1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to humidity indicator cards and more particularly, to an irreversible humidity indicator card, which is covered on both sides, which utilizes a deliquescent material which does not contain a dye.
2. Description of Prior Art
When shipping or storing many types of materials, particularly electronic components, it is desirable to know whether those components have been exposed to a particular level of humidity which humidity could cause damage to those components. For example, electronic components can be damaged by exposure to low levels of humidity, even where the exposure is only for short periods of time. These same electronic components may also be contaminated and/or damaged by exposure to dust and other particulate matter.
To address the need for the detection of humidity levels within shipping or storage containers, humidity indicators have been developed. There are generally two types of humidity indicators. One of these humidity indicators reversibly changes color upon exposure to particular humidity levels. Such reversible humidity indicators typically utilize cobalt chloride as the humidity indicator material. It changes color when exposed to predetermined levels of humidity and returns to its original color when the humidity level drops below that predetermined level. These reversible humidity indicators are used to indicate the current condition of a desiccant and/or the current humidity level within the storage container.
The second type of humidity indicator is an irreversible humidity indicator. These indicators are designed to detect a predetermined level of humidity and provide a visual indication of whether components stored in the containers where these humidity indicators are used have been exposed to that predetermined level of humidity even for short periods of time and even if the level of humidity drops below that predetermined level when the components are checked at a later time. Large changes in humidity levels sometimes occur where storage containers are used in relatively warm climates where the moisture level in the air rises and falls dramatically depending upon the temperature of the surrounding air. Under these conditions, a reversible humidity indicator might fail to indicate the temporary presence of high humidity within a storage container even though such high humidity may be sufficient to cause damage to the components present in the storage container.
One of the first irreversible humidity indicator devices was disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,214,354, which disclosed the use of a calcium chloride material which was mixed with a water soluble dye and deposited on a porous surface material, such as a sheet of absorbent paper. Upon exposure of the absorbent sheet to a predetermined humidity level, the calcium chloride material liquifies and releases the dye in liquid form. The dye is then carried by capillary action onto the porous surface of the absorbent paper, where it produces a permanent and irreversible dye mark. The aforementioned patent further describes various deliquescent agents which may be employed to show different humidity levels.
To maintain a consistently low humidity level, shipping containers and long term storage containers usually contain desiccant materials. These desiccant materials dehydrate the storage area and are intended to maintain the humidity level within that storage area at a predetermined level. These containers are periodically opened to recharge or replace the desiccant materials placed within the container and/or to check the level of humidity in the storage container. After replacing the desiccant material, the container is again sealed. In order to determine whether the humidity level in these storage containers has ever reached certain critical levels, irreversible humidity indicators are also often placed within the containers with the desiccant materials. These irreversible humidity indicators can be reviewed at the same time that the desiccant material is being checked to determine whether a harmful humidity level has ever been reached in the shipping container.
A series of relative humidity indicators, each utilizing a different deliquescent salt, are disclosed in a series of patents which were issued during the 1940""s and 1950""s including U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,460,065, 2,460,066, 2,460,067, 2,460,068, 2,460,069, 2,460,070, 2,460,071, 2,460,072, 2,460,073, 2,460,074, 2,526,938, 2,580,737, and 2,627,505. In addition, some humidity indicator cards are capable of showing different levels of humidity on the same card by use of a series of different deliquescent agents that change color at varying humidity levels, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,249,867.
Humidity indicator sheets and cards which contain deliquescent salts and dyes have commonly been used to detect the relative humidity level present within storage containers. See for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,249,867, 4,034,609, 4,150,570, and 4,854,160. Button-type humidity indicators or xe2x80x9cplugxe2x80x9d humidity indicators are also sometimes used with packaging material and are disclosed, for example, by U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,716,338, 3,084,658 and 4,050,307. Another device for monitoring humidity levels, particularly in poured cement, is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,680,364.
A multiple layer, reversible humidity sensing device containing a reflective layer, which is useful in viewing the changes in color of a humidity indicator card is disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 4,034,609.
A reversible humidity indicator card contained within transparent, flexible sheet materials with an impermeable front layer is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,224,373. This humidity indicator card is specifically designed for utilization with electronic components. It is formed as a xe2x80x9cwindowxe2x80x9d in a barrier bag.
A delayed action, irreversible humidity indicator card is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,793,180.
All irreversible humidity indicator cards known hitherto are based on combinations of deliquescent salts and water-soluble dyes. In order to prepare humidity indicator cards that react at various humidity levels, different combinations of deliquescent salts and dyes must be chosen. Only cards that show the same change in color at each chosen humidity level are acceptable to users of these cards. Otherwise, if there are varying color changes, it may be difficult to determine whether a particular humidity level has been reached. W. B. Abel: Chemical Maximum Humidity Indicator Update Report, BDX-613-1989 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,898,172 teach that only certain combinations of salts and dyes are useful for this purpose as the dye is quite soluble in the saturated salt solution that is formed upon deliquescence. In addition, the solubility and color of the dye must be independent of pH changes that may be attributed to the deliquescence of the salt. To ensure a proper shelf-life of the indicator card, the dye also must not react with the salt in any way (e.g. redox reaction, acid-base reaction). It is quite difficult to use either the same dye or different dyes with the same color and different salts over the entire humidity spectrum.
Mixing the individual salts with the dye is an additional required step for the production of the irreversible humidity indicators previously known. If the chosen salt and dye have different particle sizes, inhomogeneous distribution of the dye in the salt may occur and lead to inhomogeneous color and appearance on the indicating spot of the humidity indicator. This problem can be overcome by milling salt and dye together, but this is not possible for all saltxe2x80x94dye combinations, especially if the salt already holds water of crystallization.
Further, many of the deliquescent salts when they absorb moisture and melt can cause corrosion to the products stored in the shipping containers in which the humidity indicator cards are utilized.
In addition, the blotter paper used to form conventional humidity indicator cards sometimes sheds paper fibers and lint. Such fibers and lint may damage products that are sensitive to dust, such as electronic components.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to produce an irreversible humidity indicator card which solves the problems present with conventional irreversible humidity indicator cards.
It is a still further object of the invention to disclose an irreversible humidity indicator card which is formed of a composite structure which includes a darkened blotter paper which is useful in showing a predetermined level of humidity.
It is a further object of the invention to disclose an irreversible humidity indicator card which does not use a dye with its deliquescent material.
It is a further object of the invention to disclose an irreversible humidity indicator card which does not produce paper fibers or lint when in use.
This invention is directed to an irreversible humidity indicator card comprising
an intermediate carrier member, containing front and back sides and one or more holes passing through the member,
a water vapor permeable, first outer layer completely covering the front side of the intermediate carrier member,
a deliquescent material placed within the holes in the intermediate carrier member,
a colored absorbent sheet material, placed against the back side of the intermediate carrier member, which sheet material covers the holes in the intermediate carrier member, and
a second outer layer secured to the back side of the intermediate carrier member, which covers the colored absorbent material and covers the back side of the intermediate carrier member.
Preferably, the colored absorbent material is a darkened blotting paper which absorbs the deliquescent material when the deliquescent material absorbs moisture and liquifies.
In another preferred embodiment, the water vapor permeable first outer material and/or the second outer layer further comprise materials with anti-static and/or electrostatic charge dissipative properties.
The invention is also directed to a process for the production of the above-referenced irreversible humidity indicator card comprising
preparing an intermediate carrier member containing a front and back side and one or more holes passing through the member,
securing a clear, water vapor permeable, outer layer to the front side of the intermediate carrier member,
placing a deliquescent material within the holes of the intermediate carrier member,
covering the holes of the carrier member on the back side of the intermediate carrier member with a colored, absorbent sheet material, preferably a blotter paper, and
covering the colored, absorbent sheet material and the back side of the intermediate carrier member with a second outer layer.
Alternatively, the colored, absorbent sheet material may first be secured to the second outer layer prior to securing that second outer layer to the back side of the intermediate carrier member.


