A method and system for battery management for a mobile geofence apparatus. Location information for a vehicle, temperature information for the vehicle and battery information for the internal battery on the mobile geofence apparatus is automatically, continuously and periodically collected and sent during a connection interval in real-time to an external network server network device via a communications network for tracking the vehicle in real-time. The battery information is displayed on the mobile geofence apparatus for a viewer and is also sent to an external server network device for display to a viewer. Internal battery usage is automatically managed internally on the mobile geofence apparatus using the collected location, battery and temperature information. The internal battery on the mobile geofence apparatus is also automatically managed externally via the external server network device using the collected location, battery and temperature information.

Impound yards are used to store vehicles that have been towed away by private companies, at the request of law enforcement, at the request of a car dealer, at the request of finance companies, etc.
A "geofence" is a virtual geographic boundary, defined by Global Positioning System (GPS), Radio Frequency Identifier (RFID) technology or other wireless location technologies that enables a response to be triggered when a mobile geofencing apparatus enters or leaves the geographic boundary of an actual area (e.g., car lot, impound lot, homeowner driveway, etc.) and when it is necessary to track to a desired vehicle during transport or during a repossession event.
A "mobile geofence apparatus" is a mobile network device that is powered by an internal battery that attached to a vehicle (e.g., car, truck, boat, aircraft, watercraft, snow machine, etc.) that provides the location of the vehicle in real-time (e.g., every 1-2 seconds).
There are several problems associated with the internal batteries associated with mobile geofence apparatus. One problem is that in climates including warm and humid weather, and extreme cold weather, the operational lifetime of the internal batteries are reduced. However, currently there is no technology available on the mobile geofencing apparatus itself or remotely via the Internet or other network to determine when a battery needs to be replaced.
Another problem is that there is no easy way to estimate and calculate battery usage for given temperature/humidity situation.
Another problem is that there is no easy way to determine an ambient temperature of a battery in a mobile geofence apparatus.
Another problem is that there no easy way to determine how changing a reporting frequency for the mobile geofencing apparatus affects an ambient temperature of the battery. For example, during a repossession event, it may be desired for the mobile geofencing apparatus to report a current location of a vehicle every one-to-two seconds instead of once an hour, etc. Such frequent reporting can significantly reduce the battery life and battery charge of an internal battery.
Another problem is that there is no easy way to adjust battery usage when a voltage level of an internal battery mobile geofencing apparatus falls below a pre-determined critical voltage level.
Another problem is that there is no easy way to estimate a current location of a vehicle if the internal battery mobile geofencing apparatus falls below a pre-determined critical voltage level or is in an area with no or limited network connectivity to provide current temperature and location data.
Another problem is that there is not a graphical battery meter on mobile geofencing apparatus or a graphical battery meter for any server network device the mobile geofencing apparatus connects to.
There are been attempts to solve some of the problems with battery management for geofencing devices.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,538,667 that issued to Koen teaches "A wireless device for facilitating for GPS-based asset tracking via a wireless communications network and a centralized management system. The wireless device includes dynamically configurable event profiles which allow the wireless device to be dynamically reconfigured and to perform certain actions based on a dynamically configurable combination of received events."
U.S. Pat. No. 7,940,173, that issued to Koen teaches "A wireless device for facilitating for GPS-based asset tracking via a wireless communications network and a centralized management system. The wireless device includes dynamically configurable event profiles which allow the wireless device to be dynamically reconfigured and to perform certain actions based on a dynamically configurable combination of received events."
U.S. Pat. No. 8,766,791, that issued to Koen et. al teaches "A wireless device for facilitating GPS-based asset tracking. The wireless device includes dynamically configurable event profiles which allow the wireless device to be dynamically reconfigured and to perform certain actions based on a dynamically configurable combination of received events. In addition, geofences with inherent aspects are used to trigger certain actions of the wireless device based on classes and attributes that define the inherent aspect."
U.S. Pat. No. 8,810,454 that issued to Cosman teaches "Embodiments enable geofencing applications and beacon watch lists. A computing device with at least a first processor and a second processor identifies a set of beacons associated with a geofence. The first processor consumes less power when operating than the second processor. The first processor is provided with the identified set of beacons. In beacon watch list embodiments, the first processor detects one or more beacons proximate to the computing device, compares the detected beacons with the provided set of beacons to determine whether the computing device is within the geofence, and updates a location status based on the comparison. In tiered geofencing implementations, the computing device switches among positioning modalities based on a distance from the computing device to the geofence to save power."
However, none of these problems solve of the problems associated with battery management of mobile geofencing devices. Thus, it is desirable to solve some of the problems associated with battery management of mobile geofencing devices.

Method and system for battery management for mobile geofencing devices


A controller (8) controlling a drive force distributed to each wheel (1-4) of a vehicle sets dynamic drive force target values (Fxf**, Fx3**, Fx4**) to the wheels, and determines a variation amount target ratio related to variation amounts (ΔM, ΔFx, ΔFy) of a vehicle yaw moment (M), a vehicle front/aft force (Fx), and a vehicle lateral force (Fy) such that a vehicle behavior generated by the dynamic drive force target values does not vary. The controller (8) determines sets of the drive forces (Fxf(j, k), Fx3(j, k), Fx4(j, k)) realizing the variation amount target ratio, selects drive force command values from these sets such that each drive force command value is within a drive force limiting range, and controls a drive force regulating mechanism (20, 12, 13, 15,16) according to the selected drive force command values.

JPH10-295004A published by the Japan Patent Office in 1998 discloses a drive force distribution control system for a four-wheel drive vehicle. The four-wheel drive vehicle includes a vehicle that drives a right rear wheel and a left rear wheel independently of each other while driving a right front wheel and a left front wheel via a differential gear, a vehicle that drives a right front wheel and a left front wheel independently of each other while driving a right rear wheel and a left rear wheel via a differential gear, and a vehicle that drives each of the four wheels independently.
The prior art system corrects a drive force of each wheel so as not to cause a variation in a yaw moment acting on the vehicle body when a tendency for slippage or wheel lock is detected in a wheel or plural wheels, or in other words when a drive force that can be transmitted from a wheel or plural wheels to the road surface is limited.
According to the prior art system, when a tendency for slippage or wheel lock is detected in any one wheel or plural wheels, a drive force of the corresponding wheel(s) is rendered to be zero. Further, the drive force is redistributed such that a sum total of all of the drive forces of the wheels and a difference in the drive forces of the right wheels and the left wheels does not vary.
If the drive force is thus redistributed, a front/aft force and a yaw moment about the center of gravity of the vehicle which are generated as the sum total of the drive forces acting on the wheels, can be maintained at the same values before and after the redistribution of the drive force even when the drive force that can be transmitted from a wheel or a plural wheels to the road surface is limited, thereby preventing the vehicle drive performance from deteriorating.

Vehicle drive force distribution control system


The embodiments presented herein include systems and methods for mitigating fatigue and fracture in mast-and-arm supporting structures caused by wind and other excitation forces. In particular, the embodiments presented herein utilize pre-stressed devices to reduce tensile stresses in arm-to-mast connections and/or mast-to-foundation connections of the traffic signal supporting structures. Present embodiments may employ stressed cables, post-tensioned bars (e.g., DYWIDAG bars), threaded rods, and so forth, to mitigate fatigue and fracture in the traffic signal supporting structures.

Support structures including a mast and arm component, such as a typical steel traffic signal supporting structure, are often subject to environmental forces that result in structural degradation and failure. For example, under excitation from wind, as well as traffic-induced drafting effects, traffic signal supporting structures often exhibit large amplitude vibrations that can result in reduced fatigue life of the arm-to-mast connections of these structures. The mechanism of the observed vibrations has been attributed to across-wind effects that lead to galloping of the signal clusters. The corresponding chaotic motion of the structural components leads to persistent stress and strain cycles that result in high cycle fatigue failure, particularly at the arm-to-mast connection. Various types of mitigation devices have been developed. Specifically, numerous devices have been directed to limiting stress cycles by increasing damping. However, it is now recognized that the effectiveness of these mitigation devices has been somewhat limited.

Traffic signal supporting structures and methods


A method and apparatus for determining the condition of a rechargeable battery determines a dynamic impedance of the battery while discharging the battery, and determines a battery condition category based on the dynamic impedance. The battery can be discharged in a manner that recovers the stored energy being discharged from the battery.

In organizations that depend on portable devices to conduct operations, it is valuable to be able to know the battery condition of the batteries used to power the portable devices, in addition to the state of charge. An example of such an organization would be a public safety organization, such as police, fire, and rescue, and an example of portable devices would be the portable two-way radios used by such people in conducting operations. Public safety personnel going on a deployment need to have fully charged batteries that are in good condition. Accordingly, it is beneficial if the state of charge and battery condition are easily discernible before going on a deployment. The state of charge is akin to a fuel gauge, indicating approximately the proportion of battery capacity remaining in the battery. The condition of the battery is indicative of its age, in terms of both cycle life (the number of charge/discharge cycles) and chronological age, in addition to the random degradation over time. Typically as rechargeable batteries age their maximum capacity diminishes and their internal impedance increases.
Some manufacturers have built in so called "fuel gauges" into rechargeable battery packs that track, internally, charging and discharging, as well as charge/discharge cycles. The fuel gauge can retain state of charge and condition information in a memory in the rechargeable battery pack that can be read by a device powered by the battery pack. However, many battery packs do not have a fuel gauge capability.
Without the constant and close monitoring of battery current, both discharge and charge, it is difficult to determine the state of charge of a battery pack. The best way to determine the capacity of given battery pack and to charge it fully is to discharge it to an end of discharge condition, and then charge it to a fully charged condition, as indicated by certain known criteria based on battery parameters such as changes in voltage, temperature, and current while charging. Once a battery pack has been discharged and recharged then the capacity of the battery pack can be determined and it is then known that the battery pack is fully charged. However, determining capacity and state of charge does not directly indicate the condition of the battery—a fully charged battery near the end of its cycle life does not have the same capacity as new battery with very few charge/discharge cycles. Furthermore, discharging batteries can generate considerable heat, particular in organizations with a large number of batteries. This heat represents a loss of energy.
Accordingly, there is a need for an apparatus and method for discharging a battery to determine its condition, and further to make use of the energy dissipated from a battery upon being discharged.
Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of embodiments of the present invention.
The apparatus and method components have been represented where appropriate by conventional symbols in the drawings, showing only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present invention so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein.

