text:
|Publication number
|Publication type
|Application number
|Publication date
|21 Oct 1997
|Filing date
|5 Apr 1995
|Priority date
|8 Mar 1995
|Fee status
|Also published as
|Publication number
|James H. Boyden
|Original Assignee
|Interval Research Corporation
|Export Citation
|BiBTeX, EndNote, RefMan
|Patent Citations (6), Referenced by (102), Classifications (18), Legal Events (7)
|External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, Espacenet
This application is a division of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/400,901, filed Mar. 8, 1995.
The present invention relates to portable entertainment and personal communication systems, particularly wearable audio systems.
There are many situations where it is desirable to provide audio output for personal use to be worn or carried near the body. This audio output could be used for portable entertainment, personal communications, and the like. These personal and portable communication and entertainment products include, for example, cellular and portable telephones, radios, tape players, and audio portions of portable video systems and personal monitors.
The audio output for many of these systems is typically directed to the wearer through the use of transducers physically positioned in the ear or covering the ear, such as earphones and headphones. Earphones and headphones, however, are often uncomfortable to use for long periods of time. Also, they can block or attenuate environmental sounds causing the wearer to lose contact with the surroundings. In this regard, this can compromise safety considerations if the wearer is engaging in activities such as running, driving a vehicle or operating machinery.
One common use of audio systems with earphones and headphones involves exercise and athletic events. It is quite common to see people running or exercising with headphones or earphones positioned in or covering their ears. Not only is this dangerous since the person often loses contact with external sounds and surroundings, but the earphones and headphones are subject to being dislodged as a result of the activity. Moreover, perspiration and inclement weather could affect the integrity of the speakers and audio system.
It is commonly desired to provide stereo audio output from these portable entertainment and personal communication systems. Also, a stereo audio output may be provided without earphones or headphones by arranging small loud speakers (a/k/a transducers) on the body. The speakers, however, are not able to create broad-band high fidelity sound, particularly in the low frequency ranges. In this regard, loud speaker transducers are usually mounted in enclosures to confine the acoustic radiation from the rear portions of the transducer so that the radiation does not combine with out-of-phase radiation from the front portions of the transducer. Without such an enclosure, there is a significant reduction of net radiated intensity, especially in the low frequency audio ranges.
For wearable speakers, the requirement of an enclosure creates a problem. In general, the volume of the enclosure will be quite small and its acoustic stiffness will dominate the speaker behavior. The result will be a high resonance frequency and consequently a poor low frequency response.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved audio system for portable entertainment and personal communication systems. It is another object of the present invention to provide a portable audio system which provides high quality sound, particularly at low audio frequencies.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a wearable audio system which can be easily worn and does not interfere with the person's activity, whether sports related or otherwise. It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a wearable audio system which does not require the speakers to be positioned in or covering the wearer's ears and thus overcome a number of the problems and drawbacks with present systems.
The present invention fulfills these objects and overcomes the problems with known systems by providing a personal audio system which provides high quality sound at all audio frequencies and a wearable configuration which does not interfere with the person's activity and does not block environmental sounds. In accordance with the present invention, portable speakers are provided which are wearable on the person's body and provide sounds to the ears without the necessity of actually being positioned in or covering the ears.
The present invention utilizes one or more speakers positioned on opposite sides of the wearer's head each emitting sounds which can be heard by both ears. The invention uses the unique combination of the radiation characteristics of dipole (doublet) sources with certain placement of the transducers on the body.
There are two basic embodiments of the present invention. In a first embodiment ("Type I") the transducers are coupled together in one common sealed enclosure and driven 180° out-of-phase at low frequencies. One, two or more transducers could be utilized, as desired. Since the transducers share a common enclosure, the back pressures cancel and the transducers behave as though they were individually mounted on an infinite volume enclosure. This enhances the low frequency response to the wearer's ears.
In the second embodiment ("Type II"), two enclosures are provided, each open at one end or having a vent to the atmosphere. A single transducer is mounted in each enclosure and enclosures are positioned on the shoulders or lapel of the wearer, such that the primary source, i.e. the transducer, and the vent are placed respectively at substantially different distances from the ear of the wearer, thus minimizing the cancellation of sound from the two sources which are 180° out of, phase. Further, for best results one end should be placed as close to an ear as possible, consistent with the desired wearable configuration.
In either embodiment, the enclosures can be hollow or filled with an acoustically transparent material, such as open-cell foam. The enclosures also could be integrated into various types of clothing, such as vests, jackets, shirts or shawls in order to meet the needs of fashion or to serve multiple purposes such as for carrying additional items. The invention has a wide variety of business, social and personal uses.
For sports-related and other activities, it may be preferred to position the transducers of either embodiment in a headband wearable on the wearer's head. The audio signal could be generated by a radio, CD, cellular telephone, portable telephone, cassette tape, etc., or any other conventional communication system. It is also possible to position the transducers in a cap, hat or helmet of some type which is wearable for the activity. The headband or the like preferably has an open-cell foam core, may contain one or more electronics modules, and positions the transducers adjacent or above the wearer's ears. In the Type I embodiment, internal coupling between the transducers, driven 180° out-of-phase at the two ears, sets up the "dipole" operation which enhances low frequency response. In the Type II embodiment, the two open-ended enclosures, each with its own transducer, provides a similar "dipole" operation.
The headband can be sealed by a thin diaphragm such as plastic film to protect electrical components and the foam core, and also can be covered with a terry cloth-type or similar material for comfort and moisture absorbability. Other forms of the headband or wearable apparatus could be utilized, depending on the activity, aesthetic effect and/or fashion design desired.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the invention when viewed in accordance with the attached drawings and appended claims.
FIG. 1 illustrates the use of a first embodiment of the present invention which utilizes a single closed enclosure;
FIG. 2 illustrates the use of a second embodiment of the present invention which utilizes an open ended enclosure;
FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate two filter networks for use with the first embodiment of the present invention;
FIGS. 5-8 depict alternate possible wearable embodiments of the present invention;
FIG. 9 illustrates a cross-over network for use with the present invention;
FIG. 10 schematically illustrates one system wherein the electronics are positioned in an enclosure;
FIG. 11 illustrates an alternate power supply for the present invention;
FIGS. 12A and 12B illustrate alternate embodiments for inputting the audio signal into the system;
FIG. 13 illustrates an embodiment in which the present invention is incorporated into a headband;
FIG. 14 illustrates an alternate headband embodiment; and
FIG. 15 shows a preferred form of a headband embodiment of the invention.
For portable entertainment and personal communication systems, it is desirable to utilize frequencies below about 80 Hz in order to achieve high fidelity performance. This is comparable to what is commonly available from inexpensive earphones. Systems with small speakers of conventional design whose size is suitable for wearing are unsatisfactory for this purpose. Also, compensating techniques such as vented "bass reflex" enclosures cannot be used for this purpose. In small enclosures, the stiffness of the air in the sealed enclosure will dominate the behavior of the system.
It is known that loud speaker transducers should be mounted in enclosures to confine the acoustic radiation from the rear portions or surface of the transducer so that it does not combine with the out-of-phase radiation from the front portions or surface. If the two radiations combine, a large reduction of net radiated intensity results, especially at low frequencies.
The combination of transducer and enclosure behaves like a high pass filter whose turnover frequency depends on several system parameters. These parameters include the free-space resonant frequency of the transducer, and the volume "V" of the sealed enclosure which acts to produce a restoring force for the diaphragm of the transducer. For small enclosures, such as those which might be worn on the body, the enclosure stiffness is likely to dominate the system. The system resonance in this region varies approximately as √1/V and the low frequency turnover point becomes unacceptably high. For example, an enclosure whose dimensions are 10 cm×5 cm×1 cm would produce a turnover frequency on the order of 600 Hz. Acoustical radiation below that frequency falls at a rate of 12 dB per octave for constant input. At 60 Hz, for example, the radiation is reduced by 40 db with respect to that above 600 Hz.