The invention relates to fiber optic telecommunication systems and more specifically to chromatic dispersion compensation in such systems.
The tendency of a pulse of light propagating through an optical fiber to broaden is a result of the fact that different wavelengths of light pass through the fiber at different speeds. This speed differential which causes the pulse to broaden is termed chromatic dispersion. Chromatic dispersion presents a problem in modem optical communication systems because the tendency of light pulses to broaden as they propagate down the fiber causes the closely spaced light pulses to overlap in time. This overlap can have an undesirable effect since it restricts how closely spaced the pulses can be. This in turn limits the data bandwidth of the optical fiber.
There are many characteristics of dispersion. First order dispersion is the rate of change of index of refraction with respect to wavelength in the fiber. First order dispersion is also referred to as group velocity. Second order dispersion is the rate of change of the first order dispersion with respect to wavelength. Second order dispersion produces the pulse broadening. Third order dispersion is the rate of change of broadening with respect to a change in wavelength. This is often referred to as the dispersion slope.
Several solutions have been proposed to mitigate the effects of dispersion in transmission fibers. One technique involves the use of a compensating optical fiber having an appropriate length and which has a dispersion that is opposite to the dispersion characteristic of the transmission fiber. The result is dispersion in the transmission fiber is substantially matched and canceled by the total dispersion in the compensating fiber. While this technique offers a solution to the dispersion problem, it may be impractical in actual use because of the attenuation due to the required length of the compensating fiber. In such a case, the total transmission length of the fiber is significantly increased thereby increasing the signal attenuation in the fiber. Furthermore, it may be difficult to find a fiber of the desired length with the required dispersion properties.
It is also difficult to design a fiber having a changing index of refraction across the diameter of the fiber (the fiber index profile) that will compensate simultaneously for the second and third dispersion orders. It is even more difficult to control the material properties of such fibers even in the most accurate fabrication process necessary to produce such fibers. In addition, the process of fabricating the single compensating chromatic dispersion fiber is expensive and generally not practical.
When a pulse of light is transmitted through an optical fiber, the energy follows a number of paths which cross the fiber axis at different angles. A group of paths which cross the axis at the same angle is known as a mode. Sometimes it is necessary to limit or control the number of modes used in a transmission system. The fundamental mode LP01 in which light passes substantially along the fiber axis is often used in high bandwidth transmission systems using optical fibers commonly referred to as single mode fibers.
The dispersion properties of high order modes have been investigated at length. There is a dependence of high order mode dispersion on wavelength and on the properties of the fiber. By properly designing the fiber index profile it is possible to make the dispersion slope be positive, negative or zero. It is also possible to make the magnitude of the dispersion be negative, zero or slightly positive. Using these two properties one can either control or compensate for the dispersion in any transmission fiber.
Systems have been developed to take advantage of higher order modes to compensate for dispersion in a typical optical communication system. In such systems it has been necessary to first convert the lower order fundamental mode of the light to a higher order spatial mode. This is accomplished using longitudinal mode conversion.
Prior art methods for mode conversion are known as longitudinal mode conversion and are based on introducing a periodic perturbation along the fiber axis. The length of each period and the number of periods in these longitudinal converters must be determined accurately according to the wavelength, the strength of the perturbation, and the modes involved. By constructing a longitudinal mode converter it is possible to achieve good efficiency in transferring the energy from one mode to the other in a limited spectral bandwidth. This spectral property has been used in Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM) applications in telecommunications for other applications. Unfortunately, this technique is accompanied by significant energy attenuation and it cannot be used over broad spectral bandwidths.
Another deficiency associated with longitudinal mode converters is related to the fact that after the conversion, only a single mode should be present in the fiber. It can be difficult to discriminate between desired modes and undesired modes having almost the same group velocities because unwanted modes can appear at the output of the converter. As the modes propagate, modal dispersion occurs and the pulse broadens. Generally, longitudinal mode converters introduce significant energy attenuation and noise. Therefore, a trade-off must be made between having broad-spectrum capability and the demand for converting the original mode to a pure, single, high-order mode.
One such longitudinal mode converter is discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,802,234. Here, a single mode transmission fiber carries the LP01 to a longitudinal mode converter. Before conversion in this system, however, it is necessary to couple the single mode transmission fiber to a multimode fiber while maintaining the signal in the basic LP01 mode. This coupling is typically difficult to achieve without signal degradation and any misalignment or manufacturing inaccuracies can result in the presence of higher order modes. It is desirable that only the LP01 mode propagate initially in the multimode fiber in order to avoid significant noise that degrades the system performance and typically such coupling results in the propagation of additional modes.
The present invention overcomes the disadvantages of longitudinal mode converters and previous attempts to control dispersion in a fiber optic system.
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for chromatic dispersion compensation of optical systems. The apparatus and method make use of multiple chromatic dispersion compensation optical fibers. The number of orders of dispersion that can be corrected increases with the number of compensation fibers in the apparatus. Specifically, N orders of dispersion can be corrected by serially coupling N chromatic dispersion compensation optical fibers.
In one embodiment, the present invention features a chromatic dispersion compensation module which includes a first and second dispersion compensation fiber. The optical signal is dispersion compensated by each compensation fiber. In one embodiment, one compensation fiber compensates for first order chromatic dispersion and the other compensation fiber compensates for second order chromatic dispersion. In another embodiment, at least one of the compensation fibers is optical coupled to a transmission fiber.
In another aspect, the invention features a method of compensating for chromatic dispersion in an optical system which includes the steps of receiving an optical signal from a transmission fiber, injecting the optical signal into a first compensation fiber and dispersion compensating the optical signal. The method includes the additional steps of injecting the optical signal exiting the first compensation fiber into a second compensation fiber, additionally compensating the optical signal, and injecting the optical signal into a second transmission fiber.


Some vehicles are equipped with a closure panel, such as a lift gate, which is driven between an open position (position 2) and a closed position (position 1) using an electric drive system. Hold systems have been proposed to provide such vehicles with the capability of assisting the operator of the closure panel, in order to maintain a third position hold (or position 2) during opening and closing operations, so as to help counteract the weight of the closure panel itself. Without these hold systems, the closure panel may sag back down at the top end of the operational opening range due to the closure panel weight providing a closure torque greater than an opening torque provided by the electric drive system. Such proposed hold systems are, in some instances, complex and expensive and may not offer adequate failsafe modes (in the event of electric motor failure or loss of power) while at the same time maintaining adequate manual efforts by the operator. Also recognized is a need to provide a counterbalance mechanism that can offer efficient counterbalance force customization for different closure panel weights and configurations (e.g. differing centers of gravity), including the ability to accommodate for third position hold or stop and hold functionality of the closure panel.
Further disadvantages of current hold systems include bulky form factors which take up valuable vehicle cargo space, requirement to have additional lift support systems in tandem such as gas struts and other counterbalance mechanisms, unacceptable impact on manual open and close efforts requiring larger operator applied manual force at the panel handle, undesirable force spikes that do not provide for smoother manual force/torque curves, requirement to use vehicle battery power to maintain third position hold, and/or temperature effects resulting in variable manual efforts required by the operator due to fluctuations in ambient temperature.
It is recognized that constantly applied forces in a counterbalance mechanism can be problematic due to variations in the geometry and/or operator positioning during the complete raise and lowering cycle of a closure panel, including the ability to provide for third position hold where desired.


1. Technical Field
The invention relates to a device and a method for flanging, preferably roll-flanging, a component part. The device and the method preferably serve for hemming, particularly preferably roll-hemming. The invention can in particular be used in the construction of vehicles, preferably the construction of motor vehicles. Body parts, for example a door, a wheel arch or other part of an outer side wall, the front or rear of a motor vehicle, may in particular be considered as component parts to be reshaped.
2. Description of the Related Art
A roll-hemming device is known from WO 03/024641 A1, comprising three hemming, rollers which are used consecutively in a plurality of processing runs and, for this purpose, can optionally be moved into a processing position in which they roll off on a hemming web and bead the hemming web. In order to completely bead the hemming web around a hemming edge, the known device requires three processing runs, between which the next hemming roller in each case has to be moved into its processing position.
It is therefore an object of the invention to reduce the time and therefore cost of flanging, required for multiple-stage flanging, preferably roll-flanging.


1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a composite cooking appliance consisting of a gas oven and a microwave oven, or a cooking appliance such as a gas oven, and it particularly relates to a temperature control device therefor utilizing gas combustion.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The remarkable advance of semiconductor technology has resulted in sophistication of control circuits, miniaturization of such circuits by higher integration, and reduction of the costs of such circuits by mass-production, and these electronic control circuits have come to be also widely used in household electric equipment.
The technique using intelligence based on this electronic control is making rapid inroads into various heating apparatuses including electric ovens, microwave ovens, gas ovens, and combinations thereof.
One of the most important factors in cooking appliances based on gas combustion is exact temperature control. Since the quality of cooking depends on temperature, it is important that a preset temperature suitable for a given heating load be maintained accurately. Conventional cooking appliances using gas have temperature control means, most of which have been liquid expansion control methods and bimetals.
A gas oven will be taken up by way of example. There is an arrangement wherein a main burner is fired to produce hot air, which is fed into the heating chamber of the oven to cook a heating load therein. The operation of a gas oven of this arrangement will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. When the user sets the knob at a certain temperature, two temperatures, upper and lower limit temperatures T.sub.1 and T.sub.2, are set by a control circuit. When cooking is started, the main burners start firing and eventually the upper limit temperature T.sub.1 will be reached at time t.sub.2. Then, the main burners stop firing, so that the temperature in the oven heating chamber gradually lowers until the lower limit temperature T.sub.2 is reached at time t.sub.3. Then, the main burners start firing again, repeating this cycle henceforth. If the preset temperature is changed to a higher one after passage of time t.sub.7 (the upper and lower limit temperatures being T.sub.3 and T.sub.4, respectively), the upper limit temperature T.sub.3 is reached at time t.sub.8, as shown in FIG. 4, and henceforth the same operation as described above is repeated.
Thus, the conventional gas oven is designed to control temperature by the on-off operation of the main burners to maintain the oven heating chamber temperature at a preset value, but this design has the following drawbacks.
The pressure of household gas differs with districts. Even in the same district, the gas pressure available for the gas oven installed in a home will always very owing to the turning on and off of gas in other homes or in another room in the same home. Thus, if the gas pressure drops below the normal value, this decreases the rate of heat generation by the main burners, thus requiring a longer time than usual to reach the preset temperature and hence a longer cooking time.
Further, since the ambient temperature of the air surrounding the gas stove differs greatly between midsummer and midwinter, the cooking time will be different in midsummer, particularly in a drafty room.
Furthermore, because of the design to which turns off all of the main burners upon reaching of the upper limit temperature and turns on all of the main burners upon reaching of the lower limit temperature, the actual difference in temperature between the two extremes is as great as about 10.degree. C., showing that this design fails to attain the purpose of maintaining a temperature at a constant value. Furthermore, the need for frequently turning on and off the main burners entails the drawback of shortening the life of the control circuit system, particularly the relay.