Apparatus and method for discharging a battery and determining a condition of the battery


A system and method for combining at least two similarly managed credit accounts into a single ONE card account is described. The system identifies a given cardholder having a plurality of similarly managed credit accounts. Generates a single ONE card account for the given cardholder. Incorporates the plurality of similarly managed credit accounts into the single ONE card account. Manages any future transactions for each of the plurality of similarly managed credit accounts via the single ONE card account. Provides, to the given cardholder, a single ONE card account statement, the single ONE card account statement containing information previously provided separately by each of the plurality of similarly managed credit accounts.

Brands often use private label credit accounts, reward programs, and the like to promote customer shopping, loyalty, sales, and related interaction. However, a smaller retailer or brand may not find private label accounts to be cost effective. Further, as technology changes, there are costs that are necessitated to update point-of-sale systems, and the like. For a brand with a large number of stores, such upgrade costs can also be prohibitive and cause the brand to fall behind technologically, which can drive tech savvy customers to a different brand.


A distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant named xe2x80x98Rosy Yodenisexe2x80x99, characterized by its upright, outwardly spreading and mounded plant habit; freely branching habit; uniform and freely flowering habit; decorative-type inflorescences; red purple-colored ray florets; and natural season flowering in mid-October in the Northern Hemisphere.

Botanical classification/cultivar designation: Chrysanthemumxc3x97morifolium cultivar Rosy Yodenise.
The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant, botanically known as Chrysanthemumxc3x97morifolium, commercially known as a garden-type Chrysanthemum and hereinafter referred to by the name xe2x80x98Rosy Yodenisexe2x80x99.
The new cultivar is a product of a mutation induction program conducted by the Inventor in Alva, Fla. The objective of the program is to create new garden-type Chrysanthemum cultivars having inflorescences with desirable inflorescence forms, attractive floret colors and good garden performance.
The new Chrysanthemum originated by exposing unrooted cuttings of the Chrysanthemum cultivar Autumn Denise, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 8,981, to X-ray radiation in June, 1999 in Alva, Fla. Following the radiation treatment, the cuttings were rooted and terminal apices were removed to promote lateral branch development. After lateral branches from the pinch reached sufficient size, terminal cuttings were harvested, planted and flowered in a controlled environment in Alva, Fla. The new Chrysanthemum was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant within this population in November, 1999. The selection of this plant was based on its desirable inflorescence form, attractive ray floret color and good garden performance.
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by terminal cuttings taken in a controlled environment in Alva, Fla. since January, 2000, has shown that the unique features of this new Chrysanthemum are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.
The cultivar Rosy Yodenise has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature, daylength and light intensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.
The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of xe2x80x98Rosy Yodenisexe2x80x99. These characteristics in combination distinguish xe2x80x98Rosy Yodenisexe2x80x99 as a new and distinct cultivar:
1. Upright, outwardly spreading and mounded plant habit.
2. Freely branching habit; dense and full plants.
3. Uniform and freely flowering habit.
4. Large decorative-type inflorescences.
5. Red purple-colored ray florets.
6. Natural season flowering in mid-October in the Northern Hemisphere.
Plants of the new Chrysanthemum are most similar to plants of the the cultivar Autumn Denise. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Alva, Fla., plants of the new Chrysanthemum differed from plants of the cultivar Autumn Denise in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum flowered about three to four days later than plants of the cultivar Autumn Denise.
2. Ray florets of the new Chrysanthemum were darker in color than ray florets of the cultivar Autumn Denise.
Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can also be compared to plants of the Chrysanthemum cultivar Denise, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 8,178. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Alva, Fla., plants of the new Chrysanthemum differed from plants of the cultivar Denise in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum flowered about two to three days later than plants of the cultivar Denise.
2. Ray florets of plants of the new Chrysanthemum were more red in color than ray florets of plants of the cultivar Denise.


A hot/cold water mixing faucet includes a conical bonnet fastened to the faucet body thereof at the top and fixed in position by a flush bolt, which has a longitudinal stop edge on the outside to limit the turning angle of the handle of the faucet, and a spring-supported stop member mounted on the handle and having a front stop bar stopped against the a low-level surface on the conical bonnet at one side of the longitudinal stop edge, whereby the conical bonnet can be set at the desired position closer to the hot water inlet or the cold water inlet, by means of controlling the flush bolt, so as to limit the maximum output water temperature within the desired range.

The present invention relates to a hot/cold water mixing faucet which can be adjusted to limit the maximum output water temperature within the desired range.
Various hot/cold water faucets have been disclosed, and have appeared on the market. A conventional hot/cold water faucet is generally comprised of a hot water inlet and a cold water inlet controlled by a respective handle via a respective valve stem. This structure of hot/cold water faucet is not practical in use because the control of output water temperature must be made by adjusting the two handles.
There is disclosed another structure of hot/cold water faucet which is controlled by a single handle. When the handle is lifted, the output port of the faucet is opened, and the output water temperature can be easily controlled by turning the handle in either direction. When the handle is lifted and turned to the left limit, the temperature of the output flow of water is at the highest level; on the contrary, when the handle is lifted and turned to the right limit, the temperature of the output flow of water is at the lowest level. Because the most commonly used home water heaters are controlled by a water ignition system, the flow of water will be quickly heated to the desired temperature when the water outlet of the water supply system which passes through a water ignition type water heater is opened. Therefore, one may scald oneself with hot water when the handle of the hot/cold water faucet is lifted from the left limit position, and a burning accident may happen when a young child play the handle of the hot/cold water faucet.
In order to eliminate the aforesaid problem, there is still another structure of hot/cold water faucet which uses a complicated temperature control device to control the temperature of the output flow of water. This structure of hot/cold water faucet allows the user to set the desired water temperature. However, this structure of hot/cold water faucet is very expensive (about three times over the cost of a regular hot/cold water faucet), and the complicated temperature control device may be damaged easily due to unstable water pressure.
A normal home water heater can heat water over 75.degree. C. However, in normal conditions, the optimum water temperature for washing and bathing is maintained within 35.degree. C. to 40.degree. C. Therefore, it is practical to limit the maximum output water temperature of a hot/cold water within a suitable range.

Hot/cold water mixing faucet with water temperature control

No. 29 Pyi-Tou Lane, Ding-Fan Li Lu Kang Cheng


A plasma display panel including a gas adsorption member is disclosed. An effort of gas adsorption is obtained sufficiently, and the presence of the gas adsorption member avoids problems at an exhausting operation in exhaust-baking step. The plasma display panel includes a pair of plates opposed to each other with an enclosed discharge space in between. The pair of plates refer to a front plate and a back plate, and at least one of the plates has a communication hole, around which the gas adsorption member having a hole is disposed.

A plasma display panel (hereinafter referred to simply as "PDP") has drawn attention recently as a display panel excellent in visibility. The PDP can be grouped into AC-driven PDP and DC-driven PDP from the viewpoint of a driving method, or surface-discharge PDP and opposed-discharge PDP from the viewpoint of a discharge method. However, the present growing trend of higher resolution, larger screen and simpler fabrication makes the AC-driven and surface discharge PDP go mainstream.
The AC-driven and surface-discharge PDP comprises the following elements:                a front plate including plural display electrodes formed of scan electrodes and sustain electrodes; and        a back plate including plural data electrodes.The front plate confronts the back plate with barrier ribs in between such that the display electrodes intersect with the data electrodes at right angles and a discharge space is formed therein. Discharge cells (a unit of emitting area) are formed at respective intersections of display electrodes and the data electrodes, and each one of the discharge cells includes a phosphor layer.
Application of a voltage between the display electrodes and the data electrodes generates discharge, and the phosphor layer is irradiated with ultraviolet rays resulting from the discharge, thereby producing visible light, which results in displaying a video.
In the steps of manufacturing the foregoing PDP, there is an exhaust-baking step for exhausting impurity gas outside a PDP. To be more specific, while a PDP is heated, the PDP is exhausted of air via an exhausting hole which is disposed on the back plate and communicates with the inside of the PDP. After this step, the discharge cells are filled with discharge gas. This procedure is disclosed at, e.g. pages 79-80, and pages 102-105 of "Everything about PDP" written by Messrs. Hiraki Uchiike and Shigeo Mikoshiba, and published from Industry Investigation Inc. on May 1, 1997.
A degasser (getter), i.e. gas adsorption member, is disposed in the vicinity of the exhausting hole for exhausting the PDP of air to a higher degree of vacuum in a shorter time, and the exhaust-baking step with the degasser results in more effective exhaust. In such a case, the degasser is placed in a space formed between the back plate and a pedestal of an exhausting pipe surrounding the exhausting hole. When the exhaust-backing step is carried out in the foregoing structure, the exhausting hole can be closed or clog with the degasser depending on a location of the degasser. As a result, the exhaust sometimes does not work functionally.
In case of such a trouble, the manufacturing operation of PDP must be temporarily halted, which causes an operation loss or reduces the yield because PDPs having insufficient degassing effect are produced.
The present invention addresses the problems discussed above, and aims to provide PDPs equipped with a degasser producing sufficient gas adsorption effort and free from problems at the exhaust-baking step.

