Systems and methods to communicate securely includes communicating quantum encryption data on a first wavelength-division multiplexing passive optical network (WDM-PON); and communicating data over separate classical channels of a second WDM-PON, wherein the second WDM-PON synchronizes with the first WDM-PON while providing data communication over the classical channels.

The application relates to secure communication over a passive optical network.
Quantum key distribution (QKD) provides a secure communication between two legitimate users: Alice (a sender) and Bob (a receiver). Its security is proved to be unconditional based on the fundamental laws of physics. It is natural to extend QKD from the point-to-point setting to a network setting. There can be many schemes to implement QKD in a network. One appealing scheme is to integrate QKD in a passive-optical-network (PON).
Recently, PON has attracted much interest as an inexpensive and efficient solution to the "last mile link", or access network. FIG. 1 shows an exemplary PON. An Optical Line Terminal (OLT) 10 broadcasts a data stream over a power splitter 12 to several Optical Network Units (ONUs) 14. The data stream is passively routed to ONUs 14 using techniques such as the Time Domain Multiplexing (TDM), the Wavelength Domain Multiplexing (WDM), and the Orthogonal Frequency Domain Multiplexing (OFDM).
Most current quantum crypto systems are based on point-to-point scheme. It is important to find a solution that can extend the quantum cryptography technology into a network setting. Passive optical network (PON) provides an ideal network platform that has the potential to supply quantum encryption. It has attracted much academic and industrial interest to integrate the quantum cryptography technology with PON. This integration will substantially improve the accessibility of quantum encryption, which can provide the highest communication security for real-life applications.
In TDM, the OLT assigns each ONU a specific time slot. During each time slot, the data broadcasted by the ONU is dedicated for the allocated user. The data stream broadcasted by the OLT is passively splitted by an optical splitter. As a result, each ONU sees the entire stream. The ONU picks up the correct data section that is assigned to the user.
FIG. 2A shows an exemplary TDM PON with an optical beam splitter (OBS) 16. One issue with the TDM-PON is that each user's bandwidth will decrease as the number of users in the PON increases. An alternative implementation is to use the wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) technique. FIG. 2B shows an exemplary WDM-PON where each user is assigned a unique wavelength. An OLT 20, which includes an array of transceivers at different wavelengths multiplexed with WDM 22, communicates with other WDMs 24 and with multiple transceivers at the ONU side. Each transmitter has a dedicated ONU 14. The signals from all the transmitters are combined into the same channel with a WDM 24, and routed to different users with another WDM 22.
Integrating quantum encryption with PON has been done by distributing the secure keys in a down-stream (i.e., from server to users), uni-directional (i.e., the server generates a signal, then sends it to a user), and time-domain multiplexing (TDM) fashion. Down-stream key distribution requires that each user possesses a pair of single photon detectors (SPDs) which are expensive. Moreover, in such a scheme, upgrading the network (i.e., increasing the bandwidth) requires that each user has to replace his/her pair of SPDs. Therefore, the down-stream key distribution is expensive in initial deployment and future upgrading. Uni-directional key distribution requires active optical alignment compensation for the phase drift and the polarization dispersion. This active compensation will reduce the overall duty cycle and increase the operating complexity.
There are various QKD protocols, and among these protocols, BB84, B92, and E91 are proved to be unconditionally secure. However, implementing B92 protocol requires accurate intensity monitoring, while E91 protocol requires an entanglement source. Therefore, among these three protocols, BB84 is most widely implemented and is most mature. The BB84 protocol can be used with double Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI), Faraday-Michelson interferometer (FMI), and Plug-and-Play (PnP) structures. Other BB84 implementation structures (such as free-space structure, fiber-based polarization coding structure, among others) can be used as well.
FIG. 2C shows one embodiment with the PnP structure where the polarization-drift in the channel is compensated by the bi-directional structure and the Faraday rotation. The phase drift in local MZI is also compensated by the bi-directional structure. FIG. 2C shows a schematic of PnP QKD with Single Photon Detector (SPD) 40, 42; Phase Modulator (PM) 44,46; Faraday Mirror (FM) 48; Circulator (C) 50; Beam Splitter (BS) 52; Polarizing Beam Splitter (PBS) 54 and a delay line 56. In network applications, a significant advantage for PnP QKD is that both the laser source 60 and the detectors are in Bob's side, making Alice's apparatus very simple. In network environment, especially PON which is in server-user scheme, PnP will allow multiple users (Alice) to share a server (Bob).
To accommodate PnP implementation, WDM has significant advantage by minimizing channel loss. This is because, in TDM, the channel loss will increase as the number of users increases. However, the output intensity at each user's side cannot increase much due to the security requirement. This can substantially reduce the efficiency of QKD.

Secure communication over passive optical network (PON) with quantum encryption


A functional ink suitable for 3D printing and a preparation method thereof are provided. The ink includes the following components in parts by weight: 0.5-1.5 parts of a regulator, 1-5 parts of a conductive material, 0.1-0.5 parts of a crosslinking agent, 0.1-0.5 parts of a catalyst, and 10-80 parts of a solvent. The prepared functional ink has a self-healing function at room temperature, eliminating the interface resistance between printing layers and improving the mechanical strength between the layers. Moreover, the prepared functional ink has excellent electrical conductivity and a variety of electrical, magnetic, and electrochemical properties, and can be applied in the fields of functional materials and devices such as energy storage, electromagnetic shielding and stress sensing.

3D printing technology, also known as additive manufacturing technology, is a way of manufacturing layer-by-layer by adding materials based on 3D model data, which is completely opposite to the traditional material processing method. An advantage of 3D printing is that one is able to construct complex structures having arbitrary shapes, and realize the rapid and efficient production of three-dimensional structure. Due to its unique characteristics of dimension reduction and rapid layer-by-layer processing, 3D printing provides unlimited possibilities for the next generation of manufacturing technology. Additive manufacturing is the development direction supported by the 13th Five-Year Plan in China.
In recent years, 3D printing technology has developed rapidly in the preparation of structural materials, but it has fallen short with respect to the manufacture of functional devices having special utility and performance. Unlike shapes, functions are difficult to realize via printing. As a result, there is a desire to meet this urgent need in 3D printing industry. The existing 3D printing technologies mainly include fused deposition modeling (FDM), selective laser melting (SLM), stereolithography appearance (SLA), and direct ink writing (DIW). The DIW technology exhibits great potential in the application of preparing complex functional devices because of its wide selection of printing materials, easy printing at room temperature, simple procedure and low cost. Functional ink is the key that determines its processability and the final performance of the printed functional devices, and it is also the biggest difficulty of the direct ink writing 3D printing process.
Currently, there are numerous problems with existing methods for preparing 3D printing functional ink, including: 1. it is difficult to prepare a conductive ink suitable for 3D printing with uniform composition and stable dispersion at high concentrations; 2. the content of active substances in the ink is low, and the functional performance of printed devices is poor; 3. the interaction between layers obtained by the layer-by-layer printing is weak with inevitably created interfacial resistance, and the performance of the devices therefore decays rapidly with the increase of layers.

Functional ink suitable for 3D printing and preparation method thereof


A torsional vibration damper has a drive-side transmission element; a damping device having a plurality of energy accumulators; a driven-side transmission element configured to be rotationally deflected coaxial to the drive-side transmission element and which is connected to the drive-side transmission element via the damping device; and sliding elements arranged in one of the drive-side transmission element and driven-side transmission element so as to be movable in a circumferential direction. The sliding elements have: (i) circumferential projections for the energy accumulators, these circumferential projections being directed toward adjacent sliding elements, and/or (ii) penetration spaces for circumferential projections provided at the adjacent sliding element. The energy accumulators are supported at the sliding elements, the sliding elements having in sequence in an axial direction at least one circumferential projection and/or at least one penetration space at their circumferential side which faces a sliding element adjacent in the circumferential direction.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention is directed to a torsional vibration damper with a drive-side transmission element and with a driven-side transmission element, which can be rotationally deflected coaxial to the drive-side transmission element and which is connected to the latter via a damping device which is provided with energy accumulators. These energy accumulators are supported at sliding elements arranged in one of the transmission elements so as to be movable in a circumferential direction and which have circumferential projections for the energy accumulators, the circumferential projections being directed toward adjacent sliding elements, and/or which have penetration spaces for circumferential projections provided at the adjacent sliding elements. The sliding elements have in sequence in an axial direction at least one circumferential projection and/or at least one penetration space at their circumferential side which faces a sliding element adjacent in the circumferential direction.
2. Related Art
A known torsional vibration damper is shown in WO 2010/032915 A1. This torsional vibration damper has sliding elements at which are provided, at the center in each instance, a circumferential projection projecting in a direction of the sliding element adjacent in the circumferential direction or a penetration space for a circumferential projection formed at the adjacent sliding element. The following functions may be assigned to the circumferential projections: first, the circumferential projections overlap the energy accumulators along a portion of the circumferential extension thereof and accordingly prevent a bulging of the energy accumulators induced by centrifugal force, especially when these energy accumulators are formed as torsion springs with coils; second, the circumferential projections can be dimensioned such that, in conjunction with the associated penetration space of the sliding element adjacent in circumferential direction, they limit a compression travel of the energy accumulators under load so as to prevent the coils from mutually contacting. By preventing bulging of the energy accumulators, individual coils are prevented from frictionally contacting or even digging into one another in a radially outer limit of the torsional vibration damper, which would appreciably impair the decoupling effect. Limiting the compression travel of the energy accumulators counteracts high torsional stresses in the spring coils and therefore guards against damage to, or even breakage of, spring coils.
In the known torsional vibration damper, the circumferential projections are able to support the coils of energy accumulators radially outwardly within the extension region of the circumferential projections. However, this function is not possible adjacent a circumferential projection in the circumferential direction, i.e., in the extension region of a penetration space, while the respective circumferential projection has not penetrated into the penetration space when the energy accumulators are not loaded or under limited load. Consequently, the respective energy accumulator is only supported on the circumferential side on which the circumferential projection is located. Further, in the case of sliding elements having the circumferential projection on one circumferential side and the penetration space on the opposite circumferential side, there is a risk during assembly that they may be inserted with the sides reversed and be unable to function.