The present application relates to software security and more specifically to systems and methods for adjusting and configuring security system behaviors, such as by adjusting enterprise software access and permissions.
Systems for facilitating configuring and adjusting software security features are employed in various demanding applications, including user account login and authentication functionality for websites, systems for controlling user access permissions to enterprise databases, and so on. Such applications often demand configurable security systems that may be readily adjusted in accordance with the needs of a given computing environment.
Conventionally, software security mechanisms are often relatively static. For example, once a user has established an account or has otherwise been granted certain permissions to access and use computing resources, those permissions and account access capabilities seldom change unless a user changes job roles, closes an account, signs up for new services, and so on.
However, the relatively static nature of the security systems and tedious methods for reconfiguring security system behaviors (e.g., methods involving opening new accounts, applying for new access privileges, and so on), may not account for potentially rapidly changing security needs of a given computing environment.
Accordingly, in some instances, where less security or more security would be appropriate, a static level of security is provided. In certain cases, this may reduce user productivity, such as by requiring a user to repeatedly log in to software if the user has not interacted with the software for a predetermined time interval.


This invention relates to a window pane provided with a plurality of heating resistors and moisture-sensing probes. The invention is particular useful in operative association with a circuit arrangement for automatically controlling the heating circuit of the glass pane, i.e., in association with a circuit arrangement which automatically switches the heating circuit on when the glass pane becomes fogged and switches it off once the transparency of the pane has been restored. It is known that glass panes equipped with an electric heating system have many industrial and civil uses. In its use on vehicles (motorcars, airplanes, ships), the electric heating has the purpose of freeing the external surface of the glass pane from snow or ice and its internal surface from fogging caused by the condensation of water vapor upon it.


This invention relates to furniture that is easily assembled and disassembled, i.e., knockdown furniture, such as typewriter stands, desks, files, cabinets and the like. These types of furniture have parts which can be shipped disassembled or in a collapsed state so as to fit in a relatively flat container. Upon reaching their destination the furniture is put together.
Some knockdown furniture is in the form of parts which are hinged to each other. This type of furniture is easy to assemble and the designs shown in U.S. Pat. No. 1,445,566 of Stoll and U.S. Pat. No. 4,280,744 of Nalcano are representative of this hinged furniture. The problem with hinged furniture is that it does not form a small package.
Another type of knockdown furniture is in the form of separate parts which must be connected to each other after shipment. U.S. Pat. No. 2,615,771 of Curtis, U.S. Pat. No. 3,838,902 of Tenani, U.S. Pat. No. 4,145,098 of Alexander and British Pat. No. 1,477,631 of Harvey et al. are representative. The problem with this type of furniture is that it requires fasteners and tools for assembly.
In the past, efforts have been made to provide furniture which can be purchased by the consumer in its disassembled state and then assembled without tools or fasteners. One example of this is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,317,416 of Baum et al. in which screw heads on one furniture part are received in raised slotted openings in mating furniture parts.
Although the concept of knockdown furniture is old in the art, more often than not, it is difficult to assemble with or without tools and fasteners. This is because the parts are either too complex and intricate to assemble easily, or because deciphering the instructions may require an inordinate amount of time. Furthermore, fabricated furniture assembled without tools or fasteners is often unsatisfactory because it generally lacks the strength and rigidity required for every day use.
It would be advantageous to have knockdown furniture which is sufficiently stable for everyday use, can be assembled without tools and fasteners, and can be disassembled and shipped in a flat package.


1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a tube securing device for affixing medical tubing to the skin of a patient and, more particularly to a device for securing a thoracostomy tube to the skin of a patient.
2. Description of Prior Art
During the placement of larger medical tubes such as thoracostomy tubes, endotracheal tubes, and nasogastric tubes, it is important to secure the tube in position. It is particularly important that the tube remain stable and without movement in the longitudinal direction. Currently, these tubes are most commonly secured by wrapping tape around the tube and taping to the skin, or by suturing the tubing to the patient's skin. The difficulty occurs when wrapping tape or suture materials around a smooth tube. When a wet tubing is pulled on, the tape and suture material can slip or come undone allowing movement of the tubing and the resulting inability to secure the tube. Furthermore, it is cumbersome to remove tape or suture material from the tube when repositioning the tube without moving in a longitudinal direction.
Many devices have been described for securing endotracheal tubes and nasogastric tubes in position with respect to some external reference point on the skin of a patient. Representative of such tube holders are U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,449,527; 5,060,645; 5,069,206; and European Patent EP356683 A. Such devices use complex locking mechanisms and often rely on tape or sutures to secure the tubing to the device. Moreover, these devices frequently include several parts and are, therefore, not unitary. They are often bulky and include a significant area of the device which lies on the face or mouth for stabilization. Such devices often provide reduction in horizontal movement at the expense of ease in placement. While such tube holders may be preferable in endotracheal tubes, which are utilized in a long term chronic setting, no simple device, unitary is currently available for securing a thoracostomy tube to the patient's body. The convention is to use a suture tie material attached to the skin incision around the tube to secure it. No device is currently available that can attach to the suture tie material and thereby secure the tubing.
The foregoing limitations in prior art tube holders with respect to securing or anchoring a thoracostomy tube in position so as to prevent vertical or longitudinal motion suggests a different approach to holder design is appropriate. What is truly required is a unitary device which can be made inexpensively and can be placed quickly around a thoracostomy tube in either an emergency or elective setting. Further, it would also be desirable if such a tube holding device provided means for facile removal from the tubing without injuring or moving the tubing.


1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments disclosed herein generally relate to an electronic device that is configured to perform a desired function based on input received from a user.
2. Description of the Related Art
The popularity of portable electronics, such as smart phones, touch pads, PDAs, portable computers, wireless keyboards, wireless mice, wireless speakers, gaming controllers and portable music players, has increased dramatically in the past decade. As people have become more reliant on electronic devices, they have found more and more uses in the home, business and mobile environments.
As the development of software applications that run on today's electronic devices have improved, the usefulness and our reliance on these types of electronic devices have increased. To improve the usefulness of an electronic device, it is common to connect a first electronic device to one or more electronic devices, so that the first electronic device can perform, or better perform, functions that are typically outside the first electronic device's main function. For example, to improve a user's audio experience it is often desirable to link one or more portable speakers and an audio source, such as a music player or smart phone, together to provide a richer and enveloping audio experience. However, due to limitations in standard wireless communication protocols and device software, it is a non-trivial task to setup and control the communication between these electronic devices.
Therefore, there is need for a method and apparatus that allows electronic devices to be automatically and seamlessly configured to allow the devices to rapidly provide desirable information to the user and to avoid the above-mentioned problems. There is also a need for a software application and a control method that allows an electronic device to be easily controlled by the delivery of simple input(s) received from a user.


The present invention relates to novel support and joiner means for shelving of the spaced rod type having vertically spaced rods forming an open and downwardly projecting lip at the front of the shelf.
Prior art means for supporting and joining such shelves in end to end relation are commercially available but such means as exemplified in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,598,064 and 3,765,634 are relatively expensive to manufacture because they comprise molded or die cast parts requiring the use of costly dies for their manufacture.
According to the invention a simple means is utilized both for supporting and for joining together shelve units in end to end relation. The tooling required for fabricating such means is extremely simple and the cost of fabrication is minimal resulting in substantial economies in production without any reduction in function or strength.