In accordance With a first preferred embodiment of the present invention ("Type I"), a pair of transducers are provided which share a common enclosure. As shown in FIG. 1, the transducers 10 and 12 are positioned at the opposite end of a common closed or sealed enclosure 14. The transducers 10 and 12 are positioned on opposite sides of the wearer's head 20 and adjacent to the wearer's ears 16 and 18, respectively.
The distance R1 from transducer 10 to the closest ear 16 of the wearer is much less than the distance R2 from the out-of-phase transducer to that same ear. This results in a net amplitude at the ear 16 which is comparable to that from transducer 10 alone.
Since the two transducers 10 and 12 share a common enclosure, the back pressures cancel and the transducers behave individually as though they were mounted in an infinite volume enclosure, and are driven 180° out of phase. As a result, the frequency response of the transducers 10 and 12 approximate their free-space behavior, essentially unaffected by the enclosure volume, except at higher frequencies where enclosure-induced resonances may occur. Normally the front radiations from the sources 10 and 12 will substantially cancel in a plane of symmetry perpendicular to the line joining the sources and are substantially reduced elsewhere compared with that of the same transducers with infinite baffles. Positioning the wearer's head 20 between the two sources allows each ear 16 and 18 to hear a substantial level of sound from the nearest source and much less from the other. Thus the two ears receive signals which are out-of-phase.
Enclosure 14 is either hollow, or filled with an acoustically transparent material. The filling material should not significantly load the transducer diaphragm due to acoustic back pressure. Preferably, an open-cell foam material is employed for this purpose. Whether or not the enclosure should remain empty or be filled, and the selection of the material in which to fill the enclosure, depends on a number of factors. The best choice for a given design will depend on the desired degree of stiffness required, the shape of the enclosure cavity, and additional factors such as the desire for high frequency damping to suppress undesired resonance within the enclosure. In this regard, it is easier to damp high frequencies than lower frequencies and this can be accomplished while at the same time maintaining good acoustic pressure coupling throughout the enclosure at low frequency.
The wall 22 of the enclosure is also made from or covered by a material which is substantially acoustically inert, that is, non-radiative and absorbing. Also, it is preferable that the material forming the wall 22 or outer covering, be flexible and in some cases soft so that it will not irritate the wearer. The material also should be lightweight and inexpensive. Heavy gauge woven impregnated fabrics and carbon fiber composites are two materials which meet these objectives, but other comparable materials could be utilized. High density closed-cell foam tape has been employed successfully in embodiments of these principles.
FIG. 2 illustrates a second preferred embodiment of the invention ("Type II"). This embodiment uses a single transducer 23 in an open, i.e. vented, enclosure 24. Generally, there should be two identical devices, one positioned on either side of the wearer's head adjacent to one of the wearer's ears. Also, for ease of wearing and use, the enclosure 24 preferably conforms to a portion of the wearer's body, such as a shoulder, lapel area or head.
The enclosure 24 is a thin narrow hollow enclosure which is open to the atmosphere at one end 26. The transducer 23 is situated near the ear 16 of the wearer, perhaps on his shoulder or temple, and the open end 26 is positioned as far away from the ear 16 as possible.
It is also possible for the open and closed ends of the enclosure 24 to be reversed if that provides a preferred wearable configuration. In that embodiment, the open end 26 may serve as a primary source.
Tests have shown that "dipole" speakers in accordance with the present invention secure an audio enhancement at low frequencies. Compared with in-phase operation in sealed enclosures, the enhancement is on the order of 16-20 dB for frequencies on the order of 20-160 Hz. At approximately 100-200 Hz, which is close to the normal in-phase turnover frequency for the test enclosure, the sound levels became approximately equal. The in-phase levels exceed those of the out-of-phase situation, that is, the dipole case, at frequencies above that amount.
Certain resonances may occur at higher frequencies because of the finite size of the enclosures. In these embodiments, the resonances can be overcome by splitting the input signal between low and high frequencies with a multi-speaker system. This comprises a "tweeter-woofer" arrangement. In other systems, the entire audio range may be covered with the same transducers. In those situations, it may be necessary to suppress the resonances to a point where they become inaudible. This can be accomplished by selection of an appropriate damping material to partially or completely fill the enclosure, by using shaped vents, or by using electrical equalization of the input signals.
The dipole configuration for wearable speakers also results in reduced radiation at long distances due to the out-of-phase character. This decreases the radiation beyond the wearer's immediate environment, especially at low frequencies which could be annoying to others, compared with in-phase systems.
FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate two proposed filter networks for driving a system incorporating the Type I embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 3, a stereo pair of wearable dipole speakers 30 and 32 are driven in the dipole out-of-phase mode from the lowest frequencies to the cross-over frequency at which the "out-of-phase" response is nominally equal to the "in-phase" response. The signals for the right "R" and left "L" channels are passed through frequency splitters 34. The low frequency signals 35 from both the R and L channels are passed through summer 36 and multiplied by the gain K. The resultant signal 37 is applied to a +90° phase shifter and a -90° phase shifter. The resultant +90° phase-shifted signal is combined with the high frequency signal 38 at summer 39 for the R channel. The resultant -90° phase-shifted signals combined with high frequency signal 40 at summer 41 for the L channel. The speakers are driven in-phase at higher frequencies with shaped gain compensation to produce a uniform response. The transition shape and phase and gain can be adjusted to yield optimum subjective performance.
The system shown in FIG. 4 is the digital equivalent of the system shown in FIG. 3 and operates in a similar manner to get the same result. The signals for the right "R" and left "L" channels are electronically split in digital processing networks 42 and 44, respectively, into the high frequencies and low frequencies at the cross-over point (which is the resonant frequency of the transducer). The low frequency signals are then driven out-of-phase and combined with the in-phase high frequency signals. The resultant combined signals are then delivered to the speakers 30' and 32'.
The dipole speakers can be positioned on the wearer in a number of different ways. For example, the speakers could be positioned on the collar or upper shoulders of a shirt or other wearable garment. A system having both microphones and speakers in a shirt-type garment is shown in commonly owned co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 280,185, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
As mentioned above, enhanced low frequency performance is achieved by either using two sources, one for each ear, which share a common sealed enclosure but are driven 180° out-of-phase (Type I), or a single source in an open enclosure where the vent or open end is placed as far as practicable from the ear (Type II). In the first embodiment, the back pressures cancel and the two sources individually behave as though they are mounted in an infinite volume enclosure. In the second embodiment, the transducer is situated near the ear, perhaps on the shoulder, and the open end is positioned as far from the ear as possible. Of course, the two ends may be reversed if that results in a preferred wearable configuration. That is, the open end may serve as the primary source. Typically, the open end source will yield less intensity at higher frequencies as a result of internal absorption. Therefore an additional high frequency transducer ("tweeter") for each ear may be required.
In either of the Type I or Type II embodiments where there are two transducers or a single transducer, the hollow enclosures are preferably designed with a shape and sufficient flexibility that they can be worn on the body in comfort. This conformal "softness" can be secured by filling the enclosure with a physically supporting but acoustically transparent material that will not significantly load the transducer due to acoustic back pressure. As mentioned above, open-cell foam materials have been shown to be satisfactory for this purpose.
FIGS. 5-8 show various arrangements of transducers in accordance with the present invention. These systems meet the requirements for "dipole operation," proximity to the Wearer's ears, and mutual coupling between two transducers. Of course, a single transducer, or more than two, may be substituted for the pairs of transducers shown in these Figures.
Also, it is to be understood that the term "transducer" used herein can include arrays of two or more closely coupled transducers substituted for a single transducer in order to obtain increased audio output. Mutual coupling between equi-phased transducers in close proximity increases acoustic radiation efficiency, as is well known.
FIG. 5 shows a Type II system 50 with a pair of "dipole" speakers or transducers 52 and 54. (As shown, each of transducers 52 and 54 comprise an array of two transducers.) The enclosures 56 and 58 are shaped and configured to mount on the shoulders of the wearer 60. The enclosures 56 and 58 are either hollow or filled with an acoustically transparent material as discussed above. Ends 62 and 64 of the enclosures are closed while ends 66 and 68 are open.