A fluid control circuit providing a float capability for a double-acting actuator having first and second actuating chambers is provided. The fluid circuit includes signal controlled load check valves disposed between the actuating chambers and a directional control valve. The directional control valve is movable from a centered, neutral position towards first and second operative positions and a float position. The directional control valve and the load check valves are cooperatively operable in one operable position to allow fluid flow from the first actuating chamber to the exhaust port, and fluid flow from the pump port to the second actuating chamber. In the float position of the directional control valve, both of the signal controlled load check valves are opened to allow open fluid flow between the first and second actuating chambers thus allowing the tool attached to the actuator to float.

Fluid control systems including a float function, that is, the ability for fluid to move between opposite ends of actuator under equalized pressure conditions to provide a ground following capability, are well known. Typically however, the known systems do not provide load check valves between the directional control valve and the actuator. When load check valves are disposed therein it is necessary to provide an arrangement that not only provides the float function but also unseats the load check valves. Additionally, it is desirable to provide a circuit that provides zero leak or at least substantially zero leak from the actuator. In order to help ensure at least low leakage, a closed center directional control valve is normally used as opposed to an open center directional control valve.
Accordingly, the present invention is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems as set forth above.

Fluid control system having float control


A method may be provided for incrementally backing up data from a logically represented volume on disk media. The disk media is accessible by a client through a network connection. The client comprises an enterprise database application. The method identifies tracks of the logically represented volume that have changed since a last incremental backup operation by reading fresh data indications. Each of the fresh data indications corresponds to a track of the logically represented volume, and a given fresh data indication is indicative of whether its corresponding track has been changed since a last incremental backup operation. Files are identified for incremental backup. The identified files comprise blocks saved on a track deemed changed since a last incremental backup operation. The identified files are backed up from the disk media to sequential storage media through a high speed connection.

1. Copyright Notice
This patent document contains information subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent, as it appears in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office files or records but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.
2. Field of the Invention
The present invention, in certain respects, relates to storage systems and backup and recovery processes. In other respects, the present invention relates to certain techniques for improving performance and speed of data backup and recovery processes. In other respects, the present invention relates to such systems, processes, and techniques in enterprise storage systems.
3. Description of Background Information
Enterprise storage systems provide enterprise level computer systems and networks with a readily accessible, safe storage media for their mission-critical data. An internet service provider's (ISP's) computer infrastructure and the human resources and accounting systems for a large enterprise are a few examples of enterprise level systems. To protect the data, such enterprise storage systems replicate data on a primary disk (or volume) with one or more mirror disks (or volumes). Additionally, data on the primary disk—to which the enterprise application has direct and immediate read and write access—is periodically and/or intermittently backed up to sequential storage media (e.g., tapes). If data on the primary (and mirrors) is lost or corrupted, or otherwise reproduced, it can be recovered from the sequential storage.
It is important that such backup and recovery processes are executed quickly (with minimal latency) and without any disruptive or otherwise undesired use of overhead and system resources of the computers involved (e.g., the client system, the network, and the data manager of the enterprise storage system).
Enterprise storage systems such as those described above perform data backup processes and restore processes. Disk level backups and restores (otherwise referred to as physical backups and restores) involve the backing up or the restoring of a raw "image" of the entire disk (as seen from the perspective of the client—e.g., a client's operating system may identify a given disk logically as a host device). File-level backups and restores (otherwise referred to as logical backups and restores) require file mapping, a process by which each file to be backed up, that may be located at various physical locations on a disk (or separate disks) is mapped (i.e., tracked using meta data) when it is sent to the backup storage devices.
Device backups involve backing up all data of a given device; e.g., the device may be defined as the primary disk, which is replicated in the mirror disk. A restore of a device backup must restore the entire device, since file-level information is not tracked during a device backup. Raw file system backups also involve backing up the entire device, and restores of such a backup require restoring of the entire device. However, a raw file system backup is different from a device backup in that a user can browse for a certain file using a restore GUI; with a device backup such browsing is not possible. File level backups backup files as files, i.e., with file level granularity.
Device level backups and raw file system backups are faster than file level backups, and thus can be easier on the user system and its database application, i.e., the require less processing involvement by the user system. In contrast, file level backups can require substantial participation by applications and operating systems on the user system, and thereby reduce the performance of the user system. When a file level backup is performed, the user system must keep track of components of data files typically scattered and stored in non-contiguous segments spanning different disks within the storage system.
It is sometimes desirable to perform incremental backups of individual files, which have been updated since a last backup operation. Such can be done using file level backups; however, conventional file level backups require substantial system overhead and can slow a client system's access to the enterprise storage.
Incremental backups may be done by simply backing up files that have a modified time stamp later than the time of the last backup operation. Such an approach is shown in the flow chart of FIG. 3. In act 50, software within the data manager of an enterprise storage platform checks, for each file, its time stamp. In act 52, for files with time stamps after the time of the last backup operation, the entire file is included in the current backup operation.
A time stamp approach can entail backing up of files unnecessarily due false indications that the file's modification time has changed since the last backup. For example, an operator may have intentionally set the modified date/time stamp. On the other hand, if a file is moved—an action that would create a need to backup the file at its new logical location—it's modification date/time may not change.
Incremental backups may also be done using a change mark hardware mechanism provided in an enterprise storage platform. Each track of a volume (represented as such logically by the enterprise storage platform and/or by a client that stores data using such a platform) has a corresponding flag bit (called a change mark). By way of example, a change mark as referred to herein may be a "deltamark" as used in the EMC Symmetrix™ system. These change marks are populated as follows: Every time there is a change to a block on a given track, the track's corresponding change mark bit is changed to "1." When an incremental backup is performed on a given track, its corresponding change mark bit is changed to "0." Incremental backups are performed on a track by track basis; i.e., those tracks having a change mark of "1" get backed up during the incremental backup operation.
The change mark approach can spread backed up files across separate tapes, since a given file will typically be on several different tracks, and some portions of the file (on some tracks) may have been updated since the last backup, while other portions (on other tracks) may not have been updated since the last backup.

Identification of updated files for incremental backup


The present invention generally relates to transaction instruments with enhanced expiration date and/or security personal identification number (PIN) generation. The enhanced security PIN generation may be usefully in connection with account information associated with the transaction instrument to verify and/or authenticate the transaction instrument. In certain aspects, the security PIN may be used in connection with account information associated with the transaction information to authenticate the transaction instrument via a synchronization-based authentication process or similar process. By way of example, the account information may be used as a static identifier to indicate identity of the transaction instrument, and the security PIN may be used to authenticate the identity of the transaction instrument.

This application relates generally to transaction instruments.
Transaction instruments, such as presentation and transaction cards, and the use of such instruments to access, e.g., financial or stored value accounts is well known. Examples of such presentation or transactions cards include credit cards, debit cards (including check cards), ATM cards, phone cards, stored value cards, and the like. Presentation and transaction cards are also known to provide advertising, display, or informational items.
When used in financial or transactional matters, such instruments typically contain an account number in some form or another that permits the card holder to gain access to their account, such as when making a purchase. One common way to store the account information is through the use of a magnetic stripe that extends lengthwise along the card. To read the card, a point of sale device, such as the one described in U.S. application Ser. No. 10/116,689, filed Apr. 3, 2002, incorporated herein by reference, may be used. The account identifier that is read from the card may then be electronically transmitted to a processing system in order to complete the transaction. Another way to store the account information is by using a bar code that is read using a bar code reader. Other forms of storage devices include smart chips, RFID tags, MICR lines, and the like.
In particular to capitalize upon online commerce, while reducing the risk of fraud, new methods of payment authentication have been devised. There are address verification services that check the address provided against the billing address with the credit card company. Modern credit cards also have a card verification value (CVV) code imprinted on the back or front of the credit card that is not part of the credit card number (VISA™ refers to the code as CVV2, MasterCard™ calls it CVC2, and American Express™ calls it CID). Authenticating that the buyer has the proper CVV code tends to show the buyer physically has the card. Similarly, some authenticate the customer service number on the credit card. The use of user selected or card issuer selected personal identification numbers (PINs) to authenticate users is also common. However, compromise of PINs and/or loss of physical cards still result in significant identify theft and fraud.

