 cm − 1 ) was monitored using infrared spectroscopy . the solvents were removed under reduced pressure to give the product in a quantitative yield . reaction ( 5 ): γ - isocyantopropyltriethoxysilane ( ge bayer silicones a - 1310 ) ( 10 . 68 g , 43 . 18 mmol ) was solvated in 30 ml of anhydrous thf in a 100 ml round bottom flask . the reaction flask was flushed with nitrogen and charged with p - benzoquinone dioxime ( sigma - aldrich ) ( 3 g , 21 . 72 mmol ), followed by a catalytic quantity of dibutyltin dilaurate ( 1 . 5 μmol ). the reaction was refluxed for an additional 5 hours under nitrogen . consumption of the isocyanate ( 2275 cm − 1 ) was monitored using infrared spectroscopy . the solvents were removed under reduced pressure to give the product in a quantitative yield . reaction ( 6 ): γ - isocyantopropyltriethoxysilane ( ge bayer silicones a - 1310 ) ( 2 . 35 g , 9 . 5 mmol ) was solvated in 10 ml of anhydrous thf in a 50 ml round bottom flask . the reaction flask was flushed with nitrogen and charged with 2 -( n - ethylanilino ) ethanol ( 0 . 78 g , 4 . 75 mmol ), followed by a catalytic quantity of dibutyltin dilaurate ( 1 . 5 μmol ). the reaction was refluxed for an additional 5 hours under nitrogen . consumption of the isocyanate ( 2275 cm − 1 ) was monitored using infrared spectroscopy . the solvents were removed under reduced pressure to give the product in a quantitative yield . formulations comprising the compounds of the invention were prepared as set out below . tests were carried out using natural rubber of the following composition : the following nitrososilane was utilised in each of formulations 1 to 7 : to assess the efficacy of the adhesive systems of the present invention in bonding rubbers to metal surfaces , a series of tests were performed according to the astm 429 - b standard adjusted to a 45 ° angle . grit - blasted steel laps ( 2 . 54 cm ( 1 inch ) wide , 10 . 16 cm ( 4 inch ) long panels or coupons ) were coated with the adhesive composition and adhered to natural rubber in a vulcanisation process . the adhesive was applied to the steel laps without any cooling . alternatively , the adhesive may be applied to the steel laps having been cooled to room temperature . the natural rubber compositions were sulfur - cured compositions as set out in the formulation tables . before application of the adhesive , 2 . 54 cm ( 1 inch ) of length and 2 . 54 cm wide ( 1 inch ) on both ends of the grit - blasted steel lap were masked to prevent that region being available for bonding to the rubber , leaving a central area of 2 . 54 cm ( 1 inch ) in width and 5 . 08 cm ( 2 inches ) in length available to bond to the rubber . a layer of uncured rubber was then placed on each coupon and cured in a standard hydraulic vulcanisation press for a period of time specified by the rubber &# 39 ; s cure profile . in the case of the natural rubber used in the bonding process in the present invention , the rubber was cured for 20 minutes at 150 ° c . under a pressure of 20 - 30 tonnes , to ensure intimate contact of the surfaces being bonded and the adhesive . after curing the bonded samples were aged for 24 hours at room temperature before being subjected to testing and the tear pattern noted . each sample was tested by the 45 ° angle modified astm 429 - b standard using instron equipment ( instron tester , model no . 5500r ) at a load rate of 50 mm per minute until separation is complete . “ rubber coverage ” is the percentage of rubber remaining on the bonded metal substrate after peel testing . 100 % rubber failure means that the rubber completely failed with no portion of the rubber peeling away from the surface of the metal ( and equates to 100 % rubber failure ). generally it is desirable that the rubber substrate fails before the substrate to rubber bond fails . the results achieved with formulations according to present invention are set out below . pre - bake represents heating at the temperature at time indicated prior to vulcanisation . component % w / w novel nitrososilane 10 bis ( triethoxysilylpropyl ) amine 2 acetic acid 0 . 4 ethanol / water ( 1 : 1 ) 87 . 6 bond strength = 13 . 9 n / mm ( 70 % r ) nitrososilane was dissolved in an ethanol / water ( 1 : 1 ) mixture and stirred into solution . to this bis ( triethoxysilylpropyl ) amine and acetic acid were added and heated to 50 ° c . for 2 hours . component % w / w novel nitrososilane 9 . 5 ( 3 - aminopropyl ) triethoxysilane 2 . 0 n990 a 0 . 5 ck3 b 2 . 0 aerosil 200 c 1 . 0 ethanol / water ( 95 : 5 ) 85 bond strength = 9 . 2 n / mm ( 85 % r ) bond strength after pre - bake ( 5 min @ 160 ° c .) = 9 . 1 n / mm ( 85 % r ) nitrososilane was dissolved in an ethanol / water ( 95 : 5 ) mixture and stirred into solution . to this ( 3 - aminopropyl ) triethoxysilane , ck3 carbon black , n990 carbon black and aerosil 200 were added and heated to 50 ° c . for 2 hours . component % w / w novel nitrososilane 8 . 9 ( 3 - aminopropyl ) triethoxysilane 1 . 9 n990 a 0 . 5 butvar b - 72a d 2 . 0 aerosil 200 c 1 . 4 ethanol / water ( 95 : 5 ) 85 . 3 bond strength = 10 . 6 n / mm ( 80 % r ) bond strength after pre - bake ( 5 min @ 160 ° c .) = 10 . 2 n / mm ( 80 % r ) nitrososilane , ( 3 - aminopropyl ) triethoxysilane , aerosil 200 and ethanol / water ( 95 : 5 ) solution were stirred together and heated at 50 ° c . for 2 hours . after which time a butvar b - 72a in ethanol / water ( 95 : 5 ) solution was added and stirred at room temperature for 30 min . n990 was then added and stirred for 10 min before application to grit - blasted steel laps . component % w / w novel nitrososilane 8 . 9 ( 3 - aminopropyl ) triethoxysilane 1 . 9 n990 a 0 . 5 butvar b - 76 e 2 . 0 aerosil 200 c 1 . 4 ethanol / water ( 95 : 5 ) 85 . 3 bond strength = 9 . 3 n / mm ( 60 % r ) bond strength after pre - bake ( 5 min @ 160 ° c .) = 9 . 9 n / mm ( 70 % r ) nitrososilane , ( 3 - aminopropyl ) triethoxysilane , aerosil 200 and ethanol / water ( 95 : 5 ) solution were stirred together and heated at 50 ° c . for 2 hours . after which time a butvar b - 76 in ethanol / water ( 95 : 5 ) solution was added and stirred at room temperature for 30 min . n990 was then added and stirred for a further 10 min before application to grit - blasted steel laps . component % w / w novel nitrososilane 8 . 5 ( 3 - aminopropyl ) triethoxysilane 1 . 8 csx - 691 f 0 . 5 butvar b - 72a e 7 . 1 aerosil 200 c 1 . 3 ethanol / water ( 95 : 5 ) 80 . 8 bond strength = 10 . 9 n / mm ( 85 % r ) bond strength after pre - bake ( 5 min @ 160 ° c .) = 11 . 7 n / mm ( 85 % r ) nitrososilane , ( 3 - aminopropyl ) triethoxysilane , aerosil 200 and ethanol / water ( 95 : 5 ) solution were stirred together and heated at 50 ° c . for 2 hours . after which time a butvar b - 72a in ethanol / water ( 95 : 5 ) solution was added and stirred at room temperature for 30 min . csx - 691 was then added and stirred vigorously for a further 10 min before application to grit - blasted steel laps . component % w / w novel nitrososilane 8 . 5 ( 3 - aminopropyl ) triethoxysilane 1 . 8 csx - 691 f 0 . 5 butvar b - 72a e 2 . 0 aerosil 200 c 1 . 3 ethanol / water ( 95 : 5 ) 85 . 9 bond strength = 6 . 7 n / mm ( 60 % r ) bond strength after pre - bake ( 5 min @ 160 ° c .) = 7 . 9 n / mm ( 60 % r ) nitrososilane , ( 3 - aminopropyl ) triethoxysilane , aerosil 200 and ethanol / water ( 95 : 5 ) solution were stirred together and heated at 50 ° c . for 2 hours . after which time a butvar b - 72a in ethanol / water ( 95 : 5 ) solution was added and stirred at room temperature for 30 min . csx - 691 was then added and stirred vigorously for a further 10 min before application to grit - blasted steel laps . component % w / w novel nitrososilane 8 . 9 ( 3 - aminopropyl ) triethoxysilane 1 . 9 special black 4 g 0 . 5 butvar b - 72a d 2 . 0 aerosil 200 c 1 . 4 ethanol / water ( 95 : 5 ) 85 . 3 bond strength = 9 . 4 n / mm ( 60 % r ) bond strength after pre - bake ( 5 min @ 160 ° c .) = 10 . 0 n / mm ( 60 % r ) nitrososilane , ( 3 - aminopropyl ) triethoxysilane , aerosil 200 and ethanol / water ( 95 : 5 ) solution were stirred together and heated at 50 ° c . for 2 hours . after which time a butvar b - 72a in ethanol / water ( 95 : 5 ) solution was added and stirred at room temperature for 30 min . special black 4 was then added and stirred vigorously for a further 10 min before application to grit - blasted steel laps . in this example the rubber was bonded to a glass lap / slide available from ideal glass ltd . bond strength after pre - bake ( 5 min @ 160 ° c .) = 8 . 8 n / mm ( 80 % r ) nitrososilane was dissolved in an ethanol / water ( 95 : 5 ) mixture and stirred into solution . to this ( 3 - aminopropyl ) triethoxysilane , ck3 carbon black , n990 carbon black and aerosil 200 were added and heated to 50 ° c . for 2 hours . d . butvar b - 72a is a polyvinyl butyral resin from solutia inc . e . butvar b - 76 is a polyvinyl butyral resin from solutia inc . of lower viscosity than butvar b - 72a . g . special black 4 is an acidic carbon black from evonik . it is appreciated that certain features of the invention , which are , for clarity , described in the context of separate embodiments , may also be provided in combination in a single embodiment . conversely , various features of the invention which are , for brevity , described in the context of a single embodiment , may also be provided separately or in any suitable sub - combination .

US-201213416843-A

an inbred corn line , designated np 2013 , is disclosed . the invention relates to the seeds of inbred corn line np 2013 , to the plants of inbred corn line np 2013 and to methods for producing a corn plant produced by crossing inbred line np 2013 with itself or with another corn plant . the invention further relates to hybrid corn seeds and plants produced by crossing inbred line np 2013 with another corn line .

inbred corn line np 2013 is a yellow dent inbred line with superior characteristics and is best suited as a female in crosses for production of first generation ( f 1 ) corn hybrids . np 2013 is best adapted to the northeast region of the u . s . np 2013 can be used to produce hybrids from approximately 75 - 95 prm days based on the minnesota relative maturity rating system for harvest of grain . inbred line np 2013 has demonstrated good combining ability with families derived from iowa stiff stalk synthetic , cm7 and w117 . inbred corn line np 2013 was derived from crossing northrup king line np 761 × l8501 . self - pollination and standard pedigree ear - to - row breeding were practiced within the above population for seven generations in the development of np 2013 . during the development of the line , crosses of segregating families were made to inbred testers to evaluate combining ability . inbred line np 2013 can be reproduced by planting seeds of the line , growing the resulting corn plants under self - pollination or sib - pollination conditions with adequate isolation and then harvesting the resulting seed . no variant traits have been observed or are expected in np 2013 . inbred line np 2013 can be reproduced using techniques famialr to those skilled in the art of plant breeding and generally can be described as planting seeds of the line , growing the resulting plants under standard conditions of self - pollination or sib - pollination with adequate isolation and harvesting the seeds . the inbred line has been evaluated at numerous research stations across the u . s . and canada . inbred line np 2013 has shown uniformity and stability for all discernible characteristics as described in the following variety description . the description is based on data collected primarily at london , ont ., stanton , minn . and janesville , wis ., on a maximum of 2 replications in 1994 and 1995 . in interpreting the color designations herein , reference is made to the munsell glossy book of color , a standard color reference to describe all color choices . table 1______________________________________variety description information for inbredline np 2013 and a 619 np 2013 a 619______________________________________type : dent dentregion best adapted : northeastern northern and centrala . maturity : hu to 50 % silk ( hus ): 1203 1281 hu to 50 % pollen shed : 1166 1258 plant characteristics : plant height ( to tassel tip ) ( cm ): 168 . 5 191 . 8 plant height to top ear node ( cm ): 54 . 2 49 number of tillers : 0 0 . 3 number of ears per stalk : 1 . 3 1 . 2 cytoplasm type : normal normal anthocyanin of brace roots : faint faintc . leaf : color of second leaf above the dark - green medium - green ear ( at anthesis ) ( 3 )( 5 ) ( 3 ) ( 5 ) ( 5gy 4 / 8 ) ( 5gy 5 / 8 ) leaf angle ( from 2nd leaf above 43 ° 45 . 8 ° ear at anthesis to stalk above leaf ) number of leaves - above top ear 4 . 5 5 . 6 node , ( mature plants ): marginal waves : 3 . 3 4 . 8 ( scale : 1 = none to 9 = many ): width ( widest point of top ear 7 . 5 8 . 9 node leaf ) ( cm ): sheath pubescence : 5 . 1 1 . 8 ( scale 0 = none to 9 = many ): longitudinal creases : 3 . 6 3 . 9 ( scale : 1 = none to 9 = heavy ): length ( ear node leaf ) ( cm ): 61 . 7 68 . 3d . tassel : number of primary lateral 6 . 6 8 . 0 branches : branch angle of secondary primary 40 ° 42 . 8 ° lateral branch at anthesis : anther color : tan yellow ( 2 . 5y 7 / 6 ) ( 5y 8 / 6 ) glume color : light - green medium - green ( 5gy 6 / 6 ) ( 5gy 5 / 8 ) bar glumes : present present tassel length ( from top leaf 41 . 0 42 . 3 collar to tassel tip ): e . ear ( husked ear data except wherestated otherwise ): length ( cm ): 15 . 4 15 . 0 weight ( gm ): 90 . 8 99 . 5 midpoint diameter ( mm ): 36 . 6 43 . 0 no . of kernel per rows : 12 . 56 15 . 74 row alignment , ( 1 . straight , 1 . 5 1 . 4 2 . slightly surved , 3 . spiral ): position of the ear 65 days horizontal upright after 50 % silk : silk color ( 3 days after red green - yellow emergence ): ( 5r 5 / 6 ) ( 2 . 5gy 8 / 8 ) husk extension , ( 1 . short , ear 1 . 8 2 . 3 exposed ) 2 . medium 8 cm , 3 . long 8 - 10 cm 4 . very long 10 cm ) : taper of ear : average average husk color ( fresh ) medium - green medium - green 25 days after 50 % silking : ( 5gy 6 / 8 ) ( 5 gy 5 / 8 ) husk color ( dry ) green - yellow , buff 65 days after 50 % silking : buff shank length ( cm ): 8 . 65 10 . 9 husk tightness ( 65 days after 50 % 2 . 5 5 . 5 silk , scale 1 - 9 1 = loose ): f . kernel ( dried ): size ( from ear mid - point ): length ( mm ): 10 . 3 11 . 1 width ( mm ): 8 . 1 8 . 9 thickness ( mm ): 4 . 4 6 . 4 shape grade (% rounds ): 44 . 5 48 . 9 aleurone color : buff , buff , homozygous homozygous ( 2 . 5y 8 / 4 ) ( 2 . 5y , 8 / 4 ) endosperm color : yellow - orange yellow - orange ( 7 . 5yr 7 / 10 ) ( 7 . 5yr 7 / 10 ) endosperm type : normal starch normal starch gm weight / 100 seeds ( unsized ): 25 . 5 24 . 6g . cob : diameter at mid - point ( mm ): 21 . 3 27 . 9 color : red white ( 10r 6 / 6 ) ( 10 /) h . agronomic traits : stay green , 65 days after anthesis 2 . 5 4 . 0 scale 1 = worst to 9 = excellent ): root lodging , 65 days after 0 1 . 7 anthesis (%): dropped ears , 65 days after 0 0 anthesis (%): i . disease resistance : northern leaf blight : 5 7 exserohilum turcicum grey leaf spot : 8 5 cercospora zea - maydis eye spot : 5 6 kubatiella zeaej . insect resistance : european corn borer ( ostrinia nubilialis ) 1st generation : 3 4 2nd generation : 4 6______________________________________ the above disease and insect resistance description is based on a scale o 1 - 9 ; wherein 1 - 3 is considered susceptible , 4 - 5 intermediate , 6 - 7 resistant and 8 - 9 highly resistant . with respect to publicly available inbred lines , np 2013 most closely resembles a619 . however , these lines differ in a number of characteristics . the lines differ in flowering maturity , plant height and cob color . while np 2013 is earlier than a619 and is shorter than a619 , it has a red cob compared to a619 which has a white cob . other characteristics between np 2013 and a619 are summarized in table 1 . with respect to proprietary northrup king inbred lines , np 2013 most closely resembles np h8540 and may be distinguished from np h8540 by numerous characteristics including some of the characteristics listed in table 2 below . np 2013 may also be distinguished from np 911 and np 912 , other closely related proprietary inbred lines having pvp certificate nos 9200 12 and 9200013 respectively . table 2______________________________________1994 variety comparison data plt ht ear ht . silk pollenline ( cm ) ( cm ) ( hu ) ( hu ) intl stgr grqu______________________________________np 2013 178 70 1297 1303 2 . 0 6 . 0 2 . 0np 911 205 70 1328 1318 4 . 0 5 . 0 2 . 0np 912 173 58 1342 1335 5 . 0 7 . 0 4 . 0np h8540 200 78 1388 1398 6 . 0 7 . 0 5 . 0 # reps 2 2 3 3 1 2 1lsd ( 0 . 5 ) 22 21 56 49 -- 2 -- ______________________________________ in addition to phenotypic observations , the genotype of a plant can also be examined . there are many techniques available for the analysis , comparison and characterization of plant genotype and these include isozyme electrophoresis , restriction fragment length polymorphism ( rflps ), randomly amplified polymorphic dnas ( rapds ) sequence characterized amplified regions ( scars ) and amplified fragment length polymorphisms ( aflps ). while many of the techniques are used rflps have the advantage of revealing an exceptionally high degree of allelic variation in corn . moreover there are a tremendous number of markers available to use . reference is made to mumm and dudley , a classification of 148 u . s . maize lnbreds : i cluster analysis based on rflp &# 39 ; s , crop sci ., 34 : 842 - 851 ( 1994 ) and lee , m &# 34 ; inbred lines of maize and their molecular markers &# 34 ; the maize handbook ( springer - verlag , new york , inc . 1994 which is hereby incorporated by reference . both inbred lines np 2013 and a619 were subject to a various rflp probes and the results indicate that the two inbreds have 15 out of 16 loci with different alleles . additionally , rflp relationship data indicate that np 2013 is distinguished from other closely related inbred lines . this invention is also directed to methods for producing a corn plant by crossing a first parent corn plant with a second parent corn plant , wherein the first or second corn plant is a corn plant of the inbred line np 2013 . however , both first and second parent corn plant can come from the inbred corn line np 2013 . therefore any methods using np 2013 are part of this invention including self - pollination , backcross - pollination , hybrid breeding and crosses to populations . it may be desirable to use a male - sterile ( either cytoplasmic or nuclear ) female parent to prevent self - pollination . if the female is not male - sterile , then either physical or chemical steps may be taken to ensure that self - pollination does not occur . any plants produced using inbred corn line np 2013 as a parent are within the scope of this invention including any plant produced by the use of cells , protoplasts or tissue from np 2013 . specifically np 2013 produces hybrids that are competitive yielding . in general , hybrids have good early season vigor , high test weight grain and good stalk quality . the techniques used to obtain the corn hybrid seeds and plants of this invention are conventional in the seed industry and are well known to those skilled in the art . the two parent lines are planted in pollinating proximity to each other in alternating sets of rows ; however , any convenient planting pattern that allows for the free transfer of pollen is acceptable . the plants of both inbred lines are allowed to grow until the time of flowering . at flowering , tassels are removed from all plants of the female parent by hand , machine or other means . natural cross - pollination is allowed to occur . ears from the female plants are harvested to obtain novel f 1 hybrid corn seeds of the present invention . f 1 hybrid corn plants of the invention are obtained by planting seeds harvested from the female plant . a competitive yielding hybrid of this invention is n1718 wherein np 2013 is the female parent . the hybrid produced is a 80 minnesota relative maturity single cross hybrid . this hybrid most closely resembles the commercially available northrup king co . hybrid px9060 . the hybrid n1718 has significantly yielded more than px9060 and is significantly better for stalk quality . another hybrid produced from the cross of np 2013 wherein the claimed inbred is the female parent n2522 . table 3 below illustrates some characteristics of n1718 and n2522 compared to other similar hybrids . table 3__________________________________________________________________________combined location and year performance data ( 1994 , 1995 ; 42 environments ; 75 - 95 rm markets ) yld mst stk ( br ) rt de silk plt ht ear ht . stgr__________________________________________________________________________n1718 134 20 . 4 8 1 18 1145 233 95 5 . 0n2522 149 22 . 1 9 2 8 1173 248 90 4 . 3px9060 122 19 . 3 12 2 5 1107 228 88 6 . 9n1404 133 21 . 1 8 4 4 1112 252 96 5 . 2pioneer 3962 123 20 . 7 14 4 10 1088 224 91 7 . 0k 127 126 20 . 0 7 3 3 1101 223 75 6 . 9trials with data : 42 42 40 36 39 6 6 6 7lsd ( 0 . 5 ) 5 0 . 4 2 3 0 32 10 8 0 . 9__________________________________________________________________________ stgr = stay green , a measure of plant health based on a scale of 1 - 9 wherein 1 is excellent and 9 is poor . as used herein the term plant includes plant cells , plant protoplasts , plant cell tissue cultures including that from which corn plants fertile or otherwise can be regenerated , plant calli and plant cell clumps , and differentiated forms of plants such as , but not limited to embryos , pollen , stamen , anthers , flowers , kernels , ears , cobs , leaves , stalks , roots , shoots , plantlets , silks and kernels . in this context , the invention also includes a corn plant regenerated from any np 2013 corn cell , protoplast and tissue mentioned above and having the same genotype as np 2013 . methods of cell and tissue culture and regeneration are well known in the art and described for example in &# 34 ; plant tissue culture manual : fundamentals and application &# 34 ;, ed . k . lindsey , kluwer ( 1991 ) and in green and rhodes , &# 34 ; plant regeneration in tissue culture of maize &# 34 ;, maize for biological research ( plant molecular biology association , charlottesville , va ., 1982 , pp . 367 - 372 ), which are hereby incorporated by reference . as is well known corn can be put to a wide variety of uses not only as livestock feed but also for human consumption of corn kernels and as a raw material in industry . both grain and non - grain portions of the plant are used as a livestock feed for swine , cattle and poultry . in the food industry corn is used in wet and dry milling . in wet milling there is the separation of the germ , hull gluten and starch . germ is used to produce corn oil and germ cake for feed . corn starch may be packaged for human consumption or used in food products such as sauces , gravies , puddings , sweeteners , syrups , and baking powder . other nonedible uses include textiles , paper , adhesives , cosmetics , explosives , corn binders , laundry purposes and agricultural formulations . dry milling is used to produce breakfast foods , grits , cornmeal and corn flour . other uses of corn include fuel , in the form of fuel alcohol or ethanol ; seed ; alcoholic beverages and construction . deposits of at least 2500 seeds of inbred np 2013 , has been made unrestrictedly available to the public via the american type culture collection ( atcc ), rockville , md . 20852 u . s . a . the deposit corresponds to atcc deposit no . 209541 , and was made on 209541 . the seeds are from stock maintained by northrup king , golden valley , minn ., since prior to filing this application or any parents thereof . the deposit of inbred corn line np 2013 will be maintained in the atcc depository , which is a public depositary , for a period of 30 years , or 5 years after the most recent request , or for the effective life of the patent , whichever , is longer , and will be replaced if it ever becomes nonviable during that period . additionally , applicant does not waive any infringement of its rights granted under this patent or under the plant variety protection act ( 7 u . s . c . 2312 et seq .) for any pvp certificate received and applied for .

US-80202197-A

a method and apparatus for extracting the vector optical properties of biological samples with micron - scale resolution in three dimensions , using polarization - sensitive optical coherence tomography . the method measures net retardance , net fast axis , and reflectivity . polarization sensing is accomplished by illuminating the sample with at least three separate polarization states , using consecutive acquisitions of the same pixel , a - scan , or b - scan . the method can be implemented using non - polarization - maintaining fiber and a single detector . this ps - oct method reported measures fast axis explicitly . in a calibration test of the system , net retardance was measured with an average error of 7 . 5 ° 2 . 2 ° over the retardance range 0 ° to 180 °, and fast axis with average error of 4 . 8 ° over the range 0 ° to 180 °.

referring to the drawings , wherein like reference numerals designate like parts in the several figures , and initially to fig1 , a polarization - sensitive optical coherence tomography system 10 ( sometimes referred to below as ps - oct or ps - oct interferometer system ) is illustrated . in the schematic diagram of fig1 the ps - oct system 10 includes a polarizing beam splitter ( pbs ) passing vertically polarized light and an addressable waveplate ( awp ) with fast axis oriented at 45 °. these are described further below . the ps - oct system 10 includes a source 11 , detector apparatus 12 , beamsplitter 13 , sample arm 14 and reference arm 15 . the reference 16 in the reference arm is shown as a mirror ; it may be a silvered mirror or some other mirror that is perpendicular to the incident light or is otherwise arranged to receive incident light and to reflect the light back toward the detector apparatus 13 . if desired , the reference 16 may be a scanning reflector , a retroreflector or a fourier domain rapid scan optical delay line . sometimes the reference arm in an oct system is referred to as a delay line . it will be appreciated that other configurations of delay lines that ultimately sends the light back into the interferometer may be used . using the ps - oct system 10 , at least three separate incident polarization states of light are used to illuminate the sample 20 in the sample arm 14 sequentially , and for each incident polarization , the component of remitted light returning in the same polarization state is measured by the detector apparatus 12 . the polarization states may be applied during repeated measurements at the same pixel location , or during repeated line ( a - scan ) or image ( b - scan ) acquisitions . from the interference measurements obtained with different polarization states , the total reflected power , net retardance ( with π ambiguity ), and net fast axis ( with π / 2 ambiguity ) are calculated . in addition to being feasible in conventional fibers without any limitations on flexible sample arm 14 motion ( so long as the sequential polarization measurements are acquired quickly with respect to such motion ), this approach also obviates the need and expense for dual detection channels . if desired , more than three polarization states may be used , e . g ., the system 10 may be used to examine ( sometimes referred to as to probe ) a sample using incident light of more than three polarization states . an advantage to taking measurements at more than three polarization states is that the π ambiguity and / or the π / 2 ambiguity could be removed . in an example of ps - oct system 10 illustrated in fig1 , the source 11 is a broadband sld source centered at 1270 nm with a coherence length of 20 . 3 μm . other suitable sources may be used ; examples include those having 30 nm , 60 nm , or 70 nm bandwidth or some other suitable bandwidth . the components and arrangement of components of the system 10 are substantially identical to conventional oct systems with a number of exceptions , some of which are noted below . one of those exceptions is that the sample arm 14 beam is directed through a linear polarizer 21 , which is followed by an addressable waveplate 22 . an example of an addressable waveplate is a liquid crystal modulator , which may be obtained from thor labs , inc . another example is an electro - optic phase modulator acting as an addressable waveplate , which usually has a faster response than a liquid crystal modulator . other devices and / or systems may be used equivalently to provide the function of the addressable ( or otherwise adjustable ) waveplate 22 . an exemplary polarizer is a plane polarizer , such as a polarizing beamsplitter ; but other polarizers may be used . the waveplate 22 has its fast axis oriented at 45 ° with respect to the polarizer . the objective is to illuminate the sample 20 with illumination at a series of polarization states and to measure only the light coming back in the respective polarization state . changing the setting or optical characteristics of the addressable waveplate 22 during operation of the system 10 adjusts or changes the polarization states of the illumination used to probe the sample , 20 . it will be appreciated that components other than the polarizer and addressable waveplate may be used to accomplish such illumination function , e . g ., a single polarization determining or adjusting device or a series of components making up the polarization determining or adjusting device . in a different configuration of interferometer , such as a mach - zehnder interferometer , it also is possible to illuminate the sample with one or more polarization states or even virtually an infinite number of polarization states , and the results can be detected in a different channel or path from the incident path . in one embodiment , fiber polarization adjustors ( paddles ) 14 a , 15 a may be used in both the sample and reference arms 14 , 15 . in another embodiment , ( as recited in originally filed claim 6 and illustrated in originally filed figure one ), the reference arm 15 is absent polarization adjusting components 14 a and 15 a . the detector apparatus 12 may be a photosensitive detector 23 , such as a photosensitive diode or other device . the detector apparatus also may include appropriate signal amplifying and / or measuring circuitry , for example , such as are used in conventional optical coherence tomography devices , to provide signals representative of detection by the photosensitive detector . the detector apparatus 12 also may include a signal processing circuit or module , such as an electronic circuit , a lock - in amplifier 24 and a computer 25 as are schematically illustrated . the computer is able to carry out various data storage and data processing functions , such as , for example , those described below . the beamsplitter 13 may be a 50 / 50 beamsplitter or some other ratio splitter . the optical source may be other than a broadband 1270 nm source , if desired , as will be appreciated . the respective lines 30 - 33 in fig1 are fiber optic lines or conductors , for example . one or more lenses , such as lenses 34 , 35 , 36 illustrated in fig1 may be used to provide various focusing effects at the sample and reference arms 14 , 15 and / or elsewhere in the system 10 . in the example below particular orientation ( e . g ., 45 degrees ) and operation of components in the sample arm 14 , e . g ., linear polarizer 21 and addressable waveplate 22 are described . it will be appreciated that these are exemplary , and that other components , arrangements and operation could be used consistent with the invention disclosure , e . g ., to generalize the components and their use in a ps - oct system , such as in the system 10 . for example , although the mathematics may be more complex what is described in the example below , orientation of axes other than at the 45 ° relation described could be used ; the angular relationships between polarization states could be equal or unequal , etc ., thus generalizing the light directions and / or polarization states described . adding to the sample arm 14 a linear polarizer 21 and addressable waveplate 22 with axes oriented 45 ° apart causes attenuation of remitted light in the sample arm as a function of the addressable waveplate retardance ( r ), the net sample retardance accumulated to the depth being examined ( δ ), and the net sample fast axis angle to that depth ( θ ). the power of remitted sample arm 14 light at the detector apparatus 12 after a round trip through the polarizing optics is given by : where p s is the optical power at the receiver remitted from the sample location in all polarization states , proportional to the total sample reflectivity at a given depth . the amplitude of the envelope of the oct signal photocurrent is given by a is =√{ square root over ( p r p s )}, where ρ is the detector responsivity , and p r is the optical power incident on the receiver or detector apparatus 12 returning from the reference arm 15 of the interferometer 30 of the ps - oct system 10 . see , for example , a . m . rollins and j . a . izatt , opt . lett . 24 , 1484 ( 1999 ), the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference . by measuring sequential ps - oct pixels , a - or b - scans with three or more addressable waveplate settings r , corresponding values of a is pol ( r )= 2ρ √{ square root over ( p r p s pol ( r ))} can be measured , and the three unknown quantities ( a is 2 ∝ p s , δ , θ ) can be extracted from the three measurements by algebraic manipulation . the term a is 2 is measured — it is the response of the optical detector ; it is proportion to the optical power on the detector and , thus , is proportional to the reflectivity of the sample . the unknown quantity “ a is 2 ∝ p s ” is used because the actual parameter in equation 1 is the optical power . the term δ refers to retardation , and the term 0 refers to the fast axis direction or angular relation . for three incident polarizations obtained using addressable waveplate 22 retardations of 45 °, 90 °, and 135 °, the expressions are : in these expressions , a r represents a is pol ( r ), the amplitude of the envelope of the interferogram at a given depth measured with an addressable waveplate retardance of r °. equation 1 is written in terms of p s for conceptual simplicity , while equations 2 are written in terms of a is ( the measured quantity ) in order to be directly applicable to experimental measurements . the accuracy of the system 10 was tested by measuring the retardation of a calibrated berek polarization compensator , which is available from new focus , inc ., over the range of 0 ° to 180 ° of retardation in 15 ° increments , and 0 to 180 ° fast axis angle in 10 ° increments . for each sample birefringence setting , 20 ps - oct a - scans were averaged at each addressable waveplate 22 setting of 45 °, 90 °, and 135 °. these waveplate positions were chosen to fall within the retardance range of the addressable waveplate , and to maximize or minimize the three terms in equation ( 1 ) which may be separated to calculate quantities p s , δ , and θ . the calibration results presented in fig2 ( a ) demonstrate an average error of 7 . 5 ° in retardation measurements ( 26 . 5 nm average retardance error ), including a systematic error which is approximately linear with sample 20 retardance . the average standard deviation of the measured retardation was 2 . 2 °, corresponding to 7 . 8 nm of retardance repeatability error . the systematic error may be due to incorrect factory calibration of the berek compensator test plate . the fast axis is read out on a 90 ° scale , with a result mapping to 2 points in the range of fast axis from 0 ° to 180 ° ( due to the π / 2 ambiguity in fast axis determination ). as illustrated in fig2 ( b ), this reading has an average error of 4 . 8 °, and each value maps to 2 possible physical axis locations . as was mentioned above , the example presented uses 45 degrees separations . however , other separations may be used , e . g ., 60 degrees or some other amount ; and , if desired the separations may be “ equidistant ” or unequal . the settings / values mentioned could be any arbitrary value to extract the mentioned three parameters , although the mathematics may be more complex than for the example presented above . these three settings were used as a matter of convenience due to the limitations of the liquid crystal wave plate that was used in the exemplary system presented ; but in general , the principles of the invention are not limited to such settings . in fig2 ( a ) measured vs . actual retardation in a calibrated test plate is illustrated . solid rings represent the test plate retardation settings in degrees , and the data points represent measured retardation settings . the angle from the origin represents the fast axis setting , from 0 ° to 180 °. in fig2 ( b ) measured vs . predicted fast axis in the calibration test sample is illustrated . the horizontal axis represents the fast axis . the solid lines represent the test plate fast axis settings , and points represent the measured fast axis orientation . the fast axis readings represent averaged acquisitions ; each reading corresponds to 2 possible fast axis locations . in an example of use of the system 10 , the depth - resolving capability of birefringence detection in this system 10 was tested by placing the berek &# 39 ; s variable waveplate in series with a fixed waveplate of 57 . 1 ° retardation at the same fast axis angle . the measured retardation of the fixed plate was measured for variable waveplate retardations of − 15 °, − 5 °, 0 °, 5 °, 15 ° and 30 °. the average error in the measurement of retardation in the fixed waveplate was 1 . 2 °. in another example of use of the system 10 , to illustrate the performance of the system 10 in biological media , the ps - oct system 10 was used to image a cross section of muscular tissue from the hind leg of an ex vivo xenopus laevis african tadpole . for this experiment , three sequential images each comprising 400 a - scans were obtained at addressable waveplate settings of 45 °, 90 °, and 135 °. the total image acquisition time was 6 minutes . fig3 ( a ) and 3 ( b ) illustrate the resulting images of total reflected optical power ( fig3 ( a )) and of combined reflectivity and birefringence ( fig3 ( b )). the birefringence image is presented on a hue - saturation - value ( hsv ) color scale , with power ( p s ∝ a is 2 ) coded as the value and saturation components , and retardance ( δ ) coded as the hue . each red band , which is labeled with the letter “ r ” in the image , represents a net retardance of an integral number of optical periods , while each green band , which is labeled with the letter “ g ” in the image , represents a half - wave offset . in fig3 ( a ) and 3 ( b ) image dimensions are 6 mm wide by 4 . 5 mm deep . in fig3 ( a ) optical power reflectivity image is plotted on a logarithmic scale . fig3 ( b ) is a combined retardation / optical power image . on the hue - saturation - value ( hsv ) color scale in fig3 ( b ), reflected optical power is displayed in saturation and value , and retardance is displayed in hue . the hue color scale is displayed at the right , representing net retardance of 0 ° in red ( designated by the letter “ r ”) and of 180 ° in green ( designated by the letter “ g ”). a useful way to plot the data is to use an hsv color scale such that the three parameters are used and plotted , whereby reflectance is mapped into saturation and value and retardance is mapped into hue . it will be appreciated that the invention relates to a non - polarization maintaining ( non - pm ) fiber based polarization - sensing optical coherence tomography system with a single detector apparatus 12 , which relies on temporally multiplexed illumination of the sample 20 with at least three different polarization states for determination of depth - resolved sample birefringence , net fast axis , and total reflectivity . using this approach , conventional fiber - based oct systems may be inexpensively retrofitted for polarization - sensitive measurements . the ps - oct system 10 and method described above measure the effects of birefringence in a sample 20 . in the technique presented it is desirable and may be required that dichroism , another polarization - sensitive effect , not be present . if dichroism were suspected , a technique employing six measurements of the sample instead of three could be employed to cancel out dichroism or to measure dichroism . thus , this is an example of utility of making more measurements using the principles of the present invention . in equation ( 1 ) above the attenuation experienced at the linear polarizer 21 is described as a function of the retardation and fast axis of the sample 20 and the retardation of the variable waveplate 22 . the dependence on waveplate retardation has a 180 degree period , while the range of possible polarization states incident on the sample are created over 360 degrees of retardation at the waveplate . therefore , in the presence of only birefringence effects , two settings of the variable waveplate 180 degrees apart will have equal attenuation at the linear polarizer 21 , as is described in equation ( 4 ) below and will cause orthogonal polarization states of light incident upon the sample 20 , as is described in equation ( 5 ) below . if dichroism is not present in the sample 20 , adding 180 degrees to the retardation at the variable waveplate 22 will not change the measurement . if dichroism is present , these two values may be different and can be averaged to yield a dichroism independent result . recognizing that a waveplate will not affect whether two incident beams are orthogonal : their orthogonality or non - orthogonality will be preserved through the waveplate 22 . a dichroic reflection in the sample 20 can be modeled by summing the transition through two orthogonal linear polarizers with different attenuation coefficients , as described in equation ( 6 ) below , with c1 and c2 equal to cos ( 2 * d ), where d describes the axis of dichroism . r1 and r2 are reflectivities along 2 axes . i describes the input light . r ( i )= r 1 · ½ ·( i 1 + o 2 c 2 + i 3 s 2 )+ r 2 · ½ ·( i 1 − i 2 c 2 − i 3 s 2 ) and r ( i ′)= r 1 · ½ ·( i 1 − i 2 c 2 − i 3 s 2 )+ r 2 · ½ ·( i 1 + i 2 c 2 + i 3 s 2 ). to use these results in the ps - oct system 10 , each of the three measurements will be replaced by an average of two measurements with variable waveplate settings 180 degrees apart . this method may be effective in application in making measurements in tissue . below a strong dichroic layer in the tissue , the ability of the system 10 to measure retardation or cancel dichroism on another axis will be impaired , as it will not be practically possible to control the state of polarization of light incident on those deeper regions of tissue . it may be desirable to measure the difference between the averaged signal pairs to measure the dichroism present , so the user might know that birefringence measurements beneath that region be of decreased accuracy . from the foregoing , it will be appreciated that the present invention may be used to provide in an oct system the ability and functions of a ps - oct system by inserting in the sample arm components to provide for illumination of the sample at a selected number of polarization states , e . g ., two or more polarization states . measurements may be made at the respective polarization states , whereby the remitted light ( or other illumination / electromagnetic energy ) measured is at the same polarization state as that incident on the sample to probe the sample . in other interferometer embodiments , e . g ., mach - zehnder type or other type , the state detected at the detector may be different than the polarization state incident on the sample . in the illustrated embodiment there are two components added in the sample arm , namely the polarizer and the addressable waveplate ; but there may be other components to provide the described functions . the number of settings of the components added in the sample arm may be the described three but may be more or less than three to provide a corresponding number of polarization states . the system 10 may be considered a time multiplexed system in which polarization encoding is done by taking several measurements one after another , e . g ., sequentially . accordingly , by easily retrofitting into the sample arm 14 the polarization components , e . g ., the polarizer 21 and waveplate 22 , and coordinating the measurements so they are taken sequentially one after another in coordinated relation with the polarization state of incident illumination probing the sample 20 a standard oct can be converted to a ps - oct . also , by placing the optical components dealing with optical polarization characteristics in one place , e . g ., in the sample arm 14 , rather than having such components in different places in the system 10 , it is not necessary to use polarization preserving options in other parts of the interferometer . using the features of the present invention the polarization components , e . g ., the polarizer 21 and the waveplate 22 need be only in the sample arm and , thus , only a single detector 12 is needed to obtain measurements at different respective polarization states . as was mentioned above , the taking of fewer measurements than the measurements at three respective polarization states is possible , although the number of parameters measured would decrease than the three described at the three polarization states described . however , as also was mentioned above , the number of polarization states at which measurements are taken could be more than three and , accordingly , more parameters could be measured and / or measurements of parameters could be of improved accuracy as the number of polarization states and measurements is increased . examples of parameters include not only retardation and fast axis angle , but also measurements of layers , e . g ., if the sample 20 had several layers , each with its own retardance and / or thickness characteristics . dichroism is another parameter that could be measured , as also was mentioned above ; for example , dichroism may result when one polarization state is absorbed more than another polarization state . by reducing the number of components required to obtain the ps - oct functions , namely for polarization sensitivity , whereby as few as two components , e . g ., the linear polarizer 21 and waveplate 22 , or their equivalent , and placing the same in the sample arm many existing conventional oct systems can be retrofitted easily to provide the ps function . as is described above , the invention may be used to take three successive measurements or readings at three successive polarization states , and the measurements could be made on lines , pixels , etc . however , it will be appreciated that consistent with the invention the polarization state could be continuously modulated . the modulation could be done according to a ramp function , a sawtooth function , a sinusoidal function , or in discrete steps , or in any other manner . the signal , e . g ., the remitted light from the sample 20 , can be measured in coordinated relation with the modulation function and the various parameters or values for those parameters that are to be extracted from the measurements can be obtained . as an example , the waveplate 22 could be modulated sinusoidally with a signal generator ; and at the detector , the detected signal would be coordinated with the signal from the signal generator so that the measurements are made , for example , synchronously with the driving waveform of the signal generator . it will be appreciated that the invention may be used in the making of optical measurements . the invention also may be used to retrofit oct systems for ps - oct functions .

US-88783910-A

a squid comprises a substrate , a washer of an oxide superconductor thin film formed on a principal surface of the substrate , a hole shaped a similar figure to the washer at the center of the washer , a slit formed between one side of the washer and the hole , and a josephson junction which connects portions of the washer at the both sides of the slit across the slit . in the squid , the ratio of similarity of the washer to the hole ranges 100 to 2500 .

fig2 shows a diagrammatic plan view of an embodiment of the planar dc - squid in accordance with the present invention . the dc - squid 1 includes a srtio 3 ( 100 ) substrate 2 and a washer 10 of a square shaped c - axis orientated y 1 ba 2 cu 3 o 7 - δ oxide superconductor thin film formed on the substrate 2 , at the center of which a square hole 11 is formed . the oxide superconductor thin film has a thickness of 500 nanometers . a side of the washer 10 has a length l of 10 mm and a side of the hole 11 has a length σ of 20 μm . the washer 10 has tongue portions 14 and 15 on its one side and a slit 16 having a width of 5 μm formed between the tongue portions 14 and 15 , which reaches the hole 11 . the leading edges of the tongue portions 14 and 15 are connected by a member 17 of the oxide superconductor thin film , which has two bridge portions 181 and 182 at which josephson junctions 12 and 13 of weak link type are respectively formed . in other words , the leading edges of the tongue portions 14 and 15 are connected through the josephson junctions 12 and 13 . the dc - squid 1 is connected to a signal processor ( not shown ) through the tongue portions 14 and 15 . the washer 10 and the hole 11 need not be square . however , if their shapes have poor symmetry , the dc - squid has an isotropic characteristics or sensitivity which will become an obstacle for the practical application . therefore , the washer 10 and the hole 11 preferably have rectangular , almost square , similar shapes . the ratio of a side length i of the washer 10 to σ that of the hole 11 of the above dc - squid is 500 . by this , the flux focussing effect increases flux which penetrates the hole 11 , so that the sensitivity or magnetic field resolution of the dc - squid is improved . therefore , the dc - squid is capable of detecting and measuring the biological magnetism without the superconducting flux transformer . the ratio of a side length of the washer 10 to that of the hole 11 is not limited to 500 , but preferably ranges 100 to 2500 and more preferably 200 to 2000 . the oxide superconductor thin film which constitutes the dc - squid is preferably formed of a high - t c ( high critical temperature ) oxide superconductor material , particularly a high - t c copper - oxide type compound oxide superconductor material , for example , a bi -- sr -- ca -- cu -- o type compound oxide superconductor material , or a tl -- ba -- ca -- cu -- o type compound oxide superconductor material other than a y -- ba -- cu -- o type compound oxide superconductor material . fig3 is an enlarged detail of a part of the dc - squid shown in fig2 . in fig3 the member 17 , the bridge portions 181 and 182 , and the josephson junctions 12 and 13 are shown in detail . the member 17 connects the leading edges of the tongue portions 14 and 15 , which has two bridge portions 181 and 182 . a center portion of the member 17 is arranged at the bottom of a hexahedron concavity 20 of the substrate 2 and the bridge portions 181 and 182 are formed so as to cross the steps between the surface of the substrate 2 and the bottom of the concavity 20 . the josephson junctions 12 and 13 are formed at the bridge portions 181 and 182 , which are constituted of grain boundaries of the oxide superconductor formed at the step portions . the bridge portions 181 and 182 have a length of 1 μm and a width of 0 . 5 μm . the concavity 20 measures 10 × 15 × 0 . 2 μm . therefore , the limitation in the fine processing technique required for manufacturing the josephson junctions of the dc - squid is relaxed . fig4 is an enlarged version of a portion of fig3 illustrating the dimensions of the bridge portions 181 and 182 and the concavity 20 . the length of the bridge is 11 , width of the bridge is w1 , length of the concavity 20 is 12 , width of the concavity 20 is w2 , and height of the concavity 20 is h . the above mentioned dc - squid was manufactured by the following process . at first , a c - axis orientated y 1 ba 2 cu 3 o 7 - δ oxide superconductor thin film of 15 mm square having a thickness of 500 nanometers was deposited by a high frequency magnetron sputtering process on a surface of a srtio 3 ( 100 ) single crystal substrate 2 which had a concavity 20 on the surface . the conditions of the sputtering process were as follows ; ______________________________________temperature of substrate 630 ° c . sputtering gasesar 8 sccmo . sub . 2 4 sccmpressure 5 × 10 . sup .- 2 torr______________________________________ the oxide superconductor thin film was formed in such a manner that the concavity 20 was covered with the oxide superconductor thin film near the center of one side of the oxide superconductor thin film . grain boundaries were generated in the oxide superconductor thin film at the steps between the surface of the substrate and the bottom of the concavity , which constituted weak links of josephson junctions . then , the oxide superconductor thin film was etched by an ion milling using ar - ions so that a square washer 10 having a length of a side of 10 mm and a projecting portion on one side , which covered the concavity 20 and would be shaped into the tongue portions 14 and 15 . thereafter , by an ion milling using ar - ions , a square hole 11 was formed at the center of the washer and a member 17 was formed at the edge of the projecting portion on the concavity 20 in such a manner that the member 17 had narrow bridge portions 181 and 182 crossing the steps at which grain boundaries had been formed . finally , a slit 16 which divided the projecting portion into two tongue portions 14 and 15 was formed to the hole 11 . by this , the embodiment of the squid in accordance with the present invention was completed . by using the above mentioned dc - squid in accordance with the present invention and a conventional dc - squid which had a 100 μm square washer and a 20 μm square hole , a faint magnetic field was measured while the dc - squids were chilled by liquid nitrogen . the dc - squid in accordance with the present invention was capable of measuring a magnetic field having a strength of 1 × 10 - 9 gauss , while the conventional dc - squid was only able to measure a magnetic field having a strength on the order of 1 × 10 - 7 gauss . as explained above , the dc - squid of the instant invention has an improved sensitivity or magnetic field resolution which is capable of detecting and measuring the biological magnetism without the superconducting flux transformer . this high sensitivity is realized by a large washer and a small hole in which the ratio of a side length of the washer to that of the hole is 500 . in addition , if the dc - squid is manufactured in accordance with the above mentioned process , the limitation in the fine processing technique required for manufacturing the dc - squid is relaxed . in the above process , of course , the film deposition process of the oxide superconductor is not limited to a high frequency magnetron sputtering process , but any film deposition process such as an mbe ( molecular beam epitaxy ), a laser ablation , a vacuum evaporation can be employed . the invention has thus been shown and described with reference to the specific embodiments . however , it should be noted that the present invention is in no way limited to the details of the illustrated structures but converts and modifications may be made within the scope of the appended claims .

US-4800193-A

there is provided a wheel handle whose functional length is easily extended or shortened with respect to a wheeled luggage case . the wheel handle includes a handle grip mounted atop a pair of longitudinal tubes or rods slidable axially through a bezel fixed upon the luggage case . a mechanism including a minimal number of moving parts permits the user to lock and unlock the position of the extendible / collapsible wheel handle with the press of a spring - biased button . the button movement actuates a helical cam , which rotates a cam follower . rotation of the cam follower extends or retracts a pair of sliding pins engageable into holes in the longitudinal handle tubes . with the button depressed against the force of the spring , the pins are withdrawn to allow adjustment of the effective handle length . releasing the button , while the pins are aligned with a selected pair of apertures in the tubes allows the force of the spring to restore the button to its rest position , with the pins engaged into tube apertures to releasably lock the luggage handle in place .

the subject invention permits the user of an extendable / retractable pull handle for wheeled luggage to easily lock and unlock the handle to adjust its extended length . in the disclosure and claims , &# 34 ; up &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; down &# 34 ; have their ordinary meanings pertaining to the handle assembly 4 of the invention when oriented with respect to a wheeled luggage case 5 as depicted in fig1 . &# 34 ; axial &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; longitudinal &# 34 ; refer to a linear directional orientation generally parallel to the inner tubes 76 , 78 of the apparatus shown in fig1 while &# 34 ; radial &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; lateral &# 34 ; refer to directional orientations generally perpendicular to the axes of the inner tubes 76 , 78 . fig1 shows that the apparatus of the invention is adapted for use in conjunction with an item of luggage 5 having a top 6 , a back 7 , and a bottom 8 . the inventive handle assembly 4 has beneficial use particularly with a wheeled upright luggage case 5 having at least two and preferably a plurality of wheels 9 , 9 &# 39 ;, 9 &# 34 ; mounted upon the bottom 8 in a known manner . the handle assembly 4 is useable to push or pull the rollable case 5 across a supporting surface . as seen in fig1 the assembly 4 is attached to the case 5 substantially adjacent to the intersection of the top 6 with the back 7 , for extension and retraction to and from the rearward portion of the top 6 . the inventive handle assembly 4 broadly comprises a handle grip 90 fixed to the ends of a pair of longitudinal inner tubes 76 , 78 slidably disposed through a base bezel 60 mounted on the case 5 and into a pair of immobile outer tubes 70 , 74 . this disclosure and the claims refer to inner &# 34 ; tubes ,&# 34 ; but it is immediately understood that inner tubes 76 , 78 are not necessarily hollow , but may satisfactorily comprise solid longitudinal rods . hollow outer tubes 70 , 74 typically are mounted parallel adjacent to , or within , the back 7 . inner tubes 76 , 78 have a diameter less than the inside diameter of outer tubes 70 , 74 , so that the inner tubes 76 , 78 have little contact with the outer tubes 70 , 74 , but move coaxially within them . secured to the lower ends of the inner tubes 76 , 78 are tube followers 86 , 87 . the axial movement of the inner tubes 76 , 78 is stabilized and controlled by the sliding contact between the inner tubes 76 , 78 and the base bezel 60 and between the tube followers 86 , 87 and the inside surfaces of the outer tubes 70 , 74 . the distance between the tube followers 86 , 87 and the base bezel 60 varies as the inner tubes 76 , 78 move up and down within the immobile outer tubes 70 , 74 , but remains adequate to maintain the coaxial alignment of inner tubes 76 , 78 with outer tubes 70 , 74 to prevent racking and binding . as further described herein , the base bezel 60 , which is fixed in position atop the case 5 , contains a spring - loaded subassembly including a push button having a cam connection with a pair of laterally movable pins removably insertable into catch apertures serially and linearly disposed along the lengths of each of the inner tubes 76 , 78 . the spring - loaded subassembly ordinarily maintains the pins in an extended position for engagement into a corresponding pair of apertures in the inner tubes 76 , 78 to maintain the tubes in a given position with respect to the case 5 . manual depression of the push button actuates a helical cam to withdraw the pins to permit the inner tubes 76 , 78 to slide within the outer tubes 70 , 74 , and with respect to the case 5 , thereby to adjust the position of the handle grip 90 . as specifically shown in fig2 a and 2b , the handle assembly 4 includes a cover housing 10 , a push button 20 , a left slide block 30 and a right slide block 34 , a cam follower 24 , a spring 50 , a base bezel 60 , the pair of outer tubes 70 , 74 , the pair of inner tubes 76 , 78 , and the handle grip 90 . the base bezel 60 and cover housing 10 , which house the principal functional components of the invention , are secured together by means of screws or the like , and are attached to the body of the luggage case 5 in a known manner . the cover 10 and base bezel 60 define vertical openings 65 , 65 &# 39 ; and 66 , 66 &# 39 ; through which the parallel inner tubes 76 , 78 are slidably disposed . inner tubes 76 , 78 are connected to molded handle grip 90 , preferably by means of connector sleeves 80 , 81 adapted for secured insertion into the upper ends of the inner tubes and into the tube barrels 91 , 92 of handle grip 90 . base bezel 60 and cover housing 10 define and enclose a space within which the push button 20 , spring 50 , cam follower 24 and slide blocks 30 , 34 are organized and contained . the base bezel 60 defines a pair of troughs 62 , 63 which retain the left and right slide blocks 30 , 34 , allowing the slide blocks 30 , 34 significant lateral ( inward and outward with respect to shaft 22 ) movement only . the troughs 62 , 63 allow the slide blocks 30 , 34 a very minor amount of side - to - side shifting , perpendicular to their axes of lateral motion , due to the swinging movement of the proximate ends of the slide blocks where they connect with the rotatable cam follower 24 . cam follower 24 and slide blocks 30 , 34 preferably are mostly planar , and thus occupy minimal space within the cover housing 10 and base bezel 60 . the bezel 60 also defines a boss 61 upon which the spring 50 is vertically positioned . base bezel 60 also features tube sockets 67 , 68 into which the upper ends of the outer tubes 70 , 74 are inserted and secured to effectively attach the outer tubes 70 , 74 to the base bezel 60 , which bezel in turn is fixed upon the main body of luggage case 5 . to allow the user to adjust the extension of the pull handle 4 to a variety of positions , a series of regularly spaced catch apertures 82 , 82 &# 39 ;, 83 , 83 &# 39 ; are provided in associated pairs along the inwardly facing surfaces of the axial lengths of both inner tubes 76 , 78 , as shown in fig2 b . the catch apertures 82 , 82 &# 39 ;, 83 , 83 &# 39 ; are positioned so as to be alignable with the pins 32 , 36 which project from the distal ends of respective slide blocks 30 , 34 . the extension of the handle grip 90 from the body of the case depends upon the distance which the inner tubes 76 , 78 are drawn upward out of the base bezel 60 , as suggested by fig1 . as any given pair of catch apertures 82 , 82 &# 39 ; come into alignment with the positions of the pins 32 , 36 , the pins 32 , 36 are engageable into the apertures 82 , 82 &# 39 ; to releasably lock the corresponding inner tube 76 , 78 in position , prevent it from sliding , and thus temporarily fix the extended length of the wheel handle 4 . the lateral positions of the slide blocks 30 , 34 , and thus the engagement or non - engagement of the pins 32 , 36 into any of the catch apertures 82 , 82 &# 39 ;, 83 , 83 &# 39 ; are governed by the operation of a push button cam subassembly housed within the cover 10 and base bezel 60 , and actuated by the user &# 39 ; s manually depressing the push button 20 . reference is made to fig3 a - 3e , which show in detail the operative arrangement of the push button cam subassembly comprising the bush button 20 , cam follower 24 , and slide blocks 30 , 34 with pins 32 , 36 . push button 20 has a longitudinally extending cam shaft 22 which extends downward through a corresponding central hole 38 through the generally planar cam follower 24 as indicated in fig2 a and 3e . an abbreviated double helix of diametrically opposed cam surfaces 27 , 28 project radially from , and spiral down , the length of the shaft 22 , as seen in fig3 b - 3d . each surface 27 , 28 wraps only partially about the circumference of the shaft 22 through an arc of , preferably , from about 20 ° to about 30 °. the push button 20 is linearly movable axially up and down in the cover housing 10 , but is barred against rotation or lateral displacement by , for example , the guiding and constraining contact between the cover 10 and button prongs on the bottom of the push button 20 . button prongs diverging downwardly from the bottom of the push button 20 may also serve to prevent the push button from passing completely through the window in the cover housing 10 through which the button is disposed . the cam follower 24 , preferably is in the general shape of a circular disk rotatable about the cam shaft 22 and within the base bezel 60 , but is held against axial movement . the slide blocks 30 , 34 may neither rotate nor move axially , but shift laterally , radially outward and inward with respect to the cam shaft 22 . the proximate end of each slide block 30 , 34 is pivotally connected to the cam follower 24 ; the pivotal connection preferably is accomplished with small perpendicular posts at the proximate ends of slide block 30 , 34 being inserted through , and rotatable in , corresponding apertures through the cam follower 24 at diametrically opposed locations thereon , as seen in fig2 a , 3a , and 3e . by this means , the rotary movement of the cam follower 24 causes in lateral translational movement , in opposite directions , of the slide blocks 30 , 34 . as best seen in fig3 a and 3e , the slide blocks have a dog - leg or z - shape , whereby they are attached to the follower 24 on opposite sides thereof , yet permit the lateral alignment of the pins 32 , 36 on their respective ends . the dog - leg shape of each slide block 30 , 34 also permits the cam follower 24 rotary motion to draw the slide blocks inward toward the shaft 22 without actually contacting or interfering with the shaft . as seen in fig2 a and 3e , cam follower 24 has a centrally located , preferably diamond - shaped hole 38 through which the shaft 22 is disposed so to place both cam surfaces 27 , 28 in sliding abutment with an interior edge of the cam follower 24 . we have determined that a diamond - shape hole 38 advantageously provides rectilinear interior edges on the cam follower 24 , which straight edges remain in contact with the cam surfaces 27 , 28 . the flush contact of a straight edge against the flight of each cam surface 27 , 28 promotes a smooth gliding interaction between the cam surfaces and the cam follower which minimizes jams . alternatively shaped holes 38 , such as elliptical holes , may suffice with some reduction in performance . because of the diamond - shaped or elliptical configuration of the hole 38 and the twisting action of the shaft 22 upon the cam follower 24 due to the movement of the cam surfaces 27 , 28 , the distance , measured laterally , between the points where the slide blocks 30 , 34 connect with the cam follower 24 decreases as the cam follower 24 rotates counterclockwise as seen in fig4 and 5 . continued downward movement of the button 20 continues the sliding contact between the surfaces 27 , 28 , and induces the cam follower to rotate through a modest arc , tangentially pulling the slide blocks 30 , 34 . the slide blocks 30 , 34 consequently slide laterally in the bezel 60 , thereby withdrawing the pins 32 , 36 from the catch apertures in the inner tubes 76 , 78 . fig2 a , 3b - 3d , 4 , and 5 indicate that as the button 20 moves axially to shift the shaft 22 up and down within the cam follower 24 , the cam surfaces 27 , 28 slidably engage the inside surface of the follower 24 defining the follower hole 38 . with the follower 24 rotatable but constrained against axial movement , axial movement of the push button 20 presses the cam surfaces 27 , 28 against the inside of the cam follower 24 and , since the surfaces 27 , 28 are generally helical , continuing movement of the button 20 causes the surfaces 27 , 28 to urge the follower 24 to rotate about the shaft 22 . when the push button 20 moves axially upward under the force of the spring 50 , the riding contact of the surfaces 27 , 28 against the cam follower 24 causes the follower to rotate around the shaft 22 , which rotation compels the sliding blocks 30 , 34 to shift laterally outward within the troughs 62 , 63 in the bezel 60 . likewise , and as indicated by the directional arrows of fig4 and 5 , when the button 20 is depressed downward , the cam surfaces 27 , 28 ride against the inside of the cam follower 24 to rotate the follower 24 in the opposite direction to retract laterally the slide blocks 30 , 34 . in one preferred embodiment , the axial movement of the push button through a distance of about one - fourth of one inch ( 0 . 64 cm ) results in a lateral movement in each of the pins 32 , 36 of approximately one - fifth of one inch ( 0 . 50 cm ). thus a comfortable yet functional ratio for push button travel distance to pin movement distance is between about 1 . 2 and 1 . 3 to 1 . 0 . the compressed spring 50 constantly biases the button 20 axially upward . thus , unless the push button 20 is manually depressed against the force of the spring 50 , the force of the spring 50 urges the button 20 axially upward , which counter - rotates the cam follower 24 in the direction opposite the curved directional arrow of fig4 and 5 , and holds the slide blocks 30 , 34 in a maximally laterally separated relation and the pins 32 , 36 in extended positions . because the flights of the cam surfaces 27 , 28 do not define complete circuits around the shaft 22 , the cam follower 24 never completes a full 360 ° rotation . the rotary motion of the cam follower 24 in alternating directions is converted into reciprocating movements in the slide blocks 30 , 34 to engage and disengage the pins 32 , 36 from aligned apertures in the inner tubes 76 , 78 . in those instances when the ends of the pins 32 , 36 on the slide blocks 30 , 34 do not happen to be aligned with any catch apertures 82 , 82 &# 39 ; in the inner tubes 76 , 78 , the pins 32 , 36 simply frictionally ride against the outside surfaces of the inner tubes 76 , 78 . the inner tubes 76 , 78 hold the slide blocks 30 , 34 in the retracted position and push button 20 stays in a depressed or &# 34 ; down &# 34 ; position , resisting the force of the spring 50 until such time as the inner tubes 76 , 78 are moved up or down to align the pins 32 , 36 with catch apertures 82 , 82 &# 39 ; or 83 , 83 &# 39 ; thus allowing the slide blocks 30 , 34 to slide laterally outward . when the pins 32 , 36 align with a pair of catch apertures , e . g . 83 and 83 &# 39 ;, the push button 20 is free to move axially up under the influence of the spring 50 , and slide blocks 30 , 34 shift outward to the &# 34 ; lock &# 34 ; positions in which the pins 32 , 36 project into the catch apertures 83 , 83 &# 39 ;. as indicated by the topmost directional arrow in fig4 and 5 , to unlock or release the pull handle 4 , the push button 20 is manually forced downward , overriding the bias of the spring 50 . the resulting action of the cam surfaces 27 , 28 against the cam follower 24 rotates the cam follower in the direction of the curved directional arrow in fig4 and 5 , which rotation draws the slide blocks 30 , 34 laterally inward . the inward movement of the slide blocks 30 , 34 releases the pins 32 , 36 from the catch apertures 83 , 83 &# 39 ; in the inner tubes 76 , 78 , in turn leaving both inner tubes free to slide up or down within the outer tubes 70 , 74 to another desired height extension corresponding to some other pair of catch apertures . once the pull handle 4 thus has been re - adjusted to a second position , the button 20 is released , allowing the pins 32 , 36 to be pushed by the action of the spring 50 into the new corresponding pair of catch apertures , for example apertures 82 , 82 &# 39 ;. although the invention has been described in detail with particular reference to these preferred embodiments , other embodiments can achieve the same results . variations and modifications of the present invention will be obvious to those skilled in the art and it is intended to cover in the appended claims all such modifications and equivalents . the entire disclosures of the patents cited hereinabove are hereby incorporated by reference .