FIG. 6 shows a Type I system 70 utilizing two transducer arrays 72 and 74 mounted in a shared common enclosure 76. All of the ends or sides of the enclosure 76 are closed (sealed). The enclosure 76 is shaped and configured like a yoke and mounted around the rear of the neck of the wearer 60 with its ends having the transducers 72 and 74 positioned on the shoulders.
Other Type II systems are shown in FIGS. 7 and 8. In system 80 shown in FIG. 7, transducer array 82 is positioned in enclosure 84 having a closed end 86 at the rear of the wearer and an open end 88 on the lower chest of the wearer. Similarly, transducer array 90 is positioned in enclosure 92 having a closed end 94 and an open end 96. The system 80 is also shaped and configured like a yoke with the transducers on the shoulders of the wearer 60. Again, the enclosures 84, 92 are either hollow or filled with an acoustically transparent material.
In system 100 shown in FIG. 8, separate enclosures 102 and 104 are provided in a yoke-type configuration and are positioned and shaped to fit on the shoulders of the wearer 60. The transducer arrays 106 and 108 are positioned on one end of the enclosures 102 and 104. The enclosures are either hollow or filled with an acoustically transparent material. Rather than having open ends in the enclosures 102 and 104, vents 110 and 112 are provided. The vents are openings in the enclosures and have the same purpose and effect as open ends.
Although FIGS. 5-8 illustrate use of the present invention with a single independent enclosure or a pair of independent enclosures, it is to be understood that the enclosures can be integrated into various types of clothing, such as vests, jackets, shirts, sweatshirts, headbands, hats, helmets, scarfs, shawls or the like. This would make the system more easily wearable and usable by the wearer. The articles of clothing also would hide the transducers and enclosures from view.
In an alternate embodiment, transducers which are selected for optimum low frequency response can be combined with transducers which are better for higher frequencies. This provides improved over-all high fidelity performance. A cross-over network used to divide audio signals into appropriate bands for this purpose is shown in FIG. 9.
In FIG. 9 only the right channel "R" circuit diagram is shown, but it is understood that the circuit diagram for the left channel is identical. The audio signal 150 is fed into low pass filter 152 and the resultant signal 154 is amplified by amplifier 156 and used to drive the right "woofer" speaker 158. At the same time, the signal 150 is passed through high pass filter 160, amplified by amplifier 162 and used to drive the right "tweeter" speaker 164. The filters 152 and 160 can have either an analog or digital implementation.
The connections between the transducers and their power and driving sources may be accomplished by the use of wires or other conventional electrical connection devices. It is also possible to use wireless technology, such as radio frequency, infrared or inductive coupling in order to distribute the signals from audio sources to the transducer drive electronics.
The electronic circuitry and batteries for this system can be positioned in the hollow enclosures, in other portions of the wearable garment, or on other portions of the wearer's body. In this regard, complete radio, portable telephone, or cellular telephone systems could be integrated into the hollow enclosures. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a basic system which could be utilized in accordance with the present invention and in which the electronics and other circuitry are mounted in an enclosure.
In FIG. 10, the right "R" and left "L" audio signals are introduced into the system at 170. The signals are then passed through equalization filters and preamplifiers 172 and driven by driver amplifiers 174. The resultant signals are sent to transducer arrays 176 and 178. Power supply 180 supplies the power for the filters, preamps and driver amps. The system shown in FIG. 10 is directed to a Type II embodiment of the invention. For a Type I embodiment, the portion of the system designated by the reference numeral 173 is replaced by the splitter and filter systems shown in FIGS. 3 or 4.
The power supply 180 can be any one of a variety of conventional types of power supplies conventionally used for portable electronic products today. For example, the power supply could be one or more long life batteries. The power supply also could be a rechargeable battery which uses an inductive charging system 182, such as that shown in FIG. 11. In FIG. 11, the main power supply 184 is passed through a high frequency oscillator 186 and used to establish a charging frequency in coil 188. Receiving coil 190 in the headband or other wearable embodiment charges the battery 192 which in turn supplies power for the system.
The audio input into the system 170 can be received from a variety of different systems, two of which are shown in FIGS. 12A and 12B. In FIG. 12A the source of the audio input is from a jack member 194 which is hard wired directly to the system 170. The jack member can be connected to an FM radio, a cassette tape player, a cellular telephone, a CD player, or any similar system.
FIG. 12B illustrates a wireless link version of the present invention, where the audio input is secured by inductive coupling. A jack member 196 is plugged into a conventional electronic audio source (such as an AM or FM radio, cassette tape player, CD player, digital audio tape player (DAT), a minidisc player, a digital cassette player (DDC), a portable telephone, a cellular telephone, a portable television, a head-mounted display system etc., or any other conventional communication system) and receives a stereo audio signal 198. The electronic source can be worn at the waist of the wearer, in a pocket, etc. The signal 198 is modulated by stereo FM modulator 200, driven by a radio frequency (RF) driver 202 and transmitted by transmitter wire coupling loop 204. The transmitted signals 206 are received by receiver coupling loop 208 and stereo FM receiver 210, which can be a single integrated circuit (IC). The receiver 210 is driven by power supply 180' which can be any conventional source, as discussed above with reference to power supply 180 (FIG. 10). The carrier for the receiver can be, for example, a 300 kHz carrier. Other methods of transferring signals across or to the body can be utilized, for example infrared and radio frequency systems such as those used in commercially available wireless headphones.
The audio system using the dipole transducer configuration of the present invention, could be controlled in any conventional manner. For example, controls could be mounted directly on the enclosures, or positioned at another site on the wearer connected by wires. One preferred position for placement of the control system is at the wrist of the wearer, either in the cuff of the garment or on a separate wristband, perhaps combined with timekeeping functions, i.e. a watch.
A preferred embodiment for use of the present invention is shown in FIG. 13. The invention is incorporated into a headband 120 and can be used for exercise, sports or any other activity desired.
In FIG. 13, a pair of transducers 122 and 124 are positioned on opposite sides of a headband 120. As set forth above, the transducer arrays could include less or more than a pair of speakers on each side of the headband. The transducers 122, 124 are positioned on opposite ends of an enclosure 126 which is hollow, filled with an open-cell foam, or filled with another acoustically transparent material. For wireless connection to audio sources, an inductive wire loop 128 can be provided around the circumference of the headband. An inductive coil (not shown) could also be provided in the headband, along with a battery or other power source.
Optionally, electronic modules 130, 132 can be provided in the enclosure 126. They can be attached to the inductive loop 128. The electronic modules contain one or more of the circuits described above.
The headband enclosure 126 is preferably covered with a soft or absorbent material 133 on both the inside and outside surfaces. A terry cloth type material 133 provides for absorbing and wicking perspiration from the wearer. This type of material is substantively transparent to the acoustic radiation and could cover the transducers 122-124 if desired for aesthetic reasons.
The transducers 122 and 124 can also be covered with a thin protective material (not shown) if desired. In order to protect the transducers from the moisture and inclement weather, they can be sealed by a thin diaphragm that is substantially acoustically transparent over the audio frequency range.
The transducers 122, 124 are positioned in the headband so that they will be positioned immediately above the ears of the wearer when the headband is worn. Preferably, the speakers or transducers 122, 124 are positioned above or just forward of the entrances of the ear canals of the wearer.
The physical contact between the transducer chamber walls and the wearer's temples promotes direct coupling of low audio frequencies to the head, thus producing an important pleasant subjective effect giving the impression of further extended low frequency response. In fact, head gear such as hats can be designed specifically to enhance this effect by ensuring that the transducer chamber walls snugly contact the temples, with a minimum of intervening fabric or other materials.
As shown, the enclosure portion 126 of the headband 120 is preferably arranged to partially encircle the head and be positioned toward the front of the wearer's head. However, the enclosure may alternatively be arranged toward the back of the head of the wearer, or encompass the entire circular headband.
The speaker enclosure structure with a foam core offers a satisfactory combination of good acoustical parameters, lightweight and conformable characteristics. For a Type I embodiment, the internal coupling between the transducers 122, 124, driven 180° out-of-phase at the two ears at lower frequencies, sets up a "dipole" operation which enhances the low frequency response. Electric drive is preferably accomplished by a network such as those shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.
