GIAN Abondoned Patents Database

A compositon useful as an intermediate for a skin laminate and a fiber-reinforced composite comprises:(A) At least 5 wt. % of an at least partially end-capped unsaturated polyetherester wherein the end-capping compound includes a compound having at least one epoxy group;(B) an unsaturated polyester resin such that the weight ratio unsaturated polyester resin (B):polyetherester resin (A) is from about 10:90 to about 90:10;(C) from about 10 to about 70 wt. % of at least one vinyl monomer such as styrene; and(D) a curing agent such as a free radical initiator and an accelerator.

The invention relates to a rice cysteine proteinase gene promoter, as well as vectors, transformed cells, and transgenic plants containing the promoter.

The invention relates to a method for producing a foreign polypeptide comprising secreting the foreign polypeptide into an intercellular fluid of a plant and recovering the polypeptide therefrom; and to a promoter DNA for use in the method which is capable of directing the expression of the foreign polypeptide that is to be secreted. The method is extremely useful industrially, since the method enables to produce a foreign polypeptide in a plant xylem sap with high efficiency.

In one aspect, the invention provides a method of extracting arabinoxylan from corn fiber wherein the method comprises the steps of: (a) heating an aqueous mixture of corn fiber and a liquid; (b) contacting the mixture of step (a) with a protease enzyme, thereby providing a proteolyzed corn fiber and a liquid; (c) separating the liquid from the proteolyzed corn fiber; (d) contacting the proteolyzed corn fiber at least once with an alkaline extractant, thereby providing an insoluble cellulose material and a liquid comprising arabinoxylan; (e) separating the insoluble cellulose material from the liquid comprising arabinoxylan; and (f) reducing the volume of the liquid comprising arabinoxylan by removing excess alkaline extractant, thereby providing a concentrated liquid comprising from about 10% to about 50% solids, wherein the solids comprise arabinoxylan. In a further aspect, the invention provides methods of preparing novel arabinoxylan esters and ethers. Still further, the invention provides novel arabinoxylan esters and ethers.

A process for preparing a high-purity ascorbic acid-2-monophosphate salt in a convenient manner and in a high yield, comprising hydrolyzing an ascorbic acid-2-polyphosphate or a salt thereof in the presence of magnesium ion at a pH of 7 or more.

The present invention relates to processes for the preparation of oxo products by the hydroformylation of substrates having C═C double bonds using unmodified rhodium catalysts in a reaction mixture essentially consisting of the substrates, the catalyst and carbon dioxide in a supercritical state (scCO2). In particular, the invention relates to such processes for the preparation of products which contain substantial proportions of branched i-oxo products. Further, the invention relates to such processes for the hydroformylation of substrates which do not correspond to the general formula CnH2n. The invention further relates to such processes in which the separation of product and catalyst is effected using the special solvent properties of scCO2.

A process of selectively hydrogenating an impurity in a feed containing hydrocarbons, such as, for example, an impurity selected from the group consisting of acetylene compounds, dienes, and mixtures thereof in a feed containing at least one monoolefin and the impurity wherein the impurity is hydrogenated selectively in the presence of a selective hydrogenation catalyst supported on a particulate support. The supported catalyst is supported on a mesh-like structure.

A process for producing polymers from olefins selectively produced from a catalytically cracked or thermally cracked naphtha stream is disclosed herein. The naphtha stream is introduced into a process unit comprised of a reaction zone, a stripping zone, a catalyst regeneration zone, and a fractionation zone. The naphtha feedstream is contacted in the reaction zone with a catalyst containing from about 10 to 50 wt. % of a crystalline zeolite having an average pore diameter less than about 0.7 nanometers at reaction conditions which include temperatures ranging from about 500° to 650° C. and a hydrocarbon partial pressure from about 10 to 40 psia. Vapor products are collected overhead and the catalyst particles are passed through the stripping zone on the way to the catalyst regeneration zone. Volatiles are stripped with steam in the stripping zone and the catalyst particles are sent to the catalyst regeneration zone where coke is burned from the catalyst, which is then recycled to the reaction zone. Overhead products from the reaction zone are passed to a fractionation zone where a stream of C3 products is recovered and a stream rich in C4 and/or C5 olefins is recycled to the stripping zone. The olefins can be further processed and polymerized to form a variety of polymer materials.

A method for treating a heavy metal-contaminated solid, semi-solid, liquid or gaseous matrix, comprising contacting the matrix with an inorganic-sulfur containing material selected from the group consisting of magnesium sulfite, calcium magnesium sulfite, and mixtures thereof as well as with scrubber magnesium product.

A nuclear gamma camera employs a virtual contouring technique in order to maximize the portion of transmission radiation fan beams (32a, 32b) which pass through a subject (12). A plurality of radiation detector heads (20a-20c) having radiation receiving faces and a plurality of radiation sources (30a, 30b) are mounted to a gantry (16). An orbit memory (42) stores clearance offset orbit (45) around the subject and a subject support (10). A tangent calculator (46) calculates virtual lines (48a, 48b) between the radiation sources (30a, 30b) and the corresponding radiation detector heads (20a, 20b). The virtual lines (48a, 48b) correspond to edge rays of the transmission radiation fans (32a, 32b). A shift calculator (50) calculates and sends shift commands to a motor orbit controller (52) which controls rotational and translational drives attached to the detector heads (20a-20c). The detector heads are translated such that the virtual lines (48a, 48b) remain tangent to a predefined contour of the subject throughout rotation of the detector heads about the subject receiving aperture (18). The detected transmission radiation (32a, 32b) is reconstructed (64t) into an attenuation volumetric image representation and used to correct (68) detected emission radiation data. The corrected emission data is then reconstructed (64e) into a volumetric image representation. The virtual contouring minimizes lost rays (40) of transmission radiation and facilitates an artifact-free attenuation volumetric image representation.

A system for detecting an underwater object includes an optical signal generator operable to generate and transmit an optical signal into the water. The system also includes an absorption cell operable to receive the optical signal reflected from the water and absorb an unshifted frequency component of the reflected optical signal. The system further includes a detector operable to receive a shifted frequency component of the optical signal from the absorption cell and detect the object using the shifted frequency component of the optical signal. Displacement of the water by the object causes an absence of a portion of the shifted frequency component of the optical signal.

An asymmetric sampling scheme for use with a nuclear medicine gamma camera facilitates collection of a full set of higher resolution emission data and lower resolution transmission data with one complete 360° rotation of the gantry. The gantry (16) contains a plurality of radiation detectors (20a-20c) and at least one adjustably mounted radiation source (30a). During a scan, the gantry (16) is incrementally rotated about a subject receiving aperture (18) by a predetermined step size throughout a first 180° of a rotation (P1, . . . , P6). The gantry (16) is then rotated about the subject receiving aperture (18) by one-half the predetermined step size (P7 or P8). The gantry (16) is then incrementally rotated about the subject receiving aperture (18) by the predetermined step size throughout the remaining 180° of the scan (P8, . . . , P2). Emission data collected during the second half of the scan (P8, . . . , P12) is interleaved into the data from the first half of the scan. Such sampling reduces overall scan time by cutting the number of steps approximately in half, therefore, eliminating 50% of the dead time while the gantry rotates and comes to rest.

Several types of ballast circuits for operating one or many LEDs in AC circuits finding particular use in aircraft lighting panels are disclosed. The first type is a linear transfer function ballast using inductors to limit diode current, and capacitors to ensure unity input power factors. The second type is a non-linear transfer function ballast using inductors to limit current, capacitors to ensure unity input power factor, and diodes shunted across one or many series connected inductors to steepen the transfer function. The aim of steepening the transfer function is to imitate the voltage—brightness characteristic of incandescent bulbs, thereby providing a direct replacement aerospace lighting solution compatible with existing AC light dimmers. It is also possible to configure the ballasts of the present invention to function with a DC input voltage.

An apparatus invention relates to an apparatus and method for monitoring an interior space which is closed off by a locked and/or manually non-unlockable door, flap, sliding sunroof or the like, for example a passenger compartment or luggage compartment of a motor vehicle, with respect to living entities enclosed therein and the quality of their living environment, having a control circuit and sensor evaluation arrangements connected thereto, which arrangements each interact with at least one sensor, a first sensor evaluation arrangement outputting a first signal to the control circuit if there are living entities in the interior space, and a second sensor evaluation arrangement outputting a second signal to the control circuit if the living environment changes in the direction of life- and/or health-threatening states, at least one actuator connected to the control circuit acting on a motor-actuatable closure of the door, flap, sliding sunroof or the like, which is activated by the control circuit for the purpose of opening, unlocking or rendering unlockable the door, flap or the like when both the first and the second signals have been output.

A disc drive includes a base and a disc rotatably attached to the base. The disc drive also includes an actuator assembly rotatably attached to said base and a device for moving the actuator assembly. The disc drive includes servo circuitry and a controller for controlling movement of the actuator and head switches during track seek operations. The disc drive determines the average seek time for each head and also measures the amount of time for a head switch from the transducer head having the shortest average seek time to all the other transducing heads in the disc drive. When a seek is performed, the controller in the disc drive determines if the shortest average seek time plus the seek time from the transducing head to the transducing head on the surface containing the target track and sector is less than the average seek time of the head on the surface having the target track and sector.

A controller for a power factor corrector (PFC), having a controllable switch and operable in a discontinuous conduction mode (DCM), and a method of controlling the controllable switch. In one embodiment, the controller includes: (1) a drive circuit adapted to drive the controllable switch and (2) a current mode control circuit adapted to sense a current of the PFC and develop a current control signal based thereon. The drive circuit reduces a duty cycle of the controllable switch based on the current control signal to reduce input current distortion in the PFC.

A method for detecting misfire in an internal combustion engine comprising the steps of measuring instantaneous angular velocity of the engine crankshaft during combustion in the combustion chamber of a piston and cylinder assembly, determining if combustion has occurred using crankshaft acceleration data, measuring engine block combustion energy vibrations by means of an accelerometer, determining whether combustion has occurred using the accelerometer data, identifying the cylinder where the acceleration data originates, comparing the results of the crankshaft acceleration information with the accelerometer information to detect whether each set of data detects misfire, decreasing the threshold for detecting a misfire using accelerometer data if a misfire is detected only by the crankshaft acceleration data whereby a reliable misfire signal can be obtained during those instances when the crankshaft acceleration data is unreliable and increasing the threshold for the accelerometer when the crankshaft acceleration data indicates no misfire but a misfire is detected by the accelerometer information.

An engine ignition timing tool is provided for use with a strobe timing light in setting the timing of Harley-Davidson motorcycle engines The timing display tool includes a modified circuit breaker cam bolt having a pointer indicator attachable to a cam assembly of the engine, and an ignition timing measuring plate attachable to a gear cover of the engine. The timing display tool is installed on the side of the engine having the ignition unit where the ignition timing is to be set. The engine is run and the strobe timing light is set to the engine spark firing frequency then shone onto the pointer indicator and measuring plate so that the pointer indicator is illuminated at a timing mark corresponding to the degree of spark advance or retard of the engine. The ignition timing is then adjusted.

A signal is transmitted to/from an analog circuit portion and a digital circuit portion through an interface circuit portion. Analog circuit portion, digital circuit portion and interface circuit portion are externally supplied with power from different power supplies and provided in different well regions.

A system and method for programming a digitally tunable oscillator is provided. A desired output frequency is received. A tuning effect of a set of digital tuning words on a crystal resonant frequency is determined, and valid parameters of an algorithm for translating and tuning the crystal resonant frequency to a value within an error tolerance of the desired frequency, based on the determined tuning effect are calculated. Valid parameters are preferably calculated based on an intermediate tuning value, sorted by ascending divide parameter of the algorithm, and then evaluated in sorted order for ability of a tuning effect to null frequency error to within the error tolerance. The valid set of calculated parameters are then programmed into a nonvolatile memory. The oscillator control parameters may remain unprogrammed until all necessary parameters are defined. Because the device may be programmed in a single step, without intermediate presumption of nominal crystal frequency, the final plate process may be unnecessary. A high accuracy may be obtained by searching through the complete set of available parameters for a set that meets a frequency and tolerance specification. The oscillator is preferably a Cypress CY2037 device.

Conductive polymer current-limiting fuses. when connected in series with conventional mechanical circuit breakers, exhibit extremely low let-through values. Particularly, conductive polymer current-limiting fuses based on conductive elastomeric material are disclosed which exhibit extremely low let-through values, namely less than 5,000 A2s with a switch current of 1.79 kAp, preferably less than 2,500 A2s, most preferably no more than 2,250 A2s.

A circuit breaker device including a first connection terminal, a second connection terminal, a heating portion electrically interconnecting the first connection terminal and the second connection terminal, and a claw lockingly engaged with the heating portion. The claw is configured to be melted by the heating portion to allow the heating portion to move apart from the first connection terminal and the second connection terminal for electrical disconnection.

When a converter 14 is rotated via a rotation mechanism 17, the arrangement inclination angle of two primary radiators 15a and 16b can be adjusted in the range of 0 to 20 deg. with respect to an axis which is in parallel with the ground. Also the reception polarization angle due to probes of the primary radiators 15a and 15b can be adjusted in the range of 0 to 20 deg. while maintaining a preset difference in polarization angle among the satellites. Therefore, the arrangement inclination angle of the primary radiators 15a and 16b for respectively receiving signals from the two satellites, and the reception polarization angle in the primary radiators 15a and 15b can be simultaneously easily adjusted by rotating the converter 14 via the rotation mechanism 17.

A bidirectional multispeed indexing control system for a display unit which has an increment input and a decrement input so as to be controllable to sequentially index through an ordered list of discrete elements. The control system has a two-button user interface. The user presses one button to increment once, and holds that button to continuously index at a slow fixed speed. To increase the indexing speed, the user presses the second button while continuing to hold the first button. Indexing speed will continue to increase until either a maximum speed is reached or the user releases the second button, at which point the indexing speed decreases from the value reached while holding the second button. To stop indexing, both buttons are released. To increment in the opposite direction (i.e., decrement), the order in which the buttons are pressed is reversed.

An exposure method and apparatus are provided. The exposure apparatus of the present invention includes a discontinuous exposure unit which discontinuously exposes the scan-end point in a first field to be scanned on an exposure substrate, and also discontinuously exposes the scan-start point in a second field to be scanned on the exposure substrate. The exposure substrate is moved so that the scan-end point in the first field and the scan-start point in the second field overlap with each other to form an intermediate area to be exposed. In the intermediate area, the exposure of the first field and the exposure of the second field are averaged to prevent a difference in width of the intermediate area. This effect can be achieved without prolonging the exposure time.

A rangefinder optical system with a first optical system, a field frame optical system, and a second optical system, further including a field frame reflection member; a second optical system reflection member, and an optical-path merging member of the second optical system. A second image by the second optical system is formed on the side of the second optical system reflection member with respect to the optical-path merging member of the second optical system, i.e., when viewed from the first optical system, the second image is formed at the position substantially optical-equivalent to the position of the field frame member.

The invention relates to an electrochromic device having(a) a pair of glass or plastic plates or plastic films wherein at least one such plate or film is provided on one side each with an electrically conductive coating, wherein(1) at least one such plate or film and its conductive coating is transparent,(2) the other such plate or film and its conductive coating is optionally mirrored,(3) the electrically conductive layer of one or both of the two plates or films is optionally divided into separate segments optionally provided with individual contacts, and(4) the plates or films are joined on the sides of their conductive coating by means of a sealing ring to form a volume; and(b) the volume formed by the two plates or films and the sealing ring is filled with an electrochromic medium containing certain dihydronaphthazines or dihydrophenazines.

An improvement of a tape cartridge is characterized in that connecting plate parts having recesses, one for each, in the rear inner portions thereof facing the exposed tape portion. The recesses formed in the rear inner portions of the connecting plate parts are preferably bevels tapering rearwardly and outwardly, but they may take the form of steps instead.

According to the invention, the magnetoresistance (25) is coupled to a secondary air gap (15) formed by two hollowed out magnetic parts (12-1, 12-2). Applicable to the measurement of magnetic fields.

A specular spin valve structure that is more robust than currently available specular spin valves is described. The improved stability is achieved by a using a modified pinned layer that is a laminate of three layers—a layer nickel-chromium, between about 3 and 4 Angstroms thick, sandwiched between two layers of cobalt-iron. A key requirement is that the cobalt-iron layer closest to the copper separation layer must be about twice as thick as the other cobalt-iron layer. A process for manufacturing this structure is also disclosed.

A power line flicker protection circuit, used to protect electronic equipment, features the following: A transformer (T1), provides power to the DC power supply (FIG. 2), and signaling to the auto reset watchdog circuit (FIG. 3) and the timer circuit (FIG. 4). The auto reset watchdog circuit monitors the AC signal, and upon interruption or flicker, sends a reset signal to the timer circuit. The timer circuit controls a control relay (S1), which in turn controls the 120 Vac power to the load. When the reset signal is received, the AC power to the load is removed, protecting the load. After a set time interval, after the AC power is back to normal, the AC power is automatically reconnected to the load.

A quick stop circuit for a spring applied quick stop mechanism coupled to an electrically operated actuator includes a dual quick stop switch which includes a simultaneously operated normally open switch and a normally closed switch. The closing of the normally open switch causes control units to turn off a relay which controls energizing of the actuator through an actuator relay. The opening of the normally closed switch de-energizes a quick stop relay which disconnects the driver from its power source, which also de-energizes the actuator relay, which de-energizes the actuator so that the spring applied quick stop mechanism will move to its stop position.

There is provided an electrical connector housing including a printed circuit board, which is designed to avoid the formation of unusable space. The electrical connector housing which contains such a printed circuit board includes conductor patterns, bus bar circuitry including a plurality of bus bars, and an electronic component including a plurality of lead terminals. Further, the printed circuit board and the bus bar circuitry are arranged side by side on a same plane. Some of the plurality of the lead terminals are electrically connected to the conductor patterns, while the other lead terminals are electrically connected to the bus bars.

The present invention, generally speaking, provides a magnetic memory element that is single domain in nature and has a geometry that mitigates the effects of half-select noise. In a preferred embodiment, the magnetic memory element takes the form of a magnetic post or tube having an aspect ratio in the range of 2:1 (more preferably 4:1). The outside diameter of the magnetic tube or post is preferably less than 0.8 microns, more preferably 0.6 microns or less. The magnetic post or tube then functions as a single magnetic domain. In the case of a magnetic tube, the skin of the tube is formed of a magnetic material and the interior of the tube is formed of a non-magnetic material. Suitable non-magnetic materials include copper, gold and silicon. The coercivity of the magnetic tube structure may be adjusted by adjusting the thickness of the magnetic skin. As a result, the magnetic memory element is readily scalable to smaller geometries as lithographic techniques improve. The combination of very small, single-domain size and a relatively large aspect ratio results in uniquely desirable properties. Current levels within any reasonable expectation operate to switch the state of the magnetic tube only when the magnetic tube is destabilized by running current through it. With current flowing through the magnetic tube, its state may be readily changed by running modest currents in opposite directions through two parallel conductors, one on each side of the magnetic tube. When the magnetic tube is switched, the single domain nature of the magnetic tube produces a signal that is typically 10-15 times stronger than signals produced by conventional magnetic memory elements. The magnetic tube functions as a vertical magnetic field generator and may be formed in intimate proximity to a magnetic field sensor such as above the gate of a magFET.

A cartridge transporting apparatus in which a disk cartridge inserted from an insertion opening is loaded into a cartridge holder in an x-direction in a three-dimensional coordinate and the cartridge holder is transported to a reproducing position in a z-direction perpendicular to the x-direction. The cartridge transporting apparatus comprises a driving roller for transporting the cartridge in its contact with a lower face of the cartridge into the cartridge holder in the x-direction, and a holder transporting mechanism for transporting the cartridge holder in the z-direction. The driving roller continues to rotate also after the holder transporting mechanism starts to transport the cartridge holder toward the reproducing position. In this configuration, the cartridge can be transported reliably.

A dichroic mirror of a polarized beam splitter is installed between a mirror and an objective lens as a beam synthesize/split means, in an optical system corresponding to a second dick and an optical system corresponding to a first disk arranged so as to form a two-layer structure. The dimension of the optical head in the width, length, and thickness directions are designed moderately.

In a preferred embodiment, a bandpass loudspeaker enclosure includes three sub chambers, a first one being a non-Helmholtz-reflex chamber of a sealed acoustic suspension construction, and the remaining two chambers utilizing two passive acoustic radiators to achieve two Helmholtz-reflex vent tunings and a multiple of low pass acoustic filters that provide an acoustic bandpass with a substantially 2nd order high pass characteristic combined with an extended, steeper, at least 4th order slope low pass stop band characteristic.

A fluid encapsulated MEMS optical switch includes an optical waveguide matrix with MEMS mirrors situated in trenches located at waveguide cross-points. The trenches are filled with collimation-maintaining fluid and the mirrors are immersed the rein. The collimation maintaining fluid prevents the light beam from spreading when it enters the switch cross-points. This feature enables the use of much smaller MEMS mirrors and prevents some of the typical MEMS mirror problems found in the related art

The invention pertains to a thermo-optical switch comprising a cascade of 1×M optical switches, gates for selectively blocking and unblocking the output paths of the cascaded switch, and means for driving the 1×M switches and the gates, which means are arranged to switch a data signal from an input path of the cascaded switch to one of the output paths, wherein the said means are also arranged to switch an unwanted signal, by means of a number of the remaining 1×M switches, to at least one of the remaining output paths. In the cascaded switch according to the invention, the generated heat is distributed evenly over the area of the switch and the overall amount of heat generated is reduced.

To provide a probe having an optical waveguide which is robust and highly reliable, and a method of manufacturing the same. A probe having an optical waveguide includes an optical waveguide portion having a double hetero structure and comprising an In1−x′−y′Gax′Aly′N layer (5), an In1−x−yGaxAlyN layer (4), and an In1−x″−y″Gax″Aly″N layer (3); and an AlxGa1−xN probe portion (8) grown in a conical shape on the In1−x−yGaxAlyN layer (4) of the optical waveguide portion.

A computer program storage medium readable by a computing system and encoding a computer program of instructions for executing a computer process for the treatment of data obtained from synchronized electrocardiogram tomoscintigraphy, said data being correlated to image giving the activity of a heart comprising auricles, ventricles, valves and septum, said image comprising at least: (a) a first portion consisting of the pixels showing the auricles and ventricles during the cardiac cycle, each cycle comprising successive time bins with an end-systole time and end-diastole time, and (b) a second portion consisting of pixels substantially not involved with said cardiac activity.

A method and apparatus for calibrating readings of a downhole tool are provided. The method including collecting data representative of gamma ray photon energies detected by a downhole tool during the well-logging, a spectrum of the gamma ray photon energies detected by the downhole tool having a derivative with respect to the gamma ray photon energies. The method and program comprise calibrating the readings of the downhole tool using at least one predetermined correction factor based on the derivative of the spectrum of the gamma ray photon energies detected by the downhole tool. A computer-readable program storage device and a computer programmed to perform a set of instructions are also provided.

A search system and method is provided that may implemented in a content addressable memory (CAM) using various different memory technologies including SRAMs. DRAMs or Embedded DRAMs. The search system increases the density and efficiency of the CAM by using a search tree to reduce the total number of entries that must be matched against the key.

A method and apparatus for synchronizing a bus bridge to a master clock comprising receiving a time stamp packet at an input clock register of the bus bridge, comparing the value of the input clock register to the value of an output clock register of the bus bridge, obtaining an error value of the output clock register from the comparison, and determining whether the error value is below a predetermined threshold are described.

A number of eye shades having a headband coupled to a transparent visor are disclosed. The visor extends downward from the headband so that it is positioned in front of a wearer's eyes when worn. The visor may have a resilient protective nosepiece attached thereto. The headband may be made of a flexible material that wraps around a top edge of the visor and is affixed thereto, such as by sewing or adhesive. The eye shade may be foldable including a foldable headband and vented end members that are attached to and fold behind the visor. The headband and visor may be attached to an interior surface of a hat to provide an item of headgear.

An absorbent broom cover for use with a household broom, particularly for cleaning surfaces. The cover comprises a sheet of doubled-over material and a securing portion. Portions of the doubled-over sheet are attachable and together define a proximal opening. The securing portion has a pair of elastically resilient strips attached to opposite faces of the tapered ends. The first strip folds up and over the second strip during engagement, thereby securely fastening the cover in place.

A method of descaling surfaces having oscillation marks of cast billets produced by a continuous casting process an reduced in a hot strip train including an equalizing furnace and a plurality of rolling mill stands, with the cast billets being delivered from a continuous casting machine through a billet guide, with the method including subjecting surfaces of a cast billet, in a limited region between an end of the billet guide and an entrance of one of the equalizing furnace and a first rolling mill stand, by at lease a double deflection of the cast billet from a horizontal transporting path of the cast billet, to stretching in a region of each deflection, and subjecting the surfaces of the cast billet to an intensive flushing with hard water jets in the deflection regions of the eight-gage slab.

A tool 10 having a pair of movably connected handles 12,14, each of which respectively include a substantially identical and generally semi-cylindrical retention member 20,22, The tool 10 may be used to secure a connector 36 upon end 34 of hose 28 while protecting a user of the tool 10 from contact with the frayed sheathing portions 32 proximate to end 34. In operation, end 34 is secured between members 20 and 22 and the connector 36 is forced onto end 34, thereby attaching the connector 36 to the hose 28. In alternate embodiments, members 20,22 may be removably connected to handles 12,14 or may be integrally formed with a robotic arm 52.