Plasma display panel having a gas adsorption member


A method and system for adding a notification to an error message. A first node and a second node are positioned in a communication network, and the first node is different from the second node. The first node is configured to process a network message before sending the network message to the second node. The first node encounters an error when processing the network message, and, before sending the network message to the second node, writes a reason of the error in a header section of the network message. The first node is configured to send the network message to the second node with the header section.

Calls, messages, etc., over a network traverse a multitude of nodes. At any given point of time, any one of the nodes may generate an error due to multiple reasons. For example, the errors may be due to a problem with the request, the node's own error, an unauthorized request, a provisioning error, etc. These error responses, as shown in FIG. 1, may be sent back to a user equipment (UE) 102 through multiple nodes in between. For example, if an error occurs in the middle of a voice call, the error will be sent through all the nodes to an originating UE 102 as well as a terminated UE 104 to clear up the call.
In another example, if there is a problem with originating UE's 102 request, the error response gets sent back to just the originating UE 102.
This seemingly typical process, unfortunately, causes a network management or analysis issue due to lack of clarity. For example, if a telephony application server (TAS) on the terminated side of the UE 104 sends an error message, and the error message reaches all the way to the originating proxy call session control function (P-CSCF), when a network administrator reviews counters or key performance indicators (KPIs), the network administrator is unable to discern whether it was the P-CSCF that generated the error or another entity. The only way to find out would be to look at the individual end-to-end trace to identify the source of the error, which impairs the ability to evaluate and judge network performance holistically.
Therefore, embodiments attempt to create a technical solution to address the deficiencies of the challenges above.

System and method for enhancing identification of network node initiator errors


Embodiments of the present invention provide an electrical contact assembly that includes a main body, contact legs, and an interlocking member. The main body is configured to receive and retain a wire. The contact legs are configured to mate with a mating structure, and the interlocking member limits spreading of the contact legs.

Electrical connectors or contacts are used in many, if not all, electrical assemblies or systems. FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate top and lateral elevational views, respectively, a conventional electrical contact assembly 10. The electrical contact assembly 10 includes a main body 12, a terminal latch 14, and an assist spring 16 secured to, and/or around, contact legs 18.
The main body 12 includes a U-shaped housing 20 that is adapted to receive a wire (not shown). The U-shaped housing 20 is crimped around the wire to secure the wire to the electrical contact assembly 10.
The contact legs 18 and the assist spring 16 are distally located from the main body 12. The contact legs 18 are configured to receive a mating contact (not shown), and the assist spring 16 surrounds the contact legs 18 to provide structural strength and integrity. That is, the assist spring 16 acts to limit outward spreading of the contact legs 18.
When the contact legs 18 receive a mating contact, the contact legs 18 spread apart. The assist spring 16 exerts an inwardly-directed force into the contact legs 18 to assist in maintaining the structural integrity of the contact legs 18 so that the contact legs 18 maintain contact with the mating contact.
The resilient terminal latch 14 snapably or latchably connects to the contact legs 18 and/or the main body 12. The latch 14 moves inward during assembly and returns to its original position once assembled, thereby securing to the main body 12.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the electrical contact assembly 10 includes three separate and distinct components. That is, the electrical contact assembly 10 includes the main body 12 integrally connected to the contact legs 18, and the separate latch 14 and the separate assist spring 16. The separate and distinct components of the electrical contact assembly add undesirable manufacturing and assembly costs.
Additionally, the contact legs 18 and the assist spring 16 do not always maintain even contact with the mating contact. As the contact legs 18 receive the mating contact, the contact legs 18 are susceptible to separating in such a way that the contact legs 18 do not engage the reciprocal or counterpart mating contacts. Further, the contact legs 18 may separate unevenly and do not always remain parallel to one another during mating. For example, the top portions 22 of the contact legs 18 may spread farther apart than the bottom portions 24 of the contact legs 18 during a mating process, thereby engaging the reciprocal mating contact unevenly. Uneven mating between the contact legs 18 and the reciprocal mating structure may result in arcing, loss of power, and/or poor performance of a system including the electrical contact assembly 10.
Thus, a need exists for a more reliable electrical contact assembly that is cheaper and easier to manufacture and assemble. Further, a need exists for an electrical contact assembly that is configured to safely, securely, and evenly mate with a reciprocal or counterpart mating contact.


A network management apparatus 20 includes a line condition determination unit (203) and an improvement information generation unit (204). The line condition determination unit (203) receives a line communication condition of network equipment (31) and determines as to whether or not the line communication condition satisfies a predetermined condition. The line condition determination unit (203) notifies the improvement information generation unit (204) when the predetermined condition is satisfied. The improvement information generation unit (204) obtains operation information relating to the network equipment (31). After the improvement information generation unit (204) has received the notification from the line condition determination unit (203), the improvement information generation unit (204) generates and outputs improvement information that describes means for improving the line condition of the network equipment (31) based on the operation information. Thus, it is possible to offer the means for improving a radio line condition without requiring user's time and effort.

In recent years, a network management apparatus that manages Network Equipment (NE) which is connected to mobile phone base stations and the like has been widely used. This network management apparatus has a function to manage, for example, a radio line usage rate of each piece of network equipment and the like. When the radio line usage rate of each piece of network equipment is high (e.g. greater than or equal to a certain threshold), it is desirable to improve the line usage rate.
As a technique relating to the improvement of the radio line usage rate, there is, for example, the following literature. Patent Literature 1 discloses a network control apparatus that can switch communication schemes while effectively using radio resources. Further, Patent Literature 2 discloses an apparatus for trading a right to use electric communication equipment that can share an electric communication equipment capacity with another communication company when there is a deficiency of electric communication equipment capacity.

Network management apparatus, line condition improvement method, and non-transitory computer readable medium storing program


Approaches relating to customer service management for recurring revenue assets are described. A CSM application or other CSM software tool (or set of tools) can include features relating to customer lifecycles, product usage, and/or customer success, each of which can be monitored based on various analytical measures, metrics, indicators, etc. provided by one or more analytical engines. Systems, methods, computer program products, and the like are described.

Customer success management (CSM) is a growing field characterized by efforts to predict customer behavior and ideally influence it in a manner that increases the likelihood for additional future sales. A key tenet of many CSM approaches is that it is generally easier to keep an existing customer happy (or ideally sell additional goods or services to an existing customer) than it is to create a new customer. For example, customers who do not use a purchased product or service (or, alternatively, who use only a small subset of features of a product or service) are unlikely to renew (customer retention), and customers who make heavy use of a product may be good targets for up-selling and/or cross-selling or additional or higher value products or services.
Customer success management of recurring revenue streams (e.g. contracts and the like for recurring revenue assets) can present a number of challenges that differ in substantial and important ways from the typical focus of the sales staff of a commercial entity. As used herein, a recurring revenue asset can generally refer to one or more of maintenance and/or support agreements for software or hardware, service covered products, service contracts, subscription agreements, warranties, renewables, or the like.

User interface and underlying data analytics for customer success management


A disk drive is disclosed comprising a head actuated over a disk comprising a plurality of tracks. The head comprises a touchdown element operable to generate a touchdown signal. The touchdown signal is amplified by a gain to generate an amplified touchdown signal, and a touchdown event is detected by comparing the amplified touchdown signal to a threshold. During a calibration operation, the gain is adjusted and the threshold is adjusted until the amplified touchdown signal does not exceed the threshold. During a normal operation, the touchdown event is detected based at least partly on the adjusted gain and the adjusted threshold.

Disk drives comprise a disk and a head connected to a distal end of an actuator arm which is rotated about a pivot by a voice coil motor (VCM) to position the head radially over the disk. The disk typically comprises a number of concentric data tracks each partitioned into a number of data sectors. Access operations are performed by seeking the head to a target data track, and performing a write/read operation on the data sectors within the data track. The disk typically comprises embedded servo sectors having position information recorded therein, such as coarse position information (e.g., a track address) and fine position information (e.g., servo bursts). A servo controller processes the servo sectors to position the head over the target data track.
Each data sector is typically assigned a physical block address (PBA) which is accessed indirectly through a logical block address (LBA) to facilitate mapping out defective data sectors. A PBA associated with defective data sectors may simply remain unmapped if found during manufacturing, or if a data sector becomes defective while in-the-field (grown defect), the LBA may be remapped to the PBA of a spare data sector (and the data relocated to the spare data sector). The process of initially mapping the LBAs to PBAs and mapping out defective PBAs is referred to as "formatting" the disk. The head may be fabricated with a suitable touchdown sensor, such as a suitable magnetoresistive sensor, which may be used to detect defects on the disk, such as thermal asperities. It may be desirable to calibrate the sensitivity of the touchdown sensor in order to maximize the detection of truly defective data sectors as well as minimize the number of false detections that leads to unnecessary remapping of good data sectors.
While the disk drive is deployed in the field, the touchdown sensor may also be used to abort write operations. Since a touchdown event may degrade the quality of written data, and may also cause an off-track corruption of previously written data, a write operation may be aborted and retried when a touchdown event is detected. It may be desirable to calibrate the sensitivity of the touchdown sensor so that true touchdown events are detected, and so that false touchdown events are minimized, thereby maintaining the integrity of written data as well as an acceptable performance level by avoiding unnecessary retry operations.