For a Type II embodiment, the transducers are operated in phase, but the enclosure is divided into two parts, one for each ear. An opening, or vent, is positioned in each part of the enclosure as far as possible from the wearer's ears. For a headband, the furthest points would be at the front center of the forehead of the wearer or at the rear center of the head.
Wires required to connect the transducers to the audio source are preferably arranged to emerge from the headband at a convenient place, preferably just behind the ears or at the back of the head. In FIG. 13, the wires are identified by the numerals 134 and 136.
Preferably, the electronics are encapsulated in the hollow portion of the headband 120 and embedded in the foam material. Power can be supplied to the system by a replaceable battery (not shown). The power can also be supplied by a permanent battery which is charged with a inductive coupler to an external charging supply as is well know. Also, the signal coupling loop could act additionally as a charging coupler by using appropriate filtering to separate signals at different frequencies. A basic circuit diagram for a system which can be used with the present invention is shown in FIG. 10. The system could be powered by the embodiments shown in FIGS. 11, 12A or 12B.
As indicated, the audio signals are applied to the transducers 122, 124 by means of a wire loop 128 embedded in the headband 120. The loop could have multiple turns and be arranged in a resonant circuit for optimum efficiency. The audio source, e.g. a tape player, is connected to a transmitter unit which terminates in another wire loop. Inductive coupling between the two loops creates a signal in the headband which is amplified and demodulated to produce a two-channel stereo signal which is then directed to the transducers. A typical carrier frequency for this system is 300 kHz. FM is the preferred modulation technique, providing inherent immunity to noise.
A headband system similar to that described above could be used for various entertainment and communication functions. Also, the audio system may be set up to report additional functions to the wearer, such as the time of day, pace, heart rate, etc. with a synthesized voice or other audio signal. The headband could also provide appropriate psychological conditioning messages.
Although the sports-related invention is shown and described above with reference to a headband 120, it is obvious that the present invention could be incorporated into other head-mounted wearable members, such as a cap, hat, helmet or the like. Moreover, the headband, hat, etc., could be used by wearers for various activities, other than merely sports or exercise related. For example, construction workers, homeowners, sports spectators and the like could wear one of the devices as a personal entertainment or communication system.
As illustrated in FIG. 14, the transducers or speakers 122, 124 are oriented in line with the circumference of the headband 120'. When the headband is worn, much of the radiation is emitted in a direction away from the wearer's ears. In order to improve the audio transmission to the ears, a deflector or concentrator 140, as shown in FIG. 14, could be utilized. The deflector 140 is preferably made from a plastic material, and covers the areas of the speakers 122, 124 except for an opening 142 adjacent the ears of the wearer. For the headband 120' shown in FIG. 14, the opening is positioned downwardly.
In order to provide better bass response at frequencies of typically of 60-80 Hz, it may be desirable to use bass boost or equalization in the system. This drives more electrical power into the speakers or transducers below their effective resonance. Typically, an additional 12 dB boost of power can be used for each octave below resonance. This is known for high-end audio speaker systems.
It also is possible to use multiple transducers adjacent to each of the ears of the wearer. This would increase the bass response limits. The power handling improves proportionally to the number of transducers provided. Also, the mutual acoustic coupling at low frequencies enhances the effective radiation resistance and therefore the output beyond simple additive response. Although FIGS. 13 and 14 show headbands having one pair of transducers on each side of the wearer's head, more than two may be used adjacent each ear.
In order to increase the audio sound level, enhance the bass response, and prevent the sounds from bothering or being heard by others, it is possible to add ear flaps or ear cups of some type which direct the sounds from the transducers to the ears of the wearer. (FIG. 14 shows one form for accomplishing this.) It may be preferable to arrange the flaps or cups to be movable, allowing the wearer to change the degree of isolation from the surroundings.
A headband 220 incorporating a prototype of the present invention was developed and is schematically shown in FIG. 15. In FIG. 15, the headband 220 is oriented on the wearer's head 222 with the back pressure vents 224 facing toward the back. It is also possible to wear the headband so that the vents 224 are oriented toward the front of the wearer's head.
Four 30 mm diameter transducers 230 (two for each ear) are utilized in the headband 220. The transducers used were taken from Sony model MDR-D33 headphones. The measured free-air resonant frequency of the transducers was 180 Hz. The transducers were glued in a Delrin component and encapsulated between two strips of adhesive-backed high density foam tape (3M type 4416). Holes were cut in the foam tape for the transducers. A 3/8" thick open-cell foam core (Atlas Foam Products type A172C) was cut to a width of 1.4" and a length of about 11". The core was encapsulated by the same strips of foam adhesive tape to form a half headband structure (similar to that shown in FIG. 13). A pair of acoustic concentrators 232 were fabricated from Delrin and secured over each set of two speakers.
The speakers were driven in phase directly by wires 234 and 236. Center vents 224 for the speaker back pressures were provided by cutting holes in the tape at a location which was centered near the back (or front) of the head when the headband was worn, i.e. at the furthest point from the ears. Extensions of the band with Velcro-type fasteners secured the two ends of the headband together and also provided adjustment for comfort and different sized heads.
The speakers were driven with a conventional amplifier and a conventional 1/3 octave graphic equalizer adjusted to provide a tapered 12 db of bass boost below 160 Hz, as described above. This prototype yielded satisfactory results which were competitive with high quality headphones. In fact, in some cases, the "sound stage spatialization" sensation was superior to that produced by standard headphones. The pleasant effect of apparent additional low frequency extension due to direct coupling into the temples was also noted.
Although particular embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described in the foregoing detailed description, it is to be understood that the present invention is not to be limited to just the embodiments disclosed, but that they are capable of numerous rearrangements, modifications and substitutions without departing from the scope of the claims hereafter.
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|Citing Patent
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|26 Sep 1997
|15 May 2001
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|Power adapter having a speaker for an electronic device
|1 Jul 1999
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|Surround sound headphones
|11 Jun 1998
|9 Oct 2001
|Interval Research Corporation
|Wearable audio system with acoustic modules
|26 May 2000
|30 Oct 2001
|Hearing Enhancement Company Llc
|Use of voice-to-remaining audio (VRA) in consumer applications
|2 Jan 2001
|28 Sep 2004
|Xybernaut Corporation
|Wearable computer system
|2 Jul 2002
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|Jovid Designs, Llc
|Ear warming article including electronic device and easily interchangeable advertising areas
|23 Aug 2001
|28 Jun 2005
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|14 Aug 2002
|23 Aug 2005
|Addax Sound Company
|Personal wearable communication and speaker system
|26 Sep 2001
|1 Nov 2005
|The United States Of America As Represented By The Secretary Of The Navy
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|28 Jul 2003
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|12 Oct 2004
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|28 Jul 2003
|19 Dec 2006
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|Wireless interactive headset
|30 Aug 2002
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|Surround sound headphone system
|28 Feb 2006
|8 May 2007
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|28 Jul 2003
|15 May 2007
|Oakley, Inc.
|Eyeglass with MP3 player
|17 Jun 2005
|26 Feb 2008
|Akiba Electronics Institute, Llc
|Use of voice-to-remaining audio (VRA) in consumer applications
|31 Oct 2005
|19 Aug 2008
|The United States Of America As Represented By The Secretary Of The Navy
|Method and apparatus for producing spatialized audio signals
|5 Jan 2005
|23 Sep 2008
|Sync1 Llc
|Hands-free personal communication device
|12 Oct 2004
|4 Nov 2008
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|Wireless interactive headset
|3 May 2006
|18 Nov 2008
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|Telecommunications enabled eyeglass
|13 Feb 2006
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|Eyeglasses with detachable adjustable electronics module
|18 Aug 2005
|4 Aug 2009
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|Personal communication system
|29 Nov 2004
|23 Feb 2010
|David R. Siskin
|Ear warming article including electronic device and easily interchangeable advertising areas
|18 Nov 2008
|29 Jun 2010
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|Telecommunications enabled eyeglass
|23 Mar 2006
|10 Aug 2010
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|Headset terminal with rear stability strap
|18 Mar 2005
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|9 Mar 2007
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|Phillips Aaron M
|Headgear and integrated music player
|5 Nov 2004
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|Voice-directed portable terminals for wireless communication systems
|12 May 2006
|20 Mar 2012
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|22 May 2009
|17 Apr 2012
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|Headset with adjustable headband
|8 Jan 2008
|1 May 2012
|Akiba Electronics Institute Llc
|Use of voice-to-remaining audio (VRA) in consumer applications
|20 Sep 2007
|5 Jun 2012
|Sony Corporation
|Sound reproducing system and sound reproducing method
|5 Jan 2010
|19 Jun 2012
|David R. Siskin
|Ear warming article including electronic device and easily interchangeable advertising areas
|12 Nov 2009
|26 Feb 2013
|Vocollect Healthcare Systems, Inc.
