Abstract: A robot with an edge detector and two operating modes. The first operating mode is control mode. The second operating mode is a processor controlled mode.

Abstract: A nostril hair trimmer in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention can include a cutter blade comprising a first and second cutter portion with an angle configured in between. The first and second cutter portions are connected to each other by a third cutter portion. A slotted shear plane enclosing the cutter blade allows nostril hairs protruding in different directions to be captured in slots and trimmed short by the cutter blade while protecting nostril membrane. The cutter blade can be arranged such that the cutter blade is rotatable in the slotted shear plane and in constant contact with the inner surface of the slotted shear plane, at least in the region of the slots.

Abstract: The present invention is directed towards increasing the conductivity of the electrical lead material in the read head portion of a magnetic head, such that thinner electrical leads can be fabricated while the current carrying capacity of the leads is maintained. This increase in electrical lead conductivity is accomplished by fabricating the electrical lead upon an epitaxially matched seed layer, such that the crystalline microstructure of the electrical lead material has fewer grain boundaries, whereby the electrical conductivity of the lead material is increased. In a preferred embodiment, the electrical lead material is comprised of Rh, which has an FCC crystal structure, and the seed layer is comprised of a metal, or metal alloy having a BCC crystal structure with unit cell lattice constant dimensions that satisfy the relationship that abcc is approximately equal to 0.816afcc. In various embodiments, the seed layer is comprised of VMo or VW.

Abstract: A robot cleaner is described that cleans a room using a serpentine room clean and a serpentine localized clean. Sensors can include an object following sensor, a stairway detector and bumper sensors.

Abstract: A robot cleaner is described that cleans a room using a serpentine room clean and a serpentine localized clean. Sensors can include an object following sensor, a stairway detector and bumper sensors.

Abstract: An electro-kinetic electro-static air conditioner with a bead member having a bore, through which a wire-like electrode passes. The bead is moved along the wire to frictionally clean the wire-like electrode when an electrode array is removed. A bead lifting arm is mounted to the electrode array. The bead lifting arm can move the bead to clean the electrode as the electrode array is removed from the air conditioner for cleaning. The electro-kinetic electro-static air conditioner has insulated parts which protect against high voltage arcing and conductive deposits relative to the electrodes.

Abstract: A method for detecting a fuel leak in a compartment is provided. The compartment includes at least one inlet and an exhaust outlet that is coupled in flow communication with the compartment and in flow communication with a fan. The method includes determining a fan speed, measuring a fuel leak gas concentration value, determining a fuel leak gas concentration limit value within the compartment based on the determined fan speed, comparing the measured fuel leak gas concentration value with the determined fuel leak gas concentration limit value, and generating at least one of an alarm signal and a trip signal based on the comparison.

Abstract: The present invention is directed towards increasing the conductivity of the electrical lead material in the read head portion of a magnetic head, such that thinner electrical leads can be fabricated while the current carrying capacity of the leads is maintained. This increase in electrical lead conductivity is accomplished by fabricating the electrical lead upon an epitaxially matched seed layer, such that the crystalline microstructure of the electrical lead material has fewer grain boundaries, whereby the electrical conductivity of the lead material is increased. In a preferred embodiment, the electrical lead material is comprised of Rh, which has an FCC crystal structure, and the seed layer is comprised of a metal, or metal alloy having a BCC crystal structure with unit cell lattice constant dimensions that satisfy the relationship that abcc is approximately equal to 0.816afcc. In various embodiments, the seed layer is comprised of VMo or VW.

Abstract: The invention is a laminated antiferromagnetically coupled (AFC) structure for use in a spin valve (SV) sensor or magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) device, having two ferromagnetic films coupled together with an improved AFC film. Particularly the AFC film comprises an alloy material selected from the group consisting of Ru100-x, Os100-ymy, Ir100-ymy, Rh100-y,my, Re100-zmz, and M100-xmx, where M is an alloy of two or more materials selected from the group consisting of Ru, Os, Ir, Rh, and Re, and where m is a material selected from the group consisting of W, Ta, Mo, Nb and alloys of two or more materials selected from W, Ta, Mo, and Nb, and where x is between approximately 5 and 95 at. %, y is between approximately 10 and 90 at. %, and z is between approximately 25 and 75 at. %. The sensors may be used in magnetic heads of hard disk drives.

Abstract: A magnetic recording transducer, useful in a magnetic data storage device, having a read element with improved magnetic stability and a narrow track width is described. An MR stripe according to the invention has a magnetic-stability inducing (MSI) shape selected from an essentially trapezoidal shape, an essentially hexagonal shape, an essentially race-track shape, and an essentially half race track shape. These MSI shapes are oriented in a plane perpendicular to the air-bearing surface (ABS). The MSI shapes are used to encourage the formation of a single magnetic domain state with magnetization direction parallel to the ABS in the absence of a magnetic bias. In one embodiment according to the invention the sensor structure is overlaid on the sides of the top surface with layers of electrically conductive material (overlaid leads) to define an approximately rectangular active region of the larger MSI shape.

Abstract: In the present method for manufacturing a magnetic write head a focused ion beam (FIB) tool is utilized to mill the side edges of a P2 pole, in order to provide a narrowed track width. Prior to milling, a thin film layer of material is deposited upon the P2 pole tip. The milling boxes of the FIB tool are properly aligned upon the layer with reference to the location of the P2 pole tip. Milling of the lateral edges of the P2 pole tip is then conducted to the appropriate depth, and the layer of material is removed. The resulting P2 pole tip has sharp lateral edges, rather than the rounded edges that are produced in prior art FIB processing methods that do not utilize the thin film layer. In a preferred implementation, the FIB tool is utilized first to deposit the thin film layer and thereafter to perform the milling operation.