Transaction instruments with enhanced security PIN and expiration date generation


A power supply apparatus for a sliding structure, which can be arranged in a small space in the sliding structure, the power supply apparatus including a wiring harness having a vertical path portion; a harness fixing member for fixing one end of the vertical path portion of the wiring harness on the sliding structure; a fixed base fixed on the sliding structure for holding the other end of the vertical path portion; and a swing member mounted on the fixed base to swing freely in a horizontal plane for allowing the vertical path portion to be twisted along a circumferential direction of itself and leading a part of the wiring harness continued to the vertical path portion toward a fixed structure. Instead of the fixed base, a movable base 5′, and a guide rail to be engaged with the movable base can be applied.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a power supply apparatus for a sliding structure, which is mounted on the sliding structure such as a sliding door of a vehicle and supplies power continuously to an auxiliary device at the sliding structure.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIGS. 17, 18 show one embodiment of a usual power supply apparatus for a sliding door (refer to Patent Document 1).
The power supply apparatus 61 for the sliding door includes a long sideways guide member 63 mounted on a sliding door 62 of a car, a slider 64 engaging slidably with a rail portion of the guide member 63, a swing member 65 (FIG. 18) supported pivotably in a horizontal plane by a shaft vertical to the slider 64 and a caterpillar-like harness cover 66, which is bent into U-shape inside the guide member 63, being wired bendably from the swing member 65 to a car body (not shown).
The cover 66 is covered about an area between the sliding door 62 and the car body with a tube 67. A plurality of electric wires 68 (wiring harness) is passed through the cover 66 and the slider 64.
By opening the sliding door 62 from a condition in FIG. 17 in a direction of an arrow A, the slider 64 moves forwardly along the guide member 63, and the wiring harness 68 extends to become J-shape in the guide member 63 together with the cover 66. According to opening/closing the sliding door 62, the wiring harness 68 extends and shrinks together with the cover 66, so that an extra length of the wiring harness is absorbed. Patent Document 1 is the Japan Published Patent Application No. 2003-25850.

Power supply apparatus for sliding structure


Techniques are described herein for using unlicensed assisted access aggregated band to improve direct communication channel bandwidth reliability in a vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication. The techniques include a (wireless communication) device that uses a first licensed band to perform a cellular network communication through a first interface (e.g., Uu), and further uses a shared spectrum to perform the V2X communication through a direct communication channel interface. The device then monitors and compares a bandwidth requirement of the V2X communication with a bandwidth of the shared spectrum. In response to the bandwidth that is less than the bandwidth requirement, the device selects at least one second licensed band to be aggregated with the shared spectrum to generate the unlicensed assisted access aggregated band. In some embodiment, the device adjusts the first licensed based on the selected least one second licensed band to avoid channel interference.

Vehicle communication systems may include vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication software or programs that can facilitate transmission of information from a vehicle to any entity that may affect the vehicle and vice versa. V2X communication software generally resides at least partially in a memory unit of a vehicle's native computing system such as a vehicle's electronic control unit (ECU) and enables the vehicle to act as a communication node when communicating with various entities. For example, vehicles can communicate with other vehicles, infrastructures (e.g., traffic lights), passengers and/or pedestrians with mobile devices, networks, and/or so forth. Thus, V2X communication can include components such as vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), vehicle-to-pedestrian (V2P), and vehicle-to-network (V2N) communications.
A vehicle's native computing system may operate to support one or more V2X communication components. For example, the vehicle's ECU (or device) may perform V2V and V2P communications at the same time. In another example, the device may implement the V2V communication that includes autonomous driving and/or platooning with another vehicle. In these examples, the V2X communication may require specific capabilities or features to be successful, such as minimum requirements regarding reliability, latency, and the like. The reliability and latency requirements may in turn require use of wireless communication interfaces that can support higher channel bandwidth, reduced channel interference, etc.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Unlicensed assisted access aggregated band for improving direct communication channel bandwidth reliability in a V2X communication


Lawful Interception (LI) management system for retrieving user and/or traffic data associated to a given target identity of a telecommunication network. The system comprises an Administration Function device and at least one Mediation/Delivery Function device. The LI management system comprises a first common handover interface to both a Data Retention Sources domain and an Intercepting Control Elements domain and a second common handover interface to at least one Law Enforcement Agency. The first common handover interface is configured to receive user and/or traffic data from both Data Retention Sources and Intercepting Control Elements.

In many countries operators and Internet service providers are today obliged by legal requirements to provide stored traffic and user data generated from public telecommunications and Internet services for the purpose of detection, investigation and prosecution of crime and criminal offences, including terrorism.
FIG. 1 depicts the known arrangement for retaining data in a Communication Service Provider 1 (CSP). Specifically, the CSP 1, which may incorporate existing communication systems 2, is provided with a Data Retention System (DRS) 3 for exchanging retained data with a Requesting Authority 4, which may be a Law Enforcement Agency (LEA).
The data exchanged between the CSP 1 and the Requesting Authority 4 comprises requests from the Requesting Authority 4, corresponding responses from the DRS and other DR information, such as results of the requests and acknowledgements of receipt. The interfaces through which the CSP and DRS exchange the above data with the Requesting Authority are denoted as Handover Interfaces.
The generic Handover Interface adopts a two-port structure in which administrative request/response information and Retained Data Information are logically separated. In particular, a first Handover Interface port HI-A 5 is configured to transport various kinds of administrative, request and response information from/to the Requesting Authority 4 and an organization at the CSP 1 that is responsible for Retained Data matters, identified by an Administration Function 7.
A second Handover Interface HI-B 6 is configured to transport the retained data information stored in a repository 9 from the CSP 1 to the Requesting Authority 4. The individual retained data parameters have to be sent to the Requesting Authority 4 at least once (if available). To this aim, a Mediation/Delivery function 8 is provided, for retrieving the retained data from the memory means 9 and forward such data to the Requesting Authority 4 in a suitable format through the HI-B 6.
A second system for accessing communications related data is the well-known Lawful Interception (LI) system, which is depicted in FIG. 2. The standard architecture 10 comprises an Intercepting Control Element (ICE) 11 providing the user equipment of the target identity with an access to the telecommunications network. ICEs may be, for instance, a Mobile services Switching Center (MSC) Server, a Gateway MSC Server (GMSC), a Serving GPRS Support Node (SGSN), or a Gateway GSN (GGSN).
The architecture 10 further comprises one or more Law Enforcement Monitoring Facilities (LEMFs) 12 through which respective LEAs receive interception information.
An Administration Function (ADMF) entity 13 is further configured to send the target identity and LI authorization data from the LEAs to the ICE.
In order to deliver the intercepted information to the LEAs, two Delivery Functions (DF) entities are provided, each exchanging respective portions of information with the ADMF and the LEMF 12.
In particular, a DF2 entity 15 is configured to receive Intercept Related Information (IRI) from the ICE and to convert and distribute the IRI to the relevant LEAs via a second Handover Interface 16 (HI2) by means of a Mediation Function (MF) 17.
A DF3 entity 18, instead, is configured to receive Content of Communications (CC) information from the ICE 11 through an X3 interface, and to convert and distribute such information to the relevant LEA through an MF 19 and a third Handover Interface (HI3).
In the current LI standard solution, when intercepting a target identity it is not possible for the Authorities to have easy access to all relevant data, like historical user/traffic information related to the target under interception, with minimum effort for data protection as well as minimum involvement from the Operator personnel.
Another drawback of the prior art is that when the legal interception is activated for a specific target identity, it is not always possible to verify the effectiveness of the monitored target identity, during time span of the judge warrant ordering the monitoring: in other words, the target identity could be no longer associated to the investigated person or no longer a valid traffic identity.
Yet another drawback from the network operator point of view is that correct interception on the basis of the target identities ordered by LEA is not guaranteed. By "correct" it is intended the capability to provide interception triggers in the network whichever service is applicable for the ordered target identity. The network operator has a network topology on which it spreads the court order for interception and it is not always possible to verify the correctness of such topology against the real network scenario of the target subscriber.
As example, in the next generation networks, a target identity can be used to generate traffic for many and different services. With particular regard to new multimedia services, not all traffic nodes has an ICE function immediately available, due to complexity in implementing new interception service logics and because of the multi-vendor scenario.
Therefore, when the LEA is requesting to intercept the traffic done by a given target identity, the network operator currently cannot detect all the applicable network services for such identity and detect the network nodes where to set up the interception triggers. This scenario may lead to bad interception that could be documented by LEA only by means of parallel investigation activities done via other tools, like analysis of retained data.

