Author: claimsbot

1. An optical recording medium comprising a plurality of information layers stacked on a substrate through at least a transparent intermediate layer, wherein at least one of the information layers other than the farthest one from a light incident surface of a laser beam includes:
a recording film formed of a phase transition material having an Sb-based eutectic crystal structure;
a reflection film provided at a side of the substrate with respect to the recording film;
at least a first dielectric film interposed between the recording film and the reflection film and adjacent to the reflection film; and
at least a second dielectric film disposed adjacent to the reflection film at a side of the substrate with respect to the reflection film,
and wherein the first dielectric film and the second dielectric film are formed of a material containing a mixed oxide of Zr-based oxide and Cr-based oxide as a major component.
2. The optical recording medium according to claim 1, wherein the second dielectric film is disposed adjacent to the reflection film and comprises a first film formed of a material containing a mixed oxide of Zr-based oxide and Cr-based oxide as a major component and a second film disposed at a side of the second film with respect to the first film.
3. The optical recording medium according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the mixed oxide of Zr-based oxide and Cr-based oxide is a mixed oxide of ZrO2 and Cr2O3.

The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.

1. A shower caddy having a longitudinal axis, a lateral axis, and a front-to-rear axis, the shower caddy comprising:
a connection mechanism configured to couple with a pipe and to support the weight of the shower caddy from the pipe;
an elongate support member connected with the connection mechanism and extending downward from the connection mechanism along the longitudinal axis, the elongate support member having a front wall, rear wall, and lateral sidewalls, the rear wall including a track that extends generally parallel with the longitudinal axis;
a shelf comprising a shelving area configured to support bathing implements, the shelf coupled with the elongate support member via a clamping mechanism;
the clamping mechanism positioned on the rear of the shower caddy and comprising:
a dial configured to rotate about an axis that is generally parallel with the front-to-rear axis of the shower caddy; and
a body portion comprising a rail that is received in the track in the rear wall of the elongate support member, the rail configured to apply pressure to the track; and