1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to vertically disposed backsplashes separately attached to horizontally disposed countertops such as in kitchens, and more particularly those made of solid plastics having a curved or coved interface at the approximate intersection of the backsplash and countertop. The coved interface being to provide an aesthetically pleasing and easy to clean interface between the two members.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Countertops with backsplashes which extend upward for at least a short distance above the countertop are desireable and common. Backsplashes most often are placed against a wall, but sometimes extend vertically upward from the countertop in locations which are not against a wall, to serve to terminate or designate the countertop work space. Countertops and backsplashes made of solid plastics, that is, non-laminated plastic solid surfacing material have become quite popular in recent years in kitchens, bathrooms, and offices of both residential and commercial buildings. The popularity of the use of plastic solid surfacing materials to define countertops and backsplashes is primarily due to the material having the qualities of high durability and ease of damage repair, ease of cleaning and sterilization, and beauty.
Solid surfacing materials as they are known in the plastics industry, are non-foamed, non-laminated polymer based materials, or in short, solid plastics in sheet form useful for defining surfaces. Plastic solid surfacing materials are most often manufactured and sold in sheet form, typically in 30 inch wide.times.12 foot lengths in thicknesses between 1/4 through 3/4 inches. Such plastic solid surfacing materials are sometimes referred to by the general public as cultured marble. These polymer based solid surfacing materials are typically manufactured substantially of polyester or acrylic resins, or alloys thereof, depending on the manufacturer, and often contain smaller quantities of other components or additives both natural and synthetic to form desired color, visual pattern designs, and other desirable physical and visual characteristics in the plastics.
Plastic solid surfacing materials are available from several U.S. manufacturers such as E.I. duPont de Nemours & Co., Inc. of Wilmington, Del. 19898 U.S.A., who market their polymer based solid surfacing materials under the trademark of "Corian". "Corian" is a trademark of duPont which refers to their solid surfacing polymer based material for use as a building material. "Corian" is a substantially rigid, non-foamed, non-laminated, non-coated solid material composed primarily of acrylic components. "Corian" is most often made and sold in sheet form. U.S. Pat. No. 3,847,865 issued Nov. 12, 1974 to R. B. Duggins and assigned to E. I. duPont de Nemours & Co., teaches one formula for making plastic solid surfacing material of the general nature of that referred to in this disclosure.
Another manufacturer of polymer based solid surfacing material is the Nevamar Corporation located at 8339 Telegraph Rd., Odenton, Md. 21113 U.S.A. The Nevamar Corporation markets their solid surfacing material under the trademark of "Fountainhead". "Fountainhead" is a substantially rigid, non-foamed, non-laminated, non-coated solid material composed of a polymer alloy comprised mostly of polyester components normally having therein a smaller percentage of acrylic components. "Fountainhead" is most often made and sold in sheet form.
Another manufacturer of polymer based solid surfacing material is the Formica Corporation, located at 155-T Rte. 46, W., CN-980, Wayne, N.J. 07470 U.S.A. The Formica Corporation sells their solid surfacing material under the trademark name of "Surell". "Surell", like "Corian" and "Fountainhead", is a dense rigid plastic most often made and sold in sheet form. "Surell" is a substantially rigid, non-foamed, non-laminated, non-coated solid material composed substantially of polyester components.
DuPont, the Nevamar Corporation, and the Formica Corporation, and several other companies not specifically mentioned, whom produce very similar polymer based solid surfacing materials to one another, manufacture and sell polymer based solid surfacing building materials in sheet form intended for use as walling or countertops, and sometimes make and sell cast or heat-formed shapes made of the same polymer based materials useful as kitchen and bathroom lavatories.
Some of the recognized advantages of using polymer based solid surfacing materials such as "Corian", "Fountainhead" or "Surell" over other available materials such as wood, metal, ceramic tile, and high pressure plastic laminates for countertops, exists in the fact that the material is a solid, polymeric non-laminated structure which the color or decorative color patterns extend completely therethrough, and therefore allow repeated refinishing of the material over many years using abrasives or sanding. If polymer based solid surfacing material does become stained, burned or scratched so deeply that the damage cannot be removed with a common household abrasive cleanser, the damage can be easily removed by light sanding with steel wool or fine sand paper, and this due to the fact that the material is solid, and the color or visual patterns extend completely therethrough. Furthermore, plastic solid surfacing materials typically have a high tensile strength, are quite hard, dense and rigid, and are resistant to chipping, cracking, splitting, warping, burning, and staining, all of which cannot be said about many other materials which could be used as substitutes therefore. Another attractive quality associated with polymer based solid surfacing materials such as those sold under the tradenames of "Corian", "Surell" or "Fountainhead", is the ease of adhesive bonding with available colored glues. Additionally, the polymer based sheets can be easily cut to size or otherwise shaped with mechanical material removal methods and tools using sawing and shaping tools such as router bits, power saws and shapers and the like, similar to those used to cut and shape wood.
Polymer based solid surfacing materials such as "Corian", "Surell" or "Fountainhead" may be manufactured at a relatively low price to very closely resemble in texture and visually simulate marble, granite, and other natural stone products which have long been desired and used as building materials due to recognition of the durability and beauty of such natural substances.
It is the above stated qualities and advantages among others which make plastic solid surfacing material a good choice, and an increasingly popular choice for a countertop with backsplash.
Due to excessive costs primarily related to the large number of different available colors from which consumers may now choose, and sizes which would be required to be made, shipped and stocked, countertops of plastic solid surfacing material are not widely manufactured with the backsplashes as integral one piece units. Although plastic solid surface materials have in the past been manufactured as countertops with the backsplashes as integral one piece units by either casting or heat forming, these countertops with integral backsplashes have for the most part been relatively short, narrow, straight lengths generally specifically for bathroom vanities. Due to the significant number of available colors and color patterns of solid surfacing material in sheet form, coupled with the frequent need to custom cut to size and shape countertops and backsplashes, the majority of solid plastic countertops with backsplashes are custom cut from sheet material and assembled in a countertop fabrication shop or at the installation site. This custom cutting and fabrication of countertops with attached backsplashes is particularly prevalent with kitchens and the like having large amounts of countertop space with the countertops and backsplashes intersecting one another at angles such as 90 degrees.
With countertops having attached backsplashes made of plastic solid surfacing material, one simple prior art system, and the most common one, of affixing the backsplash onto the countertop simply involves a butt-joint, which includes adhering the backsplash to the countertop at a right angle, thereby forming a right angled interior corner as may be ascertained from the attached prior art FIG. 1 drawing. The disadvantage of this butt-joint method being that the right angled corner is difficult to keep clean since dirt and water naturally accumulate along the seam, and the sharp angle (90 degrees) of the joint renders it difficult to get a sponge or like cleaning tool into the tight corner. Therefore, a visible joint is rendered more visible with the accumulation of dirt, distracts from the aesthetic appearance of the countertop, and may be unsanitary.
One solution to the difficult to clean right angled joint between the countertop and backsplash is to fashion a radius or coved interior corner joint between the two members which provides much more open space to access with a sponge for cleaning.
A prior art method for creating a radiused or coved interior joint or intersection in plastic solid surface countertops with attached backsplashes, as is illustrated in the attached prior art drawing FIGS. 2A and 2B, is to adhesively affix a rectangular strip of plastic solid surfacing material along the right angled interior corner of the abutted backsplash and countertop, and then mechanically cut to remove a portion of the rectangular strip, such as with a router, leaving a radius or cove between the backsplash and countertop. This process involves utilizing a specialized jig or tool guide for holding the router at a forty-five degree angle to cut the radius. There is little room for error with this procedure, since routing the cove too deeply would cut into the backsplash or countertop, and too shallow a cove would require extensive sanding, therefore the installer must be quite skilled in this procedure. This procedure is quite time consuming, requires a high level of skill, and is therefore relatively expensive. Another disadvantage of this type of coved joint is that the longitudinal edges of the cove are quite thin, feathering out to a very thin edge so as to make a smooth transition or blend into the backsplash and countertop without leaving a highly visible seam. These thin feathered edges, particularly the feathered edge which lies in the horizontal plane of the countertop, can result in an area quite susceptible to wear. Even though the thin feathered edges at first may blend in quite well with the backsplash and countertop, they can eventually wear thin with repeated cleaning, particularly with abrasive cleansers. Chipping of the thin edges of the cove can eventually result. The chipped edges leave recesses which accumulate dirt and become harder to keep clean with time. Sometimes the adhesive shows through the chipped thin feathered areas, which is not very aesthetically pleasing when the adhesive is not an exact color match to the material, and the adhesive is seldom an "exact" color match. The showing of the adhesive through the thin feathered edges is particularly noticeable on the feathered edge which lies in the horizontal plane of the countertop because of the angle at which overhead lighting strikes the joint, and not so noticeable with the feathered edge lying in the vertical plane of the backsplash, again, because of the angle at which overhead lighting strikes the seam. As the thin feathered edges wear, more of the adhesive is exposed, and more dirt begins to collect and the joint becomes more visible with time. The problem with wearing of the thin feathered edges is most prevalent with the lower feathered edge which resides in the horizontal plane of the countertop, and not so much with the upper feathered edge residing in the vertical plane of the backsplash, as normally the horizontal plane receives far more vigorous cleaning.
Another prior art method of creating a coved interior joint or intersection on countertops with attached backsplashes of plastic solid surfacing material, as is illustrated in the attached prior art drawing FIGS. 3A and 3B, is to countersink the lengthwise bottom edge of the backsplash and an edge of an elongated rectangular strip into a rabbet (recess) formed along the upper lengthwise back edge of the countertop. A portion of the rectangular strip is then mechanically removed in the same manner as the first described prior art procedure to define a coved or curved joint. This process also involves utilizing a specialized jig or tool guide for holding the router at a forty-five degree angle. There is also little room for error in the depth of the routing of the cove, and therefore the installer must be quite skilled in this procedure. In this procedure, only the upper edge of the cove lying in the vertical plane of the backsplash is thinly feathered, and this has not been found to be a major problem. However, this method is very time consuming, requires a relatively high level of skill, and is also therefore quite expensive.
It is these shortcomings in countertops with separately attached backsplashes made of plastic solid surfacing material which the present invention overcomes. There is a significant need for an improved system of attaching a backsplash to a countertop made of solid plastics with the resultant joint between the two members being curved or coved for easy cleaning, and one which is very durable, inexpensive, and which the seam(s) is virtually invisible for many years.