User and traffic data retention in lawful interception


A high-speed spoon-type fishing lure suited for trolling at high speeds, i.e., at least 21/2 to 10 knots, without spinning, has a plate body that has a narrow front or leading end to which the line is attached and a wide trailing end to which the hook is attached. The body plate is tapered from front to back so that the trailing end is significantly thicker than the leading end. An attachment eye at the leading end can be laterally elongated to permit play between the lure and an attachment device which attaches the lure to the fishing line or leader.

The present invention relates to a fishing lure, and is especially directed to spoon-type lures in which the lure body is a concave-convex plate of ovate curve shape, narrower at the nose or leading end and wider at the tail or trailing end.
Spoons are often used for trolling in both fresh and salt water. There are many varieties of game fish or sport fish, especially in salt water or on the Great Lakes, that prefer prey fish that swim at high speeds, that is, at 21/2 to 7 knots or faster. High speed trolling also gives the fisherman the advantage of covering more area, as well as attracting sport fish that prefer faster swimming prey.
However, the geometry of conventional spoon type lures induces rotation at these speeds. This is undesirable action and does not attract fish as effectively as at lower speeds. Also, the spinning of the lure tends to twist the line on the reel.
A number of approaches have been attempted to add structure to lures for any of a variety of reasons. However, none of these approaches induces sufficient stability for high speed trolling.
Dedrick U.S. Pat. No. 2,740,225 shows a spoon-type lure in which fins are molded or formed onto the lure body for the purpose of reflecting light.
Baum U.S. Pat. No. 2,787,075 has a stabilizing plate or fin mounted onto the metal body of a fishing lure as an anti-spin feature.
Swanberg U.S. Pat. No. 2,586,186 shows a spoon in which
Swanberg U.S. Pat. No. 2,586,186 shows a spoon in which the hook has a knee portion with a steel ball on it to serve as a keel to control oscillatory motion.
Hendrick U.S. Pat. No. 1,885,440 shows a spoon fishing lure whose body is a plate of variable thickness so as to have numerous edges and contours.
Toivonen U.S. Pat. No. 3,981,096 shows a spoon-type lure with blunt front and back edges, and which is thicker at its narrow end and thinner at its wide end. The object of the Toivonen structure is to provide a weighted leading portion to achieve erratic action upon retrieval.
None of these previous designs has been particularly effective for attracting and catching fish at high speeds.


A display unit attaching structure includes: a plurality of first rhombic clips 7 for engaging with engaging holes 51 of a vehicle roof sheet metal 5; a base sheet metal 2 on one side of which an engaging section 22 is formed, and on the other side of which a supporting section 24 with an engaging hole 23 is formed; and a display main body 3 in which the display is pivotally supported openably and closably in a housing section of a display 4, on one side of which an engaging section 34 for engaging with the engaging section 22 of the base sheet metal 2 is provided, and on the other side of which a second rhombic clip 9 for engaging with the engaging hole 23 is provided.

A display unit is composed of a base sheet metal, a display main body, and a display, and the display unit is attached to a vehicle roof sheet metal on a vehicle production line. In such an attachment, conventionally, a vehicle roof sheet metal and a base sheet metal as well as the base sheet metal and a display main body have been fastened with a clip or screw. However, in the above attaching structure, an attaching work efficiency thereof is unfavorable on the vehicle production line; particularly, in detaching a display unit from a vehicle roof sheet metal for internal inspection and replacement, it is necessary to remove the clips; therefore, it is necessary to prepare bored holes for inserting a screw driver for removing clip-attaching screws in a partition board provided inside a display main body.
Further, Patent Document 1 discloses an arrangement for quickly attaching and detaching a multimedia unit to and from a flip-down base provided on a vehicle ceiling.


A line thermal head has a head main body portion having an array of heating elements divided into a plurality of physical blocks. A head control portion divides each physical block into a plurality of division units of heating elements depending on a capacity specification of an external power source used for driving the line thermal head. The head control portion controls a printing drive operation of the heating elements. Printing data is time division transferred in accordance with the division units of heating elements, and each of the physical blocks is driven to effect printing in accordance with the time division transferring of the printing data. The size of the division units of printing elements can be set in accordance with the capacity specification of the external power source, to further reduce the size of the power source needed. A total number of heating elements energized in a printing drive operation is counted and the timing of the driving of the physical blocks is optimized depending on the counted total number so that a plurality of physical blocks can be simultaneously driven depending on the capacity specification of the external power source.

The present invention relates to a line thermal head and more particularly to a method of transferring printing data for a line thermal head main body.
A line thermal head has a heating array wherein a plurality of heating elements each comprising a resistor are arranged in a line. It performs printing of a line by selectively applying a driving current of several tens mA to the resistor of each heating element to cause it to heat up, thereby causing color development on a thermosensible paper, or by melting the ink on a thermal-transfer ribbon to be transferred onto a plain paper. Since a number of heating elements is included in the heating array of a line thermal head, i.e., the number of dots per line is extremely large, if all heating elements are driven at a time, a power source having a heavy current capacity must be used. To avoid this, in a normal line thermal head, a heating array constituting one line is divided into a plurality of physical blocks, and time division driving is performed on a block basis. This allows the quantity of current consumed in one time division driving operation to be reduced and, therefore, the capacity of the power source can be reduced to some extent. If there are too many divisions, however, the writing between a head main body portion and a head control portion becomes complicated, resulting in an increase in the number of signal lines. For this reason, the linear heating array is conventionally divided into only a few blocks. As a result, the number of dots per one physical block is still considerably large.
A brief description will now be made of one a method of transferring printing data on a line basis to a line thermal head main body portion having such divided physical blocks. First, an exponent n is set to 0 at step S1 as shown in the flow chart in FIG. 5. The exponent n indicates a number assigned to each physical block. Next, a head data counter is cleared at step S2. This counter is for counting the number of dots to be printed. Then, the number of the bytes (HBYTERBL[n]) of printing data to be transferred to the nth physical block specified is loaded at step S3. Further, printing data for HBYTERBL[n] bytes is transferred to the head main body at step S4. At step S5, the value counted by the head data counter or a dot counter is stored in a specified area HDOTBL[n] of the control portion. Thus, when the printing data is transferred to the specified nth physical block, the number of dots to be printed is recorded at the same time for that physical block. Next, the exponent n is updated to n+1 at step S6. Thereafter, the process returns to step S2 to transfer printing data for the (n+1)th physical block and record the number of dots to be printed. Thus, transfer of printing data is sequentially performed for each physical block.
A conventional method of driving a line thermal head will now be briefly described with reference to the flow chart in FIG. 6. First, printing data is transferred to a head main body portion at step S1. This transfer method is as shown in the flow chart in FIG. 5. Next, a driving pattern of the line thermal head is decided at step S2. The driving pattern means the timing for the application of a current to each physical block. Specifically, the timing for the application of a current to each physical block is set in accordance with the number of dots to be printed recorded at step S5 in the flow chart shown in FIG. 5. When the total number of dots to be printed, i.e., the total number of the heating elements to which a current is to be supplied is large, each physical block is driven on a time division basis and, conversely, when the number is small they are driven at a time. At step S3, the line thermal head is driven to perform printing in accordance with the driving pattern thus set.
As described above, in the conventional method of transferring printing data, printing data for one line is simply supplied to the head main body portion for every transfer process in order to perform high speed printing using simple transfer control. Therefore, when line printing is performed in accordance with the printing data which has been transferred, even if the time division driving is sequentially performed for each physical block, the maximum number of-dots printed in one driving process is equal to the number of heating elements included in a physical block. That is to say that the conventional method does not allow the maximum number of dots printed in one driving process to be set to a value which is smaller than the number of heating elements included in a physical block (the largest physical block when the physical blocks vary in size).