US-84799397-A

basic elements of a modular printer system may comprise a rectangular open frame with receptacles for a printer module and computerized terminal module , and with an external configuration for receiving modular components such as a carrying handle , a support foot , an auxiliary terminal module mounting bracket and an ac adaptor module . respective different paper tray modules may be selectively secured to the open frame to form a bottom closure and to provide a repository for appropriate circuit boards and an on - board battery if needed , as well as containing an appropriate supply of paper for the printer . respective terminal adaptor modules may secure different generations of computerized terminals in the frame for data transfer to the printer . a terminal module may utilize a spring - urged retainer for retaining a hand - held computerized terminal therewith . respective printer modules may adapt different printer models to the frame , and each such printer module may be reversible in the frame to accommodate different applications , e . g . as a portable unit , and as a van - mounted unit with in - board , out - board and / or remote mounting of terminal modules .

in fig1 a unitary modular portable printer device 10 is shown as comprising a standardized open frame module 11 having a paper tray module 12 assembled therewith as bottom closure . fitting within the open frame 11 are a terminal module 14 with a hinged cover 15 , and a printer module 16 having a paper outlet slot 16a which may be selectively covered by means of a laterally shiftable cover strip 17 . a carrying handle 18 is slidably engaged with an external side of the open frame 11 . as seen in fig2 the open frame 11 is composed of four rectilinearly arranged frame elements 21 - 24 and a single additional frame element or crosspiece 25 subdividing the open frame to provide a terminal receptacle 26 and a printer receptacle 27 . as shown in fig2 the terminal module 14 has downward directed horizontal surfaces such as 14a and 14b at the four side thereof which are upwardly offset relative to a bottom 14c of the terminal module . vertically disposed side walls such as 14d and 14e extend from the outer perimeter of the bottom 14c to inner margins of the surfaces such as 14a and 14b . the terminal module 14 fits into receptacle 26 with surfaces such as 14a and 14b resting on four rectilinearly arranged ledge portions such as 23a and 24a which are provided by the frame elements 21 , 23 , 24 and 25 . these ledge portions at their inner edges confront the terminal module side walls such as 14d and 14e when the terminal module is assembled therewith . thus the ledge portions such as 23a , 24a of the frame elements 21 , 23 , 24 and 25 may be taken as principally defining terminal module receptacle 26 . similarly ledges such as 23a and 25a of frame elements 21 , 22 , 23 and 25 support upwardly offset surfaces such as 16a and 16b of printer module 16 , and confront side walls such as 16c and 16d , and may be taken as essentially defining printer module receptacle 27 . the terminal module 14 releasably receives the computerized terminal 30 upon opening of cover 15 . by way of example the terminal module 14 may have an interior space of size to receive terminals known as the model 121xl and model 141xl of the norand corporation , cedar rapids , iowa . such terminals 30 have a display region 31 , a keyboard region 32 and a battery compartment region 33 , and may be used for route accounting operations , for example . the terminal 30 may have an electrical interface at its end 35 which may comprise a 15 - pin connector which mates with a mating connector within module 14 as the terminal is inserted into its module . a terminal 30 may weigh about one kilogram including batteries , memory and communications adapter . as with present printers of norand corporation , the electrical interface at 35 and other constituents of terminal 30 may allow the supply of data to the terminal module interface for printing by means of the printer unit within printer module 16 . by way of example printer module 16 may be of interior configuration to receive a commercially available eighty column printer which can print on three - ply fanfold paper supplied by the paper tray module 12 , e . g . paper having a width between 5 . 0 inches and 10 . 0 inches . an example of such a printer is the citizen mps - 20 . paper tray module 12 may for example , for the portable device have a capacity of fifty sheets of three - ply paper . as an option for a non - portable device as in fig3 a paper tray module may have a capacity of two hundred three - ply sheets . fig2 shows the frame element 21 as including upper and lower flange portions 21a and 21b which have opposed edges overhanging a central body portion 21c so as to define a guideway 37 for receiving a slider member 38 , fig5 integral with the carrying handle 18 . a similar guideway 39 is defined by flange portions of the frame element 23 . in fig3 the open frame 11 and paper tray 12 may be identical and yet provide a non - portable subassembly 40 which may differ from portable device 10 by the absence of handle 18 , and attachment of a side arm bracket 41 to the frame 11 . the bracket 41 may form a terminal cradle with a terminal module receptacle 42 receiving a terminal module 14 identical to that received by portable device 10 . the printer module receptacle 27 is identical to that of the portable device 10 , so as to receive the printer module 16 in the same orientation as in fig1 or reversed as in fig2 . a second terminal may be located at 42 , fig3 where it may be automatically maintained in a charged condition by means of a charger connected with vehicle power . a lockable lift - up cover of module 14 may retain a terminal 30 similarly to the way shown in a brochure number 960 - 382 - 509 of norand corporation which has a 1985 copyright notice and which relates to a data system for bakery distribution . the content of this brochure is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety by way of background information as to exemplary functioning of the computerized terminal 30 and of the illustrated printer systems . fig4 shows a non - portable printer subassembly 40 &# 39 ; identical to subassembly 40 except that the side arm bracket 41 is mounted on the left side of the printer module receptacle 27 instead of the right side as in fig3 . in fig4 the terminal module receptacle 26 is shown ready to receive a second terminal module so that two terminals such as 30 may be present where desired . for example , one terminal at 26 may be recharged while the second terminal 30 is removed from a terminal module 14 secured in receptacle 42 for use during delivery to a retail store or the like . as best seen in fig4 the side arm bracket 41 may have a slider member 41a integral therewith which is slidably engageable in guideway 37 , fig3 or guideway 39 , fig4 . suitable means , not shown , may retain the handle or terminal cradle in assembled relationship to the frame , e . g . screws or the like . similarly , the terminal and printer modules may be fixedly retained with the open frame e . g . by threaded fasteners . by way of example , the portable printer device 10 of fig1 may consist essentially of open frame 11 with handle 18 , tray module 12 secured to the open frame 11 , terminal module 14 secured to the open frame 11 , and printer module 16 secured to the open frame 11 and containing a printer unit which can be readily removable from module 16 to provide quick access to the paper tray 12 . the terminal module 14 may removably receive a computerized terminal such as 30 , fig2 essentially as shown in the incorporated brochure number 960 - 382 - 509 of 1985 for the case of a van - mounted printer installation or for the case of a multi - terminal charger installation ( except that a manually operated latch may be substituted for a lock on the hinged cover 15 ). the terminal module for a given terminal configuration is essentially the same for portable and non - portable devices . the terminal module is field replaceable by the customer through the use of simple tools so that the customer has the option of replacing an original terminal module with one for a new terminal , e . g . a physically smaller terminal . by way of example , a non - portable printer device may consist essentially of a subassembly 40 or 40 &# 39 ; formed of the open frame 11 and paper tray 12 , together with a side arm terminal cradle 41 and a printer module 16 secured to the frame 10 . module 16 would again contain a printer unit which is readily removable so as to provide quick access to the paper tray module for the replenishing of the paper supply . in the portable and non - portable devices , the printer and terminal keyboard are preferably operable without removing or lifting a cover . the overall dimensions of each device , exclusive of parts 18 or 41 , may be less than 5 1 / 2 inches high , 15 178 inches wide and 14 1 / 2 1 / 2 deep . the portable device with a self - contained chargeable battery ( not shown ) for the printer unit may have a weight of less than twelve pounds excluding terminal 30 . the battery when fully charged may provide for 10 , 000 lines of printed output . a dc / dc battery charger may be an optional source of overnight trickle charging for the printer battery from a route vehicle battery , similarly to the model np207 briefcase printer of norand corporation . as in the systems of incorporated brochure 960 - 382 - 509 of 1985 , the portable and non - portable systems herein provide for data communication from the terminal 30 via the terminal module 14 to the printer unit associated with printer module 16 . for example , the printer unit may have a pendant cable for receiving power , data and control signals . the length of the printer cable may be sufficient to plug into a receptacle of the printer module prior to assembly of the printer unit with the printer module . the portable unit may have an ac / dc battery charger operable from commercial alternating current power for charging the batteries of a terminal 30 which is inserted into the terminal module 14 and for charging the printer battery . by way of example , the battery charger may be located in extra space within the paper tray 12 along with the printer battery . an adjacent electric power receptacle may releasably receive an alternating current power cord for supplying commercial alternating current power to the charger during battery charging operation . rain covers may be provided for the portable device and may be snapped on over the terminal module 14 and the printer module 16 . alternatively strips of synthetic materials which adhere when pressed together , and known under the trademark velcro , may be applied to mating edges of the open frame 11 and of a top cover therefor . to facilitate van mounting of the non - portable device , the printer module 16 may be assembled in receptacle 27 in a first orientation with the front of the printer adjacent frame element 22 as shown in fig2 or in a second reverse orientation with the rear of the printer adjacent frame element 22 as shown in fig3 . the terminal cradle 40 may be secured at either of two opposite sides of open frame 11 as shown in fig3 and 4 . data communication between the terminal module 14 and the printer module 16 or preferably the printer unit therein may take place via optical couplers and fiber optic conduits molded into the open frame 11 . optical couplers may be provided at frame elements 25 and 22 , fig2 to accommodate a single optical coupler of the printer unit , or the printer unit may be provided with two optical couplers in parallel each registering with a single optical coupling on the frame 11 for a respective one of two different orientations of the printer module and printer . a van mounting plate ( not shown ) may be provided with tilt adjustment so that the angle of the modular printer device may be optimized in a non - portable installation . as in the system of brochure number 960 - 382 - 509 of 1985 , operating power for the charging of the terminal and printer batteries may be obtained from the vehicle power system in which the modular printer device is installed . fig6 is a perspective view illustrating a commercial version of a portable modular printer device 100 in accordance with the present invention . as in the previous embodiment , the device comprises a standardized open frame module 111 which receives a paper tray module 112 , a terminal module 114 and a printer module 116 . in this embodiment a printer cover 117 has a paper outlet slot 117a . a control panel 118 may include actuating regions such as &# 34 ; advance page &# 34 ; actuator 118a and a &# 34 ; set top of page &# 34 ; actuator 118b . the open frame 111 may have a configuration similar to that of frame 11 of fig2 and in each embodiment the frame may be of integral unitary construction and of structural plastic material ( e . g . noryl fn - 215 ) so as to provide the desired strength and rigidity with a minimum weight of material . left and right frame elements 121 and 123 have upper and lower flange portions similar to flanges 21a , 21b , fig2 which protectively embrace terminal module 114 , printer module 116 and paper tray module 112 . as best seen in fig7 frame elements 121 and 123 have central grooves which are shown as receiving an interior rib structure 130a of a foot member 130 and a base rib structure 140a of a handle member 140 . threaded fastening elements such as indicated at 141 and 142 in fig8 may secure members 130 and 140 with the frame 111 . as seen fig6 a base 140b of handle member 140 may extend for the entire length of frame element 123 so as to completely cover the central groove therein . as shown in fig7 terminal module 114 has an elongated recess 114a accommodating reciprocal movement of a terminal retainer bracket 150 . a hand - held terminal corresponding to terminal 30 fig2 is indicated in dash outline at 152 , fig7 in coupled relationship to the terminal module 114 . the terminal 152 is disengaged from the terminal module by sliding the retainer bracket 150 to the right as seen in fig7 against the action of a spring means located in a bottom portion of the terminal module 114 . the spring means acts on the bracket 150 with sufficient force to insure interengagement of a socket of the terminal 152 with a plug type connector 154 associated with the terminal module 114 . connector 154 is connected with the electric circuitry of the printer device 100 by means of a cable indicated at 160 . as previously described , connector 154 and cable 160 provide for data communication between the terminal indicated at 152 and a printer unit associated with printer module 116 . as seen in fig7 terminal module 114 is comprised of a terminal holder base 170 of molded plastic construction ( e . g . cycolac kjw , borg warner ) the base 170 may be threadedly secured to bosses integral with the underlying frame elements corresponding elements 24 and 25 , fig2 . the base 170 is provided with a double wall configuration at its opposite longitudinal ends such that the cable 160 may extend within an enclosed chamber 172 . as shown in fig8 paper tray module 112 of the portable device 100 may be provided with a fifty sheet paper bin 180 for holding a supply of paper which is to be automatically fed into the printer mechanism . the paper tray 112 - 1 shown in fig1 is equipped with a larger paper bin 180 - 1 capable of holding 200 sheets for automatic feed into a printer mechanism . the larger capacity paper tray module 112 - 1 is normally associated with a non - portable device such as shown in fig1 and 16 . the paper tray modules 112 and 112 - 1 may be identical except for the difference in capacity of the paper bins . as diagrammatically indicated in fig7 and 10 , terminal holder base 170 may have an integral depressed central bottom 190 ( fig7 ) with two integral upstanding bosses 191 , 192 ( fig9 ) serving to secure the ends of a tension spring indicated diagrammatically at 194 . the bracket 150 includes an integral slider piece 200 with an integral depending lug 201 about which a mid region 194a of spring 194 may extend . as best seen in fig1 , slider piece 200 may have integral depending legs with outturned feet such as 211 which interengage with ledge parts such as 215 which are integral with the terminal holder base 170 . the upper edges of the ledge parts such as 215 are chamfered , e . g . over a distance of 0 . 040 inch at forty - five degrees , at their inner edges so that the feet such as 211 will be cammed inwardly as the sliding retainer bracket 150 is pressed downwardly during assembly with the terminal holder base 170 . the legs 211 snap into interengagement with ledges such as 215 to hold the parts in assembled relation while accommodating longitudinal sliding motion of the retainer bracket 150 . as seen in fig7 and 10 , the connector 154 has an associated alignment pin 220 which engages in a receiving socket on the terminal 152 and assures reliable interengagement of the connector pins and sockets in spite of manufacturing tolerances . the depressed bottom 190 of the terminal holder base provides a clearance space 221 , fig9 into which the slider piece 200 moves to accommodate insertion of one end of the computer terminal 152 , fig7 under lip 222 of the retainer bracket 150 , and to allow the opposite end of the terminal 152 to be lowered into engageable alignment with the pin 220 , after which the bracket 150 is allowed to move to the left ( as viewed in fig7 ) until the terminal 152 is interengaged with connector 154 in readiness for a data transfer operation . in an embodiment actually constructed , the ledges such as 215 had a length of about 5 . 4 inches , and the outturned feet such as 211 had a length of about four inches . the length of the slider piece 200 was about 9 . 1 inches while its slideway including clearance space 221 was about 10 . 2 inches , the slider piece 200 being longitudinally shiftable over a distance of about one inch against the action of spring 194 . to fasten the terminal module 114 with the open frame 111 , the open frame is provided with four integral tabs such as 231 , fig1 , having internally threaded sleeves for receiving screws such as 232 , fig9 and 10 . as can be seen in fig7 and 10 , a sealing strip 240 extends about the perimeter of the two openings in the frame 111 with a downturned integral edge 241 of the terminal module 114 being held in sealing relation against the seal strip 240 continuously about the perimeter of the terminal module . referring to fig8 and 10 , the paper tray module 180 has bosses such as 250 ( fig8 ), 251 ( fig1 ) and 252 ( fig8 and 10 ) at respective corners which receive screws such as 253 , fig1 , threadedly engaged with the frame 111 . in particular , the frame has integral corner tabs such as 254 ( fig8 ), 255 ( fig8 and 10 ) and 256 ( fig1 ) with internally threaded sleeves for receiving the screws such as 253 . as seen in fig9 the paper tray module includes a pair of integral retaining fingers 261 , 262 for receiving a battery pack 263 for use during portable operation . a printed circuit board 264 , fig7 occupying a left marginal region of the paper tray 112 may have a plug - in type receptacle thereon adjacent finger 261 , fig9 for receiving input direct current operating power from the battery pack . in the illustrated embodiment the control panel 118 includes an apertured structural member 270a which is an integral part of a one - piece printer case 270 of plastic material ( e . g . cycolac kjw , borg warner ) the case is of generally open rectangular configuration and overlies four elements of the frame 111 ( corresponding to frame elements 21 , 22 , 23 , 25 , fig2 ). the case 270 includes a rectangular perimeter 271 , fig1 , which continuously sealingly engages the sealing strip 240 . the frame 111 includes an integral crosspiece 280 , fig1 , with integral tab portions such as 281 , fig1 , having threaded sleeves to which overlying flanges such as 282 ( fig9 and 10 ) and 283 ( fig9 ) of the printer case 270 are secured by means of screws such as 284 . corner tabs 254 and 255 , fig8 of the frame 111 are threadably engaged with corner flange parts 287 ( fig8 - 10 ) and 288 ( fig8 and 9 ) as indicated by screw 291 , fig9 and 10 . the printer case 270 is provided with integral inwardly projecting ribs at opposite sides thereof which define printer module mounting means 301 , 302 , fig9 and 10 . the purpose of mounting means 301 , 302 is explained in detail hereafter in reference to fig1 . as seen in fig1 , each of the mounting means includes a vertical guide channel such as 301a connecting with an arcuate guide channel such as 301b . as seen in fig8 a rear wall element 270b of the printer case 270 has a series of five notches leaving exposed ledges such as 311 which interengage with hook parts integral with vertical ribs such as 312 , fig1 . this provides for a hinged coupling of the rear wall 117b of cover 117 with the rear wall 270b of the printer case , the frontal edge of cover 117 having a series of cam hooks such as 314 which can be snapped into engagement with an edge 315 of the printer case 270 . when the cover 117 is opened , it can be completely removed by pulling the integral hooks of ribs 312 forwardly out of the notches 310 . the rear wall element 270b , fig1 , has a sealing strip 320 secured thereon which engages with a lower edge of cover wall 117b when the cover 117 is in closed position . the cover 117 has a further sealing strip 321 which together with sealing strip 320 extends along the entire closure perimeter of the cover 117 . a clear soft plastic strip 330 may be secured in a recess 331 , fig6 e . g by means of adhesive at 332 , fig1 , so that a flap 330a of strip 330 normally covers the paper outlet slot 117a while still allowing paper to be fed therefrom during printing operation . fig1 shows a printer module 350 interengaged with the printer case 270 . in particular the printer module is provided with a generally u - shaped pivot frame 351 of pressed metal which adapts various commercially available printer mechanisms such as 352 to the printer case 270 . the pivot frame 351 has upstanding lateral flanges such as 351a each of which carries a pivot shaft with a disk 355 which fits into a conforming receiving slot such as indicated at 356 , fig1 , of the printer module mounting means 301 , 302 , fig9 . a limit pin 360 , fig1 , of each pivot frame lateral flange is of lesser diameter than disk 355 so as to be freely movable in the vertical channel 301a and in the arcuate channel 301b , fig1 . the pivot frame 351 of the printer module 350 is further provided with a pair of longitudinally extending flanges such as 351b which carry rotary latch mechanisms 361 . the latch mechanisms each include a sleeve 362 which has an extended position as indicated in dot dash outline at 362 - 1 and which is shiftable against the action of a compression spring 364 as the printer module pivots clockwise as shown in fig1 from the inactive position 350 - 1 to the position shown in solid lines at 350 . as the sleeve 362 retracts a bar - shaped lug 366 moves through a conforming elongated slot such as 367 in a tab such as 288 , fig9 . when lug 366 reaches a position below the tab 288 , a camming action may cause the lug 366 to rotate slightly and interlock with the tab . to release the lug 366 , the printer module is rocked slightly in the clockwise direction against the action of spring 364 , whereupon the lug 366 is realigned with its slot 367 to allow counterclockwise pivotal movement of the printer module to position 350 - 1 . an exemplary push - release arrangement of this type is shown in detail in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 862 , 773 issued jan . 28 , 1975 . the pivot frame 350 further includes a central curved extension 351c disposed between the longitudinal flanges 351b and providing a smooth paper guide face 370 which forms part of a paper feed path 371 . when the printer module is pivoted to position 350 - 1 , the paper path may be extended as indicated at 371 - 1 . fig1 - 14 show an ac adapter module 400 which is readily applied to the portable version of fig6 - 11 in place of foot member 130 for this purpose , the module 400 is provided with internally threaded sleeves at 401 - 403 so as to be aligned with respective apertures such as that receiving screw 141 , fig8 . the frame module of fig1 and 14 may be identical to the frame module 111 of fig6 - 11 so that the same reference numeral has been applied in fig1 and 14 , the aperture 410 , fig1 , being covered by the foot member 130 in fig6 - 11 . the adapter module 400 may have a pair of flat raised parts such as 400a , fig1 , for resting stably on a flat surface with the handle uppermost . the module 400 has external closure walls 411 - 416 and butts against frame element 121 so as to provide a first chamber 421 open only at an end 421a , and a second chamber 422 closed at both ends by walls 414 and 416 . a power cord 430 includes a coiled section 430a stored in chamber 421 and fur & amp ; her section 430b extending in chamber 422 . an inner end portion 430c of the power cord extends from chamber 422 to a central chamber 433 and then through aperture 410 , fig1 , in frame 111 and into the interior of the portable device . the ac power may be supplied to a suitable power supply circuit within the portable device . alternatively the power supply circuit may be located within chamber 422 , for example . as shown in fig1 and 14 , a conventional power plug 440 is affixed at the outer end of the power cord and when not in use may be engaged in slots 441 in a closure wall 416a at the adjacent end of chamber 422 . when the power cord 430 is to be connected with commercial ac power , the plug 440 is disengaged from the slots 441 in wall 416a , and the coiled section 430a withdrawn as far as necessary from chamber 421 through the open end 421a . fig1 and 16 show a non - portable version 500 which may be constructed primarily from the same components as the portable version of fig6 - 11 . in fig1 and 16 , the frame module 111 may be identical to frame module 111 of fig6 - 14 and receive the same reference numerals . in fig1 and 16 , the printer case is identical to the case 270 of fig6 - 11 and has the same reference numeral applied thereto . since the printer case 270 , fig1 has been reversed in its receiving space of frame 111 , the frame side walls 121 and 123 are to the right and left relative to the control panel 118 which is considered to be at the front of the device . in fig1 , printer cover 117 and paper outlet slot 117a are identical , but are of reversed orientation along with the printer module and printer case 270 . in fig1 and 16 , the receptacle for the terminal module 114 simply receives a cover plate 510 , while in place of foot member 130 , fig7 the frame module 111 receives a terminal side bracket 520 , which secures to the frame in the same manner as foot member 130 , fig8 or ac module 400 , fig1 . the terminal side bracket 520 receives a terminal module 114 identical to that of fig7 . reference numerals 150 , 152 and 222 are applied in fig1 and have been explained in relation to fig7 and 9 . the aperture 410 , fig1 , in the frame module 111 is of a size and location to accommodate the cable 160 , fig7 optionally for the case of the embodiment of fig1 and 16 . the paper tray module of fig1 and 16 may correspond with the paper tray module 112 of fig7 and 8 , but may be of substantially greater depth so that paper bin 180 - 1 of fig1 may accommodate a substantially greater number of paper sheets , e . g . two hundred paper sheets instead of fifty . in each of the embodiments of fig6 - 11 and 15 and 16 , the printer module 350 , fig1 , may be completely removed from the unit by vertically aligning limit pin 360 under disk 355 , fig1 , and then lifting module 350 vertically so that pin 360 trave ) s upwardly along channel 301a as the disk is lifted from its receiving recess 356 , fig9 and 10 . the electrical connections may be of the pin and socket type so as to readily severed , and readily reestablished . fig1 is an exploded view showing anew snap lock type docking module 800 for association with the remaining parts of the modular printer system of fig6 - 16 . fig1 shows the following parts identical to those of fig6 - 16 : ______________________________________element of fig1 location in fig6 - 16______________________________________frame 111 fig7 and 15paper tray module 112 fig6 frame elements 121 , 123 fig6 foot member 130 fig7 handle member 140 fig6 fastening elements 141 , 142 fig8 paper bin 180 fig8 tabs 231 fig1 screws 232 fig1 bosses 250 , 251 fig8 and 10screws 253 fig1 corner tabs 255 fig8 retaining fingers 261 , 262 fig9 printed circuit board 264 fig7 crosspiece 280 fig1 ______________________________________ fig1 shows a somewhat diagrammatic exploded perspective view of the terminal docking module 800 . the docking module has a series of spring contact fingers 801 mounted by means of printed circuit board 802 . the spring fingers may be arranged as shown in pending u . s . patent application ser . no . 07 / 327 , 660 filed mar . 23 , 1989 , so as to engage with the contact pads ( 94 , fig5 of incorporated u . s . patent application ser . no . 07 / 347 , 602 ). a connector 805 and ribbon cable 806 , fig1 , provide electrically conductive paths between the spring fingers 801 and associated paths on board 802 , and printed circuit board 264 , fig1 . ribbon cable 807 , fig1 , leads from printed circuit board 264 to the controller for the printer which is mounted at 301 , fig1 . by way of example , for an embodiment of portable briefcase printer , the cable 806 may be a sixteen conductor ribbon cable having a length of twenty inches , and serving both for power and data input / output . a similar cable of greater length may be used when module 800 is mounted in a vehicle remote from the printer . a cover member 810 , fig1 , is secured to module base 811 , and provides an overhanging lip at 812 , fig1 , for retaining the lower end of a terminal . at the opposite end of module base 811 , a latch part 820 , fig1 , is mounted for pivotal movement on a latch mounting bracket 821 . the bracket 821 may have a pair of spaced flanges such as 822 with aligned openings such as 823 which mount trunnions such as 825 of the latch 820 . a torsion spring 830 acts on the latch to urge a mechanical sensor foot part 831 , fig1 , of the latch into the space to be occupied by the upper end of a terminal such as 10 as it is pivoted downwardly into the receptacle 832 of the docking module . engagement of the terminal with mechanical sensor 831 causes the latch 820 to pivot until a latch spring 835 , fig1 , snaps upwardly to engage a bend 836 thereof behind a cooperative ledge 837 of the latch . an extension 838 of the spring 835 limits the upward movement of the spring and retains the bend 836 in blocking relationship to ledge 837 preventing reverse pivoting of the latch . the latch 820 is thus locked in an angular position wherein a projection 840 thereof overlies the terminal receiving space and securely retains the terminal in receptacle 832 . even dropping of a portable printer will not cause release of the terminal from the receptacle since the latch 820 is securely locked in the retaining angular position . a latch release button 842 is secured to latch spring 835 and may be manually depressed to depress bend 836 and disengage it from ledge 837 whereupon torsion spring 830 returns sensor foot 831 to its initial position , partly lifting the terminal out of receptacle 832 . the latch button 842 protrudes through aperture 844 , fig1 , of a trim plate 845 so as to be accessible for manual depression to release the latch . by way of example , the latch spring 835 may be formed from a strip of type 304 stainless steel , cold rolled , 0 . 015 inch thick ( no . 28 gauge ) and 0 . 875 inch wide . the bend 836 may form an angle of seventy - five degrees with the plane of the latch spring main body portion 835a , fig1 , so that the ledge 837 is captured at the bend 836 . by way of example the height of bend 836 measured normal to the plane of body portion 835a , fig1 , may be 0 . 22 inch . portion 835a may have a length of 1 . 844 inches and extension 838 may have a length of more than 0 . 2 inch where the overall length measured parallel to the plane of body portion 835a ( fig1 ) is 2 . 00 inch . the dimension from fixed end 835b to the screw location indicated at 850 is 0 . 927 inch . the values 0 . 927 , 2 . 00 and 1 . 844 were changed to these values from former values of 0 . 957 , 2 . 2125 and 1 . 913 , respectively . fig2 is a diagrammatic illustration of data flow between the printer and the terminal for fig6 - 16 and 17 - 19 . in fig2 , a secondary controller and interface means 900 ( e . g . a type 78c10 printer controller with interface circuitry ) is indicated at the right . the interface circuitry accommodates three switch selectable protocols as described in section 8 . 0 of appendix b . the controller 900 is programmed for operation as a secondary as described in appendix c , e . g . at section 4 . 4 . 9 secondary state machine , and section 6 . 0 printer presentation layer . in particular it is to be noted that with the protocol according to the present invention , the secondary controller 900 when the printer finishes printing the print line or lines in a print command , returns a response with the same sequence number so that the terminal is advised as to which print lines are actually printed . as represented in fig2 , the signals txd , dtr , rts , rxd and cts may be coupled e . g . via flexible cable 807 , fig1 , to the printed circuit board 264 . the signal paths on the printed circuit board are indicated at 907 , fig2 . the ribbon cable 806 , fig1 , is indicated in fig2 , and leads to the 15 pin d - sub connector 164 , fig7 and 10 , or to the spring fingers such as 801 , fig1 , a docking means such as 114 , fig6 and 15 , or 800 , fig1 - 19 , being indicated at 908 , fig2 . a primary controller is indicated at 910 , fig2 , and may be implemented as described in appendix c . thus the primary controller 910 may be part of a portable data device means 912 . the electrical interface is described in section 2 . 2 . 2 . 2 of appendix b . a braided power ground strap 912 , fig1 , may connect with the power ground terminal of connector 154 , fig7 and 10 , or to the power ground spring contact of contacts 801 , fig1 . in prior art van mounted printers , communication with a data source such as a hand - held data capture terminal was limited such that it was possible for the printer to fail to print a line or more of data without alerting the terminal . such printers could acknowledge receipt of a line of data from the hand - held data capture terminal , but there was no provision for a feedback signal to the hand - held data capture terminal to signify that a particular data line had actually been printed . thus , where the printer accumulated several lines of data in a buffer memory , and the operator then inadvertently turned off the printer , such lines of data could be lost and not actually printed . similarly , if the vehicle engine was started causing a power spike , actual printing of data in the buffer might fail to occur without any feedback notification to the terminal . appendix b gives the product specification for a commercial version of the modular printer system . section 6 . 5 of appendix b describes the connector providing signals between the host and the printer controller . the electrical interface is further described in appendix b in section 2 . 2 . 2 . 2 . a special communications protocol termed &# 34 ; npcp &# 34 ; ( part b ) is described in section 8 . 1 of appendix b , and in appendix c , and a complete specification for this &# 34 ; npcp &# 34 ; protocol is given in appendix d . it will be apparent that many modifications and variations may be made without departing from the scope of the teachings and concepts of the present invention . ## spc1 ##

US-54929890-A

disclosed is an optical data storage device having a reversible , phase change data storage medium formed of 1 - x x , where x is from 0 . 18 to 0 . 43 .

according to the invention described herein , there is provided a projected beam storage device having a data storage medium switchable between detectable states by the application of projected beam energy thereto . fig1 and 2 show a projected beam data storage device 1 having a substrate , for example a plastic substrate 11 , a first encapsulating dielectric layer 21 , for example a first germanium oxide encapsulating layer , the herein contemplated chalcogenide compound data storage medium layer 31 , a second dielectric layer 41 , e . g ., a second germanium oxide layer 41 , and a second substrate , e . g ., plastic substrate 51 . fig2 shows a section of the data storage device 1 of fig1 in greater detail . as there shown , the substrate 11 is a polymeric sheet , for example a polymethyl methacrylate sheet . the substrate 11 is an optically invariant , optically isotropic , transparent sheet . the preferred thickness is of from about 1 mm to about 1 . 5 mm . atop the substrate 11 is a film , sheet , or layer 13 , e . g ., a photoinitiated , polymerized acrylic sheet . polymerized , molded , injection molded , or cast into the polymeric sheet 13 may be grooves . when grooves are present they may have a thickness from about 500 to about 1000 angstroms . the film , sheet , or layer 13 may act as an adhesive , holding the substrate 11 to the encapsulants . it has a thickness of from about 30 to about 200 microns and preferably from about 50 to about 100 microns . deposited atop the photo - polymerized sheet 13 is a dielectric barrier layer 21 . the dielectric barrier layer 21 , for example , of germanium oxide , is from about 500 to about 2000 angstroms thick . preferably it has a thickness of 1030 angstroms and an optical thickness of one - quarter times the laser wavelength times the index of refraction of the material forming the dielectric layer 21 . the dielectric barrier layer 21 has one or more functions . it serves to prevent oxidizing agents from getting to the chalcogen active layer 31 and prevents the plastic substrate from deforming due to local heating of the chalcogenide layer 31 , e . g ., during recording or erasing . the barrier layer 21 also serves as an anti - reflective coating , increasing the optical sensitivity of the chalcogenide active layer 31 . other dielectrics may provide the encapsulating layers 21 , 41 . for example , the encapsulating layers may be silicon nitride , layered or graded to avoid diffusion of silicon into the chalcogenide layer 31 . alternatively , the encapsulating dielectric layers 21 , 41 may be silica , alumina , silicon nitride , or other dielectric . the chalcogenide compound data storage medium behaves as a miscible solid solution of the telluride and the selenide . that is , the selenide and the telluride are substantially capable of being mixed in substantially all proportions , e . g ., a single phase , in both the crystalline and the amorphous states . the telluride - selenide chalcogenide compounds are telluride - selenides of one or more group vb elements , i . e ., one or more as , sb , or bi . especially preferred is the telluride - selenide of antimony , ( sb 2 te 3 ) 1 - x ( sb 2 se 3 ) x . the value of x is determined by the balance of the switching speed ( crystallization time or erase time ), and the crystallization temperature . as shown in fig3 the switching speed is a relative minumum in the vicinity of x between 0 . 18 and 0 . 43 , with values of x from 0 . 20 to 0 . 35 yielding the fastest erase times . as further shown in fig3 the crystallization temperature increases with increasing selenium content . thus , for archival stability higher selenium contents are indicated . preferably the crystallization temperature is above 120 degrees centigrade , e . g . up to 200 degrees centigrade or even higher . the switching times of the ( sb 2 te 3 ) 1 - x ( sb 2 se 3 ) x , especially when x is from about 0 . 2 to about 0 . 35 result in an erase ( crystallization ) time of less than 0 . 5 microseconds . this permits the use of a circular laser beam spot for erasing rather than the elliptical laser beam erase spot of prior art materials . as a result , erasure can be accomplished simultaneously with writing by single beam overwrite . the chalcogenide compound data storage medium 31 has an optical thickness of one half of the laser wavelength times the index of refraction of the data storage material , i . e ., about 800 angstroms . atop the chalcogenide layer 31 and in contact with the opposite surface thereof is a second dielectric layer 41 , e . g ., a germanium oxide layer . the second dielectric layer 41 may , but need not be of equal thickness as the first layer 21 . preferably it has a thickness of one half times the laser wavelength times the index of refraction . a second photopolymer layer 49 and a second substrate layer 51 may be in contact with the opposite surface of the encapsulating layer 41 , alternatively an air sandwich structure may be utilized . the polyacrylate layers 13 , 49 , are cast or molded in place . these layers 13 , 49 can be photo - polymerized in place , e . g ., by the application of ultra - violet light . the barrier layers 21 , 41 , are deposited , by evaporation , for example , of germanium and germanium oxide materials , or by sputtering , including reactive sputtering where the oxygen content of the reactive gas used in reactive sputtering is controlled . the chalcogenide film 31 may be prepared by evaporation , or by sputtering , or by chemical vapor deposition . while the invention has been described with respect to certain preferred exemplifications and embodiments thereof it is not intended to be bound thereby but solely by the claims appended hereto .

US-6464587-A

the present invention relates to the field of semiconductor integrated circuits and , in particular , to capacitor arrays formed over the bit line of an integrated circuit substrate . the present invention provides a method for forming stacked capacitors , in which a plurality of patterned capacitor outlines , or walls , are formed over the bit line of a semiconductor device . in one aspect of the invention , spacers are formed on the patterned capacitor outlines and become part of the cell poly after being covered with cell nitride . in another aspect , the spacers are formed of a material capable of being etched back , such as titanium nitride . in another aspect , a metal layer is patterned and annealed to a polysilicon layer to form a mask for a capacitor array , and subsequently etched to form the array .

in the following detailed description , reference is made to various specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced . these embodiments are described with sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention , and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be employed , and that structural and electrical changes may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention . the term “ substrate ” used in the following description may include any semiconductor - based structure that has a semiconductor surface . the term should be understood to include silicon , silicon - on - insulator ( soi ), silicon - on - sapphire ( sos ), silicon - on - nothing ( son ), doped and undoped semiconductors , epitaxial layers of silicon supported by a base semiconductor foundation , and other semiconductor structures . the semiconductor need not be silicon - based . the semiconductor could be silicon - germanium , germanium , or gallium arsenide . when reference is made to a “ substrate ” in the following description , previous process steps may have been utilized to form regions or junctions in or on the base semiconductor or foundation . referring now to the drawings , where like elements are designated by like reference numerals , fig1 depicts a portion of a memory cell construction for a dram at an intermediate stage of the fabrication , in which stacked capacitors are to be formed in accordance with the present invention . a pair of memory cell access transistors 33 are formed within and over a doped well 13 of a substrate 12 . the well may be a p - well or n - well depending on the type of transistor 33 . the well 13 and the pair of transistors 33 are surrounded by a trench isolation region 14 that provides isolation . n - type active regions 16 are provided in the doped p - type well 13 of substrate 12 ( for nmos transistors ) and the pair of access transistors have respective gate stacks 30 . the gate stacks 30 include an oxide layer 18 , a conductive layer 20 , such as a doped polysilicon layer with tungsten silicide on it , nitride sidewall spacers 32 , and a nitride cap 22 . additional stacks 31 may also be formed for use in performing self aligned contact etches to form conductive plugs 50 , 50 a for capacitor structures in the region between stacks 30 , 31 . the details of these steps are well - known in the art and are not described in detail herein . polysilicon plugs 50 , 50 a ( fig1 ) are formed in a contact opening of a first insulating layer 24 , to directly connect to a source or drain region 16 of the semiconductor device . the first insulating layer 24 could be , for example , borophosphosilicate glass ( bpsg ), borosilicate glass ( bsg ), or phosphosilicate glass ( psg ). once the polysilicon plugs 50 , 50 a are formed , the whole structure , including the substrate 12 with the gate stacks 30 , the first insulating layer 24 and the polysilicon plugs 50 , 50 a is cmp polished to provide a planarized surface . at this point , a second insulating layer 25 , which can be of the same material as that of the first insulating layer 24 , is deposited over the first insulating layer 24 and the polysilicon plugs 50 , 50 a . a contact opening or via is etched over the polysilicon plug 50 a and a conductive layer or inter - connection layer 55 is then deposited and patterned to connect to polysilicon plug 50 a , as illustrated in fig1 . the inter - connection layer 55 functions as a digit line . the digit line is made of , for example , a polysilicon , titanium nitride , or a tungsten material with a nitride cap . referring now to fig2 a third insulative layer 60 is formed over the inter - connection layer 55 . the third insulative layer 60 could be , for example , bpsg , bsg , or psg . the polysilicon plugs 50 , that are not in contact with the digit line 55 , are made to extend through the third insulative layer 60 . the contact holes for the polysilicon plugs in layer 60 are made using conventional photolithographic techniques and plasma etching . for example , the etching can be carried out in a reactive ion etcher ( rie ) using an etchant gas mixture containing fluorine , such as c 5 f 8 , c 4 f 8 , chf 3 , co , o 2 , and ar . a layer of conductively doped polysilicon is deposited over layer 60 to fill the contact holes and provide conductive plugs 61 , and subsequently etched back to expose layer 60 . the conductive plugs 61 are electrically isolated from the digit line 55 , for example , by nitride spacers ( not shown ). the details of these steps are well - known in the art and other methods may be used . next , an etch stop layer 64 is deposited over the third insulative layer 60 . the etch stop layer 64 could be , for example , a nitride , or another dielectric etch stop layer . a thick layer 68 of bpsg , or other insulative material , is then deposited over the etch stop layer 64 . the layer 68 of bpsg is etchably different from the etch stop layer 64 . on top of layer 68 , a layer 70 of polysilicon is deposited . layers 68 and 70 are also substantially etchably different . one patterning option for forming capacitors of the present invention is to create alternating polysilicon rectangles in the polysilicon layer 70 . this can be accomplished , for example , by patterning with resist and etching the polysilicon layer 70 to form a square or rectangular checker board pattern . this etching step etches through the polysilicon layer 70 but stops at the bpsg layer 68 . the result of this etching step is a checker board pattern of square polysilicon blocks 70 c , as illustrated in fig3 and 4 . alternatively , the patterning can be used to create an alternating pattern of rectangular shaped blocks , or oval shaped blocks , illustrated by dashed lines 70 d and 70 e , respectively , in fig4 . next , sidewall spacers 80 are formed on the sidewalls of alternating square , rectangular , or oval blocks 70 c , 70 d and 70 e , as shown in fig5 and 6 . the spacers 80 are formed by depositing a polysilicon layer over the polysilicon blocks 70 c , 70 d , or 70 e ( hereinafter collectively referred to as “ blocks 70 c ”), and subsequently anisotropically etching to provide a plurality of sidewall spacers 80 on all vertical surfaces of alternating blocks 70 c . collectively , the sidewall spacers 80 and polysilicon blocks 70 c define an array of structure profiles which will be transferred into at least one of the underlying layers . in another patterning option , the square , rectangular , or oval checker board pattern of fig5 and 6 can be printed with photoresist onto the bpsg layer 68 . blocks 70 c and spacers 80 would be comprised of photoresist . with this option , the minimum corner to corner spacing between the photoresist square or rectangular blocks would have to be maintained without bridging . next , with reference to fig7 the bpsg layer 68 is selectively and anisotropically etched down to the nitride etch stop layer 64 to form bpsg blocks 68 a . care should be taken during this step to overetch enough to clear the bpsg material out from between the corners of the blocks to prevent possible cell node to cell node shorts . the polysilicon spacers 80 and remaining polysilicon blocks 70 c ( or 80 and 70 c comprised of photoresist ) are then selectively removed by suitable methods such as chemical - mechanical polish ( cmp ), or wet or dry etching , which are well known in the art . referring now to fig8 and 9 , a spacer 90 is deposited on the vertical walls of the bpsg blocks 68 a . the spacer 90 must be wide enough to bridge together at the corners of bpsg blocks 68 to isolate individual squares , rectangles , or ovals in order to prevent the possibility of cell node to cell node shorts . the width w of spacer 90 should be greater than distance d of fig6 . the spacer 90 material is preferably either titanium nitride , polysilicon , or another material etchably different from the bpsg blocks 68 a . the spacer 90 material may also comprise platinum . alternatively , the material for blocks 68 a ( material layer 68 ) can comprise any material that is etchably different from the spacer material 90 . the material 68 can be chosen to be a material that may remain on the periphery of the integrated circuit without the need to remove it during subsequent process steps . the bpsg blocks 68 a are then selectively etched away down to the nitride etch stop layer 64 , shown in fig1 , preferably using a wet etch leaving the spacers 90 intact . the periphery is covered with resist during this step to prevent removal of bpsg from other areas . at this point the spacers 90 are in the form of a square , rectangular , or oval honeycomb pattern . thereafter , as shown in fig1 , the etch stop layer 64 is selectively etched or otherwise removed using spacers 90 as a pattern utilizing techniques well known in the art . if the spacer material used for spacers 90 is titanium nitride and it is desirable to increase its thickness , another layer of titanium nitride 90 a is deposited over existing spacers 90 and spacer etched , as seen in fig1 . alternatively , titanium nitride can be deposited in one step in a layer of sufficient thickness approximately equal to layer 90 and the two layers 90 a . during this etching process the portions of newly deposited titanium nitride spacer 90 a covering the insulative layer 60 are overetched so as to expose a direct electrical contact with polysilicon plugs 61 . next , with reference to fig1 , a hemispherical grain ( hsg ) polysilicon 92 is deposited over the spacers 90 and 90 a , and exposed polysilicon plugs 61 . this rough polysilicon layer 92 forms the cell node of a capacitor . the rough hsg layer 92 increases the surface area of the storage node which improves the cell &# 39 ; s capacitance . the upper portion of the hsg layer 92 is then removed by chemical - mechanical polish ( cmp ) or dry etching , as well known in the art , to isolate the top portion of the titanium nitride layers , designated by reference numeral 94 . the titanium nitride 90 , 90 a is then selectively removed by etching with a piranha ( sulfuric / hydrogen peroxide ) process , or other selective etch process , to isolate the containers 93 formed by the remaining hsg layer , as shown in fig1 . then , as well known in the art , a cell nitride dielectric and a capacitor upper electrode may be deposited to form capacitors in the containers 93 . for example , as noted , hemispherical grain ( hsg ) polysilicon 92 can be deposited to form the bottom cell plate of the capacitor , followed by deposition of a dielectric layer such as a nitride , followed by deposition of an upper electrode . referring back to fig8 if the spacer material used for spacers 90 is polysilicon , then a thin layer of silicon nitride 90 b is deposited over the polysilicon spacers 90 , as shown in fig1 . then , referring to fig1 , a layer of polysilicon 90 c is deposited over the silicone nitride layer 90 b . the polysilicon layer 90 c is anisotropically etched along with the layer of silicon nitride 90 b , etch stop layer 64 , and an upper portion of insulating layer 60 to define containers 91 , as shown in fig1 . during this etching process the portions of newly deposited polysilicon layer 90 c covering the etch stop layer 64 are overetched so as to expose a direct electrical contact with polysilicon plugs 61 . hemispherical grain ( hsg ) polysilicon 92 is then deposited over the spacers 90 , 90 b , and 90 c , and exposed polysilicon plugs 61 . the containers 91 are then filled with photoresist and the hsg layer 92 is removed by chemical - mechanical polish ( cmp ) or dry etching to expose the horizontal surfaces of layers 90 , 90 b , and 90 c , as shown in fig1 . then , as well known in the art , cell nitride and an upper capacitor electrode may be deposited to form capacitors in the containers 91 , as discussed above . during subsequent processing steps , electrical connections may established between an upper capacitor electrode and polysilicon spacer 90 , to enable the spacer to become part of the cell plate of the capacitor . another way to form capacitors , utilizing the disclosed patterning techniques , is by utilizing the above disclosed structures of fig1 and 18 with barriers , metal electrodes , and cell plates with dielectrics having high dielectric constants . for example , with reference to fig1 , a metal insulator silicon ( mis ) capacitor can be formed as follows . an ammonia anneal is performed on the wafer to nitridize the surface of the hsg polysilicon 92 . thereafter , if the sidewall spacers 90 ( fig1 - 14 ) are titanium nitride spacers , a cell dielectric layer 95 , such as tantalum pentoxide ( ta 2 o 5 ), is deposited over the polysilicon surface 92 . a cell plate of titanium nitride 97 is deposited over the dielectric layer 95 . a layer of polysilicon 99 is then deposited over layer 97 to prevent oxidation of the titanium nitride layer 97 during subsequent steps such as deposition of bpsg . in the above example , if the sidewall spacers 90 are polysilicon spacers ( fig1 , 15 - 18 ), then ta 2 o 5 is substituted for silicon nitride in layer 90 b of fig1 . another way of forming capacitors in the present invention is by forming metal insulator metal ( mim ) capacitor structures . with reference to fig2 , after conductively doped polysilicon is deposited over layer 60 to fill the contact holes and provide conductive plugs 61 , the polysilicon is overetched so that the plugs 61 are recessed below the surface of the layer 60 . a layer of conductive barrier material 101 , such as tantalum nitride or tantalum silicon nitride , is deposited over the layer 60 and subsequently removed by etching or cmp to expose the layer 60 and the conductive barrier layer 101 on top of the plugs 61 . thereafter , layers 64 , 68 , and 70 are deposited and patterned as discussed above . if the sidewall spacers 90 are titanium nitride spacers , the conductive barrier layer 101 is exposed during the etching steps described above , as shown in fig2 . thereafter , with reference to fig2 and 23 , a layer of platinum 103 is deposited over the titanium nitride sidewall spacers 90 ( or 90 and 90 a ). platinum cell nodes are then electrically isolated by filling with resist , and the top surfaces of spacers 90 ( or 90 and 90 a ) are exposed by dry etching , or cmp , to remove the portion of the platinum layer 103 covering the spacers . then , the spacers 90 ( or 90 and 90 a ) are removed as described above . the resist covering the platinum cell nodes is also subsequently removed . the mim capacitor is formed , with reference to fig2 , by depositing a dielectric layer 105 having a high dielectric constant , such as ta 2 o 5 or bst , over layer 103 . then a platinum cell plate 107 is deposited over dielectric layer 105 . the platinum material in layers 103 and 107 may be substituted with other suitable materials , for example , ruthenium oxide , rhodium , or platinum rhodium . where the sidewall spacers 90 are not titanium nitride spacers , such as polysilicon sidewall spacers described above , the mim capacitors are formed as follows . with reference to fig1 , 16 , and 17 , a sidewall spacer made of platinum is deposited as sidewall spacer 90 , instead of a polysilicon spacer . then , a ta 2 o 5 or barium strontium titanate ( bst ) dielectric , or another high dielectric constant dielectric , is deposited as layer 90 b . a platinum layer is deposited as layer 90 c . the mim capacitor structure is then completed as follows . with reference to fig2 , a platinum cell node layer 107 is deposited , and the cell nodes are filled with resist . thereafter , the platinum cell node layer 107 is etched back to electrically isolate each cell capacitor , exposing the tops of spacers 90 , 90 b , and 90 c , and the resist is removed from the cell nodes . the cell node layer 107 is electrically isolated from spacers 90 and neighboring cell nodes , as shown in fig2 . a ta 2 o 5 cell dielectric layer 108 is then deposited over cell nodes 107 and exposed spacers 90 , 90 b , and 90 c . a platinum cell plate 109 is deposited over the dielectric layer 108 . in subsequent processing steps , cell plate 109 can be electrically connected to the spacer ( s ) 90 . this can be accomplished , for example , by forming contact holes through layers 108 and 109 to the spacer ( s ) 90 using a reactive ion etching process , as described above . the contact holes could then be filled with a conductive material to electrically connect the spacer ( s ) 90 to the cell plate 109 . the aforementioned connections can be made at the edges of memory arrays , thereby making spacer ( s ) 90 part of the cell plate of the capacitor . in another embodiment of the present invention , the square or rectangular block honeycomb sidewall pattern can be achieved by silicide patterning . with reference to fig2 , a structure is formed according to methods well known in the art , and as discussed above , having a digit line 55 , and cell node plugs 61 , having contacts rising above the digit line 55 , in a layer 60 , which may be bpsg . a conductive barrier layer 101 , as shown fig2 , may be formed if so required by the resulting capacitor structure . a layer 164 consisting of nitride is deposited over layer 60 . a thick layer 168 of phosphosilicate glass ( psg ) or bpsg is deposited over layer 164 . on top of layer 168 is deposited a layer 170 of polysilicon , and a layer 174 of teos . a layer of patterned photoresist 72 is formed over the teos layer 174 , as shown in fig2 and 28 , to define a first series of trenches 74 . with reference to fig2 , the patterned photoresist 72 is used to etch trenches 175 in the teos layer 174 . the trenches 175 are etched over every other row of the cell node polysilicon plugs 61 , and the etching is down to and stops at the polysilicon layer 170 . the photoresist 72 is subsequently removed . as shown in fig3 , another layer of patterned photoresist 76 is deposited to define a second series of trenches 77 that are perpendicular to the trenches 175 etched into the teos layer 174 . reference numeral 70 a represents rows of the teos layer , beneath the photoresist 76 , that have not been etched ( covered by photoresist 72 in the prior etching step ). the second series of photoresist rows run over every other line of cell node polysilicon plugs 61 . the second series of photoresist trenches are used to etch trenches in polysilicon layer 170 in a two step etch . the first step etch is a selective anisotropic etch through the exposed polysilicon layer 170 . then , a selective oxide etch is performed to remove the teos layer 174 from the polysilicon layer 170 . this etch is performed down into the bpsg or psg layer 168 . therefore , subsequent to etching the second row of trenches , remaining portions of the teos layer 174 are removed from the top the polysilicon layer 170 by an oxide etch or another suitable method , as seen in fig3 . the effect of etching the two transverse series of trenches is illustrated in fig3 , and forms a block checker board pattern . the resulting structure is comprised of an array of trenches , or an alternating square , rectangular , or oval checker pattern having higher elevations of teos layer areas 70 c , and intermediate elevations of polysilicon 70 b . fig3 also shows the underlying layer of bpsg 168 . the alternating square or rectangular checker pattern is comprised of three different elevations due to the two separate etching steps : some portions have been etched twice ( down to the bpsg layer 168 ), some portions once , forming areas 70 b , and other portions not etched at all , forming areas 70 c . alternatively , the aforementioned techniques can be used to form alternating oval structures ( not shown ). the above steps used to form the alternating block pattern are discussed in detail in u . s . pat . no . 6 , 087 , 263 , the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference . referring now to fig3 , a metal layer 178 is deposited over the top surface of the block pattern . the metal deposited should be one that easily forms a silicide . an exemplary material for metal layer 178 would be titanium , paladium , or tungsten . a silicide is then formed by annealing the metal layer 178 with the polysilicon layer 170 where the two layers are in direct contact . next , with reference to fig3 , a wet etch is used to remove the portions of the metal layer 178 that did not react with the polysilicon layer 170 to form a metal silicide during the annealing step . the remaining metal portion is the silicide metal layer 180 . any remaining teos and polysilicon are subsequently etched away , using any appropriate etching process , thereby leaving behind a silicide block pattern ( checker board pattern ). the silicide blocks 180 are then isotropically etched back so that the silicide blocks do not bridge together at the corners , as illustrated in fig3 and 36 . using the silicide 180 checkerboard block pattern , as illustrated in fig3 , as a mask , the bpsg or psg layer 168 is then selectively and anisotropically etched down to layer 164 consisting of nitride , or another suitable dielectric etch stop layer , as shown in fig3 . thereafter , the silicide blocks 180 are removed either by an etching step or by a chemical - mechanical polish ( cmp ), leaving bpsg square or rectangular blocks 168 over layer 164 . next , with reference to fig3 , a spacer material 182 is deposited over the blocks 168 . the spacer material 182 could be teos , amorphous silicon , polysilicon , titanium nitride , or another material . the spacer material 182 will be chosen by the artisan depending upon the type of capacitor that will be eventually made in the capacitor containers defined by the spacer material 182 . when choosing spacer material 182 , consideration must be given to ensure that the spacer material 182 is etchably different from the block material 168 , thereby enabling subsequent removal of the block material 168 without damaging the spacer material 182 . the spacer material is then spacer etched to create sidewall spacers , as illustrated in fig3 . the bpsg or psg blocks 168 are then removed by an etching process , or other suitable process , leaving a grid of interlocked spacers 182 , as illustrated in fig4 and 41 . the spacers 182 are then covered with layers of materials depending upon the material chosen for the spacers , i . e . titanium nitride or polysilicon , as disclosed above . if the spacer 182 is a amorphous silicon spacer , a process of seeding and annealing the spacer can be performed to form a selective hsg layer , prior to the deposition of the cell nitride layer . the hsg layer will provide the benefit of a greater surface area , resulting in greater capacitance . thereafter , various types of capacitors can be formed in the containers , defined by the interlocked spacers 182 , over the buried digit line 55 . for example , hemispherical grain ( hsg ) polysilicon can be deposited to form the bottom cell plate of the capacitor , followed by a dielectric layer such as a nitride , an then depositing an upper electrode . as disclosed above , mis or mim capacitor structures may also be formed . [ 0083 ] fig4 illustrates a computer system 300 that may incorporate the benefits of the present invention . the system 300 has a memory circuit 321 including a capacitor array 320 constructed in accordance with the present invention . the system 300 includes a central processing unit ( cpu ) 302 for performing computer functions , such as executing software to perform desired tasks and calculations . one or more input / output devices 304 , 306 , such as a keypad or a mouse , are coupled to the cpu 302 and allow an operator to manually input data thereto or to display or otherwise output data generated by the cpu 302 . one or more peripheral devices such as a floppy disk drive 312 or a cd rom drive 314 may also be coupled to the cpu 302 . the computer system 300 also includes a bus 310 that couples the input / output devices 312 , 314 and the memory circuit 321 to the cpu 302 . while exemplary embodiments of the invention have been described and illustrated , it should be apparent that many modifications can be made to the present inventions without departing from its spirit and scope . for example , the above described checker board pattern could be printed on bpsg , psg , or another layer , utilizing photoresist patterning , or other patterning techniques . accordingly the invention is not limited by the foregoing description or drawings , but is only limited by the scope of the appended claims .

US-72549603-A

a method of regenerating n - methyl - d - glu - camine - functional resin that has been used for boron - removal uses a closed recirculating loop for treating the conjugate acid salt of the n - methyl - d - glucamine functionality of the resin . the new method reduces rinse water demand and improves ph control in a water treatment system . the new method can be used to improve the performance of boron - selective resins in stand - alone systems or as a second stage in a reverse osmosis seawater desalination system . the regeneration method is useful in any application where weakly basic anion exchange resin in the conjugate acid salt form is to be regenerated by alkaline treatment . possible end use applications are in drinking water processing , agricultural water treatment , sweetener production , waste water processing , mining hydrometallurgy , and condensate polishing .

the improved conjugate acid salt regeneration method of this comprises adding a regenerating base into a recirculation loop containing fresh water , and passing the resulting basic regeneration solution through the resin with turbulent flow . using the method of this invention , a conjugate acid form of a boron selective resin ( bsr ) can be “ titrated ” such that its resin &# 39 ; s volume change is minimal , without degrading the kinetic response to boron . the direction of the turbulent through the weakly basic anion exchange resin , in the conjugate acid salt form , can be in an up - flow fluidized bed fashion , or in a down - flow fashion at relatively rapid flow rates . in contrast to plug - flow resin regeneration , the method of this invention provides for accurate neutralization , to any desired degree , of the entire bed of resin . the method of this invention includes use of a closed loop , where a column containing the weakly basic anion exchange resins in the conjugate acid form . by closed loop , i mean that the recirculating loop is temporarily shut off from the water treatment systems . typically this means that the input to and discharge from the column will be shut off from the water treatment system . the loop then contains a pumping means to recirculate regenerating solution through the resin , and a means of adding a regenerating base to the regenerating solution . the pumping means includes any fluid pump made with materials that can withstand the ph of the caustic solution , and which can move fluid through the resin - filled column quickly enough to generate turbulent flow . the base can be any chemical that will neutralize and regenerate the weakly basic anion exchange reins in the conjugate acid form . for n - methyl - d - glucamine , sodium hydroxide and potassium hydroxide are preferred . an example of a closed loop is pictured in fig5 . a resin column 1 contains acid - eluted bsr , and is isolated from a water treatment system through use of three - way valves 6 . the latent fluid in the column and recirculating loop is moved through the loop with a pump 5 . a metered amount of water is added to the column through a service feed 8 , and moved through the loop with a pump 5 . base is added to the loop through an acid injection port 3 to create a regenerating solution . after the base is added , the regenerating solution is recirculated throughout the closed loop and the optional static mixer 4 , at sufficient pressure by the pump 5 to generate turbulent flow in the resin column 1 . the amount of base added is limited to keep the ph at the probe 7 below a pre - determined ph to prevent resin damage . when the ph has reached the predetermined level , the three - way valve 6 at the exit of the column is opened to allow the regenerating solution to exit the loop at the outlet 9 . a recirculation tank can be employed in recirculation loops in systems with small freeboard allowances in the resin vessels ; however , in most systems , since only 0 . 3 to 0 . 5 bed volumes of regenerant are require , a recirculation tank will not be necessary . fig8 illustrates the ph profile of both , the recirculation tank , and the bsr column outlet during a typical isbr , where naoh was added to the recirculating tank in a single dose . fig6 shows a typical example of a closed loop that includes a recirculating tank . a resin column 10 , containing freshly - eluted bsr , is isolated from a water treatment stream through use of three - way valves 15 . in addition , three - way valves 16 are initially set to isolate a recirculating tank 11 from the resin column . water is added to the recirculating tank 11 through a service feed 19 , and moved through the loop with a pump 17 . in an alkaline regeneration stage , regenerating base is added to the stirred recirculation tank 11 through a base injection port 14 to create a regenerating solution . simultaneously , pump 17 drives the solution through the recirculating loop . the regenerating solution is recalculated at sufficient pressure to generate turbulent flow in the resin column . the amount of base added is limited to keep the ph at the probe 18 below a pre - determined ph to prevent resin damage . a ph probe 18 is shown at the exit of the column , but may be located anywhere within the loop . when the ph has reached the predetermined level , the three - way valve 15 at the exit of the column is opened to allow the regenerating solution to exit the loop at the outlet 20 . one aspect of this invention is limiting the ph of the closed recirculating loop . i have discovered that most of the volume change in a bsr occurs at ph above 6 . 2 at which point the resin is about 80 % neutralized to the free base form . fig7 illustrates the volume change as a function of ph for a bsr comprising nmg . the curve in fig7 suggests that the volume changes in resin can be minimized by adding regenerating base so that the ph of the recirculating loop equilibrates below about ph 7 . use of a reduced ph to limit the volume change of the bsr results in improved resin life and provides for more manageable processing conditions , around which to design an overall system . our invention may be extended to other resin regeneration schemes where volume change is a problem for the resin . one skilled in the art could determine a ph at which the resin demonstrated the greatest volume change using simple laboratory experiments ; the upper limit of ph for the recirculating loop could then be set at a point to minimize the volume change of the resin , while maintaining the efficiency of the regeneration step . the technique is fast and consumes far less produced water and caustic than standard caustic regeneration , which typically requires up to 5 % of the entire cycle throughput produced water for combined regeneration and rinses . the use of re - circulating regeneration in our invention consumes as little as 0 . 1 % of high value produced water treated by the boron removal system within a seawater desalination plant . see for example fig8 . another aspect of this invention is the incorporation of a bsr unit with the closed recycle loop into a membrane filtration system as a second stage in the water treatment . in a swro plant , the bsr unit treats about 20 - 50 % of the permeate , determined by the feed and target boron limits . this frequently results in splitting the swro permeate from the feed and from the brine end ( fig9 ), to obtain feed end permeate with very low boron and brine end permeate with a higher boron content which can be easily handled by the resin . in order to calculate the portion that needs to be treated by the resin one calculates the feed - side boron content and flow rate , and combine the result with the resin - output ( treated ) water flow rate . the treated water will have a typical boron concentration of & lt ; 0 . 1 mg / l . one can calculate how much water has to be treated to reach the boron limits of 1 . 0 mg / l and 0 . 5 mg / l . consider a plant with a 38 , 000 mg / l tds and 5 . 5 mg / l boron feed , operated at 25 deg c ., ph of 7 . 6 , 45 % recovery and producing 7600 m3 / d . the plant uses 90 pressure vessels , each containing 7 filmtec ™ sw30hr le - 400 low energy membrane elements at a flux of 13 . 5 l / hm2 . this model of low energy membrane will operates at a pressure of 56 bar . the permeate of the entire seawater desalination plant will contain 1 . 30 mg / l boron , 250 mg / l tds , and 150 mg / l cl . if permeate is split to the front and the rear end , then the boron concentration at the front would be lower . for example , the boron concentration can be determined using in the curve from the data points in fig1 represented by circles . if a bsr treats the rear end permeate , for example , using a water recovery ( ratio of product water to feed water ) of 96 - 98 % about 2 - 4 % of permeate is required for regeneration . the boron concentration in the blend of front - end permeate and bsr - treated rear - end permeate is also shown in fig1 . in order to reach the 1 . 0 ppm limit , the unit treats only about 10 %; where a 20 % safety is desired ( hence expected concentration of 0 . 8 ppm ), the bsr unit treats 20 %. for a 0 . 5 ppm limit about 40 % have to be treated , to reach 0 . 4 mg / l . the bsr unit treats about 50 % of the permeate . this calculation already shows various advantages with the boron - selective resin versus a brackish water reverse osmosis stage : the bsr reaches a better water quality than the bwro , and this reduces the amount of water that has to be treated in the second stage treatment . this is especially relevant , when feed - brine split is done and lower flow ratios are treated from the brine end , because even in that situation , the outlet boron concentration is very low despite the high rear end concentration . the bsr also wastes less water than the bwro stage , because the regeneration losses are only 2 - 4 % ( we believe that losses could be as low as 0 . 1 % using our new bsr regeneration ), whereas the recovery loss in a bwro stage is at least 5 %, and usually 10 - 15 %. bsr wastes less of the expensively treated water from the swro stage , and provides more total water , or reduces the size of the swro stage . various design boron removal design concepts employ multiple stages to reach low levels of boron , and treat the rear end permeate from the seawater system , polishing boron via bwro or bsr . an example of a system design includes newly available low pressure membranes such as filmtec sw30hr le - 400 , a high performance bsr , such as dow &# 39 ; s xus - 43594 . 00 resin and the regeneration protocol of this invention . further acid consumption and product water usage in the elution stage ( stage 1 ) could be reduced by combining the methods of nadav and of kabay , et al . nissim nadav , “ boron removal from seawater reverse osmosis permeate utilizing selective ion exchange resin ”, desalination , volume 124 , issues 1 - 3 , 1 nov . 1999 , pages 131 - 135 , suggest conserving eluant acid by reuse of a portion of the boron latent eluant acid in the subsequent elution stage as a first - contacting rich eluant , followed buy a fraction of fresh acid etc . etc . n . kabay , i . yilmaz , s . yamac , m . yuksel , u . yuksel , n . yildirim , o . aydogdu , t . iwanaga and k . hirowatari , “ removal and recovery of boron from geothermal wastewater by selective ion - exchange resins — ii . field tests ”, desalination , volume 167 , 15 aug . 2004 , pages 427 - 438 , teach an acid retardation technique in which boric acid is chromatographically separated from sulfuric acid via weak base anion exchange resin . a combination of the two techniques where acid retardation applied to the rich eluant , may be even more efficient and cost effective . acid savings greater the 70 %, along with significant savings of produced water consumption may be possible . a newly commercialize bsr , xus - 43594 . 00 ( the dow chemical company , midland mich . ), was titrated with sodium hydroxide ( caustic ) to determine the ionization at ph 7 . calculations based upon our caustic titration of bsr , xus - 43594 . 00 conjugate salt form , confirms ionization of this resin at ph 7 is about 40 % ( fig1 ). our titration was done very slowly ( 30 min to 1 hr between samplings ), allowing the solution and resin to fully equilibrate between ph readings . simonnot et al . have published a graph depicting the titration of a similar bsr conjugate acid salt , but the fine - structure of the curve does not appear in the region of ph 6 as it does in our fig1 . see marie - odile simonnot , christophe castel , miguel nicolaï , christophe rosin , michel sardin and henri jauffret , “ boron removal from drinking water with a boron selective resin : is the treatment really selective ?”, water research , volume 34 , issue 1 , 1 jan . 2000 , pages 109 - 116 , referenced in the background of this patent . a newly - commercialized bsr , xus - 43594 . 00 ( the dow chemical company , midland mich .) was tested for caustic release following a second stage regeneration using excess caustic . fig1 depicts the spike and lingering release of caustic from bsr when swro permeate is introduced as feed . the data show a release of caustic even after approximately 500 bed volumes of rinsing with salt free ro produced water to a constant of ph of about 8 . the significant release of hydroxide ion , upon introduction of the more brackish swro permeate feed illustrates that the bsr significantly ionized water even at ph 8 . in an ion exchange column , a freshly eluted bsr , xus - 43594 . 00 ( the dow chemical company , midland mich . ), was rinsed with 1 - 3 bed volumes ( bv ) of fresh water at a rate of 5 - 10 bed volumes per hour ( bvh ). a vessel containing 0 . 3 - 1 . 0 bv of fresh water was placed in a pumping circuit with the bsr ion exchange column apparatus . sodium hydroxide was added to the vessel in an amount equivalent to about 80 % of the molar content of nmg functionalization contained within the quantity of bsr in the column xus - 43594 . 00 ( resin is about 0 . 9 equivalents per liter of resin ). pumping was initiated at a rate of 20 - 30 bed volumes per hour ( bvh ) in a co - current ( down - flow ) recirculating fashion . after 60 - 90 minutes the recirculating vessel ph had risen to about 5 . 8 and remained nearly constant . fig8 compares the ph profile of a recirculation loop with and without a recirculation tank . the graph illustrates the ph profile at each outlet of the recirculation tank and the column outlet during a recirculating regeneration step in which naoh was added to the recirculating tank in a single dose . for comparison , the recirculating vessel was removed from the circuit . after a 1 - 2 bv rinse with fresh water at a rate of 5 - 10 bvh , the resin was suitable for drinking water service without producing , for an extended period , high ph effluent . this illustrates the superior ph control achieved in the product water stream not only arises from the more efficient utilization of base in the recirculating regeneration , but the anion exchange accumulation of hydroxide ion on the functional amine group is nearly eliminated . during the recirculating regeneration of the resin conjugate salt with sodium hydroxide , the hydroxide ion reacts with the latent mineral acid to produce an equivalent amount of the mineral acids corresponding sodium salt . in fig1 , sulfuric acid was the conjugating acid , therefore , sodium sulfate accumulates in the regeneration solution . the greater affinity of anion exchange sites for sulfate over hydroxide has a strong buffering effect and effectively eliminates hydroxide build up on the resin and subsequently , in the product water , upon introduction of boron containing feed water . fig1 shows that caustic and water consumption are significantly reduced by the method of this invention . standard caustic regeneration required up to 5 % of the produced water for combined regeneration and rinses . in contrast , re - circulating regeneration consumes as little as 0 . 1 % of high - value produced water treated by the boron removal system within a seawater desalination plant . the savings in produced water alone could be as high as 5 %, a significant bottom line savings for the end - user .