Scanner systems for acquiring an image of an object, such as a printed circuit board, are well known in the arts of imaging and automated optical inspection. Some conventional scanner systems include sensors comprising a linear array of sensor elements. Other conventional scanner systems include sensors comprising a two dimensional array of sensor elements. Some systems employing two-dimensional array of sensor elements have been configured, for example, to operate in a time delay integration (TDI) mode of operation to acquire and image of an object. Other system employing a two-dimensional array of sensor elements have been configured to acquire a sequence of non overlapping images of an object.
TDI systems are well known in the art of optical scanning. In such systems, a sensor array is scanned over an object, such as a printed circuit board, by moving either the array or the object in a direction perpendicular to the rows of the array. The scanning speed and an array clock are synchronized so that in each column of the array, multiple sensor elements in sequence capture light from the same point on the object. Charge is accumulated between rows as the sensor array passes over the object so that sensor signals in each column are summed for each point on the object, thereby providing an image of the object with enhanced signal/noise ratio.
Common TDI sensors are based on charge-coupled device (CCD) technology, which allows the sensor signals to be summed by transferring charge along each column of the sensory array such that newly accumulated charge is added to charge having accumulated in previous rows of the column. Other TDI systems based on photodiode arrays, such as CMOS sensor arrays, are also known in the art.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,750,985 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,909,026, the disclosures of which are incorporated by reference, both describe sensors that can be employed in a TDI type arrangement.
Applicants' copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/141,988, filed on May 10, 2002 and entitled “Optical Inspection System Employing a Staring Array Scanner”, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference, describes an inspection system employing a two dimensional sensor array.


1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor substrate and a method of manufacturing the same, and a semiconductor device utilizing such semiconductor substrate. More particularly, it relates to a semiconductor substrate for bipolar IC and BiCMOS and a manufacturing method thereof, and a semiconductor device utilizing such semiconductor substrate.
2. Description of the Background Art
FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view showing a buried diffusion epitaxial wafer formed by utilizing a conventional silicon substrate for bipolar IC and BiCMOS. Referring to FIG. 7, in the conventional buried diffusion epitaxial wafer, a buried diffusion layer 12 is formed on a top surface of a single crystal silicon substrate 13 at a predetermined interval. An epitaxial layer 11 of silicon is formed on the top surface of single crystal silicon substrate 13 and buried diffusion layer 12. A polycrystalline silicon layer 14 having a thickness of 1.0-2.5 .mu.m is formed on a rear surface of single crystal silicon substrate 13.
Buried diffusion layer 12 is formed for decreasing collector resistance of bipolar IC or BiCMOS formed in epitaxial layer 11. Polycrystalline silicon layer 14 is formed for conducting gettering utilizing crystal defects included therein. Heavy metals such as Cu, Fe, and Au entered during manufacturing process are removed from electrically active regions of semiconductor elements by gettering.
A method of manufacturing a conventional buried diffusion epitaxial wafer shown in FIG. 7 will be described.
Single crystal silicon substrate 13 is grown by Czochralski method. Czochralski method is disclosed, for example, in Semiconductor Silicon Crystal Technology (1989), Academic Press, Inc., by Fumio Shimura, pp. 129-131. FIG. 8 is an illustration of manufacturing of a single crystal by Czochralski method. Referring to FIG. 8, polycrystalline silicon (not shown) is put in a quartz crucible 51 and heated by a heater 50 to be turned to melted silicon 52.
Then, the melted silicon 52 is brought into contact with a seed crystal 200 which is pulled up while being rotated. Accordingly, a single crystal silicon (silicon ingot) 100 having the same crystal axis as seed crystal 200 is grown. The pulling up speed of the conventional single crystal silicon 100 is about 1.0 mm/min. The interstitial oxygen concentration of single crystal silicon 100 has been controlled to 9-16.times.10.sup.17 (atoms/cm.sup.3) according to the old ASTM (old American Society for Testing and Materials).
Then, single crystal silicon 100 formed as described above is sliced thin so as to form single crystal silicon substrate 13 as shown in FIG. 7.
Thereafter, polycrystalline silicon layer 14 is formed on the rear surface of single crystal silicon substrate 13 by the CVD method at the temperature of 650.degree. C. Buried diffusion layer 12 serving as a floating collector of the bipolar element is formed in a predetermined region on the top surface of single crystal silicon substrate 13 at a predetermined interval by, for example, the ion implantation method. Epitaxial layer 11 is grown on single crystal silicon substrate 13 and buried diffusion layer 12 at the temperature of about 1100.degree. C.
Conventionally, the buried diffusion epitaxial wafer is formed as described above. Bipolar IC or BiCMOS is formed in epitaxial layer 11 of such buried diffusion epitaxial wafer. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, a bipolar transistor including a base layer 16, an emitter layer 17, and a collector layer 18 has been formed on the main surface of epitaxial layer 11. An isolation layer 15 has been provided in order to isolate such bipolar transistors.
Conventionally, as described above, the interstitial oxygen concentration of single crystal silicon substrate 13 is controlled to 9-16.times.10.sup.17 (atoms/cm.sup.3) according to the old ASTM specification.
However, in the conventional buried diffusion epitaxial wafer shown in FIG. 7, heat treatment is conducted at the temperature of 650.degree. C. at the time of formation of polycrystal silicon layer 14, and in addition, heat treatment at the temperature of 1100.degree. C. is conducted during the growth of epitaxial layer 11.
In this case, if interstitial oxygen concentration is as high as 15.0.times.10.sup.17 (atoms/cm.sup.3), generation of internal precipitation defects is accelerated because of heat hysteresis of the above-mentioned heat treatments. This results in crystal defects even in the element formation region of epitaxial layer 11 (a region up to a few .mu.m from the surface of epitaxial layer 11).
When there is such a large amount of internal precipitation defects as to form crystal defects even in the element formation region, electrical characteristics of elements are deteriorated and warp of the buried diffusion epitaxial wafer is increased. Further, if crystal defects are precipitated even in the element formation region, crystal layers are slipped with each other. Such slipping is disclosed in, for example, Semiconductor Silicon Crystal Technology (1989), Academic Press, Inc., by Fumio Shimura, pp. 60-63, and pp. 286-289.
In the conventional buried diffusion epitaxial wafer shown in FIG. 7, gettering of heavy metal impurity is conducted by using crystal defects in polycrystalline silicon layer 14 and internal precipitation defects in single crystal silicon substrate 13. In this case, if single crystal silicon substrate 13 having a low interstitial oxygen concentration such as 10.times.10.sup.17 (atoms/cm.sup.3) is used, there is not provided enough internal precipitation defects to carry out gettering of the heavy metal impurity generated during formation of elements.
When gettering is not sufficient, the heavy metal impurity is precipitated up to the surface of epitaxial layer 11 so that OSF (Oxidation Induced Stacking Fault) is formed on the surface of epitaxial layer 11 with the heavy metal impurity serving as a carnal. Such OSF deteriorates electrical characteristics of elements.
Conventionally, various problems as described above have occurred, because the range of the interstitial oxygen concentration of single crystal silicon substrate 13 is set rather wide without considering heat treatment and gettering effect during formation of polycrystalline silicon layer 14 and epitaxial layer 11.
When forming single crystal silicon substrate 13 by Czochralski method, if the speed of cooling the single crystal silicon 100 which is pulled up is too fast, point defects generated during the growth of crystals are combined to form a large crystal defect.
If single crystal silicon substrate 13 shown in FIG. 7 is cut away from single crystal silicon 100 having such a large defect an inconvenience is generated. If there is a large defect in single crystal silicon substrate 13, many crystal defects are generated also on the surface of epitaxial layer 11 grown up on the top surface of single crystal silicon substrate 13. Thus, if elements are formed on the surface of epitaxial layer 11 including many crystal defects, the electrical characteristics of elements are deteriorated.