|Training/coaching system for a voice-enabled work environment
|16 Dec 2005
|9 Apr 2013
|Vocollect, Inc.
|Wireless headset and method for robust voice data communication
|5 Nov 2009
|7 May 2013
|Vocollect, Inc.
|Portable computing device and headset interface
|22 Dec 2004
|9 Jul 2013
|Oakley, Inc.
|Data input management system for wearable electronically enabled interface
|27 Jun 2011
|3 Sep 2013
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|Media communication device
|21 Feb 2007
|12 Nov 2013
|Panasonic Corporation
|Wearable device
|22 Jul 2010
|25 Feb 2014
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|Method and system for correctly identifying specific RFID tags
|20 Jun 2013
|22 Jul 2014
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|17 Jan 2011
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|Headset terminal with speech functionality
|4 Oct 2013
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|Wearable high resolution audio visual interface
|2 May 2008
|18 Nov 2014
|Blackberry Limited
|Enclosure and enclosure system for a speaker of an electronic device
|24 Feb 2014
|13 Jan 2015
|Vocollect, Inc.
|Method and system for correctly identifying specific RFID tags
|11 Mar 2013
|2 Feb 2016
|Adidas Ag
|Performance monitoring systems and methods
|5 Mar 2013
|2 Feb 2016
|Adidas Ag
|Modular personal network systems and methods
|8 Mar 2013
|31 May 2016
|Adidas Ag
|Performance monitoring, apparatuses, systems, and methods
|3 Jul 2013
|5 Jul 2016
|Michael Joseph White
|Rigid fixture for coupling one or more transducers to the upper back of the human body
|12 May 2015
|26 Jul 2016
|Adidas Ag
|Performance monitoring systems and methods
|29 Sep 2009
|9 Aug 2016
|Adidas Ag
|Program products, methods, and systems for providing location-aware fitness monitoring services
|28 Dec 2015
|16 Aug 2016
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|Method and system for correctly identifying specific RFID tags
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|Adidas Ag
|Performance monitoring systems and methods
|19 Dec 2014
|25 Oct 2016
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|Performance monitoring systems and methods
|28 Dec 2015
|8 Nov 2016
|Adidas Ag
|Performance monitoring systems and methods
|31 Oct 2014
|15 Nov 2016
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|7 Nov 2014
|17 Jan 2017
|Adidas Ag
|Performance monitoring systems and methods
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|Adidas Ag
|Health monitoring systems and methods
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|11 Apr 2017
|Oakley, Inc.
|Eyewear with detachable adjustable electronics module
|28 Dec 2015
|13 Jun 2017
|Adidas Ag
|Performance monitoring systems and methods
|19 Dec 2014
|20 Jun 2017
|Adidas Ag
|Performance monitoring systems and methods
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|Performance monitoring systems and methods
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|1 Aug 2017
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|27 Feb 2001
|29 Nov 2001
|Masahiko Muranami
|Power adapter having a speaker for an electronic device
|23 Aug 2001
|31 Jan 2002
|Vaudrey Michael A.
|Use of voice-to-remaining audio (VRA) in consumer applications
|7 Jan 2004
|29 Jul 2004
|Goswami Vinod Kumar
|Wearable personal audio system
|28 Jul 2003
|19 Aug 2004
|James Jannard
|Electronically enabled eyewear
|28 Jul 2003
|19 Aug 2004
|James Jannard
|Eyeglass with MP3 player
|14 Aug 2002
|14 Oct 2004
|Gantz Christopher Carl
|Personal wearable communication and speaker system
|12 Oct 2004
|3 Mar 2005
|James Jannard
|Actuator configuration for eyeglass with MP3 player
|22 Sep 2004
|10 Mar 2005
|Peterson Frederick A.
|Wearable computer system
|5 Nov 2004
|5 May 2005
|Vocollect, Inc.
|Voice-directed portable terminals for wireless communication systems
|29 Nov 2004
|12 May 2005
|Siskin David R.
|Ear warming article including electronic device and easily interchangeable advertising areas
|5 Jan 2005
|14 Jul 2005
|Gantz Christopher C.
|Hands-free personal communication device
|17 Jun 2005
|20 Oct 2005
|Hearing Enhancement Company Llc
|Use of voice-to-remaining audio (VRA) in consumer applications
|18 Aug 2005
|22 Dec 2005
|Gantz Christopher C
|Personal communication system
|31 Oct 2005
|16 Mar 2006
|Government Of The United States, As Represented By The Secretary Of The Navy
|Method and apparatus for producing spatialized audio signals
|18 Mar 2005
|21 Sep 2006
|Amir Navid
|Wireless headphone kit for media players
|1 Aug 2005
|1 Feb 2007
|Forte James W
|12 May 2006
|15 Feb 2007
|Afshar Shahriar S
|Systems and methods for haptic sound
|14 Jan 2004
|6 Dec 2007
|Anderson Yul L
|Vsr surround sound tube headphone
|8 Jan 2008
|5 Jun 2008
|Vaudrey Michael A
|Use of voice-to-remaining audio (vra) in consumer applications
|9 Mar 2007
|19 Jun 2008
|Phillips Aaron M
|Headgear and integrated music player
|20 Sep 2007
|7 Aug 2008
|Sony Corporation
|Sound reproducing system and sound reproducing method
|21 Feb 2007
|5 Mar 2009
|Takashi Kawamura
|Wearable device
|2 May 2008
|5 Nov 2009
|Research In Motion Limited
|Enclosure and enclosure system for a speaker of an electronic device
|5 Jan 2010
|1 Jul 2010
|Siskin David R
|Ear warming article including electronic device and easily interchangeable advertising areas
|17 Jan 2011
|19 May 2011
|James Wahl
|Headset terminal with speech functionality
|24 Jul 2009
|6 Apr 2010
|Vocollect, Inc.
|24 Jul 2009
|25 May 2010
|Vocollect, Inc.
|20 Feb 2008
|9 Nov 2010
|Vocollect Healthcare Systems, Inc.
|Body-worn mobile device
|20 Aug 2010
|9 Aug 2011
|Vocollect Healthcare Systems, Inc.
|Body-worn mobile device
|19 Aug 2010
|16 Aug 2011
|Vocollect Healthcare Systems, Inc.
|Body-worn mobile device
|16 Dec 2014
|22 Dec 2015
|Muzik LLC
|Interactive sport earbud
|3 Sep 1998
|7 Apr 1999
|Hewlett-Packard Company
|Power adapter having a speaker for an electronic device
|U.S. Classification
|International Classification
|Cooperative Classification
|European Classification
|20 Apr 2001
|Fee payment
Year of fee payment: 4
|21 Apr 2005
|Fee payment
Year of fee payment: 8
|24 May 2005
Owner name: VULCAN PATENTS LLC, WASHINGTON
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:INTERVAL RESEARCH CORPORATION;REEL/FRAME:016263/0815
Effective date: 20041229
|25 Mar 2009
|Fee payment
Year of fee payment: 12
|30 Mar 2010
Owner name: INTERVAL LICENSING LLC,WASHINGTON
Free format text: MERGER;ASSIGNOR:VULCAN PATENTS LLC;REEL/FRAME:024160/0182
Effective date: 20091223
Owner name: INTERVAL LICENSING LLC, WASHINGTON
Free format text: MERGER;ASSIGNOR:VULCAN PATENTS LLC;REEL/FRAME:024160/0182
Effective date: 20091223
|17 Apr 2010
Owner name: INTERVAL RESEARCH CORPORATION,CALIFORNIA
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:BOYDEN, JAMES H.;REEL/FRAME:024244/0619
Effective date: 19950424
|2 Sep 2010
Owner name: VINTELL APPLICATIONS NY, LLC, DELAWARE
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:INTERVAL LICENSING, LLC;REEL/FRAME:024927/0865
Effective date: 20100416


text:
Kahlil Gibran
Soul Urge (Heart Desire) Number 2
" If the grandfather of the grandfather of Jesus had known what was hidden within him, he would have stood humble and awe-struck before his soul."