the clamping mechanism configured to be:
rotated in a first direction to increase the amount of pressure applied by the rail to the track to put the clamping mechanism in a tightened state, thereby rendering the shelf generally fixed with respect to the support member; and
rotated in a second direction to decrease the amount of pressure applied by the rail to the track to put the clamping mechanism in a loosened state, thereby enabling the shelf to be moved in a direction generally parallel with the longitudinal axis and in a direction generally parallel with the lateral axis of the shower caddy.
2. The shower caddy of claim 1, wherein the rail and the track have substantially corresponding cross-sectional shapes.
3. The shower caddy of claim 1, wherein the adjustment portion extends laterally outward of the elongate support member.
4. The shower caddy of claim 1, wherein the adjustment portion has a maximum outside diameter, the elongate support member has a lateral width, and the ratio of the maximum outside diameter to the lateral width is at least about 1.05.
5. The shower caddy of claim 1, wherein the adjustment portion has a nominal outside diameter, the elongate support member has a lateral width, and the ratio of the nominal outside diameter to the lateral width is at least about 1.02.
6. The shower caddy of claim 1, wherein the clamping mechanism does not extend into the shelving area.
7. The shower caddy of claim 1, wherein the clamping mechanism is substantially obscured from view from a front elevation view of the shower caddy.
8. An adjustable bathroom shelving system comprising:
an elongate support member having a front wall, a rear wall, and lateral sidewalls, the rear wall including a first engaging portion;
a clamping mechanism having an adjustment portion and a body portion, wherein:
the adjustment portion configured to enable a user to selectively move the clamping mechanism between secured and unsecured states; and
the body portion having a second engaging portion, the second engaging portion matingly engaged with the first engaging portion and configured such that:
when the clamping mechanism is in the secured state, the clamping mechanism is generally rigidly secured with the elongate support member; and
when the clamping mechanism is in the unsecured state, the clamping mechanism is slidable along the first engaging portion of the rear wall of the elongate support member; and
a shelf coupled with the clamping mechanism and on the front wall of the elongate support member, the shelf comprising a shelving area configured to support bathing implements.
9. The shelving system of claim 8, wherein the first engaging portion comprises a track in the elongate support member and the second engaging portion comprises a projection on the body portion.
10. The shelving system of claim 8, wherein the adjustment portion comprises a rotatable dial.
11. The shelving system of claim 8, wherein the clamping mechanism does not engage with the front wall of the elongate support member.
12. The shelving system of claim 8, wherein the first engaging portion and the second engaging portion have corresponding cross-sectional shapes.
13. The shelving system of claim 12, the first engaging portion and the second engaging portion have generally \u201cT\u201d-shaped cross-sectional shapes.
14. The shelving system of claim 8, wherein the adjustment portion extends laterally outward of the elongate support member.
15. The shelving system of claim 8, wherein the clamping mechanism does not extend into the shelving area.
16. The shelving system of claim 8, wherein the clamping mechanism is substantially obscured from view from a front elevation view of the shower caddy.
17. The shelving system of claim 8, wherein, from a front elevation view of the shower caddy, at least about 95% of the total surface area of the adjustment portion is obscured from view.
18. The shelving system of claim 8, wherein the support member further comprises:
an outer portion;
an inner portion received in, and configured to slide relative to, the outer portion; and
a length adjustment mechanism comprising actuator, the length adjustment mechanism configured such that actuation of the actuator removes an interference between the outer an inner portions, thereby enabling the inner and outer portions to slide relative to each other to facilitate changing of the length of the support member.
19. The shelving system of claim 18, wherein the actuator comprises a button biased by a spring.
20. The shelving system of claim 8, further comprising a divider assembly comprising:
a support structure secured to the shelf; and
a rotatable divider configured to rotatably engage the support structure and to move between a retracted position and an extended position;
wherein, in the extended position, the rotatable divider, the support structure, and the shelf form an enclosure for holding bathing implements.
21. The shelving system of claim 20, wherein the rotatable divider comprises three sections, each extending along a plane, the planes of the first and third sections being generally parallel to each other, the plane of the second section being generally perpendicular to the planes of the first and third sections.
22. The shelving system of claim 20, wherein the support structure comprises at least one detent configured to support the rotatable divider when the rotatable divider is in the extended position.
23. The shelving system of claim 8, further comprising an expandable container secured to the shelf, the expandable container comprising:
an internal space for receiving and storing bathing implements;
a top end with an opening configured to allow bathing implements to be inserted into the space; and
a bottom end configured to resiliently move between a collapsed position and an expanded position;
wherein the height of the container is greater when the container is in the expanded position than when the container is in the collapsed position.
24. The shelving system of claim 23, wherein the expandable bottom portion comprises baffles and is configured to move between the expanded and collapsed positions in an accordion-like manner.
25. The shelving system of claim 23, wherein the expandable bottom end comprises at least one of a thermoplastic material, a silicone material, or a rubber material.
26. The shelving system of claim 23, further comprising a generally vertical wall that divides a portion of the internal space of the expandable container.
27. The shelving system of claim 8, wherein the shelving system is a shower caddy.
28. The shelving system of claim 8, further comprising an openable loop mechanism at an upper end of the elongate support member, the openable loop mechanism configured to engage a pipe to enable the shelving system to hang from the pipe.
29. A method of manufacturing a shower caddy, the method comprising:
obtaining an elongate support member having a front wall, a rear wall, and lateral sidewalls, the rear wall comprising a longitudinally extending track with a flange;
obtaining a clamping mechanism having an adjustment portion and a body portion, the body portion comprising a rail with a flange;
engaging the clamping mechanism with a support member of a shelf, the shelf comprising a shelving area configured to support bathing implements;
receiving the rail of the clamping mechanism in the longitudinally extending track in the rear wall of the elongate support member; and
either:
adjusting the adjustment portion of the clamping mechanism until the flange of the rail of the body portion of the clamping mechanism applies sufficient force to the flange of the longitudinally extending track of the elongate support member such that the clamping mechanism and the shelf are fixed with respect to the elongate support member; or
adjusting the adjustment portion of the clamping mechanism until the flange of the rail of the body portion of the clamping mechanism applies substantially no force to the flange of the longitudinally extending track of the elongate support member, thereby enabling the shelf to be moved in a direction generally parallel with a longitudinal axis of the shower caddy and in a direction generally parallel with a lateral axis of the shower caddy.
30. The method of claim 29, wherein adjusting the adjustment portion of the clamping mechanism comprising rotating the adjustment portion about an axis that is generally parallel with a front-to-rear axis of the shower caddy.
31. The method of claim 29, wherein adjusting the adjustment portion of the clamping mechanism does not include flipping a lever.
32. The method of claim 29, wherein adjusting the adjustment portion of the clamping mechanism does not include extending the adjustment portion into the shelving area.