The present invention concerns a method for preparing unprotected hydroxy compounds or acylated derivatives thereof by conversion of silyl alkyl-protected hydroxy compounds. The invention also relates to novel intermediates useful in the method and for other purposes.
Within certain fields of synthetic chemistry, in particular within the field of preparation of glycosides, there exists a need for methods and intermediates making possible easy and high-yielding preparation of e.g. oligosaccharides and glycosides. Thus, the availability of e.g. suitably protected sugar "building blocks" and reactions capable of joining such "building blocks" on the one hand with one another and on the other hand with suitable aglycon units would greatly simplify the preparation of a wide variety of oligosaccharides, glycosides and glycoconjugates useful as i.a. synthetic biological receptors of the type described in Danish patent application No. 176/85 filed Jan. 14, 1985.
Recently, Lipshutz et al, Tetrahedron Letters, 1981, 22, p. 4603, reported the preparation of 2-trimethylsilylethyl glycosides and their subsequent cleavage by LiBF.sub.4 to the corresponding free sugar using LiBF.sub.4 or a 1:1 mixture of LiF/BF.sub.3.Et.sub.2 O. However, Lipshutz does not indicate whether the cleavage product (or some intermediate) could have conserved its anomeric stereostructure.


It is well known that for transmission of a pictorial digital image over a narrow band communication channel, block transform coding techniques (such as discrete cosine transform DCT) achieve very high bit rate compression ratios. Spatial transform coding schemes are able to achieve such high bit rate compression ratios due to the fact that the spatial transformation concentrates most of the energy of a pictorial image in the transform coefficients representing lower spatial frequencies. When the transform coefficients are arranged in order of increasing spatial frequency, for example by the well known zig-zag scan technique, long runs of zero amplitude coefficients are generated. The values of the transform coefficients are Huffman encoded, and the strings of zero amplitude coefficients are run-length encoded for very efficients image compression. See U.S. Pat. No. 4,302,775, issued Nov. 24, 1981 to Widergren et al for an example of such a compression scheme in a video image compression system.
Using a block transform coding scheme, it is possible to transmit a full resolution television frame over a telephone line in less than one minute. It has also been suggested (see the article "Image display techniques using the cosine transform" by King N. Ngan, IEEE transactions on acoustics and signal processing, Vol. ASSP-32 No. 1, February 1984.) that in a low bit rate image transmission system it would be desirable to provide the viewer at the receiver with a quick (within several seconds) "preview" image during transmission of the the full resolution image, so that the viewer can quickly evaluate the usefulness of the image being transmitted, and terminate transmission if the full resolution image is not of interest, thereby effecting savings in time and cost. This capability would be very useful for example to quickly browse through a number of images (e.g..about.100) to find a particular image that is desired. Ngan suggests that such a low resolution preview image can be developed from the first few transform coefficients of an image by transmitting the transform coefficients in an order representing increasing spatial frequencies, and performing an inverse transformation on the first few coefficients that are received to provide a preview image.
In a practical pictorial image transmission system, the scheme suggested by Ngan for providing a preview image has several disadvantages which were not discussed in Ngan's article. In a block transform image compression scheme, the image is divided into blocks (e.g. 16.times.16) of pixels. Consecutive blocks of the image are transformed and the coded transform coefficients are transmitted. The progressive transmission scheme suggested by Ngan, wherein only the first few coefficients from each block are used to generate a preview image, was found by the present inventors to be impractical in an actual image transmission system, since transmitting only the first few coefficients of each block frustrates the run-length coding of the coefficients. Furthermore, since all the coefficients are needed to recover the full resolution image at the receiver, the lower frequency transform coefficients from all the blocks must be stored until the higher frequency coefficients are received, thereby increasing the memory requirements at the receiver.
It is the object of the present invention to provide a system for transmitting pictorial still images over a narrow band transmission channel such as a telephone line, including means for presenting a low resolution preview image that is free of the disadvantages noted above. It is a further object to provide such a system for transmitting a color pictorial image.


1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an ink jet recording method and a recorded matter.
2. Related Art
There is demand for an ink with a low viscosity in ink jet methods in which ink is discharged as minute droplets. On the other hand, because it is necessary to prevent bleeding of the ink on a recording medium, an ink jet ink that includes a penetrant is used (for example, refer to JP-A-2001-187850).
However, in the recording method used in the related art, it is difficult to form an image at high speeds while sufficiently preventing bleeding of the ink depending on the type of medium.


The present invention relates to an incremental encoder and, more particularly, to an incremental encoder having a rotor provided with a plurality of indices and capable of detecting a reference or zero point without turning the rotor one full turn.
Encoders have been widely used for electrically measuring distances and angles. Optical encoders and magnetic encoders are quite analogous in basic configuration.
Rotary encoders have been prevalently used for the electrical measurement of angles. In particular, optical encoders incorporate advanced optical techniques, they are capable of measurement with high accuracy and high resolution, they have high resolving power and are immune to disturbances such as external magnetism, and they have a long lifetime owing to their noncontact measuring operation.
Optical encoders having such exemplary features are used in surveying instruments for measuring angles, for example.
Optical encoders employed in current surveying instruments are classified into those of absolute type, i.e., absolute optical encoders, and those of incremental type, i.e., incremental optical encoders.
In an absolute optical encoder, angle and position on a circumference are in one-to-one correspondence, and positions on a circumference are registered as absolute addresses. Therefore, position information about any position can be obtained. However, an absolute optical encoder has a complex construction, and it is very difficult to construct an absolute optical encoder in a compact, lightweight manner for a surveying instrument.
As shown in FIG. 6, an incremental optical encoder comprises a rotor 9100 provided with a main scale 9110, a stator 9200 provided with a subscale 9210, and a detecting means having components 9310, 9320 and 9330. The main scale 9110 formed on the rotor 9100 has graduation lines arranged at equal angular pitch, e.g. of 80 sec, at the periphery of the rotor 9100 in an occulting pattern. The subscale 9210 formed on the stator 9200 has graduation lines arranged at an angular pitch equal to that of the main scale 9110 in an occulting pattern.
The detecting means comprises an LED (light emitting diode) 9310, a collimator lens 9320 and a photosensor 9330. The LED 9310 and the photosensor 9330 are disposed with the rotor 9100 and the stator 9200 therebetween. When the rotor 9100 rotates, the light emitted by the LED 9310 is interrupted once every time the rotor 9100 turns through an angle corresponding to one graduation of the main scale 9110, and the photosensor 9330 provides an electric signal indicating the interruption of the light. The electric signals provided by the photosensor 9330 are counted to detect the angle through which the rotor 9100 has turned.
The incremental optical encoder is able to start counting the output signals of the photosensor 9330 from any position of the rotor 9100 and to measure the angle of turn of the rotor 9100 from the position where counting the output signals of the photosensor 9330 is started.
A surveying instrument employing an incremental optical encoder will be described with reference to FIGS. 7(a) and 7(b). A surveying instrument 10000 comprises a base unit 8100, a standard unit 8200 rotatably mounted on the base unit 8100 in a horizontal plane, a sighting telescope 8300 supported on the standard unit 8200 for turning in a vertical plane, a first detector 8400 for detecting the horizontal angle of the standard unit 8200, and a second detector 8500 for detecting the elevation angle of the sight line of the telescope 8300.
The base unit 8100 is connected by leveling screws 8160 to a leveling plate 8150 to be fixedly mounted on a tripod or the like. The level of the surveying instrument 10000 can be adjusted by turning the leveling screws 8160. The base unit 8100 is provided with a lower adjusting knob 8120 and a lower clamp knob 8130 to adjust and fix the base unit 8100. The standard unit 8200 is provided with an upper adjusting knob 8220 and an upper clamp knob 8230 to adjust and fix the standard unit 8200. The sighting telescope 8300 is provided with an elevation adjusting knob 8320 and an elevation clamp knob 8330 to adjust the elevation angle in the sighting direction of the sighting telescope 8300 and to fix the sighting telescope 8300 in an adjusted sighting direction.
An optical encoder included in the second detector 8500 detects the elevation angle of the sighting direction of the sighting telescope 8300 with respect to zenith, for example. The optical encoder of the second detector 8500 is provided with an index for zero detection to determine an angle from a reference. The signals are counted using the index as a reference or zero point to measure the angle. An optical encoder included in the first detector 8400 for measuring the horizontal angle of the standard unit 8200 has no particular reference direction and hence does not need any reference point. Therefore, the optical encoder is an ordinary one not provided with any index.
The incremental optical encoder provided with an index of the second detector 8500 will be described with reference to FIG. 8. The incremental optical encoder of the second detector 8500 comprises a rotor 8510, a stator 8520, and an optical detector comprising components 8531-8533 and 8535-8537 disposed with the rotor 8510 and the stator 8520 there between as shown. The rotor 8510 is provided at its periphery with a main scale 8511 having graduation lines formed at equal angular pitch, and a zero detection index 8512. The stator 8520 is provided with a first subscale 8521 for use in combination with the main scale 8511, and a second subscale 8522 for use in combination with the zero detecting index 8512. The optical detector 8530 comprises an index detecting unit and a main scale detecting unit. The index detecting unit comprises a first light emitting device 8531, a first collimator lens 8532 and a first photosensor 8533 and is capable of detecting the zero detecting index 8512 of the rotor 8510. The main scale detecting unit comprises a second light emitting device 8536, a second collimator lens 8535 and a second photosensor 8537. The main scale detecting unit detects light pulses produced by the occulting pattern of the main scale 8511 of the rotor 8510, and the second photosensor 8537 converts the light pulses into corresponding electric signals. The electric signals are counted to determine an angle from a zero detection point.
A method of using the conventional surveying instrument 10000 thus constructed will be described. The leveling plate 8150 of the surveying instrument 10000 is mounted on a tripod, and the leveling plate 8150 is leveled by turning the leveling screws 8160. Then, a main switch is closed and the sighting telescope 8300 is turned one full turn to complete preparations. When the sighting telescope 8300 is turned, the rotor 8510 of the second detector 8500 is turned, and the zero detecting index 8512 sets a zero point to measure an angle from the zero point.
This conventional surveying instrument 10000 needs to turn by one full turn the sighting telescope 8300 provided with the second detector 8500 including the incremental optical encoder provided with the index; that is, the zero detecting index 8512 of the rotor 8510 must be detected by the index detecting unit of the optical detector 8530 by turning the sighting telescope 8300 one full turn. The sighting telescope 8300 needs to be turned by one full turn because the index 8512, in general, is invisible from outside. If the sighting telescope 8300 is turned quickly, the index detecting unit of the optical detector 8530 is unable to detect the zero detecting index 8512 of the rotor 8510 and hence measurement cannot be made. Accordingly, the sighting telescope 8300 must be turned at an appropriate turning speed below a certain turning speed, with the appropriate turning speed unavoidably being dependent on user intuition, which is very burdensome.