An apparatus for checking elevation between reference markers. The apparatus includes a measuring device (e.g., a tape measure) that can measure the distance from an elevated location to the ground immediately below the location. A sighting device and a leveling device (e.g., a hand level) are secured to the distance-measuring device so that a remote reference marker can be sighted. The distance-measuring device is calibrated such that it measures the distance from the ground to the centerline of the sighting device.

A toe box protector, or a metatarsal protector, or a combined protector for safety footwear are molded from plastics material either integrally or as separate parts. Each protector part comprises a body of generally U-shaped cross section provided at the central part of its top outer surface with a force receiving part that overlies the central part with its lower surface spaced from the central part and of concave shape toward the central part, thereby forming an arcuate air space at this location. In an integrally molded structure each force receiving part has two transversely spaced integral junctions with the respective body; alternatively they are molded separately and the force receiving part has longitudinal edges that engage two mutually facing, spaced surfaces on the body part. Compression and impact forces applied to the force receiving part act to flatten it and to press it toward the central part, reducing the height of the interposed arcuate air space, with conversion of such forces to corresponding longitudinal forces distributed along the integral junctions or the butting surfaces and to compression forces in the sides of the U. The separate force receiving plate member may comprise a sheet of plastics material or metal. Each protector body part and force receiving plate member may be divided along its length by transversely extending slots to increase its longitudinal flexibility so as to accommodate the action of walking.

An opening/closing apparatus of petals of artificial flowers adapted to unfold and fold petal members like a natural flower. The apparatus has an expansion member internally disposed underneath a body to expand during absorption of liquid or to shrink during evaporation of the liquid; a medium member disposed above the expansion member to upwardly move according to expanding force of the expansion member; a restoring member coupled to an upper side of the medium member to downwardly move the medium member according to resilience; and a plurality of petal members respectively hinged to periphery of the body, each at a predetermined height to unfold outwardly when the medium member descends or to fold inwardly when the medium member ascends. Attentively, the apparatus has a flexible member coupled to an upper side of the body to flexibly move vertically according to expansion or shrinkage of the expansion member; and a plurality of petal members respectively attached to center and peripheral sides of the flexible member, each distanced at a predetermined space relative to the upper side of the flexible member to outwardly unfold when the upper side of the flexible member is convexly and upwardly elongated or to inwardly fold when the upper side of the flexible member is concavely and downwardly shrunk.

A signaling fishing rod is disclosed wherein an electrical circuit is completed upon sensing of a strike by a fish, activating a perceptible signal.

A device and a method are provided for reproducing complex electrical fields associated with aquatic species as they exist in nature, for the purpose of altering the behavior of like or unlike aquatic species. An aquatic species is selected for observation and isolated from other species to avoid interference. At least one of an attribute and a observable behavior of the isolated species is recorded as well as an electrical field signature associated with the isolated species. In another aspect, a method is provided for identifying a particular aquatic species in an unisolated environment according to a particular electrical field signature generated by various aquatic species.

A sheet for sprouting of grass seed and for safeguarding early grass growth and an improved mat containing such sheet for growing lawns or other vegetation on soil. The sheet for sprouting of grass seeds has an upper layer of a transparent vinyl plastic or polyethylene which has a plurality of specifically sized ventilation openings. The ventilating openings are varied, depending upon the sowing season of the grass seeds, from approximately 3.5 cm to 4.5 cm distance apart, and 9 mm to 15 mm in diameter. A plurality of sheets exist below the vinyl sheet and a comprised of a viscous cellulose fiber sheet, a planting sheet containing the seeds and fertilizer and a fibrous ground protective sheet. Optionally, a further sheet may be added for weed or insect control, and some of the sheets may be in combined form.

The present invention provides an apparatus and method of cultivating a plant using a subirrigating method. The apparatus includes a culture medium cell constructed in such a manner that artificial culture medium is packed in a packing material having excellent ventilation and moisture absorptivity to be shaped in a predetermined form, a planting pot which contains the culture medium cell and has holes through which a sufficient amount of nutritive solution and air pass, a cooling/heating device set in the lower portion of the culture medium cell to cool or heat the root of the plant, and a nutritive solution supplying device for automatically supplying the nutritive solution to a plant planted in the culture medium cell placed a distance from one or more nutritive solution containers, thereby supplying the nutritive solution and air to the root of the plant continuously to maintain the optimum growth environment, forcing the plant growth.

The present invention provides a device for enhancing the load carrying capacity of new or existing, spanning, structural lumber. The device consists of a perforated steel strap, attached at both ends of a spanning structural member by means of standard fasteners such as nails, screws or bolts and running parallel to the long axis of the member either on the bottom or along the side. The strap is then tensioned by means of a central expanding device such as opposed wedges. The tensioning of the strap has the effect of adding tensile strength to the bottom chord of the spanning structural member as well as supporting the center of the member, thereby increasing the load carrying capacity. The device could be attached to new structural lumber before installation to either reduce the size of the member needed for a given span or to increase the spanning capacity for a given size of lumber. In existing construction the device could be added to the bottom or sides of structural members already installed to increase their load carrying capacity.

Provided are novel gas permeable bricks of a refractory material suitable for use in a hot grid of a regenerative heat exchanger. In accordance with one aspect of the invention, the brick has an inner face and an outer face on opposite sides of the brick. One or more cavities extend from the inner face partially into the brick. A plurality of channels for each of the cavities extend from the outer face to the cavities. The cavities and channels allow a gas to pass through the brick. Also provided is a hot grid suitable for use in a regenerative heat exchanger formed from a plurality of the bricks.

This invention relates to a method of storing gas using gas hydrates comprising forming gas hydrates in the presence of a water-surfactant solution that comprises water and surfactant. The addition of minor amounts of surfactant increases the gas hydrate formation rate, increases packing density of the solid hydrate mass and simplifies the formation-storage-decomposition process of gas hydrates. The minor amounts of surfactant also enhance the potential of gas hydrates for industrial storage applications.

A method and apparatus for the separation and recovery of SF6 from a gas mixture consisting essentially of SF6, CF4, and N2. The method and apparatus involve membrane separation to separate N2 from SF6 and CF4, and liquefaction to separate SF6 from CF4.

A unitary prong setting for multiple gemstones and a multiple gemstone combination are provided. The setting includes a first set of prongs, each of which contacts and is adapted to fold over ends of two adjacent gemstones. The first set of prongs press the gemstones together and thereby securing the gemstones to the setting. Each of the first set of prongs is interconnected by a set of respective bars connecting each of the first prongs to a point substantially central to the first prongs; the first set of prongs presses the gemstones together and against the set of bars. The invention preferably further includes a second set of prongs projecting from the main base. The second set of prongs are adapted not to fold over the gemstones. The secondary prongs may provide ancillary support to the gemstones from underneath, or they may merely be decorative.

A master/valet lock and keyset provides a means of permitting limited one-time entry after locking a door to individuals possessing a valet key. In an embodiment, the mechanism relies on the use of a special master key to access a secondary lock cylinder, by means of which the full range of lock positions is allowed. Using the valet key, only the primary lock cylinder is accessed, restricting the range of positions to allow the user to unlock and relock the lock just once. This system may provide a means to allow occasional entry without granting unlimited access to the premises. For example, maintenance personnel could be given a valet key with which they could visit a home to perform repairs. The homeowner would be secure in the knowledge that the key could not be used to enter the home a second time.

A sheet bending brake and stabilizing assembly wherein the sheet bending brake alone is constructed and arranged such that when a workpiece is clamped for bending when a person stands on the floor facing the handle means and the handle means is grasped and raised in a direction away from the person in order to move the handle means and raise the handles means, forces occur which prevent the handle means from moving sufficiently to produce a predetermined bend and the forces causes the entire sheet bending brake to tip away from the person about the portions of the legs which project outwardly from said bending brake and thus prevent the movement of the bending member relative to the first member and prevent bending of the workpiece. The stabilizing assembly for counteracting such forces on the sheet bending brake comprises transversely spaced rails receiving at least a portion of the ends of the leg assemblies. The transversely spaced rails which receive at least a portion of the leg assemblies have portions extend outwardly from beneath the sheet bending brake beyond the brake toward the side of the brake from which the handle member and handle means are accessible. Longitudinally extending rail interconnect the transverse rails. The longitudinally extending rail is attached to the portions. The weight and positioning of the sheet bending brake, leg assemblies and rails are such that a person standing on the floor and facing the side of the brake, grasping and raising the handle means at desired bend without tipping.

A system for monitoring the flow of water through a pipe. A metering device is located in a pipeline. A transmitting unit including a sensor is contained within a housing which has a frame projecting horizontally outwardly from the housing. A clip having an elongated band and a “U” shaped clasp at either end has an inner clasp portion and an outer catch portion to hold the meter against the housing.

A torque transducer comprises a rotating shaft having first and second torque input members connected by a torsionally compliant coupling thereby enabling angular deflection of the torque input members relative to each other as a function of the magnitude of the torque in the shaft. The transducer has an EMR source and an array of EMR sensitive detectors. Each of the torque input members has a grating zone with alternating regions of high and low transmissibility to the EMR. The grating zone resides in the transmission path communicating EMR from the source to the array. A pattern is produced by incident EMR on the array resulting from the alternating regions of high and low transmissibility of the grating zones residing in the transmission path to the array. The pattern on the array is processed to derive the relative angular deflection of the torque input members and provides a measure of the magnitude of the torque in the shaft.

A drive linkage that is used for controlling valves for the drive motors of an implement or machine, such as an excavator, has a pair of links that can be loaded in tension and compression by manually moving operating levers. The links in turn actuate a cam that tilts a swiveling disk to operate a pilot valve assembly normally used for a joystick control. The links are connected so that the pilot valve can selectively operate motors for driving opposite tracks on sides of the implement in either forward and reverse direction, and wherein motors for both sides can be operated in a forward direction and in a rearward direction. Additionally, each of the drive motors can be controlled so the motor for one side drives in forward direction and simultaneously the motor for the other side drives in reverse direction. A control disk for moving the plungers is operated through a cam plate that is in turn moved by moving the links.

A toggle-link type hand tool is provided that includes pivotally interconnected elements having workpiece engaging members and a pair of handles each operatively connected to a respective one of the pivotally interconnected elements, and a toggle-link operatively connected between the handles. Additionally, each of the workpiece engaging members includes a self-adjusting jaw pivotally connected thereto and each jaw is configured to have an angle-shape for engagement with two adjacent sides of a hexagonal fastener. Additionally, the pivotable connection of at least one of the self-adjusting jaws to a respective workpiece engaging member may be provided by a slot formed in one of the jaw and the member and a pin fixed to the other of the jaw and the member to provide greater adjustability of the jaws. Furthermore, the workpiece engaging members may be configured to have a cutting surface, configured as straight blades or as curved cutting surfaces. Actuating mechanism may be provided that includes a gear segment formed on each of the workpiece engaging members, with the gear segments meshing together so that movement of the one workpiece engaging member by operation of the handle transmits movement to the other workpiece engaging member for actuation thereof.

Curved stock is formed from flat stock by cutting a side-by-side series of V-shaped grooves in the face of a piece of flat stock to be curved with a saw blade having triangular cutting teeth. The cut is made to a predetermined depth so that the opposed face of the stock may be curved such that the V-shaped grooves are closed flush or at least partially closed. The resultant outer opposed curved face is thereby left free of any unsightly or undesirable ridges.

An ammunition feed device is disclosed for feeding beltless fed ammunition to a self-loading weapon. The disclosed device includes an endlessly guided ammunition feed chain to feed ammunition into the weapon. It also includes at least two deflection units to guide the ammunition feed chain. Additionally, the disclosed device includes a drive for intermittently driving one of the deflection units in order to intermittently feed ammunition to the weapon in the ammunition feed direction. To reduce the acceleration forces applied by the drive of the ammunition feed chain without changing the operating speeds of the ammunition feed chain, the undriven deflection unit is connected to a blocking device that substantially blocks movement of the deflection unit opposite the ammunition feed direction.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a print engine chassis for supporting an imaging drum (14), an imaging drum motor (16), and a printhead translation assembly (40), and translation motor (18), comprises a sheet metal frame (12) comprised of a plurality of interlocking rigid members. The interlocking rigid members form a first and a second sidewall (23, 25) disposed on opposite ends of the imaging drum (14). A thickness of the first sidewall (23) is adjustable and a thickness of the second sidewall (25) is adjustable to allow the thickness of each sidewall to be varied to accommodate either a right-to-left or a left-to-right imaging direction.

A fusible and vaporizable substance (for example, a thin metal wire is used) 2 is fused and vaporized by supplying thereto a predetermined amount of electrical energy from a capacitor 14 of an electrical energy supply circuit 10 for a short period of time, and nitromethane 3 is detonated by a phenomenon in the process in which the fusible and vaporizable substance 2 fuses and vaporizes, so that an object to be blasted 4 is reliably blasted by this detonation force.

A self-loading, self-discharging, bulk cargo transhipper 20 comprising a buoyant vessel 21 capable of receiving water as ballast inside the buoyant vessel 21, a bulk material receiving system 22, a bulk material distribution system 25 and a bulk material holding system 28, which transhipper 20 is a deep sea transhipper for the transfer of bulk cargo between vessels or between a port without deep draft loading facilities and a vessel at sea. The invention also relates to method of material transfer between vessels at sea or between a port without deep draft loading facilities and a vessel at sea.

An anchor includes at least one fluke, a shank, and a float. The relative position of the float with respect to the center of gravity of the combined shank and fluke causes the anchor to assume a generally upright orientation quickly once the anchor is dropped in the water. One end of the shank is attached to the fluke and the float is attached to a rearward portion of the shank, with the float's center of buoyancy spaced away from the connection to the fluke. Upon being put in the water, the anchor quickly assumes a generally upright orientation, i.e., shank up and fluke tip down. Once in the generally upright orientation, the anchor may gently rock side to side with a pendulum-like action, with the tip of the fluke preferably being the lowest point of the anchor, during its descent to the bottom. When the anchor reaches a soft bottom, the tip of the fluke penetrates the bottom and the momentum of the anchor causes at least a portion of the fluke to bury into the bottom in a generally upright orientation. This setting of the anchor may be achieved in most or all situations without dragging the anchor along the bottom. The anchor is particularly adapted for watercraft where storage space is a concern and for shallow water watercraft.

The bird feeder of the present invention includes a dispenser suitable for receiving, holding and dispensing bird feed into a receptacle suspended below the dispenser. At least one of the dispenser and receptacle is at least partially collapsible to form a lower profile for storage or packaging.

A flow rate ratio of a radiator flow rate to a bypass flow rate is determined from pump water temperature, bypass water temperature and radiator water temperature. The relation between the flow rate ratio and a valve opening degree of a flow control valve is predetermined as a map. The valve opening degree is determined from the flow rate ratio and the map. Accordingly, the cooling water temperature at an inlet of a pump is accurately controlled without detecting the flow rate of the cooling water.

The present invention relates to multiple integrated fluid passages for a internal combustion engine which allow for economical and convenient means for routing fluids in relation to an engine block. For example, the molded passages of the present invention allow coolant to be applied directly to areas needing heat transfer, without requiring the provision of large areas in the engine block to accommodate such cooling fluid. Also, the molded passages of the present invention do not require circular internal passages, so that space-critical items can receive proper distribution of fluid. Also, the molded passages of the present invention allow for economical velocity control of fluids by controlling the sizes of the fluid passage. In a preferred embodiment, the molded passages are formed in a clam shell configuration having an open side and are attached to an exterior surface of the cylinder block, thereby forming an enclosed pathway for fluid flow.

There is provided a cylinder injection type internal combustion engine capable of performing stratified charge operation at the time of a vehicle speed of 120 km/h and/or an engine rotational speed of 3200 rpm to enhance the fuel efficiency and/or to observe the emission regulations. In the internal combustion engine, a stratum of air and/or air flow is formed between a fuel spray injected from an injection valve and the top face of a piston and/or the wall surface of a combustion chamber, and a face shape contrived to guide the air flow is formed on the top face of the piston.Also, the stratified charge operation can be performed even at the time of cold start or cranking.

A vehicle fuel gas supply system includes a fuel line supplying a fuel gas to a gas engine, a shut-off valve and a pressure sensor disposed on said fuel line, and a control section. The pressure sensor is disposed closer to said gas engine in comparison with said shut-off valve. The control section closes the shut-off valve being opened, starts to count the time of a shut-off valve closing timer. Then, the control section opens the shut-off vale when the shut-off valve closing timer counts up, simultaneously therewith measures a pressure by the pressure sensor to store the pressure as an initial pressure, and starting to count the time of a diagnostic timer. Further, the control section measures a second pressure by the pressure sensor when the diagnostic timer counts up to store the second pressure as a final pressure value, and judges that the shut-off value is in a failure state when a pressure increase rate obtained from the initial pressure value and the final pressure value is smaller than a predetermined pressure increase rate threshold value.

In an aerosol inhaler it is proposed that a thermal sensor 5 be arranged in the region of the atomization nozzle 4, which sensor, following the actuation of an actuating element and the triggering of an inhalation process, undergoes cooling as a result of the expansion of the propellant which then occurs. The actuation and cooling are electronically detected in an electronic module 3. Technical and therapeutic data can be derived from the signal, which data are communicated to the user via the display unit and/or alarm devices and influence the therapy in the desired manner. See FIG. 1.

The object of the invention is a pole provided with a quick-releasing interchangeable lateral support extension, especially a walking, skiing, alpine skiing or other sports pole. Around the lower end of the pole (1) is injection molded a sleeve socket (2) from which a guide projection (3) and a locking projection (4) protrude. The lateral support extension sleeve (6, 8) includes a resilient tongue (12), below which there is a receiving aperture (14) for the locking projection (4). The sleeve also includes a guide groove (11) for receiving the guide projection (3). The lateral support extension (5) is easy to detach by turning the resilient tongue (12) outwards.

A method and apparatus for testing a plumbing system in a more dependable and cost-effective manner. During the rough-in plumbing phase of construction, the drain pipe leading from the plumbing system in a building to the city sewer main or main sewer line is positively sealed off by a test cap or plug welded in the pipe at the location of the clean-out. Access to the test cap is maintained through the clean-out. Pressurizing the rough-in plumbing to test the same can then proceed knowing that if any leaks occur, they are in the branch plumbing on the building side of the test cap, and not at or in the test cap. Following successful completion of the initial test, the top-out plumbing job is completed, leaving the test cap welded in the clean-out or drain pipe. After the roof vents are in, the second test of the plumbing system is made, again knowing that if the system shows any leaks, they are the result of a failure in the plumbing work and not a failure of the test cap. After the plumbing system has passed final test and inspection, a special tool or apparatus in accordance with the present invention is inserted down the clean-out to penetrate and ream-out the test cap, so that the drain pipe is opened and provides a passageway through which the waste can flow to the sewer line.

A manway cover system used to cover an opening in a tank, the manway cover system having a manway with a top and a bottom surface, at least one valve mounting area on the top surface for mounting a valve thereon, and a hood contact area surrounding each valve mounting area. The hood contact area is that portion of the top surface of the manway to be contacted by an emergency hood if an emergency hood was installed. The system further includes a flange, the flange being attachable to the manway, the flange covering a portion of the hood contact area when so attached. The flange further has an opening therethrough adapted to allow attachment of the flange on the manway without removal of a valve when mounted on the valve mounting area.

A clean box has a container including a container body opened at one surface and a lid for closing the opening of the container body. An annular groove is formed in at least one of the container body and the lid so as to surround the opening. An elastic seal member is disposed within the annular groove along its whole length. A cross-section in a width direction of the elastic seal member has relatively thick end portions and a relatively thin intermediate portion in its dimension in a depth direction of the annular groove. Thus, when the lid closes the opening of the container body, an annular suction space is defined along the intermediate portion of the seal member. Also, the suction space is sealed by elastic deformation of the both end portions of the seal member between the container body and the lid. Further, the clean box has an intake/exhaust port mechanism for evacuation/release of the suction space from the outside.

A conformal compaction roller for a fiber placement machine. The compaction roller includes a plurality of independent roller segments which are disposed for eccentric, pivoting movement about a common pivot shaft. Each roller segment includes a roller segment plate having an arcuate slot formed therein. A strong back member is disposed within the slot to limit pivoting movement in fore and aft directions. A pair of expandable bladders are disposed within the arcuate bore adjacent the strong back member. The bladders urge the roller segment plates pivotally in the fore direction to provide a generally uniform pressure against a complexly shaped tool surface of the fiber placement machine. The principal advantage of the compaction roller is the eccentric, independent, pivoting movement of each of the roller segments which allows the compaction roller to be used with fiber placement machines having very limited space within which the compaction roller must operate without interfering with adjacently disposed components of the machine. The compaction roller of the present invention is capable of being used in applications where space is too limited for compaction rollers having linearly displaceable segments. The pivoting roller segments also are capable of providing increased stroke lengths over compaction rollers having linearly translatable roller segments.

A manufacturing apparatus and method for facilitating, locating and securement of supports or cushioning blocks on a container panel includes a table for receiving the container panel and a bi-directionally, vertically movable frame which receives a template. The frame is raised and lowered by one or more linear actuators which may be double acting, hydraulic or pneumatic cylinders, ball screw operators or similar devices. The template includes a specific pattern of openings which correspond to the desired locations of supports or cushioning blocks. A container panel is placed on the table, the template is disposed in the frame and the frame is lowered onto the panel. An adhesive such as a hot melt adhesive is distributed on the panel through the openings and the supports or cushioning blocks are positioned according to the template on the panel. The frame and template are then lifted off the pad and the completed panel is removed from the apparatus.

A fire suppression apparatus (10) including a pneumoacoustic atomizer (40) for delivering a mist of water in the form of droplets having a size range between 50-90 microns suspended in a fire suppressing gas such as nitrogen. The supply (12) of fire suppressing gas may be provided by a bottle (16) or a nitrogen generator (14). For airborne applications, the nitrogen generator (14) may be supplied with compressed air bled from a turbine engine (26) of the aircraft. To minimize the consumption of fire suppressing materials, the apparatus (10) may be operated in a pulsed mode, wherein the delivery of fire suppressing materials is interrupted unless a fire sensor (66) detects a fire re-flash. Furthermore, only those atomizers (40) proximate the location of a fire are activated in response to the detection of a fire. To ensure the proper atomization of the water, the opening of a water control valve (44) connected to the atomizer (40) is delayed until a predetermined interval after the opening of the gas control valve (42) for that atomizer (40).

A hydrostatic working device for taking samples from the bottom of the sea. The working device has an outer tube (1), the cylinder tube (1), the cylinder tube with lead-through (5 and 7), and an inner tube (2), the sampling tube with a piston, whereby the space between the outer tube (1) and the inner tube (2), with the piston at the upper end, constitutes a low pressure chamber (29) filled by air under a moderate pressure, in order to keep the sampling tube (2) in an upper position until the valve opens for a working stroke. When the working device is used as a corer the sampling tube is at its lower end equipped with a catcher (4). When the tool is used as a CPT the lead-throughs (5 and 7) are replaced by (20 and 40) and the piston (3) with a piston (19), and the sampler tube (2) is replaced by a probe, and a choke valve (14) is replaced by a pressure compensated volumetric flow valve (39).

An apparatus for controlling a hybrid vehicle having an internal combustion engine and an electric motor as driving sources for the vehicle, in which when it is detected that an air-fuel ratio of a supply air-fuel mixture to the engine changed to the lean side value (S44˜S46), the electric motor (2) is made operative as a motor in order to assist an output of the engine just after the detection (S47, S48). When it is detected that the air-fuel ratio of the supply air-fuel mixture changed to the rich side value (S44, S52, S53), the electric motor (2) is made operative as a generator for the purpose of the regeneration braking just after the detection (S54, S55). An output torque difference of the engine, therefore, when the air-fuel ratio of the supply air-fuel mixture changes can be sufficiently compensated without a time delay.

An apparatus for lubricating a surface. The apparatus includes a cylinder having an interior wall extending longitudinally therethrough. The wall defines an opening. The apparatus also includes a lubricating fluid reservoir located upstream from the opening and a path of fluid communication fluidly connecting the reservoir and the opening. The apparatus also includes a valve located in the path of fluid communication. The valve is biased to close the path of fluid communication. At least one valve opening member is disposed in the opening, with the at least one valve opening member operatively connected to the valve. A surface to be lubricated is insertable into the opening such that the surface engages the at least one valve opening member. The at least one valve opening member opens the valve, allowing the fluid to flow downstream from the reservoir, through the path of fluid communication and to the opening to the surface to be lubricated. A method of lubricating the surface is also disclosed.

It is an object of this invention to provide a drum brake device which solves a problem of decreasing the strength of a back plate near an anchor block and reduces potential damage to the parking brake cable. A pivot lever 60 is pivotally mounted on one brake shoe 20. Upper and lower portions of the pivot lever functionally engage with the other brake shoe 30 via struts 81, 70. A parking brake actuator 90 which pivotally supports on the upper strut 81 and activates upon an activation of a parking brake is arranged to be adjacent to a service brake actuator which activates upon an activation of a service brake. Preferably an operational part of the parking brake actuator is projected out from the brake back plate.

The present invention ensures that the warping of an annular disk body of a brake disk, in the direction of a rotational axis, due to a friction heat, is inhibited to a large extent. The brake disk includes an aluminum alloy matrix, a plurality of alumina aggregates dispersed in the matrix, and a plurality of fine alumina grains. The alumina aggregates have an aspect ratio A larger than 1. In an annular disk body, the alumina aggregates are oriented with their lengthwise directions aligned with the radial direction of the disk body.