Disk drive calibrating threshold and gain of touchdown sensor


A system, method and device may include triggering a direct connection setup based on one or more communication parameters communicated with a mobile device via a fixed device. It may be determined whether the mobile device is a peer. The quality of service with the mobile device via the fixed device may be compared with quality of service of a mobile device via a direct link. A channel for the direct link may be selected and information may be sent to the mobile device over the direct link via the channel.

Stations often communicate via a fixed device in a wireless local area network. However, two stations communicating over the same wireless infrastructure may set up a direct link for communication. While the direct link for communication may be beneficial, many issues, such as, when to set up and/or when to terminate a direct link, are unresolved.

Method and apparatus for autonomous peer discovery and enhancing link reliability for wireless peer direct links


A camera includes an image sensor, a lens, memory, and a controller. The lens is positioned to direct object light from a scene onto the image sensor. The memory is configured to store a camera-specific optical center of the lens relative to the image sensor. The camera-specific optical center is measured after a position of the lens is center fixed relative to a position of the image sensor. The controller is configured to acquire a raw image of the scene via the image sensor and generate a distortion corrected image from the raw image based on at least the camera-specific optical center.

A camera may produce images having distortion attributed to the camera's lens, as well as alignment between the camera's lens and the camera's image sensor. In most cases, distortion may increase with the field angle of the lens, such that a lens accepting a larger field of view is more susceptible to distortion than a lens with a smaller field of view.


An apparatus includes a primary processor and a secondary processor configured to receive a first signal, a second signal and a plurality of input signals, and perform same operations as each other based on the first signal, the second signal and the plurality of input signals, a comparison circuit configured to receive output signals of the primary processor and the secondary processor, and detect a lockstep mismatch between the primary processor and the secondary processor based on the output signals, a fault capturing circuit configured to receive the first signal and the second signal, and capture a fault signal generated by the comparison circuit, and a first glitch absorption device configured to receive the first signal and the second signal, and absorb glitches fed into the first glitch absorption device.

As the automotive industry continues to expand, and the volume of automobiles increases, there is a growing need for System-on-Chip (SoC) semiconductor devices designed for safety-critical applications. Reliability is a critical concern for meeting the safety requirements of a range of automotive applications including advanced driver assistance systems, electric power steering systems, adaptive cruise control systems, braking control systems and the like.
In the safety-critical applications, a system error may occur in a computer system. If this system error is not detected and promptly corrected, it may cause hangs and crashes in the computer system. A dual-core lockstep computer system is employed to detect the system error so as to prevent the computer system crashes from occurring.
The dual-core lockstep computer system comprises a primary hardware block (e.g., a primary processor) and a secondary hardware block (e.g., a secondary processor) configured to operate in lockstep. Both the primary processor and the secondary processor are configured to receive the same input data and execute the same instruction of a same program code at any given time. After execution of every instruction, the result from the primary processor is compared with the result of the secondary processor. If any mismatch is found in the results of these two processors, it indicates there is a fault in the computer system. Consequently, the computer system enters into a defined safe mode.
In the dual-core lockstep system, a reset function is employed to bring the logic to a predetermined state. The reset function may be either synchronous or asynchronous relative to the clock signal. Since the asynchronous reset does not have clock related latency, the asynchronous reset may be used to achieve a faster data path. The asynchronous reset, however, has some drawbacks. For example, with asynchronous reset, unintended glitches may be generated during the reset assertion process. The unintended glitches may propagate into various logic circuits of the dual-core lockstep system, thereby causing a fake failure. Such a fake failure may result in reliability issues in the dual-core lockstep system. It is desirable to have a simple and reliable glitch absorption apparatus to keep the dual-core lockstep system to operate reliably.


The present invention describes a novel process for the preparation of optically active (S)-(−)-2-(N-propylamino)-5-methoxytetraline and (S)-(−)-2-(N-propylamino)-5-hydroxytetraline compounds based on the optical resolution of mixtures of the enantiomers of 2-(N-propylamino)-5-methoxytetraline and 2-(N-propylamino)-5-hydroxytetraline respectively. This process comprises (a) reacting a mixture of the enantiomers of said compounds with an optically active organic acid to form diastereoisomeric salts and separating the salts by crystallization. Said compounds are useful in the preparation of (6S)-(−)-5,6,7,8-tetrahydro-6-[propyl-(2-thienyl)ethyl]amino-1-naphthol (Rotigotine). Rotigotine is a dopamine agonist and is indicated for the treatment of Parkinson's disease.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,564,628 describes alkyl derivatives of aminotetraline exhibiting dopaminergic activity. Among these compounds, (I) is found,

Subsequent studies, whose results are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,657,925, show that the dopaminergic action of enantiomer (6S)-(−)-5,6,7,8-tetrahydro-6-[propyl-(2-thienyl)ethyl]amino-1-naphthol, hereinafter referred to as S-(I), is up to 140 times higher than that of enantiomer (6R)-(+)-5,6,7,8-tetrahydro-6-[propyl-(2-thienyl)ethyl]amino-1-naphthol.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,885,308 describes the use of S-(I), active ingredient known as Rotigotine, for the treatment of Pakinson's disease.
There is, therefore, a need for a process to prepare an optically pure S-(I) enantiomer, which is free of the R-(I) enantiomer.
The processes described so far for the preparation of S-(I) are based on the preparation of intermediate compound (S)-2-(N-propylamino)-5-methoxytetraline, S-(II).
U.S. Pat. No. 4,657,925 discloses the preparation of (S)-2-(N-propylamino)-5-methoxytetraline, S-(II), by resolution of the corresponding racemic mixture. However, no details on the resolution process used are given.
Hoeve et al., J. Org. Chem., 1985, vol. 50, p. 4508-4515, describe the preparation of S-(II) by optical resolution of the racemic mixture by using chiral (R)-(+)-4-(2-chlorophenyl)-5,5-dimethyl-2-hydroxy-1,3,2-dioxaphosphorinano-2-oxide phosphoric acid as an agent for racemic resolution. This methodology is expensive and tedious since it requires the preparation of said agent, which in turn involves an optical resolution step.
Seiler et al., J. Med. Chem., 1986, vol. 29, p. 912-917, describe the preparation of S-(II) by propylation and subsequent debenzylation of (S)-(−)-2-(N-benzylamino)-5-methoxytetraline, a compound whose preparation is described by McDermed et al. J. Med. Chem., 1976, vol. 19, 4, 547-549, by reductive amination of 5-methoxytetralone with benzylamine, crystallization of the diastereoisomeric salt of (−)-mandelic acid enriched in the (S)-enantiomer, optical purification of this salt by means of six successive recrystallizations in ether and finally the release of the amine as a base. The process is time-consuming and costly for its industrial application.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,968,837 describes the resolution of intermediate compound (II) in its enantiomers by using L-(−)-dibenzoyltartaric acid, although—according to the authors' experience of the present invention—a high optical purity cannot be achieved by applying this method, even after successive purifications of the diastereoisomeric salt.
As set out above, none of the preparation methods for S-(II) and, consequently, for S-(I) described so far seems to be satisfactory for its industrial application. There is, therefore, a need to provide an alternative industrial application process for the preparation of rotigotine, S-(I).

Process for the preparation of optically active (S)-(−)-2-(N-propylamino)-5-methoxytetraline and (S)-(−)-2-(N-propylamino)-5-hydroxytetraline compounds


System and methods for providing telecommunication functions on a mobile device are disclosed. An inbound call request is received, a call control interface is presented for a user to choose among a plurality of communication modes by which an inbound call is to be established. Call control data selecting a mode of communication is received through the call control interface. Communication is established according to the selected mode of communication. An outbound call request identifying a callee device is send from a mobile device through a packet network to a telecommunication service provider, and a call connection from the mobile device to the telecommunication service provider is established through the telecom network. The telecommunication service provider places a call to the callee device and combines the call connection from the mobile device to the connection to the callee device to establish a single joint call connection.

A private branch exchange (PBX) is a telephone network that serves a business or an office. A virtual PBX (vPBX) allows a business or office to be served by a PBX system hosted on remote servers. Virtual PBX servers provide services such as messaging, call-forwarding, call-waiting, conferencing, etc. Moreover, many virtual PBX service providers allow users to configure and manage their virtual PBX accounts through a web interface.
Mobile devices have become an integral part of everyday life for many people. Mobile devices such as Personal Data Assistants (PDAs), cellular phones, smartphones, media players, and even handheld gaming consoles can provide communications services, such as email, telephone, and instant messaging. Many mobile devices can also provide video and internet capabilities, such as video conferencing, internet browsing, or data transfer and file sharing.