Printing data transferring method to a line head


A primary containment vessel, comprising a reactor pressure vessel in which a core is accommodated, a dry-well volume covering the upper portion of the reactor pressure vessel, a suppression chamber provided with a suppression pool surrounding an intermediate portion of the reactor pressure vessel, has a plurality of vent tubes establishing a connection between the dry-well volume and the suppression pool and an annular baffle plate disposed in the suppression pool along the side wall of the suppression chamber, having its top end positioned at a height between a free surface of the suppression pool and an outlet of the vent tube opened in the suppression pool and its lower end positioned at a height between the outlet and the bottom of the suppression pool. If a loss of coolant accident occurs, hot steam discharged into the dry-well volume is discharged into the suppression pool through the vent tube so as to heat water on the inside of the baffle plate. The water head difference generated by the water temperature difference between the inside and the outside portions of the baffle plate causes a vertical convection passing through the baffle plate to be created. Therefore, the heat accumulating characteristics of pool water and the heat radiation performance of the containment vessel are improved, allowing the size of the containment vessel to be reduced.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a primary containment vessel of a boiling water type reactor, and, more particularly, to a primary containment vessel structured in such a manner that the performance of cooling the containment vessel can be improved at the time of a loss of coolant accident without a necessity of using a dynamic device such as a pump.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A primary containment vessel is arranged to hermetically surround a reactor pressure vessel which accommodates a core. An upper space surrounding the reactor pressure vessel in the primary containment vessel is called "a dry-well volume", while a space disposed in the lower portion of the primary containment vessel and filled with pool water is called "a suppression chamber". An outer pool filled with cooling water is formed around the suppression chamber of the primary containment vessel. The dry-well volume and the suppression chamber are connected to each other by a plurality of vent tubes, an end portion of the vent tube being opened in water enclosed in the suppression pool. A main steam line through which steam generated in the reactor pressure vessel passes and pipes into which coolant is introduced are disposed in the dry-well volume.
If the main steam line is burst in the primary containment vessel or the reactor pressure vessel is locally damaged, high temperature and high pressure cooling water becomes high temperature and high pressure steam and jets out in the dry-well volume. This is so-called a loss of coolant accident. The steam jetted out in the dry-well volume is introduced together with noncondensing gas (called hereinafter as gas) in the dry-well volume into water in the suppression pool via the vent tube, water being then cooled and condensed in the suppression pool, causing the pressure rise in the dry-well volume to be suppressed.
A primary containment vessel of the type described above has been disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 75594/1988. According to this disclosure, it is necessary for the convection of water in the pressure suppression pool to be induced and it is necessary for the outward heat transfer from the pressure suppression pool to be improved in order to have the primary containment vessel cooled effectively at the time of a loss of coolant accident. Therefore, the opening of the vent tube is disposed adjacently to the bottom of the suppression pool so as to cause water in the suppression pool to be convected by utilizing the buoyancy of heated water or gas in the suppression pool. However, a structure arranged such that the opening of the vent tube is, as described above, disposed deeply in the suppression pool encounters a problem in that a fear arises in that the water or gas in the suppression pool hits the ceiling of the suppression chamber since energy of the buoyancy of water or gas in the suppression pool becomes too large. Therefore, the suppression chamber must have a high ceiling, causing also the height of the primary containment vessel to be increased. As a result, the size of it inevitably become large.
If the vent tube outlet is disposed in the shallow water in the suppression pool, water close to the water surface convects since it is stirred. However, since deep water in the suppression pool is not stirred, it is difficult for the convection to occur. Therefore, water in the suppression pool below the bent tube outlet remains as it is with the initial temperature maintained, and a slight quantity water above the vent tube outlet becomes heated. Therefore, it is necessary for the diameter of the primary containment vessel to be enlarged in order to provide the heat transferring area necessary to remove the heating value at the time of the loss of coolant accident.
A suppression pool of a primary containment vessel disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 31837/1986 is arranged in such a manner that a distributing vane is locally provided for each of a plurality of the vent tube outlets in front thereof to disperse steam and gas jetted radially from the vent tube outlets in the circumferential direction so that the dynamic load to act on the primary containment vessel is reduced. However, this structure involves a problem in that it is difficult for water in the suppression pool to convect vertically.
A primary containment vessel has been disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 229390/1988 in which the core is immersed in water by utilizing the difference in the water heads from the water surface of water in the suppression pool to the core equalizing line at the time of a loss of coolant accident. According to this example, since water in the suppression pool cannot be easily convected and only upper hot water in the suppression pool is injected into the core, the cooling effect is unsatisfactory. Furthermore, since the high temperature water in the suppression pool cannot be easily transferred, the heat transference effect from the suppression chamber to the surrounding pool is insufficient.
A primary containment vessel has been disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 33697/1988 in which an annular suppression pool is disposed in the side portion to the upper portion of the dry-well volume and an annular clean water pool is closely disposed above the suppression pool via an insulating wall. Since the above-described two pools are connected to each other by a heat pipe, the heating value radiated into the clean water pool at the time of a loss of coolant accident can be transmitted to the clean water pool via the heat pipe and it is removed. However, since only the heat pipe is immersed in the upper portion of water in the suppression pool, the heat transferring effect by means of the heat pipe can be excessively deteriorated when water in the suppression pool is injected into the reactor pressure vessel at the time of the loss of coolant accident and level of the suppression pool is thereby lowered.

Primary containment vessel with outer pool


A wafer heat-treatment system for processing a wafer by a high-temperature heat-treatment process and cooling the heat-treated wafer, comprises walls surrounding a closed space placing the wafer and having a hollow sealing a gas therein, and a pressure-regulating unit connecting to the hollow for regulating pressure in the hollow. Hence, the wafer heat-treatment system reduces power consumption by heating lamps by carrying out an evacuating process before the high-temperature heat-treatment process, and shortens the time necessary for the cool down process by a pressurizing process that is carried out after the completion of the high-temperature heat-treatment process.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a wafer heat-treatment system and a wafer heat-treatment method and, more particularly, to a lamp-heating single-wafer processing heat-treatment system and a lamp-heating single-wafer processing heat-treatment method that processes a single wafer by a film forming process to form an oxide and oxynitride film on a wafer or by an annealing process.
2. Background Art
Referring to FIG. 3 showing a conventional single-wafer heat-treatment system, i.e., a wafer heat-treatment system, there are shown a wafer 1, a processing chamber 2 in which a wafer 1 is processed by a high-temperature heat-treatment process, a gas inlet 2a through which a gas is supplied into the processing chamber 2, a gas outlet 2b through which a gas is exhausted from the processing chamber 2, walls 2c for separating the inner atmosphere of the processing chamber 2 from outside, heating lamps 5, and reflecting plates 4 for reflecting light emitted by the heating lamps 5.
The wafer heat-treatment system shown in FIG. 3 processes the wafer 1 by a high-temperature heat-treatment process having the following steps. A carrying robot, not shown, carries the wafer 1 through a gate, not shown, formed the wall 2c into the processing chamber 2. A shutter, not shown, is closed to close the gate so that the processing chamber 2 is sealed. Then, an inert gas, such as nitrogen, or an oxidizing gas, such as oxygen gas, is supplied through the gas inlet 2a into the processing chamber 2 and, at the same time, initial gas in the chamber is exhausted from the processing chamber 2 through the gas outlet 2b to replace initial gas with the inert gas.
Subsequently, the heating lamps 5 are turned on. Part of light emitted by the heating lamps 5 travel directly through the walls 2c of quartz or the like and part of light emitted by the heating lamps 5 is reflected by the reflecting plates 4 and the reflected light travels through the walls 2c. The wafer 1 is heated for a predetermined time by the energy of the light transmitted through the walls 2c to diffuse an impurity in the wafer 1 or to form a film on the surface of the wafer 1.
After the wafer 1 has been processed by the high-temperature heat-treatment process for the predetermined time, power supply to the heating lamp 5 is stopped and the wafer 1 is begun to cooled. Heat of the wafer 1 is dissipated to outside of the processing chamber 2 through the atmosphere in the processing chamber 2 and the temperature of the wafer 1 decreases. Upon the drop of the temperature of the wafer 1 to several hundreds degrees centigrade, the carrying robot carries the wafer 1 out of the processing chamber 2 through the gate.
Requisite conditions on the depth of junctions have progressively become severe with the miniaturization of semiconductor devices. To meet the requisite conditions on the depth of junctions, an impurity must be doped to a shallow region by using low energy and the diffusion of the impurity must be controlled by limiting thermal budget to the least extent when activating the impurity. Therefore, the reduction of time necessary for the wafer heat-treatment system to carry out the high-temperature heat-treatment process and the cool down process is a very important problem relating to the quality of the device.
In view of the recent high demand for semiconductor devices, the reduction of time necessary for the wafer heat-treatment system to carry out the high-temperature heat-treatment process, including heat up process and soak process, and the cool down process is a very important problem affecting improvement in device performance.
Nevertheless, the foregoing conventional wafer heat-treatment system is subject to various restrictions in shortening time necessary for carrying out the high-temperature heat-treatment process and the cool down process.
Theoretically, time necessary for completing the high-rate heating up process can be reduced by supplying higher power to the heating lamps or increasing the number of the heating lamps to increase the quantity of energy supplied into the processing chamber per unit time. However, an increase in the power supplied to the heating lamps increases running costs and reduces productivity. Thus, the increase in power consumption is improper. Time necessary for completing the soak process can be reduced by shortening a setting time for heat treatment recipe.
Time necessary for completing the cool down process can be reduced by positively dissipating heat from the processing chamber heated at a high temperature. However, heat cannot be efficiently dissipated because the atmosphere surrounding the wafer, the walls of the processing chamber and a lamp housing holding the heating lamps are heated.
The present invention has been made to solve the foregoing problems and it is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a wafer heat-treatment system and a wafer heat-treatment method using comparatively simple equipment and capable of processing a wafer by a desired heat-treatment process in a short time.
According to one aspect of the present invention, a wafer heat-treatment system for processing a wafer by a high-temperature heat-treatment process and cooling the heat-treated wafer, comprises walls surrounding a closed space placing the wafer and having a hollow sealing a gas therein, and a pressure-regulating unit connecting to the hollow for regulating pressure in the hollow.
According to another aspect of the present invention, in a wafer heat-treatment method, a wafer, which is in a closed space surrounded by walls each having a hollow, is processed by a high-temperature heat-treatment process. The heat-treated wafer which is in the closed space is cooled after the high-temperature heat-treatment process. Pressure in the hollows of the walls is regulated.
Other and further objects, features and advantages of the invention will appear more fully from the following description.