Kahlil Gibran was a Lebanese-American artist, poet, and writer, best known in the English-speaking world for his 1923 book The Prophet, an early example of inspirational fiction including a series of philosophical essays written in poetic English prose.
He was born on Saturday January 6th 1883, in Bsharri, Mount Lebanon Mutasarrifate, Lebanon.
Kahlil Gibran wants peace and harmony in all aspects of his life. He wants to devote his life to someone or something. Kahlil falls in love easily. He is extremely sensitive and emotional. Gibran can be sentimental and he cries at sad stories. He needs friends and society.
Kahlil Gibran appreciates the refinements of life. He desires comfort and security. He has also refined taste, and can be a connoisseur. Kahlil loves music and possesses a good deal of musical talent.
Gibran's sensitivity is actually a symptom of his highly developed intuition, but he must learn to trust it. Kahlil Gibran is a gentle soul and he shy away from confrontation as long as possible. He experiences a battle within when he does not believe he can handle a situation; this may have a paralyzing effect on him.
Kahlil Gibran prefers to give in when he should assert himself. He must learn to be more decisive. Very often, Kahlil is afraid to use his own power in the face of someone else's aggressiveness. He incorrectly perceive himself to be in a weaker position; Gibran may ultimately give in merely to avoid a fight.
Conversely, Kahlil Gibran is extremely diplomatic and tactful. He likes to accomplish things through quiet persuasion. He dislikes force.
Kahlil has to fight uncertainty and doubt. He needs to develop confidence and a willingness to stand up for what he believes to be right.
Kahlil Gibran functions best in a supportive role, guiding the more public person in quiet, unobtrusive, yet essential ways.
You and Kahlil
About Kahlil's Soul Urge (Heart's Desire) number
Kahlil Gibran's Soul Urge number represents his inner self. The Soul Urge number, also called Heart's Desire, shows Kahlil's underlying urge - his true motivation.
It reveals the general intention behind many of Gibran's actions. Consequently, it dramatically influences the choices Kahlil Gibran makes in life.
Read more about our interpretation of Kahlil Gibran's soul urge (heart's desire)

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Frank M. Robinson tribute
This "Frank M. Robinson Tribute" was recorded on Thursday, Aug. 7, 2014, at PulpFest 2014 in Columbus, Ohio. Participating were Ed Hulse, editor of Blood 'n' Thunder magazine, pulp collector and dealer Doug Ellis, and John Gunnison of Adventure House. PulpFest's Mike Chomko introduces the panel.
Click here to subscribe to ThePulp.Net's Pulp Event Podcast through iTunes.


text:
Employment contract: standard for any employee
A complete contract of employment suitable for all staff below director level in an organisation of any type or size. The document provides strong protection for the employer organisation. The employee may be full time, part time or temporary.
- Solicitor approved
- Plain English makes editing easy
- Guidance notes included
- Money back guarantee
About this document
This employment contract covers all legal requirements for information to be given to an employee. It is a carefully considered framework for fair and full protection of the employer and compliance with organisational requirements. Use of plain English makes editing easy and allows it to be understood by all parties.
The size or business of the employer organisation is not important, nor is the position of the employee (this contract can be used for management too, but Net Lawman does provide contracts written specifically for senior staff.)
Details such as duties and training provision, can be added easily if required, either within the existing text, or by reference to a job description. In this "information age", all Net Lawman employment contracts are very strong on protection of the employer's secrets and confidential information.
Note: in law part time or casual employees or trainees have exactly the same rights as full timers. This contract is flexible to cover your precise requirements. Provided there are no changes to the law, you can reuse this document for all types of employees.
Law affecting this contract
This agreement is regularly reviewed as changes in employment law are frequent. It takes into account that:
the rights of all employees are now the same regardless of whether they work full-time or part-time
it is unlawful to specify a default retirement age
Additionally, disciplinary procedures now follow procedures recommended by ACAS.
When to use this employment contract
for any new employee
to replace your existing contracts which may be out of date
for any level of employee, though most appropriate to junior and mid-level staff
the employee may be permanently employed (full or part-time) or temporary
for organisations of any type: companies, charities, trusts, partnerships, governmental organisations and others
Features and contents
- Up-to-date and complies with current law
- Follows current best practice recommendations by ACAS and other bodies
- All standard terms for a principal statement
- Strong on protection of employer's confidential information
- Specifics for different jobs, such as duties and training requirements, can be added easily - either within the text, or by reference to a job description
- Structured so as to minimise the administrative burden of legal compliance
The contract of employment includes the following paragraphs:
- Start and continuity
- Trial period (also called a probation period)
- Job title and description
- Place of work
- Work outside the UK
- Hours of work
- Salary
- Expenses
- Leave for holidays and other reasons
- Sickness and sick pay
- Pension
- Other business and employment
- No competition
- Confidentiality
- Intellectual property
- Collective agreements
- Staff handbook and company policies
- Bribery and other corrupt behaviour
- Disciplinary and grievance procedures: in line with ACAS recommendations
- Termination
- Procedure after termination
- Summary termination
- Reconstruction or amalgamation
- Data protection
- Severance and invalidity
Practicalities this contract covers
A contract, written or verbal is made as soon as the employee accepts a job offer. So as to minimise future misunderstandings, we recommend providing a written employment contract with the offer letter, so that the employee can return an acceptance letter with a signed copy of the agreement.
By law, all employees must be given a "written statement of employment particulars" within two months of starting work. This is a document that sets out the terms of employment that the employer must disclose, known as a "principal statement". This document includes all the necessary information to act as a principal statement so that you don't need to provide this information separately in a letter or another one.
Other employment policies and procedures not within the principal statement (such as data protection) could be included in the contract. However, especially when you have many employees, changing each employee's contract of employment (and ensuring consistency between employees) every time a new law changes can be time consuming and difficult. It is usual, therefore, to place all procedures and policies common to all staff in an employee handbook and refer to the handbook in the employment contract. This is the approach Net Lawman recommends.
This document was written by a solicitor for Net Lawman. It complies with current English law.
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text:
|Professional Automotive Repair Technical Discussions for December 19, 2004
International Automotive Technicians' Network (iATN) - Members Only
|(Also Available: All, Asian, Chrysler, European, Ford, GM.)
|Vehicle Owners: If you are seeking an automotive repair professional to service your vehicle, visit the iATN Repair Shop Finder.