Remote call control for mobile telecommunication devices and services


A plurality of heating zones in a substrate support assembly in a chamber is independently controlled. Temperature feedback from a plurality of temperature detectors is provided as a first input to a process control algorithm, which may be a closed-loop algorithm. A second input to the process control algorithm is targeted values of heater temperature for one or more heating zones, as calculated using a model. Targeted values of heater power needed for achieving the targeted values of heater temperature for the one or more heating zones is calculated. Chamber hardware is controlled to match the targeted value of heater temperature that is correlated with the wafer characteristics corresponding to the current optimum values of the one or more process parameters.

As the feature size of device patterns get smaller for integrated circuits, the critical dimension (CD) specifications of these features become a more important criterion for stable and repeatable device performance. Allowable CD variation across a substrate (also referred interchangeably as a "wafer" throughout the specification) processed within a processing chamber is difficult to achieve due to chamber asymmetries such as showerhead and substrate temperature, flow conductance, and RF fields (where applicable).
Uniformity of temperature control across the surface of the substrate can be challenging due to the non-homogeneous construction of the substrate support assembly below the substrate. For example, some regions of the substrate support have gas holes, while other regions have lift pin holes that are laterally offset from the gas holes. Still other regions may have heater electrodes. Since the structure of the substrate support can vary regionally, uniformity of heat transfer between the support assembly and substrate is complicated and very difficult to obtain, resulting in local hot and cold spots across the substrate support surface, which consequently results in non-uniformity of processing results along the surface of the substrate.
The regional uniformity of heat transfer between the substrate support assembly and substrate is further complicated by heat transfer schemes commonly utilized in conventional substrate support assemblies. For example, conventional substrate supports typically have only edge to center temperature control. Local hot and cold spots within the substrate support cannot be compensated for while utilizing the heat transfer features of the conventional substrate supports.

Multi-zone heater model-based control in semiconductor manufacturing


A method and apparatus for converting data representative of a plurality of cells arranged independently of one another on a page into data is raster scan order for subsequent printing. Cell data for individual cells is fetched in an order dependent on the line of raster scan where the cell first occurs and the bit position for the first bit representing the cell. This cell data is compared with earlier fetched cells to build up raster scan lines from cells occuring in the lines.

This invention relates to a printer controller for organizing data from a host computer to print the data on a print engine, preferably of the type using charged transfer imaging, and more particularly to an image generator used in the printer controller.
Printer controllers which are designed to receive data from the host computer are commonly limited to locating cells relative to one another in a fixed manner dictated by each cell being located by reference to the cells around it. The cells can not be overlapped or start at the same location. Such limitations restrict the kind of text information that can be handled by the controller and printed as hard copy by a print engine. Such techniques as proportional spacing, kerning, superscripts, subscripts, and mixed point sizes of text may not be possible. The limitations on the locations of the cells may also restrict the locations of bit maps and text information. As a result the overlay of a bit map representing a business form with text information may not be possible.

Development of raster scan images from independent cells of imaged data


The present invention relates to the field of enterprise network computing. In particular, it relates to a method and respective system for monitoring workload of a workload scheduler. Information defining a plurality of test jobs of low priority is received. The test jobs have respective launch times, and the test jobs are launched for execution in a data processing system in accordance with said launch times and said low execution priority. It is evaluated how many of said test jobs are executed within a pre-defined analysis time range. A performance decrease warning is issued, if the number of executed test jobs is lower than a predetermined threshold number. The workload scheduler discards launching of jobs having a low priority when estimating that a volume of jobs submitted with higher priority is sufficient to keep said scheduling system busy.

Prior art IT-resources in enterprise networks are subjected to continuous changes due to dynamically changing workload, increasing efforts to use the Internet and offer web based services, and due to permanently increasing storage needs. As customers deploy virtualization and grid technologies in order to help maximize their IT-investment, they also need workload scheduling programs that enable them to centrally manage and automate application workloads across heterogeneous environments.
A prior art workload-scheduling tool is provided, for example, by International Business Machines Corp. within the Tivoli product family. The available Tivoli Workload Scheduler (TWS) version at the time of writing is 8.2. A datasheet of the Tivoli Workload Scheduler can be downloaded, for example on Jan. 9, 2008 at ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/software/tivoli/datasheets/ds-scheduler-051006.pdf. This prior art scheduler product helps to optimize storage environments and workload distribution by delivering integrated and modular solutions that simplify and automate management of workload. In particular, this prior art workload scheduler product automates, monitors and controls the flow of work through an enterprise's entire IT-infrastructure on both local and remote systems. This includes the management of the entire IT-processings including the management of batch jobs.
The Tivoli Workload Scheduler allows planning jobs for execution, resolves interdependencies between jobs and other processing tasks and launches and tracks each job. FIG. 1 shows a prior art TWS processing in general. A TWS Master 12 creates a scheduling plan and controls a job's launching and status on TWS Agents 14 according to this plan. A TWS Agent 14 is a TWS client implementable on any machine or application, which locally executes the control determined by the central Master 12. Agents 14 report to the Master 12 about the status of their jobs. In case of failure, the Master 12 indicates warnings by means of its Alarm System 15.
It is typical that enterprises extend the hardware constellation in their enterprise data processing environments where workload scheduler products are employed. Such extension is manifested by an increasing number of Agents 14 to be included into a Scheduling System and an increasing number of Jobs, which are to be taken under control of the workload scheduler (scheduling system). A scheduling system (workload scheduler) here refers to a workload management solution having typically a number of agents 14 and a central master 12. The scheduling system controls various resources in a data processing system or, in other words, in a computing system.
As a result of extending the Scheduling System, system administrators may be suddenly confronted with negative side effects such as too long response times of the system, a delay when launching important jobs, etc. The system performance deterioration may be completely unexpected for system administration staff.
Thus, there is a need for improved methods and systems that address the above problems, as well as others.

Monitoring performance on workload scheduling systems

International Business Machines Corporation


A method and an apparatus for determining a time offset are disclosed. The method includes: obtaining, by a device at a head end, a time-domain signal based on a received signal; and then determining a time offset based on values of peak-to-average ratios of a preset quantity of symbols starting from a qth symbol in the time-domain signal, where a peak-to-average ratio of the qth symbol is greater than a preset threshold. A new method for determining a time offset is provided, and takes advantages that the time-domain signal obtained by the device at the head end has stronger capabilities of resisting interference such as frequency offset and phase noise. The method for determining a time offset can be applied both to initial ranging and periodic ranging.

Initial ranging (IR) is a process of aligning time points at which signals sent by different terminals arrive at a device at a head end in a multiple-access communications system. When a terminal attempts to access a network, the terminal sends an initial ranging signal to the device at the head end. The device at the head end obtains a time point at which the received initial ranging signal arrives at the device at the head end, uses, based on a preset reference-point time point (for example, a start time point of a timeslot allocated to the terminal), a difference between the two time points as a time offset of the terminal, and then sends the time offset to the terminal. The terminal adjusts, based on the time offset, a time point of sending a signal, so as to ensure that time points at which signals sent by all terminals arrive at the device at the head end are aligned, and ensure normal communication of the multiple-access communications system.

Method and apparatus for determining time offset


In systems and methods measure overlay error in semiconductor device manufacturing based on target image asymmetry. As a result, the advantages of using very small in-chip targets can be achieved, while their disadvantages are reduced or eliminated. Methods for determining overlay error based on measured asymmetry can be used with existing measurement tools and systems. These methods allow for improved manufacturing of semiconductor devices and similar devices formed from layers.

The field of the invention is overlay measurements in manufacturing of semiconductor and similar devices formed from layers.
Modern semiconductor devices, such as integrated circuits, are typically fabricated from wafers of semiconductor material. The wafers are fabricated by a succession of patterned layers of semiconductor material. Circuit patterns are fabricated using a variety of long established techniques, for example, lithographic techniques.
Overlay metrology in semiconductor device fabrication is used to determine how well one printed layer is overlaid and aligned with a previously printed layer. Close alignment of each layer at all points within the device is important for reaching the design goals. It is consequently important for the efficiency of the manufacturing process that any alignment error between two patterned layers on a wafer can be measured quickly and accurately. It is similarly important to be able to measure any alignment error between successive exposures to the same layer. Misregistration between layers is referred to as overlay error. Overlay metrology tools or machines are used to measure the overlay error. This information may be fed into a closed loop system to correct the overlay error.
Current overlay metrology uses optically readable target marks or patterns printed onto layers of a substrate, typically a semiconductor wafer, during fabrication. The relative displacement of two successive layers is measured by imaging the patterns at high magnification, digitizing the images, and processing the image data using various known image analysis algorithms to quantify the overlay error. Overlay metrology techniques thus involve the direct measurement of misregistration between patterns provided in direct association with each of the layers. As semiconductor devices become progressively smaller, making accurate overlay measurements becomes increasingly difficult. It is also important that new measurement methods and systems be able to perform at the relatively high speeds achieved with existing overlay metrology technology. Use of repeated measurements is undesirable, unless they can be made without requiring significantly more time. Consequently, developing improved metrology methods and systems raises significant technical challenges.
One technique for working with increasingly smaller microelectronic devices is use of simple targets which can be reduced in size and placed within the active area of the device. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/035,652, incorporated herein by reference, describes these kinds of targets.
Targets which are small enough to be placed within the active area of devices allow measurements to be made where they are actually needed. Adoption of these targets requires that they be as small as practical and, ideally, that they can be measured with existing overlay tools. There is no single correct size for these targets. However, the smaller they are, the more likely they are to be used. Targets occupying an area of approximately 1 μm square are advantageously achieved. The "size" of the target must include any blank area around it required for proper measurement.
Current optical overlay measurement systems use visible light and operate with optical resolution of approximately 0.5-1.0 μm. These systems will generally not be able to resolve the features within the proposed targets. Although these types of systems may be changed to improve optical resolution, system changes tend to be relatively time consuming, costly and with potentially uncertain results. Consequently, changing the use and operation of existing systems to provide for accurate measurements of smaller targets would be highly advantageous.