Wafer heat-treatment system and wafer heat-treatment method

Semiconductor Leading Edge Technologies, Inc.


A cationic nanoparticulate material comprises polymer and a BF4−, PF6− or SbF5− counterion. A layer of an organic electronic device, such as an organic light-emitting device, comprises the nanoparticulate material dispersed in an organic semiconducting layer.

Electronic devices containing active organic materials are attracting increasing attention for use in devices such as organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs), organic photoresponsive devices (in particular organic photovoltaic devices and organic photosensors), organic transistors and memory array devices. Devices containing active organic materials offer benefits such as low weight, low power consumption and flexibility. Moreover, use of soluble organic materials allows use of solution processing in device manufacture, for example inkjet printing or spin-coating.
An OLED has a substrate carrying an anode, a cathode and an organic light-emitting layer containing a light-emitting material between the anode and cathode.
In operation, holes are injected into the device through the anode and electrons are injected through the cathode. Holes in the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and electrons in the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) of the light-emitting material combine to form an exciton that releases its energy as light.
Uses of OLEDs include use as displays and as lighting devices.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,917,279 discloses an OLED having a layer containing nanoparticles dispersed in a polymer binder.
It is an object of the invention to provide nanoparticles suitable for use in a layer of an organic electronic device, particularly an organic light-emitting device.
It is a further object of the invention to provide nanoparticles showing good dispersion in organic solvents.


A device for detecting leakage of liquid through a ceiling comprising at least one liquid concentrating tray having peripheral flanges for support from ceiling panel support rails and surfaces between said flanges sloping toward narrow troughs, electric conductors for conducting electricity, sensor terminals for contacting the liquid, warning device for warning of a leak in the ceiling, and a current source for actuating the warning means when the liquid contacts the sensor terminals. The sensor terminals are connected in parallel by the electric conductors to the electric current source and the warning device in the electric circuit.

This invention is for detection of water leaks in ceilings and specifically the detection of water leaks in ceilings where suspended ceiling panels are used.
Suspended ceiling panels are used to finish and conceal the space near the actual ceiling of a building that is used for air conditioner or heating ducts, piping (often water filled and under pressure), electrical conduit, etc. After suspended ceiling panels are installed a very presentable finished room is achieved.
Because many businesses and offices use suspended ceiling panels, it is an objective of the invention to protect specific areas of high value within an office or building, such as computing equipment, electronic instrumentation, telecommunications equipment and valuable documents and records, etc., against leakage in both occupied and unoccupied areas.
The instant invention represents the most practical approach to sensing water leakage onto the or into conventional acoustical ceiling panels. Two major factors were considered in devising this system. First, the fact that a suspended grid system, consisting of conventional supporting grid rails to retain individual panels, is normally used to hold ceiling panels in place was considered. The use of suspended grid systems means that leakage in one area of a ceiling or panel will not readily spread to other panels; the grid acting as a barrier between panels. Instead liquid will leak through a particular panel or cause leakage along an edge of a panel to an area below the ceiling. A further initial consideration is that fact that hanging wires are usually used to support a suspended grid rail system. Accordingly, any simple overall barrier, for example a large plastic covering, is not practical due to interference with the many support wires. Second, the porosity of the panels themselves means that leakage is, at least initially, readily absorbed by the panel itself rather than forming a pool or puddle on the top side of each panel which facilitate detection. Also, the porosity of the ceiling panels allows the panels to absorb water vapor from the air. This makes the panels quite conductive over a very wide range of relative humidity.
Because a suspended grid system is normally used, it is an objective of this invention to sense liquid leakage on each individual ceiling panel or a group of strategically placed panels in a ceiling. Because of the hanging grid wires and numerous other possible mechanical interference objects, e.g. duct work, water pipes, conduit, etc. located above the suspended grid, it is an objective to have the invention maintain a low profile on the top side of the ceiling panels. A low profile allows for easy installation and removal of individual ceiling panels to which the invention is attached and allows ceiling panels to be easily converted so that the ceiling panels combined with the invention become liquid sensing panels. Because the invention may be used on many ceiling panels it is an objective to allow each sensing panel to be interconnected with another sensing panel so that the circuit of the invention can extend from panel to panel and allow each sensing panel to be easily disengaged or engaged with every other sensing panel; this ability facilitates maintenance and repair of the ceiling as well as ease of use of the invention.
It is the main objective of this invention to provide an early warning system for detecting and indicating when liquid leaks into or onto suspended acoustical ceiling panels before the liquid leaks through or along the edges of the panels to the area located below.

Water leak detection apparatus for use in suspended ceilings


A system for processing transactions, having at least one mobile device having a housing having a processor, and a Wi-Fi Communication module disposed therein; a base station having a base station housing, wherein the base station housing houses an embedded system including a processor; and a Wi-Fi communication module configured to communicate with the Wi-Fi communication module of the at least one mobile device; a support stand configured to support the at least one mobile device, wherein the support stand comprises at least one arm having an adjustable position and configured to move to adjust the size of the support stand based on a size of the at least one mobile device; and at least one peripheral device connected to the base station.

1. Field
The embodiments described herein relate to point-of-sale (POS) transactions and more specifically to systems and methods that enable integrated and secure POS transactions using low cost tablet devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional POS system comprises a large cash register. Early Electronic Cash Registers (ECRs) were controlled by proprietary software and had limited functionality. Eventually these ECR's were able to interface with a backend system that provided accounting, reporting and other functionality. But these earlier systems in addition to being physically bulky were also typically proprietary systems in that there were no uniform standards across the industry. Often, these systems were server-client systems that were costly to own and operate.
More recently, the availability of local processing power, local data storage, networking, and graphical user interface made it possible to develop flexible and highly functional POS systems. Cost of such systems has also declined, as all the components can now be purchased off-the-shelf. A conventional retail POS system now typically includes a computer, monitor, cash drawer, receipt printer, customer display and a barcode scanner, and the majority of retail POS systems also include a debit/credit card reader. It can also include a weight scale, integrated credit card processing system, a signature capture device and a customer pin pad device. At the core of the modern POS system is some type of CPU that runs the POS system. The other components are then peripherals that can be interfaced with the CPU as needed.
More and more POS monitors use touch-screen technology for ease of use and a computer is built in to the monitor chassis for what is referred to as an all-in-one unit. All-in-one POS units liberate counter space for the retailer. The POS system software can typically handle myriad customer based functions such as sales, returns, exchanges, layaways, gift cards, gift registries, customer loyalty programs, BOGOF (buy one get one free), quantity discounts and much more. POS software can also allow for functions such as pre-planned promotional sales, manufacturer coupon validation, foreign currency handling and multiple payment types.
In the retail environment, the POS unit handles the sales to the consumer but it is only one part of the entire POS system used in a retail business. "Back-office" computers typically handle other functions of the POS system such as inventory control, purchasing, receiving and transferring of products to and from other locations. Other typical functions of a POS system are to store sales information for reporting purposes, sales trends and cost/price/profit analysis. Customer information may be stored for receivables management, marketing purposes and specific buying analysis. Many retail POS systems include an accounting interface that "feeds" sales and cost of goods information to independent accounting applications.
Moreover, recently new applications have been introduced that enable POS transactions to be conducted using mobile phones and tablets. New entrants include Square, Intuit's GoPayments, and NCR Inc.'s Silver platform, ezyMART POS, ShopKeep POS, and GoPago. This is an important development, because in the United States alone, there are over 5 million small merchants who do not handle a large amount of transaction. As a result, they are very price sensitive toward the POS system and the payment system.
A major problem with these newer, mobile device centric systems is that they lack the necessary security. The more conventional systems described above suffer from higher cost, and limited flexibility. Another issue with these conventional systems the material flow, e.g., the process around reading the bar code on an item, and the payment process are two separate processes run by different applications.