US-88552406-A

a composite fibre including at least a first component and a second component , wherein at least one of the components is an optical fiber , and the components are intertwined . the first component may be wound around the second component , and optionally the second component is wound around the first component . associated fibrous assemblies , composite materials , fabrics , detection systems , items of clothing and methods of detecting a physical variable are also disclosed .

fig1 shows a helically wound fibre 10 of the invention which comprises a first component 12 and a second component 14 . the first component 12 is an optical fibre , which is wound around the periphery of the second component 14 forming a helix . the first component is provided around the second component through one or more turns , the one or more turns being spaced longitudinally relative to an axis defined by the second component . typically , as shown in fig1 , the wrapping of the first component 12 around the second component 14 causes a deformation of the second component 14 from a generally linear configuration to a helical configuration . fig2 shows a conformation adopted by the helically wound fibre 10 when subjected to a longitudinal strain . it can be seen that the effective diameter of the fibre 10 increases when a tensile load is applied , this being indicative of a negative poisson &# 39 ; s ratio . such behaviour is auxetic in nature , and one consequence is that the application of strain to the fibre 10 results in a relatively large perturbation to the path described by the optical fibre 12 . the present inventor has found that , highly advantageously , strain applied to a fibre of the type depicted in fig1 and 2 causes relatively large variations in the transmission of light through the optical fibre . without wishing to be limited by any particular theory , it is believed that relatively large variations in light transmission are caused by changes in the bend radii inherent in a helical geometry . optical fibres are conventionally designed to achieve maximal internal reflection ; this internal reflection is diminished when the fibre is deformed or curved . conventionally , in applications such as long distance communications , this is not a problem because tight bends can be avoided . the present inventor has realised that when an optical fibre is bent beyond a certain curvature , light losses increase dramatically . again , without wishing to be limited by any particular theory it is postulated that the present invention can provide sensitive sensors by placing optical fibres in positions which exploit this phenomenon . in the example shown in fig1 and 2 , where the first component 12 is an optical fibre , the application of positive longitudinal strain causes the first component 12 to become less deformed , and thus light transmission increases with increasing strain . it should be noted that these advantageous features are not solely restricted to auxetic fibres , and helically wound fibres which are not auxetic in nature can also display the relative large variations in light transmission . thus , the present invention embraces non - auxetic , helically wound fibres . it is also possible to utilise a fibre in which the second component is an optical fibre . in such embodiments , the application of positive longitudinal strain causes the second component to adopt a more deformed confirmation , thereby producing a decrease in light transmission as the applied strain increases . in either scenario , the non - optical fibre component ( whether this is the first component 12 or the second component 14 ) may be constructed from an elastomeric or plastic material . it is also possible to utilise fibres in which both the first component 12 and second component 14 are optical fibres . irrespective of which component is an optical fibre , there should be a difference in the modulus of elasticity of the components , so that the application of a longitudinal strain causes helical deformation of the components . further details concerning the fundamental principles of helically wrapped auxetic fibres can be found in wo 2006 / 021763 and wo 2004 / 088015 . fig3 shows a detection system , depicted generally at 20 , which incorporates a fibre 22 of the invention . the detection system 20 further comprises a light source 24 , for directing light into one end of the optical fibre contained in the fibre 22 . the light source 24 can be of any suitable type , such as a laser or led , and light of any suitable wavelength or range of wavelengths might be utilised , such as ultraviolet , visible or infrared radiation . a suitable detector 26 such as a light - to - voltage sensor is positioned adjacent the other end of the optical fibre , and detects light transmitted along the optical fibre . the output of the detector 26 is monitored by analysis means 28 , which is calibrated or otherwise adapted to equate the measured light transmission with a perturbation to the fibre 22 , such as an increase or decrease in an applied longitudinal strain . in another aspect of the invention , it has been found that the application of torque to a fibre of the invention produces a measurable change in light transmission through the optical fibre . thus , the present invention can be used as a torque sensor . furthermore , it should be noted that , in addition to determining the magnitude of the applied torque , it is also possible to deduce the direction in which torque is applied from the sign of the change in light intensity . physically , it is believed ( again , without wishing to be bound by any theory ) that this is due to the changes in path length and angle produced when torque is applied — the winding of the components in the fibre becomes tighter when torque is applied in one direction and less tight when torque is applied in the opposite direction . in one set of experiments torque was applied manually to a fibre of the invention consisting of a 1000 μm super eska ® communications optical fibre helically wrapped around a core elastomer ( 8 mm “ bungee ” cord ). a red ( 650 nm ) led was used as a light source to introduce light into the optical fibre . light emanating from the other end of the optical fibre was detected with a fibre optic test set manufactured by industrial fibre optics . it is common for the core fibre to be significantly bigger than the other fibre . in other representative examples the diameter of the optical fibre is around 250 microns and the diameter of the core is 1 mm or more . a plurality of fibres of the invention which incorporate optical fibres may be combined into a more complex structure . in the simplest of these structures , a pair of fibres are disposed alongside each other in a substantially parallel configuration . the fibres may or may not be spaced apart by a core component . fig4 shows a bundle structure 40 which comprises a plurality of auxetic fibres of the invention circumferentially arranged around a central axis . each fibre comprises a first component 42 and a second component 44 . the stripes 46 shown in fig4 indicate the direction of wrapping of the first component 42 around the second component 44 , i . e ., the handidness of the fibre . preferably , adjacent fibres in the bundle are wrapped in opposite directions . in the embodiments shown in fig4 , the fibres are arranged peripherally around a core component 48 , although it is also possible to utilise embodiments in which there is no core component . fig4 shows another complex structure 50 in the form of a flat “ tape ” comprising a plurality of fibres of the invention arranged alongside each other in a planar configuration . each fibre comprises a first component 52 and a second component 54 . the stripes 56 shown in fig5 indicate the wrapping direction in the same manner as the stripes 46 shown in fig4 , and similar comments concerning adjacent fibres apply . it is also possible to utilise large numbers of substantially parallel fibres in order to produce a sheet - like structure . fibres and / or more complex structures of the invention can be incorporated into larger structures in a number of ways . a fabric can be produced utilising fibres of the present invention as yarns . fabric production techniques such as weaving , knitting or braiding might be utilised for this purpose . in another embodiment , a composite material is made by incorporating fibres and / or more complex structures in the lay - up process , followed by the introduction of a resin thereto . the resin is subsequently cured to produce the composite material . for example , fibres of the invention can be incorporated into mats of carbon fibre ( or other high strength fibres ) or laid in between mats of carbon fibre , which are subsequently treated with a resin which is cured to produce the composite material . such structures have numerous applications , such as in the production of aircraft wings . it is highly advantageous to have sensors which can provide structural information incorporated in the structural material . a further advantage is that information can be obtained from the optical fibre sensors during the curing of the resin , thereby providing information as to whether the curing process has been completed satisfactorily . other application areas for embedded fibres of the invention include other aircraft components , such as the fuselage , bridges and buildings . the fibres could then remain in place throughout the lifetime of the structure , enabling structural health to be monitored . the present invention can be used to determine the position at which a physical perturbation to the fibre occurs and / or the confirmation adopted by the structure in response to an applied force . fig6 shows an example in which a flat “ tape ” 60 of fibres of the invention is bent so as to adopt the configuration of an arc . the radius of curvature of an fibre 62 disposed on the inside of the arc is less than the radius of curvature of an fibre 64 disposed on the outside of the arc . therefore , when the tape 60 is subjected to a bending force causing the tape 60 to adopt the arc configuration shown in fig6 , the outer fibre 64 has a longer path length than the path length of the inner fibre 62 . this is manifest in differing helical wrapping configurations of the optical fibres in the inner and outer fibres 62 , 64 . by measuring the variations in light transmission through the optical fibres of the fibres in the tape 60 , it is possible to determine the extent to which the tape 60 is bent . this can be done from first principles using a suitably programmed computer to perform the calculations . other techniques might be employed in order to determine position sensitive data , i . e . where physical perturbations have occurred along the length of a fibre . for example , fibre bragg gratings may be used for this purpose . chirped fibre bragg gratings might be used in which the bragg wavelength varies with position . thus , a perturbation applied to the fibre bragg grating at a given position will principally affect the bragg grating present at this position , which can be identified by the detection system from the characteristic bragg wavelength . the perturbation to the system may be manifest in a variation in the bragg wavelength of the bragg grating at or near to the position of the perturbation . it should be appreciated from this that the detection technique employed in the present invention may not simply comprise a measurement of variation in transmitted light intensity . other properties of the light directed into the optical fibre , such as the wavelength distribution of light emerging from the optical fibre might be detected . for example , variations in the bragg wavelength of one or more bragg gratings formed in the optical fibre might be detected . fig7 shows a further embodiment in which the position of a perturbation is determined . as shown in fig7 a , a pair of parallel fibres 70 , 72 are employed , and a light source or sources are utilised so as to direct light into the optical fibre 70 a of fibre 70 from one direction and to introduce light into the optical fibre 72 a of fibre 72 from the opposite direction . thus , light travels along the optical fibres 70 a , 72 a in an essentially anti - parallel fashion , and emerges from opposite ends of the optical fibres 70 a , 72 a to be detected by suitable detection means . owing to the substantially anti - parallel directions of light travel through the optical fibres , the application of a perturbing force along the lengths of the fibres produces different chirps ( drop - offs in light transmission ) as a function of position . variations in transmitted light levels for the auxetic fibre 70 , 72 as a function of the position along the fibres at which a perturbation is made is shown in fig7 b . by comparing the chirps measured for each fibre utilising the information displayed in fig7 b , it is possible to determine where a perturbation has occurred . experiments were performed measuring light transmission through helically wrapped and unwrapped ( essentially linear ) polyurethane monofilaments . changes in transmitted light intensity were measured as a function of applied longitudinal strain , and the results are shown in fig8 . the measured changes in transmitted light intensity for the helically wound optical fibre of the invention are shown generally at 80 , and the changes in transmitted light intensity measured for the unwound optical fibre are shown generally at 82 . it can be seen that very substantial enhancements to the detection of sensitivity ( ca . 600 %) are associated with the helically wrapped device of the invention . many variations to the principles described above would readily suggest themselves to the skilled person . for example , it is not essential that light transmission through the optical fibre is measured . detection of variations in the wavelength distribution of the transmitted light might be detected . in a further alternative , temporal characteristics of the transmitted light might be monitored . for example , the light directed into the optical fibre might be pulsed , and characteristics of the optical path length determined by measuring delays , such as in the so called “ sing - around method ”. interferometry might be employed . in systems utilising a plurality of fibres , it is possible to utilise fibres that are tailored to sense different physical variables . for example , in an aerospace environment , it is may be desirable to utilise fibres suitable to detect engine vibration , and other fibres selected to measure structural loadings . it is possible to use light of different characteristics , such as differing wavelengths and / or intensities , to interrogate different fibres . similarly , when fibres which comprise two optical fibres are utilised , it is possible to detect different physical variables with the optical fibres . again , different measurement techniques and light having different physical characteristics might be utilised to interrogate each optical fibre .

US-29885807-A

battery feed circuits function to supply a predetermined current to the communication pair and include circuitry to counteract the effects of balanced longitudinal signals which appear on the communication pair . prior art battery feed circuits use either expensive matched power resistors or matched and tracking current sources to provide both the dc current and the necessary balance . the subject battery feed circuit separates the two functions : a pair of poorly matched inexpensive power resistors provide the basic dc current ; and associated pair of low power electronic circuits supply compensation signals to provide the necessary balance . the compensation signals are applied to the power resistors in a manner to obtain precision resistor characteristics from the inexpensive power resistors .

battery feed circuits function to supply a predetermined current to a communication pair through a fixed impedance . the predetermined current is provided to the communication pair in differential fashion , that is , current is applied to one lead of the communication pair while an equal amount of current is removed from the other lead of the communication pair . the implementation of such a function appears to be easy to accomplish . however , the requirements imposed on this function by the needs of telephone communications make such a function fairly difficult to realize in an economical fashion . the fixed impedance is typically realized in the form of two separate and identical impedances which are connected between a respective lead of the communication pair and the source or sink of the desired current . these two impedances must not only be equal in value but must also track each other to achieve the required longitudinal balance . the longitudinal balance requirement is the most difficult to attain for battery feed circuits since the variation between the impedances must not exceed 0 . 1 %. thus , the two impedances must not only be equal but must also operate in synchronization , tracking each other in value over a wide range of temperature and humidity conditions and throughout the whole life cycle of these devices . fig2 illustrates the basic architecture of the subject dynamic impedance element for a battery feed circuit in its simplest form as the current sink half of the pair of impedances which must be realized to provide battery feed function . the other impedance is the current source half and is a mirror image of that illustrated in fig2 and is connected between the other lead of the communication pair and the current source terminal . v 1 is usually ground potential . this dynamic impedance element for a battery feed circuit consists of an inexpensive fixed battery feed resistor 100 which has a relatively poor impedance tolerance characteristic (± 5 %) while having an excellent power dissipation characteristic . the other element connected in series with fixed resistor 100 is a voltage controlled voltage source 110 which generates an error signal to compensate for the poor impedance tolerance characteristic of fixed resistor 100 . therefore , fixed resistor 100 provides the power dissipation and impedance approximation function while the low power voltage controlled voltage source 110 supplies a correction signal which counteracts the impedance inaccuracies of fixed resistor 100 . the resultant circuit is not only inexpensive , but also presents a high precision battery feed impedance from lead t to voltage source terminal v 1 . voltage controlled voltage source 110 has the operating characteristic identified on fig2 as : β (( e 1 - v 1 )- zi ) where beta approaches infinity and z is the desired impedance from lead t to voltage source terminal v 1 . this operating characteristic represents the difference between the actual measured impedance of fixed resistor 100 and the desired or nominal value z of the impedance of resistor 100 . voltage controlled voltage source 110 generates an error signal in response to this comparison to counteract the measured inaccuracy . the term ( e 1 - v 1 ) is an indication of the actual voltage across the battery feed circuit as measured between the t lead of the communication pair and voltage source v 1 . the zi term indicates the actual current through fixed resistor 100 multiplied by the desired impedance value for the resulting impedance between lead t and voltage source terminal v 1 . thus , the actual voltage across the battery feed circuit is compared with the voltage across an ideal fixed battery feed resistor z , and voltage controlled voltage source 110 provides a voltage output to reduce the difference between these two terms to zero . this results in the battery feed circuit providing the exact impedance characteristic required for the battery feed application . to elaborate , the voltage appearing on lead t is e 1 . this voltage is equal to the supply voltage v 1 plus the voltage across the battery feed circuit , which ideally would be the nominal impedance ( z ) multiplied by the actual current flowing through the battery feed circuit ( i ). thus , e 1 = v 1 + zi for the ideal case . however , if the actual impedance differs from the nominal value by z , then e 1 = v 1 +( z - z ) i . the error in expected voltage caused by this impedance variation is zi . therefore voltage controlled voltage source 110 exactly compensates for this impedance variation by producing an error signal of - zi , which error signal is equal to the measured impedance variation multiplied by the actual current flowing through the battery feed circuit . there are numerous ways of realizing voltage controlled voltage source 110 . to provide the actual measurement of the current flowing through fixed resistor 100 ( having a nominal impedance value of r ± 5 %), some sense circuitry is required . fig3 illustrates how such a function can be realized . resistor 114 is a low impedance value ( r ), high precision impedance value resistor (± 0 . 1 %). resistors r and r should be chosen such that r is greater than r and such that r + r ≅ z where z is the desired impedance . resistor 114 will not dissipate much power since it is a low impedance yet the voltage across this precision resistor ( e 2 - e 3 ) will provide a very accurate indication of the actual current ( i ) flowing through fixed resistor 100 . thus , voltage ( e 2 - e 3 ) provides voltage controlled voltage source 118 of fig3 with an accurate indication of the actual current flowing through fixed resistor 100 . in fig3 the operating characteristic associated with voltage controlled voltage source 118 has been modified to indicate the realization of this current sensing function : ## equ1 ## the remaining portion of the compensation circuit is illustrated in fig4 wherein voltage controlled voltage source 118 itself is realized by an operational amplifier circuit . operational amplifier 113 provides the actual amplification function of beta while the various input resistors ( 111 , 112 , 115 , 116 ) supply the voltage sensing functions . the desired output is obtained from the operational amplifier 113 if : ## equ2 ## the actual values selected for these resistors ( 111 , 112 , 115 , 116 ) should be large enough to ignore their loading effects on e 1 , e 2 and e 3 . loading can however be compensated for by a more complicated relationship between the resistors . the combination of these various elements into a single circuit is illustrated on the left side of fig1 and represents the above - described dynamic impedance element for a battery feed circuit . an equal and identical circuit is shown on the right side of fig1 connected between the other lead of the communication pair and the battery terminal v 2 which provides the battery source function . v 1 is normally ground potential . these respective battery feed impedances respond to the actual voltage and actual current conditions on the communication pair and therefore , need not have their respective operations synchronized since each circuit will independently track the actual conditions on the communication pair . it is obvious that such a pair of battery feed circuits should be implemented in a single integrated circuit package so that temperature , humidity and device aging characteristics will automatically track in both circuits . it should be obvious that while a voltage controlled voltage source implementation of the dynamic impedance element is disclosed , a current controlled voltage source , voltage controlled current source or current controlled current source implementation can be realized by the application of norton &# 39 ; s or thevenin &# 39 ; s theorems of equivalent sources . while a specific embodiment of the invention has been disclosed , variations in structural detail , within the scope of the appended claims , are possible and are contemplated . there is no intention of limitation to what is contained in the abstract or the exact disclosure as herein presented . the above - described arrangements are only illustrative of the application of the principles of the invention . normally , other arrangements may be devised by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention .

US-60519084-A

a recreational flotation device is provided which is designed to support a user floating in water while affording a convenient holder for beverage containers . the device comprises an elongated body formed of synthetic resin material and having a density such that the body will float in water . the body presents a pair of opposed butt ends , with at least one of the butt ends being recessed to define a receptacle integral with the body for receiving a beverage container therein . a preferred alternative device is provided wherein the body includes a pair of differently dimensioned receptacles respectively located at the ends and integrally formed with the body .

fig1 illustrates a recreational floatation device 10 constructed in accordance with the principles of a preferred embodiment of the present invention and configured for supporting a user in the water . for example , the device 10 as illustrated in fig1 is shown supporting an adult swimmer s partially submerged in a body of water ( e . g ., a pool , a lake , an ocean , etc .). for reasons that will subsequently become apparent , the device 10 is configured to support at least a portion of the swimmer s above the water line while still allowing at least one end of the device 10 to extend above the water line for supporting a beverage container therein . except as indicated below , the principles of the present invention are not limited to a particular shaped floatation device nor any particular use thereof and equally apply to most personal floatation devices and virtually any traditional uses thereof . the illustrated device 10 includes an integral body 12 presenting a pair of opposed butt ends 14 and 16 and defining a receptacle 18 integral with the end 14 of the body 12 and configured for receiving a conventional beverage container ( e . g ., a can or a bottle ) therein ( see fig1 and 2 ). as shown in fig1 and 2 , the illustrated body 12 is an elongated body presenting a substantially cylindrical shape . the body 12 is tubular and provides a continuous , central passageway 20 extending substantially the full length of the body 12 and communicating with the receptacle 18 and the opposite end 16 ( see fig1 and 3 ). the body 12 is configured to support the swimmer s at least partially above the water line . in this regard , the body 12 preferably presents an outer diameter ( i . e ., a maximum cross - sectional dimension ) ranging from about two and one - half to twelve inches , more preferably from about three and one - half to six inches , and most preferably around four inches . the passageway 20 presents a diameter of preferably less than about two inches and more preferably less than about one inch . the overall length of the body 12 is likewise variable and preferably ranges from twelve to seventy - two inches , and more preferably from about thirty - six to sixty inches . as previously indicated , the body 12 is configured to support the swimmer s at least partially above the water line . in this regard , the body 12 is preferably fabricated from a suitable synthetic resin material , such as extruded cellular polyethylene , having a density such that the body will float in water . the synthetic resin material preferably has a density from about 1 . 5 - 2 . 5 pounds per cubic foot and more preferably from about 1 . 8 - 2 . 0 pounds per cubic foot . in addition , the material from which the body 12 is fabricated is preferably both yieldable and shape - retaining . in this manner , the body 12 may be substantially straight or gently arcuate as shown in fig2 or may be yielded to have a more pronounced arcuate shape as shown in fig1 such that the body 12 presents an arcuate intermediate bight section 22 between the butt ends 14 , 16 thereof . it is within the ambit of the present invention to utilize variously configured sizes , shapes and materials for the body of the recreational floatation device . for example , virtually any cross - sectional configuration , such as square , triangular or polygonal , can be employed for the body . however , it is important that the body be operable to support a user at least partially submerged in water . as previously indicated , the receptacle 18 , integrally formed in the end 14 of the body 12 , is configured for receiving a conventional beverage container ( e . g ., a can or a bottle ) therein . in more detail , and as shown in fig3 the illustrated receptacle 18 is designed so as to frictionally receive , and maintain in position , a standard beverage can 24 , such as a metal , twelve ounce container for soda or beer , or a similarly configured plastic container for water . in this regard , the receptacle 18 defines a central bore extending only partially into the end 14 and having a diameter greater than the diameter of the central passageway 20 . in this manner , the receptacle 18 presents a ledge 26 recessed in the body 12 . the diameter of the receptacle 18 is preferably configured to frictionally engage the can 24 received therein to generally prevent the can 24 from inadvertent or accidental removal therefrom . the diameter of the receptacle 18 is preferably about two and one - half inches and more preferably 2 . 6 inches . the ledge 26 is preferably sufficiently recessed within the body 12 to support the can 24 mostly within the body 12 while allowing a portion of the can 24 to protrude out of the end 14 to enable the swimmer s to comfortably remove the can 24 from the body 12 without spilling the contents from the can 24 . in this regard , the ledge 26 is preferably recessed into the body 12 from three to four inches , and more preferably about three and one - half inches . it is within the ambit of the present invention to utilize various alternative configurations for the receptacle 18 . for example , the receptacle could be sized and configured to retainingly receive other standard beverage containers other than the conventional twelve ounce metal can ( e . g ., plastic or glass bottles , etc .). additionally , the body could include identical or differing receptacles formed in each end . however , it is important that the receptacle be integrally formed in the body of the device . in this manner , the device is easily and cost - effectively manufactured while providing the user with ready access to the beverage container received therein . returning now to fig1 the device 10 is depicted in a typical use in accordance with the invention . as shown , the beverage can 24 is received within the butt end 14 for ready removal . in this instance , the swimmer s grasps the body 12 adjacent the ends 14 , 16 with the bight section 22 passing between the swimmer &# 39 ; s legs . it will be appreciated that the device 10 provides for personal recreational floatation while enabling the swimmer s to have constant and ready access to a refreshing beverage as is often desired when recreating in and around the water . it will be appreciated , that the device 10 can be used in various alternative manners ( e . g ., the bight section 22 positioned under both legs of the swimmer s rather than between them so that the ends 14 , 16 extend upwards adjacent each side of the swimmer s , etc .). additionally , alternative shapes for the body may dictate additional or different particular modes of use . as previously indicated , it is within the ambit of the present invention to utilize various alternative configurations for the recreational floatation device . one such suitable alternative is the recreational floatation device 110 illustrated in fig4 and 5 . the device 110 is similar in many respects to the previously described device 10 as detailed above and includes an elongated body 112 , formed of the synthetic resin material described previously , and presenting opposed butt ends 114 and 116 . however , unlike the device 10 , the device 110 includes beverage container receptacles 118 and 120 integrally formed in each of the corresponding ends 114 , 116 , respectively . the body 112 further includes a continuous central passageway 122 extending substantially the full length of the body 112 and communicating with the endmost receptacles 118 , 120 . the receptacle 118 is virtually identical to the previously described receptacle 18 and thus will not be further described . turning to fig5 the illustrated receptacle 120 , differs from the receptacle 118 and presents a smaller diameter and a greater length that is designed to frictionally receive and maintain a standard beverage bottle 124 , such as a glass , twelve ounce long - neck - type soda or beer container or a similarly configured plastic bottle for water . in this regard , the receptacle 120 defines a central bore extending only partially into the end 116 and having a diameter greater than the diameter of the central passageway 122 . in this manner , the receptacle 120 presents a ledge 126 recessed in the body 112 . the diameter of the receptacle 120 is preferably configured to frictionally engage the bottle 124 received therein to generally prevent the bottle 124 from inadvertent or accidental removal therefrom . the diameter of the receptacle 120 is preferably less than two and one - half inches and more preferably about 2 . 35 inches . the ledge 126 is preferably sufficiently recessed within the body 112 to support the bottle 124 partly within the body 112 while allowing a portion of the bottle 124 to protrude out of the end 116 to enable the user to comfortably remove the bottle 124 from the body 112 without spilling the contents from the bottle 124 . in this regard , the ledge 126 is preferably recessed into the body 112 from four to five inches , and more preferably about four and one - half inches . the multiple , differing receptacles 118 , 120 of the device 110 enable the device 110 to be used to store a variety of varying beverage containers when in use by the user . for example , if the user desires to store a standard beverage can ( such as the can 24 described above ) the user simply inserts the can into the end 114 . if , however , the user desires to store a standard beverage bottle , such as the bottle 124 , the user simply inserts the bottle 124 into the end 116 . the preferred forms of the invention described above are to be used as illustration only , and should not be utilized in a limiting sense in interpreting the scope of the present invention . obvious modifications to the exemplary embodiments , as hereinabove set forth , could be readily made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the present invention . the inventor hereby states his intent to rely on the doctrine of equivalents to determine and assess the reasonably fair scope of the present invention as pertains to any apparatus not materially departing from but outside the literal scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims .

US-24845703-A

this invention is concerned with the preparation of moldable optical glasses having refractive indices of about 1 . 65 - 1 . 735 , dispersions of about 38 - 58 , transition temperatures lower than about 500 ° c ., softening points lower than about 600 ° c ., and satisfactory chemical durability consisting essentially , expressed in terms of parts by weight as calculated from the batch , of ______________________________________ b 2 o 3 22 - 38bao 3 - 33la 2 o 3 5 - 33pbo 0 - 36zno 0 - 14cdo 0 - 12sro 0 - 10bao + la 2 o 3 + pbo + zno + cdo + sro 55 - 68li 2 o 0 - 4na 2 o 0 - 4li 2 o + na 2 o 1 . 5 - 4f 1 - 8 . ______________________________________

the invention is illustrated by the examples appearing in table i . the compositions are given in terms of batch contents and are calculated in such a manner that a quantity approximately equal to 100 % is represented by the sum of the oxides in weight percent plus the weight percentage of fluorine minus the oxygen equivalent to fluorine , i . e ., 0 . 421 × the weight percentages of fluorine . besides the optical properties , refractive index and abbe number for the &# 34 ; d &# 34 ; line of helium , the softening point and the resistance to atmospheric agents ( weathering ) have been determined . the softening point of the glass ( s . p . in ° c .) and the resistance to weathering ( w ) have been obtained through the following methods and are also recorded in table i . the softening point of a glass can be estimated with the aid of a method developed in the laboratory which gives a temperature of 10 °- 25 ° c . in excess with respect to the conventional point of littleton . the method consists of sagging a disc of glass having a diameter of 32 mm and a thickness of 4 mm in a kiln where the rate of heating is 60 ° c ./ hour . the sample holder having been made the object of a standard , the approximate softening temperature is read when the glass comes to obstruct a leak of air placed under the part . this method is sufficient to permit a good selection of the so - called &# 34 ; moldable &# 34 ; glasses and it offers the advantage of being able to determine the approximate softening point of glasses for which the conventional method is not adequate ( crystallization of the glass occurs during drawing of fibers ). the resistance to weathering is evaluated through the following test : polished discs having a diameter of about 32 mm and a thickness of about 6 mm are placed in a humid atmosphere ( 98 % relative humidity ) maintained at 50 ° c ., and the samples are observed periodically ( intervals of 1 - 3 days ) for about 30 days . the samples are classed a , b , c , d , or e depending upon the level of attack observed with the unaided eye under intense illumination . the classes are defined as : a = no attack observed ; b = some points of attack or slight diffusion of light visible only under illumination ; c = many points of attack or considerable diffusion of light visible under illumination ; d = many points of attack or considerable diffusion of light visible under normal ambient light ; and e = very considerable attack . the glasses of the invention are obtained from a glass forming batch prepared in the classical manner . the batch contains substances chosen , for example , from boric anhydride , carbonates of lithium , sodium , barium , and cadmium , fluorides of lanthanum , sodium , barium , and lead , and oxides of zinc , lanthanum , and lead . a batch representing about 50 - 4000 grams of glass is placed into a platinum crucible and the batch melted in the range of temperatures of 1000 °- 1200 ° c . for periods of 30 minutes to 2 hours . the glasses are homogenized through the aid of a platinum stirrer . after a fining operation , the glass is brought to a temperature ( about 850 ° c .) corresponding to a viscosity between about 1 - 20 poises in order to proceed with shaping of bars or plates having a thickness of 10 - 20 mm . the glass so formed is thereafter annealed one hour at 480 °- 500 ° c . and then cooled slowly ( about 60 ° c ./ hour ) to ambient temperature . a complete analysis was performed on example 1 which represents one of the preferred glasses . table ii gives this analysis in comparison with the batch contents . it can be observed that the fluorine content retained in the borate glasses is particularly high ( f analyzed : f theoretical = 86 %). it has also been established that the reproducibility of the properties , for the same batch composition , is very good ; it is probable that this circumstance is tied to the high retention of fluorine in this type of glass . table iii gives other important characteristics of glass represented by example 1 . this example constitutes one of the preferred glasses because it exhibits a high index , a low dispersion , and good resistance to weathering , and softening and annealing points sufficiently low to permit molding at temperatures between 460 °- 500 ° c . the glasses of the invention may receive an anti - reflecting treatment ; for example , a deposit of magnesium fluoride through vacuum evaporation which also improves the resistance to atmospheric agents . table i__________________________________________________________________________ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7__________________________________________________________________________b . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 29 . 21 24 . 56 35 . 25 35 . 59 29 . 7 34 . 56 30 . 05li . sub . 2 o 2 . 09 0 . 96 2 . 09 -- 1 . 06 3 . 46 2 . 15na . sub . 2 o -- 1 . 99 -- 2 . 26 2 . 2 -- -- bao 17 . 15 17 . 7 21 . 5 20 . 15 19 . 63 22 . 83 8 . 82zno 5 . 69 5 . 22 6 . 34 -- -- 6 . 73 5 . 85la . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 27 . 34 31 . 35 17 . 76 16 . 66 27 . 8 18 . 87 28 . 12cdo -- -- -- 9 . 38 -- 10 . 62 9 . 24pbo 15 . 61 11 . 45 13 . 91 13 . 04 12 . 7 -- 12 . 84sio . sub . 2 -- 3 . 85 -- -- -- -- -- cao -- -- -- -- 3 . 99 -- -- f 5 . 05 5 . 05 5 . 05 5 . 05 5 . 05 5 . 05 5 . 05n . sub . d 1 . 6996 1 . 6880 1 . 6621 1 . 6638 1 . 6805 1 . 6536 1 . 7048v . sub . d 47 . 4 48 . 0 51 . 8 50 . 4 48 . 8 57 . 6 47 . 6s . p . 555 560 550 582 560 540 5551 day a - b -- d a - b -- d c - d2 days c - d -- d - e c -- d - e d6 days d -- d - e -- -- d - e d__________________________________________________________________________ 8 9 10 11 12 13 14__________________________________________________________________________b . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 30 . 83 29 . 71 28 . 53 31 . 78 31 . 36 32 . 39 31 . 0li . sub . 2 o 2 . 21 2 . 13 2 . 04 1 . 14 2 . 24 2 . 32 2 . 22na . sub . 2 o -- -- -- 2 . 36 -- -- -- sro 7 . 65 -- -- -- -- -- -- bao 20 . 37 30 . 53 18 . 85 21 . 0 20 . 72 21 . 4 20 . 48zno 6 . 01 5 . 79 -- 6 . 19 12 . 22 6 . 31 4 . 83la . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 16 . 83 16 . 22 26 . 7 29 . 75 17 . 12 17 . 69 29 . 02cdo -- -- 8 . 77 -- -- -- 9 . 53pbo 13 . 18 12 . 7 12 . 19 -- 13 . 41 13 . 85 -- tio . sub . 2 -- -- -- 4 . 86 -- -- -- mgo -- -- -- -- -- 3 . 13 -- f 5 . 05 5 . 05 5 . 05 5 . 05 5 . 05 5 . 05 5 . 05n . sub . d 1 . 6704 1 . 6733 1 . 6946 1 . 6850 1 . 6765 1 . 6691 1 . 6784v . sub . d 50 . 3 50 . 1 47 . 7 48 . 7 49 . 5 49 . 6 55 . 5s . p . 540 535 578 590 540 540 5721 day d d a - b a - b d c a - b2 days d - e d - e c - d c d - e d c6 days d - e d - e d - e d - e d - e d c - d__________________________________________________________________________ 15 16 17 18 19 20 21__________________________________________________________________________b . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 30 . 26 28 . 26 30 . 72 28 . 8 28 . 26 30 . 05 28 . 26li . sub . 2 o 2 . 16 2 . 02 2 . 2 2 . 06 2 . 02 2 . 15 2 . 02bao 20 . 0 18 . 68 20 . 3 24 . 31 14 . 68 3 . 82 10 . 68zno 5 . 9 5 . 51 5 . 98 5 . 61 5 . 51 5 . 85 5 . 51la . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 16 . 52 15 . 43 16 . 77 15 . 72 15 . 43 28 . 12 15 . 43cdo 9 . 3 -- 9 . 44 -- -- 9 . 24 -- pbo 12 . 94 27 . 18 13 . 13 20 31 . 18 17 . 54 35 . 18f 5 . 05 5 . 05 2 . 53 6 . 05 5 . 05 5 . 05 5 . 05n . sub . d 1 . 6868 1 . 7037 1 . 7040 1 . 6888 1 . 7186 1 . 7193 1 . 7301v . sub . d 47 . 7 42 . 8 45 . 9 45 . 4 40 . 4 45 . 4 38 . 3s . p . 532 510 540 522 -- -- -- 1 day d d c - d d -- -- -- 2 days d - e d d d - e -- -- -- 6 days d - e d - e d - e d - e -- -- -- __________________________________________________________________________ table ii______________________________________example 1 - total analysis of the glass batch composition analyzed composition______________________________________b . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 29 . 21 28 . 85li . sub . 2 o 2 . 09 2 . 10bao 17 . 15 16 . 90zno 5 . 69 5 . 80la . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 27 . 34 27 . 56pbo 15 . 61 15 . 75f 5 . 05 4 . 32______________________________________ b , ba , and la were analyzed by plasma atomic emission , li and zn by atomic absorption , pb by electrogravimetry , and f by pyrohydrolysis and colorimetry . table iii______________________________________example 1 - other properties______________________________________strain point * = 440 ° c . annealing point * = 460 ° c . softening point * = 560 ° c . coefficient of expansion ( 25 °- 300 ° c .) = 91 . 5 × 10 . sup .- 7 /° c . density = 4 . 35 grams / cm . sup . 3transmission at 400 nm = 74 %( 10 mm thickness ) ______________________________________ * properties determined by the method termed &# 34 ; beambending viscosimeter &# 34 ; described by h . e . hagy in &# 34 ; experimental evaluation of beambending method of determining glass viscosities in the range 10 . sup . 8 to 10 . sup . 15 poises &# 34 ;, journal of the american ceramic society , 46 , no . 2 , 1963 , pp . 93 - 97 .

US-51804583-A

a vacuum break assembly including a housing , at least one valve assembly and at least one biased latch . the housing has at least one opening therein . the at least one valve assembly is coupled to the at least one opening in a sliding manner . the at least one biased latch couples the valve assembly to the housing .

referring now to the drawings , and more particularly to fig1 - 5 , there is illustrated a washing machine 10 including a vacuum break assembly 12 . vacuum break assembly 12 includes a housing 14 , a temperature sensor 16 , a valve assembly 18 and a valve assembly 20 . temperature sensor 16 is adjacent to a mixing cavity in which water from both the hot and cold supply are mixed and the temperature is controlled by a control device , not shown . valve assemblies 18 and 20 are respectively assigned to cold and hot water supplies that are coupled in a conventional manner by way of a hose to hot and cold water supplies . valve assemblies 18 and 20 are substantially similar and for all practical purposes are identical in every respect . for the sake of convenience only valve assembly 18 will be discussed , with the understanding that the attributes of valve assembly 18 are also included in valve assembly 20 . valve assembly 18 includes a solenoid 22 for operative activation by a control system , not shown . although solenoid 22 is depicted , it is understood that a control mechanism other than a solenoid may be utilized in operating valve assembly 18 . valve assembly 18 additionally includes a sealing ring 24 , which co - acts with a surface of an opening 26 in housing 14 to provide a waterproof seal for the water that travels through valve assembly 18 . hot and cold water is mixed in a mixing chamber contained in vacuum break assembly 12 , the chamber exists between valve assemblies 18 and 20 . a control system variously activates valve assemblies 18 and 20 to control the temperature of water that travels through the mixing chamber of vacuum break 12 . housing 14 additionally includes features on each side that are replicated to accommodate each of valve assemblies 18 and 20 . again for the sake of convenience , only those attributes on one side of housing 14 will be discussed . it is to be understood that the features discussed as existing on one side of housing 14 to accommodate valve assembly 18 are existent in a substantially similar fashion on an opposite side of housing 14 to accommodate valve assembly 20 . housing 14 includes a spring arm 28 having a retaining feature 30 , and dual spring arms 32 having an over - center slot 34 . spring arm 28 is flexible in a direction 36 allowing retainer 30 to engage a notch or ledge on valve assembly 18 . dual spring arms 32 are flexible in directions 38 . direction 36 is substantially perpendicular to direction 38 . dual spring arms 32 additionally guide valve assembly 18 and orient it so that a portion of valve assembly 18 is directed toward opening 26 . valve assembly 18 includes a body 40 , a ramped surface 42 and a channel 44 . ramped surface 42 interacts with spring arm 28 so that as valve assembly 18 is assembled to housing 14 spring arm 28 flexes away from body 40 as it travels along ramped surface 42 . as retainer 30 moves past ramped surface 42 , spring arm 28 returns to its substantially unbiased position , thereby holding valve assembly 18 in an assembled position with housing 14 . in the assembly process of vacuum break 12 , channel 44 of valve assembly 18 is oriented relative to dual spring arms 32 and is moved toward housing 14 causing dual spring arms 32 to flex outwardly allowing a curved inner surface between channel 44 , which is substantially similar to a curved portion of over - center slot 34 . channel 44 co - acts with dual spring arms 32 to orient and direct valve assembly 18 toward opening 26 and ramped surface 42 to contact retainer 30 of spring arm 28 . once valve assembly 18 is snapped into place with housing 14 , it should be noted that the portion of body 40 that has entered opening 26 along with dual spring arms 32 securely hold valve assembly 18 so that valve assembly 18 will not rotate or move relative to housing 14 when a hose coupling is connected to the threaded portion of body 40 . further , the assembly of valve assembly 18 with housing 14 is accomplished without the need for any tools . this hand operation is accomplished very quickly and can be undone by simply applying a biasing force on spring arm 28 to allow retainer 30 to be disengaged from body 40 . valve assembly 18 can then be pulled from its position relative to housing 14 . while this invention has been described as having a preferred design , the present invention can be further modified within the spirit and scope of this disclosure . this application is therefore intended to cover any variations , uses , or adaptations of the invention using its general principles . further , this application is intended to cover such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice in the art to which this invention pertains and which fall within the limits of the appended claims .

US-24342905-A

the flow controller is capable of optionally controlling flow volume of controlled flow and reducing weight and a production cost . the flow controller comprises : a main body having a first flow path and a second flow path ; a ring packing for sealing the flow paths ; a rod - shaped flow control member tightly pierced through the ring packing and capable of moving with respect to the ring packing , the flow control member having a third flow path ; operation means for moving the flow control member so as to control the flow volume ; a fourth flow path provided outside of the ring packing ; and a check valve prohibiting a fluid to flow from the second flow path to the first flow path via the fourth flow path and allowing the fluid to flow from the first flow path to the second flow path via the fourth flow path .

preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings . a perspective view of a flow controller s 1 of a first embodiment is shown in fig1 , and a sectional view thereof is shown in fig2 . as shown in fig1 , the flow controller s 1 comprises a cylindrical main body 2 and a cylindrical knob 4 , which is coaxially arranged with the main body 2 and covers a part of an outer circumferential face of the main body 2 . a user is capable of rotating the knob 4 with respect to the main body 2 . a first nipple member 6 , in which a first port 6 a is formed , and a second nipple member 8 , in which a second port 8 a is formed , are respectively attached to both ends of the main body 2 . as shown in fig2 , fluid passageways p 1 and p 2 , e . g ., hoses , which introduce a fluid into and discharge the fluid from the main body 2 , are respectively connected to the ports 6 a and 8 a . the main body 2 has a first flow path 2 a , which is communicated to the first port 6 a , and a second flow path 2 b , which is communicated to the second port 8 a . through - holes 2 c and 2 d are oppositely formed in an outer wall of the main body 2 , which constitutes the first flow path 2 a ( see fig2 and 3 ). as shown in fig2 , the knob 4 covers a part of the outer circumferential face of the main body 2 including the through - holes 2 c and 2 d . a cover section 2 e is formed in one end part of the main body 2 . one end part 4 b of the knob 4 is inserted in the cover section 2 e . namely , an outer cylinder section ( the cover section 2 e ) apart from the outer circumferential face of the main body 2 is formed in the one end part of the main body 2 , and the one end part 4 b of the knob 4 is inserted in a space between an inner circumferential face of the outer cylinder section ( the cover section 2 e ) and the outer circumferential face of the main body 2 . the first nipple member 6 is fitted in the other end of the main body 2 . the first nipple member 6 further has a flange section 6 b , which is radially outwardly extended along the other end face of the main body 2 , so that the knob 4 can be retained in the main body 2 . namely , the knob 4 is clamped between the cover section 2 e and the flange section 6 b , so that the knob 4 can be retained on the outer circumferential face of the main body 2 . a plurality of recesses are formed in an innermost face 2 f of the cover section 2 e ( see fig2 ) and arranged in the circumferential direction . projections 4 c , which can engage with the recesses , are formed in one end face of the knob 4 , which faces the recesses ( see fig4 ). when the user turns the knob 4 , the projections 4 c run on the recesses . on the other hand , when the user stops turning the knob 4 at an optional rotational position , the projections 4 c engages with the recesses , so that the knob 4 can be retained at that position . a first screw section 4 a is formed in a part of an inner circumferential face of the knob 4 , which corresponds to the through - holes 2 c and 2 d . namely , the first screw section 4 a of the knob 4 faces the first flow path 2 a of the main body 2 through the through - holes 2 c and 2 d . a circular projection 2 g is formed in an inner circumferential face of the main body 2 and disposed between the flow paths 2 a and 2 b . a plurality of through - holes 2 h are formed in the circular projections 2 g as fourth flow paths , and they are arranged in the circumferential direction . a rubber member 10 is attached to the circular projection 2 g of the main body 2 , which is disposed between the first flow path 2 a and the second flow path 2 b . in the rubber member 10 , a ring packing 10 a , which seals the first flow path 2 a and the second flow path 2 b , and a valve body 10 b , which is formed into a cone shape , extended from the ring packing 10 a toward the second flow path 2 b and capable of closing one ends of the fourth flow paths 2 h , are integrated ( see fig2 and 5 ). as shown in fig2 , the cone - shaped valve body 10 b is obliquely extended outward from an inner part of the ring packing 10 a . with this structure , a neck section 10 c is formed between the ring packing 10 a and the valve body 10 b . a surface 2 i of the circular projection 2 g on the second flow path 2 b side is formed into a female tapered face along an outer circumferential face of the cone - shaped valve body 10 b of the rubber member 10 . on the other hand , a surface 2 j of the circular projection 2 g on the first flow path 2 a side is formed into a vertical face . the outer circumferential face of the cone - shaped valve body 10 b of the rubber member 10 is arranged along the slope surface 2 i , and the circular projection 2 g is engaged with the neck section 10 c , so that the rubber member 10 is retained in the main body 2 . the cone - shaped valve body 10 b is arranged along the slope surface 2 i so as to close the one ends of the fourth flow paths 2 h . when fluid pressure in the first flow path 2 a and the fourth flow paths 2 h are higher than that in the second flow path 2 b , the valve body 10 b is pressed and deformed by the pressure of the fluid in the fourth flow paths 2 h , so that the fluid flows from the first flow path 2 a to the second flow path 2 b via the fourth flow paths 2 h . on the other hand , when the fluid pressure in the second flow path 2 b is higher than that in the first flow path 2 a and the fourth flow paths 2 h , the valve body 10 b is pressed by the fluid pressure in the second flow path 2 b , but the valve body 10 b is pressed onto the slope surface 2 i and closes the one ends of the fourth flow paths 2 h . therefore , the fluid cannot flow from the second flow path 2 b to the first flow path 2 a . namely , the valve body 10 b works as a check valve , which prohibits the fluid to flow from the second flow path 2 b to the first flow path 2 a via the fourth flow paths 2 h and allows the fluid to flow from the first flow path 2 a to the second flow path 2 b via the fourth flow paths 2 h . a rod - shaped flow control member 12 is provided in the main body 2 . the flow control member 12 is tightly pierced through the ring packing 10 a and capable of moving , in the axial direction , with respect to the ring packing 10 a . the flow control member 12 has a third flow path 12 b , which is opened in one end face 12 a and an outer circumferential face of the flow control member 12 and which makes the first flow path 2 a communicate to the second flow path 2 b via the ring packing 10 a . flow volume of the fluid flowing in the third flow path 12 b can be controlled by adjusting the relative axial position of the flow control member 12 with respect to the ring packing 10 a . a bifurcated notch ( an opening section ) is formed in the one end 12 a part . the bifurcated notch is opened in the one end face 12 a and the outer circumferential face of the flow control member 12 as a v - shaped notch . by forming the bifurcated ( v - shaped ) notch , the one end 12 a part of the flow control member is formed into a v - shape ( see fig2 and 6 ). the space in the v - shape acts as the third flow path 12 b . as shown in fig2 and 6 , the width of the third flow path 12 b or the v - shaped notch ( the opening section ) is gradually increased toward the one end 12 a . namely , the width of the third flow path 12 b in the circumferential direction of the flow control member 12 is gradually increased toward the one end 12 a , and a sectional area of the third flow path 12 b perpendicular to the axial line of the flow control member 12 is gradually increased toward the one end 12 a . in the state shown in fig2 , the one end 12 a part of the flow control member 12 corresponds to the ring packing 10 a . by moving the flow control member 12 leftward , a sectional area of the third flow path 12 b corresponding to the ring packing 10 a and opening areas of the open ends of the third flow path 12 b , which are opened in the side faces 12 c and 12 d of the flow control member 12 , on the first flow path 2 a side with respect to the ring packing 10 a are gradually reduced . therefore , flow volume of the fluid flowing in the third flow path 12 b is reduced . more precisely , the sectional area of the third flow path 12 b in the ring - shaped part of the ring packing 10 a and the smaller opening part of the open ends of the third flow path 12 b , which are opened in the side faces 12 c and 12 d of the flow control member 12 , on the first flow path 2 a side with respect to the ring packing 10 a restrain the flow volume of the fluid flowing in the third flow path 12 b . namely , the flow volume of the fluid flowing in the third flow path 12 b can be adjusted by the axial position of the flow control member 12 with respect to the ring packing 10 a . notching depths of the v - shaped notch , from the one end 12 a , in the both side faces 12 c and 12 d of the flow control member 12 are mutually different . as shown in fig2 , the notching depth in the front face 12 c is deeper than the notching depth in the rear face 12 d . with this structure , when the flow control member 12 is moved to locate a branching part of the v - shaped notch in the ring packing 10 a so as to reduce the flow volume of the fluid in the third flow path 12 b , the branching part in the rear face 12 d is closed by the ring packing 10 a , so that the first flow path 2 a and the second flow path 2 b are not mutually communicated ; the first flow path 2 a and the second flow path 2 b are mutually communicated via the branching part in the front face 12 c only . namely , the first flow path 2 a and the second flow path 2 b can be mutually communicated via the v - shaped notch in the front face 12 c only , so that the flow volume of the fluid flowing in the third flow path 12 b can be precisely controlled even if the flow volume is small . next , a mechanism for axially moving the flow control member 12 , which includes operation means , e . g ., knob 4 , will be explained . as shown in fig2 , projected sections 12 g are formed in the other end 12 e part of the flow control member 12 , which is located in the first flow path 12 a . the projected sections 12 g respectively have second screw sections 12 f , which are radially extended with respect to the axial line of the flow control member 12 until reaching the inner circumferential face of the knob 4 via the through - holes 2 c and 2 d of the main body 2 and which are screwed with the first screw section 4 a of the knob 4 . each of the projected sections 12 g is constituted by a first part 12 ga ( see fig6 ), which is integrated with the flow control member 12 , and a second part 12 gb ( see fig7 ), which has an insert section 12 i fitted in a hole 12 h formed in an end face of the first part 12 ga . by fitting the insert section 12 i into the hole 12 h , the second part 12 gb is attached to the first part 12 ga . the second screw section 12 f , which is screwed with the first screw section 4 a of the knob 4 , is formed in the second part 12 gb . the flow controller s 1 can be easily assembled by inserting the flow control member 12 , to which no second parts 12 gb are attached , into the main body 2 and fitting the insert sections 12 i of the second part 12 gb into the holes 12 h via the through - holes 2 c and 2 d of the main body 2 . by manually turning the knob 4 , the first and second screw sections 4 a and 12 f move the flow control member 12 in the axial direction . note that , the projected sections 12 g are introduced through the through - holes 2 c and 2 d . with this structure , when the knob 4 is turned with respect to the main body 2 , the projected sections 12 g are engaged with edges of the through - holes 2 c and 2 d . therefore , the flow control member 12 is not turned , with respect to the main body 2 , together with the knob 4 . the projected sections 12 g , which are introduced through the through - holes 2 c and 2 d of the main body 2 , prevents the flow control member 12 from rotation . a second embodiment will be explained . note that , the structural elements explained in the first embodiment are assigned the same symbols and explanation will be omitted . fig8 is a perspective view of a flow controller s 2 of the second embodiment ; and fig9 is a sectional view of the flow controller showing its inner mechanism . a main body 3 of the flow controller s 2 is constituted by a t - shaped pipe ( see fig1 ). as shown in fig8 , a knob 5 , which can be manually turned , the first nipple member 6 having the first port 6 a and the second nipple member 8 having the second port 8 a are respectively provided to ends of the t - shaped main body 3 . the nipple members 6 and 8 are arranged so as to orthogonally cross the axial lines of the first port 6 a and the second port 8 a . in the second embodiment , the second nipple member 8 is provided to the lower end of the vertical section of the t - shaped pipe ; the knob 5 and the first nipple member 6 are respectively provided to the ends of the horizontal section of the t - shaped pipe . as shown in fig9 , a first flow path 3 a , which is communicated to the first port 6 a , and a second flow path 3 b , which is communicated to the second port 8 a , are formed in the main body 3 . the circular projection 2 g , the fourth flow paths 2 h and the rubber member 10 including the ring packing 10 a and the valve body 10 b are provided as well as the first embodiment . a hollow rod - shaped flow control member 13 is provided in the main body 3 . the flow control member 13 is tightly pierced through the ring packing 10 a and capable of relatively moving , in the axial direction , with respect to the ring packing 10 a . while moving the flow control member 13 , an outer circumferential face of the flow control member 13 tightly contacts an inner circumferential face of the ring packing 10 a , as well as the first embodiment . the flow control member 13 has a third flow path 13 b , which is opened in one end face 13 a and the outer circumferential face thereof and which makes the first flow path 3 a communicate to the second flow path 3 b via the ring packing 10 a . flow volume of the fluid flowing in the third flow path 13 b can be controlled by adjusting the relative axial position of the flow control member 13 with respect to the ring packing 10 a . a bifurcated notch ( an opening section ) is formed in the one end 13 a part of the flow control member 13 . the bifurcated notch is opened in the one end face 13 a and the outer circumferential face of the flow control member 13 as a v - shaped notch . by forming the bifurcated ( v - shaped ) notch , the one end 13 a part of the flow control member 13 is formed into a v - shape ( see fig9 and 12 ). the space in the v - shape acts as the third flow path 13 b . in the first embodiment , the one end 12 a part of the flow control member 12 , in which the v - shaped notch is formed , is headed toward the second flow path 2 b . on the other hand , in the second embodiment , the one end 13 a part of the flow control member 13 , in which the v - shaped notch is formed , is headed toward the first flow path 3 a . note that , the one end 13 a part may be headed toward the second flow path 3 b . namely , the one end 13 a part , in which the v - shaped notch is formed , may be optionally headed toward the first flow path 3 a or second flow path 3 b . as shown in fig9 and 12 , the width of the third flow path 13 b or the v - shaped notch ( the opening section ) is gradually increased toward the one end 13 a . namely , the width of the third flow path 13 b in the circumferential direction of the flow control member 13 is gradually increased toward the one end 13 a . the flow volume of the fluid flowing in the third flow path 13 b can be adjusted by varying area of the third flow path 13 b opened in the side face of the flow control member 13 , which is located on the second flow path 3 b side with respect to the ring packing 10 a . the area of the third flow path 13 b opened in the side face is varied by the axial position of the flow control member 13 with respect to the ring packing 10 a . notching depths of the v - shaped notch , from the one end 13 a , in the both side faces of the flow control member 13 are mutually different as well as the first embodiment . with this structure , when the flow control member 13 is moved to locate the branching part of the v - shaped notch in the ring packing 10 a , the first flow path 3 a and the second flow path 3 b are mutually communicated via the v - shaped notch in one side face only , so that the flow volume of the fluid passing through the third flow path 13 b can be precisely controlled , as well as the first embodiment , even if the flow volume is small . next , a mechanism for axially moving the flow control member 13 , which includes the operation means , e . g ., knob 5 , will be explained . as shown in fig1 , projected sections 13 j are formed in the other end 13 e part of the flow control member 13 . the projected sections 13 j are radially extended , with respect to the axial line of the flow control member 13 , from the both side faces of the flow control member 13 . further , as shown in fig9 , a cylindrical stopper 16 is provided in the main body 3 , more precisely provided in the end part of the main body 3 , to which the knob 5 will be attached . the stopper 16 is coaxially arranged with the main body 3 , so an outer circumferential face 16 is arranged along an inner circumferential face of the main body 3 . as shown in fig1 a and 13b , projected sections 16 e are formed on the outer circumferential face of the stopper 16 and extended in the axial direction thereof . on the other hand , recesses , which are capable of respectively engaging with the projected sections 16 e , are formed in the inner circumferential face of the main body 3 . with this structure , the stopper 16 cannot be turned with respect to the main body 3 . the stopper 16 has guide notches 16 a , in which the projected sections 13 j of the flow control member 13 will be respectively fitted ( see fig1 a ). with this structure , the flow control member 13 can be moved in the axial direction . further , the stopper 16 has a notch 16 b so as not to obstruct the flow of the fluid in the second flow path 3 b . as shown in fig9 , an engage section 16 c of the stopper 16 is engaged with an engage section 5 b of the knob 5 , which is formed like a circumferential groove , so that the knob 5 is rotatably retained . the one end 13 a of the flow control member 13 is headed for the first port 6 a . a bolt 14 is provided to the other end 13 e of the flow control member 13 . the bolt 14 is coaxially arranged with the flow control member 13 as a first screw section 13 f . nuts 18 and 19 are provided to the knob 5 as second screw sections 5 a screwed with the first screw section 13 f . a plurality of recesses 5 c are formed in an inner face of the knob 5 ( see fig1 ) and arranged in the circumferential direction . projections 16 c , which can engage with the recesses 5 c , are formed in one end face of the stopper 16 , which faces the recesses 5 c ( see fig1 b ). when the user turns the knob 5 , the projections 16 d run on the recesses 5 c . on the other hand , when the user stops turning the knob 5 at an optional rotational position , the projections 16 d engages with the recesses 5 c , so that the knob 5 can be retained at that position . with the above described structure , by manually turning the knob 5 , the first and second screw sections 13 f and 5 a move the flow control member 13 in the axial direction thereof . at that time , the projected sections 13 j have fitted in the guide notches 16 a of the stopper 16 . therefore , the flow control member 13 is not turned together with the knob 5 when the knob 5 is manually turned . namely , the projected sections 13 j and the guide notches 16 a of the stopper 16 prevent the flow control member 13 from rotation . in each of the flow controllers s 1 and s 2 , the fluid flows form the first port 6 a to the second port 8 a via the fourth flow paths 2 h as free flow . on the other hand , the fluid flows form the second port 8 a to the first port 6 a via the third flow path 12 b or 13 b as controlled flow , whose flow volume is controlled by changing the axial position of the flow control member 12 or 13 . unlike the conventional flow controller , each of the flow controllers s 1 and s 2 is capable of precisely controlling flow volume of the fluid with the unique flow control member 12 or 13 even if the flow volume is small . the flow volume is controlled by the third flow path 12 b or 13 b , which is opened in the outer circumferential face of the rod - shaped flow control member 12 or 13 , and the ring packing 10 a . namely , the flow controller s 1 and s 2 has no weak member , e . g ., the needle of the conventional flow controller , so that the flow control members 12 and 13 are not badly damaged by fluid resistance . therefore , the parts of the flow control members 12 and 13 can be composed of a light and inexpensive material , e . g ., plastic . note that , the present invention is not limited to the above described embodiments . various modifications can be allowed . the third flow path formed in the flow control member must be opened in at least the outer circumferential face of the flow control member , and the flow volume of the fluid passing through the third flow path must be controlled according to the relative position of the flow control member with respect to the ring packing . for example , a flow control member 20 shown in fig1 may be employed . the flow control member 20 has a groove - shaped third flow path 20 b . a circumferential width of an end of the third flow path 20 b , which is opened in the outer circumferential face of the flow control member 20 , is gradually increased toward one end 20 a of the flow control member 20 . in the present invention , the flow control member need not be moved in the axial direction with respect to the ring packing . the ring packing may be moved with respect to the flow control member . further , both of the flow control member and the ring packing may be moved . the ring packing and the valve body need not be integrated . they may be separately provided . the invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit of essential characteristics thereof . the present embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive , the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein .

US-82295907-A

the circuit compensates for phase error in the case of fractional - n - based pll frequency synthesizers . all required actuating and reference signals are derived from the vco frequency of the voltage - controlled oscillator by using an auxiliary phase - locked loop . the circuit is specifically applicable for hf - pll frequency synthesizers using integrated circuit technology .

referring now to the figures of the drawing illustrating the invention in detail and first , particularly , to fig2 thereof , there is seen a block diagram of the circuit of a digital pll ( phase - locked loop ) frequency synthesizer . also to be seen in this circuit are the known elements of a conventional pll frequency synthesizer circuit already described in conjunction with fig1 specifically a crystal - controlled oscillator 1 , a reference frequency divider 2 , a phase - frequency detector 3 , a charge pump 6 , a loop low pass filter 7 , and a voltage - controlled oscillator ( vco ) 4 . in the frequency synthesizer illustrated in fig2 a reference frequency f ref , which is formed in the reference frequency divider 2 by dividing the quartz frequency f q supplied by the crystal - controlled oscillator 1 , is compared with a second frequency f 2 , derived by dividing the frequency f vco of the voltage - controlled oscillator 4 , in the phase - frequency detector 3 , whose output signal serves in the pll after being led via the charge pump 6 and the loop low pass filter 7 , as control voltage for the voltage - controlled oscillator 4 . by contrast with the prior art frequency synthesizer circuit , described in fig1 in order to divide the frequency of the voltage - controlled oscillator 4 , there is provided in the pll an n /( n + 1 ) frequency divider 9 which can be switched over at a control input 8 ( select ) between two adjacent integral divisor factors n and n + 1 , can be programmed in pitch by n and is , as appropriate , implemented using the dual modulus principle . likewise other than in the case of the prior art circuit according to fig1 there is further inserted between the frequency divider 9 and the input for the frequency f 2 at the phase - frequency detector 3 a phase delay device 10 which has two control inputs 11 ( deladjust ) and 12 ( delsel ), respectively . the control input 12 is implemented by a plurality of lines and it may be , for example , a bus with ld ( m ) lines . a basic time delay is set at the control input 11 , and a number of these basic time delays after which the output 13 of the phase delay device 10 follows the input 14 thereof is set at the control input 12 . with reference to fig3 which illustrates in detail the design of the pll phase delay device 10 , the phase delay chain 15 contains — in accordance with the selected modulus m — m − 1 time - delay elements 16 which in each case have the same delay time . the delay time can , however , be set via the control input 11 . the decoded delsel signal value from the control input 12 is used to select the time - delay element 16 downstream of which the signal for the phase - frequency detector 3 and a phase accumulator 17 is decoupled . the control input 12 provided for setting the number of the basic time delays active in the phase delay chain 15 of the pll phase delay device 10 is simultaneously the control input of an m : 1 - multiplexer 18 by means of which it is possible to select as a function of the control signal present at its control input downstream of which of the series - connected time - delay elements 16 the signal to be fed , on the one hand , to one input of the phase - frequency detector 3 and , on the other hand , to the phase accumulator 17 is decoupled . the above - mentioned decoding can even be omitted , if appropriate , by the use of a multiplexer in order to select the number of time - delay elements . with each output pulse of the phase delay device 10 , the phase accumulator 17 is increased by the settable fraction k of the reference frequency f ref , although modulo - m , for which reason an adder modulo - m 19 is provided . in the case of an overflow , the n /( n + 1 ) frequency divider 9 is switched to the divisor factor ( n + 1 ) for the next period via an overflow output 20 of the phase accumulator 17 . the output 21 of the phase accumulator 17 directly provides the control word delsel for the control input 12 of the pll phase delay device 10 . as mentioned above , the phase error to be compensated is both a function of the cycle number within m consecutive cycles , and a function of the desired frequency f vco of the voltage - controlled oscillator 4 . it can be shown , and this has already been done , that the required cycle - dependent time for delaying the divided f vco phase must therefore be an integral multiple of an essential step in the method according to the invention is that the control voltage deladjust with which this time t delmin is set via the control input 11 at each time - delay element 16 of the phase delay chain 15 in the phase delay device 10 is derived directly from the frequency f vco of the voltage - controlled oscillator 4 with the aid of a further phase delay device 22 and a further phase - frequency detector 23 . as fig4 shows , the further phase delay device 22 is of exactly the same design as the phase delay device 10 , that is to say in accordance with the decoupling lines for the time - delay elements 16 of the phase delay device 10 according to fig3 it is loaded by dummy decoupling elements 25 in the case of all time - delay elements 24 , in order to simulate the same time - delay conditions as in the pll phase delay device 10 fitted with the m : 1 - multiplexer 18 . however , in the further phase delay device 22 it is not , as with the phase delay device 10 , m − 1 time - delay elements which are connected in series , but m time - delay elements 24 , and this is of great significance . the frequency f vco of the voltage - controlled oscillator 4 is fed at an input 26 into the further phase delay device 22 via a buffer amplifier 27 , and the phase of the signal at the output 28 of the further phase delay device 22 is once again compared , with the aid of the further phase - frequency detector 23 , directly to the frequency f vco , led via the same buffer amplifier 26 , of the voltage - controlled oscillator 4 . the result of comparison , derived from the output 28 of the further phase delay device 22 , is subjected to low - pass filtering in a second loop low pass filter 29 , and then forms for the further phase delay device 22 the control voltage which is fed there to a control input 30 . this control voltage deladjust is used to set the same basic time delay in each case for the time - delay elements 24 on the further phase delay device 22 . the further phase delay device 22 is therefore , as it were , a constituent of an auxiliary phase - locked loop ( auxiliary pll ) in which the voltage - controlled oscillator 4 generates its own reference frequency . the auxiliary pll can have a very high loop bandwidth because of the high frequencies . however , a value which is of the order of magnitude of the reference frequency f ref suffices , since a substantially faster deladjust control signal cannot be more quickly evaluated , in any case . if it is ensured that exactly one vco period of the oscillation of the voltage - controlled oscillator 4 is contained in the further phase delay device 22 , it holds that : this means that each time - delay element 24 of the further phase delay device 22 is delayed by exactly the m th part of t vco − setpoint . this is precisely the required elementary value or quantum value of the phase delay chain 15 contained in the actual , that is to say the phase delay device 10 of the main pll . because the time - delay elements 16 and 24 , respectively , in the two phase delay devices 10 and 22 , respectively , are of identical design with reference to their time response , the control voltage for the further phase delay device 22 can also be used as control voltage deladjust for the purpose of feeding to the control input 11 of the phase delay device 10 . a frequency synthesizer designed in accordance with the invention can be implemented in a particularly advantageous way using integrated circuit technology .

US-79966901-A

a directory server including a supplier server , a consumer server in communication with the supplier server , a plurality of pluggable services that manage replication of data contained within the directory server from the supplier server to the consumer server , and a change sequence number used to determine ordering of operations performed on the consumer server . replication of data is managed using the change sequence number .

specific embodiments of the invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying figures . like elements in the various figures are denoted by like reference numerals for consistency . the invention described here may be implemented on virtually any type computer regardless of the traditional platform being used . for example , as shown in fig5 , a typical computer ( 130 ) has a processor ( 132 ), memory ( 134 ), among others . the computer ( 130 ) has associated therewith input means such as a keyboard ( 136 ) and a mouse ( 138 ), although in an accessible environment these input means may take other forms . the computer ( 130 ) is also associated with an output device such as a display ( 140 ), which also may take a different form in a given accessible environment . the computer ( 130 ) is connected via a connection means ( 142 ) to a wide area network ( 144 ), such as the internet . the present invention involves a change sequence number ( csn ) generator 159 . a change sequence number is a tuple { t , s , r , s } where : t is a 32 - bit timestamp ( unix ctime ), s is a sequence number , used to provide finer granularity than t ( 16 bits ), r is a 16 - bit replica id , and s is a sub - sequence number , used to order operations within a single ldap operation ( 16 bits ). in a multi - mastered environment , client updates may occur at any one of the mastering servers . these updates have to be eventually relayed to all other replicas . each server maintains a list of updates that have been applied to the local copy of the directory information tree ( dit ). when one server receives updates from another server , the amount of data transferred can be reduced by sending only the updates which the receiver hasn &# 39 ; t already seen . replica update vectors ( ruvs ) encode this information regarding what updates have been received by each replica . ruvs are exchanged by the servers at the beginning of a replication session to convey information regarding the updates that are known to the replicas . this process is represented in fig6 . masters m ( 160 ), n ( 162 ), o ( 164 ), and p ( 166 ) have clients a ( 168 ), b ( 170 ), c ( 172 ), d ( 174 ), e ( 176 ), f ( 178 ), g ( 180 ), and h ( 182 ). assume the following facts . all clients have a replica of the same data , and client a ( 168 ) modifies the contents of an entry at master m ( 160 ). around the same time , client b ( 170 ) modifies the same entry at master n ( 162 ). at some later point in time , all the masters and all the replicas attempt to reconcile the changes in the directory contents . an update resolution procedure ( urp ) algorithm is then used to determine the correct ordering of various operations . the urp is the process by which update conflicts are detected and resolved . the update resolution policy of the urp determines the method used to resolve update conflicts . consistent application of the same urp across all cooperating servers guarantees that the system eventually reaches a consistent state , in which all servers contain the same data . the urp algorithm uses csns to determine the ordering of the operations . in a distributed environment , such as multi - mastered replication , csns provide a sense of global logical time and hence a basis for ordering operations which have been initially performed at different servers . the csns are assigned to update ( add / modify / delete ) operations at a replica and are communicated to other replicas via exchange of ruvs . an ruv describes how up - to - date one replica is with respect to all other replicas . conceptually , ruvs involve a series of csns , one for each known replica , and describes the latest update received from that replica . when one replica sends changes to another , the replica consults the consumer &# 39 ; s ruv and determines the smallest set of updates that need to be sent to bring the replica up to date . the csn generator api can be used to obtain a meaningful comparison of string representations . depending on the need for readability , the different components are separated by hyphens ; for a 64 bit csn , readability may not be an issue , but knocking off a few hyphens saves upwards of 10 % in space needed to represent a csn . an example of a string representation of a csn is “ 03626325e0001a1a1 ”. because the first character of the above string is ‘ 0 ’, the timestamp portion is ahead of the sequence number and the replica id . in the above string , “ 3626325 e ” is the timestamp part of the csn . it is actually the clock time representing “ thu oct 15 10 : 35 : 26 1998 pdt ”. note that the timestamps denote the time in universal time coordinated ( utc ) format and no corrections are required for different time zones . the next four bytes of the string representation , i . e ., “ 0001 ” is the sequence number portion of csn . the last four bytes of the string representation (“ a1a1 ”) denote the replica id of the server where the csn was generated . when an operation is received at a server , the server associates a csn with that operation . the server maintains a changelog , which is used to record the changes to be replayed later to other servers as a sequence of change records . the changelog keeps track of all the csns that are assigned to operations and then order the operations accordingly . to avoid waiting indefinitely for aborted or failed operations , the changelog also needs to be notified when an assigned csn is never going to be committed to the changelog . a csnregisternewcsncb ( ) function can be used by the changelog ( or any other interested module ) to register functions with the csn generator . these functions are called whenever an operation is assigned a new csn or the operation is aborted . in one embodiment of the present invention , a correct implementation of the csn generator should satisfy several conditions , including that a newly generated csn is always greater than any other csn generated locally , and that a newly generated csn is greater than all known csns generated by other servers ( obtained via exchange of ruvs or as part of the initial setup of a replication session ). to guarantee these properties across server restarts , the highest known csn should be maintained in stable storage . this can be achieved by simply writing the timestamp portion of the highest known csn to a file . however , this is an expensive operation . therefore , for the purpose of efficiency , this operation is performed at certain regular intervals and the timestamp so stored is a value in the future ( just beyond the timestamp at the end of the next interval ). the timestamp component of the csn thus represents a logical time . this component is loosely based on the system clock time , and the sequence number provides further granularity . to guarantee the above mentioned properties of csns , the timestamp component is represented by logical time =( system clock time )+( local offset )+( network offset ). the system clock time component directly corresponds to the value returned by the time ( ) system call . the local offset component is the correction added to the system clock time to ensure that a newly generated csn is always greater than any other csn generated locally . this component is necessary to handle the case when the system clock is set back by the system administrator . this component is initially zero and never decreases . the network offset component is the correction added to guarantee that a newly generated csn is greater than all known csns generated by other servers . this component is incremented when it is noticed that the logical time on another server is ahead of the local logical time . this component is initially zero and never decreases . the system clock time component is sampled periodically ( every one second ) and cached by a separate thread . this component is then available via a call to get_current_time ( ). if the local system clock is not set back or slowed down ( through ntp or other means ), local offset is always zero . the increments to network offset are limited by the configuration parameter “ csn_max_skew ” ( defaults to 1 hour ). this parameter protects against large differences in logical times between various servers . such large differences are usually indicative of some other problems and should be handled immediately . the csn generator stores its state information in the entry “ cn = csngenerator , cn = config ” in the dit . the “ csnstate ” attribute stores the system clock time , the local offset , the network offset , and the sequence number . this information is then used to initialize the generator when the server is restarted . csns are assigned whenever an entry is created , modified , deleted , etc ., by a client . some of the state information stored in an entry can be purged from time to time . this purging helps reclaim some of the storage space . the ldif representation for csns for attributes uses attribute options . the attribute option encodes the type of csn and the csn value . for example , the update csn for telephonenumber attribute is denoted as : telephonenumber ; vucsn - xxx : 555 - 1212 . a delete csn is represented as : telephonenumber ; vdcsn - xxx : 555 - 1212 . the csn representing the creation time of the entry can be represented as an attribute itself : dncsn : xxx . also , deleted attributes can be represented as values of a multivalued attribute : deletedattribute : attr1 , adcsn - xxx ; deletedattribute : attr2 , adcsn - xxx . the storage representation is similar to the ldif representation . changes to str2entry and entry2str routines are required to store and read the csn values . the str2entry routine is read in the ldif representation and interprets the csn related values . these values are then used to fill the csn related information in the slapi_entry and slapi_attr structures . the entry2str routine outputs some additional csn related information . this information is written as additional attribute values for an entry . the pseudocode for the routine follows . for an entry e , output the dn , and output the “ dncsn ” as the attribute dncsn with a value corresponding to the string representation of the csn . output the last modification csn as the attribute lastmodifiedcsn with a value corresponding to the string representation of the csn . for each attribute value , output the attribute value with the format defined in the ldif representation of attribute csns . output deleted attributes , if any , with the format defined in the ldif representation of csns for deleted attributes . while the invention has been described with respect to a limited number of embodiments , those skilled in the art , having benefit of this disclosure , will appreciate that other embodiments can be devised which do not depart from the scope of the invention as disclosed herein . accordingly , the scope of the invention should be limited only by the attached claims .

US-99393901-A

the present invention relates to methods of repeatedly valuing intellectual property assets and securitizing such assets . the present invention provides a means whereby holders or owners of proprietary intellectual property may readily determine the value to the business of the securitization of their intellectual property estate and obtain capital by securitizing all or part of their intellectual property estate .

a preferred embodiment of the invention for securitization of patents is illustrated in figs . a , b , c , and d as follows : 1 . in fig . a at 1 a information obtained from the patent holder [ 1 ] about an intellectual property [ 2 ] available for valuation and securitization is input into computer program 2 . patent data [ 3 - 6 ] is accessed from patent documents or data transmitted electronically ( facsimile or internet access among other methods ) including but not limited to ; patent number , date of issue , claims , citations , inventors , assignees , and cross references and entered into computer program [ 7 ]. if the intellectual property is a property other than a patent , similar data pertaining to that intellectual property is entered into computer program [ 7 ]. 3 . computer program [ 7 ] prompts the program user at decision point [ 8 ] to declare ownership status of the intellectual property [ 2 ]. a negative input at [ 8 ] prompts decision point [ 9 ] to determine assumption of legal liabilities by holder [ 1 ] pursuant to a securitization of intellectual property [ 2 ]. a negative input at [ 9 ] terminates the processing of intellectual property [ 2 ] by program [ 7 ] and prompts the user for a new intellectual property [ 2 ′] at decision input [ 10 ] from holder [ 1 ] into program [ 7 ]. a negative input at [ 10 ] prompts user to enter a new intellectual property holder [ 1 ′] at 1 a on fig . a . 4 . a positive response at [ 8 ] or [ 9 ] prompts performance data sub program [ 11 ] to engage a plurality of decision points [ 12 - 14 ] to select utility of intellectual property [ 2 ] to holder [ 1 ]. decision points [ 12 - 14 ] determine whether intellectual property [ 2 ] constitutes an invention or improvement of a product , process , or compliance of a product or process to regulatory standards , among other factors . an affirmative input at a particular decision point [ 12 - 14 ] engages an algorithm with a function scalar ≠ 0 within sub program [ 15 ] of program [ 7 ]. the algorithm derives from a database of applicable algorithms for a particular decision point [ 12 - 14 ]. a negative input at all decision points exits sub program [ 11 ] and prompts decision point [ 10 ]. 5 . sub - program [ 15 ] prompts the user to input accounting and business data at inputs [ 16 - 19 ] that relate to intellectual property [ 2 ]. such inputs may include , without limitation : [ 16 ] historical and current accounting data related to revenues , direct and indirect costs , balance sheets , and associated cash flows ; [ 17 ] forecasts of future accounting data ; [ 18 ] risk algorithms applicable to [ 17 ]; and [ 19 ] r & amp ; d and continuing development costs for intellectual property [ 2 ]. 6 . sub - program [ 15 ] performs a computational analysis which compares data inputs from [ 16 - 19 ] to data computed from assuming non - existence of intellectual property [ 2 ]. 7 . a decision point [ 20 ] performs a difference analysis of the output of steps 5 and 6 previous to determine intellectual property [ 2 ] marginal value . for marginal value & gt ; 0 sub - program [ 15 ] inputs intellectual property [ 2 ] data to sub - program [ 21 ] to perform valuation modeling . for marginal value ≦ 0 the program prompts [ 10 ]. 8 . the prompt of sub - program [ 21 ] concurrently prompts inputs [ 22 - 25 ] relating ( without limitation ) to the proprietary life and uncertainty risks associated with intellectual property [ 2 ]. inputs [ 22 - 25 ] may consist of , without limitation : [ 22 ] economic life ; [ 23 ] legal life ( may include input of [ 4 ]); [ 24 ] technology risk obsolescence ( may include inputs [ 5 , 6 ] and selection of algorithm contained within database [ 40 ]); and [ 25 ] valuation risk by means of selection of algorithms in database [ 40 ] or direct input . sub - program [ 21 ] compares inputs [ 22 - 25 ] to valuation data array database [ 40 ] at 1 b which comprises accumulative data on a plurality of patents from a plurality of holders . 9 . sub - program [ 21 ] performs a series of patent valuation optimization computations [ 26 ] detailed at 2 a on fig b . 10 . holder &# 39 ; s [ 1 ] input of holder &# 39 ; s financial description [ 27 ] into program [ 28 ] on fig . a may constitute a separate program or a linked program to program [ 7 ]. the program link occurs at [ 20 ] where marginal value & gt ; 0 and inputs to decision point [ 29 ] to characterize a transaction as “ on ” or “ off ” balance sheet . “ on ” balance sheet transactions prompt sub program [ 30 ] to compute algorithms for patent [ 2 ] valuations based on changes made to balance sheets . “ off ” balance sheet transactions input data at outputs [ 20 ] and / or [ 28 ] directly into financial model sub - program [ 31 ]. the terms “ on balance sheet ” and “ off balance sheet ”, as used in this document , have the meaning assigned to those terms in the generally accepted accounting principles ( gaap ). 11 . sub - program [ 31 ] receives inputs alternatively from decision point [ 29 ], sub - program [ 30 ] or database [ 50 ] at 1 c . database [ 50 ] may receive and accumulate investor investment parameters [ 32 ] at id on fig . a . sub - program [ 31 ] uses computational algorithms to initialize financial optimizations at [ 33 ] and detailed at 2 b on fig . b . 12 . output from [ 31 ] is accumulated in database [ 50 ] for future reference , and standardization and normalization of financial computations . 13 . the valuation scenario sub - program at [ 26 ] connects at 2 a on fig . b . at [ 34 ], the user is prompted by a decision point to set valuation boundary conditions . the valuation boundary conditions may include , without limitation , alternative inputs to inputs [ 16 - 19 , 22 - 25 ]. an affirmative response at [ 34 ] prompts input [ 35 ] for boundazy conditions { n i } and { n f } for various alternative inputs . 14 . inputs at [ 35 ] initialize sub - program [ 36 ] which dimensions valuation model { n x }. a negative response at [ 34 ] directly inputs outputs from [ 26 ] into sub - program [ 36 ]. 15 . valuation model sub - program [ 36 ] enters a subroutine [ 37 ] which performs a “ do loop ” maximum / minimum iteration sub - program [ 38 ] for each { n x }. the output at [ 38 ] queues valuation data array [ 39 ] and inserts and / or compares data output to valuation data base [ 40 ]. 16 . an optimization of valuation model { n } and financial model { m } is performed at sub program [ 41 ] such optimization methods may include without limitation : maximization of { n } and { m }, arithmetic manipulations thereof , relative ranking , or topological analysis . the output of the optimization is held at [ 42 ] pending next selection of { n } boundary conditions at [ 43 ] which enters subroutine [ 37 ]. 17 . the financial scenario sub - program at [ 33 ] connects at 2 b on fig . b . at [ 44 ] the user is prompted by a decision point to set financial boundary conditions . the financial boundary conditions include , without limitation : financial performance conditions such as net present value , discounted cash flow , and minimum or maximum investment increments . an affirmative response at [ 44 ] prompts input at [ 45 ] to set financial boundary conditions { m l } and { m f }. 18 . inputs at [ 45 ] initialize sub - program [ 46 ] which dimensions financial model { m x }. a negative response at [ 44 ] directly enters outputs at [ 33 ] in sub - program [ 46 ]. 19 . financial model sub - program [ 46 ] enters a subroutine [ 47 ] which performs a “ do loop ” maximum / minimum iteration sub - program [ 48 ] for each { m x }. the output at [ 48 ] queues financial data array [ 49 ] and inserts and / or compares data output to financial data base [ 50 ] at 1 c . 20 . an optimization of valuation model { n } and financial model { m } is performed at sub - program [ 41 ]. such optimization methods may include without limitation : maximization of { n } and { m }, arithmetic manipulations thereof , relative ranking , or topological analysis . output is held at [ 51 ] pending next selection of { m } boundary conditions at [ 52 ] which enters subroutine [ 47 ]. 21 . a plot and / or sort of data held at [ 42 ] identifies ({ n max } vs . m ). 22 . a plot and / or sort of data held at [ 51 ] identifies ({ m max } vs . n ). 23 . at decision point [ 53 ] the intersection of { plot n max } determined at [ 42 ] with { plot m max } determined at [ 51 ] { plot n max ∩ plot m max } is evaluated . an intersection resulting in a null set is deemed negative which prompts decision point [ 63 ]. an intersection ≠ null set is deemed affirmative and prompts selection of m and n at [ 54 ], and is further described starting in step 25 , below . 24 . a negative decision at [ 53 ] prompts decision points [ 63 ] and [ 64 ], which perform an analysis to determine whether to reset boundary conditions { n i }, { n f } and { m i }, { m f } at 2 a and 2 b . if not , the program proceeds to decision point [ 62 ], and the user is prompted to enter information about the next activity . 25 . at selection point [ 54 ] the user is prompted to select the optimal values for m and n . the inputs at [ 54 ] prompts the preparation of documents [ 55 ] to effect a transaction . documents may be electronically drawn from a document database [ 56 ] or directly input by the user at [ 57 ]. 26 . decision points [ 58 ] and [ 59 ] require acceptance of the documents [ 55 ] by the owner of the intellectual property and the investor , respectively . if not , the program proceeds to decision point [ 60 ], and the user is prompted to determine whether the parties will consider accepting a set of terms other than those specified in the document created at [ 55 ]. if so , the user is prompted to prepare revised documents at [ 55 ]. if not , the program proceeds to decision point [ 62 ], and the user is prompted to enter information about the next activity . 27 . when documents [ 55 ] are created that are accepted by the owner of the intellectual property and the investor , the program proceeds to the pooling trust sub - program [ 61 ]. pooling trust sub - program [ 61 ] performs a series of pooling computations detailed at 2 c on fig . d . 28 . the pooling trust sub - program [ 61 ] commences with a prompt that allows the user to choose activities for the ip investment trust [ 66 ], the ip holder [ 73 ], or a for / next investment loop [ 80 ]. 29 . the ip investment trust commences with the conveyance of the intellectual property ( s ) and title thereto at [ 66 ] from the original owner [ 73 ] into the intellectual property investment trust at [ 67 ] in exchange for capital and a license back for certain rights in the intellectual property [ 68 ]. the investment trust [ 67 ] is a legal entity formed for the purpose of these transactions . 30 . at specified times during the term of the license , the original owner [ 73 ] of the intellectual property pays a specified or variable royalty into the investment trust [ 67 ] at [ 70 ]. 31 . if the investment trust [ 67 ] licenses the intellectual property to an additional party , the licensee [ 69 ] of the intellectual property receives a license back for a specified term [ 71 ] for certain rights in the intellectual property that are less than all the rights . 32 . at specified times during the term of the license , the licensee [ 69 ] of the intellectual property pays a specified or variable royalty into the investment trust [ 67 ] at [ 70 ]. 33 . for each intellectual property offered to the pooling trust at [ 72 ], an evaluation of the intellectual property must be performed , starting at 1 a on fig . a . 34 . each investor [ 80 ] conveys the desired amount of cash into the investment trust [ 67 ] at [ 81 ]. the investment trust [ 67 ] is a legal entity formed for the purpose of these transactions . 35 . in consideration for the conveyance of cash at [ 81 ] into the investment trust [ 67 ], the investor [ 81 ] will receive payments at specified times during the term of his / her in the trust at [ 75 ]. 36 . alternatively , the investor [ 81 ] can designate a beneficiary [ 77 ] to receive his / her payments from the investment trust [ 67 ] for all or a portion of the term of investor &# 39 ; s investment . 37 . at [ 76 ], the program computes the amount of payment to be made to the investor [ 81 ] or beneficiary [ 77 ] during the term of his / her investment . 38 . for each investor in the pooling trust at [ 79 ], an evaluation of the investor investment parameters must be performed , starting at 1 d on fig . a . having thus described the present invention by reference to certain of its preferred embodiments , it is noted that the embodiments disclosed are illustrative rather than limiting in nature and that a wide range of variations , modifications , changes , and substitutions are contemplated in the foregoing disclosure and , in some instances , some features of the present invention may be employed without a corresponding use of the other features . many such variations and modifications may be considered obvious and desirable by those skilled in the art based upon a review of the foregoing description of preferred embodiments . accordingly , it is appropriate that the appended claims be construed broadly and in a manner consistent with the scope of the invention . company t decides to securitize a patent it owns , which is identified as patent a . patent a is a u . s . patent which covers the composition of matter of a pharmaceutical substance α which is used in the treatment of a human health disorder h . the following information is known about patent a , product α , and the marketplace for health disorder h : ( a ) the unexpired life of patent a is 10 years ( remaining patent life , rpl ); input 23 to sub - program 21 ( b ) company t is the assignee of the entire interest in patent a . ( c ) there are no legal actions pending against company t with respects to the validity or enforceability of patent a . ( d ) company t spent $ 1 , 000 , 000 to research and develop the technology covered by patent a which company t expensed in the years in which the research was conducted . $ 1 , 000 , 000 = ag21 . this information should be used in the calculation only if there has been no revenue stream ( irev ) generated by the technology that can be used in the calculations . if irev & gt ; 0 , set ag21 = 0 . ( e ) the sales of product α are $ 25 million per year in the united states ( irev ). the economic life of α , absent foreseeable technological replacements , will significantly exceed 10 years . ( f ) sales of product a have grown steadily at 10 % per year { rvgr = if (( i1 * g1 − irev )/ g1 & lt ; rvgr , rvgr = h1 , rvgr )} in the previous five years . ( g ) the value of all products and services currently used to treat disorder h in the u . s . is $ 30 million per year . ( g1 ) ( h ) the incidence of h is increasing 3 % per year in the united states ( h1 ). ( i ) approximately 90 ; % of persons suffering from h respond favorably to treatment by α which is also the lowest cost form of treatment for h . ( i1 ) ( j ) the materials , manufacturing overhead , sales , administrative and continuing r & amp ; d costs associated with α as a percent of sales revenues are : sales revenues 100 % materials 20 % = mtl manufacturing overhead 10 % = mfgoh cross margin 70 % sales 15 % = salesexp administration 10 % = admn continuing r & amp ; d 5 % = r & amp ; dexp operating margin 40 % ( k ) company t is taxed at the rate of 35 % for ordinary income and capital gains income respectively ( xtaxrate = xcgr ). for simplicity in this example , the rates are assumed to be the same . ( l ) the financial method of analysis used by company t are return on equity (“ roe ”) and net present value (“ npv ”). the roe for t is 15 % per year ( xroe ) and the npv discount factor is 6 % per year ( xnpvdf ). ( m ) for purposes of this example , inflation and changes in manufacturing cost are both respectively set at 0 % per year for the unexpired life of patent a ( xinflrate ). ( n ) compound α also expresses useful biological activity suitable for animal health applications . for purposes of this example , the contingent economic benefit that could result from application of α to animal health markets is discounted to zero . in example 1 - a , a first valuation algorithm is employed using inputs disclosed in ( a )-( k ) and ( m ) to determine the remaining value of patent a to company t . the preferred first valuation algorithm is more particularly described in “ preferred embodiment of the invention ”. the first valuation algorithm determines that existing business activity obviates the application of prior r & amp ; d expenditures recited in ( d ) to the computation of value for a . the sales growth portion of the algorithm for compound α modifies the historical growth recited in ( f ) to account for the market limits for h recited in ( g ) and ( h ) and the available portion of market h to compound α which is recited in ( i ). the first valuation algorithm determines apportionment of patent a value in each subsequent accounting period as a fraction of the operating margin or gross margin , respectively , depending on the specific utility of a and the dependent requirements of business functions other than a to sustain the sales of α . with respect to r & amp ; d , the first valuation algorithm takes into account whether such expenditures constitute a continuing technical maintenance cost required for sales of α or whether such expenditures relate to investments in new technology development unrelated to the current market and sales of α . for a patent a having all the technical characteristics previously recited , and for a market h , product α and company t having the business characteristics previously recited , the gross value of patent a for its unexpired patent life can be reasonably computed to be $ 50 . 87 million . the specific computations and algorithms utilized to determine the gross value of patent a above are recited below : ( 1 ) calculation of book value of business in which patent a is employed : net profit for year n =( irev *( 1 + rvgr )^ ( n − 1 )− irev *( mtl + mfgoh + salesexp + admn + r & amp ; d )* ( 1 + xinflrate )^ ( n − 1 ))*( 1 − xtaxrate )/( 1 + xnpvdf )^ ( n − 11 )= np ( n ) irev = $ 25 . 0 ( millions / year ) rvcr = 3 . 0 ( annual growth ) mtl = 20 % ( material cost as % sales ) mfgoh = 10 % ( mfg overhead as % sales ) salesexp = 15 % ( sales cost as % sales ) admn = 10 % ( administration as % sales ) r & amp ; dexp = 5 % ( continuing r & amp ; d on α as % sales ) xinflrate = 0 % ( inflation %/ year ) xtaxrate = 35 % ( ordinary income tax rate % taxable business income / year ) xnpvdf = 6 % ( discount factor , %/ year ) n ( year ) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 np ( n ) ( mil $) $ 6 . 5 $ 6 . 6 $ 6 . 7 $ 6 . 7 $ 6 . 8 $ 6 . 8 $ 6 . 8 $ 6 . 8 $ 6 . 8 $ 6 . 8 ( ii ) book value = adjustment to net profit for npv and roe for n = 1 , n = rpl − 1 ), ( xbproe * np ( n )) / xbpnpvdf + np ( n + 1 ): ( xbproe * np ( rpl − by making the numerical substitutions set forth in example 1 - a , the numerical results are : n ( year ) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 np ( n ) ( mil $) $ 6 . 5 $ 6 . 6 $ 6 . 7 $ 6 . 7 $ 6 . 8 $ 6 . 8 $ 6 . 8 $ 6 . 8 $ 6 . 8 $ 6 . 8 the output variable book reflects the expected increase in business value for company t that results solely from the profits and assumed re - investment of profits derived from the sale and manufacture of α during the remaining patent life of “ a ”. such calculations are recognized as useful measures of future business value . ( 2 ) calculation of fractional business value and present value attributable to patent a technology : where xmfgsav = manufacturing savings %= 0 lnwpr = if ( new product , 1 , 0 )= 1 lreg = if ( required by regulation , 1 , 0 )= 0xregcost = regulatory costs %= 0 xmfgcost = mtl + mfgoh = manufacturing costs = 30 % by making the additional numerical substitutions set forth above , the numerical results are : the output variable techfrac is an empirical coefficient which can be employed in a successive algorithm to attribute a cash value that is contributed by a technology to a business in a discrete time period . the techfrac algorithm reflects the fractional contribution that technology makes to the total value of a business which may be compared to fractional values contributed by other business functions . such calculations represent an improvement over prior efforts to estimate technology value as either all or none of the profits of a business . the techfrac algorithm anticipates that useful technologies have discrete and distinguishable means for contributing value as a function of the technological novelty . ( i ) technology present value = sum (( techfrac * irev *( 1 + rvgr ) ^ ( n − 1 )− r & amp ; dexp * irev *( 1 + xinflrate )^ ( n − 1 ))/ xbpnpvdf ^ ( n − 1 ): ( techfrac * irev *( 1 + rvgr ) ^ ( rpl − 1 )− r & amp ; dexp * irev *( 1 + xinflrate )^ ( rpl − 1 ))/ xbpnpvdf ^ ( rpl − 1 ))= techvalue the output variable techvalue is a current valuation of patent a as a property asset whose value is the sum of its income contribution due to its technological novelty over its unexpired patent life and divided by a net present value denominator for future expected income . income contribution computed by multiplying techfrac and future expected annual sales is reduced to the extent future r & amp ; d expenditures are made to maintain the utility of patent a . the techvalue algorithm is a novel and useful method to determine the internal value of an intellectual property to a business that owns and utilizes such an intellectual property . techvalue is novel in that it creates a computed economic value that a prospective purchaser of such a technology may utilize to determine whether such a purchase price is supported by the business currently using it . a further novelty is that techvalue does not require a pre - existing market for technologies similar to patent a to compute a value that reasonably represents a maximum appraisal value that is supportable by the business presently using patent a . such valuation computed by the enumerated algorithms set forth in this example 1 does not preclude the computation of alternative values as a result of alternative inputs in ( a )-( n ). further , the computation does not preclude the use of the algorithms to compute the reasonable fair value that can be attributed to various contingent applications of a for businesses not yet in existence but foreseeable prior to the unexpired life of a . the computation does not preclude the use of statistical variations or processes to manipulate the inputs into the valuation algorithms or statistical manipulation of such outputs to express the reasonable range of the value of a . it will be obvious that such variations will compute a bounded range for the value of a whose maximum and minimum values will constitute the most likely securitization values of a which result in the least variance of the solution set of all such securitization values . the more realistically that patent a &# 39 ; s present value can be estimated , the less risk is involved in the creation of a securitized financial derivative . having a reasonably predictable risk is essential to having a viable marketplace for the securitization of patents . in the current embodiment , the derivative is structured as a purchase money instrument which pays a fixed royalty at regular intervals over the remaining life of patent a in exchange for a license to company t to practice a . computation of a fixed royalty stream can be accomplished with well known algorithms for determining the required payment to return a predetermined rate of return given an initial principal amount . by making the additional numerical substitutions set forth in example 1 - a , the numerical results are : the selection of values for xrar ( royalty annuity rate ) may be arbitrary or may be selected so that the present value of current and future income of company t where patent a is sold and back - licensed equals or exceeds the present book value of the business income of company t over the life of patent a . while such algorithms such as eq . ( 3 )( i ) constitute prior art in the computation of annuity or debt and principal calculations for pre - existing financial instruments it is novel and useful to create the algorithm of eq . ( 3 )( i ) that integrates the techvalue algorithm to apply eq . ( 3 ) ( i ) algorithms to intellectual property . the computations to determine if company t obtains an increase in present book value if it securitizes patent a are : ( 4 ) net present value of patent a sale proceeds over remaining patent life : n ( year ) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 newnet ( n ) ( mil $) $ 1 . 8 $ 2 . 2 $ 2 . 5 $ 2 . 8 $ 3 . 0 $ 3 . 3 $ 3 . 5 $ 3 . 7 $ 3 . 8 $ 4 . 0 ( iii ) new book value = npv and roe adjustments to sum of newnet ( n )=(( for n = 1 , n = rpl − 1 ), ( xbproe * newnet ( n )/ xbpnpvdf + newnet ( n + 1 )): ( xbproe * newnet ( rpl − 1 )/ xbpnpvdf + newnet ( rpl ))+ patent $ newbook n ( year ) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 newnet ( n ) ( mil $) $ 1 . 8 $ 2 . 2 $ 2 . 5 $ 2 . 8 $ 3 . 0 $ 3 . 3 $ 3 . 5 $ 3 . 7 $ 3 . 8 $ 4 . 0 the foregoing algorithms permit company t to compare the difference between book and newbook . if changevalue & gt ; 0 , it is to company t &# 39 ; s advantage to sell and back license patent a . the algorithms also permit company t to determine any interim changevalue ( n ) between newbook ( n ) and book ( n ) by substituting any year n for the variable rpl where 1 ≦ n ≦ rpl .

US-75862401-A

to provide a charging system that levels the amount of grid power that is used , and that is capable of reducing power rates , even if charging has been frequently conducted without limiting the time zones in which charging is conducted . a charging system is provided with : a storage unit that is charged by consuming grid power supplied by a power company , and that supplies the stored power through discharge ; and a charging unit that charges batteries by consuming power supplied by grid power and the storage unit . power companies set a power rate that is higher the greater the maximum value of the amount of power supplied for each unit of time is . furthermore , at least a single charge carried out by the charging unit is carried out over two units of time , and the storage unit supplies power to the charging unit in at least one unit of time other than said two units of time .

a charge system according to an embodiment of the present invention is described hereinafter with reference to drawings . first , an example of a structure and operation of the charge system according to the embodiment of the present invention is described with reference to drawings . fig1 is a block diagram showing a structural example of the charge system according the embodiment of the present invention . here , a solid - line arrow , which connects blocks in the figure to each other , shows a flow of power , and a broken - line arrow shows a flow of information . the charge system 1 shown in fig1 includes : a charge portion 11 that consumes supplied power , supplies power to and charges a battery b disposed in an electric vehicle c ; a power storage portion 12 that stores supplied power and supplies the power by means of a discharge ; an input portion 13 into which a command from a user is input ; a notification portion 14 that gibes notice to the user ; and a control portion 15 into which the command from the user is input from the input portion 13 and which controls operation of the charge portion 11 and the power storage portion 12 . in the meantime , hereinafter , the charge of the battery b of the electric vehicle c by the charge portion 11 is called a battery charge and the charge of the power storage portion 12 is called a power storage portion charge , whereby these are distinguished from each other . besides , the discharge from the power storage portion 12 is called a power storage portion discharge . power ( hereinafter , called system power ) supplied from an electric power company is supplied to the charge system 1 . the system power is also supplied to various apparatuses ( e . g , an illumination device , an air conditioner , a refrigerator and the like , hereinafter , called a load portion r ) in a store and the like provided with the charge system 1 and is consumed . the charge portion 11 suitably converts ( e . g ., converts a . c . power into d . c . power , or adjusts a voltage value of d . c . power supplied to the battery b of the electric vehicle c ) the system power and the power supplied by a power storage portion discharge from the power storage portion 12 , thereby performing the battery charge . the power storage portion 12 converts ( e . g ., converts a . c . power into d . c . power , or adjusts a voltage value of the d . c . power ) the supplied system power when necessary and performs the power storage portion charge . the power storage portion applies the power storage portion discharge to the power consumed ( stored in the power storage portion 12 ) by the power storage portion charge , thereby supplying the power to the charge portion 11 . here , a structure may be employed , in which the power supplied by the power storage portion discharge is supplied to the load portion r . the input portion 13 is operated by the user or receives the command transmitted from a user &# 39 ; s possession ( e . g , a mobile terminal and the like ), whereby the user &# 39 ; s command is input . besides , the input portion 13 transmits the input user &# 39 ; s command to the control portion 15 . as the user &# 39 ; s command , for example , there are a command for starting the battery charge , a command for making a reservation for the battery charge , and a command for stopping the battery charge . the notification portion 14 includes , for example , a display device , a speaker and the like , outputs an image and a voice , or includes a transmission device , and transmits information to the user &# 39 ; s possession ( e . g ., a mobile terminal that is registered beforehand in the charge system 1 ), thereby giving notice to the user . as the content which the notification portion gives to the user , there are , for example , timing for performing a reserved battery charge , a start , an end and a stop of the battery charge . the control portion 15 controls the battery charge by the charge portion 11 , the power storage portion charge and power storage portion discharge of the power storage portion 12 . upon confirming that the command for making a reservation for the battery charge is input into the input portion 12 , the control portion 15 prepares a charge schedule based on the command . and , the control portion 15 controls the notification portion 14 , thereby giving notice of part or all of the charge schedule to the user . besides , the control portion 15 prepares a charge schedule which allows reduction of a power rate charged to a store and the like without setting a limit on a time zone where to perform the batter charge . and , based on the prepared charge schedule , the control portion controls the operation of the charge portion 11 and the power storage portion 12 . in the meantime , details of the charge schedule ( i . e ., methods for controlling the timing the charge portion 11 performs the battery charge and the timing the power storage portion 12 performs the power storage portion charge and power storage portion discharge ) are described later . the charge schedule can include a start time and an end time of the battery charge . besides , times at which the power storage portion charge and power storage portion discharge start can be included . the user is notified of the charge schedule by the notification portion 14 , thereby recognizing at least the battery charge start time . according to this structure , it becomes possible to alleviate a situation ( charge waiting ) occurring in which when the user goes to a store and the like to perform the battery charge , other users are already performing the battery charge and the user cannot perform the battery charge early . besides , the charge system 1 is able to alleviate the occurrence of charge waiting and decrease the power rate , accordingly , becomes preferable to the user side and the side of a store and the like as well . because of this , the charge system 1 is expected to become widespread . and , by spreading the charge system 1 , it becomes possible to promote the spread of electric vehicles and to achieve reduction in emission amount of carbon dioxide . here , the structure of the charge system shown in fig1 is only an example , and another structure may be employed . for example , a structure may be employed , in which the charge system includes another power supply ( e . g ., a solar battery and the like ) that is able to supply power to the charge portion 11 , the power storage portion 12 , the load portion r and the like . besides , the charge portion 11 may be connectable to only one electric vehicle c to which the battery charged is applied , or may be connectable to a plurality of the electric vehicles c . besides , in a case of the structure in which the charge portion 11 is connectable to the plurality of the electric vehicles c , a structure may be employed , in which the control portion 15 controls the charge portion 11 , thereby applying the battery charges to the respective batteries b of the electric vehicles c connected to the charge portion 11 one after another . next , a method example for calculating the power rate of the system power is described with reference to drawings . fig2 is a graph showing an overview of the method for calculating the power rate of the system power . here , the graph shown in fig2 shows , by means of a graph height , the system power amount , which is consumed by the entire store and the like which have the charge system 1 , for each of unit time durations ( for every 30 minutes of a first half of 00 - 30 minutes and a second half of 30 to 00 minutes of every hour ) of 12 : 00 - 12 : 30 , 12 : 30 - 13 : 00 , 13 : 00 - 13 : 30 , and 13 : 30 - 14 : 00 . the power rate of the system power includes , for example , a fixed basic rate and a measured use rate . generally , because of a reason for effective power generation ( leveled power generation ) and the like , an electric power company sets a higher basic rate as the maximum value of the system power amount consumed during a unit time duration becomes larger . in the example shown in fig2 , a power amount wp consumed during a unit time duration of 13 : 00 - 13 : 30 is larger than the power amounts consumed during the other unit time durations , accordingly , becomes the maximum value . because of this , based on the power amount wp consumed during the unit time duration of 13 : 00 - 13 : 30 , the basic rate is set . here , in fig2 , for the sake of simple description , only the four unit time durations are shown ; however , a general electric power company calculates the maximum value of the power amounts from more unit time durations ( e . g ., for one year ). as described above , by decreasing the maximum value of the system power amount consumed during the unit time duration , it is possible to decrease the power rate ( especially , the basic rate , hereinafter , the same applies ). hereinafter , a charge schedule ( a control method by which the control portion 15 controls the timing for performing the battery charge ) for decreasing the maximum value of the system power amount consumed during the unit time duration is described with reference to drawings . first , for comparison , an undesirable method for controlling the timing for performing the battery charge is described with reference to fig3 and fig4 . fig3 is a graph showing an example of the power that is consumed in a case where the timing for performing the battery charge is controlled by an undesirable method . besides , fig4 is a graph showing the system power amount that is consumed during each unit time duration in the case where the timing for performing the battery charge is controlled as shown in fig3 . both of fig3 and fig4 show the same time duration as the time duration ( 12 : 00 - 14 : 00 ) shown in fig2 . besides , in fig3 , the size of the system power consumed by the battery charge is shown by means of a height of a white region , while the size of the system power consumed ( hereinafter , called load portion consumption ) by the load portion r is shown by means of a height of a grey region . besides , hereinafter , for the sake of simple description , as shown in fig3 , it is assumed that the size of the load portion consumption is constant irrespective of time . because of this , as shown in fig4 , also power amounts wr by the load portion consumption during the respective unit time durations become constant . besides , as shown in fig3 , it is also assumed that the power size , which is consumed ( charged into the battery b of the electric vehicle c ) by the battery charge , is constant irrespective of time . further , as shown in fig3 , it is assumed that a time duration ( a charge time duration for one electric vehicle c ) required for one battery charge is a time duration ( 20 minutes ) that is equal to or shorter than the unit time duration ( 30 minutes ) and becomes the same time duration for every charge . in the example shown in fig3 , during a time duration of 12 : 00 - 12 : 20 and during a time duration of 13 : 05 - 13 : 25 , the battery charge by the charge portion 11 is performed . both time durations are confined within the unit time duration ( 12 : 00 - 12 : 30 , 13 : 00 - 13 : 30 ). when the battery charge is performed as shown in fig3 , the total power amount consumed by one battery charge becomes equal to the system power amount that is consumed by the charge portion 11 during one unit time duration . especially , according to a rapid charge by which the battery charge is performed during a time duration equal to or shorter than the unit time duration , the consumed power becomes large . because of this , the system power amount consumed during one unit time duration is likely to become large . accordingly , as shown in fig4 , a system power amount wpu consumed during the unit time duration ( 12 : 00 - 12 : 30 , 13 : 00 - 13 : 30 ), during which the battery charge is performed , becomes relatively large . in this case , based on at least the power amount wpu for the unit time duration ( 12 : 00 - 12 : 30 , 13 : 00 - 13 : 30 ), during which the battery charge is performed , the power rate ( basic rate ) is set . accordingly , the power rate is likely to increase . in contrast to this , a preferred method for controlling the timing for performing the battery charge is described with reference to fig5 and fig6 . fig5 is a graph showing an example of the power that is consumed in a case where the timing for performing the battery charge is controlled by means of a preferred method , and corresponds to fig3 that shows the undesirable control method . fig6 is a graph showing a system power amount that is consumed during each unit time duration in the case where the timing for performing the battery charge is controlled as shown in fig5 , and corresponds to fig . 4 that shows the undesirable control method . here , fig5 is identical to fig3 except that the timing at which the battery charge is performed is different from the timing shown in fig3 . because of this , in fig5 , description of the same portions as in fig3 is skipped , and different portions are described in detail . in the example shown in fig5 , during each of a time duration of 12 : 20 - 12 : 40 and a time duration of 13 : 25 - 13 : 45 , the battery charge is performed . both of the time durations during which the battery charge is performed extend into ( bridge ) the unit time durations ( 12 : 00 - 12 : 30 and 12 : 30 - 13 : 00 , 13 : 00 - 13 : 30 and 13 : 30 - 14 : 00 ) that are different ( do not overlap ) from each other . according to the above structure , even in a case ( e . g ., a case where a rapid charge is performed ) where the power consumed to perform the battery charge during a time duration equal to or shorter than the unit time duration is prone to become large , it becomes possible to distribute the system power amount consumed by one battery charge to the two unit time durations . because of this , as shown in fig6 , it becomes possible to make the system power amounts wp 1 to wp 3 consumed during the respective unit time durations relatively small . for example , it becomes possible to make them smaller than the power amount wpu shown in fig4 . accordingly , it becomes possible to alleviate the maximum value of the system power amount consumed during the unit time duration , and it becomes possible to decrease the power rate . further , it is enough to only slightly change the time duration for performing the battery charge , accordingly , it is not necessary to limit the time zone for performing the battery charge to late night , early morning and the like . accordingly , it becomes possible to easily decrease the power rate without limiting the time zone for performing the battery charge . besides , in a case where the charge portion 11 performs a plurality of the battery charges , the timing for performing each battery charge bridges unit time durations different form each other . because of this , it becomes possible to alleviate an increase in the system power amount consumed during the unit time durations which is caused by distributing the system power amount , which is consumed by the plurality of the battery charges , to the overlapping unit time durations . in the meantime , in the battery charge that is performed during the time duration of 12 : 20 - 12 : 40 shown in fig5 , the middle time point ( 12 : 30 ) and the time point ( 12 : 30 ) at the boundary between the two unit time durations are substantially equal to each other . according to this structure , it becomes possible to easily distribute the system power amount consumed by the one battery charge substantially equally to the two unit time durations . because of this , it becomes possible to effectively alleviate the maximum value of the system power amount consumed during the unit time duration ( hereinafter , the time duration when the battery charge is performed is called a “ reference time duration ”). however , because of various circumstances ( e . g ., a change in the battery charge start time due to a reason of the user ), it is hard to perform the control such that the battery charge is surely performed during the reference time duration ( in the above example , 20 to 40 minutes ( or 50 to 10 minutes of every hour also is all right ) of every hour ). besides , if the time duration for performing the battery charge is limited more than necessary , it becomes hard to effectively perform the battery charge . to avoid this , hereinafter , with reference to fig7 and fig8 , a charge schedule ( a control method that is performed by the control portion 15 to control the timing for performing the battery charge and the power storage portion discharge ) is described which is able to tolerate a change in the time duration for performing the battery charge while effectively alleviating the maximum value of the system power amount consumed during the unit time duration . fig7 is a graph showing an example of the power that is consumed in a case where the timing for performing the battery charge and the power storage portion discharge is controlled by means of a preferred method , and corresponds to fig5 that shows the above preferred method . fig8 is a graph showing the system power amount that is consumed during each unit time duration in the case where the timing for performing the battery charge and the power storage portion discharge is controlled as shown in fig7 , and corresponds to fig6 that shows the above preferred method . here , fig7 is identical to fig5 except that the timing for performing the battery charge is different from the timing shown in fig5 and the power supplied by the power storage portion discharge is used for the battery charge . because of this , in fig7 , hereinafter , description of the same portions as in fig5 is skipped , and different portions are described in detail . here , in fig7 , the size of the power , which is supplied by the power storage portion discharge and consumed by the battery charge , is shown by means of a height of a black region . in the example shown in fig7 , during each of a time duration of 12 : 15 - 12 : 35 and a time duration of 13 : 05 - 13 : 25 , the battery charge is performed . however , during each of a time duration of 12 : 15 - 12 : 20 and a time duration of 13 : 05 - 13 : 15 , not only the system power but also the power supplied by the power storage portion discharge are used to perform the battery charge . according to the above structure , during each unit time duration , an upper limit ( in the present example , half of the system power amount consumed by the one battery charge ) is set on the system power amount consumed by the battery charge . because of this , as shown in fig8 , it becomes possible to make the system power amounts wp 1 , wp 2 , and wr consumed during the respective unit time durations relatively small . for example , it becomes possible to make them equal to or smaller than the power amount wp 1 shown in fig6 . accordingly , it becomes possible to effectively alleviate the maximum value of the system power amount consumed during the unit time duration , and it becomes possible to further decrease the power rate . besides , it becomes possible to tolerate a change in the time duration for performing the battery charge by a time duration that corresponds to the power amount suppliable by the power storage portion discharge . for example , if the power amount suppliable by the the power storage portion discharge is equal to ¼ of the power amount consumed by the battery charge , it becomes possible to change the time duration for performing the battery charge by ¼ ( in the above example , five minutes ) from the reference time duration . accordingly , it becomes possible to tolerate the change in the time duration for performing the battery charge while effectively alleviating the maximum value of the system power amount consumed during the unit time duration . specifically , for example , even if the user changes the time duration for performing the battery charge from the reserved time duration , it becomes possible to effectively decrease the power rate while performing the battery charge during the changed time duration . besides , in the control methods shown in fig7 and fig8 , in a case where a power amount equal to or more than ½ of the power amount consumed by the battery charge is suppliable by the power storage portion discharge , for example , it becomes possible to perform the battery charge during any time duration as shown by the battery charge during the time duration of 13 : 05 - 13 : 25 in fig7 . here , in fig7 , during a predetermined time duration after the start of the battery charge , the power storage portion discharge is performed to supply the power ; however , during a predetermined time duration before the end of the battery charge , the power storage portion discharge may be performed to supply the power . especially , in a case where the time duration for performing the battery charge is moved forward in the reference time duration , as shown in fig7 , the power storage portion discharge may be performed during a predetermined time duration after the start of the battery charge , while in a case where the time duration for performing the battery charge is moved backward in the reference time duration , the power storage portion discharge may be performed during a predetermined time duration before the end of the battery charge . besides , in fig7 , the battery charge consuming the system power and the battery charge consuming the power supplied by the power storage portion discharge are separately performed ; however , they may be performed concurrently with each other . specifically , for example , in the battery charge during the time duration of 12 : 15 - 12 : 35 in fig7 , instead of supplying the power from 12 : 15 to 12 : 20 by means of the power storage portion discharge , ⅓ of the power may be dispersedly supplied from 12 : 15 to 12 : 30 . according to this structure , it becomes possible to make the power supplied by the power storage portion discharge small . because of this , it becomes possible to alleviate the power storage portion 12 rapidly discharging ( or charging ) large power and to decrease the burden on the power storage portion 12 . besides , even according to this structure , as described above , it is possible to effectively alleviate the maximum value of the system power amount consumed during the unit time duration . besides , in the case where the time duration for performing the battery charge is moved forward in the reference time duration , during the later unit time durations ( in the example in fig8 , 12 : 30 - 13 : 00 , 13 : 30 - 14 : 00 ), the system power amount consumed by the charge portion 11 is likely to become small . because of this , during these time durations , the power storage portion charge may be performed by means of the system power . besides , the time durations shown in fig5 and fig7 are measured by a watch that comes with a wattmeter and the like installed by an electric power company , and there is a case where a deviation occurs with respect to an actual time . it is preferable that thanks to this deviation , for example , the unit time duration ranges from 10 minutes to 40 minutes and from 40 minutes to 10 minutes of every hour in actual time . in this case , it becomes possible to set the start time of the reference time duration at 0 minutes of every hour ( or 30 minutes is all right ). because of this , it becomes possible to set a time , which is clear and easy for the user to memorize , as the start time of the battery charge . besides , for the sake of simple description , the size of the power consumed by the battery charge is constant irrespective of time ; however , it may not be constant . in this case , to substantially equally distribute the system power amount , which is consumed by the one battery charge , to the two unit time durations , the middle time point of the battery charge may be deviated from the time point at the boundary between the two unit time durations . besides , also in this case , to simplify the control of the charge portion 11 by the control portion 15 , the middle time point of the battery charge and the time point at the boundary between the two unit time durations may be set to become substantially equal to each other . each specific example of the charge schedule is described hereinafter with reference to drawings . here , each specific example of the charge schedule described hereinafter uses ( controls not only the timing for performing the battery charge but also the timing for performing the power storage portion discharge ) the power storage portion discharge as shown fig7 and fig8 . further , each specific example of the charge schedule described hereinafter controls not only the timing for performing the battery charge and power storage portion discharge but also the timing for performing the power storage portion charge . besides , each specific example of the charge schedule described hereinafter envisions a case where the charge system 1 needs to frequently perform the battery charge . specifically , a case is envisioned where the number of unit time durations for the one battery charge is smaller than 2 and it becomes hard to perform , a plurality of times , the battery charge ( e . g ., see fig5 and fig7 ) which bridges two unit time durations . first , a first specific example of the charge schedule is described with reference to fig9 . fig9 is a graph showing the first specific example of the charge schedule . a graph on a top stage of fig9 is a graph showing an example of the power that is consumed in a case where the timing for performing the battery charge , the power storage portion discharge and the power storage portion charge is controlled by means of an undesirable method , and corresponds to fig3 . a graph on a middle stage of fig9 is a graph showing an example of the power that is consumed in a case where the timing for performing the battery charge , the power storage portion discharge and the power storage portion charge is controlled by means of a preferable method . a graph on a bottom stage of fig9 is a graph showing the power amount ( remaining capacity ) stored in the power storage portion 12 in a case where the timing for performing the battery charge , the power storage portion discharge and the power storage portion charge is controlled as shown in the graph on the middle stage . in the graphs on the top and middle stages of fig9 , like in fig3 , fig5 and fig7 , the size of the system power consumed by the battery charge is shown by means of a height of a white region ; the size of the system power consumed by the load portion consumption is shown by means of a height of a grey region ; and the size of the power supplied by the power storage portion discharge is shown by means of a height of a black region . further , the size of the system power consumed by the power storage portion charge is shown by means of a height of a region marked by checker - shaped hatching . in insides of some typical regions , the system power amount consumed during the unit time duration and the power amount supplied by the power storage portion discharge during the unit time duration and consumed are represented . in the present specific example , as shown in the graphs on the top and middle stages of fig9 , a case is envisioned where a power amount of 15 kwh is consumed during each unit time duration by the load portion consumption ; and a power amount of 20 kwh ( which is equal to 80 % of the power amount ( capacity ) that the battery b of the general electric vehicle c is able to charge ) is consumed by the one battery charge . besides , a case is envisioned where four ( four electric vehicles c ) battery charges are performed within five unit time durations ( 12 : 00 - 14 : 30 , 14 : 30 - 17 : 00 ); and the one battery charge takes 30 minutes . besides , a case is envisioned where the power storage portion 12 has a sufficient amount of remaining capacity ( 11 kwh ) at a start time ( 12 : 00 ) of the charge schedule in the present specific example . as shown in the graph on the top stage of fig9 , if each battery charge is performed within each unit time duration like in fig3 , the maximum value ( in the present specific example , 15 + 20 = 35 kwh ) of the system power amount consumed during the unit time duration is likely to become large . for example , assuming that the basic rate for one year is obtained by a translated value for one hour of the maximum value ( 35 × 2 )× a unit price ( 1600 ) of the basic rate per month × one year ( 12 ), it reaches about 1 . 34 million yen . accordingly , in the present specific example , to decrease the maximum value of the system power amount consumed during the unit time duration , as shown in the graphs on the middle and bottom stages of fig9 , the control portion 15 controls the charge portion 11 and the power storage portion 12 . in the present specific example , one of the four battery charges is performed bridging the two unit time durations as described above ( see fig5 ). for example , the last ( or first ) battery charge of the four is performed bridging the two unit time durations ( 13 : 30 - 14 : 30 , 16 : 00 - 17 : 00 ). for example , at this time , the middle time point ( 14 : 00 , 16 : 30 ) of the battery charge and the time point ( 14 : 00 , 16 : 30 ) at the boundary between the two unit time durations are made to become substantially equal to each other . according to this , it becomes possible to effectively decrease the maximum value of the system power amount consumed during each of the two unit time durations . on the other hand , the three battery charges other than the above battery charge are performed during every three unit time durations ( 12 : 00 - 13 : 30 , 14 : 30 - 16 : 00 ) other than the above two unit time durations ( 13 : 30 - 14 : 30 , 16 : 00 - 17 : 00 ). here , the power storage portion discharge is performed during each of the unit time durations . according to this , during each of the unit time durations , for example , a power amount ( at a discharge efficiency of 85 %, 11 ± 3 × 0 . 85 kwh ) substantially equal to ⅓ of the remaining capacity of the power storage portion 12 is supplied , and it becomes possible to effectively decrease the maximum value of the system power amount consumed during each of the unit time durations . here , in the present specific example , the system power amount ( 15 + 20 − 3 . 1 = 31 . 9 kwh ) consumed during the unit time duration becomes the maximum value . further , in the present specific example , the power storage portion charge is performed during each of the two unit time durations ( 13 : 30 - 14 : 30 , 16 : 00 - 17 : 00 ) during which the one battery charge is performed . at this time , if the system power amount ( 11 ÷ 0 . 85 ± 2 ≈ 6 . 5 kwh in a case of obtaining the remaining capacity of 11 kwh at the charge efficiency of 85 % before the power storage portion charge ) consumed by the power storage portion charge during each of the two unit time durations is set small such that the system power amount consumed during each of the two unit time durations does not exceed the system power amount ( 31 . 9 kwh ) consumed during the other unit time durations , it is possible to effectively decrease the maximum value of the system power amount consumed during the unit time duration , which is preferable . besides , it is preferable if the system power amount ( 6 . 5 kwh ) consumed by the power storage portion charge during each of the two unit time durations ( 13 : 30 - 14 : 30 , 16 : 00 - 17 : 00 ) during which the one battery charge is performed is large such that a sufficient amount of power ( 3 . 1 kwh ) is suppliable by the power storage portion discharge during the other unit time durations . here , for example , the power amount for the power storage portion charge and for the power storage portion discharge may be set , or the power storage portion 12 having a capacity , which is able to charge and discharge the power amount , may be selected such that a difference among the system power amounts consumed during the five respective unit time durations during which the four battery charges are performed becomes small . according to the above structure , the system power amount consumed by the one battery charge is distributed to the two unit time durations . besides , during the other unit time durations , the battery charge , which consumes the power supplied by the power storage portion discharge , is performed . because of this , even in a case where it is necessary to frequently perform the battery charge , it becomes possible to decrease the maximum value of the system power amount consumed during the unit time duration . accordingly , it becomes possible to decrease the power rate . for example , in a case where the basic rate is calculated by means of the above formula , it is possible to decrease the basic rate for one year to about 1 . 22 million yen . besides , it becomes possible to secure the timing for performing the power storage portion charge . because of this , it becomes possible to alleviate a situation , in which it becomes hard to decrease the maximum value of the system power amount consumed during the unit time duration thanks to a less remaining capacity of the power storage portion 12 , occurring . next , a second specific example of the charge schedule is described with reference to fig1 . fig1 is a graph showing the second specific example of the charge schedule . here , respective graphs on top , middle and bottom stages of fig1 correspond to the respective graphs on the top , middle and bottom stages of fig9 that are shown in the first specific example . because of this , description of each graph of fig1 is skipped and the description of fig9 is used for it . in the present specific example , like in the first specific example , a case is envisioned where a power amount of 15 kwh is consumed during each unit time duration by the load portion consumption ; and a power amount of 20 kwh is consumed by the one battery charge . besides , a case is envisioned where the one battery charge takes 30 minutes and the power storage portion 12 has a sufficient amount of remaining capacity ( 9 kwh ) at a start time ( 12 : 00 ) of the charge schedule . besides , in the present specific example , a case is envisioned where three ( three electric vehicles c ) battery charges are performed during four unit time durations ( 12 : 00 - 14 : 00 , 14 : 00 - 16 : 00 ). as shown in the graph on the top stage of fig1 , if each battery charge is performed within each unit time duration like in fig3 , the maximum value ( in the present specific example , 15 + 20 = 35 kwh ) of the system power amount consumed during the unit time duration is likely to become large . for example , as described in the first specific example , the basic rate for one year reaches about 1 . 34 million yen . accordingly , in the present specific example , to decrease the maximum value of the system power amount consumed during the unit time duration , as shown in the graphs on the middle and bottom stages of fig1 , the control portion 15 controls the charge portion 11 and the power storage portion 12 . in the present specific example , one of the three battery charges is performed bridging the two unit time durations as described above ( see fig5 ). for example , the last ( or first ) battery charge of the three is performed bridging the two unit time durations ( 13 : 00 - 14 : 00 , 15 : 00 - 16 : 00 ). for example , at this time , the middle time point ( 13 : 30 , 15 : 30 ) of the battery charge and the time point ( 13 : 30 , 15 : 30 ) at the boundary between the two unit time durations are made to become substantially equal to each other . according to this , it becomes possible to effectively decrease the maximum value of the system power amount consumed during each of the two unit time durations . on the other hand , the two battery charges other than the above battery charge are performed during every two unit time durations ( 12 : 00 - 13 : 00 , 14 : 00 - 15 : 00 ) other than the above two unit time durations ( 13 : 00 - 14 : 00 , 15 : 00 - 16 : 00 ). here , the power storage portion discharge is performed during each of the unit time durations . according to this , during each of the unit time durations , for example , a power amount ( at a discharge efficiency of 85 %, 9 ÷ 2 × 0 . 85 ≈ 3 . 8 kwh ) substantially equal to ½ of the remaining capacity of the power storage portion 12 is supplied , and it becomes possible to decrease the maximum value of the system power amount consumed during each of the unit time durations . here , in the present specific example , the system power amount ( 15 + 20 − 3 . 8 = 31 . 2 kwh ) consumed during the unit time duration becomes the maximum value . further , in the present specific example , the power storage portion charge is performed during each of the two unit time durations ( 13 : 00 - 14 : 00 , 15 : 00 - 16 : 00 ) during which the one battery charge is performed . at this time , if the system power amount ( 9 ÷ 0 . 85 ÷ 2 ≈ 5 . 3 kwh in a case of obtaining the remaining capacity of 9 kwh at the charge efficiency of 85 % before the power storage portion discharge ) consumed by the power storage portion charge during each of the two unit time durations is set small such that the system power amount consumed during each of the two unit time durations does not exceed the system power amount ( 31 . 2 kwh ) consumed during the other unit time durations , it is possible to effectively decrease the maximum value of the system power amount consumed during the unit time duration , which is preferable . besides , it is preferable if the system power amount ( 5 . 3 kwh ) consumed by the power storage portion charge during each of the two unit time durations ( 13 : 00 - 14 : 00 , 15 : 00 - 16 : 00 ) during which the one battery charge is performed is large such that a sufficient amount of power ( 3 . 8 kwh ) is suppliable by the power storage portion discharge during the other unit time durations . here , for example , the power amount for the power storage portion charge and for the power storage portion discharge may be set , or the power storage portion 12 having a capacity , which is able to charge and discharge the power amount , may be selected such that a difference among the system power amounts consumed during the four respective unit time durations during which the three battery charges are performed becomes small . according to the above structure , the system power amount consumed by the one battery charge is distributed to the two unit time durations . besides , during the other unit time durations , the battery charge , which consumes the power supplied by the power storage portion discharge , is performed . because of this , even in a case where it is necessary to frequently perform the battery charge , it becomes possible to decrease the maximum value of the system power amount consumed during the unit time duration . accordingly , it becomes possible to decrease the power rate . for example , in a case where the basic rate is calculated by means of the above formula , it is possible to decrease the basic rate for one year to about 1 . 20 million yen . besides , it becomes possible to secure the timing for performing the power storage portion charge . because of this , it becomes possible to alleviate a situation , in which it becomes hard to decrease the maximum value of the system power amount consumed during the unit time duration thanks to a less remaining capacity of the power storage portion 12 , occurring . besides , in the present specific example , in comparison with the first specific example , the number of battery charges able to be performed during a predetermined time duration decreases , however , it becomes possible to dramatically decrease the power rate . besides , in the present specific example , even the capacity of the power storage portion 12 smaller than the first specific example is sufficient , accordingly , it becomes possible to achieve simplification of the structure of and low cost of the charge system 1 . next , a third specific example of the charge schedule is described with reference to fig1 . fig1 is a graph showing the third specific example of the charge schedule . here , respective graphs on top , middle and bottom stages of fig1 correspond to the respective graphs on the top , middle and bottom stages of fig9 that are shown in the first specific example . because of this , description of each graph of fig1 is skipped and the description of fig9 is used for it . in the present specific example , like in the first specific example , a case is envisioned where a power amount of 15 kwh is consumed during each unit time duration by the load portion consumption ; and a power amount of 20 kwh is consumed by the one battery charge . besides , a case is envisioned where the one battery charge takes 30 minutes and the power storage portion 12 has a sufficient amount of remaining capacity ( 6 kwh ) at a start time ( 12 : 00 ) of the charge schedule . besides , in the present specific example , a case is envisioned where two ( two electric vehicles c ) battery charges are performed within three unit time durations ( 12 : 00 - 13 : 30 , 13 : 30 - 15 : 00 , 15 : 00 - 16 : 30 ). as shown in the graph on the top stage of fig1 , if each battery charge is performed within each unit time duration like in fig3 , the maximum value ( in the present specific example , 15 + 20 = 35 kwh ) of the system power amount consumed during the unit time duration is likely to become large . for example , as described in the first specific example , the basic rate for one year reaches about 1 . 34 million yen . accordingly , in the present specific example , to decrease the maximum value of the system power amount consumed during the unit time duration , as shown in the graphs on the middle and bottom stages of fig1 , the control portion 15 controls the charge portion 11 and the power storage portion 12 . in the present specific example , one of the two battery charges is performed bridging the two unit time durations as described above ( see fig5 ). for example , either of the two battery charges is performed bridging the two unit time durations ( 12 : 30 - 13 : 30 , 14 : 00 - 15 : 00 , 15 : 30 - 16 : 30 ). for example , at this time , the middle time point ( 13 : 00 , 14 : 30 , 16 : 00 ) of the battery charge and the time point ( 13 : 00 , 14 : 30 , 16 : 00 ) at the boundary between the two unit time durations are made to become substantially equal to each other . according to this , it becomes possible to effectively decrease the maximum value of the system power amount consumed during each of the two unit time durations . on the other hand , the one battery charge other than the above battery charge is performed during the one unit time duration ( 12 : 00 - 12 : 30 , 13 : 30 - 14 : 00 , 15 : 00 - 15 : 30 ) other than the above two unit time durations ( 12 : 30 - 13 : 30 , 14 : 00 - 15 : 00 , 15 : 30 - 16 : 30 ). here , the power storage portion discharge is performed during the unit time duration . according to this , during the unit time duration , for example , a power amount ( at a discharge efficiency of 85 %, 6 × 0 . 85 ≈ 5 . 1 kwh ) substantially equal to the remaining capacity of the power storage portion 12 is supplied , and it becomes possible to decrease the maximum value of the system power amount consumed during each of the unit time durations . here , in the present specific example , the system power amount ( 15 + 20 − 5 . 1 = 29 . 9 kwh ) consumed during the unit time duration becomes the maximum value . further , in the present specific example , the power storage portion charge is performed during each of the two unit time durations ( 12 : 30 - 13 : 30 , 14 : 00 - 15 : 00 , 15 : 30 - 16 : 30 ) during which the one battery charge is performed . at this time , if the system power amount ( 6 ÷ 0 . 85 ÷ 2 ≈ 3 . 5 kwh in a case of obtaining the remaining capacity of 6 kwh at the charge efficiency of 85 % before the power storage portion discharge ) consumed by the power storage portion charge during each of the two unit time durations is set small such that the system power amount consumed during each of the two unit time durations does not exceed the system power amount ( 29 . 9 kwh ) consumed during the other unit time durations , it is possible to effectively decrease the maximum value of the system power amount consumed during the unit time duration , which is preferable . besides , it is preferable if the system power amount ( 3 . 5 kwh ) consumed by the power storage portion charge during each of the two unit time durations ( 12 : 30 - 13 : 30 , 14 : 00 - 15 : 00 , 15 : 30 - 16 : 30 ) during which the one battery charge is performed is large such that a sufficient amount of power ( 5 . 1 kwh ) is suppliable by the power storage portion discharge during the other unit time durations . here , for example , the power amount for the power storage portion charge and for the power storage portion discharge may be set , or the power storage portion 12 having a capacity , which is able to charge and discharge the power amount , may be selected such that a difference among the system power amounts consumed during the three respective unit time durations during which the two battery charges are performed becomes small . according to the above structure , the system power amount consumed by the one battery charge is distributed to the two unit time durations . besides , during the other unit time durations , the battery charge , which consumes the power supplied by the power storage portion discharge , is performed . because of this , even in a case where it is necessary to frequently perform the battery charge , it becomes possible to decrease the maximum value of the system power amount consumed during the unit time duration . accordingly , it becomes possible to decrease the power rate . for example , in a case where the basic rate is calculated by means of the above formula , it is possible to decrease the basic rate for one year to about 1 . 15 million yen . besides , it becomes possible to secure the timing for performing the power storage portion charge . because of this , it becomes possible to alleviate a situation , in which it becomes hard to decrease the maximum value of the system power amount consumed during the unit time duration thanks to a less remaining capacity of the power storage portion 12 , occurring . besides , in the present specific example , in comparison with the first and second specific examples , the number of battery charges able to be performed during a predetermined time duration decreases , however , it becomes possible to more dramatically decrease the power rate . besides , in the present specific example , even the capacity of the power storage portion 12 smaller than the first and second specific examples is sufficient , accordingly , it becomes possible to achieve simplification of the structure of and low cost of the charge system 1 . here , by construing the charge schedules in the above first to third specific examples as being “ performing n battery charges during n + 1 unit time durations ,” the control portion 15 may prepare n (≧ 5 ) charge schedules like in the first to third specific examples ( n = 4 to 2 ). here , n is an integer that is 2 or larger . it may be understood as one set that the control portion 15 “ performs n battery charges during n + 1 unit time durations .” for example , by understanding a reservation for the battery charge input from the user via the input portion 13 as a combination of some sets , a charge schedule combining control methods ( e . g ., see fig9 to fig1 ) corresponding to the respective sets may be prepared . besides , the power storage portion charge may be performed in any way during two unit time durations during which the one battery charge is performed . an execution example of this power storage portion charge is described with reference to fig1 . fig1 is a graph showing the execution example of the power storage portion charge . besides , fig1 corresponds to the graph on the middle stage of fig9 . because of this , description of the graph of fig1 is skipped and the description of the graph on the middle stage of fig9 is used for it . fig1 ( a ) is the same as that shown in the graph on the middle stage of each of fig9 to fig1 . specifically , during the two unit time durations , the power storage portion charge is performed by one before and after the one battery charge that is performed bridging the two unit time durations . in contrast to this , in fig1 ( b ), the power storage portion charge is performed by one irrespective of presence of the battery charge . besides , the power storage portion charge in the present example is performed bridging the two unit time durations . in any of fig1 ( a ) and ( b ), the system power amounts consumed during the respective unit time durations become equal to each other . however , in the power storage portion charge in fig1 ( a ), it is alleviated that the battery charge and the power storage portion charge overlap each other , accordingly , it becomes possible to decrease the maximum value of the consumed system power . on the other hand , in fig1 ( b ), it alleviated that the power storage portion charge is divided by the battery charge , accordingly , it becomes possible to continuously perform the power storage portion charge at a time . besides , the case is described as an example in which the power storage portion charge is performed during the two unit time durations during which the one battery charge is performed ; however , the power storage portion charge may be performed during either one . however , from the viewpoint of decreasing the system power amount consumed during the unit time duration , it is preferable to perform the power storage portion charge bridging the two unit time durations like the battery charge . instead of ( or in addition to ) the power supplied by the power storage portion discharge being consumed for the battery charge , the power may be consumed for the load portion consumption . in the charge system 1 according to the embodiments of the present invention , the operation of part or all of portions such as the control portion 15 and the like may be performed by a control device such as a micro - computer and the like . further , by writing all or part of the functions achieved by such a control device as a program and performing the program on a program execution device ( e . g ., a computer ), all or part of the functions may be achieved . in addition , besides the above cases , the charge system 1 shown in fig1 is achievable by hardware or a combination of hardware and software . besides , in the case where part of the charge system is composed by means of software , a block related to the part achieved by the software represents a function block of the part . hereinbefore , the embodiments of the present invention are described ; however , the scope of the present invention is not limited to these embodiments , and it is possible to add various modifications without departing the spirit of the present invention and put them into practical use . the present invention is applicable to a charge system that charges a battery and the like which are disposed in an electric vehicle . especially , it is preferable to apply the present invention to a charge system that consumes large power and is able to perform a rapid charge during a time duration which is equal to or shorter than a unit time duration .