Methods and systems for determining overlay error based on target image symmetry


An optical fiber flow sensor, including: a housing, an elastic component, an optical fiber detection component, a floating element, and a fixed sealing joint. The elastic component includes a first and second elastic members that are symmetrical and are disposed in a closely fitted manner, with fitting surfaces of the first and the second elastic members being respectively provided with a corresponding seating groove. The optical fiber detection component is disposed in the seating grooves, and both ends of the optical fiber detection component are welded in the seating grooves via a glass solder. The elastic component is enclosed in the housing, and one end of the housing is fixed at the fixed sealing joint. The optical fiber detection component is sealed within the elastic component so as to avoid direct contact with an external fluid, and prevent damage by corrosion, hydrogen loss, or the like. The optical fiber detection component is welded to the elastic component via a glass solder, thereby avoiding a high-temperature creep deformation of the glue and thermal mismatch.

An optical fiber sensor is a sensor that converts a state of an object to be measured into a measurable optical signal, and can be applied in monitoring fields of liquid level, pressure, deformation, temperature, flow velocity, and the like. An optical fiber flow sensor is more widely applied to engineering fields of seas, oilfields, and the like due to its advantages of high sensitivity, anti-electromagnetic interference, being easy for wavelength division multiplexing, and the like.
An optical fiber flow sensor monitors a flow velocity via a fiber detection element by a corresponding metal structure. In an optical fiber flow sensor, the fiber detection element needs to be sensitized and packaged, and usually is attached at a surface of a substrate material, such as a metal beam, by means of glue.
When the fiber detection element is attached on the metal beam, there would be a relatively large difference between expansion coefficients of the fiber detection element and the metal beam. In this case, a thermal mismatch phenomenon would arise under influence of temperature; and under influence of a high temperature, the glue becomes extremely unstable and a creep deformation would occur, thus resulting in an inaccurate final measurement result, and even a problem that the optical fiber flow sensor fails. In addition, use of an optical fiber flow sensor would lead to a contact-type measurement, in such a case, the fiber detection element, serving as a core measurement element, easily suffers from a hydrogen loss and corrosion. Therefore, an optical fiber flow sensor cannot be used for a long-run monitoring in severe environments such as an oil well and seawater.

Laser Institute of Shandong Academy of Science


Provided are a photosensitive resin composition capable of being quickly cured by light and providing an optically cured product which is excellent in a transparency in a visible light of 400 to 780 nm and a heat resistant reliability, a photosensitive resin varnish, a photosensitive resin film and a photosensitive resin cured product.

The present invention relates to a photosensitive resin composition, a photosensitive resin varnish, a photosensitive resin film and a photosensitive resin cured product, specifically to a photosensitive resin composition which has an excellent transparency and which is not colored by heating for long time, a photosensitive resin varnish, a photosensitive resin film and a photosensitive resin cured product.

Photosensitive resin composition, photosensitive resin varnish, photosensitive resin film, and photosensitive resin cured product

Abstract: The photosensitive resin composition comprises (A) a polymerizable compound, (B) a polymerization initiator and (C) a hindered phenol base antioxidant, wherein (B-1) at least one selected from α-hydroxyacetophenone base photoinitiator and a glyoxy ester base photoinitiator and (B-2) a phosphine oxide base photoinitiator are contained as the component (B); the component (C) is a hindered phenol base antioxidant having in a molecule, at least one phenol group having each one group of a methyl group and a t-butyl group on the same aromatic ring; a content of the component (B) is 0.02 to 4.0 parts by mass based on 100 parts by mass of the component (A); and a content of the component (C) is 0.01 to 1 part by mass based on 100 parts by mass of the component (A).


A semiconductor device with a semiconductor body and method for its production is disclosed. The semiconductor body includes drift zones of epitaxially grown semiconductor material of a first conduction type. The semiconductor body further includes charge compensation zones of a second conduction type complementing the first conduction type, which are arranged laterally adjacent to the drift zones. The charge compensation zones are provided with a laterally limited charge compensation zone doping, which is introduced into the epitaxially grown semiconductor material. The epitaxially grown semiconductor material includes 20 to 80 atomic % of the doping material of the drift zones and a doping material balance of 80 to 20 atomic % introduced by ion implantation and diffusion.

The application relates to a semiconductor device with a semiconductor body and to a method for its production. The semiconductor body includes drift zones of epitaxially grown semiconductor material of a first conduction type. The semiconductor body further includes charge compensation zones of a second conduction type complementing the first conduction type, which are arranged laterally adjacent to the drift zones. The charge compensation zones are provided with a laterally limited charge compensation zone doping, which is introduced into the epitaxially grown semiconductor material.
A minimum on resistance is desirable in charge compensation devices of this type. In order to achieve a further reduction of this on resistance, the level of drift zone doping material has to be increased further. Owing to the compensation principle, however, the doping of the charge compensation zones has to be increased in the same way. In order to ensure a complete depletion of charge carriers from the drift zones in the off phase of the semiconductor device in spite of such an increase in the level of doping material both in the drift zones and in the charge compensation zones, the geometrical period in the form of the step size of the charge compensation zones and possibly even of the drift zones has to be reduced further at the same time. In other words, the concentration of doping material per unit of area as integrated in the horizontal direction must not be higher than twice the breakdown charge. The term breakdown charge denotes the charge carrier quantity (doping material concentration quantity) per unit of area which, starting from a p-n junction, is depleted if the breakdown field strength is applied. As the compensation regions are depleted from both sides, the requirement that the regions should be capable of being depleted is equivalent to the requirement that the concentration of doping material per unit of area as integrated in the horizontal direction should not be higher than twice the breakdown charge. These conditions have to be met both by the compensation regions and by the drift zones. Similar to the breakdown field strength, the breakdown charge is determined by the concentration of doping material; for silicon is lies between 1×1012 cm−2 at low doping and 3×1012 cm−2 at high doping.
By using trench technology, wherein the charge compensation zones and/or the drift zones are arranged in trench structures, very small step sizes can be obtained in theory, but this technology has not yet penetrated the market, so that the concept of multiple epitaxy is used to build semiconductor devices of this type. In multiple epitaxy, epitaxial growth phases are interspersed with unmasked large-area and masked selective implantation processes for doping materials. To reduce costs, the number of epitaxial growth phases is limited.
The regions of a complementary conduction type for the charge compensation zones, which are introduced by masked or selective ion implantation and typically doped with boron, have to diffuse together through the epitaxial growth phases of finite thickness. This however unavoidably involves major widening of the columns or strips of charge compensation zone material. To reduce this widening problem caused by lateral diffusion, non-doped epitaxial layers can be grown in the epitaxial growth phase, whereupon both doping materials of the first conduction type and doping materials of the complementary second conduction type can be introduced in succession by ion implantation near the surface between individual epitaxial growth phases, so that the widening caused by lateral outdiffusion while the charge compensation zones diffuse together can be noticeably reduced by a relatively high adjacent n-doping of the drift zones.
However, initially high-impedance non-doped epitaxial layers are generated in the epitaxial growth phase, so that the on resistance of the drift zones cannot be reduced as desired. The n-doping in the middle of the epitaxial growth phase is relatively low can only be compensated by raising the general level of implanted doping material in order to reduce the on resistance. A high level of doping material, however, automatically complicates the manufacturing process, as breakdown voltage is highly dependent on wrong doping. The higher the level of doping material, the higher are its fluctuations and the more difficult is it to obtain the required breakdown voltage.
For these and other reasons, there is a need for the present invention.

Method for producing a semiconductor device with a semiconductor body


A crop harvesting system for continuous round baling includes a first and second bale chamber, a conveyor system and optionally a wrapping system. At least one conveyor system can facilitate movement of a bale from a first bale chamber to a second bale chamber. The crop harvesting system can be integrated into an agricultural harvester such as a baler or combine.