The invention relates to a clutch assembly which is designed to be self-adjusting. The invention relates to a multi-plate clutch assembly as well as to a method for operating a multi-plate clutch which can be produced cost-effectively in a structurally simple manner and which has an improved release characteristic. In particular the clutch has a more constant release characteristic with a high operating accuracy over the entire service life.

In an escalator having a plurality of steps connected to an endless chain and moved along an endless path, a rotation locus of step forward wheels at both end portions is shifted toward end portions of the escalator relative to a rotation locus of the chain. A forward wheel guide track for guiding forward wheels of the steps is arranged, at both end portions of the escalator, so that a straight distance between forward wheels of two adjacent steps, which distance tends to be shortened by the chain following an arc at both end portions, is extended. By such constructions, interference between adjacent steps hardly occurs even if the rotation diameter of the steps at each end portion of the escalator is made small. Therefore, the rotation diameter of the steps can be made smaller than a conventional one and the escalator thickness (depth) can be made small.

A work conveying apparatus is comprised of a conveying rail for moving carriages with works and a returning rail for returning the carriages without works to the conveying rail. The returning rail is disposed along the conveying rail while being perpendicularly inclined from the conveying rail. Selector rails are disposed at both ends of the conveying rail, respectively. The selector rails are swingable between a horizontal position extending from the conveying rails and a vertical position extending from the returning rail. The selector rails are swung to transfer the carriages between the conveying rail and the returning rail.

A feed hopper for loading a conveyor with bulk pellet-like items is disclosed. The hopper has a chamber with a top opening for receiving the items and a bottom opening positioned above the conveyor for discharging the items. A plurality of baffle plates are arranged in spaced relation one above the other within the chamber, the baffle plates being angularly oriented with respect to the horizontal and extending partially across the chamber. Bulk pellet-like items received in the top opening impact on the baffle plates as they fall under gravity through the chamber onto the conveyor beneath, the weight of the pellets being supported by the baffle plates and not directly all at once on the conveyor. The lowermost baffle plate is rotatably movable between an open position wherein the plate is in spaced relation with the above positioned neighboring plate, and a closed position whereby an edge of the movable baffle plate is brought into contact with an edge of the neighboring plate, thereby closing off the chamber and preventing items from passing through to the conveyor. The hopper includes a device for measuring the quantity of items on the conveyor, and when this quantity exceeds a predetermined limit, the movable baffle plate is positioned to close off the chamber, the plate being moved back to the open position when the quantity is lower than a second predetermined amount less than the first quantity.

A conveyor belt alignment device comprises an idler roller mounted relative to a conveyor belt, the idler roller having a first cylindrical portion extending over the conveyor belt proximate an edge thereof, and a second cylindrical portion abutting against an edge of the conveyor belt for preventing lateral movement of the conveyor belt relative thereto. The idler roller is biased toward the conveyor belt in a direction substantially perpendicular to a plane defined by an upper surface of the conveyor belt to allow debris to pass between the idler roller and the conveyor belt and thus reduce damage to the conveyor belt.

A golf bag assemblage which includes an elongated container for golf clubs, a bottom unit pivotally attached to the bottom of the elongated container so that the bottom unit pivots in relation to the bottom of the elongated container, and leg means attached by attachment means to the outside of upper portion of the elongated container. The attachment means are positioned diametric to the pivotal attachment of the bottom unit, the leg means include legs which are pivotally attached to the attachment means, and the push rod means are attached to the top region of the legs and to the bottom unit diametric to the pivotal attachment of the bottom unit. When the golf bag is tilted in direction diametric to the pivotal attachment of the bottom unit, the bottom unit, in effect, pivots in relation to the bottom of the elongated container, and the push rod means is moved towards the top of the elongated container, thereby pivoting the legs outward.

A filter media system, which is capable of operating in the microfiltration regime, offers: low cost, durability, high temperature and chemical resistance, no particulation, mechanical strength, separation efficiency, and biocompatibility. The present invention provides a filter media system comprising a fibrous substrate of at least one of carbon and ceramic fibers, wherein an array of carbon or ceramic fiber whiskers have been grown onto the fibrous substrate, without prior densification of the fibrous substrate. A process for manufacturing a filter media system wherein a carbon fiber is treated with a solution of metal catalyst salt, heated in hydrogen at elevated temperatures to reduce the metal salt to metal, and whisker growth is initiated on the surfaces of the metal deposited carbon fibers by decomposition of low molecular weight hydrocarbon gas at elevated temperature is also provided.

A paperboard container for releasably dispensing contents contained therein is convertible from a substantially sealed orientation to a substantially open, dispensing orientation and back to the substantially sealed orientation. The paperboard container comprises a tubular container member, a bottom member and a top member, with the top member being telescopically received within the container member to seal the top member to the container. The top member is pivotable about the hinge portion and is pivotable to the sealed orientation to substantially reseal the container member.

Machine readable coded markings carried on articles to identify various properties of the articles are disclosed. The coded markings are formed integrally of the article in the form of a sequence of areas having contrasting light scattering and reflecting properties incorporated on the article's surface. The areas are arranged in the form of neighboring blocks and empty spaces disposed around and outside of a central target area defined by a sequence of concentric continuous markings, the blocks forming a series of layers containing coded information. Each of the blocks is positioned side-by-side contiguous either with the outermost ring of the target or with a block in a previous layer.

An electric arc metalizing apparatus includes a wire drive unit within a housing unit, a device for attaching at least two spools of wire within the housing unit such that the wire can be led through the wire drive unit, a spray gun spatially moveable with respect to the housing, the wire drive unit having at least one drive roller advancing the wire to the spray gun, the drive roller having a knurled surface engaging the wire for avoiding slippage and removing contaminations like corrosion layers, and within the housing unit at least one wire cleaning/lubrication mean position downstream from said drive unit.

The invention relates to a manual grinder comprising a housing fitted with a sealable filling aperture for the material to be ground, furthermore a grinding unit with an adjustable set of grinding elements and a drive means for said set. The grinding unit (2) is set into rotation by a rotary grip (5) mounted on the housing (1) and by a flexible shaft (3) or articulating shaft mounted between the said rotary grip and the grinding unit (2). The ergonomic rotary grip (5) is illustratively mounted on the side of the grinder housing (1). The large filling aperture for the material to be ground is mounted separately from the filling aperture of the grinding unit and can be sealed by a stopper-like cover (6).

Helicopter, device, and method of controlling helicopter using a computer, at least one motorized mechanical stop, and a collective pitch lever for controlling flight. The device includes a computer, a collective pitch lever, and at least one motorized mechanical stop controlled by the computer. The at least one motorized mechanical stop is adapted to obstruct the free movement of the collective pitch lever. The method includes detecting, using the computer, a deviation between a rotor speed limitation and a current speed, and actuating, using the computer, the at least one motorized mechanical stop. The at least one motorized mechanical stop is adapted to obstruct the free movement of the collective pitch lever.

There is provided a tube core for a stencil sheet roll, and holders fitted to the tube core, which are simple in construction and low in cost, and capable of preventing the roll from being erroneously mounted in an irrelevant machine without fail. The tube core for the stencil sheet roll (R) has two ends in which the holders (H, H″) are installed. The holders have a guide plate (21) and a projection (22, 23) projecting therefrom. The tube core has openings (14, 16) at,the ends into which the projections (22, 23) are inserted. The openings are different in inner dimension from each other such that the projections different in dimension from each other are fitted therein respectively. The tube core is formed of a first tube (11). The end opening (14) of the tube core is formed by one of the openings of the first tube (11), while the other opening (16),of the tube core is equal to an opening (16) of a second tube (15) which is nested in the first tube at a location neighboring to the other end opening of the tube (11). The tube (15) may be internally spaced a predetermined distance away from the end of the tube (11), to form a step portion (17), and the holder (H″) may have a shoulder portion (24) so as to be housed in the step portion.

The present invention provides a magnetic note paper holder comprising a seat and a movable pressing component wherein the top edge of the seat and the bottom edge of the movable pressing component are built in with one magnet respectively, and the magnetic polarities of the surfaces of the magnets are of opposite polarities so as to fix the movable pressing component to hold the paper from opposite sides, and wherein at least one end of one magnet is shaped to be a convex spherical arc and the end of the arc and the other magnet attract each other such that a point contact is formed to weaken the friction, therefore, providing convenience for drawing out the piece of paper.

The disclosed trading game is comprised of a clearing house setting up specific contracts defined as issues each having no innate financial value but of local, national or international interest and involving social, financial, business, political, sports, or general, etc. matters that can be influenced by the actual or potential occurrence of different events or factors. The value of the issue contract might change in value, up or down, depending on how the participants, individually and collectively, believe the resolution of the issue has been advanced, via bids/offers tendered on the contract and trading via the Internet. An important aspect of the trading would be the periodic polling by the clearing house of the interested traders as how-each believes the known current events or factors might influence the subsequent trading prices of the contract, tabulating and reporting the poll results, giving a predicted bias for all participants to evaluate and act on, and monitoring continued open trading of the contract at bid/ask/traded prices.

A gasket is manufactured by a method which comprises applying heat to selected localised areas of a piece of sheet steel so that the structure of the steel is softened only in those areas. An opening is formed through said piece of sheet steel, the opening extending around a closed path in the sheet which passes through said softened areas. The opening has connecting webs extending across it at the softened areas. The method also comprises pressing said webs so that slots are formed in the top and bottom of each web, the slots connecting with the opening on both sides of the web. The method also comprises filling said opening and slots with resilient material which also forms sealing beads extending along said path and projecting from said opening and slots on both sides of the sheet.

A windshield seal has a base, to be connected to windshield molding. The base is generally parallel to a windshield in a section view. A primary sealing lip is connected at an inboard end of the base, to contact the windshield. A secondary sealing lip is connected to an outboard end of the base, to contact the windshield. The primary sealing lip generally points inboard and toward the windshield and the secondary sealing lip generally points outboard and toward the windshield. An inboard leg is connected to the inboard end of the base, to be positioned outside the windshield molding, the inboard leg being generally perpendicular to the windshield. An outboard leg is connected to the outboard end of the base, to be positioned inside the windshield molding, the outboard leg being generally perpendicular to the windshield.

A soft boot snowboard binding system having tool-less adjustments to permit a custom fit for maximum comfort and control. The adjustments, once made, are secure against unwanted release caused by environmental elements or hard use. A quick-release lever and buckle provide fast in and out action upon easy manual operation of the buckle, but resists all unwanted releases or jamming from snow build-up. A tool-less forward lean adjuster carries a concealed philips screwdriver bit which inserts into the adjuster plate to provide a screwdriver to tighten mounting screws or other fasteners on the snowboard binding, as needed.

A gas bag arrangement for a motor vehicle safety system is provided. A gas generator is disposed in a housing to which is connected an airbag that is unfolded and inflated by gas produced by the gas generator and guided to a gas discharge area of the housing. A first partial discharge area of the gas discharge area is formed by a discharge part that projects from the housing into the airbag. A second partial discharge area is formed by openings disposed about a location where the discharge part is attached to the housing. Two partial flows of gas from the gas generator are separately directed, in the same direction, onto the material of the airbag. The first and second partial discharge areas are staggered relative to the airbag when viewed in a direction of discharge of gas from the housing.

A safety release assembly for a trunk or compartment of a vehicle is provided which is positionable within the trunk or compartment space of the vehicle so as to allow for opening of the trunk or compartment lid from within the trunk or compartment. The safety assembly comprises a handle for activating a release mechanism of the lid in order to open the compartment, a release assist device, at least one illumination source, which is at least occasionally activated to provide illumination of the handle, and a control for activating the assist device or the illumination source in response to an occurrence of at least one activating event such as when the deck lid is closed, motion is sensed by a sensor within the trunk/compartment, an object having a predetermined temperature is detected within the trunk/compartment, or the like. The handle is interconnected with the release mechanism of the compartment, such that movement of the handle results in activation of the release mechanism and thus opening of the lid. The assist device is operable to activate the handle or the release mechanism to ease the opening of the trunk or to automatically open the trunk in response to the control, and may be electrically powered, mechanically powered or gas powered. The control is operable to activate the illumination source for a period of time following occurrence of at least one activating event, and subsequently to deactivate the illumination source upon completion of that time period. The handle of the present invention is designed for easy visibility in minimal lighting conditions and easy recognition even by a young child who may become trapped within the trunk space of the vehicle. This allows easy recognition and activation of the handle and release mechanism of the lid of the vehicle compartment in order to escape from within a trunk space.

A seat assembly for a vehicle having a seat cushion being connected to the vehicle for pivotal movement about a first axis and a seat back being connected to the seat cushion for rotational movement about a second axis. When the seat cushion is pivoted about the first axis from a generally horizontal position to a generally vertical position, the seat cushion is displaced in a rearward and upward direction and the seat back is displaced in a rearward and downward direction.

A vehicle solenoid valve includes a coil case with a plunger housing disposed therein. The plunger housing establishes a first fluid communication path and a second fluid communication path. Reciprocably disposed within the plunger housing is a plunger. The plunger is movable between a de-energized configuration wherein fluid communication through the first fluid communication path is permitted and fluid communication through the second fluid communication path is blocked, an energized configuration, wherein fluid communication through the first fluid communication path is blocked and fluid communication through the second fluid communication path is permitted, and a pressure relief configuration, wherein, while the valve is energized, fluid pressure on the plunger surpasses a predetermined pressure level to overcome an opposing magnetic force on the plunger and permit fluid communication through the first fluid communication path.

A foam-filled cap sealing ink-ejecting nozzles of an inkjet printhead in a printing mechanism has a two-layer structure, with an outer skin layer of an elastomer, and a second foam core layer inside the skin. The skin defines a sealing lip that surrounds the nozzles when the cap is in a sealing position to avoid unnecessary drying of the ink. The skin has an interior surface that defines a cavity under the sealing lip. The foam core, located within the cavity, may be formed by expanding a foam preform or by injecting raw foam into the cavity. An insert may be molded into the cap structure for use in mounting the cap in the printing mechanism. An optional backing layer molded to the structure is used to attach a vent basin to the cap. A method of constructing this cap, and a printing mechanism having this cap, are also described.

A thermal actuator for micro electro-mechanical devices, the actuator comprising a supporting substrate, an actuator actuation portion, a first arm attached at a first end thereof to the substrate and at a second end to the actuation portion, the first arm being arranged, in use, to be conductively heatable, a second arm attached at a first end to the supporting substrate and at a second end to the actuation portion, the second arm being spaced apart from the first arm, whereby the first and second arm define a gap between them; and wherein, in use, the first arm is arranged to undergo thermal expansion when conductively heated, thereby causing a force to be applied to the actuation portion.

A flash type optic pen comprises a pen body, a seat and a transparent telescopic head. The pen body is electrically connected to a battery and a switch. The seat is assembled to the front end of the pen body and has at least one circuit board and a plurality of light emitting diodes electrically connected to the circuit board. The transparent telescopic head is formed by a plurality of transparent staged tubes having reducing diameters. Thus, the pen body has the functions of writing and illumination. The light emitting angles, colors, heights and orientations of the light emitting diodes are different. The circuit board is installed with a programmable IC circuit for presetting and controlling the lighting up and extinguishing order of the light emitting diodes. The lights from the light emitting diodes are alternatively changed in a predetermined way or randomly, or flashes overlapped or separately. Viewing the optic pen from the outer side of the transparent telescopic head, it can see that lights of different colors change the positions continuously so as to present a vivid and beautiful visual effect.

A space vehicle includes a temperature sensitive oscillator carried by a housing. The temperature sensitive oscillator includes a radiation hardened inverting gain circuit, such as a comparator, able to withstand radiation in an ambient space environment, and a thermistor connected to the radiation hardened inverting gain circuit so that an output frequency of the temperature sensitive oscillator varies based upon a temperature of the thermistor. Also, a frequency counter is preferably connected to the temperature sensitive oscillator for generating a digital output signal representative of a sensed temperature. The sensed temperature may be used by one or more electronic circuits connected to the frequency counter.

The present invention is directed to a joint of a supporting frame, which includes a basic unit to connecting with one to six connecting units at a related side plate. The connecting unit can connect with related crossbeams to assembling a supporting frame; wherein each connecting unit has provided with a folded elastic plate at both ends with a related groove therebetween to engage with an end of the crossbeam. The basic unit is cubic and has one side opening, which can be sealed by a door to form a complete cubic hollow unit. By use of the basic unit engaging with desired connecting units, it provides the joints with various configurations, which can be used at any position in a supporting frame.

A trailer to load and transport a bail of hay comprises a towing assembly and a flat bed. The towing assembly selectively attaches to a towing vehicle. The flat bed selectably attaches to the towing assembly. The flat bed has a forked assembly. The forked assembly has at least one prong. The at least one prong is bent at a an angle toward the towing vehicle. The forked assembly is adapted to selectively pivot around an axle attached to a first position of the flat bed, so that the forked assembly is able to lift the bail of hay onto the first position of the flat bed. The flat bed has at least one motorized transport mechanism to transport the bail of hay from the first portion of the flat bed to as second portion of the flat bed. The motorized transport mechanism is a motorized grips and secures the bail of hay. The flat bed has a pair of wheels, at least one wheel on each side of the flat bed. The flat bed has a support wheel positioned between one wheel on one side of the flat bed and the first position.

A fan apparatus includes a fan having a plurality of blades and producing an air flow with revolution thereof. At least one shroud is disposed upstream of the fan for introducing the air flow to the suction side of the fan. Damping means are provided for taking in the air flow coming out of the fan and damping a radial component of the air flow under an interference action outside an outer periphery of the fan.

An assembly for quickly and easily mounting fan blades to a ceiling fan. The assembly includes a plurality of blade holders and a quick-connect mount. Each blade holder includes a coupling tongue having a locking groove located in its upper surface. The quick-connect mount is mountable to a driven part of the ceiling fan and includes a blade holder support and a cover. The blade holder support has a plurality of receivers for receiving the coupling tongues of the blade holders. The cover is rotatably attached to the blade holder support upwardly adjacent the support. The cover has a downwardly-depending skirt around its outer periphery and an annular blade lock on the surface adjacent the blade holder support. The skirt has a notch and the blade lock has a gap that are in radial alignment with each other and are selectively alignable with the receivers upon rotation of the cover and the support relative to one another. To attach a fan blade to the quick-connect mount, the cover and support are rotated relative to one another so that the notch and the gap are aligned with one of the receivers. The coupling tongue of one of the blade holders is inserted into that receiver. Then, the cover and support are rotated relative to one another so that the notch and the gap are no longer aligned with the selected receiver and the blade lock engages the locking groove in the coupling tongue.

A variable control valve 10 for a gas compression system is disclosed for a gas compressor 100 with a piston 116 having a variable displacement within a compression chamber 114 of the gas compressor. A pressure within a crankcase chamber 118 of the gas compressor acts upon the piston A diaphragm 36 within the control valve, controls a flow of high and low pressure gas into and out of the pressure chamber, thus controlling the displacement of the piston. The diaphragm is acted upon by a predetermined reference pressure within a reference chamber 90 of the control valve. The predetermined reference pressure within the reference chamber is created by a flow into and out of the reference chamber of the high and low pressure gas. The predetermined reference pressure can be changed in order to optimize compressor output. This flow is controlled by reference chamber valve means (88, 86) operably coupled to the reference chamber, the reference chamber valve means being responsive to electrical signals.

A system or kit for treating developmental verbal apraxia is provided. The system or kit includes a plurality of picture cards in which each card identifies in written, spelled-out form a selected multi-syllabic word for describing an activity, item or thing with a corresponding drawing or picture which illustrates the activity, item or thing. In addition, each card also includes, in written, spelled-out form, a series of single syllabic words in written, spelled-out form, each word describing an activity, item or thing. Associated with each single syllabic word is preferably a drawing or picture which illustrates the activity, item or thing.

A system for training an individual phrases associated with a job and in a language foreign to the individual. The system includes a first list of phrases associated with the job in a language native to the individual and a second list of phrases associated with the job in a language foreign to the individual. Each of the phrases in the second list corresponds to a different one of the phrases in the first list. Illustrative icons and audio formats are also available to further enhance the learning and recognition of the foreign words.

A surfboard, comprising a blank made of lightweight, semi-rigid material and having a top major surface. A layer of resin-impregnated cloth adhered to the top major surface and a leash plug including a cup portion that is set into the top major surface of the blank and at least one extension that is interposed between the blank and the layer of resin-impregnated cloth.

A method of producing an electron-emitting device including the steps of forming a pair of electrodes and an electrically-conductive thin film on a substrate in such a manner that the pair of electrodes are in contact with the electrically-conductive thin film and forming an electron emission region using the electrically-conductive thin film, wherein a solution containing a metal element is supplied in a droplet form onto the substrate thereby forming the electrically-conductive thin film.

A vehicle with a compartment, a ventilation channel on the ceiling or in a side wall of the compartment running in the longitudinal or transverse direction of the vehicle and a lighting facility with lighting elements is such that the ventilation channel features a reflector box with a channel base, featuring openings that are at least in part transparent to light or light-admitting openings, fitted facing the interior of the passenger compartment, and the lighting elements of the lighting facility are situated inside the ventilation channel. As a result of lighting facility being integrated in the ventilation channel, the amount of space required is less and the ventilation channel with integral lighting can be in the form of a pre-assembled unit.

A method for determining the concentricity of a golf ball having a barium or bismuth doped boundary layer or cover is disclosed herein. The method uses an X-ray imaging machine to determine the thickness of the cover at various locations to ensure concentricity of the golf ball. The boundary layer may be an ionomer blend doped with barium or bismuth in an amount of five to fifteen parts per hundred of the ionomer material, and the cover may be composed of a thermoset polyurethane material. Alternatively, the cover may be doped with barium or bismuth, and the boundary layer may be undoped.

There is thus provided in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, an alignment apparatus (110) for use with an exercise machine (100) having an adjustable element (20). The alignment apparatus includes an operating device (114) coupled to the adjustable element for adjustably positioning the adjustable element, a beam emitter (116) connected to the exercise machine, a control device (118) coupled to the operating device, and the beam emitter. The beam emitter emits rays (124) to locate the optimum position of the adjustable element, and the control device actuates the operating device to move the adjustable element to the optimum position.

An exercise apparatus for exercising, strengthening and conditioning the tibial and ankle areas of the leg, shin as comprises a first strap adapted to form a loop around the foot of a user, passing across the underside of the foot in the region of the ball of the foot. A metal ring is slidably attached to the underside portion of the strap to connect to an exercise resistance, such as a pulley system weight rack or an elastic cord. The first strap is held in place with the aid of a second strap extending along each side of the foot and around the heel portion and connecting at each side to the first strap.

A roller for a belt stretching mechanism of a spinning machine has edge regions, a central zone which is depressed relative to the edge regions, and a radially movable sleeve located in a region of the central zone.

An encoding and classification method is provided which is capable of comprehensively featuring relevant spectral information for the early detection of diabetes-induced cardiac autonomic neuropathy using the LP-cepstral discriminant classifier for quick, noninvasive assessment (screening) of neuropathy in diabetics. Patients are tested in the supine position thus avoiding the stresses to the patient that are associated with tilt table testing.

Dye mixture comprising water-soluble fiber-reactive dyes, preparation thereof and use thereofThe present invention relates to dye mixtures comprising one or more azo dyes of the general formula (1) and one or more azo dyes of the general formula (2) where the variables are each as defined in claim 1, processes for preparing them and their use for dyeing and printing hydroxyl- and/or carboxamido-containing material.

An air cleaner includes a cylindrical cleaning filter, and a case rotatably receiving the cleaning filter therein. A dust-removing brush is disposed to contact with a filter portion of the cleaning filter, and a manipulating device coupled to the cleaning filter and accessible from outside the case enables the cleaning filter to be rotated from outside of the case.

A weld chamber has an air intake and an exhaust or evacuating ductwork for evacuating gases and other particles from the welding chamber. The evacuating ductwork is connected to a vacuum source to remove gases and by products from the weld chamber during welding. A throttle plate is provided in the evacuating ductwork adjacent the weld chamber to adjust or regulate the air velocity evacuating from the weld chamber. The evacuating duct then leads to a sealed water filtering tank. All of the exhausted/evacuated gases and by products are led beneath the water line and bubble through the water before emerging from the sealed water. The soot and iron particles are immediately cooled and trapped in the water tank. Moreover, particles become wet and are less likely to become airborne thus leading to a substantial portion of the particles being trapped in the sealed water tank. Thee remaining gases are then evacuated to the vacuum source and further filtered by a mechanical filtration device.

A cyclonic separation device is provided having improved pressure loss characteristics. A fluid supply conduit in flow communication with an inlet to a cyclone is located and configured to extend longitudinally through a central portion of the cyclone, whereby the sharp bending of the conduit may be reduced, thereby reducing pressure losses in the device, without unduly interfering with the cyclonic flow within the cyclone. The present invention may be adapted for use with cyclonic separation devices of all types, including single- and multi-stage cyclonic separators. The cyclonic separation device may be incorporated in a vacuum cleaner such as an upright vacuum cleaner. A three dimensional conduit which is optionally used with a cyclonic separator is provided.

Color imparting compositions for ink jet printer inks, as well as inks with such color imparting compositions therein, which can be used in a commercially available ink jet printer or the ink jet printer of a postage metering system to print machine readable information based indicia, such as postage, on a substrate, such as an envelope, are disclosed. The color imparting composition includes a water soluble black colorant material adapted to absorb light in a wavelength range between about 400 to 650 nm, such as Reactive Black 31 dye or Direct Black 195 dye, and a water soluble cyan colorant material having a molar extinction coefficient of at least 10,000 at a wavelength maximum in the range of about 580 to 750 nm, such as Direct Blue 307, Direct Blue 199 or Acid Blue 9. The weight ratio of the black colorant material to the cyan colorant material in the color imparting composition is in the range of about 50 to 1 to about 5 to 6.