Open Help Requests for Ford
|Help Request
|1994 Ford Ranger XL 4.0L Poor Idle Quality, Hesitation, Surge, Stall, Misfire
please help this one is driving me crazy.idle is rough somtimes.fuel presure is ok taped gauge to windshield an presure mantained ok also volume test was ok.took scanner for test drive an as cylinders started to go away o2 readings went completley lean till en...
|1994 Ford Ranger XL 4.0L Misfire
ok im going crazy on this one. this one came in as a miss under load. we were able to verify the complaint right away. from a stop sign under heavy acceleration it would miss. got it back to the shop and and then was able to make it happen in the shop over 170...
|1995 Ford Thunderbird LX 4.6L steering/tracking VIN: 1FALP62WIS
the problem is the vehicle seems to have excessive power assist at freeway speeds and does not track good at high speeds ,around town no symptom's noted. feels like the vehicle is on gravel while on the freeway above 65 mph. steering components, tires 4 whl al...
|2000 Ford Focus ZTS 2.0L rear wheel sensors VIN: 1FAFP3836Y
Thanks for the help in advance, I have this focus that i can't get any reference from the two rear wheel speed sensors. I've gone through the ford flow chart witch isn't much on helping. I went through complete harness and found right rear connector bad so i r...
|2002 Ford Taurus SE 3.0L MIL Lamp on VIN: 1FAFP53U92
hi there fellow tech! I have here problem on taurus which MIL lamp on after 3 drive cycle with dtc p1336 misallign cmp,ckp. We had performed synchronizer timing from the workshop manual using sst from our shop still Mil lamp goes on.Does anybody encounter this... Trouble codes: P1336 (input signal to pcm from ckp sensor and or cmp sensor erratic)
Fixes & Summaries for Ford
|1999 Ford Explorer XL 4.0L No Start VIN: 1FMZU32X1X
Like most of you said it was a bad fuel pump, this systym has no return to fuel tank, and the fuel pressure regulatur is a injector pulse width regulator, it is the pumps job to hold pressure, I enstalled a dealer pump and all is good. I thank everyone for the...
|2001 Ford Escape XLT 3.0L colant level VIN: 1FMYU04131
Hello everyone: I learned from all 9 replies that ford has had this concern about coolant level on all escapes. According to most of the replies, there is a TSB for this concern. I learned that the tank has a flaw in design. At the level marked full is actuall...
|1998 Lincoln Town Car Signature 4.6L engine VIN: 1LNFM82WXW
well after having engine removed we found centre crankbearing has over laped. cause is a mystery, we have to close this fix before dec 30/04 so with the hoildays and such. i have had some good input, but i find that they were not the cause. but if i ever find ...
|1996 Mercury Mystique LS 2.5L battery VIN: 1MELM66L1T
Thanks to all the techs who replied to my help message. In the update, I mentioned I had installed a Thexton parasitic drain adapter on the negative battery terminal to properly test for a draw. I usually use the scope we have and set it to the lowest amperage...
|1999 Mercury Sable LS 3.0L steering system VIN: 1MEFM53S4X
Thanks to Eric [...]. We did indeed have the wrong rack unit installed. Ron suggested that we look in Alldata for the 2000 model. The 2000 model was the same as the 1999 model. That got us thinking and we checked Alld...


text:
Marie's wt loss journal
View Single Post
October 2nd, 2008, 07:20 PM
Platinum Supermommy
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Canada
Posts: 28,175
I've been getting so many compliments, particularly at work about how great I look! Especially in my face, I've only got one chin now
I'm in medium scrubs at work, I've been in them since early Aug, I think. DH was 310 yesterday morning, from approx 440 in March. Its great that we're doing this together
I can't believe how good I feel, my knees and feet don't hurt hardly at all now, and I have a lot more energy, its easy to sit on the floor to play with DS, and I never feel starving--WW Core is something I feel I can actually maintain as a lifestyle change vs a diet, wow! Its very liberating to diet while not starving
Lucky mother to five!
View Public Profile
Find all posts by Just_Marie


text:
The Atkins factory was located on S. Illinois St. at W. South St. in Indianapolis. Unfortunately, the Atkins saw works was located downtown in a prime redevelopment area near Lucas Oil Stadium, and no known remains of the factory exist today.
If you are looking for guidance on the models of Atkins and Sheffield hand saws, please see the catalog links on the right. Sheffield was Atkins' lower-priced brand name. I am adding scanned catalogs as I get them (last updated Sept. 2017).
|1923 catalog
Historic Indianapolis.com
WK Fine Tools
Vintage Machinery.org
Atkins saws for sale
Selling Atkins Saws, 1908
Youtube tribute and history
Following is a partial list of Atkins catalogs (most titles are similar so I am giving the basics):
1900 Price Current (pocket size)
1902 Supply Edition
1903 Price Current (pocket size)
1904 Hardware Edition
1906 Hardware Edition
1910 No. 10 (machinery emphasis)
1911 No. 11 Hardware Edition
1914 No. B2, Braces
1919 No. 18
1921 Supplement to No. 18
1923 No. 19
1928 No. 20
1931 No. 21
1935 No. 21
1937 No. 21
1941 No. 22
1950 No. 23 (printed in separate sections in color, see below)
Atkins produced many other smaller promotional and educational publications (these are the full titles):
Atkins Band Saws (Catalog No. 23 1950)
Atkins Grinding Wheels and Grinders
Atkins Hand Saws (Catalog No. 23 1950)
Atkins Inserted Tooth Circular Saws (Catalog No. 23 1950)
Atkins Machine Knives (Catalog No. 23 1950)
Atkins Mill Saws (Catalog No. 23 1950)
Atkins Narrow Band Saws (Catalog No. 23 1950)
Atkins Saws in the Shop
Atkins Pruning Saws (Catalog No. 23 1950)
Atkins Saw Book for Home Craftsmen
Atkins Saws on the Farm
Atkins Silver Steel Cross Cut Saws
Atkins Silver Steel Hacksaw Blades
Atkins Silver Steel Saws Dado Heads, Groovers, Cutters
Atkins Silver Steel Segment Ground Crosscut Saws, Eastern Patterns
Atkins Solid Tooth Circular Saws (Catalog No. 23 1950)
Atkins Tools for the Filing Room
Care of Narrow Band and Small Circular Saws
Complete Sharpening Instructions for Your Atkins B-W Saw Chain
Pruning and Pruning Saws
Saws in the Filing Room
Saw Sense booklet, introduced 1906
Text Book of Atkins Silver Steel Saws for Manual Training Schools
The Atkins Saw Book for Home Craftsmen
The How-To Do-It Book for Home Workshops


text:
ANCient Cellars
(971) 276-5745
Tasting by appointment only
Tasting fee: waived with a 2+ bottle purchase, 5% half case
and 15% case discounts
Varieties: Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc,
Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Muscat and Marionberry (fortified)
AVAs: Oregon - Willamette Valley, Eola-Amity Hills, Yamhill-Carlton, Rogue Valley Washington – Red Mountain, Columbia Valley
Features: Wine club, pet-friendly, family-friendly
Origin of name: The winemaker Chris has a background in geology and his wife Brandi in archaeology. We wanted to combine our love of history and wine so we named the winery Ancient Cellars with the idea that we would share the history of wine (and us) through the individual wines. Each wine varietal has a unique name and story to tell this history.
Fun Facts: Ancient Cellars is Chris's (the winemaker) personal label and "night job" so to speak. His day job is as one of the head winemakers running the largest wine facility in the state of Oregon. Oh, and the story of the One Toe Duck is 100% true!
Favorite food and wine pairing: Marionberry fortified wine and cheese cake. Enjoy!


text:
How Can I Participate?
Many people ask, "Hey that's really great, can I sign up?" And while we don't discourage participation, keep in mind that the very basis of the parade is to do things *small* We can't have a small parade that stretches a mile long, and that's why we cap the number of floats that roll each year to a manageable number of 30. "That's not very inclusive," you might criticize… but remember the parade isn't just the people marching down the middle of the street!
The krewe may be small, but the audience each year has grown and grown, and we definitely appreciate everyone coming out to celebrate all things small! Mardi Gras is a time of celebration and spectacle, joy and community. To say we revel in it would be, well…. anyway…
Although rolling in the main parade is reserved for krewe members, and even then there are precious few slots available, we have seen something crop up over the past few years: micro displays of 'tit lovin'. Some of these tiny scenes are just as elaborate as the floats, sometimes MORE so.
We encourage the artistic, the innovative, the crazy and the clever to make their own 'tit-sized crowd scenes and other parade related paraphernalia. We may be marching, but YOU are also part of the spectacle. Just remember, keep it small!
We've also become one of the kid-friendliest of the parades during Mardi Gras, not only because of our scale, but also our time, location and overall size. And while we're not exactly as bawdy as Krewe du Vieux we're also not as G-rated as Elmo.