For many years agricultural balers have been used to consolidate and package crop material so as to facilitate the storage and handling of the crop material for later use. A mower-conditioner typically cuts and conditions the crop material for windrow drying in the sun. When the cut crop material is properly dried, an agricultural harvester, such as a round baler, operates over the windrows to pick up the crop material and form the crop material into cylindrically-shaped round bales. Other agricultural harvesters, such as those harvesters used for biomass collection, use direct feed mechanisms that cut, collect, and bale material into a round bale in sequential steps.
The pickup of the baler gathers the cut and windrowed crop material from the ground then convey the cut crop material into a bale-forming chamber within the baler. A drive mechanism operates to activate the pickup, auger, and a rotor of the feed mechanism. A conventional baling chamber may consist of a pair of opposing sidewalls with a series of belts that rotate and compress the crop material into a cylindrical shape.
When the bale has achieved a desired size and density, a wrapping system may wrap the bale to ensure that the bale maintains its shape and density. For example, a net may be used to wrap the bale of crop material. A cutting or severing mechanism may be used to cut the net once the bale has been wrapped. The wrapped bale may be ejected from the baler and onto the ground by, for example, raising a tailgate of the baler. The tailgate is then closed and the cycle repeated as necessary and desired to manage the field of cut crop material.
The tailgate of the baler typically houses a simple door or panel that is affixed to the tailgate by hinges. In one position, the door or panel remains closed to prevent escape of the harvested bale. In another position, the door or panel can be placed in an open position to facilitate the exit of the harvested bale. Conventional balers require a relatively long period of downtime, typically in the range of between 10 and 15 seconds, to open the door or panel during operation and evacuation of the bale. The downtime required to operate the door reduces the overall efficiency of the harvesting system and interrupts continuous harvesting. The simple door or panel mechanism typically operates very slowly in a manual or automatic fashion. Once fully open the weight of the door or panel is typically very heavy, which affects the center of gravity of the equipment, puts additive stress on the tension points, and may cause instability problems if the agricultural harvester is on a hill or slope.
Modified balers have been designed to address delays caused by ejection. EP 2 220 929 discloses a round baler with a bale chamber and a storage chamber. Bales are condensed and wrapped in the bale chamber, and a fully-formed bale may be stored in and eventually ejected from the storage chamber while harvesting continues to take place in the bale chamber. A harvesting assembly centrally located on the bottom of the harvester routes harvested crop to one of the two chambers. The harvesting assembly in conjunction with an internal series of rollers between the two chambers routes harvested crop through a curved passage that back-feeds the bale chamber on a single moveable roller. A limitation of this design is the multiple directions toward which the harvested crop must be fed from the harvesting assembly causing a greater likelihood of clogging the entry point of the bale chamber. The likelihood of clogging the passage with crop also increases with the work of the back-feed mechanism being completed by a single roller. Another problem is the conventional means to eject the bale from the harvester.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,729,118 discloses another modified baler for harvesting in which three movable arms in operable connection to movable rollers. The moveable arms rotate about the same axis in a windmill-like fashion within the interior of the baler. A pick-up assembly directs crop to only one bale chamber entry point and the windmill-like motion of the arms conveys a bale to a second position within the harvester immediately prior to ejection. This design allows for fewer rollers in the interior of the harvester which are necessary to transfer a partially formed bale to a second position while bale formation occurs near the bale chamber entry point. A potential problem with the design is the control of the independent movement of the arms which may increase operator error during operation. Another limitation of the design is the increased likelihood of silage pile-up and plugging of bale chamber due to a lack of sufficient tension around the bale chamber due to a long belt and long belt pathway. This problem is likely exacerbated by the movable roller mechanically linked to a spring at the front end of the baler. Increased silage and harvested crop pile-up toward the front of the baler may contribute to the bale not forming properly while the baler is in operation due to the lack of tension on the bales caused by the movable roller and its related spring-loaded apparatus.
In some previous designs, for instance U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/472,266, a conveyor between two bale chambers facilitated movement, however, this design relied solely upon gravity and the downward pitch of the conveyor to transfer a formed bale from one position to another position prior to its evacuation. The instantly disclosed design of the harvester increases the speed with which a harvester comprising a baling mechanism moves a bale from a bale chamber to a second position from which the bale will exit the harvester. Instead of relying solely on the passive nature of the angle of a bottom conveyor and gravity to transfer the bale, the current design includes a bottom conveyor with baling belts that assume a variable geometry during different stages of operations that coordinate faster, controlled movement of the baling belts from one position to a position immediately prior to exit or evacuation from the harvester. The instantly disclosed design also preserves the shape of the bale during transition from a first position to a second position by exacting tension on the bale at appropriate points of the bale during transfer. By correcting the shape of the bale, the instantly disclosed design improves bale density over prior designs during transition from a first position to a second position. Lastly, the design shortens the transfer time of the bale from the first bale chamber during transition.

Continuous harvester and mobile wrapping systems and methods of using the same


The present invention relates to a method for preparing anatase-type titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles, the method comprising the steps of: uniformly mixing titanium n-butoxide and cetyltrimethyl ammonium salt (CTAS) in water; subjecting the mixture to hydrothermal treatment at a temperature of 60˜120° C.; and collecting anatase-type titanium dioxide nanoparticles produced by the hydrothermal treatment and drying the collected nanoparticles. According to the present invention, anatase-type titanium dioxide nanoparticles having excellent crystallinity can be easily prepared in large amounts by a simple process without needing heat treatment.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a method for preparing anatase-type titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles, in which nano-sized anatase-type titanium dioxide nanoparticles having excellent crystallinity can be prepared in a large amount by a simpler process.
2. Related Art
Titanium dioxide (TiO2) can be used in a wide range of applications, including photocatalysts, gas sensors and solar cells, owing to its electromagnetic, catalytic, electrochemical and photochemical properties, and many studies thereon have been conducted.
A photocatalyst refers to a substance that shows catalytic activity when irradiated with light. When the photocatalyst absorbs UV light having a wavelength of about 400 nm or less, electrons are excited from the valence band to the conduction band while positive holes are formed in the valence band. The excited electrons and holes which have strong oxidation/reduction potential react with air oxygen, water and the like to produce superoxide anions, hydroxyl radicals and the like on the surface of the photocatalyst. Particularly, because hydroxyl radicals (OH—) have high oxidation/reduction potential, they decompose NOx, SOx, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and various stinking substances into harmless compounds, and thus can be used for the purification of air and the pretreatment of sewage and wastewater. Also, the photocatalyst has the property of killing pathogenic bacteria by oxidation and forming a strongly hydrophilic surface on which water does not form and flows down and which does not steam up. Due to these properties, the photocatalyst can be used in an infinite range of applications, including environmental cleaning, roads, house equipment, electric home appliances, automobiles, agricultural products, daily necessities, signboards, and medical supplies.
Substances known to show the above-described photocatalytic effects include ZnO, CdS, WO3, TiO2 and the like. Of these, titanium dioxide is most widely used as a photocatalyst, because it is physically and chemically stable and has excellent photocatalytic activity. Titanium dioxide is known to have three crystalline types: rutile, brookite and anatase. The anatase-type crystal is known to have the most excellent photocatalytic activity. Also, the anatase-type crystal has small particle size, and the agglomeration thereof is easily controlled. Thus, the larger the specific surface area of the anatase-type crystal, the better is the photocatalytic activity.
Anatase-type titanium dioxide nanoparticles known till now are prepared by hydrolyzing a titanium precursor to prepare amorphous titanium dioxide which is then converted to anatase-type titanium dioxide (Korean Patent Nos. 500305, 756199 and 523451).
Accordingly, it is believed that, if anatase-type titanium dioxide nanoparticles having small size and a uniform shape can be prepared in large amounts by a simpler process, they will have economic impacts on various applications, including photocatalysts.

Method for preparing uniform anatase-type titanium dioxide nanoparticles


The present invention relates to Multicomponent Nucleic Acid Enzymes (MNAzymes) and methods for their use. MNAzymes comprise two or more oligonucleotide components which self-assemble in the presence of one or more MNAzyme assembly facilitator molecules to form a catalytically active structure. Compositions for making MNAzymes, and collections of MNAzymes are provided. Also provided are methods for using MNAzymes for the detection, identification and/or quantification of one or more targets. The methods can be practiced in solution-based assays or in assays where one or more reaction components are attached to a support structure. The methods allow for multiplexing the MNAzyme detection to detect multiple targets in a single reaction. Also provided are kits for making the compositions, and for practicing the methods provided herein.