A workpiece holding device for a vacuum unit has coolable or heatable transfer plates (2) displaceable independently of one another in a baseplate (1) and each comprising a heat transfer surface (3) which is surrounded by an O-ring (4), is connected to a pipe (5) and, with a workpiece (15) which is pressed against the O-ring (4) by a holder (16), encloses a gap (20). The holder (16) can be locked to the baseplate (1). After lowering of the holder (16) into a closed position and load-free locking to the baseplate (1), the heat transfer plates (2) are pneumatically raised until in each case a stop (23, 22) becomes effective between said heat transfer plates and the holder (16) and determines the width of the gap (20). The gap (20) is then filled via the pipe (5) with a heat transfer medium, e.g. helium. After processing of the workpiece (15), the heat transfer plates (2) are lowered and the holder (16) is released again in a loadfree manner.

A totally biodegradable oil absorption material is utilized to clean up oil spills on both land and water. Particles of coconut coir pith between about one-quarter of an inch and one inch in size are utilized for this purpose. The flakes or granules of coconut coir pith are spread upon the surface of the oil spill. The coconut coir pith readily absorbs the oil and remains in a form that can be easily recovered by scooping or raking. Once recovery is complete, the oil-saturated coconut coir pith can be subjected to squeezing by pressure to liberate the oil collected. Following extraction of the absorbed oil, the coconut coir pith can be reused for subsequent oil cleanup operations. Also, the oil extracted from the coconut coir pith is not contaminated and can be used as well. Coconut coir pith is a byproduct obtained from the husks of coconuts as those husks are processed to make fiber ropes and other articles.

In this process 2,6,8,12-tetraacetyl-2,4,6,8,10,12-hexaazatetracyclo-[5.5.0.05,903,11]-dodecane (“TADH”) is subjected to nitrolysis in the presence of a mixed acid to form HNIW. The mixed acid comprises at least one nitronium ion source (preferably nitric acid) and at least one strong acid (preferably sulfuric acid) capable of generating a nitronium ion from the source. The ratio of nitronium ion source to strong acid and the amount of TADH used are selected so that, in the event that the nitrolysis reaction is carried out at 85° C., 99% nitramine conversion will occur within ten minutes.

A substrate is permanently bonded to a thermoplastic member by applying a sufficient degree of heat and pressure. Thermoplastic is notoriously non-receptive to even the most aggressive adhesives. As such, it has been extremely difficult to attach non-plastic components to thermoplastic products. To avoid this problem, the thermoplastic product is heated, on one side, to a temperature just below its melting point. A substrate, made of a material such as polyethylene, is placed against the non-heated side of the thermoplastic. As heat passes through the thermoplastic, it heats and eventually melts a portion of the substrate. Ideally pressure is applied to force the melted material against the substrate. The materials are then allowed to cool and harden, thus forming a permanent bond between them. Additional materials may be coupled to the substrate, as desired.

A jig for assembling a frame. The jig may be for woodworking and the frame may be for a picture. The jig comprises a top plate having a first and second opening. The top plate also contains an elongated slot. A bottom plate is laterally arranged below the top plate. The bottom plate contains a third and fourth opening. The bottom plate also contains an aligned elongated slot. A first guide bar and second guide bar are disposed through the openings in the plates, and fastener members, operatively associated with the first and second guide bar, is included for fastening the top plate and the bottom plate together. The jig may further comprise a guide member disposed between the top and bottom plate. The guide member has a first and second side that form a right angle so that the two inserted pieces of wood stock of the frame form a ninety degree corner. In one of the embodiments, a third and fourth guide bar are disposed through the top and bottom plates, with the third guide bar and the first guide bar being in a forty-five degree plane relative to the elongated slots. The fourth and second guide bars are disposed in a forty-five degree plane relative to the elongated slots. A method of joining pieces of stock with a jig into a frame is also disclosed.

The disclosure relates to a process for the treatment of old paper without the use of biocides and chlorine compounds as well as with the virtual avoidance of hydrogen peroxide and/or peracetic acid with a total germ count of less than 1000 CFU/g and/or a surface germ count of less than 20 CFU/dm2, comprising the following process steps: a treatment of the pre-sorted, optionally pre-shredded, old-paper starting material in an environment containing water in order to activate the microorganism spores, a germination of the spores, a further processing of the old-paper starting material containing germinated spores, preferably in at least one separation stage in a generally known manner at temperatures above room temperature (20° C. to 70° C. [68° F. to 158° F.]), optionally comprising pre-sorting, flotation, fine-sorting, washing and deckering, while returning the separated and de-pulped clear water, all the way to the dissolving stage, followed by hot dispersion of the further processed paper starting material in a water vapor atmosphere at atmospheric overpressure, temperature-controlled treatment and processing in a generally known manner into a largely spore-free recycled pulp, from that into a largely spore-free recycled base tissue and from that into a tissue product suited for final consumption; it also relates to the recycled base tissue or tissue product thus obtained and to a device for the execution of the process.

The present invention provides a method and apparatus for forming a copper layer on a substrate, preferably using a sputtering process. The sputtering process involves bombarding a conductive member of enhanced hardness with ions to dislodge the copper from the conductive member. The hardness of the target may be enhanced by alloying the copper conductive member with another material and/or mechanically working the material of the conductive member during its manufacturing process in order to improve conductive member and film qualities. The copper may be alloyed with magnesium, zinc, aluminum, iron, nickel, silicon and any combination thereof.

Disclosed is an assembly for continuous annular chromatography provided with a relative movement between one partial bed in the form of a cylinder jacket, at least one feeding position for liquid feeding material and at least one collection position for every emerging fraction of the feeding material out of the partial bed.

A method for reducing or preventing the formation of scale in a municipal or industrial waste water treatment facility comprising introducing an antiscalent composition which comprises:A) A water soluble polymer of molecular weight below 20,000 and containing anionic groups, andB) A sequesterant compound, selected from the group consisting of phosphonates, phosphates, metaphosphates and orthophosphates including derivatives and salts thereof. Preferred antiscalent compositions include a blend of A) a polymer of acrylic acid and/or maleic acid and B) diethylentriamine penta (methylenephosphonic acid) or salts thereof. The invention is of particular value for the treatment of struvite scale in sewage treatment works.

A method of cast molding an intraocular implant from two or more dissimilar materials using disposable molds. The subject cast molding method is particularly useful in the production of intraocular lenses manufactured from dissimilar materials. It is desirable to produce intraocular lenses from dissimilar materials in order to optimize the optical characteristics of the intraocular lens optic portion and to optimize stability and flexibility characteristics of the intraocular lens haptic elements.

The present invention involves a glow-in-the-dark edible terrarium substrate for a terrarium animal such as a reptile, an amphibian, or an arachnid. The substrate is a glow-in-the-dark, calciferous sand including a calciferous sand with a glow-in-the-dark coating. The glow-in-the-dark, calciferous sand is healthy, ingestible, and digestible by the terrarium animal and provides lighting for observing the nocturnal behavior of the terrarium animal.

A method of manufacturing a covering comprises the steps of forming a laminar base layer (W), distributing decorative particles (P2) on the base layer (W), and fixing the decorative particles (P2) to the base layer (W). The base layer (W) is formed from a mixture having a homogeneously dispersed phase of further particles (P1). The decorative particles (P2) are distributed on the base layer (W) in a sparse arrangement substantially preventing overlapping of the particles. The uniformity of the appearance of the covering is nevertheless ensured by the further particles (P1) dispersed homogeneously in the mixture.

A thermal interface material (A) transfers heat from a heat source (12), such as a microprocessor, to a heat sink (14) for maintaining the microprocessor at a safe operating temperature. The interface material includes thermally conductive filler particles dispersed in a phase change material. The phase change material softens and flows at the operating temperature of the heat source, thereby providing good thermal contact with uneven surfaces of the heat source and heat sink, without excessive exudation and loss of the interface material. The phase change material includes a polymer component, such as an elastomer, and a melting point component, which adjusts the softening temperature of the phase change material to the operating temperature of the heat source.

Provided is a glass fiber prepared by combining two glasses, preferably at least one of which is biosoluble, in a core/sheath arrangement. Such an arrangement can provide fibers potentially stronger than those of single glasses, while also having a permanent twist or curl to impart improved loft and recovery to blankets or mats comprised of them. Preferably, the core is offset from the center of the fiber. In one embodiment, the glass fibers of the present invention comprise a core and a sheath, where the core glass of the structure contracts as it cools to a greater extent than the sheath glass of the structure. Benefits are achieved in this manner, preferably with regard to biosoluble fibers.

Controlled release urea-based feed supplements for ruminant animals and controlled release urea-based plant nutrients are comprised of particles or granules comprised in whole or in principal part of urea or having urea at or on the exterior surfaces thereof, and a moisture resistant interpenetrating polymer network coating on the particles comprised of the reaction products of urea and a polyisocyanate, and the reaction products of polyisocyanate, an alkyd resin having at least one double bond in each repeat unit and an oil having at least one double bond, the double bonds being reactive with one another and with themselves. The coated plant nutrients have a substantially linear rate of release of nutrients to the soil over a controlled period of time, e.g., 30 to 120 days. The coated ruminant feed supplements have a substantially linear rate of NPN release in the rumen over a controlled period of time, e.g., 12 to 24 hours. The ratio of nutrients to control agents is high, controlled release is achieved at minimal expense, and the products are economical to use.

A thermal transfer recording medium comprising a support, and at least a heat-meltable release layer and a colored ink layer capable of being softened with heat stacked in this order on the support, the release layer comprising a wax as a main ingredient, and the release layer having a melting point of not less than 85° C., a heat of fusion of not more than 140 mJ/mg, and a melt viscosity of not more than 50 cps/120° C.

A nickel-base superalloy substrate has an overlying protective coating including a modified aluminum-containing protective layer. The modified aluminum-containing protective layer is formed of nickel, aluminum, calcium in an amount of from about 50 to about 300 parts per million by weight, and, optionally, elements interdiffused into the modified aluminum-containing protective layer from the substrate. Magnesium or barium may be used instead of or in addition to the calcium. A ceramic layer may overlie the modified aluminum-containing protective layer.

In a lithium secondary battery of this invention, either a positive electrode or a negative electrode includes, as an active material, an orthorhombic composite oxide represented by a composition formula, MxMo1−xOy, wherein M is at least one transition element selected from the group consisting of Cu, V, Mn, Fe, Co and Ni; 0 Status Category:
Patent Expired Due to NonPayment of Maintenance Fees Under 37 CFR 1.362

In one embodiment, the present invention relates to a method of forming a circuit structure containing at least one sub-lithographic gate conductor involving the steps of providing a substrate comprising active regions and a preliminary gate conductor film over portions of the substrate and portions of the active regions; forming a sidewall template mask having at least one sidewall over a portion of the preliminary gate conductor film that is positioned over portions of the active regions; forming a sidewall film over the sidewall template mask, the sidewall film having a vertical portion adjacent the sidewall of the sidewall template mask and a horizontal portion in areas not adjacent the sidewall of the sidewall template mask; removing the horizontal portion of the sidewall film exposing a portion of the sidewall template mask and removing the sidewall template mask; providing a second mask over the portions of the preliminary gate conductor film that are not positioned over portions of the active regions; removing exposed portions of the preliminary gate conductor film thereby forming the circuit structure containing the sub-lithographic gate conductor and gate conductors; providing a trim mask over the active regions, portions of the sub-lithographic gate conductor and the gate conductors; and removing exposed portions of the sidewall film and portions of the preliminary gate conductor film under the sidewall film.

The invention relates to implantable bioprostheses (e.g. implantable biological tissues) and to compositions and methods for stabilizing them. Implantable bioprostheses stabilized as described herein exhibit improved mechanical properties and reduced post-implantation calcification. The implantable bioprosthesis is made by contacting a bioprosthesis (e.g. a tissue obtained from an animal or an article comprising a tissue and a synthetic material) with a polyepoxy amine compound.

The invention concerns a method for diagnosing Alzheimer disease, consisting in demonstrating one or several mutations in the genomic DNA region regulating the expression of the apolipoprotein E gene, inducing a modification of the apolipoprotein E gene, with respect to a control population or a modification of the expression relative to the alleles of the apolipoprotein E gene.

The present invention provides a method for isolating a microbe whereby a sample of microbe cells is encapsulated in agarose gel particulates, wherein some of the particulates contain a single cell, and the other particulates contain more than one cell; incubating the particulates in nutritional and environmental conditions that enable the microbe contained in the sample solution that can grow on a plate of a plate culture method to grow in the agarose gel particulate; and isolating the particulates having single cells from the group of the particulates having more than one cell.

Human chemokine Beta-10 polypeptides and DNA (RNA) encoding such chemokine polypeptides and a procedure for producing such polypeptides by recombinant techniques is disclosed. Also disclosed are methods for utilizing such chemokine polypeptides for the treatment of leukemia, tumors, chronic infections, autoimmune disease, fibrotic disorders, wound healing and psoriasis. Antagonists against such chemokine polypeptides and their use as a therapeutic to treat rheumatoid arthritis, autoimmune and chronic inflammatory and infective diseases, allergic reactions, prostaglandin-independent fever and bone marrow failure are also disclosed.

A thermostable phosphatidylethanolamine N-methyltransferase and a process for producing the enzyme are provided. A host cell is transformed with an expression vector containing DNA encoding a thermostable enzyme derived from hyper-thermophilic archaea such as Pyrococcus, the enzyme having phosphatidylethanolamine N-methyltransferase activity and an optimum temperature of 90° C. or higher, and the transformed host cell is cultured.

To provide a process for treating gas for decomposing organic solvent and/or other organic gas contained in exhaust gas effectively and simply at low costs to remove the decomposition product of organic gas by applying other process. The gas can be treated very effectively by decomposing or removing a target gas component dissolved in liquid capable of treating the gas, preferably, by applying microbial treatment, after bringing the gas rising into contact with the liquid falling in a gas treatment tower wherein part of the gas (branched gas ) is admixed with the liquid before feeding the liquid into the tower.

The invention relates to a static unit (1) for the production of anaerobic, micro-aerophilic or other atmospheres (e.g., CO2) in a mobile interchangeable container, which is connected, at a lid of the unit to the system for the production of the desired atmosphere in the interior of the interchangeable container. The invention also relates to an interchangeable container particularly suitable for such a device. The static unit (1) can receive mobile interchangeable containers in an aperture provided for this purpose, in which the desired atmosphere in the interior is produced fully automatically. A vacuum-operated docking cylinder automatically couples the interchangeable container, which has an internal gas supply channel for the system (4) for the production of the desired atmosphere and is pressed gas-tight against an area of the interchangeable container lid having gas inlets and outlets.

Oligonucleotides are provided which are targeted to nucleic acids encoding human raf and capable of inhibiting raf expression. Methods of inhibiting the expression of human raf using oligonucleotides of the invention are also provided. The present invention further comprises methods of preventing or inhibiting hyperproliferation of cells and methods of treating abnormal proliferative conditions which employ oligonucleotides of the invention.

Photoluminescent complexes of copper, silver, zinc, lithium or similar metals are described, being (bis)ligand, with two different ligands. A variety of ligands may be used, the larger ligand being of a size or shape such that a pair of such ligand are prevented by steric properties from forming a (bis)ligand complex with the metal. Preferred substituents may be alkyl, aryl or alkaryl hydrocarbons, or halogen, chalcogen, nitrogen or phosphorus moieties, or included heteroatoms. Formation of the (bis)ligand complex is accomplished by maintaining the molar ratios of reactants at that which is equivalent to the (bis)ligand complex composition. The complexes are useful as optical sensors for O2, NH3 and NOx, in dye sensitization for photovoltaic devices/solar cells, in producing visible TiO2 photosensitization and in H2 production from the photochemically splitting water. These heteroleptic complexes exhibit photoluminescence equal to or better than ruthenium homoleptic complexes.

A method is proposed for forming solder areas over a lead frame through deposition of an oxidation layer rather than selective removal of a polyimide-made solder mask, which allows the fabrication of the lead frame to be carried out in a more cost-effective and advantageous manner. The method allows the fabrication of the lead frame to be carried out through stamping without etching. Moreover, it can make the overall integrated circuit package less easily subjected to cracking and more securely assembled. Still moreover, it can make the overall integrated circuit package less likely to be weakened in structural strength by moisture. This method is therefore more advantageous to use than the prior art.

An improved semiconductor device structure comprises insertion of a semiconductor wafer into a high-pressure heated chamber and the deposition of a low-melting-point aluminum material into a contact hole or via and over an insulating layer overlying a substrate of the wafer. The wafer is heated up to the melting point of the aluminum material and the chamber is pressurized to force the aluminum material into the contact holes or vias and eliminate voids present therein. A second layer of material, comprising a different metal or alloy, which is used as a dopant source, is deposited over an outer surface of the deposited aluminum material layer and allowed to diffuse into the aluminum material layer in order to form a homogenous aluminum alloy within the contact hole or via. A semiconductor device structure made according to the method is also disclosed.

A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device using a shallow trench isolation (STI) process comprises the steps of depositing a Si3N4 film (3) by a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process, polishing a CVD oxide film (6) by a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP). The method further comprises the steps of planarizing with an organic spin-on-glass (SOG) film (7) a rough surface of the silicon substrate resulting from a pattern dependency of polished amounts in the CMP process and etching back evenly the organic SOG film (7) and the CVD oxide film (6) buried in the trench at an etching selectivity ratio of 1.

A two etchant etch method for etching a layer that is part of a masked structure is described. The method is useful, for example, in microelectrical mechanical system (MEMS) applications, and in the fabrication of integrated circuits and other electronic devices. The method can be used advantageously to optimize a plasma etch process capable of etching strict profile control trenches with 89°+/−1° sidewalls in silicon layers formed as part of a mask structure where the mask structure induces variations in etch rate. The inventive two etchant etch method etches a layer in a structure with a first etchant etch until a layer in a fastest etching region is etched. The layer is then etched with a second etchant until a layer in a region with a slowest etch rate is etched. A second etchant may also be selected to provide sidewall passivation and selectivity to an underlying layer of the structure.

An improved catalyst for edible oil hydrogenation produced by the incorporation of a sulphur adsorbing zeolite with a supported nickel hydrogenation catalyst. The zeolite is a cation-exchanged form of low silica faujasite with a silica to alumina ratio from about 1.8 to 2.1. The hydrogenation catalyst is a supported nickel catalyst. The zeolite is incorporated into the stabilization media with the reduced hydrogenation catalyst to form a physical blend of sulphur adsorbing zeolite and reduced nickel hydrogenation catalyst in a stabilization medium.

A non-impact, thermal transfer printing sheet having a base sheet of fibrous paper or synthetic with or without a security device, coated with a composition comprising (1) lactone, spiropyrane coloration, or an iron metallic complexes that reacts with weak an organic acid to produce coloration when the sheet is heated via a thermal head, (2) an activator to accelerate the reaction, (3) absorbent materials to absorb the resulting products of the reaction, and (4) an inorganic phosphorescent ZnS:Cu pigment having a particle size sufficient to produce phosphorescence in a predetermined time and wave-length and a process of making thereof are disclosed. The sheet is capable of being printed using a thermal transfer printing head and providing phosphorescence when activated by ultraviolet light containing wavelengths of between 440 and 640 nm.

There is provided an image-receiving sheet for recording with dye or ink which comprises a base sheet and a resin layer comprising a powdery coating composition which contains a resin component as a dye- or ink-receiving layer on the base sheet. There is further provided a process for the production of such an image-receiving sheet which comprises dry-coating a powdery coating composition which contains a resin component on a base sheet by an electrostatic spraying process, heating, melting and fixing the powdery coating composition thereon to form a resin layer as a dye- or ink-receiving layer.

An improvement is described in all purpose liquid cleaning composition which are especially effective in the removal of oily and greasy soil containing a nonionic surfactant, a liquid crystal suppression additive and water.

The invention relates to compounds which are ligands for 5HT1, of formula (I) Wherein L, Q, Ra, Rb and Ry are as defined in the specification, processes for their preparation and their pharmaceutical composition as well as their use in the treatment of anxiety and depression.

This application relates to novel compounds of formula I (and their pharmaceutically acceptable salts), as defined herein, processes and intermediates for their preparation, pharmaceutical formulations comprising the novel compounds of formula I, and the use of defined compounds of formula I as thrombin inhibitors.

Compounds having kappa opioid agonist activity, compositions containing them and method of using them as analgesics are provided.The compounds of formulae I, II, IIA, III, IIIA, IV and IVA have the structure: whereinR1, R2, R3, R4; andX, X4, X5, X7, X9;Y, Z and n are as described in the specification.

This invention relates generally to bis-amino acid sulfonamides containing substituted benzyl amines of formula I: or stereoisomeric forms, stereoisomeric mixtures, or pharmaceutically acceptable salt forms thereof, which are useful as HIV protease inhibitors, pharmaceutical compositions and diagnostic kits comprising the same, methods of using the same for treating viral infection or as assay standards or reagents, and intermediates and processes for making the same.

A coating composition includes 1.5 to 4 weight percent of a film-forming acrylic resin having an average molecular weight of from about 235,000 to about 285,000; 4 to 8 weight percent of a film-forming acrylic resin having an average molecular weight of from about 175,00 to about 225,000; 1 to 3 weight percent of solid caustic; and 75 to 85 weight percent water. The film-forming acrylic resins may be copolymers of alpha-beta-ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid monomers and ethylenically unsaturated esters. A dried coating of the composition is water-soluble. A method for making the coating composition includes heating water from about 140 to about 200° F.; admixing to the heated water the solid caustic; admixing to the heated water the first and second film-forming acrylic resins; mixing the acrylic resin/caustic/water mixture until the acrylic resins are dissolved in water; and admixing additional water into the acrylic resin/caustic/water mixture in an amount so that the total water in the composition is from about 75 to about 85 weight percent. The composition may be applied to any article, such as an automobile body having partially-set paint thereon to protect the paint from scratching.

The present invention is directed to a golf ball and a to a process for forming a golf ball having least one layer, where the layer is formed of a saponified polymer/metallocene catalyzed polymer blend, having from about 1 to about 99 parts of at least one saponified polymer and from about 99 to 1 parts of at least one metallocene catalyzed polymer, based on 100 parts by weight of the saponified polymer/metallocene catalyzed polymer blend. The layer may be foamed or unfoamed, and may form at least a portion of any of the cover, the core, or a mantle layer situated between the cover and the core.

This invention provides a gene specifically expressed in differentiated human chrondrocytes. By culturing the chrondrocytes in the presence of dibutyryl cAMP, the chrondrocytes are cultured in a differentiated state and any gene is searched for which has a distinction in expression between differentiated chrondrocytes and dedifferentiated chrondrocytes. This allows the gene specifically expressed in the former to be obtained.

A pharmaceutical composition containing at least one stereoisomer of at least one compound selected from: Or a salt thereof with an organic or inorganic acid.

An improved process for the production of high quality unsaturated dimethylesters by reacting dicarboxylic anhydrides, typically maleic anhydride or phthalic anhydride, with methanol. The process is characterized by the fact that the esterification is performed in two steps, the step 1 consisting in a non catalytic reaction of formation of monomethylesters, and the step 2 consisting in the catalytic reaction of formation of dimethylesters from the monomethylester, the said catalytic reaction taking place in a reactor consisting of a multi-tray column where the liquid phase containing the mono and diester mixture flows downwards from each tray coming to contact with a progressively drier upflowing stream of vapors in countercurrent, which continuously removes the water formed in the reaction from the liquid phase. The process uses an alkylbenzene sulfonic acid with an alkyl radical containing from 10 to 13 carbon atoms as esterification catalyst.

A process for the enantioselective reduction of prochiral ketones to chiral alcohols by (a) the reaction of a prochiral ketone with a silane agent, which is present in a stoichiometric quantity, in the presence of a catalyst derived from a Zn, Co or Cd precursor compound and from a chiral amine, imine, alcohol or amino alcohol ligand; (b) the hydrolysis of the siloxane obtained using an appropriate agent; and (c) the separation and purification of the optically active alcohol formed. Polymethylhydrosiloxane (PMHS) is a preferred silane agent, zinc is a preferred metal, and the precursor compound is produced by reacting a salt or complex of the respective metal with the reducing agent. In another embodiment, an appropriate salt of the chosen metal is used directly in the reaction with the chiral ligand to produce the catalytic form after reaction with the ligand. The process enables high enantiomeric excesses (ee) to be obtained in chiral alcohols.

An integrated process for producing alkylbenzenes, sulfonated alkylbenzenes and/or alkylcyclohexanes from syngas is disclosed. The process involves subjecting syngas to Fischer-Tropsch conditions. Fractions rich in C6-8 and C18-26 hydrocarbons are isolated from the resulting product stream. The C6-8 fraction is subjected to catalytic reforming conditions to form aromatics. The C18-26 fraction may include sufficient olefins for use in an alkylation reaction with the aromatics. Optionally, the fraction may be subjected to dehydrogenation conditions to provide additional olefins. The resulting olefins are reacted with the aromatics in an alkylation reaction to yield alkylbenzenes. Unconverted olefins, paraffins, and aromatics can be obtained from the product stream via fractional distillation and recycled to form additional products. The alkylbenzenes can be hydrogenated to yield alkylcyclohexanes, which are useful as synlubes or as components in lube oil compositions. Alternatively, the alkylbenzenes can be sulfonated, and the resulting sulfonated alkylbenzenes used, for example, as detergents and/or dispersants.