Systems and methods for integrated, secure point-of-sale transactions having an adjustable base station


A stable, acidic disinfectant all-purpose liquid cleaning composition, free of detergent builders and substantially free of organic solvents, comprising a mixture of acid stable water-soluble and water-dispersible nonionic surfactants, organic acid and a water soluble, acid stable disinfectant compound in an aqueous medium. The composition spreads quickly and provides good detergency with efficient penetration of soils while maintaining a high level of disinfectant activity. A soil releasing agent may also be included in the composition in order to provide easier cleaning of the treated surface during subsequent cleaning operations. The composition is particularly effective for cleaning soap scum and mineral deposits from hard surfaces such as grout, ceramic tile, stainless steel and glass.

The prior art is replete with liquid all purpose hard surface cleaning compositions which are generally comprised of two types. The first type is a particulate aqueous suspension having water-insoluble abrasive particles suspended therein, which particles are palpable. Some of the cleaners of this type suffer a stability problem while others have received poor acceptance by consumers because of their "gritty" feel which causes many people to be reluctant to use them for fear of scratching the surface to be cleaned. The second type is the liquid detergent without suspended abrasive and this latter type is often preferred by consumers. While the liquid hard surface cleaner without abrasives is generally a mixture of a surfactant and builder salt in an aqueous medium, the product formulations in the market place have varied widely in composition.
The presence of builder salts as an essential ingredient in all purpose hard surface cleaning compositions to improve cleaning and to maintain an alkaline pH range, is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,576,738 and 4,597,887, and in European Patent Application Nos. 0165885 and 0080749 and in UK Patent Application No. 2166153A.
However, these prior art all-purpose liquid detergents containing detergent builder salts or other equivalents tend to leave films, spots or streaks on cleaned unrinsed surfaces, particularly shiny surfaces such as glass or stainless steel. Thus, such liquids require thorough rinsing of the cleaned surfaces which is a time-consuming chore for the user.
In order to overcome the problem of rinsing associated with the prior art all-purpose liquids, U.S. Pat. No. 4,017,409 teaches that paraffin sulfonate with a reduced concentration of inorganic phosphate builder salt may be employed. However, such compositions are often unacceptable from an environmental point of view based upon the phosphate content. Phosphate-free all-purpose liquids have been disclosed which contain a major proportion of a mixture of anionic and nonionic detergents with minor amounts of glycol ether solvent and organic amine as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,935,130. This approach has not been completely satisfactory due to excessive foaming from the high levels of organic detergents necessary to achieve cleaning and due to deposition of soap residue on the cleaned surfaces, leading to residual streaks and spots.
In order to overcome the disadvantages associated with the builder salts, Japanese Patent Kokai No. 52-77111 and European Patent Application No. 0,151,517 have used organic acids to improve detergency of builder-free detergent compositions. These compositions also contain an organic solvent as an essential ingredient which functions to dissolve greasy soil and soap scum, i.e., to improve detergency. Japanese Patent No. 52-77111 uses one or more organic acids selected from the group consisting of glycolic acid, lactic acid, citric acid, malic acid and malonic acid. European Patent Application No. 0,151,517 uses at least one water-soluble dicarboxylic acid having a 5-7 carbon chain length, which includes glutaric, adipic and pimelic acids.
The inclusion of a grease-removing organic solvent in an all purpose liquid cleaner composition for the degreasing of hard surfaces, is also disclosed in the above cited patents as well as others. Cleaning compositions containing a high boiling water-miscible organic solvent such as propylene glycol or ethylene glycol-monobutyl ether are disclosed in GB Patent No. 2166153A; a binary solvent system of Pinane and an ethylene glycol--or propylene glycol--monoethyl or monobutyl ether is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,576,738 and 4,597,887; a dual solvent system of dipropylene glycol methyl ether and mineral spirits is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,673,524; and a propylene glycol monomethyl ether and/or dipropylene glycol monomethyl ether as a penetrant to penetrate road film is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,670,171.
The prior art also discloses acidic liquid cleaning compositions containing organic solvents. A microemulsion-based acid composition containing phosphoric ester surfactants, hydrocarbon solvents and phosphoric acid for use as an all-purpose metal surface cleaner is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,540,448. U.S. Pat. No. 4,501,680 discloses an acidic liquid detergent for cleaning ceramic tiles without eroding the grout between the tiles. This composition contains two acids (i.e., glutaric acid and phosphoric acid), a nonionic surfactant, and an organic solvent.
However, none of the above-cited prior art, including the acidic all purpose cleaners, provides cleaning compositions which simultaneously disinfect the hard surfaces being cleaned.
However, non-acidic disinfectant compositions containing the combination of a quaternary ammonium germicidal compound and a nonylphenolethylene oxide condensate in an aqueous solution are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,017,278 for use in sterilizing medical and dental instruments and in U.S. Pat. No. 3,052,604 for direct application to human and animal tissue surfaces to promote wound healing.
Also, U.S. Pat. No. 3,223,643 discloses a liquid acid detergent-sanitizer composition of pH 2.5-3.5 containing phosphoric acid, a C.sub.8 -C.sub.18 alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride sanitizer, and an alkylaryl polyether alcohol having about 5 to 7.5 ethylene oxide units. The nonionic detergent and the quaternary ammonium compound are in a 1:1 ratio in the disclosed compositions.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,661,523 discloses a concentrated acidic disinfectant composition having a pH of 3.5-4 which contains a synergistic bactericidal mixture of aldehydes and a quaternary ammonium compound, phosphonocarboxylic acid, and an amino-polycarboxylic acid salt, in an aqueous or aqueous-organic solvent vehicle.
German Patent Appln. No. 3445901 discloses a disinfectant agent concentrate in an aqueous or aqueous-organic solvent medium containing a synergistic mixture of hydrogen peroxide, a quaternary ammonium compound, a biguanide as the antimicrobial disinfectant agent, a complexing agent such as alkane poly-phosphonic acids and salts thereof to stabilize the hydrogen peroxide, an acid such as boric acid or phosphoric acid in an amount to provide a pH of 3-7 and optionally a nonionic and/or amphoteric surfactant.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,223,643, U.S. Pat. No. 4,661,523 and German Patent Appln. No. 3445901 are all acidic disinfecting cleaners. However, all of these prior art compositions incorporate phosphate acids and consequently have associated problems concerning environmental safety.
None of the above-mentioned disinfectant cleaning compositions provide a stable acidic disinfectant all-purpose liquid cleaning composition with improved removal of soap scum in the absence of detergent builders, organic solvents and phosphate compounds. In addition, unlike the cleaning compositions of the present invention, the prior art compositions are unable to provide a cleaned surface such that the removal of soil during subsequent cleanings is significantly enhanced.

Acidic disinfectant all-purpose liquid cleaning composition


Methods of assessing, such as characterizing or determining, condensate-associated characteristics of a compound, such as a test compound, and applications thereof are provided. For example, methods of determining a partition characteristic of a test compound in a target condensate, methods of determining a relative partition characteristic of a test compound in a target condensate, and methods of determining a condensate preference profile of a test compound are provided. Additionally, methods of designing and/or identifying and/or making a compound, or portion thereof, with a desired relative condensate partition characteristic are provided.

In addition to membrane-bound organelles, such as mitochondria, lysosomes, and the endoplasmic reticulum, cells contain distinct sub-compartments that do not comprise a membrane between them and their immediate surrounding solution. Numerous of these membrane-less molecular assemblies have been shown to be formed through a process termed liquid-liquid phase separation or condensation. During this process, a solution comprising biological macromolecules separates into different phases, a condensate that is enriched in some of those macromolecules and a surrounding phase that is relatively depleted in those macromolecules. A number of cellular condensates have been recognized. In addition, phase-separated condensates can be formed outside of the cell, such as in solution or extracellularly (Alberti et al., J Mol Biol, 430(23), 2018, 4806-4820; Muiznieks et al., J Mol Biol, 430(23), 2018, 4741-4753). However, little or nothing is known about the mechanisms governing the partitioning of compounds into or the exclusion of compounds from condensates or the differences in the partitioning of compounds among various condensates.
Various condensates are known to be important for modulating cellular processes. For example, a condensate can bring together molecules at an elevated concentration to accelerate reactions inside the condensate or can sequester molecules in the condensate, reducing their concentration in the surrounding medium. Aberrant condensate function has also been implicated in various human diseases, such as neurodegenerative and proliferative diseases (Naumann et al., Nat Commun, 9(1), 2018, 335; Wegmann et al., EMBO J, 37(7), 2018, e98049; Aguzzi et al., Trends Cell Biol, 26(7), 2016, 547-558). However, in addition to the lack of understanding of the mechanisms governing condensate partitioning of compounds, there is little or nothing known regarding how to identify test compounds that interact with condensates, how to design compounds to improve interactions with condensates, and how such information can be used to improve treatment of diseases.
All references cited herein, including patent applications and publications, are incorporated by reference in their entirety.