1. A hand tool, comprising:
conductive tool head that is at least one of a wire cutter, a wire stripper, a screw driver, a wrench, and a pliers;
a non-contact voltage sensing circuit electrically connected to the conductive tool head, the non-contact voltage sensing circuit including a comparator for comparing a voltage sensed at the conductive tool head to a threshold voltage level and an alarm circuit for generating a human perceptible alarm signal when the threshold voltage level is exceeded, the alarm circuit including at least one of a visual and an audio indicator device electrically connected to receive the alarm signal and to provide an output that is perceptible by a human; and
a handle operatively connected to the tool head and housing the non-contact voltage sensing circuit including the at least one indicator, the indicator providing a human perceptible signal to a user indicating that the tool head is in proximity to a live electrical wire.
2. The hand tool as defined in claim 1, further comprising an actuator for selectively activating the non-contact voltage sensing circuit.
3. The hand tool as defined in claim 1, wherein the handle comprises an insulated material.
4. The hand tool as defined in claim 3, wherein the handle further comprises a metal foil coupled to a circuit common in the non-contact voltage sensing circuit.
5. The hand tool as defined in claim 1, further comprising a momentary actuator switch coupled to the handle, the momentary actuator switch being coupled between a power supply and the non-contact voltage sensing circuit to activate the non-contact voltage sensing circuit.
6. A hand tool comprising:
a) a conductive tool head that is at least one of a wire cutter, a wire stripper, a screw driver, a wrench and a pliers to work a work piece;
b) a handle, connected to the tool head so as to operate the tool head to work the work piece;
c) a non-contact voltage sensing circuit electrically coupled to the conductive tool head; and
d) an alarm device, the alarm device being activated by the non-contact voltage sensing circuit to provide a signal to indicate that the tool head is in an electrical field at an elevated voltage.
7. A hand tool as defined in claim 6, wherein the alarm device comprises at least one of a visible alert indicator and an audible alert indicator.
8. A hand tool as defined in claim 7, wherein the alarm device comprises a light emitting diode.
9. A hand tool as defined in claim 7, wherein the non-contact voltage alert circuit comprises an oscillator for driving the audible alert indicator in an audio frequency range.
10. A hand tool as defined in claim 6, further comprising a switch for activating the non-contact voltage sensing circuit.
11. A hand tool as defined in claim 6, further comprising a conductive foil, the conductive foil being coupled to a circuit common of the non-contact voltage sensing circuit and capacitively coupled to the user’s hand to provide a connection through the user to provide a ground for the circuit.
12. A hand tool as defined in claim 6, wherein the non-contact voltage detection circuit is housed in the handle.

The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.

1. A system for detecting a fume containment breach from an exhaust hood, comprising:
a detector configured to indicate changes in the speed of light through a sample path based on an interferometric effect;
said detector being positioned near an exhaust hood;
a controller configured receive an indication signal from said detector and to control an exhaust flow rate responsively to said indication signal.
2. A system as in claim 1, wherein said detector includes a sample gap through which laser light is transmitted and through which gases may pass.
3. A system as in claim 1, wherein said controller is configured to continuously adjust said exhaust flow rate to minimize said exhaust flow rate consistent with a specified average interval between signals from said detector indicating a threshold amount of gas contact with said detector.
4. A system for selectively increasing capture and containment of an exhaust hood, comprising:
a movable side skirt attachable to an exhaust hood such that said skirt may be placed in retracted and extended positions;
the extended position being effective to reduce the exposure of an area between a fume-generating process and a hood;
the retracted position being effective to increase the open area between a fume-generating process and a hood.
5. A system as in claim 4, further comprising:
an actuator connected to move said side skirt between said retracted and extended positions;
a controller with a fume load detector connected to control said actuator and configured to control said position of said side skirt responsively to a fume load.
6. A system as in claim 4, further comprising:
an actuator connected to move said side skirt between said retracted and extended positions;
a controller with a fume escape (breach) detector connected to control said actuator and configured to control said position of said side skirt responsively to a fume escape.
7. A fume hood, comprising:
a hood portion connectable to an exhaust system and having a recess and a lower edge therearound, the hood portion being configured to cover a fume source;
a jet generator located at said lower edge and configured to generate first and second jets, said first being relatively horizontal in direction and said second being relatively vertical in direction;
said first being directed toward said hood portion recess.
8. A fume hood as in claim 7, wherein said at least one of said first and second jets are defined by a series of circular jets arranged along a line along said lower edge.
9. A fume hood as in claim 7, wherein said first and second jets are defined by respective series of circular jets arranged along respective lines following said lower edge.
10. A fume hood as in claim 7, wherein:
said hood portion has corners;
said first jet is directed perpendicular to said lower edge between said corners and in a direction that is diagonal with respect to said lower edge between said corners, and thereby toward a middle of said hood portion, at said corners.
11. A fume hood, comprising:
a hood portion connectable to an exhaust system and having a recess and a lower edge therearound, the hood portion being configured to cover a fume source;
a jet generator located at said lower edge and configured to generate a horizontal jet directed toward said hood portion recess;
said hood portion having corners;
said jet being directed perpendicular to said lower edge between said corners and in a direction that is diagonal with respect to said lower edge between said corners, and thereby toward a middle of said hood portion, at said corners.
12. An exhaust hood, comprising:
a hood with a make-up air plenum having a short-circuit discharge and a room-mixing discharge;
said hood further having an apportioning damper for selectively directing a first selected fraction of make-up air stream to said room-mixing discharge and a second directed fraction of a make-up air stream to said short-circuit discharge;
a controller configured to control the damper to increase the ratio of said first and second selected fractions according to an outside air enthalpy such that energy consumption is minimized.