The invention provides isolated adenosine deaminase (ADA) nucleic acids and their encoded proteins. The present invention provides methods and compositions relating to altering ADA concentration and/or composition of plants. The invention further provides recombinant expression cassettes, host cells, transgenic plants, and antibody compositions.

A cable includes an optical fiber and a pressure sealed enclosure surrounding the fiber. The enclosure is adapted to be able to be elongated to the maximum expected axial strain on the cable without permanent deformation. In one embodiment, the enclosure is corrugated-wall tube surrounding the optical fiber. The tube contains toroidally shaped rings within the maximum diameter portions of the corrugations in tube wall. The cable includes armor wires wound around the corrugated wall tube. In the preferred embodiment, the tube is surrounded by an elastomeric jacket, and is filled with hydraulic oil or the like to prevent entry of wellbore fluids into the tube under hydrostatic pressure. The cable may be used for well logging operations or for seismic data acquisition.

A mounting substrate includes: a base substrate having a usable substrate region used as part of a product and an unusable substrate region to be discarded, the base substrate being subjected to soldering treatment in which the surface thereof is brought into contact with solder; and on-substrate members arranged on a soldering surface side, to be subjected to the soldering treatment, of the base substrate, the on-substrate members being in a state in which the surfaces have a wettability against solder upon soldering treatment. The on-substrate members are arranged in a non-contact portion with solder upon solder treatment in the unusable substrate region, in the usable substrate region, or in the non-contact portion and the usable substrate region. With this configuration, even if solder is stuck on the on-substrate members, any noxious material containing waste does not occur when the unusable substrate region is separated from the usable substrate region and is discarded.

The present invention relates to a membrane switch which is not subject to stress relaxation at contacts and is resistant to the reduction in actuating force even if the ambient temperature of the switch becomes high. A first flexible insulating substrate having a first contact pattern and a second flexible insulating substrate having a second contact pattern are disposed in facing relation via a spacer member having an opening at an area in which the first contact patterns face each other; wiring patterns conductive-connected to corresponding contact patterns are provided on at least one of the first flexible insulating substrate and the second flexible insulating substrate; and the first and second contact patterns are conductive-connected by pressure applied to a contact comprising the first and second contact patterns. The wiring patterns are conductive layers containing resin made of a mixture of conductive powder and binder resin, and a part of the second contact pattern includes a layer containing resin that is more rigid than the binder resin.

A scan wheel for an ion implanter adapted for carrying a plurality of semiconductor wafers. The scan wheel being rotatable about an axis comprises a central hub, a plurality of separate spoke arms mounted on and extending from the central hub, and a plurality of wafer support elements on the outer ends of respective spoke arms. Each spoke arm has a dimension in the direction of rotation substantially less than the dimension of the corresponding wafer support element, a front face extending generally in the direction of rotation and side faces extending rearwardly from the front face. Each side face does not extend outwards beyond a rearward projection of the corresponding front face which, in a cross section, tapers symmetrically inwards, preferably by 7°, on each side relative to the axis of rotation.

A trench insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) comprises a number of trench-IGBT structures interdigitated with bipolar transistor (BJT) structures in a drift layer, with trench gates separating the structures. Shallow P regions span the bottom corners of respective trench gates to protect the trench oxide from high peak electric fields encountered when the device is reverse-biased. Because no inversion channels form across the BJT mesas in response to a gate voltage, base drive and thus the device's saturation current level is reduced and a robust short-circuit SOA is provided. The ratio of IGBT structures to BJT structures is adjusted as needed to obtain a desired saturation current level and short-circuit SOA. The higher forward voltage drop incurred by the introduction of BJT structures is countered by increasing the depth of the trench gates, causing longer accumulation channels to form along the gates' sidewalls which enhance the device's injection efficiency and lower its forward voltage drop. An N-type layer extending above and below the shallow P regions counters the increase in on-resistance brought about by their encroachment into the IGBT and BJT mesas.

A packaged integrated circuit device includes a substrate including a first circuit component mounted thereon, a first conductor extending from the first circuit component, and a dielectric lid. The dielectric lid includes a component mounting surface, a second circuit component mounted on the component mounting surface, and a second conductor extending from the second circuit component. The dielectric lid is adapted to engage with the substrate such that the first circuit component is in electrical communication with the second circuit component. The second circuit component may comprises an impedance matching circuit. The circuit device may also include fastening means for securing the lid to the substrate. The fastening means may comprise an adhesive, solder, or a spring biased member.

A cathode ray tube (CRT) having a phosphor screen in which red, green, and blue phosphors are located in a black matrix in a pattern, at the inside of a panel, a low-reflectivity coating layer located at the outside of the panel, the low-reflectivity coating layer having a reflectivity of 2.0% or less near 480˜600 nm, wherein the panel is glass containing neodymium (Nd) in a concentration of 0.1˜1.5 wt % and praseodymium (Pr) in a concentration of 0.1˜0.7 wt %. The CRT has improved brightness and contrast characteristics, and has an enlarged color reproduction range. Also, the problem of the unattractive color of the CRT itself under an external illumination is solved.

A plasma display device includes a front substrate, first and second electrodes in parallel on an inner surface of the front substrate, a first dielectric layer on the inner surface of the front substrate covering the first electrode, a rear substrate facing the front substrate, a third electrode on an inner surface of the rear substrate crossing the first and second electrodes perpendicularly, a second dielectric layer on the inner surface of the rear substrate covering the third electrode, partitions forming discharge spaces opposite the dielectric layer of the rear substrate, and a phosphor coating side surfaces of respective partitions and producing red, green, or blue light. In the plasma display device, the width of the first or second electrodes at the discharge space coated with the phosphor emitting blue light, extending toward a region where light is not emitted, is larger than the widths of each of the first and second electrodes at discharge spaces coated with the phosphors producing red and green light. Thus, white balance can be easily represented and the brightness of the device is improved.

This invention is a back EMF permanent electromagnetic motor generator and method using a regauging process for capturing available electromagnetic energy in the system. The device is comprised of a rotor with magnets of the same polarity; a timing wheel in apposition to a magnetic Hall Effect pickup switch semiconductor; and a stator comprised of two bars connected by a permanent magnet with magnetized pole pieces at one end of each bar. There are input and output coils created by wrapping each bar with a conducting material such as copper wire. Energy from the output coils is transferred to a recovery rectifier or diode. The magnets of the rotor, which is located on a shaft along with the timing wheel, are in apposition to the magnetized pole pieces of the two bars. The invention works through a process of regauging, that is, the flux fields created by the coils is collapsed because of a reversal of the magnetic field in the magnetized pole pieces thus allowing the capture of available back EMP energy. Additional available energy may be captured and used to re-energize the battery, and/or sent in another direction to be used as work. As an alternative, the available back EMF energy may be dissipated into the system.

A new type of passive battery pack short circuit protection is provided in a battery pack consisting of one or more battery cells, with on load charge and on load conditioning-discharge capability, having a minimum of only 2 terminals. At least one voltage clamping device is included in the charge path of the battery to provide both charge and conditioning-discharge capability. A charging system provides both charging and discharging controls so that current can be either charged to or discharged from the battery through the voltage clamping device. The breakdown voltage of the voltage clamping device is selected to be equal to or greater than the maximum battery voltage, thus providing short circuit protection of the battery pack while still allowing a discharge function with a minimum of 2 terminals. The charging system provides a positive charge current to charge the battery through the voltage clamping device and a negative voltage potential equal to or greater than the reverse breakdown voltage of the voltage clamping device, in conjunction with a current control, to discharge the battery.

An over-current detecting circuit (OCD Circuit) for comparing a voltage drop by an ON-state resistance of an output transistor with a reference voltage, to detect an over-current state of the output transistor. This OCD Circuit is provided with a first power source and an RVG Circuit, which outputs a first reference voltage on the basis of a voltage supplied from the first power source. The OCD Circuit is also provided with a constant-current source which generates a constant current having a second temperature characteristic on the basis of the first reference voltage, and a current mirror circuit which inputs the constant current. Moreover, the OCD Circuit is provided with a current-voltage converting circuit, which converts an output current from the current mirror circuit, to a voltage and outputs a reference voltage which has a temperature characteristic in proportion to the second temperature characteristic. A first temperature characteristic of the output transistor is compensated by the temperature characteristic of the reference voltage.

An input buffer circuit includes a first amplifier having low load impedance and a second amplifier having high load impedance. The output signals of the input buffer circuit have wide bandwidth, although the input buffer circuit has two stage amplifiers. In addition, the bandwidth can be controlled by resistors as an equivalent active inductance of the input buffer circuit. Further, the input buffer circuit can reduce the power consumption compared with conventional input buffer circuits, since the input buffer circuit according to the present invention uses a first switching current of the first amplifier as well as a second switching current of the second amplifier to load output signals.

A biasing and transient protection circuit 10 which is used in combination with a field effect transistor 14 which selectively communicates a voltage signal which emanates from a battery 12 to a component or load 18. The circuit 10 selectively generates a substantially constant electrical voltage to bias the gate terminal 50 of the field effect transistor 14, effective to allow the field effect transistor 14 to allow the component or load 18 to operatively receive the battery voltage signal while concomitantly protecting the field effect transistor 14 from transient voltage damage.

A high precision current control circuit (current mirror) is disclosed. As in prior current mirrors, a reference voltage is generated from the input reference current. An operational amplifier is placed between the reference diode and the bases of the controlled transistors to provide precise reproduction of the reference voltage with ample current to drive many controlled current sources or current sources with high multiplication ratios from the reference current. As compared to prior emitter follower drivers, a lower voltage threshold of operation from an external proportional control results. Lower power supply voltage is supported, since one diode drop is removed from the reference current path.

An analog-to-digital converter is used to convert a known analog signal to a digital output. The output is then compared to a known digital output that corresponds to the known analog signal. If the two do not match, then the gain and frequency response of the analog-to-digital converter is tuned using a varactor control circuit until the digital output is correct.

Vibrations and/or rotations of a machine are sensed, preferably using one or more accelerometers, whose output is sampled by an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and forms an input signal to a processing system. An alarm that warns of existing or impending failure or defects in the machine is generated whenever an alarm condition is met. The alarm condition is preferably that the kurtosis of the sampled input signal exceeds a predetermined threshold. In order to enable use of the invention with a wide range of machines, and make the system wholly or at least substantially self-calibrating, the processor preferably also adjusts the sampling rate of the ADC as a predetermined function of the input data sets. An auto-ranging feature, which may be implemented within the processor or as a separate circuit, is preferably also included to scale the output signal of the sensor to fall within a predetermined range of the ADC.

The invention relates to a method and device for monitoring data flow, specially to provide radar data for air traffic control systems. In order to detect data supply failures and to provide an automatic replacement supply, the data which is transmitted is computed at the output of the data transmission device at parameterable time intervals, whereupon the data flow is reproduced, the measuring values are stored during several intervals and compressed into an average value. When a new value is inputted, the oldest value is erased. The average value is used as a starting value for a sensitivity curve which generates a time window for periodic comparison of added measuring values for an error detector which signalizes a total failure of measuring values in a predetermined time unit and initiates a selection mode to access a predefined data source in an appropriate data network and the data is inputted into the respective data supply system via interfaces.

A Positioning device includes a downconversion unit receiving positioning signals from satellites and converting the signals to an intermediate-frequency signal, and carrier search units using an output from the downconversion unit to search for a carrier wave of the received signals. The carrier search unit separates the received signal into in-phase and quadrate channel signals and spectrum-despreads them and then applies real Fast Fourier Transform to them. Of each frequency component, a signal corresponding to 0 Hz is corrected with a sum of all quadrate channel components to obtain a frequency difference between a local carrier and the carrier wave.

A method is provided for driving an active matrix substrate including a plurality of signal lines provided on an insulator substrate along a first direction, a plurality of scanning lines provided along a second direction to intersect the plurality of signal lines, a plurality of pixel electrodes provided at the intersections of the plurality of signal lines and the plurality of scanning lines, and a plurality of common electrodes provided to form a storage capacitor between each common electrode and the corresponding pixel electrode, a semiconductor layer being provided between each common electrode and the corresponding pixel electrode. The method includes the step of applying a signal to each common electrode such that the depletion layer formed in the semiconductor layer has the maximum width.

A computer mouse having cord management and cord connector storage and protection features. The feature for storing, deploying and retracting the device's cord in, from and into its case is an internal capstan, principally a reel, that is spring-biased to return to its retracted position. A pawl and ratchet assembly is used to fix or stabilize the cord at points of its extension; alternatively, a snubbing feature is shown that obviates the pawl and ratchet assembly. For securing the connector, thereby protecting it during transport, there is included in the case design a pocket or port into which the connector is retracted.

An apparatus and method for configuring a standard definition raster scanner telecine allows the standard definition telecine to produce an output at a faster than standard definition frame rate, but with a lower than standard definition resolution. This is achieved by configuring the film transport to move film past a light sensor at a multiple of a standard definition frame rate, and scanning the film at the multiple of the standard definition frame rate but with a reduced resolution.

A procamp to color transforms component digital video data. The procamp includes a digital multiplier coupled to receive component digital video data corresponding to at least two different pixel parameters. The digital multiplier is configured to selectively multiply the component video data for different pixel parameters by different factors.

The present invention relates to a system for the optimization of a copying light profile during copying of photographic originals in a photographic copier. The photographic copier comprises a light source for producing copying light, a number of light conducting means for guiding the copying light along a light path, and a local transmission modulator. An element with a known transmission profile is provided in the light path for being shone through, whereby no photographic original to be copied and of unknown transmission profile is found in the light path, and furthermore a transmission profile specific for the local transmission modulator is provided. The resulting copying light is measured broken down by area, and the profile of the copying light is measured and compared with a desired copying light profile. Based on this comparison, the transmission profile preselected for the copying process is optimized.

A lithograph quality optimization process for controlling laser beam parameters when changing operating modes. The laser is programmed to automatically conduct an optimization procedure preferably in less than one minute to adjust laser operating parameters such as blower speed, total gas pressure and F2 partial pressure in order to optimize beam quality parameters.

An object of the invention of the present application is to provide an information recording medium library apparatus in which the position of the drive with respect to the main body is fixed precisely, and has a simple structure, and a low cost; in order to achieve the object, the present invention provide an information recording medium library apparatus comprising a main body comprising a storage device for storing a plurality of information recording medium and a transferring device for transferring the information recording medium; and a sub body comprising a drive for reading and information recorded in the information recording medium and writing an information to the information recording medium and a tray for carrying the drive comprising: a sub body fixing device for positioning and fixing the sub body with respect to the main body, a drive positioning equipment for positioning precisely the drive in the tray, a drive fixing equipment for fixing the drive in the tray, abutting portions provided with the tray and the main body for positioning the tray with respect to the main body by abutting the abutting portion provided the tray against the abutting portion provided with the main body, and an elastic member for pushing the tray to the main body side.

The giant magnetoresistance (GMR) effect includes a contribution that is due to anisotropic magnetoresistance (AMR). Unfortunately the AMR effect tends to degrade the peak-to-peak signal asymmetry. Additionally, a high AMR/GMR ratio causes a larger signal asymmetry variation. It is therefor desirable to reduce both the AMR contribution as well as the AMR/GMR ratio. This has been achieved by modifying the free layer through the insertion of an extra layer of a highly resistive or insulating material at approximately mid thickness level. This layer is from 3 to 15 Angstroms thick and serves to reduce the Anisotropic Magneto-resistance contribution to the total magneto-resistance of the device. This reduces the GMR contribution only slightly but cuts the AMR/GMR ratio in half, thereby improving cross-track asymmetry and signal linearity.

A bidirectional switching device has a first main semiconductor element and a second main semiconductor element. The first main semiconductor element has a first main electrode connected to an ungrounded side of an AC power source, and a second main electrode. The first main semiconductor element contains a first parasitic diode whose cathode region is connected to the first main electrode and whose anode region is connected to the second main electrode. The second main semiconductor element has a third main electrode connected to the second main electrode, and a fourth main electrode connected to a load. The second main semiconductor element contains a second parasitic diode whose anode region is connected to the third main electrode and whose cathode region is connected to the fourth main electrode. A current flowing from the first main semiconductor element toward the second main semiconductor element passes through the second parasitic diode, and a current flowing from the second main semiconductor element toward the first main semiconductor element passes through the first parasitic diode. The bidirectional switching device is used to form a semiconductor active fuse for an AC power system. The semiconductor active fuse is capable of detecting an overcurrent without a shunt resistor, which was connected in series to a power supply cable, thereby minimizing heat dissipation as well as a conduction loss. The semiconductor active fuse is capable of easily and speedily detecting not only an overcurrent caused by a dead short but also an abnormal current caused by an incomplete short circuit failure having a certain extent of short-circuit resistance, and breaking alternating current in an AC power supply cable.

The present invention relates to a storage apparatus of the computer, especially a floppy disk drive apparatus or a CD-ROM drive apparatus. A disk drive apparatus, comprises a disk drive, a body for incorporating the disk drive, wherein the body includes two side surfaces, a bottom surface connecting to the two side surfaces, a rear surface coupling the bottom surface and the two side surfaces, a cover for coupling the body, wherein the cover includes two side surfaces and an upper surface connecting to the two side surfaces, a front wall formed at the cover, wherein the front wall and the cover are formed in one body, and wherein the front wall is formed to be coupled to the upper surface of the cover, a hook formed at either of the two side surfaces of the body or the two side surfaces of the cover; and a seat formed at either of the two side surface of the body or the two side surfaces of the cover.

A drawer-type mounting device is adapted to mount a disk drive in a computer housing. The mounting device includes a lower case, an upper case, and a pulling member. The lower case has a first base plate with a first front end and a notch that extends rearwardly from the first front end. The upper case has a second base plate disposed slidably on the first base plate. The second base plate has a trench part which projects downward into the notch. The trench part has a guide rail unit that extends along a direction parallel to a line extending rearwardly from the first front end. The pulling member is mounted slidably in the trench part, and is guided by the guide rail unit for movement relative to the second base plate so as to move the upper case relative to the lower case.

An optical disk cartridge includes a casing having an accommodating section formed by a pair of top and bottom walls; and a holder for inserting and removing a disk into and from the accommodating section. The holder has a base part and a pair of elastic arms provided at both ends of the base part to hold the left and right peripheries of the disk. In addition, regulating parts for preventing deformation of the pair of elastic arms toward the disk are provided in the accommodating section of the casing, and the deformation of the elastic arms toward the disk is prevented by the regulating parts.

A device for and a method of pulsing and amplifying a singlemode laser light for use in a pulse oscillation laser is disclosed. The device comprises a singlemode laser for generating the laser light of the singlemode, an optical resonator into which the outputted laser light is introduced from the singlemode laser, and a controller for controlling the length of resonator by changing the length of the optical resonator based on a control waveform signal, which is an asymmetrical triangular repeated waveform signal. The laser pulse light of the singlemode to which optical strength is amplified from the optical resonator, is outputted by changing the length of resonator.

A molecular fluorine (F2) laser is provided wherein the gas mixture includes molecular fluorine for generating an emission spectrum including two or three closely spaced lines around 157 nm. An optical method and means are provided for selecting an emission line from among the plurality of closely spaced emission lines of the molecular fluorine laser gas volume and broadening the spectrum of said selected emission line. This approach of broadening the spectrum reduces the coherence length of the output beam. As a result, speckle may be reduced or avoided in microlithography applications.

A correlation detecting device and method for detecting a specified code contained in a received signal. Is characterized by detecting a predetermined code from a received signal by a matched filter as well as detecting the average amplitude of the received signal, multiplying the detected signal of the average amplitude by a threshold, comparing the multiplied signal with the output of the matched filter, and obtaining a correlation detecting signal based on the comparison. This can assure a correlation detection in a small circuitry at a low cost with only a multiplier as the computational unit for correlation detection.

Digital images are transformed using a set of filters derived from the evolving states of cellular automata. In accordance with a preferred embodiment, the ensuing transform coefficients are encoded using a sub-band-based embedded stream technique that places the most important transform coefficients at the top of a hierarchical storage/transmission. Compression is achieved when the stream encoding/decoding is terminated after 1) a stipulated maximum bit budget is reached, or 2) when a predefined maximum error rate is attained. The present invention provides an encoding method for accelerating the transmission of image/video data through communications networks and storing the compressed data on digital storage media.

An optical beam diameter reducer for reducing a beam diameter of an optical beam comprises a three-layer structure composed of a central core, a refractive index inclined layer formed outside the core which refractive index gradually decreases toward the outside in the radial direction and a cladding layer formed outside the refractive index inclined layer.

In preferred aspects, the present invention comprises an electric fireplace designed to simulate a combustible fuel-burning fireplace. The electric fireplace comprises a housing having a top, a bottom, a back, and two sides. A simulated firebox having a top, a bottom, a back, and two sides is positioned within the fireplace housing. The firebox contains a log and ember set having one or more artificial logs positioned above an artificial bed of embers. The fireplace also comprises a mechanism for illuminating the underside of at least a portion of the artificial logs and a portion of the artificial bed of embers so as to create the illusion that the artificial logs and the artificial bed of embers are burning. The fireplace further comprises a flame simulation assembly for generating the appearance of simulated flames emanating from the artificial logs. The flame simulation assembly comprises a light source, a light randomizer, a light filter screen, and a light diffuser screen. The light randomizer comprises a rotating hollow cylinder having openings that permit light to pass through the cylinder. The light filter screen has an opaque area and a colored translucent area through which light from the light randomizer can pass on to the back of the light diffuser screen. The light diffuser screen has a partially translucent surface on which simulated flames are projected and are visible from the front of the fireplace.

The present invention relates to lower urinary dysfunctions and more particularly to an electronic stimulator implant and method to improve bladder voiding and prevent bladder hyperreflexia. There is provided an electronic stimulator implant for which comprises a tonicity signal generator generating a tonicity signal which prevents bladder hyperreflexia combined with a voiding signal generator generating a voiding signal for voiding the bladder. The implant is connected to an end of an electrode, and the second end thereof is connected to a sacral nerve. When the voiding key (or switch) is activated, the voiding signal is generated which activates detrusor muscle contraction, causing bladder voiding. The voiding may be achieved without dyssynergia, by activating detrusor muscle contraction without activating external urethral sphincter contraction. The tonicity signal may be provided intermittently. The implant may be activated by a manually activated external controller.

There are provided a nozzle clogging detection device for an electronic component-mounting apparatus, which has a simple construction and is capable of accurately detecting clogging of a vacuum nozzle and erroneous mounting of a vacuum nozzle different in diameter, and a nozzle clogging detection method therefor. A flow meter is arranged across a vacuum passage communicating between a vacuum pump and the nozzle hole of the vacuum nozzle, for measuring an actual flow rate of air drawn in through the nozzle hole. Clogging of the nozzle hole and erroneous mounting of the vacuum nozzle is detected by comparing the actual flow rate measured by the flow meter with a design flow rate of air to be drawn through the nozzle hole, the design flow rate of air being stored in advance.

A multiple substrate orienter is provided that includes a rotatable substrate handler having a plurality of substrate support portions, each adapted to support a substrate. The multiple substrate orienter also includes a plurality of stacked substrate supports, each adapted to support a substrate. A plurality of substrate orientation marking (SOM) detectors are provided, and each SOM detector is coupled to a different one of the substrate supports and is adapted to identify a presence of an SOM of a substrate positioned close enough to the SOM detector to allow SOM detection by the SOM detector. The multiple substrate orienter further includes a plurality of lift and lower mechanisms, each lift and lower mechanism coupled to a different one of the substrate supports and adapted to individually lift and lower the substrate support to which the lift and lower mechanism is coupled. Alternatively, each lift and lower mechanism may be coupled to a different one of the substrate support portions of the rotatable substrate handler and adapted to individually lift and lower the substrate support portion to which the lift and lower mechanism is coupled. Preferably the multiple substrate orienter includes a controller having program code adapted to simultaneously rough orient a plurality of substrates loaded onto the substrate support portions of the substrate handler, and to individually fine orient each rough oriented substrate. In further aspects of the invention, a substrate orienter capable of orienting one or more substrates is provided, as are methods for orienting substrates as described above.

A filling machine with a rotary peristaltic dispenser that compensates for the nonlinear flow rate characteristic of the dispenser to increase product fill accuracy is disclosed. A computer processor including associated electronic circuitry and programs is provided for defining, digitizing and storing the real pulsating flow rate characteristic of the dispenser. In order to ensure a precise delivery of the filled product, the computer calculates the angular rotation of the rotor needed to deliver the desired fill weight for each filling cycle. The angular rotation needed to maintain a uniform fill weight is generally different for each filling cycle. The current position of the rotor is first established prior to each filling cycle and then located on a stored look-up table containing the flow rate characteristic as a starting point for digital integration of the characteristic over the angular distance of the driver. The computer then integrates the digitized flow characteristic based on the look-up table in the computer memory, starting from the current rotor position one step at a time. Each step represents a small regular angular increment of the dispense rotor. After each step of integration, the subtotal of the calculated amount is compared to the calibrated set-point until the desire set-point fill weight is reached. When the integrated subtotal reaches the set-point the integration stops. The number of steps used during the integration establishes the target distance of the system driver. The system then advances the driver by the calculated angular distance, thus ensuring the delivery of the required product weight with high precision. As a result, the apparatus and control method of the present invention takes into account the pulsating nature of the rotary peristaltic dispenser.