US-201113637439-A

an organic electroluminescent device of the type comprises an organic layer 5 , 5 a or 5 b having a luminescent region and provided between an anode 2 and a cathode 3 . the organic layer contains a distyryl compound represented by the following general formula . chemical formula 1 wherein r 1 , r 2 , r 3 and r 4 are , respectively , groups which may be the same or different and independently represent an aryl group of the following general formula . in which r 9 , r 10 , r 11 , r 12 and r 13 may be the same or different and , respectively , represent a hydrogen atom provided that at least one of them is a saturated or unsaturated alkoxyl group or an alkyl group , and r 5 , r 6 , r 7 and r 8 may be the same or different and , respectively , represent a hydrogen atom provided that at least one of them represents a cyano group , a nitro group or a halogen atom .

the distyryl compounds used in the organic electroluminescent device of the invention are now described . the distyryl compound represented by the general formula ( 1 ) and used as a luminescent material in the organic electroluminescent device of the invention may be one which has at least one of molecular structures , for example , of the following structural formulas ( 3 )- 1 , ( 3 )- 2 , ( 3 )- 3 , ( 3 )- 4 , ( 3 )- 5 , ( 3 )- 6 and ( 3 )- 7 . fig1 to 4 , respectively , show examples of organic electroluminescent devices according to the invention . [ 0033 ] fig1 shows organic electroluminescent device a of a transmission type in which luminescent light 20 passes through a cathode 3 , and the luminescent light 20 can also be observed from a side of a protective layer 4 . fig2 shows organic electroluminescent device b of a reflection type wherein light reflected at a cathode 3 can also be obtained as luminescent light 20 . in the figures , reference numeral 1 indicates a substrate for forming an organic electroluminescent device , which may be made of glass , plastics and other appropriate materials . where the organic electroluminescent device is used in combination with other types of display devices , the substrate 1 may be commonly used . reference numeral 2 indicates a transparent electrode ( anode ), for which ito ( indium tin oxide ), sno 2 or the like may be used . reference numeral 5 indicates an organic luminescent layer , which contains the above - mentioned distyryl compound as a luminescent material . for a layer arrangement for obtaining the luminescent light 20 , the luminescent layer 5 may have hitherto known various types of layer arrangements . as is described hereinafter , if a material for either a hole transport layer or an electron transport layer has luminescent properties , for example , a built - up structure of these thin films may be used . further , in order to increase charge transportability within a range satisfying the purposes of the invention , either or both of a hole transport layer and an electron transport layer have a built - up structure of thin films made of plural types of materials , or a thin film composed of a mixture of plural types of materials may be used without limitation . in addition , in order to improve luminescent properties , at least one fluorescent material may be used to provide a structure wherein a thin film of the fluorescent material is sandwiched between a hole transport layer and an electron transport layer . alternatively , another type of structure may be used wherein at least one fluorescent material is present in a hole transport layer or an electron transport layer , or in both of them . in these cases , in order to improve a luminescent efficiency , a thin film for controlling the transport of holes or electrons may be incorporated in a layer arrangement . the distyryl compounds represented by the structural formulas ( 3 )- 1 to ( 3 )- 7 have both electron transportability and electron transportability , and can be used as a luminescent layer serving also as an electron transport layer , or as a luminescent layer serving as a hole transport layer in the device arrangement . moreover , it is possible to provide an arrangement wherein the distyryl compound is formed as a luminescent layer sandwiched between an electron transport layer and a hole transport layer . it will be noted that in fig1 and 2 , reference numeral 3 indicates a cathode , and an electrode material may be made of an alloy of an active metal , such as li , mg , ca or the like , and a metal , such as ag , al , in or the like . alternatively , a built - up structure of thin films of these metals may also be used . in the transmission - type organic electroluminescent device , an optical transmission required for an intended application can be obtained by controlling a cathode thickness . in the figures , reference numeral 4 indicates a sealing / protecting layer , and when an organic electroluminescent device is wholly covered therewith , its effect increases . appropriate materials may be used for this provided that air tightness is ensured . reference numeral 8 indicates a drive power supply for current charge . in the organic electroluminescent device of the invention , the organic layer may have an organic built - up structure ( single hetero structure ) wherein a hole transport layer and an electron transport layer are built up and wherein the above - mentioned distyryl compound is used as a material for forming the hole transport layer or electron transport layer . alternatively , the organic layer may have an organic built - up structure ( double hetero structure ) wherein a hole transport layer , a luminescent layer and an electron transport layer are successively built up , and the luminescent layer is formed of the above - mentioned distyryl compound . an example of an organic electroluminescent device having such an organic built - up structure is shown . more particularly , fig3 shows organic electroluminescent device c having a single hetero structure which consists of a built - up structure comprising , on an optically transparent substrate 1 , an optically transparent anode 2 , an organic layer 5 a consisting of a hole transport layer 6 and an electron transport layer 7 , and a cathode 3 superposed successively in this order , and the built - up layer structure is sealed with the protective layer 4 . with such a layer arrangement as shown in fig3 wherein a luminescent layer is omitted , the luminescent light 20 with a given wavelength is emitted from the interface between the hole transport layer 6 and the electron transport layer 7 . this light is observed from the side of the substrate 1 . [ 0041 ] fig4 shows organic electroluminescent device d having a double hetero structure which consists of a built - up structure comprising , on an optically transparent substrate 1 , an optically transparent anode 2 , an organic layer 5 b consisting of a hole transport layer 10 , a luminescent layer 11 and an electron transport layer 12 , and a cathode 3 superposed successively in this order . the built - up structure is sealed with a protective layer 4 . in the organic electroluminescent device d shown in fig4 when a dc voltage is applied between the anode 2 and the cathode 3 , the holes injected from the anode 2 arrives at the luminescent layer 11 via the hole transport layer 10 , and the electrons injected from the anode 3 also arrives at the luminescent layer 11 via the electron transport layer 12 . eventually , the electrons / the holes are re - combined in the luminescent layer to generate singlet excitons , thereby causing light with a given wavelength to be generated from the singlet excitons . in the above - stated organic electroluminescent devices c and d , optically transparent materials such as , for example , glass , plastics and the like may be appropriately used for the substrate 1 . where the devices are used in combination with other types of display devices , or where the built - up structures shown in fig3 and 4 are arranged in the form of a matrix , the substrate may be commonly used . both of the devices c and d may have a structure of either a transmission type or a reflection type . the anode 2 consists of a transparent electrode , for which ito ( indium tin oxide ), sno 2 or the like may be used . in order to improve a charge injection efficiency , a thin film made of an organic material or an organometallic compound may be provided between the anode 2 and the hole transport layer 6 ( or the hole transport layer 10 ). it will be noted that where the protective layer 4 is formed of a conductive material such as a metal , an insulating film may be provided at the sides of the anode 2 . the organic layer 5 a of the organic electroluminescent device c consists of a built - up organic layer of the hole transport layer 6 and the electron transport layer 7 . the above - indicated distyryl compound may be contained in either or both of these layers to provide a luminescent hole transport layer 6 or electron transport layer 7 . the organic layer 5 b of the organic electroluminescent device d consists of a built - up organic layer of the hole transport layer 10 , the luminescent layer 11 containing the above - mentioned distyryl compound , and the electron transport layer 12 . the layer 5 b may take other various types of built - up structures . for instance , either or both of the hole transport layer and the electron transport layer may have luminescent properties . especially , it is preferred that the hole transport layer 6 or electron transport layer 7 , and the luminescent layer 11 , respectively , consist of a layer made of a distyryl compound used in the present invention . these layers may be formed of the above - mentioned distyryl compound alone , or may be formed through co - deposition of the above - mentioned distyryl compound and other type of hole or electron transport material ( e . g . an aromatic amine , a pyrazoline or the like ). moreover , in order to improve the hole transportability in the hole transport layer , a hole transport layer , which consists of a plurality of hole transport materials being built up , may be formed . in the organic electroluminescent device c , the luminescent layer may be the electron transport luminescent layer 7 . in this case , light may be emitted from the hole transport layer 6 or its interface depending on the voltage applied to from a power supply 8 . likewise , in the organic electroluminescent device d , the luminescent layer may be , aside from the layer 11 , the electron transport layer 12 or the hole transport layer 10 . for improving the luminescent performance , it is preferred to provide a structure wherein the luminescent layer 11 containing at least one fluorescent material is sandwiched between the hole transport layer and the electron transport layer . alternatively , a fluorescent material may be contained in the hole transport layer or the electron transport layer , or in both layers . in this connection , in order to improve a luminescent efficiency , a thin film ( such as a hole blocking layer or an exciton - generating layer ) for controlling the transport of holes or electrons may be provided in the layer arrangement . the materials used as the cathode 3 may be alloys of active metals such as li , mg , ca and the like and metals such as ag , al , in and the like . alternatively , a built - up structure of the layers of these metals may also be used . proper selection in cathode thickness and in type of alloy or metal enables one to fabricate an organic electroluminescent device adapted for its application . the protective layer 4 acts as a sealing film , and is arranged to wholly cover an organic electroluminescent device therewith , thereby ensuring improved charge injection efficiency and luminescent efficiency . it should be noted that if air tightness is ensured , a material including a single metal such as aluminium , gold , chromium or the like or an alloy thereof may be appropriately selected for this purpose . the electric current applied to the respective organic electroluminescent devices set out hereinbefore is usually direct current , but pulse current or ac current may also be used . the values of current and voltage are not critical provided that they are within ranges not breaking the devices down . nevertheless , taking into account the power consumption and life of the organic electroluminescent devices , it is preferred to cause luminescence efficiently by use of electric energy which is as small as possible . next , fig5 shows an arrangement of a flat display , which makes use of an organic electroluminescent device of the invention . as shown in the figure , with the case , for example , of a full color display , organic layers 5 ( 5 a , 5 b ) capable of generating luminescent three primary colors of red ( r ), green ( g ) and blue ( b ) are arranged between cathodes 3 and anodes 2 . the cathodes 3 and the anodes 2 may be provided in the form of a stripe in which they are mutually intersected , and are properly selected by means of a luminance signal circuit 14 and a shift register built - in control circuit 15 and applied with a signal voltage thereto . as a result , an organic layer at a position ( picture element ) where the selected cathode 3 and anode 2 are intersected emits light . more particularly , fig5 shows , for example , a 8 × 3 rgb simple matrix wherein a built - up body 5 consisting of a hole transport layer and at least one of a luminescent layer and an electron transport layer is provided between the cathodes 3 and the anodes 2 ( see fig3 or 4 ). the cathodes and anodes are patternized in the form of a stripe and are mutually intersected in a matrix , to which signal voltages are applied in time series from the shift register built - in control circuits 15 and 14 , thereby causing electroluminescence or light emission at the intersected position . the el device having such an arrangement may be used not only as a display for letters / symbols , but also as an image reproducing apparatus . moreover , the striped patterns of the anodes 3 and the cathodes 2 may be arranged for each of red ( r ), green ( g ) and blue ( b ) colors , thus making it possible to fabricate a solid - state flat panel display of the multicolor or full color type . the invention is more particularly described by way of examples , which should not be construed as limiting the invention thereto . this example illustrates fabrication of an organic electroluminescent device having a single hetero structure using , as a hole transport luminescent material , a compound of the following structural formula ( 3 )- 1 , which is a distyryl compound of the general formula ( 1 ) wherein r 1 , r 2 , r 3 and r 4 , respectively , represent a 3 - ethoxyphenyl group and r 6 and r 8 , respectively , represent a cyano group . a 30 mm × 30 mm glass substrate , which had been formed with a 100 nm thick anode made of ito on one surface thereof , was set in a vacuum deposition apparatus . a metallic mask having a plurality of 2 . 0 mm × 2 . 0 mm unit openings was placed , as a deposition mask , closely to the substrate . the compound of the above structural formula ( 3 )- 1 was subjected to a vacuum deposition method at a vacuum of 10 − 4 pa or below to form , for example , a 50 nm thick hole transport layer ( serving also as a luminescent layer ). the deposition rate was at 0 . 1 nm / second . further , alq 3 ( tris ( 8 - quinolinol ) aluminium ) of the following structural formula was provided as an electron transport material and was deposited in contact with the hole transport layer . the electron transport layer made of alq 3 was set at a thickness , for example , of 50 nm , and the deposition rate was at 0 . 2 nm / second . a built - up film of mg and ag provided as a cathode material was used . to this end , mg and ag were , respectively , deposited at a deposition rate of 1 nm / second to form , for example , a 50 nm thick mg film and a 150 nm thick ag film . in this way , an organic electroluminescent device as shown in fig3 was fabricated in example 1 . luminescent characteristics of the device were evaluated by applying a forward bias dc voltage to the thus fabricated organic electroluminescent device of example 1 in an atmosphere of nitrogen . the luminescent color was red , and the device was then subjected to spectral measurement , with the result that , as shown in fig6 spectra having a luminescent peak at 650 nm were obtained . the spectral measurement was performed by use of a spectroscope made by otsuka electronic co ., ltd . and using a photodiode array as a detector . moreover , when the device was subjected to voltage - luminance measurement , there could be obtained a luminance of 1 , 200 cd / m 2 at 9 . 5 v as is particularly shown in fig8 . after the fabrication of the organic electroluminescent device , the device was allowed to stand over one month in an atmosphere of nitrogen , no device degradation was observed . in addition , when the device was subjected to forced degradation wherein continuous light emission was carried out at an initial luminance of 200 cd / m 2 while keeping a current at a given level . as a consequence , it took 1000 hours before the luminance was reduced to half . this example illustrates fabrication of an organic electroluminescent device having a single hetero structure using , as an electron transport luminescent material , a compound of the structural formula ( 3 )- 1 , which is a distyryl compound of the general formula ( 1 ) wherein r 1 , r 2 , r 3 and r 4 , respectively , represent a 3 - ethoxyphenyl group and r 6 and r 8 , respectively , represent a cyano group . a 30 mm × 30 mm glass substrate , which had been formed with a 100 nm thick anode made of ito on one surface thereof , was set in a vacuum deposition apparatus . a metallic mask having a plurality of 2 . 0 mm × 2 . 0 mm unit openings was placed , as a deposition mask , closely to the substrate . α - npd ( α - naphthylphenyldiamine ) of the following structural formula was subjected to vacuum deposition at a vacuum of 10 − 4 pa or below to form , for example , a 50 nm thick hole transport layer . the deposition rate was at 0 . 1 nm / second . further , the compound of the structural formula ( 3 )- 1 used as an electron transport material was vacuum deposited in contact with the hole transport layer . the thickness of the electron transport layer ( serving also as a luminescent layer ) composed of the compound of the structural formula ( 3 )- 1 was set , for example , at 50 nm , and the deposition rate was at 0 . 2 nm / second . a built - up film of mg and ag provided as a cathode material was used . more particularly , mg and ag were , respectively , deposited at a deposition rate of 1 nm / second to form , for example , a 50 nm thick mg film and a 150 nm thick ag film . in this way , an organic electroluminescent device of example 2 as shown in fig3 was fabricated . luminescent characteristics were evaluated by applying a forward bias dc voltage to the thus fabricated organic electroluminescent device of example 2 in an atmosphere of nitrogen . the luminescent color was red , and the device was then subjected to spectral measurement as in example 1 , with the result that , as shown in fig7 spectra having a luminescent peak at 650 nm were obtained . moreover , when the device was subjected to voltage - luminance measurement , there could be obtained a luminance of 600 cd / m 2 at 10 . 5 v as is particularly shown in fig9 . after the fabrication of the organic electroluminescent device , the device was allowed to stand over one month in an atmosphere of nitrogen , no degradation of the device was observed . in addition , when the device was subjected to forced degradation wherein continuous light emission was carried out at an initial luminance of 200 cd / m 2 while keeping a current at a given level . as a consequence , it took 700 hours before the luminance was reduced to half . this example illustrates fabrication of an organic electroluminescent device having a double hetero structure using , as a luminescent material , a compound of the structural formula ( 3 )- 1 , which is a distyryl compound of the general formula ( 1 ) wherein r 1 , r 2 , r 3 and r 4 , respectively , represent a 3 - ethoxyphenyl group and r 6 and r 8 , respectively , represent a cyano group . a 30 mm × 30 mm glass substrate , which had been formed with a 100 nm thick anode made of ito on one surface thereof , was set in a vacuum deposition apparatus . a metallic mask having a plurality of 2 . 0 mm × 2 . 0 mm unit openings was placed , as a deposition mask , near the substrate , followed by subjecting α - npd ( α - naphthylphenyldiamine ) of the above - indicated structural formula to vacuum deposition at a vacuum of 10 − 4 pa or below to form , for example , a 30 nm thick hole transport layer . the deposition rate was at 0 . 2 nm / second . further , the compound of the above - indicated structural formula ( 3 )- 1 used as a luminescent material was vacuum deposited in contact with the hole transport layer . the thickness of the luminescent layer composed of the compound of the structural formula ( 3 )- 1 was set , for example , at 30 nm , and the deposition rate was at 0 . 2 nm / second . alq 3 of the above - indicated structural formula used as an electron transport material was deposited in contact with the luminescent layer . the thickness of the alq 3 layer was set , for example , at 30 nm , and the deposition rate was at 0 . 2 nm / second . a built - up film of mg and ag provided as a cathode material was used . more particularly , mg and ag were , respectively , deposited at a deposition rate of 1 nm / second to form , for example , a 50 nm thick mg film and a 150 nm thick ag film . in this way , an organic electroluminescent device of example 3 as shown in fig4 was fabricated . luminescent characteristics of the device were evaluated by applying a forward bias dc voltage to the thus fabricated organic electroluminescent device of example 3 in an atmosphere of nitrogen . the luminescent color was red , and the device was subjected to spectral measurement , with the result that spectra having a luminescent peak at 650 nm were obtained . moreover , when the device was subjected to voltage - luminance measurement , there could be obtained a luminance of 1800 cd / m 2 at 8 . 5 v . after the fabrication of the organic electroluminescent device , the device was allowed to stand over one month in an atmosphere of nitrogen , no degradation of the device was observed . in addition , when the device was subjected to forced degradation wherein continuous light emission was carried out at an initial luminance of 200 cd / m 2 while passing a current at a given level . as a consequence , it took 1500 hours before the luminance was reduced to half . example 2 was repeated with respect to the layer arrangement and the film formation procedures except that tpd ( triphenyldiamine derivative ) of the following structural formula was used as a hole transport material in place of α - npd , thereby fabricating an organic electroluminescent device . the organic electroluminescent device of this example assumed red luminescence , like example 2 . the results of spectral measurement reveal that spectra were in coincidence with those of the organic electroluminescent device of example 2 . as will be seen from the foregoing , the organic electroluminescent device of the invention wherein an organic layer having a luminescent region therein is provided between an anode and a cathode and the organic layer contains a distyryl compound of the general formula ( 1 ) exhibits high luminance and ensure stable red color luminescence .

US-88685801-A

a process for filling a container with a liquid , including the following steps : providing a plastic container comprising a spout , a base including a bottom portion with a portion that extends upwardly toward the spout , and a sidewall extending upwardly from the base toward the spout ; filling the container with a liquid ; sealing the spout with a closure ; permitting the formation of a depression or creation of a vacuum inside the container , and ; applying heat to the container to bring about shrinkage and internal pressurization of the container to compensate for at least the depression or vacuum of step .

reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of the present invention , examples of which are described herein and illustrated in the accompanying drawings . while the invention will be described in conjunction with embodiments , it will be understood that they are not intended to limit the invention to these embodiments . on the contrary , the invention is intended to cover alternatives , modifications and equivalents , which may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims . the given example relates to the pet bottles but could be applied to any container made of polymer material of the same nature and having similar properties . the process consists in carrying out hot filling of a thin - walled container , whereby this container should have suitable characteristics as described above . this container is cylindrical in shape , optionally with grooves for making the body rigid , with a light bottom like that of the containers for still mineral waters , but reinforced , whereby the total weight of the container is approximately that of the containers that are used for the mineral water containers , with equal capacity . the reinforced bottom generally consists of a bottom that is bent toward the spout with reinforcements to prevent its return under slight pressure . this container is manufactured starting from one or the other of the two so - called one - or two - wheel “ hr ” treatment methods , based on the packaging temperatures . the container thus has good hot strength and still has a reduced weight . in addition , the absence of the characteristic elements of the pet bottles of the prior art that were hot packaged , such as a band , a bulb with a shoulder , panels , is noted . the container , shown in fig1 , uses a simple geometry . the filling is carried out from the reservoir of a filling device of known type , generally by gravity directly into the container , whereby the liquid is carried and kept at a temperature of 60 ° to 95 ° c . based on the targeted applications . when the liquid at temperature penetrates the container , three actions occur : quick rise in temperature of the wall since the thickness is slight and the corresponding inertia is limited . action of the hydrostatic pressure due to the load resulting from the gravity flow , and action due to the load of the liquid volume introduced into the container . the container deforms little under the effect of the rise in temperature under the filling effect , because the container is manufactured to meet this rise in temperature , at the very most a very slight barrel shaping at the time it is closed . this is the representation of fig2 . it is known that the crystallinity can be improved as indicated in the introductory clause of this application , which greatly improves the mechanical strength . it is also known that if the container is used after its manufacture , the uptake of moisture is very limited , and the initial temperature resistance remains almost unchanged . the bottom having been designed with an improved mechanical strength as well as its “ hr treatment ” prevents the restoration of the bulge of this bottom under the effect of the load and the increase in pressure once said container is closed . actually , the increase in temperature brings about a quick shrinkage of the volume of the container while the liquid that is contained preserves its volume , which generates pressurization of the interior of the container . actually , the bottom that is designed to withstand preserves its shape while the body of the container has a significant deformation during the cooling of the liquid and the head space . it should be noted that this deformation is not irreversible , since if the container is open , the body regains its initial shape . it is known that the deformation is located in the zone that is the most favorable to the mechanical deformation such as the walls , for example , in the case of known containers and for which no particular modification has been provided . it is also noted that in the case of a zone that is less resistant mechanically , the deformation can be reproduced on all of the identical containers that are filled under the same conditions . it is therefore possible to create a zone voluntarily that is suitable in any container so as to carry the deformation to this specific and determined zone in a reproducible way . it is known that a square or cylindrical container withstands pressure well but withstands vacuum poorly except in providing devices such as grooves or folds . according to the process of the invention , a container is therefore obtained with a bottom and a band for joining the bottom and said non - deformed body thanks to the strength of the fold formed at this junction . the container is stable on its bottom but with a deformed body , collapsed as it is referred to in the trade , which makes it unsuitable for sale . these are the representations of fig3 a and 3b . the process according to this invention consists in reducing the volume of the container by bringing about a reduction of the volume of the container after partial or total cooling of the liquid . it was noted that the bottle , even if it receives a “ heat resistance ” ( hr ) treatment , makes it possible to minimize the shape memory effect of the pet without thereby eliminating it integrally . the process consists in relieving the immobilized stresses so that the container tends to regain its initial shape , that of the preform , and therefore tends to regain a smaller volume . this is the particularly surprising and attractive approach of this invention . for this purpose , once the liquid is introduced when hot , then once the container is closed and a partial or total cooling is performed , the container is subjected to a rise in temperature of at least a portion of said container so as to relieve the stresses and to deform irreversibly the container on all or part of its surface . the rise in temperature should be quick so as not to cause the rise in temperature of the liquid , which would cancel the necessary differential for compensating for the depression . nevertheless , the selection of means for carrying out this rise in temperature remains very broad because the ratio of the weights put into play is very large . the few grams of pet of a container vs . hundreds of grams of the content necessarily lead to a faster temperature hike of the jacket than of the contents . in addition , in the case of heating by radiation in particular , the jacket is the first item that is subjected to infrared radiation and primarily absorbs the calories . it is suitable only for avoiding the means of heating by transmission , such as the water bath or pasteurization . in this case , it is another parameter that is no longer suitable : it is the time that is necessary , much too long with this type of technique . another prejudice to overcome is the compensation volume that is necessary . considering the container after cooling , the deformation allows one to think that it is necessary to generate a significant volume reduction . for a 500 ml bottle , the volume reduction after cooling is 3 . 5 % only of the liquid volume , therefore 17 ml . actually , on such a bottle , generally about 60 mm of diameter to give an estimate , it is possible to provide the shrinkage on the so - called labeling height , i . e ., in the zone for affixing a label . the band between the labeling zone and the bottom as well as the shoulder zone being indeformable , it is sufficient to provide a retraction of 1 to 2 mm of the diameter . it is even possible to impose a slight overpressure to compensate for the possible additional shrinkage that may occur when such a container is put into the refrigerator . it should also be noted that during the hot filling , there is always an air - filled top space . also , it is possible to lay the bottle down so as to systematically direct this air along a generatrix of said bottle in the upper part . actually , the process can implement hot - air heating because the transmission of calories between the wall and the air is very difficult , whereby the air is very insulating . the calories are concentrated in the wall of said bottle in the zone that is concerned and very quickly brings about the desired shrinkage . so as not to have to initiate a total raising of the temperature , it is also possible to carry out this heating of the jacket as soon as the interior liquid has passed below the transition temperature on the order of 40 to 50 ° c . it is also possible to note that the process according to this invention makes it possible to produce contents of the square section , the shrinkage then causing a deformation of the container by triangulation , which is also compensated for during the relief of the stresses and during the shrinking of the container . thus , according to this invention , the process consists in using a container that can mechanically withstand , without deformation , hot filling of a liquid in a range of temperatures of a sterilized liquid , generally from 80 to 95 ° c ., for example a polyethylene container , whereby said container is produced by extrusion / blow molding and has a shape memory before blow molding to fill said container with said hot liquid , to close this filled container , and to allow it to cool at least below a solidification temperature of the container , then bringing about a deformation by formation of a depression inside the container , then in heating the container to bring about a relief of the stresses and a return to the shape before blow molding that generates a shrinkage and an internal pressurization of the container that leads at least to compensating for the deformations undergone by the effects of depression . thus , according to this invention , a container that is filled with a pasteurized content , of which it is possible to guarantee the pasteurization by a simple filling temperature measurement , is obtained . the cost of the container for the implementation of the process is not detrimental since it is perfectly comparable to that of the containers that can undergo aseptic filling . the advantage is to be able to meet the manufacturers &# 39 ; requirements as regards filling rates and guaranteed asepsis without requiring high - investment bottling lines , also costly and complex in operation . thus , using the process according to this invention , not only is the cost of raw material for manufacturing a hot filled container reduced , but this lesser amount of raw material leads to subsequent reduced recycling costs for the same bottled volume . according to this invention , it should be noted that it is possible to provide a suitable device for the implementation of the process . a solution consists in producing shells that comprise at least two parts so as to encase the container , whereby said shells are heated by any suitable means so as to release the necessary calories . the shells have a profile that approximately matches that of the container to release the calories close to the walls , and even in a localized zone of this wall , whereby these shells are oriented horizontally if the heating is carried out on a generatrix with air in the upper part . in this case , it is then possible to bring about a more intense heating in a particular zone .

US-71920310-A

apparatus for treating meat comprises introducing pieces of meat into a tumbling drum rotatable about a horizontal axis and which contains circumferentially spaced rods on the inside of the drum adjacent to its periphery and parallel to the axis of rotation . the rods contain teeth so that upon rotation of the drum the meat is tumbled causing the teeth to produce a mass of small cuts in the surface of the meat . the drum is sealed by a watertight door that is readily opened and closed , as needed . the tumbling process takes approximately 20 minutes . the tumbling in combination with the formation of small cuts in the surface of the meat increases the exposure of myosin protein at the meat surface and also improves color uniformity and dispersion of pickling solution in the meat .

referring now in more detail to the drawing there is shown a meat processing apparatus comprising a tumbling machine 2 having a tumbling drum 4 that is rotatable about a horizontal axis 6 . the drum includes opposed drum ends 8 , 8 of generally hollow somewhat frusto - conical configuration and which define drum sidewalls 10 , 12 . these sidewalls 10 , 12 include central reinforced regions 14 , 16 at which opposed drum shafts 18 , 20 are secured . these drum shafts 18 , 20 project away from their respective central regions 14 , 16 and are coaxial . the shafts 18 , 20 are also centered on the horizontal axis 6 . the drum 4 further includes a cylindrical sidewall 22 that extends between the endwalls 10 , 12 and with the sidewall 22 also surrounding and being substantially centered on the axis 6 . the drum 4 is mounted on a suitable upstanding frame 26 that includes a series of uprights 28 together with a number of interconnecting generally horizontal cross members 30 . the frame 26 also includes at one end a subframe 32 of generally rectilinear configuration for supporting an electric drive motor and transmission unit 34 . the frame 26 and its subframe 32 also support horizontally aligned bearings 36 , 38 , 40 which are centered on the axis 6 . as best seen in fig1 the drum shaft 18 is journaled in the bearings 36 , 38 while the opposite drum shaft 20 is journaled in the bearing 40 . the motor transmission unit 34 is conventional and is therefore not described in detail . suffice it to say , however , that the motor speed is reduced by the transmission portion of the assembly sufficient to drive the drum at a relatively slow speed , for instance of the order of 12 to 24 rpm . the output shaft 42 of the unit 34 is provided with a sprocket 44 which is aligned with a sprocket 46 on the drum shaft 18 . there is a drive chain 48 around the sprockets 44 , 46 , thereby to provide a positive drive between the shafts 18 , 42 . the drive system thus described may be shrouded for reasons of safety . the motor transmission unit 34 may be controlled in a known manner as by devices such as a variable motor speed control , alarm signal to indicate the end of a tumbling cycle , forward and reverse switching etc . for loading and unloading pieces of meat 50 ( fig1 ) into and out of the drum the cylindrical side wall 22 has an opening 52 . this opening 52 may be opened and closed by an arcuately shiftable watertight door 54 that includes inner and outer arcuate door members 56 , 58 . the outer door member 58 includes a panel 60 that is radially spaced from the opening 52 and the inner door member 56 . at the side margins of the panel 60 are depending skirts 62 , 62 , the lower ends of which carry arcuate bearing or supporting rods 64 , 64 . as best seen in fig3 and 8 these rods 64 , 64 are adapted to slide within angle - shaped rails or guides 66 that are on opposite sides of the opening 52 . the inner door member 56 is provided with ribs 68 at its margins to stiffen the inner door member at its periphery . the inner door member 56 has a coating of gasket or sealing material 70 on its inwardly presented surface for purposes of forming a fluid tight seal across the opening 52 . this material 70 may be suitable silicone rubber sheet that is bonded to the inner door surface . it will also be noted from fig3 that the sidewall 22 is somewhat thickened where the angle shaped guides 66 are mounted , which is also where the lateral margins of the inner door member 56 are located when the door is closed . thus , when the door 54 is closed , as will be presently more fully described , the periphery of the inner door member 56 will seat against the sidewall 22 in surrouding relation to the opening 52 and form a gas and liquid tight seal thereacross , as shown in fig3 and 5 . the inner and outer door members 56 , 58 are coupled to each other through a door operating means 72 that includes a crank handle 74 by which the seal of the inner door member 56 across the opening 52 may be made or broken . more particularly , the inner door member 56 has , on its radially outer surface and centrally thereof , a stud 76 welded thereto and with its threaded end 78 projecting radially loosely through a reinforcing ring 75 fixed in the outer door member panel 60 . referring now more particularly to fig5 the crank 74 is jointly rotatable with a hub 80 which also projects through the ring 75 and is threaded onto the threaded part 78 of the stud 76 . the crank 74 and hub 80 may be keyed together in any suitable manner . the crank is held assembled with the hub 80 by a nut 82 on the threaded part 78 . the hub 80 is rotatable in the ring 75 by the bearing arrangement shown , that includes spacers and bushings of antifriction material within and on opposite sides of the ring 75 . mounted on the panel 60 in spaced relationship to the mechanism 72 ( see fig3 ) is a radially inwardly projecting pin 84 which slidably fits into a sleeve 86 fixed on the inner door member 56 . this pin and sleeve arrangement 84 , 86 aids in locating the inner and outer door member 56 , 58 in proper alignment , especially upon reassembly after removal from the drum and cleaning . the outer door member has a handle 88 at its lead end by which the two door members 56 , 58 can be moved together across or away from the opening 52 . the two door members making up the door 54 are guided in their movement along the guides 66 , 66 . to seal the door 54 across the opening 52 the two door members are brought into overlying relation with respect to the opening 52 . this is the position shown in the drawing , and best seen in fig3 and 5 . in such position the front or lead end of the outer door member 58 abuts short stop angles 90 adjacent to each guide 66 . the crank 74 is then rotated causing the hub 80 to rotate . as the hub 80 rotates the outer door member 58 is moved radially outwardly relative to the inner door member 56 until the bearing rods 64 , 64 engage and stop against the axial flange portions 67 of the angle shape guides 66 . when this condition occurs , further rotation of the crank 74 in the same direction causes the inner door member 56 to move radially inwardly relative to the outer door member 58 until the gasket material 70 seals tightly against the drum sidewall 22 in the region surrouding the opening 52 . see fig3 and 5 . reverse rotation of the crank 74 loosens the door assembly 54 for subsequent movement to its open position . the door 54 also has angle - shaped stop brackets 92 , 92 . these are secured to laterally projecting stub plates 94 , 94 on the outer door member 58 . as best seen in fig5 and 6 , the stub plate 94 for each bracket 92 is located at the trailing end of door , namely the end that is opposite to the handle 88 . normally each stop bracket 92 is positioned as shown in full lines in fig5 and 6 and is held in that position by a wing nut 96 . this wing nut 96 is threaded onto a stud 98 which is secured to the plate 94 . when the handle 88 is grasped the door may be easily opened by moving it to the left ( swung counterclockwise as viewed in fig5 ) until the stop brackets 92 , 92 engage stop pins 100 welded on the guides 66 at the trailing ends thereof . the arcuate extent of the door opening 52 is about 60 °; hence the door 54 is of a somewhat greater arcuate extent . in any event , the arcuate extent or angle of arc that the door 54 shifts counterclockwise ( fig5 ) should be sufficient to uncover completely the opening 52 . for cleaning and maintenance purposes it is desirable to be able to remove the entire door assembly 54 . for this purpose the stop brackets 92 , 92 can be repositioned as indicated in broken lines in fig6 . thus , each wing nut 96 can be loosened and the stop bracket 92 associated therewith can be turned 90 ° as shown by the broken lines in fig6 . in that position the depending flange portion of the bracket 92 lies laterally or outside of the guide 66 and as a result the stop bracket 92 clears the stop pin 100 whereby the door assembly 54 can be arcuately shifted as far as is necessary to be removed as a unit from the guides 66 . when the door 54 is in its fully open position , a suitable arrangement is provided as a safety feature for holding the door open . such arrangement preferably consists of mechanisms 102 , 102 on the guides 66 , 66 adjacent to the opening 52 , as best seen in fig1 , 7 and 8 . each mechanism 102 comprises a rectangular block 104 having a bore 106 for slidably receiving a bolt 108 with a handle 110 . the bolt handle 110 rides in a generally u - shaped slot 112 having one leg longer than the other as seen in fig7 and with each leg being in a side of the block 104 . when the bolt handle 110 is in the longer leg of the slot 112 , as shown in full lines in fig7 and 8 , the pin 108 extends in front of the outer door side skirt 62 , thereby holding the door assembly 54 in its open position . when the handle is shifted to the dotted line position shown in fig8 the bolt 108 is retracted from in front of the adjacent skirt 62 , allowing the door assembly 54 to be shifted to its closed position . the bolt handle 110 may be moved to the shorter leg of the slot 112 for storage in the door - unlocked condition . as earlier stated , an important provision of this invention lies in a structure that provides groups of teeth for forming small scratches , slits or cuts in the meat pieces 50 as they are being tumbled in the chamber of the drum 4 . the groups of teeth may be in the form of a first group of rods which are toothed rods 114 . the rods 114 run parallel to the axis 6 and extend between the end walls 10 , 12 . it will be noted that these rods 114 are circumferentially spaced and are adjacent to the periphery of the interior of the drum sidewall 22 . by way of example but not a limitation , it has been found that with a drum of about 36 inches in internal diameter , five rods 114 , equally spaced circumferentially , are satisfactory for purposes of this invention . the rods 114 may be one inch in nominal diameter . this group of rods 114 are of like construction and are radially inwardly of a second group of rods 116 which are plain or smooth . the plain rods 116 have smooth external surfaces and are also disposed parallel to the axis 6 and extend between the opposed end walls 10 , 12 . it will be noted that the rods 114 , 116 are disposed in pairs , each pair consisting of one toothed rod 114 and one plain rod 116 . generally speaking , the center lines of the rods 114 are disposed on a circle and the same is true of the center lines of the rods 116 although the latter circle is of large diameter . furthermore , the center lines of any pair of rods 114 , 116 define a plane which includes the axis 6 . turning now again to the rods 114 , these are formed along the length with a roll thread 118 with the thread 118 having a sharply defined crest . for example , eight threads per inch may be rolled . the roll threading techniques used for this purpose are known and need not be described . as best seen in fig4 and 9 , the roll thread 118 is longitudinally milled for substantially the full length of the rod 114 to provide slots 120 . these slots 120 together with the thread 118 define the teeth 122 that are presented to the interior of the drum . the teeth 122 are desirably formed in the foregoing manner since roll threading techniques are known , and it is simply a matter of milling or otherwise machining the slots 120 so that the teeth 122 may be formed . at one end section 124 , each rod 114 is cut down for a portion of its length , for purposes presently more fully appearing . each rod 114 is mounted in a pair of aligned bushings 126 , 126 that are respectively rigidly mounted in the end walls 10 , 12 . the bushings 126 , 126 are closed off and sealed exteriorly of the drum by end caps 128 , 128 which are internally threaded for threading onto the externally threaded ends of the bushings 126 , 126 . across each bushing 126 that is in the endwall 10 there is a straight cross pin 130 ( fig9 ) located at the inside end of the bushing 126 and against which the rod 114 abuts at the flat section 124 . this cross pin 130 extends chord - wise across the circular opening in the bushing 126 . thus , the cross pin 130 and the flat section 124 prevents the rod 114 from rotating when positioned within the bushings 126 . the arrangement also orients the teeth 122 correctly when the rod 114 is in the drum . in this regard it should be regarded that the teeth 122 are presented generally toward the axis 6 . the teeth 122 extend approximately one quandrant of the rod 114 and the plane defined by the center line of a rod 114 and the axis 6 approximately bisects this quandrant . while the rods 114 are prevented from rotating in their respective bushings 126 , the plain rods 116 are freely rotatable in their respective aligned bushings 132 , 132 which are also fixed in the end walls 10 , 12 . these bushings 132 , 132 are provided with threaded removable end caps 134 , 134 which form a seal with the bushing 132 and serve essentially the same purpose as do the end caps 128 , 128 , previously described . by removal of the end caps 128 , 134 , it is possible to withdraw the rods 114 , 116 individually from the drum 4 . the plain rods 116 can be removed through either end walls 10 , 12 , but by reason of the cross pin 130 each tooth rod 114 can only be removed through the end wall 12 . the drum chamber defined by the side wall 22 and opposed end walls 10 , 12 is partially filled with meat product 50 , that may include pickling solution . the drum chamber is preferably filled to about one - half of its diameter or less . as the drum 4 rotates the pieces of meat 50 are tumbled by being repeatedly raised above the axis 6 and then dropped downwardly onto the teeth 122 of the rods 114 . the tooth rods 114 and the plain rods 116 both aid in the tumbling operation . however , the plain rods 116 are primarily used for tumbling and further serve to prevent pieces of meat from becoming lodged in the space between each rod 114 and the sidewall 22 of the drum . the fact that the rods 116 are freely rotatable appears to aid in preventing pieces of meat from becoming lodged between the pairs of rods 114 , 116 . the depth of the teeth 122 will be determined by the depth of the thread 118 that is rolled onto the rod 114 . it has been found that a thread depth of about 1 / 16th of an inch will produce cuts in the meat that provide satisfactory results . the small cuts in the meat appear to be enough to expose the myosin protein and taken in combination with the tumbling provides improved color distribution and dispersion of pickling solution , all without significant destruction of the meat fibers . a processing time of approximately ten to thirty minutes , and preferably about 20 minutes has been found satisfactory in those instances in which the invention has been used . in some cases the meat product is processed under a vacuum . for this purpose the shaft 20 ( see fig3 ) is provided with a central bore 134 to which is connected a conventional union 136 of the type that provides a seal with the rotating shaft 20 . the fixed or non - rotatable portion of the union 136 is connected to a vacuum line 138 . vacuum that is applied at the line 138 will , therefore , be applied through the bore 134 to the chamber of the drum 4 . in order to prevent the meat product from obstructing the bore 134 a vertical baffle plate 140 is provided on the inside of the drum adjacent to but spaced from the end wall 12 and near the central region 16 . the baffle plate 140 has threaded studs as shown which project through the drum wall 12 , and the baffle plate is held in place by wing nuts 142 on the studs . gaskets , o - rings or other sealing means may be used to provide a seal where the studs for the plate 140 project through the end wall 12 . the plate 140 acts as a barrier that obstructs pieces of meat and prevents them from being drawn across the entrance to the bore 134 .

US-61305675-A

tangential flow filtration device is provided wherein liners are provided between the filtration element and the top and bottom holders or manifolds . the liners incorporate the flow channels and inlet and outlet ports that were previously present in the manifolds . the liners are made of an inexpensive material and therefore are disposable after a single use , making it more cost effective to dispose of them than to clean the conventional manifolds . in addition , the liners can be pre - sterilized .

turning first to fig1 , there is shown an exploded view of a filtration device 10 in accordance with the instant teachings . the device 10 includes a top holder plate 12 and a spaced bottom holder plate 13 . the holder plates 12 , 13 are preferably made of stainless steel and are sufficiently rigid and durable to provide accurate and effective mechanical constraint of the assembly against internal hydraulic operating pressures , such as 50 - 60 psi . apertures 28 are provided in the holder plates 12 , 13 and in each layer of the assembly to accommodate tie rods or threaded pins or bolts 14 or other clamping device to secure the assembly together . spacers 15 are provided , and can be spring - loaded . no filtration stream passageways are present in the holder plates 12 , 13 . positioned beneath holder plate 12 in the assembled state is disposable liner 16 . the liner 16 is preferably made of inexpensive material , suitable for the application , that is acceptable for pharmaceutical assays ( and preferably is government approved ). suitable materials of construction include plastics , such as polystyrene , preferably polyolefins , such as polypropylene , polyethylene , copolymers and mixtures thereof . polysulfone is particularly preferred in view of its strength and rigidity . the liner 16 is preferably molded with passageways and openings . alternatively , and less preferred , it may be formed by milling , drilling and other such methods . as best seen in fig2 , the liner 16 includes a first port 17 a , five sub - ports 17 c a second port 17 b and four sub - ports 17 d . port 17 a is for introduction of feed or removal of retentate depending on its orientation within the assembly , with port 17 b for removal of permeate , while preventing admixture of the filtrate with the retentate or feed , as is conventional . port 17 a is connected to the five sub - ports 17 c in a manifold arrangement . port 17 b is connected to the four sub - ports 17 d in a similar manner . the ports 17 a and 17 b may be located on opposite sides of the liner in order to provide adequate spacing and avoid interferences with other components . however , in the application shown , where spacing is sufficient or no interference occurs , they may be located on the same side . each port 17 a , 17 b is in fluid communication with flow paths or passageways that communicate with respective apertures to accommodate flow of feed , retentate or permeate as is conventional , thereby defining multiple flow paths for the filtration stream within the device . the passageways are preferably tapered , narrowing as they proceed away from their respective port , to normalize pressure at each of the sub - ports 17 c and 17 d . turning back to fig1 , there is shown positioned below liner 16 a filtration element 20 . the filtration element 20 can be a single membrane , and is preferably a plurality of stacked membranes , such as stacked ultrafiltration or microfiltration membranes , most preferably provided in the form of a cassette . although a single cassette of membranes is shown , those skilled in the art will appreciate that multiple cassettes can be used . suitable cassettes are sold under the name pellicon ® and are commercially available from millipore corporation . positioned below the filter element 20 is a second liner 22 . preferably the second liner 22 is identical in construction to the first liner 16 , but is when the device is in the assembled state , the liner 22 is inverted relative to the position of the first liner 16 , as shown . this allows port 17 a to communicate with the feed ports of the device in its normal orientation , while communicating with the retentate ports while in the inverted position . port 17 b of the liner communicates with the permeate ports in both orientations . preferably one side of the liners 16 , 20 includes a plurality of inter - engaging ribs , as best seen in fig3 . the ribs provide added rigidity to the liners , and can be formed in the molding process . the ribs are positioned on the side of the liner that contacts the holder plate . the ribs extend from one side of the liner to the other , except where interrupted by a port . in the rib configuration shown , a grid is formed by a plurality of longitudinal and latitudinal ribs , with nine latitudinal ribs 25 a - 25 i and nine longitudinal ribs 25 a - 26 i . the latitudinal ribs are preferably parallel with one another , and the longitudinal ribs are preferably parallel with one another and perpendicular to the latitudinal ribs . the latitudinal ribs 25 b - 25 h are preferably equally spaced , whereas the respective spaces between latitudinal rib 25 a and 25 b and 25 a and the sidewall 225 of the liner are smaller , as are the spaces between ribs 25 h and 25 i and rib 25 i and the opposite sidewall 226 of the liner . clustering the ribs more closely together at the sidewalls provides additional strength to the liner . longitudinal ribs 25 a - 26 i are all equally spaced , with the spacing preferably the same or substantially the same as that of latitudinal ribs 25 b - 25 h , so that the grid defined between ribs 25 b - 25 h and ribs 26 a - 26 i includes a plurality of squares , the grid formed between ribs 25 h , sidewall 226 , and ribs 26 a - 26 i includes a plurality of rectangles , and the grid formed between ribs 25 b and sidewall 225 and ribs 26 a - 26 i includes a plurality of rectangles . a u - shaped rib 27 a is formed around the permeate port 17 b , as is u - shaped rib 27 b around retentate port 17 a . the intricate rib configuration shown provides strength and rigidity to the liner . when assembled , there is significant clamping force applied to the filter element 20 and the liner , with sealing taking place between the smooth side of the liner and the filter element 20 . without the rib configuration , the liner would not remain flat , and therefore would not seal properly to the filter element 20 . the ribs make it possible to effectively assemble the liners in the filtration device of the invention , in sealing engagement upon the application of pressure , without the necessity of having corresponding grooves in the holder plates to mate with the ribs . accordingly , the respective surfaces of the holder plates that abut the grids of the liners are preferably flat , and need not be specially designed to fit the liners .