Methods of characterizing condensate-associated characteristics of compounds and uses thereof


An apparatus for adjusting a location of an optical element includes: a first barrel having a hollow cylindrical shape; a second barrel having a hollow cylindrical shape to support the optical element and rotatably coupled to the first barrel; a distance maintaining unit installed between the first barrel and the second barrel in a first region of the first barrel and maintaining a distance between the first barrel and the second barrel in the first region when the second barrel rotates relative to the first barrel; and a guiding unit installed between the first barrel and the second barrel in a second region of the first barrel and guiding a movement of the second barrel to change a relative position of the second barrel with respect to the first barrel in the second region when the second barrel rotates relative to the first barrel.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an apparatus for adjusting a position of an optical element, and more particularly, to an apparatus for precisely adjusting a position of an optical element, the apparatus including a distance maintaining unit and a guiding unit.
2. Description of the Related Art
In an optical system having optical elements such as a lens or an optical filter, it is essential to precisely adjust positions of the optical elements after the optical elements are assembled. In a precision optical system, it is difficult to achieve satisfactory optical performance by simply assembling optical elements.
When an optical system is assembled, an error in axial positions of lenses may occur due to weight of lenses or position deviation of other parts of the optical system, or a central axis of a lens may deviate from or be inclined with respect to an optical axis. Accordingly, in order to improve the resolution of the optical system, after the optical system is assembled, in general, the tilt of the lens is adjusted, a central axis of the lens is adjusted to coincide with an optical axis, or focusing is performed.
Such an operation for adjusting a position of a lens is quite complex. Also, additional mechanical equipment using set screws, washers, or springs may need to be attached to the optical system in order to adjust the position of the lens, thereby increasing the size and complexity of the optical system.

Apparatus for adjusting position of optical element


An engine insert having an insert appendage that projects outwardly from the insert body in a direction away from the seat face, into an engine, such as to form an engine finger void between the appendage and the insert axis, in which engine finger void a finger of engine material may be positioned between the insert appendage and the insert axis.

This invention relates generally to internal combustion engine inserts, and more specifically, to a valve seat configuration and installation process that establishes secure seat retention in an engine where the engine and seat have dissimilar coefficients of expansion.
The field of manufacturing internal combustion engines has slowly developed over the past two centuries. Today, various materials are used in the engines and the engine components in an attempt to reduce weight, dissipate heat, and increase durability and reliability. For a long time the sealing surface of the intake and exhaust valves have employed special materials for the valves and perimeter of the manifold opening, known as a seat, to ensure proper selective fluid flow and sealing. With varied materials come varied physical properties, some which are desired, such as durability and heat dissipation, and some that are not desirable, such as differing thermal expansion. In particular, different coefficients of thermal expansion of the engine material of the part of the engine where the seat is placed and the seat material has been a problem to the field for a long time.
When the engine in which the seat is seated and the seat have differing coefficients of expansion, when the engine gets hot it expands at a different rate than the seat. Additionally, when the engine and seat get extremely cold, and then are started, the parts heat at different rates. In either scenario seats may become loose and interfere with the function of the valve and pistons, causing severe damage. Even recently, a major engine builder noted difficulty with "seats loosening up and dropping out in some of its late model 4.7 liter and 5.7 liter . . . engines" in an article in "Engine Builder Magazine," entitled "Valve Seat Selection, Finishing & Materials." This is in spite of the industry accepted best practice of heating the engine to over 200 degrees in a furnace, while chilling the seats with dry ice or liquid nitrogen, in order to press-fit the temporarily shrunk seat into the temporarily enlarged bore in the engine. Even with this augmented interference fit, experts in the field are still experiencing difficulties.
Prior solutions have looked to include a threaded interface between the seat and the engine, but such configurations are found to creep apart during expansion and contraction cycles. Alternative prior solutions have looked at deformation of the seat upon insertion into the engine, but such configurations are found to also creep apart during expansion and contraction cycles. Additionally, a material malable enough to deform will deform again under operational conditions.
It would be an improvement to the field of art to have the valve seat and engine design where the interference fit between the engine and the seat does not greatly diminish with extreme temperatures and the rapid change in temperatures.

Secure engine insert and process for installing


A power on reset circuit applied to a gate driver of a display apparatus is disclosed. The power on reset circuit is coupled between an operating voltage and a ground terminal. The power on reset circuit includes an output terminal, a first transistor, a second transistor, a resistor, and a buffer circuit. The first transistor is coupled between the operating voltage and a first node. A gate of first transistor is coupled to the first node. The second transistor is coupled between the operating voltage and the first node. A gate of second transistor is coupled to the ground terminal. The resistor is coupled between the first node and ground terminal. The buffer circuit is coupled between the first node and output terminal and outputs a reset signal through the output terminal. A second threshold voltage of second transistor is larger than a first threshold voltage of first transistor.

Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a gate driver of a display apparatus, especially to a power on reset circuit applied to the gate driver of the display apparatus.
Description of the Related Art
Please refer to FIG. 1. FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of a conventional power on reset circuit. As shown in FIG. 1, the power on reset circuit 1 is applied to the gate driver of the display apparatus; the power on reset circuit 1 is coupled between an operating voltage VDD and a ground terminal GND and the power on reset circuit 1 is used to output a reset signal RESET. Wherein, a P-type transistor MP1 is coupled between the operating voltage VDD and a node A and a gate electrode of the P-type transistor MP1 is coupled to the ground terminal GND; a plurality of N-type transistors MN1˜MN4 are coupled in series between the node A and the ground terminal GND and gate electrodes of the plurality of N-type transistors MN1˜MN4 are all coupled to the operating voltage VDD; a plurality of inverters INV1˜INV4 are coupled in series between the node A and an output terminal OUT of the power on reset circuit 1; gate electrodes of the plurality of N-type transistors MN5˜MN8 are coupled between the node A and the inverter INV1, between the inverters INV1 and INV2, between the inverters INV2 and INV3 and between the inverters INV3 and INV4 respectively; source electrodes and drain electrodes of the plurality of N-type transistors MN5˜MN8 are all coupled to the ground terminal GND.
However, as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, when the power is turned off, if the operating voltage VDD is only decreased from 3.3 volts to 0.5 volts instead of being decreased to 0 volt, the reset signal RESET outputted by the power on reset circuit 1 may be decreased to 0 volt as shown in FIG. 2 or maintained at 0.5 volts as shown in FIG. 3. Once the reset signal RESET is maintained at 0.5 volts as shown in FIG. 3, when the power is turned on again, the operating voltage VDD will be increased from 0.5 volts to 3.3 volts and the reset signal RESET will be also increased from 0.5 volts to 3.3 volts with the operating voltage VDD.
Since the reset signal RESET is not decreased to 0 volt, when the power is turned on again, the reset function may be failed, and this may cause the incorrect initial state of the inner circuit of the gate driver and the abnormality of its operation and function. Especially, when the transistor having high threshold voltage VTN or |VTP| is used in the power on reset circuit 1, this reset failure may be easily occurred in certain combinations of manufacturing processes, temperatures and voltages, and the entire operation performance of the gate driver of the display apparatus will be seriously affected.
Therefore, the invention provides a power on reset circuit applied to the gate driver of the display apparatus to solve the above-mentioned problems.

Power on reset circuit applied to gate driver of display apparatus


A closure ring for use with an open head drum utilizes a reduced diameter portion proximal each end thereof to increase the force required to draw the end of the ring together about the drum head and an associated lid and gasket, thereby increasing the compressive force applied to the gasket in the reduced diameter region resulting in greater sealing effect at the junction of the ring ends.

Open head drums are commonly used as storage and transportation containers in many industries in the U.S. and Europe. Such drums are relatively easy to clean or recondition and thus are generally reusable. One problem that open head drums have is the difficulty in forming a proper seal about the top of the drum. Typically, open head drums have an outwardly rolled upper edge which is engaged by a lid which has an annular seat formed thereon. The seat rests atop a gasket intermediate the drum and the lid. A closure ring is placed over the lid and drum rim and tightened to maintain the sealing pressure on the gasket. The closure ring is a split ring which is secured on the drum head by one of various means for urging the ends of the ring toward each other. The weakness in the seal lies at the junction of the split ring. Open head drums must undergo drop tests wherein the drums are dropped from a height of at least four feet. The internal and external forces generated by the sudden deceleration upon impact typically cause leakage at the junction. Prior attempts to alleviate the problem have been to reinforce the lid at the junction as in U.S. Pat. No. 4,646,931 or to place a protective cover over the junction as in U.S. Pat. No. 3,587,700. Neither attempt has been successful; therefore, this attempt attacks the problem differently. There remains a need for a closure ring which reduces the vulnerability of the seal at the ring junction.