A navigational system and a computer-based datalogger are used to store data on the distances traveled by and places visited by a monitored vehicle. The datalogger includes a clock and an on-board memory that can store time-stamped records of the latitude and longitude of places visited by the vehicle. In some such systems the vehicle operator can assign a label or a location classification to selected places that he or she visits. Additionally, in some versions of the system an administrator can use a central computer located at the vehicle's home base to assign labels to locations where the vehicle is expected to make a stop. The central computer generates a map-like graphical output that displays a point corresponding to each of the places visited. This display may also show the time spent at each place visited during an operational period.

A method for determining the probability that a biological molecule identification is incorrect for a chosen significance level is provided. The method includes comparing experimental mass data of an unknown biological molecule with theoretical mass data and calculating a score for each comparison; selecting at least two scores from the scores to form a primary data set; generating artificial data sets from the primary data set; calculating a sample mean for each artificial data set; estimating population mean and population standard deviation from the sample means wherein the population is based on the distribution underlying the primary dataset; computing a Z score from the population mean and population standard deviation for each score to standardize the scores; choosing a significance level; and comparing a test Z score to a Z score of the chosen significance level to determine the probability that the biological molecule identification is incorrect.

The invention is equipped with setting means for setting whether files under the same custody structure are preferentially selected, procuring means for procuring information on a day on which the last access was made and information on the file size regarding each one of the respective files stored in the memory means, calculating means for calculating a score regarding each of the respective files according to the number of days that have lapsed from the day of the last access and the file size, and selecting means for selecting a desired file from among the respective files by using the score and the result of the setting performed by the setting means. With this construction, when in the computer of hierarchy storage management type collectively replacing a file within the buffer memory with a file that is newly transferred from the main memory, it is so arranged that a plurality of files under the same directory can be collectively replaced.

A multipurpose article can provide a sleeping bag and personal cover. The article includes a planar flexible body having a peripheral fastener arranged to hold the flexible body in a folded condition to form a sleeping bag. The flexible body has an opening sized to permit passage of a person's head through the flexible body, so the flexible body can be worn on the person's shoulders. The flexible body also has a pouch arranged to be inverted in order to store the flexible body in a gathered condition.

A broom has a handle, a broom head, a bracket for securing the handle against rotation, and a plug for securing the bracket to the broom head. The handle has a segmented locking section near its mounting end, and can be attached to either of two opposed apertures in the broom head. The bracket has a pair of spaced-apart arms with locking faces that can engage the faces on the locking section. To enable the locking faces to engage onto the locking section from a radial direction, the open ends of the locking arms are spaced apart by a distance at least equal to the minor chord of the locking section. The bracket also has a locking aperture that allows it to be secured to the broom head by fastening the plug to the unused opposed aperture.

A resiliently attachable tool cleaner (10) having a support base (12) with a cleaning surface (14) attached thereto. A resilient, expandable and contractable, attachment (16) is connected to the support base (12) for securing the support base (12) in a desired location. In a preferred embodiment, the support base (12) includes a connection side (30) and a cleaning attachment side. The connection side (30) is connected to the resilient, expandable and contractable, attachment (16) and the cleaning attachment side has an angled attachment face (36) such that the cleaning surface (14) presents and outwardly facing downward angle aspect.

A modular office system incorporating tubular beams forming the structure of the furniture and facilitating the running of electrical, phone and computer wiring through the tubular beams. In order to provide entry and exit from the tubular beams for the wiring, plastic grommets are mounted within openings in the tubular members. The grommet includes a frame mounted to the tubular member and having an oval opening. A closure member is mounted within the opening of the frame. The closure includes a pair of flaps which selectively facilitate passing of wire through the grommet. The flaps are connected to a center portion by a living hinge allowing the flaps to be moved inwardly to open a portion of the grommet opening.

A hinge device comprises a male hinge member and a female hinge member. The male hinge member includes a pivoting rod at an end thereof, and a first mounting plate at an opposite end thereof, the first mounting plate being used for fixing the male hinge member onto a display unit of a portable computer. The female hinge member includes a body and a second mounting plate for fixing the female hinge member onto a mainframe unit of the portable computer. A first contacting section is defined on an outer periphery of the pivoting rod of the male hinge member. A second contacting section is defined on an inner periphery of the body for contacting with the first contacting section. A pair of grooves are defined in the second contacting section for retaining lubrication grease. The second mounting plate defines a receiving slot adjacent to the second contacting section for spacing the second contacting section from the second mounting plate to obtain a uniform torque resistance during rotation movements of the second contacting section in different directions.

A closure device for clothing, footwear and luggage items and the like is adapted to act on flattened and adjacent parts and comprises two elongated and parallel elements which have, at their outer lateral edges, a region for fixing to the respective parts to be joined and have, along the mutually facing inward lateral edges, a plurality of shaped portions for coupling to a movable element which is substantially as long as the elongated elements, has a plurality of complementarily shaped portions along its complementary edges, is provided with a grip in an upward region and can slide between the elongated elements in order to close the parts.

A universal assembly machine manufactures button medallions. The machine comprises a rotatably indexable die table to which are mounted pickup and crimp dies. The die table indexes about a center column of the machine frame. A ram die is advancable and retractable in a pickup stroke and a crimp stroke by means of a handle. The ram die includes a ram outer ring that is rotatable by means of a shifter post joined to the die table. Indexing the die table causes the shifter post to rotate the ram outer ring into a pickup mode or a crimp mode to suit the ram pickup and crimp strokes, respectively. The universal assembly machine also manufactures buttons with flat backs. To make a button medallion a flat back button is loaded into the pickup die. The ram die is advanced in a third press stroke to bend the shell frusto-conical wall of the flat back button inwardly to be flat and parallel to the flat back. The thin edge of the button medallion enables it to be used as an attractive embellishment on flat surfaces.

A system for fitting pins into a connector, wherein the pins are formed by portions including an end portion of a continuous wire, which portions are arranged one after another and linked together by and separable at frangible regions. The continuous wire is fed to a first unit which advances the wire and guides the end portion of the wire in a rectilinear direction of advance toward a second unit. The second unit is mounted on a rotary shaft perpendicular to this rectilinear direction and rotated so that the end portion of the continuous wire is introduced into the second unit by the first unit and then the second unit is further rotated to cause separation of the end portion from the continuous wire by bending. The second unit then inserts the separated portion into the connector.

The present invention provides an electronic chip component (e.g., a chip inductor) small in size, and a manufacturing method thereof capable of shaping of the outer dimensions of the component into a desirable shape. The method involves press-fitting a chip inductor element into a component storage section of a mold plate comprised of a heat resistant rubber elastic member including the component storage section, while a resin coating material is coated on the element and dried to a dry-to-touch state, thereby hardening the resin coating material and automatically shaping the chip inductor element into a desired outer shape.

A gripping device for positioning a component (47) on a substrate, comprising three fingers (1, 2, 3) arranged in a triangle (7), and a drive device for moving the fingers along parallel paths (4, 5, 6) relative to each other to grip or release a component. A middle finger (2) is movable in opposite directions with respect to the outer fingers (1, 3).

Described are mask-alignment detection structures that measure both the direction and extent of misalignment between layers of an integrated circuit using resistive elements for which resistance varies with misalignment in one dimension. Measurements in accordance with the invention are relatively insensitive to process variations, and the structures using to take these measurements can be formed along with other features on an integrated circuit using standard processes. One embodiment of the invention may be used to measure misalignment between two conductive layers. Other embodiments measure misalignment between diffusion regions and conductors and between diffusion regions and windows through which other diffusion regions are to be formed. A circuit in accordance with one embodiment includes row and column decoders for independently selecting mask-alignment detection structures to reduce the number of test terminals required to implement the detection structures.

A log length measuring device for marking uniform lengths in logs. The log length measuring device includes an adjustable length arm. The arm is a telescoping arm. The arm has first portion and a second portion. A pair of marking members marks a log. Each of the marking members is coupled to one of an end of the arm. Each of the marking members comprises a block. Each of the blocks has a front surface, a first end and a second end. The first and second ends are opposing ends. Each of the first edges forms a pointed edge.

The present invention has a heater, a blower and connecting hoses to provide hot air to one or more vent boxes. The vent boxes have multiple, directional hoses to direct hot air to the desired parts of the vehicle. A separate vent box rack is provided to allow the floor mats to be dried at the same time as the rest of the interior.

A stretcher bar framing device having a narrow top surface, an interior surface, an exterior surface and an angled edge such that a stretched canvas touches only the top surface. The top surface provides a surface for supporting a painting canvas, reducing the surface area contacting the canvas and increasing the paintable surface. A bottom surface of the frame contains a channel so that the canvas material is folded over the top along an exterior surface and folded into a channel so that a rubber spline may be inserted attaching the canvas to the frame without the need for staples.

A flexible vinyl display framing system that provides for a top railing running from front to back across the uppermost part of trailer, which is a C-channel extrusion. A front railing running from top to bottom down the forward most support beam of the trailer, which is a C-channel extrusion. A bottom railing running across the entire bottom of the trailer, which is an L-angle extrusion. A back railing running from top to bottom down the back most support rail, which is also an L-angle extrusion. And, a custom tensioning extrusion, which has a C-channel opening on the top and a straight channel across the bottom. The straight channel has a slot running the length of the channel in which bolts are inserted allowing for attachment to the L-angle extrusions. The system is deployed in the following manner. A flexible vinyl display is pocketed on all four edges with spleen or spline cord sewn into each pocket to create a stiffened, rounded edge. The top and front stiffened edges of the flexible vinyl display are then pulled through the top and front railing C-channel extrusions. Once the flexible vinyl display is hanging from the top and front railings, the custom tensioning extrusions, with bolts inserted, are slid piece by piece on the back and bottom stiffened edges of the flexible vinyl display. The bolts then attach the custom tensioning extrusions to the L-angle extrusions of the back and bottom railings. Once the bolts are engaged the tensioning process begins by tightening each of the bolts pulling the custom tensioning extrusions to as close to the L-angle extrusions as possible, creating a tight pull on all four sides.

A modular firearm according to the present invention includes a breach face module receiver adapted for receiving a fully assembled breach face module. The breach face module includes a breach face and an extractor arm precisely located relative to the breach face for engaging a cartridge rim and ejecting the cartridge from the firearm. The extractor arm is pivotally mounted in the breach face module and is rotationally biased by an extractor spring to effect cartridge engagement. The location of the extractor arm and the size of the breach face are variable so that the breach face module can be adapted for use with a range of calibers. The exterior dimensions of the breach face module remain constant so that a single breach face module receiver may be used to manufacture firearms of various calibers.

A fishing lure having disposed therein a needle for puncturing the diaphragm on a tube of fish attractant. The tube of fish attractant has a check-valve at the end opposite the diaphragm. In use, the diaphragm is punctured and the lure is ready for use. A kit of color-coded tubes (vials) of attractant is to be supplied for use with fishing lures.

The L-shaped, end cap is adapted to be mounted on a concrete balcony. The balcony has a rise (a vertical height) an upper run and a lower run. The end cap is an L-shaped end piece having a front plate and a lower plate. The front plate of the end piece has a plate rise substantially equivalent to the concrete balcony rise. The L-shaped end piece has a depending lip along the interface between the plate rise and the lower plate run. The depending lip is adapted to collect and disperse water droplets therefrom. Preferably, the end piece is made of pultruded fiberglass. However, the end piece may be made of plastic, stainless steel, copper, aluminum or other similar materials. For example, pultruded fiberglass may be utilized as the end piece. A method of capping a concrete balcony includes covering the rise and a portion of the lower balcony run by adhering plastic thereon and forming, with the plastic, a depending drip edge.

A window guard assembly having a multiple set of permanent window brackets installed on the exterior sides of a window framing of a building or residential home at the top and bottom thereof. A top set of window brackets is arranged with mechanical fasteners as first and second inverted J-shaped mounting brackets. A bottom set of window brackets is disposed on the bottom window framing as first and second mounting brackets, and the bottom brackets are aligned with the top set of window brackets. The brackets facilitate the installation of a protective planar covering to prevent damage from flying debris during violent weather. The brackets can also facilitate substitution of a pair of decorative shutters during non-hazardous weather conditions. Each bracket may have rounded corners and include an opening in the back portion.

A freestanding wall is constructed by erecting at least two upright supports. The upright supports are either posts or columns. Upper and lower horizontal structure members are fastened to the upright supports. Vertical intermediate framing members are secured between the upper horizontal structure member and the lower horizontal structure member. Cladding is attached to at least the front and optionally the back of each vertical intermediate framing member to conceal each vertical intermediate framing member. The upper horizontal structure member is then covered with a cap.

The invention concerns a beam end fitting and method for joining together wooden beams, the fitting comprising a tubular member adapted to be firmly secured by gluing inside a hole drilled in at least one of the two ends of a wooden beam, and connecting means for connecting the beams to each other, either directly or by an interposed core fitting, wherein said end fitting is provided with blocking means for blocking the end fitting inside the beam during the gluing step.

A horse leg protection system that includes a stretchable sock that is stretched over the lower leg of a horse and attached to a hoof protecting boot of the system to provide a barrier between the horse's leg and hoof and possible contaminants.

A thermal energy retrieval system in which waste heat generated by an internal combustion engine is used to evaporate an organic working fluid in an evaporator. The evaporated working fluid is passed through a turbine to generate power which could be used to supplement the work done by the internal combustion engine. A unitary control valve is disposed between a feed pump and the evaporator to automatically regulate the flow of working fluid to the evaporator in accordance with the sensed temperature of the working fluid at its exit from the evaporator. This ensures the optimization of the thermodynamic efficiency of the system, which in turn leads to the provision of a more compact system useful with a road engine as an add-on.

The present invention refers to a new construction for the evaporation tray for the defrost water in refrigeration systems of refrigerators and freezers and, more especifically, to a new construction for the evaporation tray of the type which is affixed onto the shell of the hermetic compressor of said refrigeration systems.

A aircraft anti-theft device for immobilizing the yoke of an aircraft. The aircraft anti-theft device includes a device for immobilizing the yoke control of an aircraft. The yoke control has a gust lock hole for holding the yoke in a stationary position. The device has a sleeve for wrapping about the yoke control. The sleeve has an interior channel for receiving a portion of the yoke control. The sleeve is divided along its longitudinal axis to form a first and second sections. The first and second sections each have a pair of end edges, a first side edge, and a second side edge. A lock locks the first and second sections in a closed position. A pin for insertion into the gust lock is fixedly coupled to an interior surface of the first section of the sleeve. The pin protrudes from the interior surface of the sleeve. The first and second sections are placed around the yoke control such that the pin enters the gust lock.

The present invention provides a tubular keyed cam lock with increased resistance to tampering. The cam lock has a rear screw which attaches the cam to the rotatable cam of the lock, thereby increasing the strength of the lock by preventing the lock from being pried off. The lock includes a plug body with a key entering end and a cam actuating end, a plurality of spring biased pin tumblers engaging the key when the key is inserted into the plug body and a lock housing within which the plug body is rotatably positioned. The lock housing has at least one limit stop disposed thereon. As discussed above, the cam-actuating end of the plug body is connected with a screw to a metal stop plate.

This invention relates to a measuring apparatus for measuring the gas loading of a liquid, comprising a measuring device which substantially consists of a piston pump, by means of which a sample quantity of the liquid is subjected to a reduced pressure in a measuring cylinder chamber and the dissolved amount of gas is thereby desorbed and can be determined via the gas law by changing the conditions of pressure and/or temperature in the cylinder chamber. The measuring apparatus is of particularly compact construction and for this purpose is provided with a servomotor as an actuating drive for the piston pump, which servomotor not only enables the reduced pressure to be generated in the measuring chamber but also ensures the return of the measured test sample from the measuring cylinder chamber after the measuring operation. Preferably, the measuring apparatus is provided with an ultrasonic generator by means of which the test sample is acoustically irradiated and the time of desorption for expelling the gas is thus considerably shortened.

A pressure sensing apparatus for operative arrangement within an environment, having: a sensor comprising a hermetically-sealed receptacle, at least one side of which has an flexible membrane to which a magnetically hard element is attached. Enclosed within the receptacle is a magnetostrictive element that vibrates in response to a time-varying magnetic field. Also included is a receiver to measure a plurality of successive values for magneto-elastic emission intensity of the sensor taken over an operating range of successive interrogation frequencies to identify a resonant frequency value for the sensor. Additional features include: (a) the magnetically hard element may be adhered to an inner or outer side of, or embedded within, the membrane; (b) the magnetostrictive element can include one or more of a variety of different pre-formed, hardened regions; (c) the magneto-elastic emission may be a primarily acoustic or electromagnetic emission; and (d) in the event the time-varying magnetic field is emitted as a single pulse or series of pulses, the receiver unit can detect a transitory time-response of the emission intensity of each pulse (detected after a threshold amplitude value for the transitory time-response is observed). A Fourier transform of the time-response can yield results in the frequency domain. Also, an associated method of sensing pressure of an environment is included that uses a sensor having a magnetostrictive element to identify a magneto-elastic resonant frequency value therefore. Using the magneto-elastic resonant frequency value identified, a value for the pressure of the environment can be identified.

A groundwater velocity probe is provided comprising a surface with a first portion and a second portion, an injector for injecting a tracer proximate the first portion, a detector for detecting the tracer proximate the second portion, and a timer for measuring time elapsed between injecting the tracer and detecting the tracer. A method of measuring groundwater velocity in an aquifer is also provided comprising the steps of providing a groundwater velocity probe in an aquifer, the groundwater velocity probe having a surface with a first portion and a second portion, an injector for injecting a tracer having a characteristic property proximate the first portion, a detector for detecting the characteristic property of the tracer proximate the second portion, and a timer for measuring time elapsed between injecting the tracer and detecting the characteristic property of the tracer, injecting the tracer proximate the first portion, starting a timer in a datalogger, detecting the characteristic property of the tracer proximate the second portion, inputting an electrical signal representative of the characteristic property to the datalogger, and measuring time elapsed between injecting the tracer and detecting the characteristic property with the datalogger.

The present invention eases possible rubbing between an upper cutting edge and a work cutting surface of a work cutting apparatus during the elevation of the upper cutting edge to prevent the upper cutting edge from being worn in order to increase its lifetime. In a device for cutting a work by elevating and lowering a movable upper cutting edge 12 relative to a fixed lower cutting edge 13, an upper-cutting-edge, tight-contact avoidance device 10 is provided for widening the clearance between the upper cutting edge 12 and a work cutting surface. The device 10 is comprised of a clearance adjustment mechanism 22 for adjusting the clearance between the upper cutting edge 12 and the lower cutting edge 13, and control device 35 for regulating operation of the clearance adjustment mechanism 22.

An aerator pad assembly having an aeration pad with a number of cutouts forming a shaped perimeter, is provided. The aeration pad may include a number of supports providing which provide air flow paths between the aeration pad and an associated aeration panel. A gasket may be disposed about the shaped perimeter, the gasket having a plurality of protuberances with fastener openings included, and the protuberances preferably cooperate with the cutouts to form a generally continuous interface between them. In one embodiment, a notched opening within the gasket is provided at the generally continuous interface with the shaped perimeter at least partially occupying a portion of the notched opening. In a particular embodiment, the gasket may be molded onto the aeration pad. In another embodiment, an adhesive material may be provided to form the attachment. In yet another embodiment, stitches of thread may attach the gasket and the aeration pad. A sealant material may also be provided at the generally continuous interface to seal voids between the gasket and the pad.

The present invention relates to a device for simulating static load of a connection to a ventilated rack of animal cages when at least one of the racks are not connected to a central ventilation system. Accordingly, the device assures that the ventilation system is balanced when one or more of the ventilated racks are removed from their respective air supply or exhaust drops of the central ventilation system. The device includes a pair of spring biased legs which automatically close when a rack is removed from the central air system. The legs have an outwardly curved shape at one end forming an opening between the first and second leg. In the closed position, ends of the legs are adjacent to one another such that the distance between the legs is reduced, thereby creating a partial obstruction to air flow in the connection which is identical to the static load created by the ventilated rack.

A system (18) for handling animal cages (10) includes a low noise tipping funnel (16) into which waste bedding from the cage is emptied for transporting to a dumpster (20). The tipping funnel includes a receiving funnel (110) which receives the waste bedding. An air duct is positioned adjacent three sides of an upper opening (114) to the receiving funnel. A suction fan (76) draws airborne particles of the waste bedding into the air duct through a housing (134) over the top of the air duct. The housing creates an air path which minimizes transfer of noise generated in the suction process. The waste bedding is transferred from the receiving funnel into a vacuum line by a rotating valve (202) having a plurality of vanes (211). As the valve rotates, two or more of the vanes separate the receiving funnel from the vacuum line, minimizing transfer of noise from the vacuum line out through the upper opening of the receiving funnel.

An excrement catching device for a dog wherein the dog has a tail, a rear end and a stomach portion. The device comprises a receptacle sized and configured to be placeable over the rear end of the dog. The receptacle has a rear portion and a forward portion for attachment of a stomach strap and a tail strap. The tail strap is placeable over the tail of the dog and attached to the rear portion of the receptacle. The tail strap is operative to secure the receptacle to the tail of the dog. The stomach strap is placeable over the stomach portion of the dog and attached to the forward portion of the receptacle. The stomach strap is operative to secure the receptacle adjacent to the stomach of the dog. Accordingly the stomach strap and the tail strap position the receptacle in a location whereat the receptacle may catch the excrement of the dog.

A method of cooling a locomotive engine wherein the temperature of the coolant flowing into the engine is controlled in response to the temperature of the lube oil flowing out of the engine so that the difference between these two temperatures is limited to a predetermined value in order to limit the differential expansion between parts within the engine. The predetermined value may be a function of the lube oil temperature, and it may have an absolute maximum value. In the event that the temperature difference exceeds a predetermined value, the power output of the engine may be reduced as a function of the length of time that the temperature difference limit has been exceeded. The rate of change in coolant temperature may be limited during periods of decreasing lube oil temperature in order to limit the duty cycle demand on coolant system components.

A road surface cutting system capable of cutting a hole into both cold asphalt and dry concrete surfaces towards the deployment and securement of roadway marking devices. The cutting of the surfaces is without lubrication being applied to the road surface and using air to cool the cutting blades.

A fastening structure is adapted for use with both tracheal and endo-tracheal assisted breathing device. The fastening structure provides a fastening ring and a fastening bracket. The fastening structures are adapted for connection to prior art assisted breathing components currently adopted in most medical facilities. In an endo-tracheal application, where the endo-tracheal tube passes through the patient's mouth, first and second fastening rings are attached to the auxiliary port and to the ventilator attachment port, respectively, of the ventilator adaptor. The U-shaped opening of a fastening bracket is passed over the endo-tracheal adapter which is attached to the ventilation adapter. First and second legs, extending from the fastening bracket, lock onto the first and second rings. The connection between the fastening bracket and the fastening rings prevents unwanted separation between the endo-tracheal adapter and the ventilation adapter. In a tracheal application, a single fastening ring is carried by the tracheal adapter and is secured by tracheal ties which encircle the neck of the patient. In this application, the fastening ring prevents unwanted separation between the tracheal adapter and the tracheal tube.

A device for executing an inspection method of a filter rod for cigarettes includes an inspection drum (6), and the inspection drum (6) has plural pickup grooves (8) for receiving one filter rod (F) each in its outer periphery. The filter rod (F) in each pickup groove (8) is provided with rolling force by a rolling guide (10), and passes through an illuminated region (B) of light while the inspection drum (6) rotates. At this time, when the filter rod (F) rolls, the shielded portion of the illuminated region (B) due to the filter rod (F) varies. This variation means that the filter rod (F) is normal, and is hence used for determination of the inspection.

A control valve device controls the movement of at least one hydraulic user. Relative movement of a control spool valve of a control valve with respect to a housing controls the connection of at least one hydraulic connection that is in communication with the user with a delivery connection and with a reservoir connection. The control spool valve can be moved relative to the housing by an actuator device. The housing has a multi-layer construction consisting of plates connected with one another by soldering or another adhesive, which plates comprise intermediate plates that are located between two end plates. The thickness (D) of the end plates is greater than the thickness (d) of the intermediate plates, whereby the end plates are provided with a fastening device for the actuator device and/or of connection devices for the hydraulic lines.

A security bar assembly has a plurality of bars that extend across an opening and have ends joined to drive chains. The bars may extend between two channels positioned on opposite faces of the opening, and may be slidable within the channels. The ends of the bars may be retained in the channels and the ends may have connections to chain links in opposing drive chains which are spaced apart a predetermined number of links to keep the bars a predetermined distance apart. A drive mechanism may be provided for moving the drive chains to slide the bars in the channels and a storage area adjacent the opening associated with the channels to retain the bars when they are not in place over the opening. Transfer mechanisms are provided for moving the security bars between a stored position and a position in which the bars engage the bar drive chain.

The flapper valve assembly can be used in series to provide collapsible closures in a drill pipe. Thus, when work strings are withdrawn through the flapper valve, it will close in a conventional manner. However, when the work string must be reinserted through the closed flapper, a collar holding the flapper in its closed position can be sheared from its position within the assembly housing.

A zero gravity robotic tool includes a robotic arm having a distal end. A motor is mounted on the distal end of the robotic arm and is rotated about a motor axis which passes through the center of gravity of the motor and the tool. A prime mover is connected to the robotic arm and to a pivot mechanism for causing the rotation of the motor and the tool about the motor axis.

A method for manufacturing intake mufflers, particularly for compression circuits for refrigeration systems and the like, comprising the steps of: molding a cover and a base of an intake muffler; and mutually assembling the base and the cover in a mold inside which a perimetric profile is formed which is adapted to form a retention joint which is molded perimetrically at the edge where the base and the cover are mutually coupled.