US-40428706-A

a method for improving the thermal fatigue life of a thermal barrier coating deposited on an aluminide bond coat through a process by which the surface morphology of the aluminide bond coat is modified to eliminate or at least reduce oxidation and oxidation - induced convolutions at the alumina - bond coat interface , as explained more fully below . the bond coat is deposited to have generally columnar grains and grain boundary ridges at its surface , and is then peened at an intensity sufficient to flatten at least some of the grain boundary ridges , but insufficient to cause recrystallization of the bond coat when later heated , such as during deposition of the thermal barrier coating . in so doing , the original surface texture of the bond coat is altered to be smoother where the grain boundaries meet the bond coat surface , thereby yielding a smoother bond coat surface where the critical alumina - bond coat interface will exist following oxidation of the bond coat .

the present invention is generally applicable to components that operate within environments characterized by relatively high temperatures , and are therefore subjected to severe thermal stresses and thermal cycling . notable examples of such components include the high and low pressure turbine nozzles and blades , shrouds , combustor liners and augmentor hardware of gas turbine engines . an example of a high pressure turbine blade 10 is shown in fig1 . the blade 10 generally includes an airfoil 12 against which hot combustion gases are directed during operation of the gas turbine engine , and whose surface is therefore subjected to severe attack by oxidation , corrosion and erosion . the airfoil 12 is anchored to a turbine disk ( not shown ) with a dovetail 14 formed on a root section 16 of the blade 10 . cooling holes 18 are present in the airfoil 12 through which bleed air is forced to transfer heat from the blade 10 . while the advantages of this invention will be described with reference to the high pressure turbine blade 10 shown in fig1 the teachings of this invention are generally applicable to any component on which a tbc system may be used to protect the component from its environment . represented in fig2 is a thermal barrier coating ( tbc ) system 20 of a type known in the art . as shown , the coating system 20 includes a bond coat 24 overlying a superalloy substrate 22 , which is typically the base material of the blade 10 . suitable materials for the substrate 22 ( and therefore the blade 10 ) include equiaxed , directionally - solidified and single - crystal nickel and cobalt - base superalloys . the bond coat 24 is shown as adhering a thermal - insulating ceramic layer 26 , or tbc , to the substrate 22 . as shown , the ceramic layer 26 has a strain - tolerant columnar grain structure achieved by depositing the ceramic layer 26 using physical vapor deposition techniques known in the art , particularly electron beam physical vapor deposition ( ebpvd ). a preferred material for the ceramic layer 26 is an yttria - stabilized zirconia ( ysz ), a preferred composition being about 3 to about 8 weight percent yttria , though other ceramic materials could be used , such as yttria , nonstabilized zirconia , or zirconia stabilized by magnesia , ceria , scandia or other oxides . the ceramic layer 26 is deposited to a thickness that is sufficient to provide the required thermal protection for the underlying substrate 22 and blade 10 , generally on the order of about 75 to about 300 micrometers . the bond coat 24 is shown as being a diffusion aluminide of a type known in the art . the bond coat 24 is shown as being composed of an additive layer 28 overlying the substrate 22 and a diffusion zone 30 within the surface of the substrate 22 . the diffusion zone ( dz ) 30 contains various intermetallic and metastable phases that form during the coating reaction as a result of diffusional gradients and changes in elemental solubility in the local region of the substrate 22 . the additive layer 28 is typically about 30 to 75 micrometers thick and contains the environmentally - resistant intermetallic phase mal , where m is iron , nickel or cobalt , depending on the substrate material ( mainly β ( nial ) if the substrate is ni - base ). the chemistry of the additive layer 28 is modified by the presence in the aluminum - containing composition of additional elements , such as chromium , silicon , platinum , rhodium , hafnium , yttrium and zirconium . for example , if platinum is deposited on the substrate 22 prior to aluminizing , the additive layer 28 consists of ( pt ) nial - type intermetallic phases . the bond coat may be a single - phase [( ni , pt ) al ] or two - phase [ ptal 2 +( ni , pt ) al ] diffusion aluminide . the bond coat 24 is represented in fig2 as being in an as - deposited condition , i . e ., without any additional treatment provided by the present invention . in the as - deposited condition , the additive layer 28 is characterized by grains 32 that extend from the diffusion zone 30 to the surface of the bond coat 24 , so that the grains 32 are generally columnar . as also represented , the grains 32 have grain boundaries 34 that intersect the surface of the bond coat 24 at an angle approximately normal to the surface . those portions of the grain boundaries 34 parallel to the bond coat surface and bordering the diffusion zone 30 are shown as being decorated ( pinned ) with refractory phases 46 formed during deposition of the bond coat 24 as a result of diffusion of refractory elements from the superalloy substrate 22 . finally , the surface of the bond coat 24 is characterized by surface irregularities , termed grain boundary ridges 48 , that correspond to the locations of the grain boundaries 34 . the type of microstructure represented in fig2 is typical of aluminide bond coats deposited by chemical vapor deposition ( cvd ) and vapor phase deposition , e . g ., vapor phase aluminizing ( vpa ). as depicted in fig3 the aluminum - rich bond coat 24 naturally develops an aluminum oxide ( alumina ) scale 36 when exposed to an oxidizing atmosphere , such as during high temperature exposures in air . as portrayed in fig3 and 4 , the oxide scale 36 has become convoluted , with valleys 38 present above a majority of the grain boundaries 34 at the bond coat surface . during engine service temperature exposure , the oxide scale 36 continues to grow beneath the permeable ceramic layer 26 . failure of the tbc system 20 during engine service exposure typically occurs by spallation of the ceramic layer 26 from cracks that initiate in the oxide scale 36 and then propagate into the interface between the bond coat 24 and oxide scale 36 . consequently , the strength of this interface , stresses within the interface plane , and changes with temperature exposure influence the life of the tbc system 20 . during an investigation leading to this invention , superalloy specimens were coated with a tbc system of the type shown in fig2 . the superalloys were rene ′ n5 with a nominal composition in weight percent of ni - 7 . 5co - 7 . 0cr - 6 . 5ta - 6 . 2al - 5 . 0w - 3 . 0re - 1 . 5mo - 0 . 15hf - 0 . 05c - 0 . 004b - 0 . 01y , and rene r142 with a nominal composition in weight percent of ni - 12co - 6 . 8cr - 6 . 35ta - 6 . 15al - 4 . 9w - 2 . 8re - 1 . 5mo - 1 . 5hf - 0 . 12c - 0 . 015b . the ceramic topcoat was ysz deposited by ebpvd , while the bond coats were single and two - phase ptal deposited by vpa or cvd . the specimens were furnace cycle tested ( fct ) at 2075 ° f . ( about 1135 ° c .) at one - hour cycles to spallation , and then examined for appearance of the fracture mode that caused spallation . detailed observations made with these specimens suggested that spallation was brought on by a mechanism that involved convolution of the oxide scale 36 , as discussed above in reference to fig3 through 5 . the convolutions were observed to typically initiate at the grain boundaries 34 , and to further develop with oxide growth . distinct valleys 38 formed as a result of the scale convolution eventually reached a critical depth / width ratio , at which point the scale 36 was bent at nearly a 90 degree angle ( fig4 ). as shown in fig5 a crack 40 eventually formed in the scale 36 and typically propagated into the bond coat / oxide scale interface . from this investigation , it was concluded that tbc spallation on a conventional diffusion aluminide bond coat occurred as a result of cracks developing at steep convolutions in the oxide scale , followed by multiple cracks propagating and linking together to cause an area of tbc to spall . it was also concluded that advanced convolutions which led to oxide cracking were associated with the bond coat grain boundaries . one possible reason for this observation was the concentration of stresses at the grain boundaries at the bond coat surface during thermal cycling due to the ridges 48 of the grain boundaries 34 seen in fig2 . also potential factors include some type of modification of the surface tension force triangle at the grain boundary ridges 48 , which results in the thermal grooving effect that forms the valleys 38 between the coating grain boundaries 34 . the size of the valleys 38 was observed to increase during thermal cycling , presumably due to stress concentration and enhanced grain boundary creep . a process for modifying the surface morphology of an aluminide bond coat was then investigated for the purpose of evaluating the effect on tbc life . the investigation was directed to achieving and evaluating the effect of modifying bond coat surface stresses localized at grain boundaries through altering the surface grain morphology . it was postulated that reducing the grain boundary ridges 48 could be beneficial to eliminate high stress concentrations in the bond coat surface . in a first trial , a group of specimens were coated with tbc systems that included vpa two - phase ptal diffusion bond coats , and then evaluated by furnace cycle testing ( fct ) at about 2075 ° f . ( about 1135 ° c .) with one - hour cycles . all of the specimens underwent conventional grit blasting ( 80 alumina grit at 60 psi ), while a limited number of the specimens were subjected to various intensity levels of zirconia bead peening , including intensity levels 6a to 8a , which is a range above that achievable with the dry glass bead peening ( up to 6a ) taught by u . s . pat . no . 4 , 414 , 249 to ulion et al . coverage was not a specifically controlled parameter of the peening process . some of the peened specimens achieved a fct life of about 600 to 780 cycles , as compared to about 480 to 500 cycles for the baseline specimens ( grit blasted only ). a detailed examination of the best peened specimens revealed that the tbc spallation mode in these specimens was different from the typical mode shown in fig2 through 5 . specifically , tbc spallation occurred as a result of a relative smooth oxide delamination from the bond coat , with grain boundary convolutions rarely being observed . from this trial , it was concluded that an aluminide bond coat whose surface had been modified by peening could result in significantly improved spallation resistance ( about 1 . 5 to 2 times improved fct life ) as compared to the aluminide bond coats that had been limited to surface roughening by conventional grit blasting . the difference in the spallation mode between specimens ( smooth delamination vs . oxide convolution ) was attributed to the variability in peening coverage ( which likely allowed for less than 100 % coverage ), and that coverage was an important parameter of the peening process . in a second trial , the surfaces of six ni - based superalloy specimens coated by vpa with single - phase ptal bond coats were shot peened with zirconia or stainless steel shot with an intensity of about 6a to about 12a and a coverage of at least 100 %. some of the specimens were peened at intensities of about 6a to 10a , and underwent heat treatment at about 1925 ° f . ( about 1050 ° c .) for two hours . other specimens were peened at 8a to 12a and underwent heat treatment at about 2050 ° f . ( about 1120 ° c .) for about two hours . the heat treatment at the higher temperature caused recrystallization throughout the additive layers of the bond coats , while the lower - temperature treatment did not . all of the specimens were then coated with 7 % ysz deposited by ebpvd , after which some of the specimens that underwent the 1925 ° f . heat treatment and all of the specimens that underwent the 2050 ° f . heat treatment were tested by fct at about 2125 ° f . ( about 1160 ° c .) with one - hour cycles . the tbc life of the specimens that did not undergo recrystallization was about 420 to about 520 cycles , while the tbc life of the recrystallized specimens was about 300 to 320 cycles . historically , specimens of this type spall after an average of about 230 cycles . the surface morphology of specimens that did not undergo recrystallization is represented in fig6 which portrays the grain boundary ridges 48 of fig2 as being replaced by flattened grain boundary surfaces 50 . the surfaces of these bond coats were not entirely flat , allowing for valleys and other minor surface irregularities 52 between flattened grain boundary surfaces 50 . the remainder of the ysz - coated specimens that had undergone the 1925 ° f ./ two - hour heat treatment were exposed to twenty one - hour cycles at 2125 ° f . ( about 1160 ° c . ), and their cross - sections metallographically examined to observe their microstructure evolution . these specimens were typically found to have triangular - shaped grains 42 beneath the flattened grain boundary surfaces 50 , as depicted in fig7 . significantly , the grain boundaries 44 of these grains 42 did not appear susceptible to oxide convolution and thermal grooving . from these results , it was concluded that the ability to achieve improvements in tbc life with single - phase aluminide bond coats is sensitive to the peening and heat treatment parameters . shot peening of single - phase aluminide bond coats that results in grain recrystallization improves tbc life , but shot - peened single - phase aluminide bond coats exhibit far longer tbc lives if they do not undergo recrystallization during heat treatment . the incidence of recrystallization was concluded to be dependent on a sufficiently high peening intensity and / or a sufficiently high heat treatment temperature . the difference in tbc lives between single - phase aluminide coatings that were and were not recrystallized was believed to be attributable to the surface of the coating being reformed during the recrystallization process , producing small steps between the grain boundaries at the coating surface . these steps were believed to be sufficient to cause oxide convolution at the grain boundaries during thermal cycling . this trial evidenced that single - phase ptal bond coats benefit from peening without recrystallization , and more particularly that the surface morphology of a single - phase aluminide bond coat benefits from a peening intensity of between 6a and 10a and a peening coverage of at least 100 %. while not wishing to be limited to any particular theory , it is believed that recrystallization is detrimental to single - phase aluminide bond coats because the surface modification achieved by peening is lost through recrystallization , during which recrystallized grains generate a new surface structure that is independent of the original surface structure . consequently , a proper combination of peening intensity and heat treatment temperature is critical to single - phase aluminide bond coats . in a third trial , the role of heat treatment for different aluminide coating compositions was investigated . a number of superalloy specimens were coated with single - phase ptal diffusion bond coats that were shot peened with ceramic shot prior to depositing the tbc . the deposition method , coating hardness , peening intensity and coverage , and heat treatment are indicated in the following table . deposition hardness peening heat group method ( hrc ) int . & amp ; cov . treatment a cvd 45 hrc 8a @ 1000 % none b cvd 45 hrc 8a @ 1000 % 1050 ° c ./ 2 hrs . c vpa 55 - 60 hrc 10a @ 100 % 1050 ° c ./ 2 hrs . + 6a @ 500 % d vpa 55 - 60 hrc 10a @ 100 % none + 6a @ 500 % the aluminum content of the specimens deposited by cvd ( chemical vapor deposition ) was about 18 to 20 weight percent , while the aluminum content of the specimens deposited by vpa ( vapor phase aluminizing ) was above 20 weight percent . none of the specimens underwent recrystallization during heat treatment as a result of using a sufficiently low heat treatment temperature for the peening intensities employed . in all specimens , the grain boundary geometry at the bond coat surface was modified . peening caused their grain boundary geometry to become generally flatter as a result of reducing and flattening the surface grain boundary ridges characteristic of aluminide bond coats deposited by cvd and vpa . all of the specimens were then coated with 7 % ysz by ebpvd and tested by fct at about 2125 ° f . ( about 1160 ° c .) with one - hour cycles . the resulting fct lives were : 760 cycles for the group a specimen , 720 to 760 cycles for the group b specimens , 420 to 520 cycles for the group c specimens , and 220 to 420 cycles for the group d specimens . again , the historical average fct life for tbc systems having single - phase ptal bond coats is about 230 cycles . accordingly , the group a and b specimens exhibited a tbc life of about two to three times the baseline average , and the group c specimens exhibited a tbc life of about two times the baseline average . in contrast , the group d specimens exhibited a large scatter in fct life , with an average of 260 cycles being only modestly better than the baseline average . from the above , heat treatment was concluded to be necessary for harder single - phase aluminide coatings , suggesting that surface stresses may prevent the formation of an adherent oxide scale . for single - phase aluminide bond coats with a hardness of less than about 50 hrc , heat treatment can be beneficial at temperatures less than 2000 ° f . ( about 1090 ° c . ), preferably less than 1975 ° f . ( about 1080 ° c . ), with a suitable treatment being about two hours at about 1925 ° f . ( about 1050 ° c .). in contrast , for single - phase aluminide bond coats with a hardness above about 50 hrc , heat treatment at a temperature of about 1700 ° f . to about 1975 ° f . ( about 925 ° c . to about 1080 ° c .) appears necessary , with a suitable treatment being about two hours at about 1925 ° f . ( about 1050 ° c .). the parameters used in this trial also appeared to confirm that the surface morphology of a single - phase aluminide bond coat benefits from a peening intensity of between 6a and 10a and a peening coverage of at least 100 %, with a minimum coverage of about 500 % appearing to be necessary , when intensities of 6a to 8a is used . in a final investigation , a study was undertaken of grain structure modification through peening . in this trial , the surfaces of ni - based superalloy specimens coated by vpa and cva with two - phase ptal bond coats were shot peened with stainless steel shot with an intensity of about 6a to about 12a and a coverage of at least 100 %. some of the specimens underwent heat treatment at about 1700 ° f . ( about 925 ° c .) to about 1975 ° f . ( about 1080 ° c .) for one - half to three hours . other specimens underwent heat treatment at about 2000 ° f . to 2050 ° f . ( about 1090 ° c . to about 1120 ° c .) for one to three hours . the heat treatments at 1975 ° f . and 2000 - 2050 ° f . caused partial or full recrystallization of the bond coat additive layers , while the lower - temperature treatment did not . however , the recrystallization process that occurred in these two - phase aluminide coatings differed from the recrystallization that occurred in the single - phase aluminide coatings of trials 2 and 3 . specifically , fine equiaxial grains were typically formed throughout the entire coating during heat treatment . limited thermal cycle testing suggested that full recrystallization of two - phase aluminide bond coats might be beneficial to tbc life , in contrast to the detrimental effect seen for single - phase aluminide bond coats ( e . g ., those of trials 2 and 3 ). based on this trial , it was concluded that the surface morphology of a two - phase aluminide bond coat may benefit from a peening intensity of between 6a and 8a , a peening coverage of at least 100 %, and an optional heat treatment at a temperature of about 1700 ° f . to 2050 ° f . ( about 925 ° c . to about 1120 ° c .). in view of the above , the present invention provides for the peening of aluminide bond coats to yield a modified surface morphology capable of improving the service life of a tbc adhered to the bond coat . the improved tbc life is believed to be the result of reducing the height of surface ridges associated with grain boundaries formed during deposition by vpa and cvd . based on test results , shot peening with an intensity of at least 6a and up to a maximum of 12a is believed to be necessary , along with a surface coverage of about 100 to 1500 %, preferably about 500 to 1500 %. more particularly , a shot peening intensity of about 6a to 8a is believed acceptable for two - phase aluminide bond coats , while a shot peening intensity of about 6a to 10a is preferred for single - phase aluminide bond coats . the maximum intensities for these ranges are limited to avoid damage to the component surface and alloy properties beneath the bond coat . while shot peening is the preferred method for modifying the bond coat surface as it can be well controlled and characterized in terms of stresses distribution , it is foreseeable that other methods could be used , such as tumbling and vibrolapping . the present invention also evidenced that heat treatment is necessary for harder single - phase aluminide coatings , possibly as a result of surface stresses inhibiting the formation of an adherent oxide scale . in contrast , heat treatment is optional for relatively softer single - phase aluminide bond coats . in either case , it appears that the avoidance of recrystallization in a single - phase aluminide bond coat is important to realize the full benefits of the peening treatment . however , the subsequent development of triangular grains ( 42 in fig7 ) beneath the modified ( flattened ) grain boundaries ( 50 in fig6 and 7 ) during thermal cycling does not appear to be detrimental to single - phase aluminide bond coats . as such , no detriment is expected from the subsequent development of triangular grains in a single - phase aluminide bond coat during the thermal cycling associated with engine service . finally , recrystallization does not appear to be detrimental to two - phase aluminide bond coats . while the invention has been described in terms of a preferred embodiment , it is apparent that other forms could be adopted by one skilled in the art . therefore , the scope of the invention is to be limited only by the following claims .

US-5065902-A

a solar thermosyphon water heater assembly wherein an inlet manifold and an outlet manifold which also serves as a storage tank are connected by a solar heat absorber comprising flexible rubber tube strips each formed of multiple tubes connected by separable webs , whereby prior to installation the strips can be rolled up about the storage tank or inlet manifold .

referring first to fig1 and 2 , a plurality of tube strips 10 are arranged side - by - side to form an extended flexible solar absorber surface perhaps two feet wide and ten feet long . each of the strips comprises an epdm or other flexible elastomeric extrusion as described in my u . s . pat . no . 4 , 176 , 657 . in each strip a plurality of tubes 11 alternates with interconnecting webs 12 , which are separated from the tubes 11 along tear lines 13 . all of the tubes 11 are freed of their webs 12 at opposite ends 11a and 11b as shown in fig1 . the underside of each strip may have a plurality of deflectable projections 14 which define a plurality of inwardly diverging recesses 15 , and the strip may be affixed to a base by a layer of mastic which penetrates the recesses 15 to grip the strip in a releaseable fashion . an inlet manifold 16 is provided at one end of the assembly and all of the absorber tubes 11 are connected in parallel thereto through spaced holes in the inlet manifold wall . the inlet manifold may be a plastic pipe preferably of rigid material . a particularly advantageous form of insert connecting means may be employed between the tubes 11 and the inlet manifold 16 as described in my co - pending application ser . no . 17 , 728 filed mar . 5 , 1979 . relatively cold supply water can be introduced into one end of the inlet manifold 16 as shown in fig1 . at the opposite end of the solar absorber the tubes 11 thereof are similarly connected to a rigid outlet manifold of considerably larger volume than the inlet manifold 16 and which therefore serves as a storage tank 17 . longitudinally spaced holes 18 in the storage tank 17 permit the respective tubes 11 of the solar absorber to communicate with the interior of the tank , preferably using the insert type connection referred to above . when installed , the holes 18 are at the uppermost portion of the tank 17 as shown in fig4 . at one end of the storage tank 17 near the cylindrical wall thereof a return pipe 18 leads to the end of the inlet manifold 16 opposite the end where supply water is introduced . the return pipe 18 may be of plastic and may be flexible or rigid . when the assembly is installed the connection between the return pipe 18 and the storage tank 17 is at a relatively low elevation in the storage tank as shown in fig4 . warmed water is withdrawn from the storage tank 17 through an outlet pipe 19 at the end of the tank opposite to and higher than the return pipe 18 . in accordance with known principles of natural circulation , the fresh cold water introduced from a supply into the inlet manifold 16 circulates upwardly through the absorber tube strips 10 and stratifies within the storage tank 17 . the cooler water at the bottom of the storage tank 17 returns by a thermosyphon effect through the pipe 18 to the inlet manifold 16 for continued closed - loop circulation , and the warmed water which is a product of the system is withdrawn from the upper level of the storage tank 17 through the outlet pipe 19 . a glazed enclosure may be installed over the solar absorber to create a greenhouse effect and increase the water temperature of the system . to maintain the characteristic flexibility of the assembly the glazing may be a film laid over the absorber prior to installation , or the glazing may be in a separate rigid housing which is not part of the assembly of the invention . in accordance with the invention the storage tank 17 is surrounded by insulation 20 such as glass fiber batt of two inch medium density . this insulation is cut to conform to the dimensions of the tank 17 and covers the tank at its ends as well around its cylindrical wall . a rigid preformed plastic enclosure 21 is placed over the tank and around the insulation 20 and has an open underside which faces an underlying insulation board 22 as shown in fig4 . a perimeter flange 21a may extend outwardly from the base of the enclosure 21 for mounting the unit on a roof surface as shown in fig6 . the flange is fitted in overlapped relation with respect to the shingles of the roof so that the assembly readily sheds water , and conventional flashing may be employed if necessary . the lowest edge 23 of the enclosure 21 is slightly higher than the other edges to allow entry of the absorber tubes 11 as shown in fig4 . a foam strip may be applied beneath this lower edge around the lower tubes to seal the opening . the water heater unit of the invention is manufactured with the inlet manifold 16 and enclosed storage tank 17 connected to the tube strips 10 but without the return pipe 18 attached . as a result the flexible absorber formed by the tube strips 10 can be wrapped around the enclosure 21 together with the inlet manifold 16 to form a compact and light rolled - up unit which is readily stored and shipped . the absorber is unrolled at the contruction site and secured to the roofs or underlying insulation board 22 by mastic . the storage tank is mounted by means of the flange 21a on its enclosure 21 and the return pipe 18 is connected as described . a foam strip is put in place to seal the opening under the edge 23 of the enclosure . an assembly in accordance with the foregoing design is lighter is weight and lower in cost than the rigid absorber units of the prior art but most importantly is much more efficient in utilization of space for shipping and storage . the scope of the invention is set forth in the following claims rather than in the foregoing description of the preferred embodiment .

US-20026280-A

disclosed is a method of forming a hydrogen storage composite , including uniformly covering catalyst particles on the surface of a support to form a hybrid catalyst , and embedding the hybrid catalyst on the surface of a hydrogen storage material to form a hydrogen storage composite . furthermore , the disclosed also provides a method for manufacturing the same .

in the following detailed description , for purposes of explanation , numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the disclosed embodiments . it will be apparent , however , that one or more embodiments may be practiced without these specific details . in other instances , well - known structures and devices are schematically shown in order to simplify the drawing . the hydrogen storage composite of the disclosure is formed as follows . firstly , the catalyst particles 11 are uniformly dispersed on the surface of a support 13 to obtain a hybrid catalyst 15 , as shown in fig1 . in one embodiment , the catalyst particles 11 can be silver , palladium , nickel , chromium , gold , platinum , or copper . the catalyst particles 11 have a size of 10 nm to 100 nm . catalyst particles 11 having an overly large size have lower activity . catalyst particles 11 having an overly small size cannot be stably formed during synthesis . in one embodiment , the support 13 can be aluminum oxides , titanium oxides , niobium oxides , cobalt oxides , or porous carbon materials . the support 13 has a size of 100 nm to 1 μm . a support 13 having an overly large size will lead to coarsening of metal catalyst particles , such that the catalysis activity of the catalyst particles will decrease . a support 13 having an overly small size cannot make the metal catalyst particles to be easily covered thereon . in one embodiment , the catalyst particles 11 and the support 13 have a weight ratio of 1 : 100 to 1 : 10 . catalyst particles having an overly high ratio are easily aggregated so that dispersion on the support surface is difficult . catalyst particles having an overly low ratio have a poor catalysis activity . the step of uniformly covering the catalyst particles 11 on the support 13 to form the hybrid catalyst 15 can be an electroless plating process . for example , a chemical plating solution of a catalyst salt can be firstly prepared , and a support having the sensitized surface can be impregnated into the chemical plating solution . a reducing agent is then added to the chemical plating solution , such that the reactant is chemically reduced to a metal catalyst covering the support surface . the amount and size of the catalyst covering the support can be modified by reducing agent concentration , ph value , reaction period , and reaction temperature , to obtain the desired hybrid catalyst . the sensitizer for sensitizing the support surface can be sncl 2 . the reactant can be a compound ( e . g . halide or complex ) of silver , palladium , nickel , chromium , gold , platinum , or copper . the reducing agent can be glucose , sodium phosphinate , or hydrazine . the reducing agent has a concentration of 0 . 05m to 0 . 5m . a chemical reducing agent having an overly high concentration will rapidly form the metal catalyst particles , thereby aggregating or enlarging particles . a chemical reducing agent having an overly low concentration cannot efficiently chemically reduce the reactant , thereby decreasing the yield of metal catalysts . the electroless plating is performed for a period of 5 minutes of 30 minutes . an overly long electroless plating period may form excess metal catalyst particles , thereby easily aggregating or enlarging particles . an overly long electroless plating period cannot form sufficient amounts of the metal catalyst particles , thereby deteriorating the catalysis activity . the electroless plating is performed at a temperature of 15 ° c . to 75 ° c . an overly high electroless plating temperature will form excess metal catalyst particles due to rapid reactions . an overly low electroless plating temperature will make it difficult for the metal catalyst particles to be synthesized because of slow reaction kinetics . in one embodiment , an acidic sncl 2 solution is adopted to sensitize the alumina support , wherein the sn 2 + ions are adsorbed on the support surface . the sensitized alumina support is added into a tollens &# 39 ; reagent composed of naoh , nh 4 oh , and agno 3 , such that the sn 2 + ions are oxidized to sn 4 + ions and the ag + ions are chemically reduced to ag metal . thereafter , a chemical reducing agent containing glucose ( c 6 h 12 o 6 ) is added into the tollens &# 39 ; reagent , such that more ag + ions are chemically reduced to an ag metal covering the alumina support surface . the ions can be chemically reduced to nano - scaled metal particles dispersed on the support surface by the electroless plating process , thereby preventing the nano - scaled catalysts from aggregation due to high temperature treatments . the catalyst uniformly dispersed on the support surface may keep a high specific surface area to increase the reaction activity . subsequently , the hybrid catalyst 15 is embedded on a surface of the hydrogen storage material 17 to complete a hydrogen storage composite 19 , as shown in fig2 . the hydrogen storage material 17 can be magnesium , magnesium hydride , or magnesium - based alloy such as mg 1 - x a x , wherein a is li , ca , ti , v , cr , mn , fe , co , ni , cu , zn , al , y , zr , nb , mo , in , sn , si , b , c , or be , and 0 & lt ; x ≦ 0 . 05 . in one embodiment , the hybrid catalyst 15 and the hydrogen storage material 17 have a weight ratio of 1 : 100 to 1 : 10 . a hybrid catalyst 15 having an overly high ratio will occupy excess weight of the total system , thereby decrease the weight ratio of hydrogen storage . a hybrid catalyst 15 having an overly low ratio cannot have a sufficient catalysis activity for storing and releasing hydrogen . the step of embedding the hybrid catalyst 15 on the surface of the hydrogen storage material 17 to complete the hydrogen storage composite 19 can be a high energy ball milling process . for example , the hybrid catalyst 15 and the hydrogen storage material 17 can be put into a jar , and then ball - milled under argon to form the hydrogen storage composite 19 . the milling media can be tungsten carbide or stainless steel . the media has a diameter of 1 mm to 5 mm . an overly small ball medium will result in a lower milling energy and a poorer embedding efficiency . an overly large ball medium will easily form dead corners between the media and the milling jar , in which a part of the powder cannot be impacted by the media to be embedded with each other . the media and the powder ( the hybrid catalyst 15 and the hydrogen storage material 17 ) have a weight ratio of 10 : 1 to 50 : 1 . powder having an overly high weight ratio will result in a poorer milling efficiency and insufficient embedding area . powder having an overly low ratio will get more contaminants due to the wear debris of ball media under a milling process . the ball milling methods can be performed by planetary rotation , attrition , or vibration for 0 . 25 hours to 1 . 5 hours . an overly short milling period may result in an insufficient embedding area . an overly long ball milling period may cause the metal catalyst to be peeled off the support surface and formed alloys with the hydrogen storage material . the mechanical force of the ball milling may directly embed the hybrid catalyst 15 on the surface of the hydrogen storage material 17 . as such , the activity of the catalyst may promote the desorption of the hydrogen storage material 17 at a lower temperature . the catalyst particles 11 pre - covered on the support 13 surface not only uniformly disperses the catalyst particles 11 , but also forms protection interface . this interface may suppress the alloying reaction between the catalyst particles 11 and the hydrogen storage materials 17 during the high energy ball milling process . in addition , rigid nano - scaled ceramic powder can be selected as the support 13 to help impaction during the ball - milling process , such that the hydrogen storage composite 19 may have more grain boundaries and defects to facilitate hydrogen atom diffusion under absorption or desorption . when the hybrid catalyst 15 and the surface of the hydrogen storage material 17 have a solid - state bonding therebetween , a phase boundary derived from the solid - state bonding may serve as a hydrogen diffusion path . as a result , the storing and releasing of hydrogen may have a lower activation energy barrier . below , exemplary embodiments will be described in detail with reference to accompanying drawings so as to be easily realized by a person having ordinary knowledge in the art . the inventive concept may be embodied in various forms without being limited to the exemplary embodiments set forth herein . descriptions of well - known parts are omitted for clarity , and like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout α - al 2 o 3 powder was sensitized . a sensitization agent was prepared as follows . 0 . 4 g of sncl 2 was dissolved and hydrolyzed in 34 ml of de - ionized water to form white precipitation . 3 ml of 1n hcl solution was then added into the sncl 2 solution , such that the solution was totally clear . as such , the sensitization agent was obtained . 2 g of α - al 2 o 3 powder ( tm - dar , commercially available from daimei telecom eng . co .) was impregnated into the sensitization agent and stirred at room temperature for 5 minutes , such that the sn 2 + ions were adsorbed on the α - al 2 o 3 powder surface . thereafter , the suspension of the sensitized α - al 2 o 3 powder was centrifuged to remove a liquid of the suspension for obtaining the sensitized α - al 2 o 3 powder . 30 ml of a 0 . 9n naoh solution , 35 ml of a 2n nh 4 oh solution , and 30 ml of 0 . 3n agno 3 were mixed to prepare a tollens &# 39 ; reagent . the sensitized α - al 2 o 3 powder was impregnated in the tollens &# 39 ; reagent , and a solution of a chemical reducing agent containing c 6 h 12 o 6 was then added into the tollens &# 39 ; reagent . the silver ions are chemically reduced by the sn 2 + ions on the α - al 2 o 3 powder surface to be adsorbed on the α - al 2 o 3 powder surface , wherein the solution containing c 6 h 12 o 6 reinforce the chemical reduction of the silver ions . the chemical reduction was performed for 5 minutes and then centrifuged to collect a powder of a hybrid catalyst ag / α - al 2 o 3 . the hybrid catalyst ag / α - al 2 o 3 had an x - ray diffraction spectrum as shown in fig3 a and a tem image as shown in fig3 b . the hybrid catalyst α - al 2 o 3 / ag was embedded onto a surface of magnesium hydride ( hydrogen storage material ) by a mechanical force . 92 parts by weight of the magnesium hydride and 8 parts by weight of the hybrid catalyst ag / α - al 2 o 3 were mixed to form a powder mixture . thereafter , 32 parts by weight of the powder mixture and 1 part by weight of tungsten carbide media were filled into a milling jar , and argon was then inflated into the milling jar . the milling jar was put on a vibration milling machine ( 8000m , commercially available from spex certiprep ®, inc .) to be ball - milled for 30 minutes , thereby obtaining a hydrogen storage composite by embedding the hybrid catalyst α - ag / al 2 o 3 onto the magnesium hydride . the hydrogen storage composite had hydrogen absorption / release curves at 140 ° c . as shown in fig4 . the hydrogen absorption and desorption were measured by a sievert system . the hydrogen storage material was put into a sealed vessel with a constant volume . the pressure in the vessel was measured during the inflation / deflation of hydrogen to calculate the hydrogen storage amount of the materials . the hydrogen absorption was performed under a hydrogen pressure of 20 atm , and the hydrogen desorption was performed under a hydrogen pressure of less than 1 atm . because the sievert system set up by ourselves can only measure the hydrogen absorption amount , the hydrogen desorption amount was indirectly determined as follows . after a first hydrogen absorption process , the hydrogen storage material was put under a pressure of less than 1 atm for 1 day to completely release hydrogen , and then a second hydrogen absorption process was performed . a second hydrogen absorption curve was used to determine the hydrogen desorption amount of the materials . α - al 2 o 3 powder was sensitized . a sensitization agent was prepared as follows . 5 g of sncl 2 was dissolved in 7 . 5 ml of 37 % hcl solution , and then diluted to 50 ml by de - ionized water to obtain the sensitization agent . 2 g of α - al 2 o 3 powder ( tm - dar , commercially available from daimei telecom eng . co .) was impregnated into the sensitization agent and stirred at room temperature for 5 minutes , such that the sn 2 + ions were adsorbed on the α - al 2 o 3 powder surface . thereafter , the suspension of the sensitized α - al 2 o 3 powder was centrifuged to remove a liquid of the suspension for obtaining the sensitized α - al 2 o 3 powder . 1 g of pdcl 2 was dissolved in 30 ml of 37 % hcl solution , and then diluted to 100 ml by de - ionized water to obtain a pdcl 2 solution . the sensitized α - al 2 o 3 powder was impregnated in 45 ml of the pdcl 2 solution . the palladium ions are chemically reduced by the sn 2 + ions on the α - al 2 o 3 powder surface to be adsorbed on the α - al 2 o 3 powder surface . the chemical reduction was performed for 5 minutes and then centrifuged to collect a powder of hybrid catalyst pd / α - al 2 o 3 . the hybrid catalyst pd / α - al 2 o 3 had an x - ray diffraction spectrum as shown in fig5 a and a tem image as shown in fig5 b . in the dotted circles 51 of fig5 b , the dark parts are palladium metal formed by chemical reduction . the hybrid catalyst pd / α - al 2 o 3 / pd was embedded onto a surface of magnesium hydride ( hydrogen storage material ) by a mechanical force . 92 parts by weight of the magnesium hydride and 8 parts by weight of the hybrid catalyst pd / α - al 2 o 3 were mixed to form a powder mixture . thereafter , 32 parts by weight of the powder mixture and 1 part by weight of tungsten carbide media were filled into a milling jar , and argon was then inflated into the milling jar . the milling jar was put on a vibration milling machine ( 8000m , commercially available from spex certiprep ®, inc .) to be ball - milled for 30 minutes , thereby obtaining a hydrogen storage composite by embedding the hybrid catalyst α - pd / al 2 o 3 onto the magnesium hydride . the hydrogen storage composite had hydrogen absorption / desorption curves at 140 ° c . as shown in fig6 . the hydrogen absorption and release were measured by sievert system . the hydrogen storage material was put into a sealed vessel of a constant volume . the pressure in the vessel was measured during the inflation / deflation of hydrogen to calculate the hydrogen storage amount of the hydrogen storage material . the hydrogen absorption was performed under a hydrogen pressure of 20 atm , and the hydrogen desorption was performed under a hydrogen pressure of less than 1 atm . after a first hydrogen absorption process , the hydrogen storage material was put under a pressure of less than 1 atm for 1 day to completely release hydrogen , and then a second hydrogen absorption process was performed . a second hydrogen absorption curve was used to determine the hydrogen desorption amount of the materials . 100 parts by weigh of magnesium hydride had hydrogen absorption / desorption curves at 140 ° c . as shown in fig4 and 6 . the magnesium hydride without catalyst added therein almost could not release hydrogen at 140 ° c . on the other hand , the magnesium hydride having the hybrid catalyst embedded on its surface had a stably hydrogen desorption amount during a long period . the hydrogen absorption and desorption were measured by sievert system . the hydrogen storage material was put into a sealed vessel of a constant volume . the pressure in the vessel was measured during the inflation / deflation of hydrogen to calculate the hydrogen storage amount of the materials . the hydrogen absorption was performed under a hydrogen pressure of 20 atm , and the hydrogen release was performed under a hydrogen pressure of less than 1 atm . after a first hydrogen absorption process , the hydrogen storage material was put under a pressure of less than 1 atm for 1 day to completely release hydrogen , and then a second hydrogen absorption process was performed . a second hydrogen absorption curve was used to determine the hydrogen release amount of the materials . it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the disclosed methods and materials . it is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only , with a true scope of the disclosure being indicated by the following claims and their equivalents .

US-201213553712-A

a trolley is provided for supporting and portably moving an on - car brake lathe . the trolley includes wheels for mobility and a pneumatic cylinder for height adjustment . the pneumatic cylinder includes a piston rod , piston , and air valve . the piston has an equalizing port for dampened movement throughout the cylinder &# 39 ; s stroke . the air valve allows static height adjustment of the lathe .

it is to be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that the present discussion is a description of exemplary embodiments only and is not intended to limit the broader aspects of the present invention even though broader aspects are embodied in the present invention . [ 0025 ] fig1 illustrates an embodiment of a brake lathe 10 installed on a trolley 12 of the present invention . trolley 12 generally comprises a base 20 , an intermediate support structure 22 , and an upper mounting assembly 24 . base 20 includes a plurality of legs 26 that extend radially outward from a common center . caster wheels 28 are located at the distal end of each leg 26 to facilitate movement of the trolley from place to place . as can be seen , mounting structure 24 includes an offset arm 30 having one end attached , as indicated at 32 , to the upper portion of support structure 22 . offset arm 30 includes a main arm portion 34 into which a telescoping member 36 is received . telescoping member 36 may be raised or lowered to a desired vertical position and secured via bolt 38 or other suitable securement means . telescoping member 36 defines a pivot support 37 to which a mounting arm 39 is connected . brake lathe 10 is , in turn , located on mounting arm 39 . as one skilled in the art will appreciate , the coupling between mounting arm 39 and brake lathe 10 can utilize any one or combination of several known methods such as welding , bolting , clamping and the like . because brake lathe 10 is located on mounting arm 39 , it can be easily rotated about an axis al . a locking mechanism 40 is provided so that an operator can lock brake lathe 10 in the desired angular orientation . referring now also to fig2 support structure 22 includes a cylinder assembly 44 having a cylinder housing 46 in which a piston 48 is located . the proximal end of a piston rod 50 is secured to piston 48 . the distal end of piston rod 50 is secured to base 20 , as indicated at 51 in fig1 . as a result of this “ inverted ” arrangement , piston 48 will remain fixed as cylinder housing 46 undergoes reciprocative movement in the vertical direction . preferably , cylinder assembly 44 will also be constructed such that cylinder housing 46 ( and all supported components ) can be rotated relative to piston 48 about axis a 2 ( fig1 ). cylinder housing 46 includes respective end caps 52 and 54 so as to define a closed volume . it can be seen that piston rod 50 extends through a hole defined in bottom end cap 54 . the interface between piston rod 50 and bottom end cap 54 includes an oring or other suitable seal to prevent gas communication between the interior of cylinder housing 46 and the outside environment . as can be most easily seen in fig1 a valve fitting 56 is preferably provided for changing the quantity of gas in the cylinder housing . preferably , fitting 56 may be a schrader valve similar to that used on most inflatable tires . this allows the operator to add air to increase the pressure in the cylinder using an air hose which is readily available in most repair garages . fitting 56 also allows the operator to easily bleed air to reduce pressure inside the cylinder housing . [ 0031 ] fig2 a and 3 b are useful in explaining the operation of support structure 22 . preferably , the diameter d 2 of piston rod 50 may be relatively large compared to the diameter d 1 of the piston . as can be seen , piston 48 separates the cylinder volume into an upper chamber 56 and a lower chamber 58 . a small equalizing port 60 is defined in piston 48 to allow gas communication between chambers 56 and 58 . as a result , the gas pressure in the respective chambers will be equal . assume initially that the support structure 22 is at equilibrium . at equilibrium , the height of cylinder housing 46 is static , and the air pressure above piston 48 exactly equals the air pressure below piston 48 . additionally , the net upward force produced by the air inside of cylinder housing 46 exactly equals the weight being supported by support structure 22 ( i . e ., the weight of the lathe , mounting structure and cylinder housing ). from this initial equilibrium , assume the operator pushes down so as to lower the lathe . the operator &# 39 ; s action causes cylinder housing 46 to also move down relative to the fixed piston . as cylinder housing 46 moves down , the total volume that may be occupied by air inside of cylinder housing 46 is decreased . this is because a longer portion of piston rod 50 will now be located inside of cylinder housing 46 . as a result , the pressure exerted by the air inside of cylinder housing 46 will increase and a greater net force in the upward direction will be produced . thus , downward movement of cylinder housing 46 produces a net increase in the supporting force which serves to oppose further downward movement . this damping characteristic provides for smooth movement of mounting assembly 24 in response to vertical forces . if the operator stops pushing down on mounting assembly 24 , the forces and reactions will be reversed . cylinder housing 46 then returns to the original equilibrium height . if the operator desires to raise the equilibrium height of lathe 10 , air is simply introduced into cylinder housing 46 through fitting 56 . the charged air increases the pressure within cylinder housing 46 , thus increasing the net upward force . cylinder housing 46 will then move in the upward direction so as to increase the internal volume that can be occupied by air . eventually , cylinder housing 46 reaches a new , higher equilibrium height . the equilibrium height may be similarly lowered by bleeding air from cylinder housing 46 . it can thus be seen that the present invention provides a brake lathe device having an improved support trolley in furtherance of the noted objects . the pneumatic cylinder not only statically supports the lathe at an adjustable height , but it also facilitates smooth raising and lowering of the lathe in order to match the height of the vehicle &# 39 ; s hub . the air fitting on the cylinder permits the operator to change the air pressure in the cylinder to change the static height of the lathe . the piston &# 39 ; s equalizing port permits the cylinder to mechanically assist the vertical movement of the lathe throughout the cylinder &# 39 ; s entire stroke . while preferred embodiments of the invention have been shown and described , modifications and variations may be made thereto by those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention , which is more particularly set forth in the appended claims . in addition , it should be understood that aspects of the various embodiments may be interchanged both in whole or in part . furthermore , those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the foregoing description is by way of example only , and is not intended to be limitative of the invention so further described in such appended claims .

US-78146001-A

to control both acceleration and deceleration of vehicles having an electric drive with regenerative braking , there is disclosed a control actuator which is biased to a neutral position , and which is controllably moveable between opposed positive and negative control positions relative to the neutral position to produce a control signal ranging from a value corresponding to zero when in the neutral position to a positive or negative value dependent on the amount of movement from the neutral position . the actuator may comprise a rocking foot pedal which is rotationally biased to the neutral position and which is pivotable against the bias both clockwise and anticlockwise from the neutral position to a desired positive or negative power control position . in one system , the signal produced by the actuator is treated as a power control signal and is conditioned and used to control vehicle power . in another system , the signal produced by the actuator is treated as a speed changing control signal and is conditioned and used to control vehicle speed . whatever desired speed is reached by movement of the actuator from its neutral position , the speed is sustained if the actuator is then permitted to return to its neutral position .

by way of introduction , both the embodiment shown in fig7 and that shown in fig8 include a rocking foot pedal 30 which is also illustrated in fig3 and 4 . this pedal , mounted on a shaft 31 , is pivotable both clockwise and anticlockwise about axis a 3 which extends transverse to the longitudinal axis of the pedal and generally horizontally relative to vehicle floor 101 . the neutral or biased position of pedal 30 is shown in solid outline in both figures fig3 and 4 . fig4 additionally shows in broken outline the upper perimeter of pedal 30 when rotated anticlockwise to a position 30 ′ from the neutral position . as well , fig4 shows , again in broken outline , the upper perimeter of pedal 30 when rotated clockwise to a position 30 ″ from the neutral position . as represented by the plus sign in fig3 , positive power control positions will result from pushing with foot 100 on pedal 30 above axis a 3 ( normally with the forward portion of one &# 39 ; s foot ). as represented by the minus sign in fig3 , negative power control positions will result from pushing on the pedal below axis a 3 ( normally with the rearward portion of one &# 39 ; s foot ). of course , it will be understood that such control characteristics could be reversed . however , it is considered that such a reversal would be counter - intuitive from a user &# 39 ; s point of view . unlike the foot position for control of pedal 25 as illustrated in fig1 and 2 , the foot position for control of pedal 30 as illustrated in fig3 normally will lie entirely on the pedal and above vehicle floor 101 . as one alternative to a rocking foot pedal with a horizontally extending pivot axis a 3 as described above , the pivot axis may be aligned to extend upwardly and forwardly relative to a vehicle floor . this alternative is illustrated in fig5 which representationally shows a side elevation view of a rocking foot pedal 40 and a user &# 39 ; s foot 100 , the pedal being mounted on a shaft 41 and rotationally biased to the position shown in fig5 . the forward portion of the user &# 39 ; s foot is rested on the pedal while the heel is rested on vehicle floor 101 . pedal 40 is pivotable both clockwise and anticlockwise from the neutral position shown in fig5 about axis a 4 which extends upwardly and forwardly relative to floor 101 . a top view of pedal 40 illustrating in solid outline the forward portion of the user &# 39 ; s foot 100 centrally positioned on the pedal is shown in fig6 . in this foot position , and without rotative pressure on either side of axis a 4 , pedal 40 remains in its neutral position . control may be achieved by placing the forward portion of one &# 39 ; s foot on pedal 40 in a position bridging axis a 4 while the heel is rested on the vehicle floor 101 , then turning the foot to the left or right while pressing on the pedal . a foot turn to the right is illustrated in broken outline at 100 ′ in fig6 . a foot turn to the left is illustrated in broken outline at 100 ″. as indicated by the plus sign in fig6 , positive power control positions preferably are associated with foot turns to the right ; negative power control positions preferably are associated with foot turns to the left . although this control could be reversed , it is considered intuitively preferable because the left side of pedal 40 will be in closest proximity to where a conventional brake pedal is typically located relative to a conventional accelerator pedal . persons wearing high heels may find it awkward to place their entire foot on a rocking foot pedal such as pedal 30 , and may therefore favor a pedal such as pedal 40 . of course , it will be understood by persons of ordinary skill in the art that a rocking pedal movement could be designed to occur on a axis other than axis a 3 or a 4 as described above . further , persons of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the control which can be achieved with an actuator which comprises any one of the rocking foot pedals described above can be emulated in a variety of ways . the use of one &# 39 ; s foot is not necessarily required . for example , a suitable actuator may have a pivotal or linear movement emulating a pivotal movement designed for control by hand rather than by foot . the prior art is replete with devices for detecting movement and for measuring the amount of movement . referring now to fig7 , there is illustrated a power control system for a vehicle having an electric drive , the electric drive comprising a battery power source 70 , a motor controller 71 , and an electric motor 73 for providing motive power to wheels or at least one wheel 13 of the vehicle . the system comprises a power control actuator 75 comprising a rocking foot pedal 30 as shown in fig3 and 4 , and a pedal rotation sensor 76 . further , the system comprises a speed sensor 77 and a speed holder 78 . it will be understood by persons of ordinary skill in the art that a rocking foot pedal such as foot pedal 40 could be substituted in fig7 for pedal 30 to generally achieve the same function or similar control as that provided by pedal 30 . speed holder 78 receives two input signals , the first being a power control signal from power actuator 75 via the output of pedal rotation sensor 76 , the second being a speed signal from speed sensor 77 corresponding to the measured speed of the vehicle . in response , the speed holder ( which , for example , may comprise an operational amplifier ) produces as an output signal a modified power control signal for motor controller 71 , the modified signal having a variable value dependent on the difference between the two input signals . referring now to fig8 , there is illustrated a speed control system for a vehicle having an electric drive , the electric drive comprising a battery power source 80 , a motor controller 81 , and a d . c . electric motor 82 for providing motive power to wheels 13 of the vehicle . the system comprises a speed changing control actuator 90 comprising a rocking foot pedal 30 as shown in fig3 and 4 , a rotary potentiometer 91 , and a buffer amplifier 95 . further , the system comprises a speed sensor 96 , a speed holder 97 , a switched augmenting integrator 100 which includes an integrator resetter 101 , and a braking actuator 110 . since actuator 90 of the present embodiment serves to control speed rather than power , it is referred to herein as a speed changing control actuator rather than as a power control actuator . however , as will be understood by persons of ordinary skill in the art , actuator 90 as depicted in fig8 may readily be regarded from a structural point of view as a species of actuator 75 as depicted in fig7 . further , it will be understood that this species is merely an example . in further regard to actuator 90 , and as in the case of the embodiment shown in fig7 , it will be understood by persons of ordinary skill in the art that a rocking foot pedal such as foot pedal 40 could be substituted in fig8 for pedal 30 to generally achieve the same function as that provided by pedal 30 . in more detail , rotary potentiometer 91 of actuator 90 is mounted with pedal 30 on shaft 31 and includes two terminals ; firstly , terminal 92 normally wired to a positive dc voltage source and , secondly , terminal 92 normally wired to a negative dc voltage source . the positive and negative sources are of equal magnitude whereby the voltage on line 94 at the output of the potentiometer is zero when pedal 30 is in its neutral position . this output is also the input to buffer amplifier 95 which in the present embodiment is an operational amplifier wired as a voltage follower . together , potentiometer 91 and amplifier 95 may be considered as part of a pedal rotation sensor . as shown in fig8 , braking actuator 110 comprises a conventional brake pedal 111 ( which has associated conventional mechanical components not shown ) and also a brake application sensor 112 for producing braking signals upon a driver &# 39 ; s activation of the brake pedal . one braking signal from the brake application sensor is provided as a reset signal on line 115 to switched augmenting integrator 100 ; another as a signal on line 113 to motor controller 81 . the input to brake application sensor 112 from pedal 111 may be a simple voltage generated when pedal 111 moves to close a switch , ( generally similar to conventional cruise control or brake - light systems ). although not shown , it of course will be understood that brake pedal 111 is connected to the vehicle brakes as well as brake application sensor 112 . switched augmenting integrator 100 receives a proportionate actuator displacement signal from speed changing control actuator 90 and adds to it the time integral of that signal to provide a signal to operatively connected speed holder 97 . it also receives a signal from integrator resetter 101 to adjust its output to correspond to any post - braking speed . in more detail , switched augmenting integrator 100 comprises operational amplifier oa 1 , capacitor c l , resistors r 1 and r 2 , and triple - pole double - throw switch sw 1 . one end of resistor r 1 is connected to the output of buffer amplifier 95 of speed changing control actuator 90 ; the other to an input of amplifier oa 1 . the switch position shown in fig8 is a brake off position where capacitor c 1 and resistor r 2 are connected by switch sw 1 in series in a feedback loop around amplifier oa 1 from the output of amplifier oa 1 . this is the normal ( viz . unactivated ) position of switch sw 1 . in this position , the relationship between the output voltage v 2 of amplifier oa 1 and the input voltage v 1 from the output of buffer amplifier 95 as a function of time ( t ) can be simply expressed as follows : if the vehicle is starting from rest , then v 1 ( 0 ) will be zero . when switch sw 1 is activated by a reset signal from braking actuator 110 , then the switch toggles and capacitor c 1 and resistor r 2 are removed from the feedback loop of amplifier oa 1 . a zero resistance / impedance appears in the feedback path around oa 1 . fundamentally oa 1 is now wired as a voltage follower . this is a brake on position and results when coil 116 of switch sw 1 receives an energizing reset signal on line 115 from brake 111 via brake application sensor 112 . in this switch position , the output on line 98 from speed sensor 96 becomes effective . the voltage across capacitor c 1 will drive towards the voltage output from speed sensor 96 . meanwhile , on line 113 , brake application sensor 112 signals motor controller 81 to provide neither positive or negative energy to motor 82 . when brake 111 is released and the reset signal from braking actuator 110 ends , sw 1 becomes deactivated . capacitor c 1 and resistor r 2 will be once again in the feedback loop of amplifier oa 1 . the resulting initial voltage input to speed holder 97 from oa 1 will depend upon the voltage across capacitor c 1 at the time the reset signal from braking actuator 110 was terminated . speed sensor 96 provides a signal proportional to the vehicle &# 39 ; s measured speed . one of its two outputs is provided as an input to integrator resetter 101 on line 98 ; the other to speed holder 97 on line 99 . speed holder 97 is operatively connected to the output of switched augmenting integrator 100 , speed sensor 96 , and motor controller 81 . its output depends upon the difference between the inputs received from the outputs of integrator 100 and speed sensor 96 . more particularly , using the speed signal from speed sensor 96 , speed holder 97 signals motor controller 81 to provide positive or negative energy to d . c . electric motor 82 to or from battery 80 so as to maintain a constant speed signal in proportion to the speed holder &# 39 ; s setting . that setting matches and tracks the output of integrator 100 . speed holder 97 may be an operational amplifier used as a voltage follower in which motor controller 81 , electric motor 82 , vehicle wheels 13 and speed sensor 96 constitute a chain in its feedback loop . as indicated above , the switched augmenting integrator shown in fig8 includes a triple - pole double - throw switch sw 1 which has brake on and brake off positions . the position will be determined by the presence or absence of a reset signal on line 115 from brake application sensor 112 . if there is no reset signal from the brake application sensor , then the signal will correspond to a brake off signal . if there is a reset signal , then the signal will correspond to a brake on signal . when the system shown in fig8 is in use , motor controller 81 is operatively connected to speed holder 97 , battery 80 , and d . c . electric motor 82 . motor controller 81 responds proportionally to the output of speed holder 97 by regulating the energy flow in either direction between battery 80 and electric motor 82 . regenerative braking occurs when the motor controller causes energy to flow from the motor to the battery . motor controller 81 is also operatively connected along line 113 to brake application sensor 112 of braking actuator 110 whose braking signal causes the motor controller to reduce motor energy flow to zero whenever , and so long as , brake pedal 111 is pressed . electric motor 82 is operatively connected to motor controller 81 and drive wheels 13 . it causes energy to flow from battery 80 to the drive wheels and vice versa , according to its input from the motor controller . in preferred embodiments , the system illustrated in fig8 functions as follows when in use : starting from rest , the driver applies toe pressure to pedal 30 thereby causing a positive displacement from its neutral or default position . this produces a positive output from actuator 90 proportional to the degree of displacement . fed to switched augmenting integrator 100 as an input , this output immediately results in a corresponding time dependent output that passes to speed holder 97 which is thereby “ set ” and compares this set signal to the speed signal from speed sensor 96 , which will be zero if the vehicle has not yet started to move . based on the comparison , the speed holder signals the motor controller to cause a proportionate energy flow from battery 80 to motor 82 and thence to vehicle wheels 13 . the vehicle accelerates causing speed sensor 96 to generate an increasing signal that is fed to speed holder 97 . the feedback loop is closed ( in the absence of a brake signal ) and the vehicle &# 39 ; s speed increases until the comparison reduces so that the flow of energy from battery 80 balances frictional , drag , and gravitational forces acting on the vehicle . however , the speed at which the comparison goes to zero is influenced by any change in the signal received from switched augmenting integrator 100 and this depends on the driver &# 39 ; s pressure on pedal 30 . if the driver immediately removes his or her foot , the output of integrator 100 will stay constant because of the absence of any time over which to integrate . if the driver maintains constant toe pressure , and therefore constant displacement of pedal 30 , then the output of integrator 100 will not return to zero but will , instead , gradually increase as the integral of the displacement signal increases over time . the vehicle will gradually accelerate and continue to do so to the limits of the system . to counter this , a driver typically will intuitively gradually relax foot pressure and the vehicle will ease into a constant speed , maintained by speed holder 97 , once the foot has been removed from the pedal . if the driver now applies heel pressure , the speed setting signal fed to speed holder 97 will decline . eventually , motor controller 81 may be called upon to begin regenerative braking to the point of zero speed . if the driver continues to apply heel pressure , the set signal will be or will become negative and the vehicle will eventually begin travelling backwards . this characteristic reflects another advantage of the present invention . in addition to obviating the need for separate speed holding buttons for cruise control , it renders unnecessary a separate control for driving in reverse . when brake pedal 111 is applied , a braking signal is generated and fed to motor controller 81 causing it to interrupt energy flow between battery 80 and drive wheels 13 . such braking as now takes place is mechanical and non - regenerative . the integrator 100 is switched so that its output , governed by the speed signal from speed sensor 96 , declines to a value equal to whatever corresponds to the current speed . consequently , when the driver removes his or her foot from brake pedal 111 , there is a new set speed such that the vehicle &# 39 ; s speed is now held at the post - braking speed . the means by which this may be achieved is illustrated by the embodiment shown in fig8 . if an a . c . motor was employed instead of d . c . motor 82 shown in fig8 , then it will be understood by persons of ordinary skill in the art that speed holder 97 as shown in fig8 and its connection ( line 99 ) from speed sensor 96 can be excluded . necessarily , the connection from amplifier oa 1 to speed holder 97 will instead extend as an input to motor controller 81 various modifications and changes to the embodiments shown in the drawings are possible and undoubtedly will occur to persons of ordinary skill in the art .

US-44917008-A

baskets with atraumatic distal tips allow the capture of material from difficult - to - reach areas of the body , while reducing the risk of tissue damage .

the basket 10 shown in fig1 a is the type that can be collapsed within a sheath 12 for entry into the body . a medical device or extractor 6 that includes the basket 10 of the invention also includes the sheath 12 and a proximal handle 8 . the handle 8 , sheath 12 and basket 10 illustrated in fig1 a and 1b are not shown in their correct size or proportion to each other . the sheath 12 has at least one lumen 14 therein , and it extends from the handle 8 to a distal sheath end 16 . an elongated member such as a cable , coil , shaft , guidewire or mandril wire 18 extends within the lumen 14 from an actuating mechanism 4 at the device handle 8 to the base 20 of the basket 10 where the cable 18 is attached to the basket base 20 . operation of the actuating mechanism 4 by an operator causes the basket 10 to move relative to the sheath 12 between a collapsed position within the sheath 12 as illustrated in fig1 b to an extended position outside of the sheath 12 where the basket 10 is open / expanded and extending beyond the distal end of the sheath 16 as shown in fig1 a . alternatively , the mechanism 4 can cause movement of the sheath 12 to advance the sheath 12 over the stationary basket 10 and cable 18 combination , to thereby collapse the basket 10 within the sheath 12 , and the mechanism 4 can slide the moveable sheath 12 back to expose the stationary basket 10 and allow it to open / expand . in general , both types of basket / sheath movement configurations and related handle mechanisms are known , and can be seen in existing product designs available from , for example , boston scientific corporation ( natick , mass .). with the basket withdrawn into and collapsed within the sheath 12 as shown in fig1 b , the sheath 12 can be inserted into the body by an operator to a site in the body where the material to be retrieved is located ( e . g ., a stone in the ureter ). the basket 10 is then moved relative to the sheath 12 and placed in the extended position , as illustrated in fig1 a , such that the basket 10 dilates the body tract and can be manipulated by the operator to entrap or capture material within the basket 10 . the basket 10 can then be moved relative to the sheath 12 to cause the legs 11 a , 11 b , 11 c , 11 d of the basket 10 to close around the material and capture it . the captured material is then withdrawn from the body along with the sheath and the basket that is holding the material . referring to fig2 a and 2b , a tipless end 22 of the atraumatic basket 10 is constructed by using single wires to form loops 24 a , 24 b having legs 11 a , 11 b , 11 c , 11 d extending from the apex 26 a , 26 b of the loops 24 a and 24 , respectively , the apex 26 a , 26 b positioned at the basket distal end 22 . a plurality of pre - formed wire loops is included in a three - dimensional , atraumatic basket . in this embodiment of an atraumatic wire basket , for example , two wire loops 24 a , 24 b may be used to form a basket with four legs 11 a , 11 b , 11 c , 11 d as shown in fig2 a , and three wire loops 24 a , 24 b , 24 c may be used to form a basket with six legs 11 a , 11 b , 11 c , 11 d , 11 e , 11 f as shown in fig2 b . additional wire loops may be used to form a basket with more than the four or six legs shown . the apex 26 of each wire loop 24 intersects the apex 26 of the other wire loops 24 of the basket 10 at the basket distal end 22 . the wire loops 24 at the basket distal end are free to slide by one another , i . e ., they are not affixed , fused , soldered , welded , glued , joined , secured or attached to one another . the advantages of this configuration of the basket distal end 22 is that the basket end 22 is atraumatic and provides flexibility thereby enhancing the ease by which stones are captured . the two end - sections 1 , 1 ′ of each wire loop are brought together at the basket base 20 and held in place by welding , soldering , ligating , gluing , crimping or any other means known in the art . in one embodiment , the end - sections 1 , 1 ′ of the wire loops are affixed ( not shown ) to a cable , coil , shaft , mandril wire or guidewire 18 that runs longitudinally in a sheath 12 as shown in fig1 a and fig1 b . in yet another aspect , the invention relates to a method for retrieving material from a body such as a body tract or body canal . material ( e . g ., biological or foreign ) can be retrieved from a body by using a tipless , atraumatic wire basket , each wire forming a loop and having an atraumatic distal basket end according to the invention . the basket of the retrieval device has an atraumatic distal end and thus allows the capture of material that is located in pockets or other difficult - to - access areas within the body . because the distal basket end is atraumatic , it can make intimate contact with the surface of tissue , even the walls or lining of a pocket - type area , and allow the retrieval of stones or other materials that are unrecoverable with conventional tipped baskets that can cause tissue trauma and are limited in how close the basket can get to the tissue by the existence of the protruding tip . a method for retrieving material from a body includes inserting a retrieval device according to the invention into the body , moving the tipless basket into the extended position , maneuvering the basket via the proximal handle ( which is located outside of the body ) of the retrieval device until the material ( e . g ., stone ) is entrapped within the three - dimensional basket structure , and then capturing the material within the basket by moving the basket relative to the sheath to close the basket legs around the material . with the material so gripped or held by the basket , the basket can be withdrawn from the body to remove the material from the body . the materials that can be captured with tipless baskets according to the invention include a calculus , or a stone , such as a kidney stone , a ureteral stone , a urinary bladder stone , a gall bladder stone , or a stone within the biliary tree . variations , modifications , and other implementations of what is described herein will occur to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention as claimed . accordingly , the invention is to be defined not by the preceding illustrative description but instead by the spirit and scope of the following claims .