Valuable high purity lead compound and eventually metallic lead is obtained from minerals as well as from electrode paste or slime recovered from dismissed lead batteries by pyrometallurgy according either to a very high temperature (1500-1700° C.) process with attendant generation of large quantities toxic fumes to be abated, or to a high temperature (1000-1100° C.) process, as often practiced in case the starting material is recovered electrode paste, that implies a significant by-production of toxic slags to be disposed of as dangerous substances in special dumps.
An attempt to improve these situations has been pursued through a carbonation technique of the raw (impure) electrode paste in plants for producing secondary lead.
This technique gives substantial advantages in terms of reduced impact on the environment but poor economical results and therefore has not encountered diffused acceptance in the industry. Many have endeavoured to improve the performance of this technique as testified by the numerous patent publications such as: U.S. Pat. No. 5,827,347, also published as WO9966105; U.S. Pat. No. 5,840,262 also published as WO9858878; the European Patents No. 1619261, No. 1656463; the Italian Patent No. 01239001; the U.S. Pat. No. 4,336,236 and No. 1,738,081; the BP patents No. 239,257 and No. 272,053; the Belgian Patents No. 273,660 and No. 691,028 as well as the project “Cleanlead Gypsum” partially financiated by the European Union.
Lead is extracted from a lead mineral such as galena, through a high temperature (over 1500° C.) pyro-metallurgical process that produces impure lead. All sulphur present in the starting material is converted to SO2 such that generally to the pyro-metallurgical plant is associated a plant for producing sulphuric acid in order to avoid inertization of SO2 in the form of CaSO4, which has an extremely low commercial value.


1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vehicle seat in which a child seat is built into an occupant seat formed by a seat cushion and a seat back which is reclinable with respect to the seat cushion.
2. Description of the Related Art
There are various types of conventional child seats. For example, there is a type in which the child seat is fixed to an ordinary occupant seat as a single unit. There is another type in which a child seat mounting/fixing member is built in an occupant seat so that the child seat is fixed to the occupant seat as a single unit. In yet another type, which will be referred to hereinafter as a "built-in type", a child seat is built in an occupant seat so that the vehicle seat can be changed between a state of use as an occupant seat and a state of use as a child seat as occasion demands.
With built-in type vehicle seats, there is no need to remove the child seat. Built-in type vehicle seats are therefore superior in that the only work involved therein is changing the seat from one state of use to the other (as an example, see Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open No. 2-23229).
The structure disclosed in the above-mentioned reference is as follows: in an ordinary occupant seat, a seat back and a connecting rod are swingable a predetermined amount with respect to a seat cushion. Vertical grooves are formed in a reverse surface of the seat back. A child restraining belt and a waist portion pad are accommodated in the vertical grooves. Accordingly, when the occupant seat is to be used, the vehicle seat is placed in its normal state. When the child seat is to be used, the seat back of the occupant seat is swung so that by using the seat cushion of the occupant seat as the seat cushion of the child seat as well, a child can sit facing the rear.
However, in such a structure, the seat cushion of the occupant seat is used also as the child seat. Therefore, a drawback arises in that the angles of the seat surface are not structured so as to allow an optimal seat surface for a child. Further, in order to protect the sides of the child's body, it is necessary to form side wall portions. However, such side wall portions are unnecessary in an occupant seat. Namely, separate, independent cushion capabilities for an occupant seat and a child seat cannot be ensured.