Abstract: In a T-head design, it is desirable to reduce the side-writing that occurs during the write operation. The side-writing causes the track width to increase and therefore reduces the track density that can be achieved. The side-writing is caused by certain corners of the T-head producing extraneous fluxes over the magnetic disk. The extraneous fluxes write to the magnetic disk, causing the track width to be increased. The present invention recesses part of the T-head from the air bearing surface by a focused ion beam milling, an ion milling, or an etching process. The extraneous fluxes are therefore recessed from the magnetic disk by a shallow distance sufficient to prevent writing to the magnetic disk, but not so great a distance to inhibit the flux carrying capacity of the structure to the actively writing pole tip.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for compensating waveforms, spectra, and profiles derived therefrom for effects of drift is disclosed. The present invention removes the effects of drift from a sequential series of waveforms obtained from a waveform-source device, or spectra, from a spectrometer, to produce for output a sequential series of drift-compensated waveforms, or spectra, respectively. In addition, the present invention performs a factor analysis, or alternatively a linear-least-squares analysis, on an array of the drift-compensated waveforms, or spectra to provide a set of drift-compensated principal factors; and, generates drift-compensated scaled target-factor profiles from a profile trajectory lying within a space of the set of drift-compensated principal factors. In addition, in the case of spectra, the invention provides for conversion of the drift-compensated scaled target-factor profiles to drift-compensated compositional profiles.

Abstract: A process for recovering 18-methyl eicosanoic acid (18-MEA) and/or alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) from woolwax acids or derivatives thereof comprises the steps of heating the woolwax acids or derivatives thereof to 100° to 230° C. to form estolides and polymeric species; distilling to obtain a distillate (D1) and a residue (R1); and recovering 18-MEA from the distillate and/or recovering AHAs from the residue.

Abstract: The improved method for trimming a magnetic head utilizing a FIB tool includes a step of aligning the FIB tool milling boxes without imaging critical pole tip components and structure. The method includes the creation of an alignment box that is disposed in a known, fixed orientation relative to the FIB tool milling boxes. The FIB tool is aligned by imaging only the alignment box and by moving the alignment box relative to known pole tip structural characteristics that are disposed away from the critical pole tip components. The alignment box is visually aligned on non-sensitive pole tip components in such a manner that the milling boxes will be properly aligned relative to the sensitive pole tip components. FIB tool milling is thereafter performed within the milling boxes which have been accurately aligned without imaging of sensitive pole tip components.

Abstract: A shaving system for use with mechanical hand-held shavers includes a housing in which is disposed a DC motor, an eccentric weight coupled to a shaft of the motor, and a DC power source. The eccentric weight and motor shaft are oriented such that the axis of vibrations produced by the motor are parallel to an axis of the cutting edge of a razor blade attached to a handle in mechanical vibratory communication with the motor. The result is vibratory displacement of the razor blade, typically back-and-forth, over a range approximating the dimension of a human hair. In one embodiment a housing accepts the handle of a generic shaver, and in a second embodiment the housing is bifurcated and the handle of a shaver.

Abstract: A system massages a user's feet and generates an electro-kinetic airflow that contains safe amounts of ozone that can deodorize the user's feet or socks. The system includes an ion generator comprising a high voltage pulse generator whose output pulses are coupled between left and right first and second electrode arrays. Preferably the first electrode array includes first and second pointed electrodes, and the second electrode array includes annular-like electrodes having a central opening coaxial with the associated pointed electrode. Preferably the annular-like electrodes are formed from a single sheet of metal by extrusion or punching such that the surface of the annular-like electrodes is smooth and continuous through the opening and into a collar region through which the air flows. Particulate matter in the ambient air electrostatically adheres to the smooth continuous surface of the annular-like electrodes.

Abstract: A system massages a user's feet and generates an electro-kinetic airflow that contains safe amounts of ozone that can deodorize the user's feet or socks. The system includes an ion generator comprising a high voltage pulse generator whose output pulses are coupled between left and right first and second electrode arrays. Preferably the first electrode array includes first and second pointed electrodes, and the second electrode array includes annular-like electrodes having a central opening coaxial with the associated pointed electrode. Preferably the annular-like electrodes are formed from a single sheet of metal by extrusion or punching such that the surface of the annular-like electrodes is smooth and continuous through the opening and into a collar region through which the air flows. Particulate matter in the ambient air electrostatically adheres to the smooth continuous surface of the annular-like electrodes.

Abstract: An intelligent traffic redirection system performs global load balancing for Web sites located at mirrored data centers. The system relies on a network map that is generated continuously for the user-base of the entire Internet. Instead of probing each local name server (or other host) that is connectable to the mirrored data centers, the network map identifies connectivity with respect to a much smaller set of proxy points, called “core” (or “common”) points. A core point then becomes representative of a set of local name servers (or other hosts) that, from a data center's perspective, share the point. Once core points are identified, a systematic methodology is used to estimate predicted actual download times to a given core point from each of the mirrored data centers. Preferably, ICMP (or so-called “ping” packets) are used to measure roundtrip time (RTT) and latency between a data center and a core point.

Abstract: An alloy of tetragonal polycrystalline structure acts as a thin film magnetic medium. The medium can be for recording or sensing magnetic transitions representative of data and is of a thickness less than about 200 Å, and has a coercivity in excess of about 2000 Oe. The film is in the L1o phase which is suitable for longitudinal recording and can be constituted by an alloy selected from cobalt or iron together with platinum or palladium. The film is formed by sputtering from a target and thereafter annealing the thin film and at a temperature in excess of about 500° C.