US-29842399-A

apparatus or systems which employ luminescence - quenching to produce a signal indicative of oxygen concentration . components of such systems include : an airway adapter , sampling cell , or the like having a casing and a sensor which is excited into luminescence with the luminescence decaying in a manner reflecting the concentration of oxygen in gases flowing through the airway adapter or other flow device and is in intimate contact with a window in the casing ; a transducer which has a light source for exciting a luminescable composition in the sensor into luminescence , a light sensitive detector for converting energy emitted from the luminescing composition as that the composition is quenched into an electrical signal indicative of oxygen concentration in the gases being monitored , and a casing which locates the light source and detector in close physical proximity to the window but on the side thereof opposite the sensor ; and subsystems for maintaining the sensor temperature constant and the temperature of the window above condensation temperature and for processing the signal generated by the light sensitive detector . airway adapters , sampling cells , and transducers for such systems are also disclosed .

the descriptions contained herein adhere to a numbering convention intended to facilitate understanding and make for easy cross - referencing of described features between figures . in this convention , the first digit ( for features indicated by a three - digit reference number ) or the first two digits ( for features indicated by a four - digit reference number ) correspond ( s ) to the figure number in which the feature is first described . like features are thus identified by the same reference number throughout the detailed description . in some instances , features described by the same reference number may have a different physical appearance in two or more figures . in this case , the use of a like reference number is especially useful in drawing the attention of the reader to various physical embodiments that a given feature of the invention may have . features first introduced within the same figure are numbered more - or - less consecutively in a manner corresponding to the order in which they are described . in each instance , physical forms depicted herein are intended to be illustrative of particular embodiments of the invention . they are given such particular physical form to facilitate understanding . in no case is the choice of a particular physical form intended to be limiting unless specifically so stated . a reader skilled in the art will readily recognize many alternative but equivalent physical embodiments , each of which is intended to fall within the scope of the invention taught herein . referring now to the figures , and in particular to fig1 there is illustrated a block diagram showing the main components and relationships therebetween of a luminescence - quenching oxygen concentration monitoring apparatus in accordance with the principles of the present invention . a cuvette or airway adapter 101 contains a volume 102 that serves as a gas sampling cell . for applications requiring sidestream sampling of respiration or other gases , inlet / outlet ports 103 a and 103 b provide means for introduction of the gas to the sampling volume 102 ( also referred herein as “ sensing volume 102 ”) and venting of gas from the sampling volume , respectively . for mainstream applications and other applications requiring bidirectional transmission of the gas through the sampling volume 102 , the role of inlet / outlet ports 103 a and 103 b alternates with respect to the instantaneous direction of gas passage therethrough . a sensing film 104 held in intimate contact with gas in the sampling cell provides a medium for a luminescence - quenching reaction that forms the basis of the measurement technique of the present invention . a transducer 105 is closely coupled to the cuvette 101 so as to allow a light source 106 to illuminate the sensing film 104 with electromagnetic radiation . the light or excitation energy emitted from light source 106 is illustrated as a wavy line 107 . for many applications , it is desirable for the sampling volume 102 to be isolated from the transducer 105 . in these cases , an aperture 108 may take the form of a window set into the housing of airway adapter 101 or may be formed integrally therein . according to the reaction used for gas measurement , light or excitation energy 107 causes the sensing film 104 to emit a luminescence , indicated by wavy lines 109 , in a substantially omnidirectional manner at a wavelength different from that of the excitation energy 107 . the emitted luminescence or luminescent energy 109 falls on a photodetector 110 for measurement . the intensity and persistence of this luminescence rises and falls according to the concentration of one or more gas components contained within the sampling volume 102 . in a preferred embodiment of the present invention , oxygen causes a modification of the intensity and persistence of the luminescent energy by quenching the luminescence reaction as its concentration increases . thus the luminescence - quenching reaction is used to measure the amount of oxygen available to reaction sites within the sensing film 104 . the quantity of oxygen available to the reaction sites may , in turn , be related to its partial pressure or concentration within the measured gas . according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention , light source 106 , which may be in the form of a blue or green light - emitting diode ( led ), is pulsed so as to provide to the sensing film 104 excitation energy 107 that varies in time . accordingly , luminescent energy 109 emitted from the film varies in time at a substantially red wavelength . the photodetector 110 , in turn , senses a cyclical variation in emitted energy , the persistence and intensity of which is proportional to the oxygen concentration of the gas introduced into the sampling volume 102 of the airway adapter 101 . the inventors have discovered that for many applications , the persistence of the emitted luminescent energy 109 forms a more reliable and repeatable basis for measurement of oxygen concentration than does the intensity or amplitude of the emitted energy . transducer 105 is connected to control and measurement circuitry 112 by means of electrical connections indicated by the line 111 . control and measurement circuitry 112 may , in turn , be connected to an external computer , communication , display or other device by means of connections 113 . a temperature regulation apparatus 114 , which , in a preferred embodiment , is a heater held in intimate contact with the sensing film 104 , is maintained in a relationship to the sensing film to provide adequate control of film temperature while not interfering with the light transmission paths of excitation energy 107 and luminescence energy 109 . as will be appreciated by the following discussion , control of sensing film temperature is important to the luminescence - quenching rate as a function of oxygen concentration . taken together , the components of the block diagram illustrated in fig1 form an oxygen concentration monitoring apparatus 115 . turning our attention now to fig2 there is illustrated a qualitative graph showing the relationship of the intensity and persistence of luminescence in the sensing film as they may vary with oxygen concentration . the vertical axis is an arbitrary indication of intensity or brightness of the luminescence , while the horizontal axis is an arbitrary indication of time . while no units are given in the illustration , the total time scale of the horizontal axis is generally well under 1 second . for purposes of understanding fig2 one may assume that excitation energy begins to illuminate the sensing film at t 0 and ceases at t 1 . curve 201 indicates the natural luminescence of the sensing film in the absence of oxygen . higher concentrations of oxygen progressively decrease both the peak luminescence and the luminescence decay time . curve 202 illustrates the effect of luminescence - quenching in the presence of a moderate oxygen concentration of , for example , 21 % at 1 atmosphere pressure . curve 203 shows a higher degree of luminescence - quenching caused by a higher oxygen concentration of , for example , 50 % at 1 atmosphere pressure . by inspection of fig2 one can see that both the peak luminance and the decay time decrease as oxygen concentration increases . by measuring the decay time over a series of excitation pulses , real - time measurement of oxygen concentration is effected . it is of particular note that characteristic luminescence response of the sensing film 104 as a function of oxygen concentration is a strong function of film temperature . this is due to the fact that it is the presence of oxygen within the sensing film at the site of each luminescence reaction that determines whether or not that particular luminescence reaction will be quenched . in this manner , it is the statistical proximity of oxygen molecules to the population of luminescence reaction sites within the sensing film that determines the overall macroscopic luminescence - quenching effect illustrated by curves 201 , 202 , and 203 . the presence and concentration of oxygen within the sensing film 104 is a function of the rate of diffusion of oxygen within the film . as with most or all diffusion rate - limited reactions , oxygen luminescence - quenching is thus a strong function of temperature . accordingly , embodiments of temperature regulation apparatus play a significant role in the enablement of the present invention . referring now to fig3 there illustrated is a perspective view of an embodiment of certain parts of the present invention wherein the sampling cell is in the form of a mainstream airway adapter . the airway adapter 101 includes inlet / outlet ports 103 a and 103 b respectively . aperture 108 is indicated by dashed lines and lies on an unseen side of the airway adapter . a transducer 105 is formed to securely attach to the airway adapter 101 by a snap fit , for instance . by forming the sampling cell and transducer in separate couplable bodies , the airway adapter 101 may readily be made replaceable or even disposable without incurring the extra cost of replacing all the optical and signal conditioning components every time an airway adapter is discarded . it is particularly advantageous to form the sampling cell as a disposable unit for mainstream applications so that each patient can be provided with his or her personal airway adapter without fear of contamination by another individual . making the airway adapter replaceable also serves to make connection of oxygen monitoring apparatus quick and easy and allows the more expensive transducers to be easily shared among multiple patients without causing an interruption in airway flow while removing or inserting a measuring apparatus . finally , making the mainstream airway adapter disposable also ensures that fresh sensing films are provided to each patient . this is important due to a tendency for the sensing film to gradually undergo photo - degradation . the mainstream airway adapter body 101 may be comprised of any of a number of suitable materials . in one embodiment , airway adaptor 101 is a one - piece unit typically molded from valox polycarbonate or a comparable polymer that is rugged and can be molded to close tolerances . an opaque material is employed to keep ambient light from reaching the sensing film 104 through the walls of the airway adapter . such extraneous light would adversely affect the accuracy of the oxygen concentration reading that the system is designed to provide , or at least degrade the signal - to - noise ratio of the characteristic signal , thus requiring more sophisticated and expensive control and detection means . airway adapter 101 has a generally parallelepipedal center section 301 and hollow , cylindrical inlet / outlet ports 103 a and 103 b at opposite ends of center section 301 . axially aligned passages 302 a , 102 , and 302 b found in airway adapter elements 103 a , 301 , and 103 b , respectively , define a flow passage extending from end - to - end of airway adapter 101 . port section 103 a may be configured as a female connector and port 103 b may be configured as a male connector , thus allowing the airway adapter to be connected to conventional anesthetic and respiratory circuits . the center section 301 of the airway adapter 101 is formed so as to fit snugly into a correspondingly shaped section 303 of transducer 105 . when airway adapter 101 is properly snapped into transducer 105 , aperture 108 in the airway adapter is held in an orientation relative to a corresponding aperture 304 so as to allow passage of light therebetween . as described and shown in fig1 excitation energy 107 ( see fig1 ) comprised of blue or green light is transmitted from transducer 105 , through apertures 304 and 108 , and into contact with a sensing film 104 ( see fig1 ) held in intimate contact with the gas contained within sensing volume 102 . in response , and with a signal strength and duration characteristic of the oxygen concentration of the gas in sensing volume 102 , the sensing film 104 emits electromagnetic radiation back through apertures 108 and 304 onto a photodetector 110 ( see fig1 ) held inside transducer 105 with a field of view comprising at least a portion of the sensing film 104 ( through apertures 304 and 108 ). in a preferred embodiment , apertures 108 and 304 contain windows which permit the transmission of both excitation and luminescence radiation therethrough . incorrect assembly of the airway adapter 101 into transducer 105 is precluded by the inclusion of location features such as stops 305 and 306 on the airway adapter 101 and complementary stops 307 and 308 , respectively , on the transducer 105 . [ 0090 ] fig4 depicts an oxygen concentration monitoring apparatus or system 115 as it may be used in operation . a mainstream airway adapter 101 and transducer 105 , as illustrated in fig3 make up the major components of inline assembly or system 401 . the monitoring system 115 illustrated in fig4 also includes a hand - held control and measurement circuitry display unit 112 that is connected to transducer 105 by a conventional electrical connection 111 . in the particular application of the present invention illustrated in fig4 system 115 is employed to monitor the concentration of oxygen in a patient &# 39 ; s respiratory gases . to this end , airway adapter 101 is connected in line between an endotracheal tube 402 inserted in the patient &# 39 ; s trachea and the breathing circuit 403 of a mechanical ventilator ( not shown ). airway adapter 101 and transducer 105 cooperate to produce an electrical signal indicative of the oxygen concentration in the gases flowing from endotracheal tube 402 through airway adapter 101 to breathing circuit 403 . this signal is transmitted to unit 112 through electrical connection 111 and converted to a numerical designation that appears on the display array 404 of unit 112 . the two - component system 401 just described meets the requirement that monitoring be accomplished without interrupting the flow of gases through breathing circuit 403 or other patient - connected flow circuit . transducer 105 can be removed — for example , to facilitate or enable the movement of a patient — leaving airway adapter 101 in place to continue the vital flow of gases . system 115 has , in this regard , the advantage that there are no electrical components in the airway adapter . hence , there are no potentially dangerous electrical connections to the airway adapter which might expose the patient to an electrical shock . [ 0095 ] fig5 illustrates another embodiment of two - piece assembly 401 . airway adapter 101 includes the three sections 103 a , 301 , and 103 b that together form an inline gas flow passage 302 a , 102 , and 302 b . center section 301 of inline airway adapter 101 is formed to fit snugly into corresponding section 303 of transducer 105 . stops 305 and 306 on airway adapter 101 are formed so as to create a snug fit with corresponding stops 307 and 308 , respectively , when inline airway adapter 101 is coupled to transducer 105 . aperture 108 , formed in a side of airway adapter center section 301 , contains a window 501 . window 501 supports sensing film 104 ( not shown ) within sensing volume 102 and provides a thermal energy transmission path from a temperature regulation apparatus 114 ( see fig1 ) housed within transducer 105 . transducer 105 contains an optical block assembly 502 . optical block assembly 502 contains the light source 106 and photodetector 110 ( see fig1 ) in proper alignment . optical block assembly 502 also houses a heater assembly 114 ( not shown ) for maintaining a constant temperature within sensing film 104 ( not shown ). the use of an optical block assembly 502 as a subassembly aids in the manufacturability of the transducer 105 . by containing all critical alignments and tolerances associated with transducer 105 within optical block assembly 502 , the manufacturing tolerances of the outer housing of transducer 105 may be loosened somewhat , thus reducing cost . furthermore , service related to failure of one or more components within the optical block assembly 502 may be treated as a subassembly level repair , rather than forcing a replacement of the entire transducer assembly 105 . [ 0097 ] fig6 is a conceptual diagram of the main optical components of an embodiment of the present invention . light emitting diode ( led ) 106 emits blue or green light in response to an energization signal transmitted via leads 601 . the blue or green light passes through dichroic filter 602 and infrared - blocking filter 603 . in the embodiment illustrated in fig6 the light energy then passes through an aperture in heater 114 , through window 501 , and falls upon sensing film 104 . sensing film 104 is held in intimate contact with window 501 by any of a number of methods , such as adhesive or solvent bonding , or via a retaining ring or mesh covering . this allows the sensing film 104 to freely contact the gas within sensing volume 102 . leds are known to generally emit a relatively broad range of light wavelengths extending to some degree even into the infrared . the dichroic filter 602 and infrared - blocking filter 603 cooperate to significantly reduce wavelengths other than the narrow range of wavelengths passed by the dichroic filter . the particular wavelength chosen for passage by the dichroic filter 602 may be selected to correspond to the peak output of led 106 and to a suitable energization wavelength for the sensing film 104 . in a preferred embodiment , this wavelength is chosen to be in the blue range of the visible electromagnetic spectrum . energization light incident upon sensing film 104 causes the film to begin to emit light of a different wavelength . the sensing film may be comprised , for instance , of a microporous polycarbonate film having a platinum - porphyrin dye contained therein as in a guest - host system . the microporosity of the film represents a novel approach in the preparation of films designed for the monitoring of gaseous oxygen concentrations . the preparation of the polymeric membrane is well known in the art of manufacturing microporous screens and will not be described in detail herein . suffice it to say that the process involves two steps wherein the polymer film is exposed to collimated , charged particles in a nuclear reactor which pass through the polymer , leaving behind sensitized tracks which are then etched into uniform cylindrical pores . the incorporation of the luminescent sensing material into the film is more fully described in co - pending u . s . patent application entitled “ oxygen monitoring methods and apparatus ” having ser . no . 09 / 128 , 897 , hereby incorporated herein in its entirety by this reference . in one embodiment of the present invention , the emission wavelength of the sensing film 104 corresponds to light in the red portion of the visible electromagnetic spectrum . an led 106 is repeatedly pulsed at a frequency of 20 kilohertz with its output excitation energy 107 rising and falling as a sinusoidal wave . this causes a rise and fall in luminescence energy emitted from the sensing film 104 that is a function of oxygen concentration in sensing volume 102 . the effect of a single pulse is qualitatively illustrated in fig2 . luminescence emitted by sensing film 104 passes through window 501 , through an aperture in heater 114 , through red dichroic filter 604 , through red filter 605 , and impinges upon photodetector 110 . red filter 605 may be comprised of a conventional glass or gel filter . red dichroic filter 604 and red filter 605 cooperate to virtually eliminate any light emitted by led 106 through dichroic filter 602 and infrared - blocking filter 603 from reaching photodetector 110 . the geometric relationship of emitter and detector field - of - views further serves to reduce the amount of excitation energy reaching photodetector 110 arising , for instance , from specular reflection off a surface of window 501 . heater 114 is maintained in intimate contact with window 501 so as to maximize the effectiveness of the energy conduction path from heater 114 through window 501 into sensing film 104 . maintaining a constant temperature within sensing film 104 is advantageous for keeping the relationship between oxygen concentration within sensing volume 102 and the amount of luminescence - quenching sensed by photodetector 110 constant . window 501 is preferably comprised of a material having relatively high thermal conductivity and high transparency such as sapphire , glass , quartz , polycarbonate , or other material apparent to those skilled in the art . window 501 should be constructed so as to maximize transmission of excitation energy and especially to maximize transmission of luminescence energy . the materials listed above also accomplish this aim . furthermore , it is advantageous to maintain the temperature of the sensing film 104 and window 501 somewhat above the temperature of the gas in sensing volume 102 . this serves to avoid condensation of vapors on the window , which may otherwise obscure the window and reduce the effectiveness of the sensing apparatus . the arrangement of emitter , detector , filters , and sensing film described by fig6 is particularly effective at maximizing the signal - to - noise ratio of the detection apparatus of the present invention . the arrangement of electrical components shown in fig6 on one side of sensing volume 102 serves to reduce cost and improve reliability compared to other arrangements wherein electrical components are arrayed on opposing sides of sensing volume 102 . fig7 and 8 illustrate configurations of the optical components representative of such arrangements and of those disclosed in co - pending application ser . no . 09 / 128 , 918 . turning our attention now to fig9 a cross - sectional view of two - component assembly is illustrated generally at 401 showing especially the means for optical alignment of key components . the arrangement of components correlates most closely to the embodiment depicted in fig6 in accordance with the principles of the present invention . the center section 301 of inline airway adapter 101 is held in place within transducer housing 105 . center section 301 of the inline airway adapter 101 is held in correct optical alignment with optical block assembly 502 by means of the close fit between stop features 306 and 308 ( not shown ) and between the outer walls of airway adapter 101 and the inner walls of the transducer body 105 as illustrated by fig3 and 5 . optical block assembly 502 is comprised of an optical block casing or body 901 that holds key optical components in boresight alignment by means of two bores created therein , light source bore 902 and detector bore 903 , each of which is aligned to hold their respective components so as to create substantially coincident fields of view of sensing film 104 . led 106 and filters 602 and 603 are held in led mounting tube 904 . led mounting tube 904 may be constructed of brass tubing or other appropriate material . led mounting tube 904 is coupled to light source bore 902 and holds the led and filters for illuminating the sensing film 104 . led 106 receives a signal via leads 601 from optical block circuit board 905 . in another embodiment , led 106 receives a signal through leads 601 from optical block circuit board 905 . optical block circuit board 905 further provides means for mounting photodetector 110 and holding it aligned with detector bore 903 . light emitted from sensing film 104 thus passes through window 501 , traverses detector bore 903 , passes through red dichroic filter 604 and red filter 605 , and impinges upon photodetector 110 . in a preferred embodiment , photodetector 110 is comprised of a photodiode . heater 114 is shown in cross - section with its aperture therethrough allowing passage of both excitation energy and luminescent emission . parts of heater 114 peripheral to the aperture are held in intimate contact with window 501 . sensing film 104 is maintained in intimate contact with window 501 by optional porous member 906 or by other means as described previously . porous member 906 may be comprised of any material that allows free passage of the gas in sensing volume 102 to sensing film 104 and has appropriate tensile strength and heat - resistance properties . in practice , it has been found that it is especially advantageous for porous member 906 to be comprised of a stainless steel screen . in this embodiment , heat conduction along the wires of stainless steel screen 906 aids in the control and maintenance of the temperature of sensing film 104 . [ 0107 ] fig1 shows a perspective view of a sidestream embodiment of the present invention . circuit board 1001 supports an optical block assembly 502 . a sampling cuvette 101 containing a sampling volume 102 and inlet / outlet ports 103 a and 103 b is affixed to the optical block with machine screws ( not shown ) or by other means known in the art . optical block 502 also includes a light source bore 902 which contains led 106 . led 106 is , in turn , connected to circuit board 1001 and the circuit thereon by means of leads 601 . the cuvette 101 may be made from machined and anodized aluminum with ports 103 a and 103 b press - fit therein . optical block casing 901 may be similarly constructed from machined and anodized aluminum . circuit board 1001 may contain all or part of control and measurement circuitry in addition to providing a mounting point for optical block assembly 502 . in some embodiments , circuit board 1001 may be mounted inside diagnostic equipment such as an anesthesia monitor and provide connections 113 ( not shown ) to such equipment . [ 0110 ] fig1 illustrates a nasal canula component which may be employed to sample a patient &# 39 ; s respiratory gases for subsequent monitoring by a sidestream monitor such as that shown in fig1 . the nasal canula of fig1 is of the conventional type typically found in hospitals or other health care facilities . it includes tubing 1101 that fits over the head of a patient 1102 . an insert 1103 in the tubing features a pair of protruding tube - shaped members 1104 that fit into the patient &# 39 ; s nostrils . the nasal canula is connected as by tubular fitting 1105 to a flexible nafine drying tube 1106 . the drying tube removes moisture from gases exhaled by patient 1102 , thereby eliminating errors that moisture might cause . at the far end of the nafine drying tube 1106 is the female component 1107 of a conventional leur fitting . a male leur fitting ( not shown ) may be connected to a gas sampling tube ( not shown ) and transmitted to a sidestream oxygen sensing device such as that of fig1 by means of a pump ( not shown ) such as a peristaltic pump . [ 0111 ] fig1 shows an exploded view of the sidestream gas measurement device illustrated in fig1 . photodetector 110 , in the form of a photodiode , is mounted through holes in photodiode mounting block 1201 to circuit board 1001 and thus connected into the circuit thereon . photodiode mounting block 1201 is itself glued to the surface of circuit board 1001 in order to hold photodetector 110 at the correct height in detector bore 903 , which is formed in optical block body 901 . filters 604 and 605 are mounted into the detector bore 903 of optical block body 901 in the manner indicated . optical block body 901 is affixed to circuit board 1001 using optical block mounting screws 1202 a and 1202 b which extend through holes in circuit board 1001 into tapped holes 1203 ( only one hole , 1203 a , is indicated for clarity ) formed diagonally across detector bore 903 in optical block body 901 . optical block locating stops 1204 a and 1204 b ( not shown ) are located on the opposite diagonal of detector bore 903 to optical block mounting screws 1202 a and 1202 b and extend into holes formed in circuit board 1001 for aiding the proper location of optical block body 901 . [ 0112 ] 1041 led mounting tube 904 extends into light source bore 902 in optical block body 901 and is held therein via a press fit , trapping dichroic filter 602 and infrared blocking - filter 603 against a shoulder formed within the light source bore . an optional diffuser may be inserted between dichroic filter 602 and led 106 for reducing hot spots in the led emission pattern . led 106 is held inside led mounting tube 904 using a press fit , adhesive mounting , or any suitable alternative mounting method . led leads 601 extend through an aperture 1205 formed in circuit board 1001 and are soldered to traces on the bottom of the circuit board 1001 . cuvette 101 is coupled to optical block body 901 with gas sensing volume 102 registered on axis to detector bore 903 using two screws 1206 a and 1206 b extending through corresponding holes in cuvette 101 formed diagonally to gas measurement volume 102 . screws 1206 a and 1206 b couple into corresponding tapped holes 1207 a and 1207 b , respectively , formed in optical block body 901 . ports 103 a and 103 b are inserted into cuvette 101 and may be attached via screws , press fitting , or adhesive , or may be formed integrally into the cuvette body , or may be held in place using other means apparent to one skilled in the art . stops 1208 a and 1208 b formed in optical block body 901 extend into corresponding holes 1209 a and 1209 b formed in cuvette 101 at an opposite diagonal to screws 1206 a and 1206 b relative to detector bore 903 and sensing volume 102 . stops 1208 a and 1208 b and their corresponding holes 1209 a and 1209 b aid in locating the cuvette relative to the optical block body 901 and are especially useful during assembly . the cuvette body may be constructed of machined aluminum , machined stainless steel , die cast metal , molded plastic , or other suitable material . porous member 906 , sensing film 104 , and window . 501 are captivated on a shoulder formed circumferentially to gas sensing volume 102 in cuvette 101 . these may be affixed by press fit or may be affixed in place using silicone adhesive or other alternative means apparent to those skilled in the art . window 501 may be comprised of sapphire , glass , quartz , plastic or other material . materials for window 501 may be chosen for their combination of high transparency at excitation and emission wavelengths as well as high thermal conductivity and low thermal mass . heater 114 is urged into intimate contact with window 501 by heater springs 1210 which extend into corresponding holes 1211 formed in optical block body 901 . in one embodiment , heater 114 is a ceramic heater with integral thermister . the use of springs 1210 to hold heater 114 against window 501 helps to eliminate point loading and / or tight tolerance requirements on heater 114 and the corresponding gap between cuvette 101 and optical block body 901 . for the case where heater 114 is formed of ceramic or other brittle material , this arrangement also serves to reduce heater breakage during assembly and during service . in one embodiment , springs 1210 may be formed from silicone rubber . referring now to fig1 , a cross - sectional view of the sidestream gas measurement system of fig1 and 12 is shown . detector bore 903 in optical block body 901 has two shoulders 1301 and 1302 formed circumferentially at the bottom of the bore 903 . shoulder 1301 serves as a stop for locating of the top of red dichroic filter 604 . shoulder 1302 serves as a stop for locating the top of photodiode mounting block 1201 . photodetector 110 is supported on photodiode mounting block 1201 and presses up against red filter 605 . red filter 605 , in turn , presses against the bottom of red dichroic filter 604 and urges it against shoulder 1301 in detector bore 903 . when circuit board 1001 is affixed to optical block body 901 using screws 1202 a ( not shown ) and 1202 b , photodiode mounting block 1201 is urged against shoulder 1302 in detector bore 903 . photodiode mounting block 1201 also presses the assembly comprising photodetector 110 , red filter 605 , and red dichroic filter 604 against shoulder 1301 in the detector bore 903 . in this way , when optical block body 901 is affixed to circuit board 1001 , the entire detector assembly is securely coupled to its correct location in the optical block body . light source bore 902 has one shoulder 1303 formed therein for locating the end of led mounting tube 904 . shoulder 1303 furthermore serves to locate the top of infrared - blocking filter 603 . when led mounting tube 904 is pressed into emitter bore 902 of optical block body 901 , it pushes against the bottom of dichroic filter 602 , urging it up into its correct location above led 106 . the top of dichroic filter 602 , in turn , presses against the bottom of infrared - blocking filter 603 , which itself is urged against shoulder 1303 in light source bore 902 . in this way , the proper insertion of led mounting tube 904 , with led 106 held therein , in light source bore 902 captures the entire light source assembly comprising the led 106 , dichroic filter 602 , and infrared blocking filter 603 at its correct position in optical block body 901 . led mounting tube 904 and the rest of the light source assembly may be inserted into the light source bore 902 of optical block body 901 through aperture 1205 in circuit board 1001 after securely affixing the optical block body 901 to the circuit board using screws 1202 a and 1202 b . alternatively , the light source assembly may be inserted into the light source bore 902 prior to attaching the optical block body 901 to circuit board 1001 . in either case , led leads 601 may be subsequently bent into position contacting their corresponding electrical traces ( not shown ) on circuit board 1001 and soldered thereto . alternatively , other types of socketed connectors may be used to receive led leads 601 or their equivalent or other types of permanent connection may be made . cuvette body 101 has a shoulder 1305 formed circumferentially to the bottom aperture of gas sensing volume 102 . shoulder 1305 serves as a location feature for locating the sensor and window assembly comprising porous member 906 , sensing film 104 , and window 501 relative to gas sensing volume 102 . optical block body 901 has a depressed planar area 1304 corresponding to and extending beyond shoulder 1305 formed between cuvette mounting surfaces . this serves to provide a volume for accepting heater 114 and any protruding thickness of window 501 . four heater spring holes 1211 extend from planar area 1304 into the volume of optical block body 901 . four heater springs 1210 are inserted into heater spring holes 1211 prior to placing heater 114 thereon with its aperture located axially along detector bore 903 . cuvette 101 with the sensor and window assembly seated therein is placed over heater 114 and located with window 501 aligned axially to detector bore 903 . stops 1208 a ( see fig1 ) and 1208 b formed in optical block body 901 extend into holes 1209 a ( see fig1 ) and 1209 b , respectively , formed in cuvette 101 . stops 1208 a and 1208 b and their corresponding holes 1209 a and 1209 b aid in the alignment of window 501 , sensing film 104 , porous member 906 , and gas sampling volume 102 to the detector bore 903 formed in the optical block body 901 during assembly and service . as cuvette mounting screws 1206 a and 1206 b are tightened , heater springs 1210 compress in their holes 1211 and urge heater 114 against the bottom of window 501 . this upward pressure on window 501 further compresses sensing film 104 and porous member 906 against shoulder 1305 in sensing volume 102 of cuvette 101 . as screws 1206 a and 1206 b are torqued to predetermined values , the bottom of cuvette 101 comes into close coupling with the top surface of optical block body 901 . thus the use of heater springs 1210 to compress the assembly comprising heater 114 , window 501 , sensing film 104 , and porous member 906 against shoulder 1305 causes the entire sensor and window assembly to be brought into correct optical alignment with other components of optical block assembly 502 when cuvette 101 is properly coupled against optical block body 901 . [ 0119 ] fig1 is a block diagram of a controller for controlling the gas measurement apparatus of the present invention and for receiving data that may be converted to gas concentration information . the controller of fig1 is particularly applicable to a mainstream gas analyzer such as that depicted by fig3 through 5 . the main assemblies shown in fig1 include a controller corresponding to circuitry and display 112 from fig1 transducer 105 , and cuvette or airway adapter 101 containing sensing film 104 . transducer 105 contains led 106 , photodetector 110 , and heater 114 , and additionally a thermostat 1401 , a memory 1405 , and a photodetector pre - amp 1409 . control and electrical connections 111 connect control and measurement circuitry 112 to transducer 105 and include cuvette temperature signal 1402 , heater control line or signal 1403 , data line 1406 , led drive 1407 , and oxygen signal 1410 . excitation light 107 , luminescence light 109 , and heat conduction path 1404 form the interface between transducer 105 and airway adapter 101 . digital signal processing ( dsp ) controller 112 may , for example , contain control and detection circuitry as well as communications circuitry and logic for communicating with a host computer and / or for displaying gas concentration measurement data to the user . one aspect of system operation controlled by dsp controller 112 is the temperature of the sensing film 104 . heater 114 may contain an integral thermostat 1401 or , alternatively , may contain a separate thermostat 1401 . in any event , heater 114 may preferably contain a circuit to cut heater drive in the event of heater control failure . thermostat 1401 and associated heater cutoff circuit serves as a fail - safe device to avoid runaway heater drive and a resultant possibly unsafe situation or destruction of sensing film 104 . cuvette temperature is transmitted to the dsp controller circuit by an analog signal 1402 , the voltage of which is proportional to the temperature of heater 114 and , by extension , the temperature of sensing film 104 . analog cuvette temperature signal 1402 may , for instance , be generated by a thermistor integral to or otherwise coupled to heater 114 or , alternatively , coupled to a convenient location whose temperature varies proportionally to the temperature of heater 114 . heater control signal 1403 is driven from dsp controller 112 as a pulse width modulated ( pwm ) digital control signal whose duty cycle is controlled by a fuzzy logic controller embedded within dsp controller 112 . the fuzzy logic portion of the dsp controller is programmed in a manner similar to a proportional integral - differential ( pid ) controller . fuzzy logic embedded in the dsp controller 112 monitors the analog cuvette temperature signal 1402 via an analog - to - digital ( a / d ) converter and controls the duty cycle of pwm heater control signal 1403 in response . the duty cycle of heater control signal 1403 is controlled to be higher when the cuvette temperature is cooler and controlled to be lower when the cuvette temperature is warmer . in practice , this control methodology may be used to maintain a constant temperature in sensing film 104 . heater control signal 1403 drives a transistor ( not shown ) that may , for instance , be integral to heater 114 . the transistor driven by pwm heater control signal 1403 acts as a relay that switches drive current to heater 114 on or off . heat flows from heater 114 to sensing film 104 via a heat conduction path 1404 . by setting the temperature of sensing film 104 above that of the flowing gas to be sensed , heat always flows from the heater 114 to the sensing film . the amount of heat modulated by heater control signal 1402 thus may always act as a positive control signal , heat never needing to be removed from the system . memory element 1405 , which may , for instance , be embodied as electrically erasable programmable read - only memory ( eeprom ) or flash memory , is associated with a transducer 105 . memory 1405 contains a transducer serial number and calibration information indicating oxygen concentration vs . phase shift . at boot - up , controller 112 reads the transducer serial number from memory 1405 to determine if proper calibration information has been loaded . if the transducer 105 is the same unit that had been connected to dsp controller 112 during its previous operational session , no further data is read from memory 1405 and boot - up continues . if the serial number encoded within memory 1405 indicates that transducer 105 is a new pairing with dsp controller 112 , calibration data and the serial number is read from memory 1405 and written in non - volatile form into memory ( not shown ) contained within dsp controller 112 . upon subsequent boot - ups with the same transducer 105 , this previously stored calibration data is used directly . during operation , controller 112 drives led 106 with a phase angle modulated signal via led drive 1407 . light energy 107 emitted from led 106 is pulsed onto sensing film 104 with phase angle modulation corresponding to the led drive signal 1407 . in a preferred embodiment , excitation energy 107 emitted from led 106 has a spectral distribution predominantly in the blue portion of the electromagnetic spectrum and serves to excite sensing film 104 into luminescence . photodetector 110 transforms luminescence into a current - or voltage - modulated electrical signal 1408 which , in turn , is amplified to a usable oxygen signal 1410 by pre - amplifier 1409 . pre - amplifier 1409 may be , for instance , a low noise operational amplifier . oxygen signal 1410 is transmitted to dsp controller 112 via a conventional conductive wire where it is used to determine oxygen concentration within airway adapter 101 . the oxygen signal 1410 may be a function of several factors in addition to oxygen concentration including pre - amp 1409 characteristics , photodetector 110 characteristics , and other detector optical idiosyncrasies . luminescent energy 109 emitted from sensing film 104 has a temporal intensity curve ( similar to curves shown in fig2 ) related to excitation energy 107 received from led 106 , sensing film temperature , oxygen concentration within airway adapter 101 , and possibly the amount of previous photo - degradation of sensing film 104 . the particular amount and quality of excitation energy 107 emitted by led 106 varies according to led output efficiency and spatial distribution , variations in alignment and transmissivity of the particular components of the transducer emitter assembly as well as the phase angle modulated signal input via led drive 1407 . the effects of factors other than oxygen concentration and led drive signal may , to a great extent , be eliminated , thus simplifying the problem of determining concentration . transducer - specific factors such as pre - amp characteristics , detector assembly characteristics , variations in heater calibration , variations in overall led output efficiency , and other alignment variations may be eliminated from consideration by use of the transducer - specific calibration data contained within memory 1405 according to the method described above . variations in sensing film oxygen diffusivity ( as a function of temperature ) may be eliminated by keeping the sensing film 104 at a constant temperature using methods described above . deleterious effects due to sensing film photo - degradation may be largely eliminated by packaging the sensing film 104 as a part of a disposable airway adapter 101 , thus ensuring that the sensing film is always fresh . thus , the problem of determining oxygen concentration is simplified to comparing the oxygen signal 1410 to the phase angle modulated led drive signal 1407 . [ 0128 ] fig1 is a block diagram that describes more specifically the process of comparing the led drive signal 1407 to the oxygen signal 1410 to determine oxygen concentration . a portion of the dsp controller 112 is shown with connections to the transducer 105 comprising an led drive 1407 and an oxygen signal 1410 . the memory heater and thermostat , as well as their corresponding connections are omitted from fig1 for the sake of clarity . dsp integrated circuit 1520 forms the heart of processing functionality and codec 1521 provides analog / digital interfaces on dsp controller 112 . current voltage converter 1409 corresponds to pre - amp 1409 in fig1 and is indicative of one embodiment . as described in conjunction with fig1 , led drive 1407 pulses led 106 which emits a corresponding excitation energy 107 to excite luminescence in fluorescent sample 104 . upon receiving a pulse of excitation energy 107 , sensing film 104 emits luminescence energy 109 with an intensity and duration inversely proportional to oxygen concentration in the sampling volume 102 ( not shown ) of the airway adapter 101 , as shown by fig2 . photodetector 110 converts variations in luminescence 109 to corresponding variations in electrical signal 1408 that current voltage converter 1409 , in turn , amplifies and converts to variations in voltage prior to transmitting the resultant oxygen signal . 1410 back to the dsp controller 112 . signals 109 , 1408 , and 1410 thus are effectively phase - retarded output signals with the amount of phase retardation determined by oxygen concentration . for the purposes of the signal processing to be done , transducer 105 may be considered a trans - impedance amplifier . led drive 1407 and reference channel 1501 are driven as pure sine waves . due to perturbations introduced by sensing film 104 , oxygen signal 1410 is modified somewhat from the pure sine wave of led drive 1407 . the perturbations introduced by sensing film 104 are , of course , the very signal from which oxygen concentration may be derived . oxygen signal 1410 is passed to dsp controller 112 and sent through anti - aliasing filter 1502 to remove phase delays relative to led drive 1407 introduced by propagation delays along the signal path length , thus producing anti - aliased oxygen signal 1503 . reference channel 1501 , nominally driven in quadrature to led drive 1407 , is similarly passed through anti - aliasing filter 1504 to produce anti - aliased reference signal 1505 . anti - aliased oxygen signal 1503 and anti - aliased reference signal 1505 are converted to digital signals by passing through analog - to - digital ( aid ) converter channels 1506 and 1507 , respectively . digital oxygen signal 1508 and digital reference signal 1509 , which result from the a / d conversion , are then mixed by mixer 1510 to create ac coupled error signal 1511 . digital mixer 1510 multiplies signals 1508 and 1509 point - by - point to produce error signal 1511 . ac coupled error signal 1511 is subsequently processed by digital low pass filter 1512 to remove the ac coupling and produce dc error signal 1513 . dc error signal 1513 has a voltage proportional to the signal perturbations ( phase delay ) introduced by the luminescence - quenching oxygen measurement sensing film 104 in converting led drive signal 1407 to oxygen signal 1410 . less phase delay in the signal channel relative to the reference channel , corresponding to higher oxygen concentrations , results in a lower dc error signal 1513 . conversely , greater phase delay in the signal channel relative to the reference channel corresponds to lower oxygen concentration and a higher dc error signal 1513 . dual output variable phase drive 1514 outputs digital waveforms along channels 1515 and 1516 which are converted by digital - to - analog ( d / a ) converter channels 1517 and 1518 , respectively , to create led drive 1407 and reference channel 1501 , respectively . frequency is held constant by drive 1514 while the phase of the two channels 1517 and 1518 is varied relative to one another . specifically , drive 1514 advances the phase of digital reference channel 1516 in response to dc error signal 1513 to minimize the magnitude of dc error signal 1513 . the amount of phase advance , indicated as n 0 , required to minimize the magnitude of dc error signal 1513 is thus proportional to oxygen concentration . the value of n 0 is output via digital output line 1519 for further processing and interpretation , either by embedded processes or by a host computer . [ 0133 ] fig1 is a block diagram of controller components for a sidestream gas measurement transducer and cuvette such as the system shown in fig1 , 12 , and 13 focusing especially on functionality incorporated in transducer / cuvette assembly 401 . fig1 also corresponds relatively closely to fig1 , which is an implementation specific to a mainstream gas measurement system . the main difference between the block diagram of fig1 and the block diagram of fig1 , aside from the physical implementation , is the addition of a pressure - sensing transducer 1601 and corresponding data line 1602 in the block diagram of fig1 . because gases delivered to sidestream gas analysis systems are pumped to the sampling cuvette 101 , there is a possibility of an overpressure situation in which the gas pressure within cuvette 101 is above atmospheric pressure . as was described in conjunction with fig2 a higher sample gas pressure could lead to mistaken calculation of a higher - than - actual oxygen concentration . the addition of pressure - sensing transducer 1601 yields two advantages . first , oxygen concentration calculated using an atmospheric pressure assumption may be corrected according to measured pressure to yield actual oxygen concentration . secondly , feedback control may be used to control the pump ( not shown ) to reduce actual sample volume pressure to atmospheric pressure . other functionality of the block diagram of fig1 is similar to corresponding features shown and described in fig1 . [ 0137 ] fig1 is a block diagram of a sidestream gas measurement controller showing especially functionality incorporated in the dsp controller 112 . signals from transducer / cuvette assembly 401 are as shown and described in fig1 . analog - to - digital ( aid ) converter 1701 is configured as a multichannel device , receiving analog input from various sensors and providing digital representations of said analog signals to the integrated circuit 1520 via digital signal path or line 1704 . cuvette temperature signal 1402 is provided as a dc voltage and converted by a / d converter 1701 into a digital form for processing by dsp chip 1520 which , in response , modulates pwm heater control line 1403 . an ambient pressure transducer 1702 is connected to a / d converter 1701 by analog line 1703 and the cuvette pressure - sensing transducer 1601 ( not shown ) is connected to a / d converter 1701 by analog data line 1602 . these analog signals are converted to corresponding digital signals and transmitted to dsp chip 1520 via digital line 1704 . digital line 1704 may , for instance , be configured as a multichannel parallel interface . by comparing the ambient pressure to cuvette pressure differential , dsp chip 1520 may , for instance , provide feedback to process computer 1705 to enable pump control . by measuring cuvette pressure , dsp chip 1520 may correct for errors in measured oxygen concentration due to absolute pressure variations . dsp controller 112 may communicate with process computer 1705 via a serial data communications line or interface 1706 . serial communications interface 1706 may use , for instance , an rs - 232 protocol . communications interface 1706 may utilize fixed commands by the process computer 1705 to control and calibrate dsp controller 112 . in one embodiment , oxygen concentration data is sent from dsp controller 112 to process computer 1705 as a response to command by the process computer . in this way , the process computer only receives data when such data is needed and it is ready to receive data . codec 1521 receives an oxygen signal 1410 from the sidestream assembly 401 , converts it into digital signal 1508 , and transmits digital signal 1508 to dsp chip 1520 as shown and described in fig1 . codec 1521 provides an interface between the digital input and output ( i / o ) of dsp chip 1520 and various analog lines , only two of which are shown in fig1 for clarity . digital interface 1707 is actually a composite of several digital channels including 1508 , 1509 , 1515 , and 1516 . codec 1521 converts a digital led drive signal or wave form transmitted along channel 1515 into a corresponding led analog signal 1708 . led analog signal 1708 is then amplified by led driver 1709 and sent to sidestream assembly 401 via led drive 1407 to drive led 106 ( not shown ). eeprom data line 1406 operates as shown and described in fig1 and 16 . digital output line 1519 is converted to an analog signal or line 1711 by digital - to - analog converter ( dac ) ( elsewhere referred to as “ d / a converter ”) 1710 . analog line 1711 may be used , for instance , to drive analog gauges or other devices for displaying oxygen concentration data to a user . while the invention is described and illustrated here in the context of a limited number of preferred embodiments , the invention may be embodied in many forms without departing from the spirit of the essential characteristics of the invention . the present embodiments are , therefore , to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive . the scope of the invention is indicated by the appended claims rather than by the forgoing description , and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are intended to be embraced therein .

US-40259603-A

novel heterogeneous catalysts for the which hydrogenation of olefins and arenes with high conversion rates under ambient conditions and the polymerization of olefins have been developed . the catalysts are synthesized from ziegler - type precatalysts by supporting them on sulfate - modified zirconia .

materials and methods . all procedures were performed in schlenk - type glassware interfaced to a high - vacuum ( 10 − 5 - 10 − 6 torr ) line or a nitrogen - filled vacuum atmosphere glovebox ( 0 . 5 - 1 ppm of o 2 ). argon ( matheson ), hydrogen ( matheson ), ethylene ( matheson ), and propylene ( matheson ) were purified by passage through mno / vermiculite and davison 4a molecular sieves columns . oxygen ( matheson ) was dried by passage through drierite ( hammond co .). all solvents , 1 - hexene ( aldrich ), and arenes ( aldrich ) were distilled from na / k alloy . the organometallic complexes ti ( ch 2 cme 3 ) 4 , cpti ( ch 3 ) 3 , cp * ti ( ch 3 ) 3 , cp 2 zr ( ch 3 ) 2 , cp * 2 hf ( ch 3 ) 2 , cp * zr ( ch 3 ) 3 , cgczr ( ch 3 ) 2 , zr ( ch 2 sime 3 ) 4 ta ( ch 2 cme 3 ) 3 (= chcme 3 ), cp * ta ( ch 2 ph ) 2 (= chph ), cp * ta ( ch 3 ) 3 were prepared by the literature procedures . cp 2 zr ( 13 ch 3 ) 2 , cp * zr ( 13 ch 3 ) 3 , cpti ( 13 ch 3 ) 3 , and cp * 2 th ( 13 ch 3 ) 2 were synthesized from 13 ch 3 i ( 99 % 13 c , cambridge isotopes ) using analogous methods . sulfated zirconia was prepared by thermal decomposition of zr ( so 4 ) 2 • 4h 2 o ( 3 . 5 g , aldrich , 99 %) at 730 ° c . for 5 hr in flowing o 2 ( 100 ml / min ). then the samples were activated at 400 ° c . under high - vacuum ( 5 × 10 − 6 torr ). zirconia ( zr ) and tungsten - oxide / zirconia ( zrw ) were synthesized as follows : 1 ) aqueous ammonium was added to an aqueous solution of zrocl 2 ( aldrich ) until ph =− 10 . a resulting precipitate was filtered , dried under air at 100 ° c . for 12 h , and then calcined under flowing dry o 2 ( 100 ml / min ) at 500 ° c . for 10 h , yielding zirconia ( zr ). 2 ) zr ( oh ) 3 obtained by hydrolysis of zrocl 2 ( aldrich ) was mixed with an aqueous solution of ( nh 4 ) 6 w 12 o 39 5h 2 o ( aldrich ), dried under air at 120 ° c . for 12 h , and calcined under flowing dry o 2 ( 100 ml / min ) at 200 ° c . for 2 h ; dry o 2 , 800 ° c ., 3 h ; high - vacuum , 900 ° c ., 0 . 5 h , yielding tungsten - oxide / zirconia ( zrw ). zrs 300 and zrs 400 may be prepared by thermally decomposing zr ( so 4 ) 2 • 4h 2 o at 300 ° c . and 400 ° c . respectively in an o 2 flow . sulfated zirconia supported on silica was prepared by slurrying fumed silica gel with zirconyl nitrate and urea ( 1 : 4 molar ratio ), and stirring at 90 ° c . for 6 hs . during this period , the slurry ph increased from ˜ 2 to above 6 , as zr ( oh ) 4 precipitated onto silica during the homogeneous decomposition of urea . after drying at 110 ° c . overnight , the precipitated zr ( oh ) 4 / sio 2 was slurried with 1n h 2 so 4 , dried , and calcined at 600 ° c . for metallocene impregnation on prepared supports , pentane was condensed onto well - mixed measured quantities of the zirconocene complex and support in a two - sided fritted reaction vessel interfaced to the high - vacuum line . the resulting slurry was next stirred for 1 h and filtered . the impregnated support was collected on the frit , washed three times with pentane , and finally dried in vacuo . physical and analytical measurements . the following instruments were used : 1 h , 13 c nmr ( varian gemini 300 ), 13 c cpmas solid - state nmr ( varian vxr300 ), bet / pore size distribution ( omnisorb 360 ), thermogravimetric analysis ( ta sdt 2960 ) xrd ( rigaku d / max ii ), icp ( thermo jarrell ash atom scan 25 ), gc / msd ( hewlett - packard 6890 ), and ir ( biorad fts - 60 ). nmr experiments on air - sensitive samples were conducted in teflon valve - sealed sample tubes ( j - young ). for 13 c cpmas solid - state nmr , air - sensitive samples were loaded into cylindrical silicon nitride rotors in the glovebox with o - ring sealed kel - f caps . typically , spinning rate of 6 . 3 khz could be achieved with a doty scientific 5 mm supersonic probe by using boil - off nitrogen as the spinning gas to prevent sample exposure to air . kinetic olefin / arene hydrogenation studies were carried out in a constant volume , pseudo - constant - pressure gas uptake apparatus equipped with a barocel differential manometer to measure small pressure changes between the gas ballasts . the glass reaction vessel ( ca . 10 ml in volume ) was fitted with morton - type indentations and a high - speed vortex agitator ( american scientific mt - 51 vortex mixer ) to ensure efficient mixing , a water jacket connected to a recirculating pump , and a haake constant - temperature bath ( 25 . 0 ( 1 )° c . ), calibrated burets for admitting reagents , and a large diameter flexible stainless steel connection to a high - vacuum line . the gas handling system was of the hussey - burwell - kung type with 1000 ml gas ballasts ( all thermostated at 25 . 0 ( 1 )° c .). in a typical experiment , the reaction vessel was dried under high - vacuum ( 5 × 10 − 7 torr ) for & gt ; 2 h , taken into the glovebox , and the catalyst introduced into the reaction chamber , and the substrates into the burets . the vessel was transferred outside to the vacuum line , evacuated , and filled with h 2 l ( 1 atm ). next , the thermostated water circulating system was connected and actuated . the substrate was introduced , and the valve between the ballasts was closed . vortex mixing was then initiated and the h 2 pressure was recorded as a function of time . the catalysts were synthesized through adsorption of ziegler - type catalysts on chemically modified ( sulfate - modified ) zirconia as described above . in general , ziegler - type catalysts are slurried with sulfate - modified zirconia in hydrocarbon solvents under anaerobic conditions , and thereby irreversibly adsorbed on the surface . in hydrogenation and polymerization reactions , the catalysts are stirred with neat arenes or solutions of these substrates in a slurry mode ( table 1 ). a turnover frequency , n t = the number of converted substrates per catalyst metal atom per hour , which were measured while the pressure drop in system was & lt ; 1 %. b precise activity measurements are complicated somewhat by competing substrate isomerization yielding cis - and trans - 2 - hexene . c activity = g polyethylene / one mole of zr atom · atm ethylene . h . d cgc = me 2 si ( me 4 c 5 )( t bun ) g cyclohexane was detected overnight at 70 ° c . all h 2 uptake results are corrected for substrate vapor pressure . the ziegler - natta catalysts envisioned for use with the subject invention include : cp m mx n y p / cocatalysts , where the catalyst is typically a ziegler - type catalyst or a constrained geometry catalyst : cp denotes a cyclopentadienyl , a substituted cyclopentadienyl radical , or a fused cyclopentadienyl radical , such as an indenyl radical . examples of substituted cp groups include c 5 r * 4 , in which r * is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen , alkyl having 1 to 20 carbon atoms , aryl having 6 to 18 carbon atoms and triorganosilyl , such as trimethylsilyl . a specific cp group includes tetramethylcyclopentadienyl ( cp = η 5 — c 5 me 4 ), wherein me hereinafter denotes a methyl radical and η 5 indicates pentahapto coordination to the metal . m is a metal of group 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , an element of the actinide or lanthanide groups , al , si , ge , sn , pb , as , sb or b , and preferably ti , zr or hf ; y is a heteroatom ligand , such as — or —, — sr —, — nr *—, — pr *— or a neutral two electron donor ligand selected from the group consisting of — cr *, — sr *, — nr * 2 or — pr * 2 ; z is sir * 2 , cr * 2 , sir 2 sir * 2 sir * 2 , cr * 2 cr * 2 , cr *= cr *, cr * 2 sir * 2 , ger * 2 , snr 2 *, r , r *, each occurrence , is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen , alkyl , tin , aryl , silyl , halogenated alkyl , halogenated aryl groups having up to 20 carbon or non - hydrogen atoms , and mixtures thereof , or two or more r * groups from y , z or both y and z form a fused ring system . m , n , and p are independent of one another ; the sum of m and n is equal to the valence of m ; the cocatalyst is any metal - oxide ( zro 2 , al 2 o 3 , tio 2 , hfo2 , fe2o3 , sio2 , and sno 2 , etc ) or t - impregnated metal - oxide the surface of which is modified thereon by a sulfate group ; high surface area / large pore size metal - oxides such as silica coated with ( t - impregnated ) sulfate - modified metal - oxide ( s ). t is one or more element ( s ) of ( a ) group 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , actinide , or lanthanide group . zirconia ( zr ) and tungsten - oxide / zirconia ( zrw ) were prepared by modifications of literature procedures . sulfated zirconia ( zrso ) was prepared by thermal decomposition of zr ( so 4 ) 2 • 4h 2 o ( aldrich , 99 . 99 %) at 730 ° c . for 5 h in flowing dry o 2 ( 100 ml / min ). these zrso sample substrates were then separately activated at 300 , 400 and 740 ° c . under high vacuum ( 5 × 10 − 6 torr ), resulting in supports designated zrs300 , zrs400 , and zrs400 , respectively . a poisoning experiment was carried out in which a measured concentration of degassed h 2 o in c 6 d 6 ( 0 . 050 g h 2 o / 100 g c 6 d 6 at 25 ° c .) was dropped into the reactor , and the activity was measured . active site calculation was based on assumption that a molecule of h 2 o reacts with one active site resulting catalytically inert site . the complex cp * zr ( ch 3 ) 3 , which is more coordinately unsaturated and less sterically hindered than cp 2 zr ( ch 3 ) 2 , exhibits a dramatic enhancement in hydrogenation activity when supported on zrs400 ; for example , it mediates rapid hydrogenation of alkenes ( c ≦ 30 ), arenes ( c ≦ 30 ) such as benzene or toluene at 25 ° c ., 1 atm h 2 and polymers with unsaturated substituents pendant on the polymer backbone , as well as unsaturated polymers . rates are zero - order in the arene up to ˜ 20 % conversion and are critically affected by the arene substitution pattern ( entries 7 - 9 ), in contrast to more conventional catalysts . this trend is also observed in a series of ti catalyst activities ( entries 14 - 16 ). the above substrate substituent effects suggest that the molecular surface active centers are sterically hindered . ligand character , a possibly electronic feature , also plays a major role in hydrogenation activity ( entries 6 , 11 - 12 and 16 - 18 ) as well as metal character . the benzene hydrogenation activity of cp * zr ( ch 3 ) 3 / zrs400 at 25 . 0 ( 1 )° c ., 1 atm h 2 rivals or exceeds that of the most active arene hydrogenation catalysts . from poisoning experiments with degassed water , ˜ 65 % of cp * zr ( ch 3 ) 3 / zrs400 sites are determined to be of catalytic importance in benzene hydrogenation , vs ˜ 4 % for cp * 2 th ( ch 3 ) 2 / dehydroxylated alumina . cp 2 zr ( ch 3 ) 2 / zrs400 and cp * zr ( ch 3 ) 3 / zrs400 also catalyze homopolymerization in α - olefins ( c ≦ 10 ), such as ethylene with preliminary activity measurements indicating 1 . 5 × 10 3 and 4 . 0 × 10 4 g pe / mol zr . h . atm c 2 h 4 , respectively . insight into the metallocene chernisorption process on sulfated zirconia is provided by 13 c cpmas nmr spectroscopy with known anaerobic sampling and assignment techniques and using cp * 2 th ( 13 ch 3 ) 2 and cp 2 zr ( 13 ch 3 ) 2 as model adsorbates . the 13 c cpmas nmr spectrum of cp * 2 th ( 13 ch 3 ) 2 / zrs400 ( fig1 a ) exhibits resonances assignable to the cp * ligands ( δ127 . 6 , 9 . 3 ), to the labeled th — 13 ch 3 functionality ( a ; δ72 . 8 ) and to μ - oxo species cp * 2 th ( 13 ch 3 )— o —( b ; δ54 . 2 ). interestingly , th — 13 ch 3 = δ72 . 8 on zrs400 is at significantly lower field than is associated with analogous “ cation - like ” species on other supports , and is suggestive of a more electron - deficient species . two small additional resonances are observed at δ 32 . 6 and − 0 . 2 . although they could not be rigorously assigned , the chemical shifts can be correlated with tansferred methide groups i . e , s surface - 13 ch 3 ( c . f ., hos ( o ) 2 ch 3 , δ 39 . 4 ) and zr surface - 13 ch 3 , respectively . however , both signals are very weak in intensity compared to the th — ch 3 resonance ( ca . 5 %). therefore , methide transfer to the surface is not as important on sulfated zirconia as on dehydroxylated alumina , which exhibits an intense of al surface - 13 ch 3 resonance ( δ − 12 ), almost equal in intensity to the th — 13 ch 3 + signal . fig1 ( b ) presents the 13 c cpmas nmr spectrum of cp 2 zr ( 13 ch 3 ) 2 / zrs400 . only two resonances are detected at δ 113 . 8 ( cp ligand ) and δ 36 ( cationic zr — 13 ch 3 ) with a small shoulder at about δ 20 assignable to the μ - oxo species , and a transferred methide group resonance is not observable . similar observations are made for cp * zr ( ch 3 ) 3 ( 2 ) / zrs400 , an active arene hydrogenation catalyst ( fig1 a )). resonances at δ 123 . 8 and 51 . 4 are assigned to the cp * ligand and cationic zr — 13 ch 3 group , respectively . the latter resonance diminishes greatly upon hydrogenation due to hydrogenolysis of the zr — 13 ch 3 bond ( fig2 b ). these spectroscopic results argue that sulfated zirconia brønstëd acid sites generate cationic adsorbate species via metal - carbon bond protonolysis ( eq 1 ). this proposed pathway is supported by the following observations : ( 1 ) the correlation of cp 2 zr ( ch 3 ) 2 / zrsx catalytic activities ( entries 3 - 5 in table 1 ) with the density of support brønsted acid sites , ( 2 ) after impregnation of cp2zr ( ch 3 ) 2 on zrs400 , the ν oh , transition in the infrared ( 3650 cm − 1 ) disappears , accompanied by a shift of ν s = o from 1395 cm − 1 to 1360 cm − 1 , and ( 3 ) methane is detected in the 1 h nmr spectrum ( δ 0 . 15 ) of a cp 2 zr ( ch 3 ) 2 + zrs400 mixture in c 6 d 6 . the observations that homogeneous ( x − ) and heterogeneous oxo counteranions such as cf 3 so 3 − ( h o =− 14 . 1 ) and zrw ( h o ≦− 14 . 5 ) afford catalytically inert species suggests that a sulfated zirconia support contains brønstëd acid sites stronger than h o =− 14 and / or having charge - delocalized , weakly coordinating conjugate base anionic sites such as shown with structure a in reaction 1 . sulfated zirconia ( zrso ) was prepared by thermal decomposition of zr ( so 4 ) 2 • 4h 2 o in an o 2 flow as set forth above . then , the zrso samples were activated at 300 , 400 , and 740 ° c . under high - vacuum resulting in a cocatalyst designated zrs300 , zrs400 , and zrs740 , respectively . in a two - sided fritted reaction vessel interfaced to the high - vacuum line ; 10 ml of pentane was condensed onto well - mixed , measured quantities of the cp * zr ( ch 3 ) 3 ( 38 mg , 0 . 148 mmol ) [ cp *= η 5 -( ch 3 ) 5 c 5 ] and zrs400 ( 1 . 0 g ). the resulting slurry was next stirred for 1 h and filtered . the impregnated support was collected on the frit , washed three times with pentane , and finally dried in vacuo . the benzene hydrogenation rates were measured of the benzene over the prepared catalyst slurry in a constant volume , pseudo - constant - pressure h 2 uptake apparatus with rapid stirring at 25 . 0 ( 1 )° c ., 1 atm h 2 . cyclohexane is the exclusive product as confirmed by gc / msd ( n t = 970 h − 1 ). zrs400 was prepared as in example 1 in a two - sided fritted reaction vessel interfaced to the high - vacuum line ; 10 ml of pentane was condensed onto well - mixed measured quantities of the cp * zr ( ch 3 ) 3 ( 39 mg , 0 . 148 mmol ) [ cp *= η 5 -( ch 3 ) 5 c 5 ] and zrs400 ( 1 . 0 g ). the resulting slurry was next stirred for 1 h and filtered . the impregnated support was collected on the frit , washed three times with pentane , and finally dried in vacuo . the toluene hydrogenation rate was measured with rapid mixing of toluene over the supported catalyst slurry in a constant volume , pseudo - constant - pressure h 2 uptake apparatus at 25 . 0 ( 1 )° c ., 1 atm h 2 . methylcyclohexane was the exclusive product as confirmed by gc / msd ( n t = 14 h − 1 ). zrs400 was prepared as in example 1 in a two - sided flitted reaction vessel interfaced to the high - vacuum line ; 10 ml of pentane was condensed onto well - mixed measured quantities of the cp * zr ( ch 3 ) 3 ( 39 mg , 0 . 148 mmol ) [ cp *= η 5 -( ch 3 ) 5 c 5 ] and zrs400 ( 1 . 0 g ). the resulting slurry was next stirred for 1 h and filtered . the impregnated support was collected on the frit , washed three times with pentane , and finally dried in vacuo . ethylene homopolymerization was performed with rapid mixing of the ethylene over the prepared catalyst in 20 ml of toluene . the polyethylene product was dried overnight under high - vacuum and weighed ( activity = 3 . 9 × 10 4 g / mol of zr . h . atm of ethylene ). zrs400 was prepared as in example 1 in a two - sided fritted reaction vessel interfaced to the high - vacuum line ; 10 ml of pentane was condensed onto well - mixed measured quantities of the zr ( ch 2 sime 3 ) 4 ( 21 . 6 mg , 0 . 049 mmol ) and zrs400 ( 1 . 0 g ). the resulting slurry was next stirred for 1 h and filtered . the impregnated support was collected on the frit , washed three times with pentane , and finally dried in vacuo . the benzene hydrogenation rate was measured with rapid mixing of the benzene over the prepared catalyst in a constant volume , pseudo - constant - pressure h 2 uptake apparatus at 25 . 0 ( 1 )° c ., 1 atm h 2 . cyclohexane was the exclusive product as confirmed by gc / msd ( n t = 12 h − 1 ). zrs400 was prepared as in example 1 in a two - sided fritted reaction vessel interfaced to the high - vacuum line ; 10 ml of pentane was condensed onto well - mixed measured quantities of cgczr ( ch 3 ) 2 ( 18 . 2 mg , 0 . 049 inmol ) [ cgc = me 2 si ( me 4 cs )( t bun )] and zrs400 ( 1 . 0 g ). the resulting slurry was next stirred for 1 h and filtered . the impregnated support was collected on the frit , washed three times with pentane , and finally dried in vacuo . the benzene hydrogenation rate was measured with rapid mixing of benzene over the prepared catalyst slurry in a constant volume , pseudo - constant - pressure h 2 uptake apparatus at 25 . 0 ( 1 )° c ., 1 atm h 2 . cyclohexane was the exclusive product as confirmed by gc / msd ( n t ≦ 1 h − 1 ).). zrs400 was prepared as in example 1 in a two - sided fritted reaction vessel interfaced to the high - vacuum line ; 10 ml of pentane was condensed onto well - mixed measured quantities of the zrbz 4 ( 22 . 3 mg , 0 . 049 nunol ) [ bz = ch 2 ph ] and zrs400 ( 1 . 0 g ). the resulting slurry was next stiffed for 1 h and filtered . the impregnated support was collected on the frit , washed three times with pentane , and finally dried in vacuo . the benzene hydrogenation rate was measured with rapid mixing of benzene over the prepared catalyst slurry in a constant volume , pseudo - constant - pressure h 2 uptake apparatus at 25 . 0 ( 1 )° c ., 1 atm h 2 . cyclohexane was the exclusive product as confirmed by gc / msd ( n t = 2 h − 1 ). zrs400 was prepared as in example 1 in a two - sided fritted reaction vessel interfaced to the high - vacuum line ; 10 ml of pentane was condensed onto well - mixed measured quantities of tinp 4 ( 16 . 3 mg , 0 . 049 mmol ) [ np = ch 2 cme 3 ] and zrs400 ( 1 . 0 g ). the resulting slurry was next stirred for 1 h at − 78 ° c . and cold - filtered . the impregnated support was collected on the frit , washed three times with pentane , and finally dried in vacuo . the benzene hydrogenation rate was measured with rapid mixing of the benzene over the prepared catalyst slurry in a constant volume , pseudo - constant - pressure h 2 uptake apparatus at 25 . 0 ( 1 )° c ., 1 atm h 2 . cyclohexane was the exclusive product as confirmed by gc / msd ( n t = 6 . 7 h − 1 ). zrs400 was prepared as in example 1 in a two - sided fritted reaction vessel interfaced to the high - vacuum line ; 10 ml of pentane was condensed onto well - mixed measured quantities of the cpti ( ch 3 ) 3 ( 7 . 7 mg , 0 . 049 mmol ) [ cp = η 5 - c 5 h 5 ] and zrs400 ( 1 . 0 g ). the resulting slurry was next stirred for 1 h at − 78 ° c . and cold - filtered . the impregnated support was collected on the frit , washed three times with pentane , and finally dried in vacuo . the benzene hydrogenation rate was measured with rapid mixing of the benzene over the prepared catalyst slurry in a constant volume , pseudo - constant - pressure h 2 uptake apparatus at 25 . 0 ( 1 )° c ., 1 atm h 2 . methylcyclohexane was the exclusive product as confirmed by gc / msd ( n t = 4h − 1 ). zrs400 was prepared as in example 1 in a two - sided fritted reaction vessel interfaced to the high - vacuum line ; 10 ml of pentane was condensed onto well - mixed measured quantities of the cp * ti ( ch 3 ) 3 ( 11 . 4 mg , 0 . 049 mmol ) [ cp *= η 5 -( ch 3 ) 5 c 5 ] and zrs400 ( 1 . 0 g ). the resulting slurry was next stirred for 1 h at − 78 ° c . and cold - filtered . the impregnated support was collected on the frit , washed three times with pentane , and finally dried in vacuo . the benzene hydrogenation rate was measured with rapid mixing of the benzene over the prepared catalyst slurry in a constant volume , pseudo - constant - pressure h 2 uptake apparatus at 25 . 0 ( 1 )° c ., 1 atm h 2 . methylcyclohexane was the exclusive product as confirmed by gc / msd ( n t ≦ 1 h − 1 ). zrs400 was prepared as in example 1 in a two - sided fritted reaction vessel interfaced to the high - vacuum line ; 10 ml of pentane was condensed onto well - mixed measured quantities of the tanp 3 (= chcme 3 ) ( 22 . 8 mg , 0 . 049 mmol ) [ np = ch 2 cme 3 ] and zrs400 ( 1 . 0 g ). the resulting slurry was next stirred for 1 h at − 78 ° c . and cold - filtered . the impregnated support was collected on the frit , washed three times with pentane , and finally dried in vacuo . the benzene hydrogenation rate was measured with rapid mixing of the benzene over the prepared catalyst slurry in a constant volume , pseudo - constant - pressure h 2 uptake apparatus at 25 . 0 ( 1 )° c ., 1 atm h 2 . cyclohexane was the exclusive product as confirmed by gc / msd ( n t =˜ 2 h − 1 ). zrs400 was prepared as in example 1 in a two - sided fritted reaction vessel interfaced to the high - vacuum line ; 10 ml of pentane was condensed onto well - mixed measured quantities of the cp * tabz 2 ( 28 . 8 mg , 0 . 049 mmol ) [ cp *= η 5 -( ch 3 ) 5 c 5 ; bz = ch 2 ph ] and zrs400 ( 1 . 0 g ). the resulting slurry was next stirred for 1 h and filtered . the impregnated support was collected on the frit , washed three times with pentane , and finally dried in vacuo . the benzene hydrogenation rate was measured with rapid mixing of the benzene over the prepared catalyst slurry in a constant volume , pseudo - constant - pressure h 2 uptake apparatus at 25 . 0 ( 1 )° c ., 1 atm h 2 . cyclohexane was the exclusive product as confirmed by gc / msd ( n t = 2 h − 1 ). zrs400 was prepared as in example 1 in a two - sided flitted reaction vessel interfaced to the high - vacuum line ; 10 ml of pentane was condensed onto measured quantities of the al ( ch 3 ) 3 ( 3 . 6 mg , 0 . 049 mmol ) and the resulting solution was yielded to react with zrs400 ( 1 . 0 g ) at − 78 ° c . the resulting slurry was next stirred for 1 h at room temperature and filtered . the impregnated support was collected on the frit , washed three times with pentane , and finally dried in vacuo . the benzene hydrogenation rate was measured with rapid mixing of the benzene over the prepared catalyst in a constant volume , pseudo - constant - pressure h 2 uptake apparatus at 25 . 0 ( 1 )° c ., 1 atm h 2 . cyclohexane was the exclusive product as confirmed by gc / msd ( n t ≦ 1 h − 1 ). by the subject invention , olefins ( c ≦ 30 ) such as ethylene , propylene and butadiene , arenes ( c ≦ 30 ), polymers with pendant arene and alkene substituents , and unsaturated or partially saturated polymers may be hydrogenated . for example , benzene may be hydrogenated to cyclohexane to provide the feedstock for making adipic acid , a major intermediate in production of nylon . the catalysts of the subject invention are a good substitute for those catalysts which require harsh conditions ( typically , temperature & gt ; 100 ° c ., h 2 pressure & gt ; 5 atm ) to hydrogenate benzene to cyclohexane . also , the present invention may be applied to hydrogenating olefins ( c ≦ 30 ) and arenes ( c ≦ 30 ) in gasoline to hydrogenated products . the olefin polymerization catalysts by the subject invention can be applied to produce microstructually unusual polymers from α - olefins , and particularly from two different kinds of catalytic centers — brønstëd acidic ( cationic olefin oligomerization ) and ziegler - natta catalytic sites ( olefin polymerization and olefin / arene hydrogenation ). while the invention has been described with reference to a preferred embodiment , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention . in addition , many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the essential scope thereof . therefore , it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out this invention , but that the invention will include all embodiments and equivalents .