1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a garment pattern sizing template system and more particularly pertains to increasing and/or decreasing the size of garment patterns in a simplified manner.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of pattern sizing tools of known designs and configurations is known in the prior art. More specifically, pattern sizing tools of known designs and configurations previously devised and utilized for the purpose of increasing or decreasing the size of garment patterns through known methods and apparatuses are known to consist basically of familiar, expected, and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which has been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
By way of example, U.S. Pat. No. 1,214,296 to Gorton discloses an instrument for drafting patterns for garments. U.S. Pat. No. 4,672,748 to Perazzolo discloses a pair of tailoring set-squares for sketching the component parts of clothing especially for constructing garments of any size or model. U.S. Pat. No. 5,444,920 to Nelson discloses tools for use in dressmaking. Lastly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,570,533 to Vouyouka discloses an industrial pattern grading template.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements., the aforementioned patents do not describe a garment pattern sizing template system that allows increasing and/or decreasing the size of garment patterns in a simplified manner.
In this respect, the garment pattern sizing template system according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in doing so provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of increasing and/or decreasing the size of garment patterns in a simplified manner.
Therefore, it can be appreciated that there exists a continuing need for a new and improved garment pattern sizing template system which can be used for increasing and/or decreasing the size of garment patterns in a simplified manner. In this regard, the present invention substantially fulfills this need.
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of pattern sizing tools of known designs and configurations now present in the prior art, the present invention provides an improved garment pattern sizing template system. As such, the general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new and improved garment pattern sizing template system which has all the advantages of the prior art and none of the disadvantages.
To attain this, the present invention essentially comprises a sheet of transparent plastic having limited flexibility. The sheet is in a circular configuration with a diameter of about 11 inches. The sheet has a center point with an aperture and a periphery. A plurality of radial construction lines extend from about the center point to about the periphery. A plurality of grids each have a center line with nine holes equally spaced along the center line for marking a pattern piece there beneath. Nine spaced lateral marking lines extend in alternating points from the holes with sequential marking numbers from a smaller number of size 6 to a larger number of size 14. A central hole is located on a radial construction line. A plurality of parenthetical primary positioning numbers on the sheet are located adjacent to the grids. A plurality of paper patterns each with a plurality of circled secondary positioning numbers correlate to the primary positioning numbers on the sheet for assisting a user in the proper positioning of the sheet on a pattern during operation and use. The radial construction lines include: a first line marked xe2x80x9c(2) back neck pointxe2x80x9d with an angled grid having the smaller number closer to the periphery and xe2x80x9c(1) center back neckxe2x80x9d with a transverse grid; a second line marked xe2x80x9c(4)a back waist and bottomxe2x80x9d with a radial grid having the smaller number closer to the periphery and xe2x80x9c(3)a back and side panel shoulderxe2x80x9d with an angled grid having the smaller number closer to the periphery; a third line marked xe2x80x9c(6) back sleeve balance notchxe2x80x9d with an angled grid having the smaller number closer to the periphery and xe2x80x9c(5) back shoulder endxe2x80x9d with an angled grid having the smaller number closer to the periphery; a fourth line marked xe2x80x9c(8) back waist and bottomxe2x80x9d with a radial grid having the smaller number closer to the periphery and xe2x80x9c(7) back top of side seamxe2x80x9d with an angled grid having the smaller number closer to the periphery; a fifth line marked xe2x80x9c(9) under arm seam topxe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9c(9)a under arm seam waistxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9c(9)b underarm seam bottomxe2x80x9d with a radial grid having the smaller number closer to the periphery; a sixth line marked xe2x80x9cfront s/p (12) waistxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9c(12)a bottomxe2x80x9d with a radial grid having the smaller number closer to the periphery and xe2x80x9c(11) front s/p shoulderxe2x80x9d with an angled grid having the smaller number closer to the periphery and xe2x80x9c(10) front s/p shoulder endxe2x80x9d with a transverse grid; a seventh line marked xe2x80x9c(14) front waistxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9c(14)a front bottomxe2x80x9d with a radial grid having the smaller number closer to the periphery and xe2x80x9c(13) front mid shoulderxe2x80x9d with an angled grid having the smaller number closer to the periphery; an eighth line marked xe2x80x9c(16) lapel break @ neck xe2x80x9d with an angled grid having the smaller number closer to the periphery and xe2x80x9c(15) front neck pointxe2x80x9d with an angled grid having the smaller number closer to the periphery; a ninth line marked xe2x80x9c(18) front bottom of lapelxe2x80x9d with an angled grid having the smaller number closer to the periphery and xe2x80x9c(17) lapel @ collar notchxe2x80x9d with an angled grid having the smaller number adjacent to the periphery; a tenth line marked xe2x80x9c(19) front bottomxe2x80x9d with a radial grid having the smaller number closer to the periphery; an eleventh line marked xe2x80x9c(22) cuff t/slxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9c(22)a cuff u/slxe2x80x9d with a radial grid with a larger number closer to the periphery and xe2x80x9c(21) sleeve head crownxe2x80x9d with an angled grid having the larger number closer to the periphery and xe2x80x9c(20) hind arm top and (20)a under sleevexe2x80x9d with an angled grid having the larger number closer to the periphery; a twelfth line marked xe2x80x9c(23) collar step end leftxe2x80x9d with an angled grid having the smaller number closer to the periphery and xe2x80x9c(24) collar step end rightxe2x80x9d with an angled grid having the larger number closer to the periphery; a thirteenth line marked xe2x80x9c(25) collar lapel break notch leftxe2x80x9d with a radial grid having the smaller number closer to the periphery and xe2x80x9c(25)a lapel break notch rightxe2x80x9d with a radial grid having the larger number adjacent to the periphery; and a fourteenth line marked xe2x80x9c(26) collar neck point notch leftxe2x80x9d with a radial grid having the larger number closer to the periphery and xe2x80x9c(26)a collar neck point notch rightxe2x80x9d with a radial grid having the larger number adjacent to the periphery.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims attached.
In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of descriptions and should not be regarded as limiting.
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved garment pattern sizing template system which has all of the advantages of the prior art pattern sizing tools of known designs and configurations and none of the disadvantages.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved garment pattern sizing template system which may be easily and efficiently manufactured and marketed.
It is further object of the present invention to provide a new and improved garment pattern sizing template system which is of durable and reliable constructions.
An even further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved garment pattern sizing template system which is susceptible of a low cost of manufacture with regard to both materials and labor, and which accordingly is then susceptible of low prices of sale to the consuming public, thereby making such garment pattern sizing template system economically available to the buying public.
Even still another object of the present invention is to provide a garment pattern sizing template system for increasing and/or decreasing the size of garment patterns in a simplified manner.
Lastly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved garment pattern sizing template system comprising a sheet of transparent plastic. A plurality of radial construction lines extend from a region on the sheet at angles. A plurality of grids each have a central line with holes equally spaced along the central line and spaced lateral marking lines extend from the holes with sequential marking numbers from a lower number to a larger number with the central hole being located on a radial construction line. The radial construction lines from the second corner are sequentially marked with construction indicia.
These together with other objects of the invention, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the invention, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there is illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention.


1. Field of the Invention
The field of invention relates to barbeque grill apparatus, and more particularly pertains to a new and improved barbeque grill housing apparatus wherein the same is arranged for mounting exteriorly of a balcony structure of an existing dwelling to afford protection to individuals relative to an associated barbeque grill, as well as permitting maximum utilization of space of the associated balcony structure.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Barbeque grill apparatus of various types is utilized throughout the prior art to permit outdoor cooking of various foods. A barbeque grill is frequently positioned within a balcony structure of an associated dwelling for convenience and access to the grill. Contemporary dwelling structure has limited available space of such balcony structure, wherein the instant invention attempts to provide a support housing to mount a grill exteriorly of a balcony structure, as well as affording limited access to children and the like preventing inadvertent injury relative to a barbecuing event. Barbeque apparatus is exemplified in the prior art in U.S. Pat. No. 4,836,480 to Besner illustrating a support frame for mounting a grill within the support frame.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,915,146 to Bauer sets forth a grill apparatus including a housing, wherein the housing includes a gas filled container for directing the gas as fuel into the grill structure.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,932,391 to Bierdeman sets forth a grill, wherein the grill includes a rotisserie structure for use with the grill structure.
As such, it may be appreciated that there continues to be a need for a new and improved barbeque grill housing apparatus as set forth by the instant invention which addresses both the problems of ease of use as well as effectiveness in construction and in this respect, the present invention substantially fulfills this need.


The invention relates to a depalletizing device for lifting up objects loaded onto a pallet. More in particular, the invention relates to a depalletizing device comprising a carriage as well as a friction roller attached to the carriage, which friction roller is rotatable about a horizontal rotation axis and is coupled to a rotational drive in order to rotate, the carriage being movable to and fro in a direction at right angles to the rotation axis of the friction roller in order to push the friction roller against a side of an object on the pallet in such a manner that the friction roller exerts an upward friction force on the object, as a result of which the object is raised on that side, and in order for the friction roller to pass underneath said object after the latter has been raised.
GB 1 559 973 discloses a depalletizing device having a sliding carriage and a roller which is arranged at the front thereof so as to be rotatable. The roller is arranged in a spring-mounted manner relative to the carriage by means of a coiled spring. The roller is driven in rotation. During depalletizing, the carriage is moved in the direction of the objects on a pallet. When the roller touches an object on the pallet, the spring is pushed in, resulting in an increase in the spring force and thus the pressing force of the roller on the object. As a consequence of this increasing pressing force, the friction between the moving roller surface and the object increases until the roller moves the object upwards and causes it to tilt. One side of the object is lifted up by the roller and once the object has tilted sufficiently, the roller will pass underneath the object, the object being moved backwards via the roller.


1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to ionizing radiation sensitive materials which are useful as electron beam resists and information recording media.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Unsaturated ester derivatives of a 1:1 copolymer of octadecyl vinyl ether-maleic anhydride exhibit electron sensitivity of about 10.sup.-7 to about 5.times.10.sup.-7 coulomb/cm.sup.2, but since the contrast of these materials is generally less than about 1.2 they do not have the ability to record submicron images. When exposed to electrons with energies below about 30 keV, other derivatives, namely the hydroxyethylpyrrolidone (HEP) esters of the same copolymer, have a sensitivity of only about 10.sup.-4 coulomb/cm.sup.2 to electron radiation.
The literature indicates that a mixture of electron sensitive polymers with widely differing sensitivities would be expected to have sensitivity intermediate between the values of the components of the mixture and to exhibit a greatly inferior contrast--and hence resolving power--to either of the constituents. I find that this is not the case with mixtures of the aforementioned hydroxyethyl pyrrolidone derivative with the mixtures of the products of reaction of the unsaturated ester derivatives. Even more significantly, it has been found that the contrast of such resists improves appreciably, which feature provides a resolution capability of less than 0.5 micrometer. This increased contrast is achieved herein with resists made by mixing the products of reaction of an alkylvinyl ether-maleic anhydride copolymer with a hydroxyalkyl acrylate such as hydroxyethyl acrylate, hydroxyethyl methacrylate, 3-hydroxypropyl acrylate, 3-hydroxypropylmethacrylate, 4-hydroxybutyl acrylate, 4-hydroxybutyl methacrylate or allyl or propargyl alcohol or pentaerythritol triacrylate and the products of reaction of an N-hydroxyalkyl amide or an N-aminoalkyl amide and an alkylvinyl ether-maleic copolymer anhydride to form the novel half-ester copolymer.