A cap for a container housing a consumer product, in the form of a device that is capable of diffusing a volatile substance inside the container. The device includes a cap liner element for carrying the volatile substance and a barrier element, which is lodged between the cap liner element and the interior of the container. The barrier element is formed of a membrane that is permeable to the vapors of the volatile substance but impermeable to the consumer product, so as to enable molecular diffusion of the volatile substance's vapors into the headspace above the consumer product when the container is closed.

A packaging material comprising a plurality of flexible strips of material intertwined with and bondably connected to one another so as to form a cohesive cushioning unit and method for forming same is provided. The strips of material have a bonding material disposed thereon for bondingly connecting the strips of material to one another and enabling the strips of material to be bondingly connected to a container and an article.

A system and method for assisting an operator in sorting mail includes a wireless headset equipped with a microphone, and a workstation that includes a processing unit, voice-recognition and voice-synthesis circuitry, and a database. In operation, addressee information spoken into the microphone is transmitted to the workstation where it is used to search the database. Destination information from a matching database record is then output to the operator on one or more of a display terminal, headset speakers, and heads-up display fixed to the headset. The convenience and enhanced capability provided by this system streamlines operator productivity and sorting volume. The emobdiments disclosed herein are primarily directed to a headset that is operated completely remotely from the processing unit, and also to a headset comprising a heads up display having means by which an operator can access the database.

An elongated durable corrosion resistent dishwasher accessory for securing and supporting stemware in a dishwasher rack. At one end of the dishwasher accessory is a C-shaped clip for connecting to a horizontal wire stringer on a dishwasher rack. At that same end of the dishwasher accessory is a bore that allows a vertical wire stringer to pass within the bore to secure the dishwasher accessory to the dishwasher rack. At the opposite end of the dishwasher accessory is two oppositely positioned gripper jaws with various sized bores therein. These bores clip around the stem of a piece of stemware, which secures the stemware in a vertical downward position within a dishwasher rack when the dishwasher accessory is secured to the wire stringer. This allows the washing streams of water to securely wash the liquid retaining portion of the stemware without upsetting or turning over the stemware in the dishwasher rack. The dishwasher accessory adjusts to different size and different heights of stemware, is durable, simple to construct, and easy to operate.

The lid holding apparatus is a device that holds a lid at a tilt on a pot to prevent the contents of the pot from boiling over.

A tablet feeder of the type in which tablets in a storage case are discharged by rotating a rotor. The tablet feeder can prevent tablets, which are about to be discharged by slight rotation of the rotor, from being inadvertently discharged when the storage case is mounted on or dismounted from a support base. The storage case is detachably mounted on the support base. The rotor is mounted in a bottom portion of the storage case so as to be rotatable about a rotary shaft, and is coupled to a motor through rotary gears at its bottom end. A plurality of small magnets are provided on the outer circumference of the bottom portion, and small magnets are provided at a plurality of locations on the outer circumference of the rotor at predetermined intervals.

An adjustable container includes top, bottom and four side panels. Each of the four side panels is scored along at least one longitudinal score line extending substantially parallel to the top and bottom panels. Two of the opposing side panels are scored along oblique score lines, each oblique score line extending from one corner of the side panel toward and intersecting the longitudinal score line. The height of the container is adjustable by folding the side panels inwardly toward the interior of the container along the longitudinal and oblique score lines.

A refining disk is provided for use in various kinds of refining apparatus. The refining apparatus comprises juxtaposed disks with refining surfaces on the opposed faces, one disk rotating relatively to the other disk to work on the material therebetween. A typical refiner is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,049,307; however, the invention is applicable to various types of refiners including single rotating disk refiners and counter-rotating disk machines. Disks normally are cast which results in relatively soft low wear resistance that wear out and must be replaced regularly. The disks of this invention are constructed of the hardest wear resistant materials known including metal carbides.

A modular material processing apparatus comprises a housing including a frame, the frame defining a pair of oppositely facing lateral ends and a pair of oppositely facing longitudinal sides; a pair of co-acting, substantially parallel, counter-rotating roller assemblies, each of the roller assemblies including a substantially cylindrical, material processing roller member mounted to a rotating shaft extending substantially parallel with the longitudinal sides; a first support assembly mounted to one of the lateral ends of the frame, the first support assembly including a fixed support and an adjustable support, each of the fixed and adjustable supports supporting a corresponding one of the roller assemblies; and a second support assembly mounted to the other one of the lateral ends of the frame, the second support assembly including a fixed support and an adjustable support, each of the fixed and adjustable supports supporting a corresponding one of the roller assemblies. Each of the first and second support assemblies include a fixed support block retaining the fixed support; an adjustable support block retaining the adjustable support and being laterally slidable with respect to the fixed support block; a shim positioned on a lateral side of the adjustable support block, between the adjustable support block and a fixed member of the support assembly; and a lock for securing the adjustable support block and shim to the fixed member during normal operation of the material processing apparatus. Accordingly, the lateral distance between the fixed support and the lateral support on each of the first and second support assemblies may be adjusted by changing the thickness of the shim.

An aircraft lift arrangement that involves giving the fins or vertical elements, a positive angle slope in relation to their forward edge or transverse axis both on the leading and trailing edges, both beginning at the upper front and descending in an incline rearward as far as the base, to produce an inclined force on said vertical element which is broken down into two components, one horizontal and rearward, providing resistance to the advance, and the other a vertical, ascendant or lift component.

The present invention provides a ADJUSTABLE BOUQUET DESIGN STAND which includes a positioning stand and a flower stems receiver. The positioning stand can be adapted to a wall or a floor attachment, and is enabled for being adjusted in height and for pivotal motion around the stand's longitudional axis. The invention also provides for fixed positioning of the flower stems receiver, thus enabling an essentially infinite number of fixed variations of the flower stand's height and attitude necessary for a flower bouquet designing. Additionally, the flower stems receiver is provided with a clamping device which has a manual lever located on the flower stems receiver's peripheral wall and a spring member which is enabled for clamping the flower stems to the inner wall of the stem receiver in a diagonal direction. As the flowers are placed between inner walls of the flower stems receiver, application of pressure by a human hand to the manual lever enables clamping of the flower stems to the inner wall of the receiver with a downwardly directed, and thus a greater clamping force, thereby inhibiting the flowers from being easily pulled from the stems receiver.

An electronic control circuit for controlling an electromagnetic valve having an armature, in particular for a heating and/or air-conditioning system in a motor vehicle, has an electronic switching element in series with the coil of the valve and is characterized in that the switching element controls the valve voltage (or the valve current) applied to the coil so that the valve voltage reaches a first value when the valve is switched on; then the valve voltage is reduced to a second value which is lower than the first value; and thereafter the valve voltage assumes a third value which is greater than the second value and represents a holding voltage for holding the armature in its switched-on position.

A lifting apparatus for lifting articles or persons between raised and lowered positions comprising a base which is movable between raised and lowered positions and a support frame in relation to which the base is movable. Guide means are provided to guide the movement of the base between raised and lowered positions and power means are provided to allow the base to move between the positions. The apparatus is also provided with wheels or rollers which allow the apparatus to be moved along a surface and the wheels or rollers can be moved between an in-use position with the wheels contacting the surface and a retracted position with the wheels above the surface.

A shock isolator having a spring members such as a belleville washer for supporting a static weight with the belleville washer toggleable between a support condition and a nonsupport condition with the belleville washer having a collapse force that is sufficiently high so that the belleville washer can support a static load without collapsing in order to normally maintain an elastomer damping material in a condition free or substantially free of static forces. When a dynamic force exceeds the collapse force of the belleville washer the belleville washer toggles to a collapsed condition leaving the elastomer to tensionally respond to both the static and the dynamic forces by expansion and contraction of the elastomer. As the elastomer damps the dynamic forces of shock and vibration the forces on the equipment reach a damped condition where the belleville washer expansion force exceeds the forces on the equipment thereby allowing the belleville washer to toggle to the support condition to again provide a static support.

A reverse feeding apparatus for switching back and feeding a sheet, includes at least one feeding roller positioned for feeding a sheet in a first direction from an upstream path to a downstream path; a reverse feeding roller located at the downstream path and positioned for feeding a sheet in a second direction that is different from the first direction; at least one branch nail movably mounted adjacent the feeding roller; at least one guiding nail movably mounted adjacent the feeding roller, wherein a tip of the branch nail and a tip of the guiding nail are positionable to overlap the feeding roller when the sheet is not being fed in the first direction by the feeding roller, a branch nail pressing device which presses the branch nail to the position overlapping the feeding roller to increase friction between a sheet being fed in the first direction and the feeding roller; and a guiding nail pressing device which presses the guiding nail to the position overlapping the feeding roller to permit a front end of a sheet being fed in the second direction to pass by a lower face of the guiding nail. The pressure applied by the guiding nail pressing device is smaller than the pressure applied by the branch nail pressing device. The pressure applied by the guiding nail pressing device is set such that the inertial movement of a sheet moving in the upstream path is not obstructed by the guiding nail. Therefore, the guiding nails are less likely to cause paper jamming.

A playing figure for soccer game tables comprising a rectangular, box-like playing area supported on four angularly mounted and reinforced legs, a plurality of axially slidable actuating rods mounted extending transversely of the playing area, and a plurality of playing figures mounted on the actuating rods, the improvement wherein the playing figures are each provided with a brush at a lower end thereof.

A packing arrangement for a reciprocating pumps, particularly oil well pumps, in which a stuffing box housing contains a pressure chamber, packing seals mounted within the pressure chamber, a pump rod extending through the housing and the packing seals within said pressure chamber in a manner permitting reciprocation of the rod, utilizes pressure amplification feature by which tubing pressure is amplified in an appropriate ratio and applied to the packing seals to insure that they are correctly compressed at all times without producing a binding of the packing seals with the pump rod. Furthermore, the stuffing box is mounted to the well head in a manner which permits a floating self-alignment upon loosening of a few bolts. Additionally, a venturi connection is provided which flushes the underside of the packing area so as to keep it free and clear of debris buildup.

An end mill chucking structure for chucking an end mill having a relatively small diameter and used, for example, for deep milling of a die. The end mill chucking structure includes an end mill holder and an end mill. A holder body has a taper hole formed therein. The end mill includes an end mill body and a cutting tip provided at an end portion of the end mill body. A portion of the end mill body located opposite the cutting tip serves as a tapered shank portion. The shank portion and the rest of the end mill body are bounded by a shoulder extending outward from the surface of the shank portion. The shank portion is press-fitted or shrink-fitted into the taper hole such that the end face of the holder body abuts the shoulder of the end mill body, through application to the holder body of heat at a temperature lower than a conventional shrink-fitting temperature.

A pedal driven wheeled vehicle includes a frame and a driven wheel with a driven hub engaged with the frame. A driven system includes a first pedal crank arm and a second crank arm. A first pedal is located at a removed end of the first pedal crank arm, and a second pedal is located at a removed end of the second pedal crank arm. A pedal driven shaft includes a longitudinal axis, a first end, and a second end and is rotatably mounted to the frame of the pedal driven shaft. The second pedal crank arm attaches to the second end of the pedal driven shaft. The pedal driven shaft includes a first gear mounted thereto such that the first gear rotates in a first plane. A hub engagement gear engages with the driven wheel hub of the driven wheel. A driven shaft includes a first and a second end. The first end includes a first end worm gear for engagement with the first gear of the pedal driven shaft, and the second end includes a second end worm gear for engagement with the hub engagement gear such that when the pedal crank arms are rotated the rear wheel rotates.

A structural assembly device and method for securing together a pair of surfaces of two fusible materials wherein an electrically conductive thermal element is located between the surfaces which will melt, without substantially degrading, when heated. When the thermal element is heated, it is elevated to a temperature sufficient to melt the first and second elements and then is allowed to cool such that the first and second elements are joined to the thermal element and may be joined to each other as well.

An expansion plug filter assembly adapted to be mounted in an axle spindle for communicating filtered air from an axle to a rotary union assembly in a tire inflation system. The assembly includes a head portion, a body portion, an internal air flow channel extending longitudinally through the head and body portions. A press plate cavity is provided in the head portion of the assembly. A filter unit is carried by the body portion and a press plate is disposed within the press plate cavity. An o-ring mounted in a groove about the head portion provides an airtight seal between the head portion and the interior of the axle spindle. Tightening a plurality of securement bolts embedded in the head portion draws the press plate into the press plate cavity and causes a downstream portion of the head portion of the assembly to expand against the spindle to releasably secure the assembly within the spindle such that air passing therethrough is first caused to flow through the filter unit.

A printer and components of the printer are described, along with methods of adjusting and using the printer. The printer includes a carriage that supports at least one printhead. The at least one printhead ejects ink onto a print media that is fed though a space between the printhead and a platen as the carriage moves laterally along slider rods supported by a beam. The space between the at least one printhead and platen is adjusted along the length of the printing path by applying a bending force to the underside of the beam that raises or lowers the beam relative to the platen at selected points. The adjustment is effected by one or more adjustment assemblies that abut the lower surface of the beam. In one embodiment, the first adjustment is an acorn nut and the second adjustment a differential screw that is engaged with the acorn nut. Rotation of the acorn nut effects a rough adjustment of the printhead to platen spacing, and rotation of the differential screw effects a fine adjustment of the printhead to platen spacing.

The pressing portion of the press member for joining the top plate and the heater board together is formed into projections A, which are pressed against the back of the heater board at the vicinity of the joint gravity center of the top plate and the heater board to firmly join the top plate and the heater board with a uniform pressure over their entire contact surface.

A baby carriage or stroller is provided with a built-in illumination electrical system, powered by a replaceable or rechargeable battery or by a solar panel. A headlamp or headlamps at the front illuminate the intended pathway of the carriage. Side lamps and a rear or tail lamp or lamps may be provided. The side and rear lamps are typically red as warnings. An interior or baby-illuminating lamp may be provided. One switch controls the interior light and another switch controls the other lights.

A vehicular headlamp comprising a lighting compartment, first and second reflectors, a bulb, and a lighting circuit unit. The lighting compartment is defined by a lamp body and a front lens. The first and second reflectors are provided in the lighting compartment, and the second reflector is beside the first reflector. The bulb is mounted on the second reflector. The lighting circuit unit is provided below the first reflector and electrically connected to the bulb.

A media sensor system includes a light source directing light towards media stock, a photo-detector positioned to detect light reflected from the media stock and a photo-detector positioned to detect light passing through the media stock. The light source and photo-detectors may be positioned in a media stock guide. The energization level of the light source and the photo-detector monitored may be set according to a media type being used.

A herbicide applicator assembly (10) includes a liquid applicator (14) in the form of a resiliently compressible, unitary, porous foam mass with a substantially cylindrical applicator surface (20) for applying liquid from a source thereof. The liquid applicator (14) is rotatably mounted. A spacer wheel (30) extends radially beyond the applicator surface (20) to space the applicator surface (20) from any flat surface with which the spacer wheel (30) is engaged. The spacer wheel (30) is in fixed connection with a bush (52) with the liquid applicator (14) seated on the external periphery of the bush (52). The liquid applicator (14) is attached to the spacer wheel (30) to rotate in unison with the spacer wheel (30). The liquid applicator (14) is provided with an external edge (42) defined between the substantially cylindrical applicator surface (20) and an end surface (40) of the applicator (14). The applicator surface (20) and the end surface (40) are exposed at least adjacent to the external edge (42) along at least a portion of the external edge (42).

A fixing clamp for a tensioning rope is proposed, where a clamping screw presses the tensioning rope against an abutment surface in friction-tight fashion. The abutment surface is formed by the bottom of metal bracket (10) bent in an approximately V or U shape and located in the mount (8) of a plastic housing. The clamping screw (14) reaches through the wall of the housing (1) and a nut (13) fixed in non-rotating fashion by the upper, bent ends (11, 12) of the legs of the metal bracket (10).

A clip for fixing trim on a support comprises a first male portion suitable for being snap-fastened in an opening of the support and connected by a strap to a female piece that is suitable for snap-fastening on a second male portion of the clip, a piece being suitable for being assembled on the piece by sliding.

An apparatus which guides a cable through a conduit. The apparatus includes a guide device for receiving the cable. Passage of the cable through the guide device is permitted. Further, the guide device is automatically moved from a first position to a second position during passage of the cable into the conduit to assist in the movement of the cable along the conduit.

A modular block and a retaining wall filled of the modular blocks, each modular block having a body portion with first and second opposed ends, an interior hollow portion to receive a ballast, the first one of the opposed ends having a plurality of tenons extending outwardly therefrom, a second one of the opposed ends having a plurality of mortices formed therein, the arrangement being such that the modular block be connected to an adjacent modular block at varying angles by means of the mortices and tenons. The retaining wall may conveniently be used as a flood containment structure.

A tool having a base body is proposed, on which at least one cutter holder, preferably a rocker-type cutter holder, is mounted such that it can be adjusted transversely with respect to the axis of the tool. The cutter holder carries a cutter and rests via a pressure piece on a control chamfer, which is provided on a control sleeve which is mounted in the base body such that it can be displaced axially in relation to the pressure force. The tool is defined in that the movement of the cutter holder (35) is controlled by at least one centrifugal force-actuated element (44, 66).

An outrigger to prevent a moving vehicle from overturning includes an arm that normally stays in a retracted, stored position that allows the vehicle freedom to travel, but then automatically extends to brace the vehicle in response to tilting to a predetermined limit. The arm has a pivotal or linear motion driven by virtue of its own weight or by spring force. A releasable latch holding the arm in the stored position automatically releases the arm in response to a mechanical or electrical tilt sensor that detects that the vehicle has tilted to the limit.

In a multi-stage side channel pump, the efficiency can be optimized in that the geometry of each subsequent stage (14) is adapted to the specific volume of the medium at the outlet of the preceding stage (12) by determining the dimensions of the impeller diameter (D) and of the flow channel diameter (d). The stage pressure is the same for both stages (12, 14). The impeller geometry of the next stage (14) is determined by means of the volume ratio of the preceding stage (12) to the next stage (14), assuming geometric similarity.

A tightly adherent anti-stick coating applied over coated turbine components of gas turbine engines. The tightly adherent coating is an oxide of at least one metal selected from the group consisting of Pt, W, group 4b and group 5b metals of the periodic table and Si, Ge and Sn of group 4a. The oxide is applied directly over existing environmental coatings, and thermal barrier coatings. It can also be applied directly to substrate material and to areas that are not within the combustion exhaust gases, such as platform portions and shank portions of airfoils including turbine blades. The oxide is conveniently applied to a uniform thickness of no greater than about 10 microns, and prevents the build-up of corrosion products and other products of combustion from the gases, thereby increasing the life expectancy of the component.

To provide a substrate temperature control system capable of unifying the temperature of the substrate and capable of shortening the temperature elevation time (temperature lowering time), the substrate temperature control system is equipped with a temperature control plate (heating or cooling plate) having a plurality of projections on its surface and acting to set the temperature of the substrate. A chuck mechanism is provided to fix the substrate in contact with a plurality of the projections by chucking the substrate toward the temperature control plate.

A tray for producing impressions of dental arches includes a peripheral edge wall that forms a sealing point with soft tissue in the patient's mouth. The interior of the tray is connected via a plurality of vacuum connection pieces to a suction arrangement. Disposed in an impression space provided by the tray is an impression material distributor tube that conveys impression material, preferably to the rear impression space. The distributor tube is connected to an impression material source.

A molded electrical interconnect having an electrical conductor embedded therein, a conductive terminal disposed in the cavity, a first end portion of the terminal disposed toward an open end of the cavity and a second end portion thereof coupled to a portion of the electrical conductor protruding into the cavity, the terminal is pivotally supported by a fulcrum near the second end portion thereof so that the first end portion of the terminal is movable in the cavity for alignment with a mating terminal.

A communications card allows computers to be electrically connected to electronic devices and communications systems. The communications card includes a modular jack with a plurality of contact pins. The contact pins include a plug engaging portion that does not include any sections that are angled more than about 90° in order to minimize the stresses in the contact pins. The contact pins also include a connector portion that allows the contact pins to be electrically connected to a printed circuit board disposed within the communications card. Preferably, the plug engaging portion includes an elongated arm that aids in absorbing stress and deflection of the contact pins. Advantageously, the contact pins are designed to minimize the height of the modular jack such that the modular jack can be used with communications cards that comply with the PCMCIA Type III standards.

An electrical connector (22) having an array of terminals (50) disposed in respective terminal receiving passageways (30) therein and a programmable keying member (60) disposed into a key receiving opening (32) extending into the mating face (26) among the array of terminal receiving passageways (30). The key receiving opening (32) is configured to receive the keying member (60) in any of a plurality of orientations. The keying member (60) further may include other terminals (82, 84) disposed in terminals receiving passageways (78, 80) of the keying member (60).

A hydraulically-actuated blade actuator selectively actuating the shear blades associated with a rotary cutter for cutting the harvested crop into small pieces prior to the baling or collecting process in agricultural harvesting machines. The hydraulic cylinders (12) are disposed within a parallelpiped block (14). A plurality of hydraulic cylinders (12) are arranged adjacent to one another in a block (14). A plurality of transversely extending borings (18, 19, 20) are arranged in the base region of each one of the blocks (14), the borings extending continuously through each of the assembled blocks such that each one of these borings (18, 19, 20) is connected to the space within a hydraulic cylinder (12) via a respective connecting bore (21, 22, 23). Each of the borings (18, 19, 20) is provided with an appertaining on-off valve (29, 30, 31) and an accumulator (32, 33, 34).

Disclosed herein is a multi-layer golf ball having a soft outer cover. The golf ball has an inner cover layer with a Shore D hardness of 60 or more, and an outer cover with a Shore D hardness of 55 or less, and more preferably 50 or less. In a particularly preferred form of the invention, the outer cover comprises at least 75% of a soft copolymer formed from a polyolefin, an unsaturated carboxylic acid, and a monomer of the acrylate ester class. The golf ball of the invention has exceptionally soft feel and high spin rates on short shots of 80 yards or less and, particularly, 40 yards or less, while maintaining good distance and average spin on full shots.

A emergency replacement belt for replacing a broken fan or drive belt. The emergency replacement belt includes a flexible elongate element with a pair of opposite ends that are detachably attached together with a connector having either a J-shaped or a T-shaped hooking portion.

The invention is methods and devices which a surgeon may use to stabilize the beating heart during a surgical procedure on the heart. Pursuant to the invention, a stabilizing device is introduced through an opening in the chest and brought into contact with the beating heart. By contacting the heart with the device and by exerting a stabilizing force on the device, the motion of the heart caused by the contraction of the heart muscles is effectively eliminated such that the heart is stabilized and the site of the surgery moves only minimally if at all. Typically, in separate steps, the surgeon contacts the heart with the stabilizing device, assesses the degree of movement of the anastomosis site, and exerts a force on the stabilizing device such that the contraction of the beating heart causes only minimal excess motion at the surgery site. By fixing the position of the stabilizing device in a configuration where the motion of the beating heart is effectively eliminated, the surgeon is able to stabilize the beating heart for the duration of the procedure. The stabilizing device may be attached to a rigid support or may be attached to a semi-rigid support which is rendered motionless mechanically, chemically, or by human intervention. In certain preferred embodiments, the stabilizing device is affixed to a semi-rigid support which is caused to become rigid, by any of a variety of techniques, such that the position of the stabilizing device becomes fixed by the support, and the heart remains substantially motionless for the duration of the procedure.

In a pulse wave detecting device for detecting a pulse wave by use of an ultrasonic wave, in order to prevent attenuation of the ultrasonic wave caused by a gap formed between the pulse wave detecting device and the user's skin, a transmitter for generating an ultrasonic wave and a receiver are formed on a support substrate so as to protrude therefrom. Consequently, the transmitter and receiver contact a surface of the skin and no gap is formed between the surface of the skin and the pulse wave detecting device. A pulse wave detecting device high in detection accuracy is thus realized without the need for applying a gel between the skin and a detecting surface of the device.

A method and apparatus is disclosed for mechanically-assisted liposuction treatment. The apparatus includes a hand-holdable housing, an electro-cauterizing cannula assembly, and a reciprocation mechanism. The hand-holdable housing has a cavity adaptable for receipt of a portion of the electro-cauterizing cannula assembly. The electro-cauterizing cannula assembly has a distal end and a proximal end and at least one aspiration aperture about the distal end. The reciprocation mechanism is disposed within the housing and is operably associated with either the cannula so that the cannulas can be selectively caused to reciprocate relative to the housing. As the cannula is caused to reciprocate relative to the housing, the aspiration aperture formed through the distal end of the cannula assembly is caused to undergo periodic displacement. During aspiration of tissue, high-voltage RF power signal supplied to an electro-cauterizing electrode structure formed about each reciprocating aspiration aperture to effect hemostasis thereabout. Such hemostasis is achieved by causing protein molecules within aspirated tissue to coagulate in response to the high-voltage RF signal being supplied across the electro-cauterizing electrode. In the preferred embodiments, the amount and rate of such aspiration aperture displacement is controllably adjustable. The cannula assembly is releasably detachable from the hand-holdable housing to facilitate cleaning and sterilization of the cannula assembly and the housing.