Various publications, which may include patents, published applications, technical articles and scholarly articles, are cited throughout the specification in parentheses, and full citations of each may be found at the end of the specification. Each of these cited publications is incorporated by reference herein, in its entirety.
Nucleic acid molecules can adopt secondary structural configurations which can confer enzymatic or catalytic activity. In vitro evolution technology has facilitated the discovery and development of such catalytic nucleic acids, often referred to as "DNAzymes" or "ribozymes," that are capable of catalyzing a broad range of reactions including cleavage of nucleic acids (Carmi et al., 1996; Raillard and Joyce, 1996; Breaker, 1997; Santoro and Joyce, 1998), ligation of nucleic acids (Cuenoud and Szostak, 1995), porphyrin metallation (Li and Sen, 1996), and the formation of carbon-carbon bonds (Tarasow et al., 1997), ester bonds (Illangasekare et al., 1995) or amide bonds (Lohse and Szostak, 1996).
In particular, DNAzymes and ribozymes have been characterized which specifically cleave distinct nucleic acid sequences after hybridizing via Watson Crick base pairing. DNAzymes are capable of cleaving either RNA (Breaker and Joyce, 1994; Santoro and Joyce, 1997) or DNA (Carmi et al., 1996) molecules. Catalytic RNA molecules (ribozymes) are also able to cleave both RNA (Haseloff and Gerlach, 1988) and DNA (Raillard and Joyce, 1996) sequences. The rate of catalytic cleavage of most nucleic acid enzymes is dependent on the presence and concentration of divalent metal ions such as Ba2+, Sr2+, Mg2+, Ca2+, Ni2+, Co2+, Mn2+, Zn2+, and Pb2+ (Santoro and Joyce, 1998; Brown et al., 2003).
Catalytic nucleic acids, such as the hammerhead ribozyme and the 10:23 and 8:17 DNAzymes, have multiple domains. They have a conserved catalytic domain (catalytic core) flanked by two non-conserved substrate binding domains ("hybridizing arms"), which are regions of sequence that specifically bind to the substrate. Haseloff and Gerlach engineered the hammerhead ribozyme, which was so named for the stem-loop structure that brings the two conserved domains together forming the catalytic core (Haseloff and Gerlach, 1988). The "10:23" and "8:17" DNAzymes are capable of cleaving nucleic acid substrates at specific RNA phosphodiester bonds (Santoro and Joyce, 1997). The 10:23 DNAzyme has a catalytic domain of 15 deoxynucleotides flanked by two substrate-recognition arms. The 8:17 DNAzyme has a catalytic domain of 14 deoxynucleotides that is also flanked by two substrate-recognition arms.
A catalytic nucleic acid can cleave a nucleic acid substrate with a target sequence that meets minimum requirements. The substrate sequence must be substantially complementary to the hybridizing arms of the catalytic nucleic acid, and the substrate must contain a specific sequence at the site of cleavage. Specific sequence requirements at the cleavage site include, for example, a purine:pyrimidine ribonucleotide sequence for cleavage by the 10:23 DNAzyme (Santoro and Joyce, 1997), and the sequence uridine:X for the hammerhead ribozymes (Perriman et al., 1992), wherein X can equal A, C, or U, but not G.
Catalytic nucleic acids have been shown to tolerate only certain modifications in the area that forms the catalytic core (Perreault et al., 1990; Perreault et al., 1991; Zaborowska et al., 2002; Cruz et al., 2004; Silverman, 2004)). Examples of sequences responsible for catalytic activity of DNAzymes are listed in Table 1.
TABLE 1Exemplary sequences for some active DNAzymesand their substratesDNAzymetypeDNAzyme sequenceSubstrate sequence 8:17(N)xTNNNAGCNNNWCGNa(N)x(N′)x(rN)xG(N′)x(SEQ ID NO: 47) 10:23(N)xGGMTMGHNDNNNMGD(N)x(N′)xrRrY(N′)x(SEQ ID NO: 48)N = A, C, T, G or any analogue; N′ = any nucleotide complementary to N; (N)x or (N′)x = any number of nucleotides; W = A or T; Na = A, G or AA; rN =any ribonucleotide base; (rN)x = any number of ribonucleotides; rR = A or G: rY = C or U; M = A or C; H = A, C or T; D = G, A or T
The substitution of certain deoxyribonucleotides for certain ribonucleotides in known ribozymes has been attempted under certain conditions (McCall et al., 1992). Ribozymes that have been fully converted into DNA have no activity due to the conformational differences of RNA and DNA (Perreault et al., 1990). These studies demonstrate that RNA enzymes cannot be modified into working DNA enzymes by merely replacing ribonucleotides with deoxyribonucleotides.
There have been some studies which attempted to develop certain homodimeric or heterodimeric ribozymes for therapeutic applications (Kuwabara et al., 1999; Kuwabara et al., 2000; Oshima et al., 2003). In those studies, the catalytic core of the ribozyme comprised solely of ribonucleotides. Moreover, the capacity for DNAzymes to function in dimeric or multimeric formats has not been considered, nor has any information been provided as to how to extrapolate from a dimeric ribozyme to a dimeric DNAzyme in terms of a possible structure of a dimeric DNAzyme and resulting activity.
Catalytic nucleic acids have been used in combination with in vitro amplification protocols as a means of generating a detectable signal, thus allowing real time monitoring of amplified nucleic acid target sequences (Todd et al., 2000) (U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,140,055; 6,201,113; WO 99/45146; PCT/IB99/00848; WO 99/50452). Zymogene detection (U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,140,055; 6,201,113; WO 99/45146; PCT/IB99/00848; WO 99/50452), also known in the art as DzyNA detection (Todd et al., 2000), results in concurrent target and signal amplification. This occurs because the catalytic DNAzymes or ribozymes co-amplify along with target sequences to produce amplicons that function as true enzymes capable of multiple turnover. As such, each catalytic nucleic acid amplicon cleaves multiple reporter substrates. The DNAzymes and ribozymes are introduced into the amplicons by using primers with 5′ tags that are inactive, anti-sense sequences of catalytic nucleic acids. When these sequences are copied during in vitro amplification the catalytically active sense sequences are co-amplified along with target sequence. The zymogene/DzyNA approach is very flexible since catalytic signal amplification can be linked to target amplification methods including PCR (polymerase chain reaction), strand displacement amplification ("SDA"), or rolling circle amplification ("RCA"), producing DNAzyme amplicons; and nucleic acid sequence-based amplification ("NASBA"), self-sustained sequence replication ("3SR"), or transcription-mediated amplification ("TMA") amplification methods producing ribozyme amplicons. Further, since numerous catalytic nucleic acid molecules with a broad range of catalytic activities have been discovered or evolved, the zymogene approach can use a reporter substrate other than a nucleic acid where the readout of the assay is dependent on a chemical modification other than cleavage of a nucleic acid substrate. The zymogene/DzyNA (Todd et al., 2000) or NASBA/ribozyme (WO 00/58505) approach may be considered sensitive and useful, but there is potential for noise due to amplification of primer sequences.
NASBA has been used to produce RNA amplicons containing target nucleic acid and one section of the catalytic core of the hammerhead ribozyme (GAArA), introduced as antisense sequence tagged to a primer and then copied (WO 00/58505). The additional sequence required for catalytic activity (CUrGANrGrA) was introduced as sense sequence on a second molecule, which was labeled with a fluorophore and quencher, and which also served as the reporter substrate. Certain of the ribonucleotide bases (rN above) must remain as ribonucleotides, or catalytic ribozyme activity is lost. Two molecules consisting entirely of DNA were considered unable to form catalytically active heterodimer enzymes (WO 00/58505).
Catalytic nucleic acids have also been used for detection of single nucleotide polymorphisms ("SNPs"). The strict requirement for Watson Crick base pairing between the catalytic nucleic acid binding arms and the substrate has allowed the development of methods that allow discrimination of closely related short sequences. DNAzymes and ribozymes have been shown to discriminate between two sequences differing by as little as a single base (Cairns et al., 2000) (WO 99/50452).
DNAzymes have properties which provide advantages over ribozymes for certain in vitro applications. DNA is inherently more stable than RNA and hence is more robust with a longer shelf life. DNA can be stored for long periods at room temperature either in solution or in a lyophilized form. DNAzymes also are preferable over the majority of protein enzymes in certain applications because, for example, they are not irreversibly denatured by exposure to high temperatures during amplification.
Thus, there is an ongoing need in the art for simple, fast, and cost effective methods for detecting, identifying and quantifying nucleic acid sequences and other entities, which preferably provide catalytic nucleic acids based on DNAzymes and/or ribozymes.

Multicomponent nucleic acid enzymes and methods for their use


A data storage and retrieval device is provided which includes a tape drive for recording data on to and reading data from data cartridges, at least one storage magazine in which the data cartridges are stored, and a cartridge shuttle which moves the data cartridges between the tape drive and the storage locations and the storage magazine. The present data storage and retrieval device is housed with a housing that is configured to fit a standard form factor for computer network related devices, such as the “U” form factor. The data storage and retrieval device is scalable for different form factors by exchanging only a limited number of parts in the apparatus while retaining the majority of parts and components without change. For example, a change in U form factor may be accomplished by varying only a few components in an elevator portion of the cartridge shuttle and by providing a taller or shorter storage magazine in the housing. Greater or lesser storage capacity may also be provided for the device without changing the U form factor by extending the depth of the device, which is readily accomplished by providing different length belts for the cartridge shuttle and a longer or shorter storage magazine having more or fewer slots.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a computer data archiving apparatus and, in particular to an automated data recording and playback apparatus utilizing tape cartridges.
2. Description of the Related Art
Computer systems and computer-based systems require data storage systems for storage of the computer data. To insure against loss of the data, data archiving systems have been developed. A common data archiving system includes one or more tape drives which utilize removable tape cartridges for recording and playback of the computer data. The tape cartridges have the benefit of large storage capacity and the ability to change cartridges to extend the storage capacity to a virtually infinite amount. However, manually operated tape drives require the presence of skilled personnel to exchange the tapes on a regular schedule.
So-called autoloaders have been developed which automate the exchange of the tape cartridges into and out of the tape drives. These autoloaders move tapes generally one at a time from storage magazines, which hold a number and store of tape cartridges, to the tape drive and, upon completion of recording and/or playback from the tape drive, back to a storage location in the storage magazine. These autoloaders are generally connected into a computer system or computer network and are provided with an appropriate number of tape cartridges in the storage magazines. Autoloaders having a single drive record the data onto tapes one at a time in the drives. Autoloaders systems having multiple tape drives permit data to be provided simultaneously to the multiple drives nearly simultaneously, thereby reducing the data backup time.
However, tape backup systems still suffer from the disadvantage that the transfer rate for the data to the tape cartridge or from the tape cartridge is limited compared to the transfer rate of data within most other components in the computer system or network. The result is that data backup and/or data archiving generally must be performed during downtimes for the computer system. For example, for a business that shuts down each day, the data backup is generally performed while the business is shut down. However, many businesses operate on a 24-hour schedule so that there is no ideal time for performing data backup. Even for those businesses which perform the data backup for the computer system during the hours when the business is shut down, failure of the computer system during working hours may result in the loss of some or all of a day's data since the failure may result in a complete loss of data since the last backup.
It would be a benefit if a data archiving system were provided which possesses enough speed to perform the backup during the full operation of the computer system or network. It would also be an advantage if a data archiving system were provided with a high data transfer rate and a small backup window.

Scalable and expandable units for data storage system