US-36421699-A

a control valve for reducing injecting amount variation disposed under a bobbin , disposed to a solenoid valve , may include slots formed to an upper portion of the control valve to contact the bobbin for easily separated from the bobbin .

reference will now be made in detail to various embodiments of the present invention ( s ), examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described below . while the invention ( s ) will be described in conjunction with exemplary embodiments , it will be understood that present description is not intended to limit the invention ( s ) to those exemplary embodiments . on the contrary , the invention ( s ) is / are intended to cover not only the exemplary embodiments , but also various alternatives , modifications , equivalents and other embodiments , which may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims . an exemplary embodiment of the present invention will hereinafter be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings . fig1 is a cross - sectional view of an injector according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention . hereinafter , scheme and operations of an injector 10 will be described . an ecu ( electronic control unit ; not shown ) controls a solenoid valve 20 disposed within an injector housing 110 according to engine operations , a bobbin 30 playing a role of a stopper is disposed under the solenoid valve 20 and a control valve 40 is disposed under the bobbin 30 in a control chamber 45 . an injector needle 80 is disposed under the control valve 40 and the injector needle 80 is elastically supported by a needle return spring 70 . a fuel supply line 90 is formed in upper and lower bodies 50 and 55 for supplying fuel toward the injector needle 80 . the upper and lower bodies 50 and 55 are installed in the injector housing 110 . the fuel supply line 90 supplies high - pressed fuel toward the injector needle 80 , the injector needle 80 blocks a nozzle 100 by elastic force of the needle return spring 70 and the control valve 40 is minutely set apart from the bobbin 30 . when the ecu outputs fuel supply signal to the solenoid valve 20 , the solenoid valve 20 moves the control valve 40 slightly up and the control valve 40 contacts the bobbin 30 . the control valve 40 and an upper chamber 92 , where the needle return spring 70 located , are connected by an orifice 60 . the orifice 60 connects the upper chamber 92 with the control chamber 45 . by the operation of the control valve 40 , the orifice 60 is opened and balance of pressure between the chamber 92 and the fuel supply line 90 is upset . then the injector needle 80 mounted in an injector passage 95 formed in the lower body 55 moves upward in the drawing and the nozzle 100 is opened to inject the fuel . and then the solenoid valve 20 separates the control valve 40 from the bobbin 30 and the orifice 60 is closed . thus the injector needle 80 closes the nozzle 100 by the elastic force of the needle return spring 70 . the more the fuel injection process is repeated , the more adhesive lacquer deposit is formed between the bobbin 30 and the control valve 40 so that the adhesive lacquer deposit retards return of the control valve 40 . fig2 is a drawing showing an upper portion of a control valve according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention . as shown in fig2 ( a ) , in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention slots 42 are formed to the control valve 40 . the slots 42 are formed along circumferential direction of the control valve 40 and a depth of the slot 42 is 10 μm to 30 μm . in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention , if the depth of the slot 42 is about 20 μm , area of the control valve 40 that contacts the bobbin 30 is reduced about 20 %. with the slots 42 , generating of the adhesive lacquer deposit can be suppressed and influence of the adhesive lacquer deposit can be reduced . referring fig2 ( b ) , modified slots 43 are shown . the slots 43 according to an exemplary modified embodiment of the present invention are formed along radial direction of the control valve 40 and functions and effects of the slots 43 is the same as the slots 42 shown in fig2 ( a ) so detailed description will be omitted . fig5 is a graph showing injecting amount variation of a control valve according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention . comparing fig4 and fig5 , the injecting amount variation of the control valve 40 provided with the slot 42 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention remains within preferable ranges ( for example within 0 . 4 mm 3 / str ). thus , the control valve with the slot according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention and the injector provided with the same may reduce influence of the adhesive lacquer deposit and closing delay ( cd ) so that variation injecting fuel amount can be reduced . also , engine performance may be improved and noxious exhaust gas can be reduced . for convenience in explanation and accurate definition in the appended claims , the terms “ upper ” and “ lower ” are used to describe features of the exemplary embodiments with reference to the positions of such features as displayed in the figures . the foregoing descriptions of specific exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description . they are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed , and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings . the exemplary embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain certain principles of the invention and their practical application , to thereby enable others skilled in the art to make and utilize various exemplary embodiments of the present invention , as well as various alternatives and modifications thereof . it is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the claims appended hereto and their equivalents .

US-62091809-A

a superconducting magnet designed to produce magnetic flux densities of the order of 4 to 5 webers per square meter is constructed by first forming a cable of a plurality of matrixed superconductor wires with each wire of the plurality insulated from each other one . the cable is shaped into a rectangular cross - section and is wound with tape in an open spiral to create cooling channels . coils are wound in a calculated pattern in saddle shapes to produce desired fields , such as dipoles , quadrupoles , and the like . wedges are inserted between adjacent cables as needed to maintain substantially radial placement of the long dimensions of cross sections of the cables . after winding , individual strands in each of the cables are brought out to terminals and are interconnected to place all of the strands in series and to maximize the propagation of a quench by alternating conduction from an inner layer to an outer layer and from top half to bottom half as often as possible . individual layers are separated from others by spiraled aluminum spacers to facilitate cooling . the wound coil is wrapped with an epoxy tape that is cured by heat and then machined to an interference fit with an outer aluminum pipe which is then affixed securely to the assembled coil by heating it to make a shrink fit . in an alternate embodiment , one wire of the cable is made of copper or the like to be heated externally to propagate a quench .

fig1 is a perspective view of a cut portion of the cable 10 that is used to wind the superconducting magnet of the present invention . cable 10 is formed of an odd number of strands 12 of a matrix superconducting material that has been twisted into a spiral shape and formed to a cross - section that is substantially rectangular . tape 14 is a glass tape impregnated with epoxy resin that is combined with the twist of strands 12 in an open spiral winding to assist in maintaining the shape of the cable and to provide separation between stacked cables for the passage of a cooling fluid such as liquid helium . the twist of the spiral of strands 12 that is evident in fig1 also permits the passage of the cooling fluid along adjacent strands 12 for cooling . each , or each but one , of the strands 12 comprises a plurality of filaments of a superconducting material such as niobium - titanium that is placed in a good normal electrical conductor such as copper and drawn to a desired size . each such strand 12 is then insulated electrically with an insulating coating that will withstand the cabling and shaping process and still insulate one strand 12 from another . fig1 shows fifteen strands 12 but this number is a matter of convenient choice as long as the number chosen is odd to permit each strand 12 in one vertical row to lie tangent to two strands 12 in the other vertical row . the twist of the strands 12 shown in fig1 serves three functions . first , it provides a degree of rigidity in holding the cable together in its rectangular shape . second , it assists in the propagation of a developing quench from one side of the cable to another and hence assists somewhat in propagating the quench to adjacent cables on both sides . if a strand of normal conductor is used , a quench is propagated also by heating the the normal strand . finally , the twist provides diagonal passages for cooling fluids in the interstices between and among adjacent paralleled strands 12 . the particular cable 10 shown in fig1 has fifteen strands 12 but such cables can be made in a rectangular cross - section with numbers of strands ranging at least from five to twenty - three . below about five strands the cable does not hold its shape well and it becomes difficult to maintain a two - layer rectangle above twenty - three or so strands . the cable 10 of fig1 is used to wind a superconducting dipole magnet in the form shown by fig2 and 4 . fig2 is a sectional side view of a set of wound coils for the practice of the present invention . fig3 is a partial sectional top view of the coil of fig2 taken along section lines 3 -- 3 of fig2 and fig4 is a partial sectional top view of the coil of fig2 taken along section lines 4 -- 4 of fig2 . the views in fig2 and 4 show one four - layer saddle winding that comprises one - half of a superconducting dipole . a bore tube 20 of stainless steel or the like serves as a main supporting fixture when the coils are wound and also comprises a passage through which an eventual beam of charged particles will pass , and a similar four - layer winding disposed symmetrically on the opposite side of bore tube to comprise a dipole . the superconducting windings are to be kept in a cryogenic environment by cryogenic means 61 . construction of a dipole begins with the winding of a strip 22 of aluminum or some other good conductor of heat in an open spiral along the outside of bore tube 20 over the length to be spanned by the windings of the superconducting dipole magnet . the spacings between adjacent strips in the spiral winding will provide passages for the circulation of a coolant such as liquid helium in the completed magnet , and the material of strip 22 will facilitate the conduction of heat . the next step in preparation of a coil is to affix a first spacer 24 to bore tube 20 . this is a saddle - shaped portion of a cylindrical shell made of an epoxied glass fiber and placed tangent to bore tube 20 . a first layer 26 is wound in a saddle shape on the outer circumference of bore tube 20 as shown in fig2 and 4 . the cables in first layer 26 are wound so that the short dimension of their rectangular cross - section is tangent to bore tube 20 . while it is not necessary for the practice of this invention , it is convenient from a constructional standpoint to wind the first layer 26 and the second layer 28 from a continuous piece of cable . this is readily accomplished by taking a superconducting cable of a length necessary to complete first layer 26 and second layer 28 , winding inward from one end of the cable on one spool a length sufficient for first layer 26 and winding inward from the other end of the cable on a second spool an amount necessary for second layer 28 . winding of first layer 26 then begins from a common location between the two spools and the spool holding the cable for second layer 28 is suspended and permitted to rotate while first layer 26 is wound . after first layer 26 is wound , epoxy spacer 29 is placed to fill out the shape of a cylinder and end spacers 31 are attached . the assembly is then clamped in a compression fixture and heated to a temperature in the range of 250 °- 300 ° f . ( 400 ° to 430 ° k .) for about two hours to cure the epoxy resin . strip 30 , of aluminum or the like , is next wound in an open spiral about the outside of first layer 26 to provide a set of cooling channels . second spacer 32 is attached over strip 30 and second layer 28 is wound in a saddle shape over the outside of strip 30 using second spacer 32 as a form . it will usually be desirable in constructing a dipole to have fewer windings in second layer 28 than in first layer 26 . this will necessitate the placement of occasional spacers 34 , of epoxied glass fiber or the like , in a volume equal to the difference in volume between the cross - sectional area of first layer 26 and that of second layer 28 . similar spacers such as spacer 35 will be used where necessary to fill the structure and prevent movement . an example of such a need for spacers not shown here is the transition region where the continuous winding is brought from the level of first layer 26 to that of second layer 28 . during this transition , the cable is wedged as necessary with wedges of epoxied glass fibers to fill void spaces and end spacer 37 is attached . the completed second layer 28 is cured in the same way as the first layer 26 . the result of the foregoing procedure is a pair of two - layer saddle - shaped windings disposed symmetrically on opposite sides of bore tube 20 . each of the windings has two ends that will be brought out and connected to terminal 36 or 38 as described below . a procedure analogous to that just described is followed to complete the dipole . a strip 40 of aluminum or the like is wound in an open spiral about second layer 28 . as before , the openings in the spiral of strip 40 will provide passages for the circulation of coolant , and the material will conduct heat . third spacer 42 , a shaped section of a cylinder also formed of glass fibers bonded with an epoxy resin , is placed over strip 40 and tangent to it . third layer 44 is wound in a saddle shape about third spacer 42 on the surface of a cylinder that is concentric with bore tube 20 . spacer 45 fills out the cylindrical shape end end spacer 47 serves as a retainer . third layer 44 and fourth layer 46 are wound in a fashion similar to that of first layer 26 and second layer 28 . that is to say , a length of superconducting cable equal to the total length required for third layer 44 and fourth layer 46 is wound on two spools such that a length necessary for third layer 44 is on one spool and that necessary for fourth layer 46 is on another spool and the winding of third layer 44 is begun from a point between the two spools . as before , third layer 44 is wound so that the short dimensions of the rectangular cross - section of the cable are tangent to a cylinder that is concentric with bore tube 20 . after third layer 44 is wound with the required number of turns as calculated and is filled to a cylindrical shape with spacer 45 , it is clamped and heated to cure the epoxy and a strip 48 is wound in an open spiral over the cured layer as before . a fourth spacer 50 of glass fiber bonded with epoxy resin and comprising a portion of a cylindrical shell is attached over strip 48 and is secured with screws 52 and 54 which are screwed into holes tapped into but not drilled through bore tube 20 . the same tapped holes will have been used previously with shorter screws to hold first spacer 24 , second spacer 32 and third spacer 42 in place temporarily during winding and curing . fourth layer 46 is now wound in a saddle shape to a required number of turns with wedges 56 placed as necessary to fill the volume of the windings . as before , the two ends of the cable are brought out , one from third layer 44 and one from fourth layer 46 for connection to terminals 36 and 38 . the cylindrical shape is maintained with spacer 57 and end spacer 59 , and the assembly is heated in a compression fixture to cure the epoxy . the compression fixture is then removed and a final set of cooling channels is formed by winding a strip 58 of glass tape impregnated with epoxy resin in an open spiral about the outside of fourth layer 46 . strip 58 is then cured by heating . the cylindrical structure is completed by clamping tube 60 , an aluminum pipe that is machined to an interference fit with the cured structure and is heat - shrunk onto the outside to maintain a rigid structure . axial rigidity is maintained by inserting as many hollow epoxy disks 62 as are necessary to make a tight structure along the length of bore tube 20 . two end clamps 64 are affixed to bore tube 20 by screws 66 to maintain the rigid structure . the views of fig2 and 4 have concentrated upon structural details of the ends of the dipole windings of the present invention . in contrast , fig5 and 6 show the arrangement of windings in the central portion of the dipole magnet . fig5 is a partial sectional view of the magnet of fig2 taken along section lines 5 -- 5 and fig6 is an expanded view of an octant of the cross - section of fig5 defined by section lines 6 -- 6 of fig5 . fig5 shows that the dipole magnet is wound on bore tube 20 , a cylindrical shell that is separated by strip 22 from a second cylindrical shell , one - half of which is made up of first spacer 24 and first layer 26 . a first layer 70 of the mirror - image half of the dipole is shown in fig5 . strip 30 separates the cylindrical shell of the first layer from a second cylindrical shell comprising second spacer 32 and second layer 28 of one winding of the dipole , with second layer 72 of the lower half also shown . strip 40 is wound spirally about that cylindrical shell and on it . third spacer 42 is in the same cylindrical shell as third layer 44 of one winding and third layer 74 of the symmetrical winding . strip 48 is wound spirally about that cylindrical shell and on it fourth spacer 50 provides a winding frame for fourth layer 46 . fourth layer 76 of the symmetrical dipole also appears in fig5 . strip 58 is wound spirally to separate the final cylindrical shell from clamping tube 60 . it can be seen from fig5 that the cylindrical shells as viewed progressively outward from the center of the dipole have an increasingly smaller number of turns . this is a normal characteristic of such dipole windings . a particular example of such a dipole is listed in table i which is a tabulation of the calculated number of windings for an embodiment of a four - layer superconducting dipole embodying the principles of the present invention . the calculational procedures are illustrated in further detail in fig6 which is an expanded view of a particular segment comprising approximately an octant of fig5 shown at an expanded scale . in fig6 bore tube 20 and clamping tube 60 are seen to bound a structure that includes layers 26 , 28 , 44 and 46 of windings . third spacer 42 and fourth spacer 50 are the only spacers visible of the four shown in fig5 . the layers of one portion of the superconducting dipole are separated from those of the other , respectively , by dividers 80 , 82 , 84 and 86 , which are placed to fill each of the layers as necessary after each layer is wound and before it is cured . fig6 also shows that in order to maintain a rigid structure of rectangles that are placed about a cylinder and to maintain the rectangles such that their long dimensions are substantially radial it is necessary to place wedges . this is shown schematically in fig6 in one possible configuration and explicitly in table i in another configuration . referring to fig6 beginning with divider 80 and proceeding circumferentially around first layer 26 , the structure includes a winding 88 , a wedge 90 , a winding 92 , a winding 94 and a wedge 96 . this is a part of a pattern that is shown in detail for a particular embodiment of the invention in table i which lists the following information for each layer of a dipole magnet . first , the total number of turns in each layer is listed . the inner and outer radii of each layer follows . finally , the wedging scheme is detailed by listing the number of turns between wedges for each of the layers . thus , referring to table i , layer 1 has three turns , then a wedge , then five turns , then a wedge , and continuing as indicated in table i until the total of 48 turns is placed and maintained in a good approximation to radial position . table i also indicates that the calculations for field shaping required that the first three turns be split by placing a spacer having the cross - sectional area of a turn between the second and third turns . the figures of table i are shown for illustrative purposes only . they are the results of the computer design of a particular coil . various requirements of uniformity or field shape might lead another designer to different coil configurations within the scope of this invention . table i______________________________________layer 1 2 3 4turns 48 45 33 21inner radius 3 . 50 3 . 89 4 . 28 4 . 67 ( inches ) outer radius 3 . 86 4 . 25 4 . 64 5 . 03 ( inches ) number of turns 3 3 2 2between wedges , 5 6 7 * beginning at 5 5 7 1divider 80 4 6 7 7 5 5 7 7 4 6 3 4 5 5 4 6 5 3 5______________________________________ * a spacer having the crosssectional area of a turn is placed in the 4th layer between two cables to space them for proper field shaping . the construction of the magnet shown herein permits the designer to interconnect the coils at their end connections in any fashion that is desired . the winding process described earlier leads to the completion of pairs of shells with one available terminal cable for each of the pairs . it is convenient to connect all of the strands in series with a pair of external leads and to make alternate connections of strands from different cables to maximize the speed of propagation of a quench . this is accomplished by separating the individual strands of the terminals of the cables and soldering them together in pairs in terminals 36 and 38 . a quench is propagated most effectively by connecting a strand from first layer 26 to a strand from another layer such as second layer 28 , third layer 44 or fourth layer 46 . this pattern is alternated to approach as nearly as possible the ideal of having the entire coil go normal in the minimal amount of time whenever any portion of the coil leaves the superconducting region and goes normal . this minimizes the probability of localized thermal damage to the coil in the event of such a quench . it can be seen that a quench that begins at a particular spot in a particular cable will probably be propagated to each other strand in that cable since all of the strands are in physical contact . as soon as the quench propagates to the end of a cable and reaches terminal 36 or 38 , it will be propagated into another layer because each of the strands of the cable that first began the quench is connected at terminal 36 or 38 to a strand of a cable in another layer of the magnet . fig7 is a partial sectional end view of terminal 36 of fig2 taken along section lines 7 -- 7 of fig2 and fig8 is a partial sectional view of terminal 38 of fig2 taken along section lines 8 -- 8 of fig2 . it has been noted earlier that layers 26 and 28 are wound with the beginning at the mid - point between them so that there is a single input terminal and a single output terminal that serves both layers 26 and 28 . the same is true of layers 70 and 72 , layers 44 and 46 , and layers 74 and 76 . the cables that are connected to each of these layers are cut in the sections of fig7 and 8 . fig7 and 8 show the method of interconnecting the individual strands of the cable layers so as to make the series connections described above and so as also to connect one strand from a cable in one part in the magnet to a strand from another part of the magnet to assist in propagation of a quench . the fact of making such connections and the desirability of making them has been described above and the particular technique used for doing so is indicated in table ii . table ii______________________________________connections in groves of terminals 36 and 38 . grooves are numbered radially outward in sequence . strand 1 ( in ) of the cable of layer 26 - 28 isconnected to first external terminal 71 . out in cable cableterminal groove layers strand layers strand______________________________________ top 1 26 - 28 1 70 - 72 1 bottom 1 70 - 72 1 26 - 28 2 top 2 26 - 28 2 70 - 72 2 bottom 2 70 - 72 2 26 - 38 336 top 3 26 - 28 3 70 - 72 3 bottom 3 70 - 72 3 26 - 28 4 top 14 26 - 28 14 70 - 72 14 bottom 14 70 - 72 14 26 - 28 15 top 15 26 - 28 15 70 - 72 15______________________________________strand 15 ( out ) of cable layer 70 - 72 is connectedto strand 1 ( in ) of cable 44 - 46 . top 1 44 - 46 1 74 - 76 1 bottom 1 74 - 76 1 44 - 46 2 top 2 44 - 46 2 74 - 76 2 bottom 2 74 - 76 2 44 - 46 338 top 3 44 - 46 3 74 - 76 3 bottom 3 74 - 76 3 44 - 46 4 top 14 44 - 46 14 74 - 76 14 bottom 14 74 - 76 14 44 - 46 15 top 15 44 - 46 15 74 - 76 15______________________________________strand 15 ( out ) of cable layer 74 - 76 is connectedto second external terminal 73 . ______________________________________ the grooves in terminals 36 and 38 that are shown in a side view in fig2 are seen end on in fig7 and 8 . in table ii , these grooves are numbered radially in sequence beginning with the innermost groove and increasing numerically toward the outer circumference of terminals 36 and 38 . as indicated earlier , individual strands are laid in the grooves and soldered together to make the series connection . inspection of table ii shows that continuing single series connection is made between strands from an upper cable and strands of a lower cable and that this pattern is repeated first in making the connections through terminal 36 and then in making the connections through terminal 38 . first external terminal 71 and second external terminal 73 of fig2 are then available for connection to an external supply to deliver current to the magnet . reference has been made earlier to an alternate embodiment of the invention in which one strand 12 of cable 10 of fig1 is made of copper or some other normal electrical conductor . it may be desirable to use this embodiment in larger magnets to assist in rapid propagation of a quench . for this purpose , a quench detector is connected to a source of current for the magnet to provide a signal if the magnet begins to go normal . this detector is typically a voltage sensor , providing a signal upon detection of a non - zero voltage across the magnet . the signal from the quench detector is used to trigger an electrical source connected to the strand of normal conconductor , sending a current through the strand . the heat produced by that current in every part of cable 10 will quench the entire coil in a minimum time . this reduces the chance of damaging the coil by joule heating at a small spot that goes normal for any reason . the strand may also be heated by switching means that direct coil current through the strand when a beginning quench is detected .

US-6880779-A

a utensil for use in preparing foods in a microwave oven comprises a microwave transparent , nonconductive , ceramic , opentop food receiving vessel , a microwave transparent , nonconductive , ceramic cover for closing the open top of the vessel , special glaze or coating sintered onto at least the interior surfaces of the vessel and cover or onto both the interior and exterior surfaces thereof ; the glaze or coating being comprised of a dielectric matrix and semiconductive particles dispersed throughout the matrix ; the percent loading of the conductive particles in the matrix being such that the food contained in the vessel is partially shielded from microwave energy and the glaze absorbs microwave energy and the glaze absorbs microwave energy and converts it to thermal energy concentrated at the utensil so that the outside surface of the food is browned and crisped and the food is cooked from the outside to the inside by the heat transferred to the food from the utensil , as well as being cooked in part from the inside to the outside by microwave energy absorbed within the food .

referring to the drawings , particularly fig1 and 3 , one embodiment of the cooking utensil of the invention is comprised of an open top food receiving vessel 10 and a mating cover 12 for closing the open top of the vessel . the vessel 10 is of integral construction and comprised of a bottom wall 14 and upwardly extending sidewalls 16 which terminate in a continuous , horizontal , upwardly facing top edge or lip 18 . the vessel 10 may be of any size , shape or configuration customary for cookware and / or of such geometry as may be deemed desirable for purposes of consumer acceptance . also , various decors may be imparted to the exterior surfaces of the vessel to enhance consumer acceptance . the interior surface of the bottom wall 14 may , if desired , be ribbed for purposes of draining moisture from foodstuffs being cooked , and the exterior of bottom surface of the wall 14 may be provided with a spacer rib 20 to facilitate fabrication and finishing of the vessel 10 . the cover 12 is coextensive with and of the same geometric shape as the vessel 10 and is provided at the edges of its lower surface with a continuous , horizontal , downwardly facing marginal lip 22 for seating engagement with and upon the lip 18 of the vessel 10 . preferably , and as is conventional , the cover includes a downwardly extending guide rib 24 inwardly of the marginal lip 22 of the same shape and approximately the same size as the open top of the vessel 10 for guided reception within the open top of the vessel for retaining the cover on the vessel . the cover and / or the vessel may , if desired , be provided with handles or hand grips ( not shown ) as are conventional in the cookware art . also , one or more vent holes may be provided in the cover 12 and / or in the upper regions of the side walls 16 of the vessel 10 for venting water vapor from the interior of the vessel when cooking high moisture content foods . in the preferred embodiment , small vent holes 26 are provided in the cover 12 . in order to prevent undesired transmission of microwave energy through the vent holes into the interior of the utensil , the diameter of the holes must be no larger than 1 / 2 the wavelength of the microwave energy generated by klystron of the microwave oven and , for aesthetic purposes , should preferably be no larger than about 1 / 20 of such wavelength , i . e ., λ / 20 . the exterior of the vessel and cover may take such configuration as desired for aesthetic purposes , but the interior surfaces of both the vessel 10 and the cover 12 must be substantially free of sharp or angular corners , i . e ., with all wall junctures , intersections and corners formed with generous corner radii . the vessel 10 and cover 12 are formed , preferably molded , of a nonconductive , dielectric ceramic material , such as earthenware , pottery , glass or porcelain , fired at high temperature as is well known and long practiced in the art . if the base material of construction , indicated at 30 in fig3 is earthenware or pottery , the base material should be sealed by a glaze 32 fired onto the base material at high temperature . such glaze is not required on a glass substrate , but may if desired be fired onto the exterior surfaces of glass substrates for aesthetic purposes . typical firing temperatures for ceramic and crystal glazes are in the order of 1 , 000 degrees c ., plus or minus 250 degrees c . in the embodiment of the invention shown in fig1 and 3 , the base material 30 may be any of a number of relatively inexpensive , microwave transparent , nonconductive ceramic compositions known to be thermal shock and heat resistant as well as being compatible with food products and capable of remaining structurally stable at glaze firing or sintering temperatures . the glaze 32 may be any of a number of microwave transparent , nonconductive ceramic glazes conventionally used and universally accepted for use in connection with household cookware . glaze 32 covers the entirety of the exterior surfaces of the vessel and cover , and may optionally cover the interior surfaces as well . glazes of different colors and / or incorporating various designs and / or motifs may be fired onto the exterior surfaces a large variety of suitable ceramic and crystal glazes are available from mayco colors , chatsworth , calif . 91311 . in accordance with the invention , both the base material 30 and the ceramic glaze 32 must be essentially , preferably completely , nonconductive and microwave transparent , e . g ., with an r . f . energy attenuation of less than about 3 decibels . in the embodiment of fig1 and 3 , the interior surfaces of the vessel 10 and cover 12 are additionally coated with a semiconductive glaze 34 ( fig3 ) comprised of a dielectric matrix and semiconductive particles distributed , preferably substantially uniformly distributed , throughout the matrix . the glaze 34 is preferably formulated as a liquid or fluent slurry that is sprayed to a metered or controlled thickness onto the entirety of the interior surfaces of the vessel and the cover , including the lips 18 and 22 and the guide rim 24 . the thus sprayed vessel and cover are then fired in an oven to sinter and bond the composite coating or glaze 34 onto the vessel and the cover . alternatively , the semiconductive glaze 34 may also be included on the exteriors of the vessel 10 and cover 12 , as shown in the embodiment of fig4 in addition to the interior semiconductive glaze coating 34 . this version simplifies manufacturing and creates higher temperatures within the walls of the vessel and cover for conductive heating . at present , the preferred matrix material is a fluoropolymer , such as the products sold by e . i . dupont denemours & amp ; co . under the trademarks &# 34 ; teflon &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; silverstone &# 34 ; for use as nonstick cooking surfaces in conventional cookware . such fluoropolymers have a sintering or firing temperature of only about 500 to 800 degrees f . and a cure time of only about 10 minutes , as contrasted to firing temperatures of 1 , 000 degrees c . and cure times of up to 24 hours for ceramic glazes . the semiconductive particles distributed throughout the matrix in the coating or layer 34 may take a variety of forms , subject to the basic criteria that they be food compatible , readily and substantially homogeneously dispersible throughout the matrix , and sufficiently resistant to the sintering temperature of the matrix material that their semiconductivity is not significantly degraded or impaired . semiconductive materials appropriate to the purpose , include flakes , powders , needles and / or fibers of suitable semiconductive materials , such as carbon black , graphite , tungsten oxide , silicon carbide , other semiconductors such as silicon and germanium , and particularly other metal oxides and various substrate materials bearing a suitable semiconductive coating . presently preferred particulate materials comprise carbon black coated glass fibers or glass fibers coated with a semiconductive metal oxide , such as tin oxide , indium oxide , and indium tin oxide . in some instances carbon black particulate without glass fibers may be preferred . other semiconductive ceramic and semiconductive metal coatings on fibers are known . the design requirements of these coatings is that they be conductive between about minus 10 degrees c . up to at least 300 degrees c ., and reasonably oxidation resistant up to the sintering temperature of the glaze . metal oxide or carbon black coated glass fibers are presently preferred because of their oxidative stability at high temperature , ease of dispersion in the fluoropolymer matrix material , low cost and food contact compatibility . suitable conductive fiber products are available from ensci , inc ., woodland hills , calif ., 91367 . by use of the term &# 34 ; semiconductor &# 34 ;, it is intended to describe and designate for use in this invention those semiconductive materials generally accepted as being elements or compounds having an electrical conductivity intermediate between that of conductors and non - conductors ( insulators ). most metals have quite high conductivity , while substances like diamond and mica have very low conductivity ( high resistance ). between these extremes lie the semiconductors , of which germanium , silicon , silicon carbide and selenium are examples , with resistivities in the range of 10 - 2 to 10 9 ohms / cm . slight traces of impurity in the crystalline structure may be required in some instances for semiconduction . formulation of layer 34 from a fluoropolymer matrix and semiconductively coated glass fibers is a convenient mode for carrying out the invention for the reasons that the sintering temperature and cure time of the fluoropolymer is not so high as to cause degradation of the fibers , or to significantly diminish or impair the semiconductivity of the coated fibers , or to require a disproportionately large percent loading of the fibers in the matrix . in contrast , at the very high sintering temperatures of ceramic and crystal glazes , semiconductive particulates presently available to us , and used in reasonable degrees of concentration in the matrix , do not in our experience fulfill our expectations and requirements for the conductive glaze 34 . carbon black in a suitable matrix may meet this requirement . thus , if acceptable , such a ceramic glaze / conductive particulate combination can be used without double glazing of the interior surfaces of nonglass ceramics , as indicated at 32 - 34 in fig3 . a single layer of conductive glaze could be used on the interior surfaces of the vessel and the cover , and a single layer of nonconductive glaze could be used on the exterior surfaces . as used herein with reference to the conductive interior layer 34 of the invention , the term &# 34 ; glaze &# 34 ; is intended to encompass not only ceramic glazes but also the sintered , semiconductive - particulate loaded fluoropolymer comprising the best mode presently known for carrying out the invention . like ceramic glazes , the semiconductive fluoropolymer glaze may be applied directly to the surfaces of the vessel 10 and the cover 12 ( without the underlying ceramic glaze 32 illustrated in fib . 3 ), in order to enhance the bonding and adherence of the glaze to the ceramic . the purpose of the semiconductive glaze whether on the interior surfaces of the vessel 10 and the cover 12 only , or on interior and exterior , is to control transmission , reflection and absorption by the utensil of the microwave energy generated by the klystron in a microwave oven . the degree or percentage loading and dispersion of the conductive particulates in the matrix of the glaze 34 will affect each of these criteria , so that by proper selection of percent loading and dispersion of the utensil can be specifically designed and its microwave responsive characteristics &# 34 ; fine tuned &# 34 ; for optimum preparation of a selected food product or a selected class or group of food products . generally stated , the object is to controllably reduce transmission of microwave energy into the interior of the utensil in order to decrease the amount of heat ( degree of cooking ) that is generated by the microwave energy absorbed within the contained foodstuff and to controllably convert microwave energy in the oven into a controlled level of thermal energy concentrated on the interior surfaces of the utensil to increase the amount of heat ( degree of cooking ) that is transmitted to the outer surfaces of the contained foodstuff by conduction , convection and / or radiant heat transfer , thereby to provide an optimum balance between the degrees of cooking that take place from the outside to the inside and from the inside to the outside of the foodstuff contained in the utensil , and the degree of browning or crisping that takes place on the exterior surface of the foodstuff . the percent loading of the semiconductive particles in the dielectric matrix may vary quite widely depending upon the conductivity of the particles , the physical shape of the particles , the degree of shielding desired for the food product , and the amount of thermal energy to be generated on the interior surfaces of the utensil . a suitable loading range is generally in the order of from about 1 % to about 40 % by weight ; the percent loading of the most conductive particulates being at the lower end of the range and the percent loading of the least conductive particulates being at the upper end of the range . in one of the embodiments , for reasons next to be explained , the percent loading of the semiconductive glass fibers in the fluoropolymer matrix is preferably in the order of about 10 % to about 25 %. effects of varying the percent loading of the semiconductive particulates in the dielectric matrix of the glaze 34 are graphically illustrated in fig5 for an interior coated version of the invention . the numerical values indicated on the graph are for a glaze comprised of a fluoropolymer matrix and conductively coated glass fibers . the graph was obtained by placing 20 cc of water at about 75 degrees f . in a microwave transparent container , placing the container within respective ones of utensils having glazes containing different loadings of conductive fibers , placing each of the utensils in a microwave oven set on high for 30 seconds , and measuring the temperature of the water after heating . these test criteria were selected for purposes of comparison with the amount of time required to bring 20 cc of water at room temperature to a boil in a microwave oven , namely 30 seconds . the ending temperature of the water is indicated on the ordinate and the percent by weight loading of the conductive fibers in the matrix is indicated on the abscissa of the graph . at 0 percent loading , the ending temperature was 210 degrees f ., indicating that the water had been heated nearly to boiling by directly absorbed microwave energy and that the teflon coated ceramic utensil itself was microwave transparent and had essentially no impact on the results . at 10 percent loading , the ending temperature was about 195 degrees f ., indicating a significant decrease in the transmission of the microwave energy into the water , i . e ., that the loaded glaze 34 had shielded the water from a significant proportion of the microwave energy in the oven . at 17 percent semiconductive fiber loading , the ending temperature of the water was about 160 degrees f ., indicating a reduction of approximately 40 percent in the amount of heat generated by absorption of microwave energy in the water , i . e ., cooking from the inside out . there was , therefore , about a 40 percent shielding of the water ( contained foodstuff ) from the microwave energy in the oven . also , in the latter test , though not measured scientifically , there was a sensible increase in the heat absorbed by the ceramic utensil , especially on the interior surfaces of the same . the semiconductive fiber loaded glaze 34 converted some of the microwave energy into thermal energy at the interior surface of the vessel and its cover . the ceramic material , while acting as an insulator for the semiconductive glaze , also absorbed heat from the glaze so that the ceramic utensil in effect becomes a &# 34 ; brick oven within an oven &# 34 ;, thereby producing the desired results of intense heating from the exterior of the food accompanied by controllably reduced heating from within the interior of the food . based on the foregoing observations and experiences , design criteria for one version of an economical consumer product that is effective for baking breads , bread - type products and breaded foodstuffs would reside in use of a relatively inexpensive ceramic vessel 10 and cover 12 of conventional construction having interior surfaces substantially free of sharp or angular corners and bearing a ceramic glaze 32 on at least their exterior surfaces ; a semiconductive glaze coating 34 sprayed onto the interior surfaces of the vessel and the cover by metered spraying to a thickness no greater than about 2 mils . to avoid flaking and / or peeling of the glaze after sintering ; the glaze comprising a fluoropolymer matrix loaded with glass fibers coated with a conductive metal oxide ; the glaze 34 being sintered and bonded onto the interior surfaces of the vessel and the cover at a sintering temperature not exceeding about 1000 degrees f . ; the percent by weight loading of the semiconductive fibers in the glaze being in the order from about 10 to about 25 percent ( per the fig5 graph ) and having a microwave absorption of up to about 25 percent , with approximately equal amounts of microwave transmission and reflection ; the microwave absorption characteristic being mated to the thickness of the glaze to produce a temperature on the interior surfaces of the utensil in the order of from about 350 degrees f . to about 500 degrees f . in one embodiment , microwave absorption is about 40 - 60 percent , and a microwave reflectance about 40 - 50 percent . the resultant product in all embodiments is a mass producible , multiple use microwave cooking utensil having the advantageous characteristics of being inexpensive , reusable , contact compatible with foods , nonmetallic , nonflammable , dishwasher compatible , capable of withstanding high temperatures in a microwave environment , and producible in a variety of consumer appealing shapes , designs , and colors . most importantly , foods prepared in the utensil in a microwave oven have the same appetizing appearance and desirable organoleptic qualities of aroma , feel and taste as if prepared in a conventional manner in a conventional oven . in accordance with the invention , the semiconductive coating on the glass fiber embodiment can be thick and robust and the electrical properties of the glaze 34 can be independently controlled via the amount of fibers in the glaze and their dispersion . another benefit of the invention in this embodiment is that the semiconductive fibers themselves are surrounded by the matrix of the glaze and thus protected from damage and / or degradation . consequently , the utensil has good stability in its heating characteristics . in an experimental test of the invention , using a ceramic vessel and cover ( like those illustrated in fig1 and 3 ) without vent holes 26 and without a conventional glaze , but with their interior surfaces coated with the glaze of the invention , chicken legs coated with general food corporation &# 39 ; s &# 34 ; shake &# 39 ; n bake &# 34 ; ( tm ) brand of &# 34 ; oven fry &# 34 ; ( tm ) coating for chicken , extra crisp recipe , were prepared to organoleptic perfection in a sharp carousel ii ( tm ) microwave oven set on high by cooking the chicken legs for 21 / 2 minutes , removing the cover to vent the utensil ( since it has no vent holes ), and continuing the cooking for another 21 / 2 minutes . in contrast , the directions on the container of coating mix require cooking of the coated chicken for 50 minutes in a conventional oven preheated to 400 degrees f . the objects and advantages of the invention have therefore been shown to be achieved in a practical , facile and economical manner . while preferred embodiments of the invention have been herein illustrated and described , it is to be appreciated that various modifications , changes and rearrangements may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention , as defined by the appended claims .

US-639093-A

disclosed herein is a wire electrode for wire cutting electro - discharge machining which can improve the processing speed as well as productivity of the wire electrode . a core is made of a copper alloy containing ag . a coating layer formed on the outer periphery of the core is made of a copper alloy containing zn and al .

fig1 is a sectional view showing a wire electrode for wire cutting electro - discharge machining according to an embodiment of the present invention . a coating layer 1 is formed on the outer periphery of a core 2 . the thickness t of the coating layer 1 is preferably 10 to 20 % of the diameter d of the wire electrode for wire cutting electro - discharge machining . if the former exceeds 20 % of the latter , the wire electrode for wire cutting electro - discharge machining is reduced in tensile strength at high temperature , since the coating layer 1 has lower tensile strength at high temperature as compared with the core 2 . if the former is less than 10 % of the latter , on the other hand , the processing speed may not be so high . samples of wire electrodes for wire cutting electro - discharge machining were prepared in compositions shown in table 1 . table 1______________________________________ coating layer core______________________________________inventive 1 cu 39 % zn cu - 2 . 0 % snsample 2 cu - 40 % zn - 0 . 5 % al cu - 0 . 3 % sn 3 cu - 43 % zn cu - 13 % zn 4 cu - 41 % zn - 0 . 7 % al cu - 0 . 6 % ag 5 cu - 43 % zn - 1 . 0 % al cu - 4 . 0 % zn - 0 . 3 % sncompara - 6 cu - 30 % zn cu - 13 % zntive sample 7 cu - 45 % zn - 1 . 0 % al cu - 0 . 3 % sn 8 cu - 35 % zn cu - 0 . 3 % snconven - 9 cu - 35 % zntional 10 cu - 35 % zn - 0 . 05 % alsample______________________________________ the inventive samples 1 to 5 were continuously extruded by a conform ( continuous forming ) machine so that the wire electrodes for wire cutting electro - discharge machining had outer diameters of 8 mm with respect to cores of 5 . 3 mm outer diameter . the extrusion temperature was 450 ° c . drawing and intermediate softening were repeated on the as - extruded rods , to prepare wire electrodes for wire cutting electro - discharge machining having outer diameters of 0 . 3 mm . regarding the comparative sample 6 , it was impossible to prepare a wire electrode for wire cutting electro - discharge machining since this sample did not allow continuous extrusion . as to the comparative sample 7 , it was impossible to prepare a wire electrode for wire cutting electro - discharge machining due to the wire breaking during drawing , although this sample allowed continuous extrusion . as to the comparative sample 8 , a wire electrode for wire cutting electro - discharge machining was prepared by pipe engagement , since this sample did not allow continuous extrusion . on the other hand , the conventional samples 9 and 10 had single layer structures . these wire electrodes for wire cutting electro - discharge machining were subjected to measurement of conductivity values and processing speeds . table 2 shows the results . table 2______________________________________ conductivity processing (% iacs ) speed______________________________________inventive 1 30 130sample 2 40 140 3 33 135 4 43 165 5 40 160comparative 6 unmeasurable unmeasurablesample 7 unmeasurable unmeasurable 8 unmeasurable unmeasurableconventional 9 18 100sample 10 18 . 5 105______________________________________ referring to table 2 , the processing speeds are expressed relative to the conventional sample 9 exhibiting a value of 100 . as understood from table 2 , the inventive samples were superior in conductivity and processing speed to the conventional samples . the comparative sample 8 , which was close to the inventive samples in both conductivity and processing speed , was inferior in production characteristics to the inventive samples , which were prepared through a conform machine , since this comparative sample was prepared by pipe engagement . according to the inventive wire electrode for wire cutting electro - discharge machining , as hereinabove described , it is possible to improve the processing speed , while it is also possible to improve production characteristics of the wire electrode for wire cutting electro - discharge machining . although the present invention has been described an illustrated in detail , it is clearly understood that the same is by way of illustration and example only and is not to be taken by way of limitation , the spirit and scope of the present invention being limited only by the terms of the appended claims .

US-39041795-A

a novel stack application for improved carbon dioxide and particle removal / collection from flue gases produced during coal power - generation processes . flue gas tangential inlet velocity is increased to subject upward - flowing flue gas in a stack to a centrifugal force , thereby propelling entrained solid particles and co 2 in the flue gas to the stack wall for collection . collection efficiency is further improved by a cascading water film or algae - laden water film on the inside of the stack wall and on surfaces of an optional internally mounted vortex generator to eliminate the re - entrainment of small particles and for ease of transporting the captured particles in a slurry . the stack can also be utilized as a photochemical or a biological reactor to promote a photosynthesis reaction between carbon dioxide and algae - laden water to form carbohydrate substrates for carbon dioxide sequestration and utilization .

referring now to fig1 the present invention of a novel stack application for carbon dioxide sequestration is depicted in a coal power generation process . air is pumped through an oxygen permeable membrane 12 to remove a substantial portion of the nitrogen from the air . the oxygen enriched air is pumped by fan 14 and joins with pulverized coal . the oxygen - rich air and pulverized coal are burned together in the combustion chamber 16 of a coal - fired boiler . a light extraction device 18 is strategically located inside the combustion chamber 16 , to collect the light emitted as a result of the combustion of the coal . one of the means of extracting light from a combustion system is a laser . after combustion , the excited carbon dioxide molecules produced within the combustion chamber 16 drop to a lower energy level , and light is emitted . the principle is no different from any other conventional chemical or carbon dioxide laser known to those skilled in the art . the light collected by the light extraction device is later utilized inside the stack for the photosynthesis of carbon dioxide and algae - laden water , as indicated in the drawing . the coal combustion products , mostly ash particles and carbon dioxide , are then moved to a heat extraction section 20 , where heat transfer surfaces are employed for steam generation by the extracted heat of combustion . the flue gases , after the settling of most of the ash , are moved by an induced draft fan 22 to the stack 24 . after the removal of oxides of nitrogen and sulfur from the flue gases by conventional acid - gas emission control processes ( not shown here ), the flue gas is split into two streams 26 , 28 . stream 26 recycles to the combustion chamber 16 as flue gas recirculation to control the coal flame temperature . the other flue gas stream 28 is sent to the upper section 30 of the stack 24 for dust removal , reheating of flue gas ( after contact with the algae slurry ), and sequestration of carbon dioxide . the net effort is the production of a highly concentrated carbon dioxide steam to the stack 24 for carbon dioxide sequestration . cost studies at mit have shown that concentrated co 2 separation , followed by sequestration , can reduce the cost of co 2 sequestration from $ 45 / ton to $ 15 / ton of carbon dioxide . before entering the stack 24 , the flue gas is again split into two streams . stream 32 feeds the upper section 30 of the stack for reducing the humidity of the flue gas by dilution and heating . the other carbon dioxide rich flue gas stream 34 enters the stack 24 in a tangential direction as indicated by the arrow , and generates swirls or vortices 36 moving the top of the stack . the swirls sequester the co 2 and enhance dust removal by creating a centrifugal force which forces the dust particles and co 2 to the stack wall for collection . by entering the stack in a tangential direction relative to the circular cross - section of the stack , and by increasing the inlet velocity of the flue gas stream 34 , the centrifugal force field is maximized and collection efficiency is improved . the up - flowing vortices 36 can also be generated and maintained by the insertion of a twisted spiraling optical fiber ribbon 40 , which induces an upward vortexing action and provides ample exposure of light for the excitation of carbon dioxide . inside the stack interior 42 , a cascading stream 44 is provided by the circulating water or algae laden water stream 46 to the top of the stack 24 . the walls of the stack can be lined with corrosion resistant coatings to prevent stack deterioration . as the water - algae mixture cascades along the stack wall , the photosynthesis reaction will take place , as previously described , due to the light supplied to the stack by the light extraction device 18 . the algae are a biomass which provides chlorophyll and growth sites for the production of additional biomass , i . e ., glucose . the final by - product 48 is outputted in a slurry form and is a glucose by - product useful for plant and animal life . flue gas 49 is released to the atmosphere , having dust particles removed and the sequestration of carbon dioxide completed . the cascading of the water - algae mixture 46 can also be implemented on the surface of the optical fiber ribbon 40 , which may be appropriately packed to assure adequate carbon dioxide and water contacts . the carbon dioxide exciting light source emits light inside the stack from the ribbons 40 of fiber - optic material . the ribbons 40 serve a dual function by guiding the vortex swirls upwardly inside the stack and promoting vigorous mixing for the photosynthesis reaction . the twisted ribbons 40 facilitate the induction of the vortex swirls 36 , providing contact surfaces for the flue gas and aqueous solutions ( discussed herein ) and / or slurry of algae inside the stack 24 , and facilitate photosynthesis reaction by providing a light source . the upward vortex swirls 36 also generate a strong and lasting centrifugal force field . dust particles inside the stack are prompted by the centrifugal force field to move toward the stack wall for collection . the vortex generator preferably is made of light transmitting materials such as fiber optic material , which can transmit and emit light to promote photochemical reactions . the vortex generator may also be made in the form of perforated plates and baffles , to increase contact between carbon dioxide rich flue gas and water in the presence of chlorophyll active materials . referring now to fig2 a second embodiment of the invention is illustrated . virtually zero carbon dioxide emission power generation is achieved by recycling the oxygen - rich flue gas 49 through an oxygen separation device 50 . in this case , an oxygen permeable membrane 52 is used . this separation provision generates a high concentration of oxygen 54 from the oxygen separation device 50 , and is then mixed with make - up oxygen 56 from air . the mix is then recycled into the pulverized coal fired boiler 16 , with the other aforementioned features in place ( like features are depicted by the same reference numerals as shown in fig1 ). the oxygen permeable membrane 52 filters the carbon dioxide sequestrated flue gas 49 from the stack , and allows only inert gases 60 to be released to the atmosphere , with virtually zero carbon dioxide emissions . referring now to fig3 a and 3b , the importance of the novel stack application according to the invention will be described . the salient feature of the vortex motion inside the stack 24 is a continuous upward vortex swirl 36 , as best shown in fig3 b . the conventional cyclone 70 has a downward vortex 72 and an upward vortex 74 inside the cyclone confinement , as best shown in fig3 a . when the tangentially injected gas - particle mixture 76 is introduced into a conventional cyclone 70 as shown in fig3 a , it forms a downward vortex 72 spiraling down until the momentum of the stream is exhausted and converted into an upflowing vortex 74 within the inside of the downward vortex 72 . these two connecting vortices 72 , 74 must be physically separated in all high efficiency cyclone designs . otherwise , cyclone particle separation efficiency is reduced . a cylindrical sleeve 78 is frequently inserted into the cyclone body 70 to segregate the connecting vortices 72 , 74 . this inserted sleeve 78 is known as the vortex finder , and it also serves as the outlet port for the cyclone . the stationary twisted ribbons 40 of the invention that induce the up - flowing spiral vortex 36 may be made with corrosive resistant and light transmitting materials . the momentum of the incoming flue gas 34 , 80 , when coupled with the vortex forming ribbons 40 , will form the vortex swirls 36 such that the flue gas flows in the upward direction . rotating the twisted ribbons 40 within the stack 24 can further increase the momentum of the up - flowing flue gas vortex swirls 36 . upward - flowing spiraling vortex swirls 36 are formed by the high velocity tangential flue gas injection 34 , 80 and are thereafter maintained by the twisting ribbons 40 formed by light emitting optical fibers . as stated previously , by entering the stack in a tangential direction relative to the circular cross - section of the stack and by increasing the inlet velocity of the flue gas stream 34 , the centrifugal force field is maximized and collection efficiency is improved . all the particle capture mechanisms are the net result of forcing particles to move toward the capture surface 42 . the force field can be electrostatic , or centrifugal . the net forces acting upon the particles prompt them to move toward the capture surface for capture . this is illustrated in fig4 which depicts a crucial particle flight path . it takes a finite length of time for the particles p to travel through the flue gas stream x before reaching the capture surface s . various particles p , due to their physical properties , will travel through the flue gas stream x toward the capture surface s at various velocities caused by the force fields f exerted on them . recent developments in multi - phase flow for dilute phases enables the construction of a mathematical model to depict the particle movement inside the flue gas . tall stacks in conventional coal - fired plants can provide long residence time for particle capture . conventional centrifugal cyclones suffer from insufficient residence time for the particles to reach the wall of the cyclone to be captured . the interference of the inner upmoving vortex with the downward flowing vortex inside a conventional cyclone reduces the separation efficiency . this is a main reason for the use of a vortex finder 78 to segregate these two vortices . according to the present invention , the singular upflowing vortex generated by the tangential introduction of flue gas and maintained / guided by the centrally located twisted optical fiber ribbon 40 provides a relatively long residence time in a strong centrifugal force field . the “ re - entrainment ” of the captured or retained particles into the flue gas is precluded by the cascading water or mixture of algae and water . this arrangement will show a high dust collection efficiency . the carbon dioxide sequestration reaction is not limited to the photosynthesis reaction discussed above . in an alternate embodiment , aqueous ammonia is utilized to sequester co 2 into ammonium bicarbonate , a nitrogen fertilizer . such a product will contribute side benefits , such as the removal of acid gases , for example so 2 and no x , to form respective sulfate and nitrate salts , also fertilizers . ammonium bicarbonate , also know as ammonia hydrogen carbonate or ammonia acid carbonate , is the only compound in the nh 3 — h 2 o — co 2 system that dissolves in water without decomposition . in this case , decomposition does not occur until temperatures reach 140 degrees fahrenheit and it does not melt until 225 degrees fahrenheit under fast heating . high concentrations of ammonia in the aqueous solution will cause premature escape of ammonia and decomposition of ammonium bicarbonate at 140 degrees fahrenheit . therefore , for practical purposes , less than saturated aqueous ammonia solutions are preferred . however , these may vary depending upon the individual design and possible in - situ cooling provisions . the resulting exothermic reaction of the above process produces the most efficient results when occurring in a packed column , with twisted flow inducing ribbons . the ammonium ion , in the form of ammonia , ammonium hydroxide , amines , or any chemical compound yielding the ammonium ion ( nh 4 + ), is added to the flue gas upon the injection into the stack 24 . during hydrolysis , ammonium carbonate yields the ammonium ion , which is readily taken up by plant life , and bicarbonates , which percolate into the earth crust and subsequently form stable compounds with alkaline earth metals to form caco 3 or mgco 3 for permanent carbon dioxide sequestration . therefore , the carbon dioxide is sequestered as ammonium carbonates or bicarbonate , e . g ., nh 4 hco 3 , in a form which gives permanent sequestration of the co 2 within the ground as a fertilizer . ammonia , or compounds containing ammonium ion , may be added to the algae - laden water also . other means of sequestration , such as the absorption of co 2 by amines , milk of limestone ca ( oh ) 2 etc ., are also possible . but , the final products may vary . having thus described various exemplary embodiments of the invention , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that modifications or changes in details of the invention may be implemented without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims .

US-99482401-A

the color card or display device of the invention has one or more paint color swatches or chips which are removable from a base and are repositionable and adhesively affixable to another substrate remote from the color card or display device . the color card with repositionable paint swatches provides swatches which may be remounted onto furniture , walls , other samples and fabrics to aid the consumer of the color to select the color on the swatch and match it with other colors and the environment for which the color is intended .

“ indirect adhesive ” means a pressure sensitive adhesive which releasably binds an object to a substrate base . an indirect adhesive is applied to a base to which the object is mounted and when the object is removed from the base , the indirect adhesive will transfer to or move to the object and the object will retain adhesive which will permit the object to be adhesively mounted to another base . further , the indirect adhesive should be capable of being printed . suitable indirect adhesives include but are not limited to acrylic emulsion polymers which are commercially available as aroset 2538 and 2539 from ashland chemical company , and microsphere acrylic polymers which are commercially available as 271 series adhesive gel - tac acrylic polymers from advanced polymers international . “ direct adhesive ” means an adhesive which removably affixes an object onto a base or substrate on a base , but does not transfer to the object being removed from the substrate . when it is used in the invention , the direct adhesive is applied directly to the chip substrate which then is bonded to the release composition . the direct adhesive may be applied by roll coating or any known method . a suitable direct adhesive includes but is not limited to an acrylic polymer microspheres commercially available as gel - tac 101 series and gel - tac 102 series from advanced polymers international . a “ releasable adhesive ” is an indirect or direct adhesive which releasably bonds an object to a substrate . “ permanent adhesive ” means an adhesive which does not releasably affix an object to a substrate , but rather permanently affixes the object to the substrate . suitable permanent adhesives include a copolymer of polyvinyl acetate commercially available as crodafix 57 - 066 from croda adhesives , inc ., itasca , ill ., and resyn ( r ) 33 - 9245 , available from national starch company . the permanent adhesive should be printable . “ release composition ” means a composition which is coated onto a release liner or on an object to be adhesively affixed to the indirect or direct adhesive to facilitate the removal of the object which is adhesively affixed to a base with the indirect or direct adhesive . suitable release compositions include but are not limited to a wax and varnish blend which is suitable to release an object affixed with aroset adhesives ; a free radical uv silicone release composition commercially available from croda adhesives , inc ., as croda 30 - 19 - 3 ; a cationic uv silicone release composition commercially available from croda adhesives as croda 30 - 24 - 1 ; a two component thermoset release composition commercially available as croda 24 - 26 - 2 parts 1 and 2 ; and conventional commercially available silicone release compositions . the croda and conventional silicone release compositions are suitable for use with the aroset indirect adhesive and the 271 indirect adhesives from advanced polymers international . “ release liner ” means a paper or polymeric film which may be coated with a release composition to facilitate the removal of an object from the release liner and movement of an indirect adhesive to the object or retention of a direct adhesive on an object , such that the object may be removably adhesively affixed to a substrate other than the release liner . fig1 is a top view of a paint chip card with a plurality of paint coated chips or swatches . fig2 is the side view of the paint chip card of fig1 along line 2 - 2 . fig3 is a side view of a paint chip card using a paint coated polymeric film chip where the paint is coated on the side of the film facing the mount base . fig4 is a side view of a paint chip card using a paint coated polymeric film chip where the paint is coated on the side of the film facing the observer and opposite to the side of the film which faces the release composition and indirect or direct adhesive . fig5 is a side view of an alternate aspect of the invention where the paint chip is adhesively affixed to a mount base with a permanent adhesive and a release liner is affixed to the permanent adhesive , the opposite side of the release liner adhesively holding a chip substrate with an indirect or direct adhesive . fig6 is a side view of an alternate aspect of the invention similar to the paint chip card of fig5 , but the paint chip is a polymeric film with a paint coating on the surface of the film opposite the side seen by an observer . referring to fig1 of the drawing , a display card 10 includes a mount base 12 which may be paper , plastic or other suitable material for the display of colored chips or swatches . although the mount card is shown with a plurality of chips mounted thereon , a strip of color chips or the mount card may be used to display only one color chip or color per mount card as in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 104 , 809 to day et al . the mount card may be made of any suitable material to which a paper chip or a chip made from an organo polymeric film may be affixed . in an important aspect , the mount card is thick paper or cardboard . as seen in fig2 the chip 14 is releasably affixed to an indirect or direct adhesive layer 18 . the indirect or direct adhesive layer is on a layer of release composition 20 which has been printed onto the mount base 12 . in most applications such as when the chip is a paper chip , the chip will have a paint layer 22 which is on the surface of the chip opposite the surface of the chip which interfaces with the indirect or direct adhesive coating on the chip . the adhesive coating interfaces with the surface of the chip which is opposite surface of the chip which has the paint coating . in this aspect the paint coating faces away from the mount base and the surface of the chip which interfaces with the adhesive coating faces the mount base . in an alternate embodiment shown in fig3 , the chip is made from an organo polymeric film such as acrylic coated polyproplylene or polyethylene terephthalate . polyethlyene terephthalate is also known as mylar which is a registered trademark of e . i . dupont denemours & amp ; co . the acrylic coated polypropylene and polyethylene terephthalate films provide a transparent film base which as a thickness in the range of from about 1 . 35 mils to about 4 . 60 mils ( one mil is 0 . 001 inch ). paint is applied to the film . in one aspect the paint layer 22 is on the surface of the film facing the mount base . thinner polymeric films having a thickness in the range of from about 1 . 35 to about 1 . 6 mils are bonded or laminated onto thin paper or tissue paper to give them more body and make them easier to handle during the manufacture of the color display device . this paper or tissue provides a paper layer 24 , as seen in fig3 , which is bonded onto the adhesive layer 18 . in this aspect of the invention , the adhesive layer is on a layer of release composition 20 which has been printed onto the mount base 12 . in the aspect of the invention shown in fig3 , the paint coating 22 to be displayed is applied to the polymeric film chip on the side of the film which will be facing the mount base . the chip will be viewed from the side of the translucent film which is opposite to the side having the paint coating . ( hereinafter the “ bottom side ” of the polymeric film base ). with thicker films the side of the polymeric base with the paint coating , or bottom side , will interface with the adhesive . with thinner films which are laminated with the paper tissue , the paper tissue 24 will interface with the adhesive and the paint on the film will be observed through the film from the “ top ” of the film which is secured to the mount base 12 through the release composition 20 , indirect or direct adhesive 18 , tissue 24 and paint 22 layers , as seen in fig3 . in this aspect of the invention the translucency of the film may be utilized and the paint may be displayed with a high gloss finish because the chip is affixed to the mount base with the unpainted polymeric surface of the chip facing away from the mount base , as seen in fig2 and 3 . the polymeric film thereby permits the display of the paint coating through the film , and hence , with a glossy finish without the problem of having the glossy surface fuse to an overlying surface , such as when the cards are stored in stacked relation . in the art this fusing is commonly known as “ blocking ”. alternatively , the paint coating may be in the “ top ” surface of the film chip as seen in fig4 . in this aspect the surface of the paint is viewed directly , and the film chip 14 is bonded onto the mount base 12 through the tissue paper 24 , adhesive layer 18 , and release composition layer 20 . in the aspect of the invention shown in fig1 through 4 , the color display devices are made by printing the release composition onto the mount base . the printing process permits precise control the area or areas of the mount base to which the release composition is applied . the release composition layer may be printed onto the mount base by lithographic printing , gravure printing , flexographic printing and silk screen printing . the release composition which is printed onto the mount base is described in the definition section above . in an important aspect , the release composition used is a free radical uv silicone release composition such as croda 30 - 19 - 3 . the release composition layer provides a surface to which a releasable adhesive may bond , but the surface of the release composition is tough and will permit removal of the chip without removing layers of paper from a mount base or tearing the mount base or chip with removal of the color chip . after the release composition layer is printed and dried on the mount base , an indirect adhesive layer is printed onto the dried release composition layer . as with the release composition layer , the indirect adhesive layer may be printed onto the mount base by lithographic printing , gravure printing , flexographic printing and silk screen printing . the printing process also permits precise control of the placement of the adhesive layer . pressure sensitive adhesives such as an acrylic adhesive which are available as acrylic aqueous emulsions are ideal for use in the invention . as described above , indirect adhesives are available from the ashland chemical company under the trademark aroset , such as the aroset 2528 acrylic emulsion polymer adhesive . alternately , but less preferably , the direct adhesive may be applied to the chip substrate . to make the paint or color chip , paper or polymeric film is painted with a paint coating composition to make the chips which are removably affixed to the mount base . generally , the paint coating composition is lacquer paint , but when polymeric films are used for the chips or swatches , aqueous or latex paints may be applied to the film which permits reduction of volatile organic compound emissions . the coating of the paper or polymeric film may be by a knife over roll coating operation where a knife spreads the paint over the paper or film substrate as the substrate is conveyed under the knife by rollers as is known . the paint also may be applied by a roller - roller operation as is known . after the paper of film substrate is coated with paint , the paint coated paper or coated polymeric film is cut into strips and then swatches using a guillotine , as is known . thereafter , the cut swatches are applied to the mount base by means of the printed indirect adhesive printed on the mount base or the direct adhesive applied to the chip . this mounting may be done with a till box as is known , or using a high speed mounting machine as is generally describe in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 061 , 521 to lerner et al ., assigned to color communications , inc . this patent is incorporated by reference as if fully rewritten herein . referring to fig1 the color of the chips or swatches may be identified by printing 30 on the chip which identification also may correspond to an identification of the color printed on the mount base as seen at 32 . indeed , in an important aspect , the printing of the release composition is done at the time the mount base is printed with graphics , such as pictures and / or text . also referring to fig1 , the identification of the chip color may be achieved by printing the name of the color on the mount base as seen at 34 , but to retain association of the name of the color with the paint on the chip , the chip is perforated as at 36 so that a portion of the chip is retained on the card with the printed name even though a portion of the chip has been removed by tearing along the perforation for remote display of the chip and its color . the color display device of the invention provides one or more paint coated swatches , which are removable from the mount base . after removal from the mount base , the indirect adhesive moves to the chip or the direct adhesive is retained on the chip or swatch such that the chip may be removably adhesively affixed to an alternate substrate remote from the color display device . in this way the colored paint coated swatch may be removed from the display device or card and the colored or paint coated chip may be adhesively applied to a wall or furniture to permit the viewer to evaluate the color such as a paint color in the environment in which the color or paint is to be used . an alternate aspect of the invention is illustrated in fig5 and 6 . in this aspect of the invention , a permanent adhesive 40 is printed onto mount base 42 . a release liner coated with a release composition , the release composition coated with an indirect adhesive or a chip substrate is coated with a direct adhesive . the paper or film chip bonded to the surface of the direct or indirect adhesive provide a release liner 44 / release composition 46 / indirect or direct adhesive 48 / chip substrate 50 laminate which is bonded onto the permanent adhesive printed onto the mount base 42 . a paint coating 52 may be on the surface of the substrate facing the observer ( on the “ top ” of the paint chip ). alternatively , as seen if fig6 the paint coating 56 may be on the bottom of the paint chip 58 where the chip is made of a clear film . as seen in fig6 , a laminate which includes a film substrate 56 / a paint layer 54 / an indirect or direct adhesive 58 / a release composition 60 / a release liner 62 is bonded onto a printed permanent adhesive 64 printed onto the mount base 66 . in this aspect of the invention , the film if thin also may be given additional body with a tissue paper layer ( not shown in this aspect of the invention ). in this aspect of the invention the release liner is permanently adhesively affixed to the mount base , but the painted chip may be peeled from the release liner for remote display of the chip .

US-32828406-A