A fibrin glue applicator system (10) is provided for dispensing a first and a second protein solution which form a biological adhesive when intermixed on an application site. The fibrin glue applicator system (10) includes a coupler interface (16), a disposable loading unit (DLU) (14), and a housing (12) having a handle portion (20) which includes a trigger (22) operatively associated with a slide bar (36) for dispensing the solutions from the DLU (14). Each piercer (66) is fluid communication with one of the two cylinders (46) of the DLU (14) via a respective conduit (64) connected to a respective main conduit (60). A first one-way valve (68) is included within each conduit (64) to open, and close a path leading from the piercer (66) to the main conduit (60). A second one-way valve (70) is fixed within each main conduit (60) in proximity to each dispensing orifice to open, and close a path leading from each cylinder (46) to its corresponding dispensing orifice.

A discharge disposing apparatus is provided with a diaper cup body 2 enveloping the waist and hips of a human body, a cleaning water feeding hose connected to the diaper cup body 2 for feeding water into the inside of the diaper cup body, and a filth sucking hose connected to the diaper cup body 2 for sucking the cleaning water and the filth from within the inside of the diaper cup body. The diaper cup body 2 is composed of a base body 2x provided with the cleaning water feeding hose 2p and the filth sucking hose 2n, a caterpillar-like joint 2a rotatably coupled with the base body 2x, and a front cover 2b rotatably coupled with the caterpillar-like joint 2a. The caterpillar-like joint 2a is connected with a plurality of joint pieces 2a1, 2a2, 2a3, 2a4, and 2a5. The diaper of the present invention provides a discharge disposing apparatus in which the exchange operation is made easily without any leakage of water, and the diaper cup body 2 is adjustable to fit human bodies of different sizes.

A system and method for performing corneal ablation or reshaping with a laser in order to correct aberrations in the optical system of the eye utilizes a wavefront sensor which defines a wavefront correction for the eye and then, based upon that defined wavefront correction, drives a digital micromirror device (DMD) which modulates a laser beam to the eye to perform the correction. As the DMD is a 2-D array of individually controlled mirrors, and the wavefront sensor analysis can provide a sequence of two dimensional arrays of values which together define the wavefront correction for the eye, the combination of the two produces a method for correcting the corneal surface. The system may be operated in either of two manners to achieve optimum refractive corrections: (1) off-line measurement of the eye optical system via the wavefront sensor followed by DMD-based laser refractive surgery, or (2) real-time measurement of the eye optical system via the wavefront sensor which directs a DMD-based laser refractive surgery system.

An electrode for use in an electrosurgical aural procedure known as a myringotomy for removing tissue of the tympanic membrane. In a preferred embodiment, the electrode is characterized by a bare active end portion that is hollow and has an outside diameter of 2-3 mm. In a unipolar embodiment, the bare end has a sharp circular edge; in a bipolar embodiment, the bare end is split into two semi-circular sharp edges that may be axially offset from one another. When the electrode end is placed against the tympanic membrane and the electrosurgical apparatus activated, a 2-3 mm hole is punched in the tympanic membrane which allows any middle ear fluid to drain.

A connector assembly for a fluid containment system includes a first body and a second body. The first body includes a male end portion having a plurality of fingers extending outwardly and arcuately along the body, a terminating portion of each finger elastically urgable in an inward direction. The second body includes a female end portion having a plurality of longitudinally extending receiving slots along an inner surface of the female portion, each longitudinal slot positioned to axially receive in assembly a respective one of the fingers, and a recess formed in the female portion inner surface adjacent and arcuately offset from each longitudinal slot. The first body is axially loaded into the second body by inserting the fingers into the slots, and the loaded first body is rotated relative to the second body, inwardly urging the fingers, and receiving the fingers within the respective slots.

A hydroxyapatite consisting substantially of Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2, and having a crystal structure which has at least two diffraction peaks at 31-32 degrees and 26 degrees in X-ray diffractometry; and a process for producing a hydroxyapatite which comprises the step (A) of immersing a substrate in a first aqueous solution containing calcium ions and a second solution containing PO4 ions to generate the hydroxyapatite at least on the surface of the substrate and the step (B) of recovering the hydroxyapatite from the substrate.

A partially carbonized asymmetric hollow fiber separation membrane which is a hollow fiber separation membrane having an asymmetric structure obtained by partial carbonization of an aromatic polyimide hollow fiber separation membrane with an asymmetric structure, wherein the thickness of the aromatic polyimide hollow fiber membrane to be partially carbonized is 8-50 &mgr;m, the thickness of the hollow fiber separation membrane obtained by the carbonization is 8-45 &mgr;m, and the carbon content of the hollow fiber membrane obtained by partial carbonization is at least 1.05 times the carbon content of the aromatic polyimide hollow fiber membrane to be partially carbonized, and no greater than 90 wt %; also, a process for its production and a gas separation method employing it.

A non-calcined lead of a colored pencil obtainable by following process:a binder or its solution are added to a mixture comprising a colorant, a body filler, and a solvent as required, and the resultant mixed compound is kneaded, after that, the said solvent is removed, and the resultant mixture is mixed together with O/W emulsion comprising an oily substance being a liquid at ordinary temperature, one or more surfactant(s) having a H.L.B value of not less than 7 nor more than 18 and water, the mixed ingredients are formed, and the water contained in the said O/W emulsion and the said solvent if any remains is removed. A synthetic mica is contained as a lubricant, and the said body filler is at least one compound selected from the group consisting of wollastonite, attapulgite, haloysite kaolin and sepiolite.

A conversion coating process that forms a stable and corrosion-resistant oxide layer on metal or metal oxide substrates or layers. Particularly, the conversion coating process involves contacting the metal or metal oxide substrate or layer with the aqueous calcium hydroxide solutions in order to convert the surface of the substrate to a stable metal oxide layer or coating. According to the present invention, the calcium hydroxide solution is prepared by removing carbon dioxide from water or an aqueous solution before introducing the calcium hydroxide. In this manner, formation of calcium carbonate particles is avoided and the porosity of the conversion coating produced by the calcium hydroxide solution is reduced to below about 1%.

A degradable polymer has an ester component adjacent to a poly(oxyethylene) component in the polymer chain. The hydrophilic nature of the poly(oxyethylene) draws water close to the ester in the polymer chain, which increases the rate of hydrolysis of the ester. The degradable polymer is useful as a binder in for explosive and propellant compositions.

A micro-fabrication method of manufacturing optical assemblies and a temperature compensated optical isolator. The manufacturing method employs a lamination procedure to create an array of optics-receiving micro-fixtures. The method is well adapted for the automated manufacturing of optical assemblies. Desirably, the method provides for high speed, high volume production, thereby advantageously, maintaining low manufacturing costs. The isolator utilizes a bimetallic element to rotate a polarization element of the isolator in response to temperature variations. The isolator maintains an effectively constant isolation over a substantially wide temperature range. Advantageously, the isolator is simple, compact and a viable solution to a wide range of optical applications.

A washing system for washing a fiber suspension associated with a fiber stock preparation system, includes a plurality of rolls and a porous fabric carried by the plurality of rolls in a closed loop. The closed loop includes a lower run defining a washing zone, with the porous fabric moving in a running direction through the washing zone. The porous fabric has an upper surface in the washing zone which carries the fiber suspension thereon. A headbox is positioned with the closed loop and above the porous fabric at an upstream end of the washing zone. The headbox discharges a fiber suspension to be washed onto the upper surface of the porous fabric. An accept removal device is positioned within the closed loop and above the porous fabric at a downstream end of the washing zone. A plurality of showers, each having an inlet, are positioned within the closed loop and above the porous fabric in the washing zone between the headbox and accept removal device. A plurality of dewatering elements are positioned below the fabric in the washing zone. Each dewatering elements is configured for removing water from a bottom surface of the porous fabric. An effluent tank has a plurality of compartments, with each compartment having an inlet and an outlet. At least one outlet of the effluent tank is connected with a corresponding shower inlet. A plurality of drainage pans are positioned below the lower run of the porous fabric. Each drainage pan is associated with at least one dewatering element and has an outlet. Each drainage pan outlet is connected with a corresponding effluent tank inlet.

A sensor for determining gas components and/or gas concentrations in gag mixtures, in particular, in the exhaust gas of an internal combustion engine, includes an inner pump electrode, an inner pump electrode supply conductor, a measuring electrode and a measuring electrode supply conductor. The inner electrode and the measuring electrode are in contact with the measuring area. In addition, separation is maintained between the measuring electrode supply conductor and the inner pump electrode supply conductor at least in the hot area of the sensor. At least in the hot area at least one of the electrode supply conductors is in contact with at least one oxygen reservoir, there being an at least largely gas-tight barrier between this and the measuring area. Furthermore, a sensor may include an inner pump electrode and an outer pump electrode, an inner pump electrode supply conductor and an outer pump electrode supply conductor, separation being maintained between them by a solid electrolyte foil, the outer pump electrode supply conductor being in contact at least in some areas with an oxygen reservoir. The design features of the two sensors may also be implemented in one sensor.

Embodiments of a portable water filter are described and shown, each embodiment being adapted to fit and seal into a bottle neck without modification of, or attachment to, the bottle or its cap or other closure. The filter has a flange system that rests on the lip of the bottle neck and that has slanted or curved surfaces to seal with the neck and the bottle cap when the cap is screwed onto the bottle. The filter further includes a connector for attachment to a straw for an alternative use of the filter in a cup or mug. The filter water inlets are preferably in the lower region of the filter housing, to facilitate suctioning of the liquid from the bottom of the cup or mug even when the liquid level is low. Additional liquid inlet(s) may be added to the upper region of the filter housing, preferably sized and located to drain the last, small amount of liquid in the neck of a bottle when the bottle is inverted, without sucking in enough air in the mug-use application to interfere with adequate draining of the mug or cup.

The present invention is drawn to a unique apparatus and method for treating anaerobic bodies of water including, but not limited to, agricultural waste treatment lagoons. The apparatus and treatment method of the present invention will consist of several phases once the parameters of the wastewater have been ascertained. First, specially selected bacteria are cultivated based upon the wastewater parameters. This specialized bacteria is then utilized in bio-augmentation of the wastewater lagoon. Specifically, bacteria will be isolated and propagated specific for the wastewater which will create a selective dominance within the lagoon and enhance digestion of the waste. The wastewater lagoon is equipped with an aeration means and mixing means such that the wastewater undergoes aerobic digestion utilizing the specially selected bacteria. The solids separation or clarification phase preferably occurs in the existing animal wastewater treatment lagoon. However, if the wastewater treatment lagoon is large or there is a significant amount of solids, in a second embodiment aerobically treated wastewater may be removed and clarification may occur in aboveground tanks. Depending upon the size of the anaerobic body of water, digested sludge that has undergone aerobic treatment and clarification may then undergo dewatering. Since it is an aerobic not anaerobic sludge, odor should be greatly reduced or eliminated. The nutrient rich accumulated dewatered sludge may be deactivated for use as solid fertilizer while the resultant water is capable of supporting an ecosystem.

A method of manufacturing an automotive reflector comprising a series of steps. A thin plastic film having a backing material is thermoformed into the rough shape of the reflector. The thermoformed film is called a pre-form. The pre-form has a concave surface and a convex surface. The backing material forms the convex surface. The pre-form is placed within an injection molding press with the concave surface juxtaposed a mold core. Molten reinforced plastic material is injected into the mold adjacent to the backing material. The plastic material heats and fuses to the backing material to form a reflector. After the plastic material has cooled, the reflector is removed from the injection mold as a finished reflector.

Method for producing highly porus, self-supporting molded part that has a metallic or nonmetallic solid phase and at least one binder. The porosity is 50-90 vol. %

The invention is based on the discovery that the wood of certain trees having genetically modified lignins has plastic properties far greater than that of trees of the general population of the same species. In particular, trees have been found to have significantly increased plasticity in which the lignin is of a less crosslinked or more linear type, of lower molecular weight, of a relatively higher content of lignin precursor monomers or oligomers, or is more readily extractable by the usual methods. Wood from these trees can be readily molded by pressure and heat into two or three dimensional articles. The ability to be molded can be significantly enhanced by the addition of plasticizers.

A method and system for casting a thermoset layer over a golf ball precursor product is disclosed herein. The system includes multiple stations connected by a conveyor system. The thermoset flowable material is dispensed into a plurality of cavities on each of the mold halves. A plurality of golf ball precursor products are then centered and inserted into the first mold half cavities. The mold halves are mated, heated and cooled. Then, at a de-molding station, the mold halves are separated and the thermoset layered golf balls are removed from the second mold half. A preferred thermoset material is a thermoset polyurethane.

A cassette for containment, storage and processing of material samples, having a top member that is slideably attachable to and detachable from the base member with minimal force and relaxed requirement for precision in the alignment operation. The top member is hingeably connected to the base member when attached and is positively locked to the base member in the attached closed position. The top member is easily opened and closed with one hand when attached to the base member, and facilitates high volume sample processing, e.g., of tissue samples for the purpose of histological determinations.

A method is provided for performing catalytic or non-catalytic processes which uses oxygen supplied from the permeate side of a mixed oxygen ion and electron conducting membrane by means of a sweep gas at an elevated temperature. The sweep gas is formed by burning fuel in a sweep gas preheater. The sweep gas containing oxygen picked up from the membrane is reacted with a hydrocarbon fuel in a catalytic reactor to form a syngas containing nitrogen and hydrogen. The nitrogen and hydrogen containing syngas is worked up into ammonia; the ammonia is burned in an ammonia burner to produce a nitrogen oxides containing gas, and the nitrogen oxides containing gas is used in the production of nitric acid. The process is able to directly transfer the oxygen containing sweep gas to the catalytic reactor, without any intermediate cooling; recompression and reheating.

A storage catalyst includes (1) a component that has a catalytic reducing action for nitrogen oxides at least in the presence of hydrocarbons, and (2) a component that stores NOx at least at temperatures of below 100° C. The catalytically active component is of the general chemical formula AaBbO4, where A is one or more divalent metals and B is one or more trivalent metals, and where a+b≦3 and a, b>0. The reaction enthalpy or the chemical activity between the catalytically active component and the NOx-storing component is low at least up to temperatures of 600° C.

Mesomorphic complexes of vitamin A acid and cationic polyelectrolytes, their preparation and use. The cationic polyelectrolyte, for example PDADMAC, PM4VP, poly (ionene-6,3), polyethyleneimine or a poly-L-amino acid, is mixed with vitamin A acid to produce mesomorphic complexes. Uses of these mesomorphic complexes include the transport of vitamin A in the human body, the treatment of severe cases of acne externally, courses of skin rejuvenation, and the inhibition of malignant tumors.

In one aspect, biocompatible matrices such as sol-gels encapsulating a reaction center may be administered to a subject for conversion of prodrugs into biologically active agents. In certain embodiments, the biocompatible matrices of the present invention are sol-gels. In one embodiment, the enzyme L-amino acid decarboxylase is encapsulated and implanted in the brain to convert L-dopa to dopamine for treatment of Parkinson's disease.

The invention relates to a method for the preparation of microencapsulated colloidal systems such as liposomes, i.e., microspheres which comprise colloidal systems. These microencapsulated colloidal systems can be used as controlled release systems for the delivery of active ingredients in in vivo and in vitro applications. A method is provided in which the colloidal systems are added to a phase which comprises a water soluble crosslinkable polymer followed by formation of microspheres.

The present invention relates to a method for carrying out a magnesium oxide based deposition on the dielectric surface of a glass plate of a display panel. The method includes the creation of a mist from a metalorganic compound of magnesium dissolved in a solvent, the conveying of the mist to the dielectric surface of the plate, the evaporation the solvent when approaching the dielectric surface of the plate which is taken to a temperature of about 380° to 430°, and the pyrolysis of the metalorganic compound leading to the magnesium oxide based deposit on the surface of the plate and the evaporation of the organic radical of the compound, this deposit being practically waterproof. The method is especially useful in the manufacture of plasma panels.

A weather strip of a rubber material, provided with a sectionally U-shaped flange gripping portion having an insert buried therein, gripping lip portions formed inside, and seal portions integrated with the flange gripping portion. At least the gripping lip portions are formed of microfoam rubber in which the specific gravity of vulcanizate is in a range of from 0.9 to 1.0.

In the present invention, a hydrogen absorbing alloy obtained by sintering hydrogen absorbing alloy powder containing not less than 50% by weight of particles having a particle diameter of not more than 25 &mgr;m at a temperature of not more than 850° C. is used for a hydrogen absorbing alloy electrode for an alkali storage battery, and the hydrogen absorbing alloy electrode for an alkali storage battery is used as a negative electrode of the alkali storage battery.

Compositions and methods for the analysis of multiple nucleic acid target sequences are disclosed. The compositions comprise a probe comprising a target-specific portion for sequence-specific hybridization to a target nucleic acid sequence, and a tag; and a mobility-modifier comprising a tail and a tag complement for binding to the tag. The associated methods generally comprise the steps of providing a sample potentially containing one or more target nucleic acid sequences; providing one or more probes, each probe comprising a target-specific portion and a tag; providing one or more mobility modifiers, each mobility modifier comprising a tag complement and a tail; contacting the probe(s) and the target nucleic acid sequence(s) under conditions effective for sequence-dependent hybridization of the probe(s) and the target nucleic acid sequence(s); contacting the probe(s) and the mobility-modifier(s) under conditions suitable for selectively binding the probe(s) to the mobility modifier(s), thereby forming one or more a probe/mobility modifier complex(s); and analyzing the probe/mobility modifier complex(s) using a mobility-dependent analysis technique.

The invention relates to a vessel for mixing a cell lysate. The invention also relates to a method of using the vessel to mix a cell lysate in order to obtain high-purity products such as nucleic acids or proteins for use in a variety of applications. The invention also relates to a method for monitoring the degree of cell lysis in a cell suspension by measuring the viscosity of the cell suspension.

The invention provides a method and an apparatus for treating a tissue, such as a blood vessel, with therapeutic liquids, such as solutions of genes encoding therapeutic proteins.

The invention relates to a method for determining an analyte in a solution. This method includes the following steps:a) fixing and immobilizing said analyte, for example via the presence of a ligand L, on the inner surface of a conduit (3) having a reduced cross section over all or part (9) of it, andb) determining the variation in load loss of a fluid circulating inside the conduit, due to the analyte P which has been fixed and immobilized at least in the reduced cross section part (9) of said conduit during step a).

A sensor in which a field effect transistor element 3 having a gate electrode 6 on its rear side is electrically connected onto a resistive element 2 having a top surface electrode and a bottom surface electrode in such a way that the gate electrode 6 and a portion of the top surface electrode of the resistive element 2 coincides, and a grounding electrode 12 on a substrate is electrically connected with the bottom surface electrode of the resistive element 2 so that they coincides.

An improved semiconductor device structure comprises insertion of a semiconductor wafer into a high-pressure heated chamber and the deposition of a low-melting point aluminum material into a contact hole or via and over an insulating layer overlying a substrate of the wafer. The wafer is heated up to the melting point of the aluminum material and the chamber is pressurized to force the aluminum material into the contact holes or vias and eliminate voids present therein. A second layer of material, comprising a different metal or alloy, which is used as a dopant source, is deposited over an outer surface of the deposited aluminum material layer and allowed to diffuse into the aluminum material layer in order to form a homogenous aluminum alloy within the contact hole or via. A semiconductor device structure made according to the method is also disclosed.

A wafer processing system which requires no isolation between the operational areas within the processing system. The system of the present invention includes operational areas, such as a loading area, a transport area, and a reactor or thermal processing area. Advantageously, since there are no isolation devices or gate valves separating the areas, the processing system effectively has each operational area combined into a “single” chamber. Preferably, the single chamber has a single slit valve, hinge door, or other vacuum sealable door disposed proximate to the loading area to allow for the removal/insertion of the wafers into the loading area. Once the door to the loading area has been closed the internal pressure within the chamber can be kept uniform throughout each operational area.

The invention herein encompasses methods effective to stimulate epithelial cell proliferation and/or enhance epithelial moisturization and lubrication in a mammalian subject utilizing a composition comprising one or more inhibitors of &bgr;-glucosidase activity or &bgr;-glucocerebrosidase activity. The composition of the method may alternatively comprise a glycosphingolipid, particularly glucocerebroside, or a combination of the above inhibitor(s) and a glycosphingolipid. The method is effective to enhance the cosmetic appearance of skin and promote healing of skin and mucous membranes damaged or deficient from aging, traumatic wounds, photo-aging and a variety of atrophic conditions.The method may be applied to cells in culture. Also included in the invention is a composition comprising one or more inhibitors of &bgr;-glucosidase and a glycosphingolipid useful to stimulate cell proliferation and enhance tissue moisturization and lubrication.

Low potency, preservative free sterile topical anti-inflammatory steroid compositions are to be applied to the area surrounding the eye. The compositions involve, for example, sterile gauze pads in a sterile package, as well as single-use capsules and tubes for dispensing the medicinal composition.

Compounds are provided having the following formulae I and II: whereinn is 0 or 1 andwhen n=1, R is a 5 or 6 membered heterocyclic ring, hydroxy, halogen, oxo, carbamoyl, alkoxy, or disubstituted amino,when n=0, R is an ester, cyano or amide group;X is CH or NH;R3 is cyano, methoxy, or acetamido;R1 is hydrogen, alkyl, a negative charge, a cation selected from the group consisting of sodium, potassium and tetraalkylammonium and acyloxyalkyl, or alkoxycarbonyloxyalkyl; andR2 is hydrogen, acyl, trisubstituted silyl carbamoyl or an amino acid residue; or pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof.

The invention relates to a method of treating non-psychotic disorders by administration of atypical antipsychotic medications, in particular, risperidone. More specifically, the invention relates to a method of treating the eating disorder Bulimia Nervosa and Bulimia-related eating disorders, by administration of antipsychotic medications from the group of compounds designated as atypical antipsychotic mediations. Typical dosage amounts may range from 0.1 milligrams to 4 milligrams per day and may be administered in any dosage forms known in the art, including, but not limited to oral, intramuscular, rectal, transdermal, sustained release forms, controlled release forms, delayed release forms, and response release forms.

A process for reducing or quenching free radical concentration in irradiated ultra high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) using electromagnetic or mechanical wave energy.

A high temperature insulating composite composition comprising at least one ground silicate mineral and at least one silicone polymer. The at least one ground silicate mineral is at least one mineral selected from the group of olivine group; garnet group; aluminosilicates; ring silicates; chain silicates; and sheet silicates. The high temperature insulating material has particular usefulness for insulating electrical wires.

Aqueous based graft emulsion copolymers comprising a polymer having a plurality of hydroxyl groups, preferably a vinyl alcohol homo- or copolymer, grafted with a polyethylene. The graft emulsion copolymer can be prepared by polymerizing ethylene and, optionally another ethylenically unsaturated monomer, in an aqueous solution of a polymer having a plurality of pendent hydroxyl groups, especially poly(vinyl alcohol). The graft emulsion copolymer product can have a polyethylene content ranging from 50 to 95 wt %, hydroxyl-containing polymer ranging from 5 to 50 wt %, and up to 45 wt % of another polymerized ethylenically unsaturated monomer. Polymerization is carried out in an aqueous solution containing at least 5 wt %, preferably 10 wt %, of a hydroxyl-containing polymer having a degree of polymerization of 50 to 2200, preferably 100 to 500.

The present invention relates to a composite made by the process of melt mixing (a) a polymer having at least one isocyanate reactive group, wherein the polymer is from 30 to 90% by weight of the composite; (b) a thermoplastic polyurethane at from 0.1 to less than 10% by weight of the composite; and (c) a reinforcing fiber at from 9.9 to 60% by weight of the composite, wherein the sum of the weight percentages of components (a)-(c) is equal to 100%, wherein the polymer (a) is not a polyamide. The invention further relates to a composite prepared by the process of melt mixing (a) a polymer having at least one isocyanate reactive group, wherein the polymer is from 25 to 90% by weight of the composite; (b) a thermoplastic polyurethane at from 0.1 to 10% by weight of the composite; (c) a reinforcing fiber at from 9.8 to 60% by weight of the composite, and (d) an epoxy compound at from 0.1 to 5% by weight of the composite, wherein the sum of the weight percentages of components (a)-(d) is equal to 100%. The invention further relates to the methods for making the composites of the present invention. The invention further relates to articles containing the composites of the present invention.

An amorphous polyolefin resin composition being excellent in the balance of the impact resistance with the surface smoothness and, further, the balance of the impact resistance with the transparency. In this amorphous polyolefin resin composition, a block copolymer (B-1) having at least one polymer block unit which is poor in the affinity with an amorphous polyolefin (A) but excellent in the affinity with a core-shell type elastomer (B-2) is combined with a core-shell type elastomer (B-2) which is excellent in the affinity with at least one polymer block of the block copolymer (B-1) and has a specific composition and a specific structure, and these components are composited in the amorphous polyolefin resin composition, thereby achieving well-balanced properties, i.e., an excellent impact resistance, an excellent surface glossiness and a high transparency.

A polymer chosen from hyperbranched polymers and dendrimers containing at least one functional group of formula (I): in which: Y is chosen from an oxygen atom and an NH group; A is chosen from linear, branched and cyclic, saturated and unsaturated C1-C12 alkanediyl groups, wherein said alkanediyl groups may or may not be interrupted by at least one heteroatom, and further wherein said alkanediyl group may or may not be substituted with at least one function chosen from: -amino groups NH2 and salts thereof with inorganic acids or organic acids, -acylamino groups NH—COR, in which R is chosen from linear, branched and cyclic, saturated and unsaturated C1-C10 alkyl groups, -C1-C10 alkylamino groups, -carboxylic acid, and -C1-C10 esters; and X is chosen from nucleophilic groups, methods for preparing the polymer and using the polymer as an antioxidant is disclosed.

A process directed to the preparation of acetals of malondialdehyde by reacting alkylvinyl ethers or esters with ortho formates in the gas phase with a heterogeneous catalyst.