Then again, this IS New Orleans, if you are a kid here, you get it. It's all a part of the overall ethos – sometimes BIGGER doesn't necessarily mean better.
We roll this year on Februay 3rd, 2018, at 5pm, starting in our usual spot on the neutral ground of St Roch (between N. Robertson & Marais). The line-up before the parade gives those who want to examine the floats more closely a chance to do so, also to chat with members, makers and riders and to snap pics. See the parade route here, and see you out there!


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February is always the busiest season for my advisory practice, that's because the RRSP deadline is the first 60 days into the new year. If you are planning to make a contribution, remember the RRSP deadline is March 3rd, 2014. You could still deposit into your RRSP afterward, but to make that contribution tax deductible for the tax year 2013, you must do so before the stated deadline.
So how much could you contribute in your RRSP account?
It is 18% of your earned income for the previous year. Since we're planning for the tax year 2013, the income is the amount earned in 2012. For example, if your earned income is $100,000 for 2012, then you may contribute 18% of $100,000 which is $18,000 into your RRSP. However, if you made $1,000,000, it doesn't mean you could contribute $180,000, that's because the maximum contribution for the tax year 2013 is $23,820. RRSP contribution rooms may be carried forward, if you have any unused room from the previous years, you may also contribute into that. If you are a member of a company's pension plan, this may reduce your RRSP contribution room, so make sure you take that into consideration.
[note] Click Here To Download Your RRSP Guide [/note]
Disclaimer: Image Courtesy Stuart Miles/FreeDigitialPhotos.net


text: Oh man! Ad-blocking software has been detected! :'( This website is run by the community, for the community... and it needs advertisements in order to keep running. Blocking our ads means your killing our stats! Please disable your ad-block, or become a premium member to hide all advertisements and this notice. Hello I am going to do a C# "MCPD"course, but they also want me to do the "MCITP" certification as well, as I just want to be a developer writing code etc is the other certification relavant or not in getting an ordinary C# developer job? (Or is it really not required) Thanks Gary


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NewtonSERVES Week of Community Service
NewtonSERVES was founded 16 years ago by a visionary group of Newton residents who have helped community service become a way of life in Newton. Please support the 16th annual NewtonSERVES Week of Community Service beginning all day, Sunday, May 1.
This will be the 16th year when 1,000 Newton residents again come together to serve Newton to get our parks and open spaces ready for Spring, to spruce up our schools and not for profit institutions and to contribute food to the three Newton Food Pantries.
Won't you help continue this wonderful tradition?
To date, NewtonSERVES boasts:
- 1,000+ volunteers each NewtonSERVES x 15 years=150,000+ people participating
- 60 project sites organized each year x 15 years=900 sites benefiting
- 7,000 volunteer hours each NewtonSERVES x 15 years=105,000 hours of volunteerism
- $150,000 worth of services provided each year to Newton x 15 years=$2,250,000
We ask for your tax-deductible contribution now to help us support our Newton.
Each level of sponsorship (see below) provides promotional opportunities for you – as an individual, a business or agency- to be recognized citywide and on-line. Please respond by March 2 and you will be listed on 12,000 flyers, on the NewtonSERVES website and in the NewtonSERVES Event Program Book.
Thank you very much for helping us all to keep Newton the great community that it is!
Ruth Barnett, Alderman Vicki Danberg, Sharon Stout
Co-chair Fundraising
Sponsorship Levels for Individual, Businesses and Agencies!
PLATINUM SPONSOR: Cambridge Savings Bank $20,000
- March 2: Complete this Form or print and mail the form to: NewtonSERVES, Newton City Hall, 1000 Commonwealth Avenue, Newton, MA 02459
- March 2: Send Logos from Underwriter and Leader to email@example.com
- April 0: Send Ads for our Event Program Book to: email@example.com
More Information: email: email@example.com or call 617 796-1540.


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Quick Tip: Binder Clips for Freezer Organization
Every so often I have a flash that works out brilliantly.
A few months back I got a new fridge/freezer. The freezer section has this one, teeny shelf. It's obviously designed for someone who has boxed pizzas and such in their freezer. #noshameinthatgame
However, I use it more for frozen meats, fruits, and homemade leftovers so I ended up with quite a bit of dead space. Plus, it was a pain in the ass to see what I had floating around in there. #outofsightoutofmind
Every time I opened the freezer, I'd stare and wonder how I could make this work better. After all, I'm a professional dammit!
Then it hit me...
Binder clips can rock some organization in the freezer.
I looooooove me some binder clips and tend to use them for anything I can. So here I could hang them from the wires of the shelf, and their purpose would be two-fold:
- keep my fruit bags closed
- making better use of the dead space.
Not to mention how much easier it would be to see and retrieve whatever I need.
One side holds my open fruit bags and the other side holds my proteins. Since I'm usually only cooking for one I freeze all of my meats individually. Each binder clip holds a different type of protein.
Et voila! A much happier freezer!
(Yes I keep a martini glass in my freezer. There's also a bottle of vodka in the freezer door. This is a civilized household, dah-ling.)


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Spray Tans
Treat your skin to one of our 60 minute luxurious facials that include a hand, arm, shoulder and scalp massage.
Our waxing specialist use a combination of hard wax and soft wax. Their professionalism will put your mind at ease when it comes to all your body waxing needs.
Manicures & Pedicures
Let us pamper you with one of our manicures or pedicures. Our spa manicures and spa pedicures include a masque and hot towel to hydrate and rejuvenate your tired hands or feet.
Spa Packages
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Aveda Product Lines
We offer a full line of Aveda lifestyle, hair and makeup products for both women and men. Come in today to see how we can take your style to the next level! One of our trained Aveda stylists will be happy to guide you to the best products for your needs.
Full-Service Haircuts
Our haircuts include a shampoo, scalp massage, hot towel and blowdry (Iron work is not included). At Euphoria you wont just receive a haircut but you will be educated on what your hair needs.


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Hi Mommies,
As promised, ill be sharing with you my weekly meal plan to help you in your daily food preparation in the coming week.
Ill try hard to post my weekly meal plan every thursday or friday, in time for your your grocery shopping for the weekend.
A few disclaimers though:
Like what i said my post on meal preparation (which you by the way, can read here), we are still a work in progress when it comes to eating nutritious meals. I try hard to incorporate as much vegetables and fish as i can, but i am only human that i still fall for convenience foods in my meal planning activities. Hopefully you could see progress in the weekly meal plans that i will be posting. The operative word, dear mommies, is HOPEFULLY.
ALSO, not everything in the meal plans i will be posting are made from scratch. As you may already now know, i don't have help so i take advantage of delicious and HOPEFULLY nutritious convenience foods. I will endeavor to let you know which of the meals here are convenience foods.
It will also include left-overs for some meals so that we don't waste food. Typically if we like the viand, we are okay with eating it again 🙂
So without further ado, here is my weekly meal plan number 1:
Hopefully, this will help you can just print this out if you and your family will like the meals that are in there :)The convenience food that are included in this weekly meal plan are the following:
1. Mamon, Lava Cake, Oatmeal with Choco Chip Cookies– we don't have an oven so i definitely could not bake these myself. Soon oven, soon.
2. Longganisa — We love this brand that sells Regional Longganisa
3. Bottled Sardines — The Spanish Tomato Sardines are just yummy and comforting whether with rice or pandesal.
4. Corned Beef — Hihi we just love a brand of chili corned beef with white label
5. Vienna Sausage for the french toast breakfast
6. Tocino (we like the young, fatless and salitre-free tocino endorsed by one happy comedian)
7. Of course a healthy convenience food — YOGURT
8. Canned Tuna for the pasta meal
I hope you could also stop by the COOKING page of my website, for some easy to prepare meals. also wrote about saving up on grocery shopping, and you may wanna check it out here, and for the Pinoy Market version, you may check out the money-saving tips here.
Hope you could share as well your easy to cook recipes with us, just like what i did here.
What is your go-to recipe?
Here's a Youtube video of one of my favorite chefs, the very down-to-earth boy logro cooking our family comfort food — SINIGANG:)