A longwall support in a mine that comprises a plurality of longwall support units. The longwall support units are supported relative to a conveyor by stays that comprise cylinder-piston units. A control system with data acquisition, data storage, and programming is used to adapt the distribution of the staying forces over the length of the longwall, the sum of the staying forces acting upon the length of the longwall (total staying force), and the distribution of the advance forces over the length of the longwall continuously to the desired position of the conveyor. As a result, it is possible to influence the total staying force by the number of the stays with respect to an adjustable maximum, or the total staying force by controlling the longitudinal forces of the individual stays, or the total staying force as a function of at least one of the end positions of the conveyor.

Longwall supports are disclosed, for example, in DE 42 02 246 A1. A longwall support of this type consists of a coal cutting machine or plow, which is driven by a cable, a conveyor, and longwall support units. The conveyor extends in front of the working face and includes a channel, in which an armored conveyor moves along the working face. The channel is divided into individual units. While these units are interconnected, they are able to perform a movement relative to one another in the working direction. Each of these units connects by means of a cylinder-piston unit (advance cylinder) to a longwall support unit. Each longwall support unit serves the purpose of propping the mined longwall. Each longwall support unit is mounted on runners and comprises a roof construction, which is stayed relative to the runners by cylinder-piston units, and serves to support a hanging roof.
In addition, stays are provided, which exert on the conveyor a force that is inclined in the conveying direction. These stays are typically cylinder-piston units, which are each supported on the one hand on a longwall support unit and on the other hand on the channel unit that faces an adjacent longwall support unit. As a result, these stays exert one force component that is directed against the working face, which is called advance force in the present application, and another force component in the conveying direction, which is called staying force in the present application.
The use of the stays permits compensating longitudinal forces that act upon the channel/conveyor. These are not only forces that result from the conveyance, but also weight forces, which result from the fact that the working face and, with that, also the conveying plane are inclined over the entire length of the longwall or also only over a part of the length. To compensate the forces, one may provide, for example, every third, fourth, tenth longwall support unit with such a stay, which is preferably stayed in facing relationship with the next, directly adjoining longwall support unit.
The number of the stays and the pressure adjusted therein are typically determined by computation or estimation of the extent of the forces which are to be expected and to be compensated in the longitudinal direction of the conveyor.
It is therefore an object of the invention to minimize the stays with respect to their number and with respect to the pressure that is to be adjusted in them, to keep expenditure of the systems low with respect to investment and operation, and to integrate the stays into the longwall face operation such that the stays assume an important function in the mining and conveying of rock and/or coal.


The present invention relates to novel phosphors, which are represented by a formula of (A1-xMx)8D12O24S2, wherein x, A, M and D are defined the same as the specification. In addition, the present invention further provides a light-emitting device using the above novel phosphors.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to novel phosphors and light-emitting devices using the same and, more particularly, to novel phosphors capable of being excited by blue light or UV light and light-emitting devices using the same.
2. Description of Related Art
Phosphors have been applied in lighting devices and display devices for a half century. Taking the most widely used fluorescent lamps for example, phosphors applied therein can be excited by mercury radiation as excitation light and then emit visible light. The light color emitted from a fluorescent lamp can be modified by mixing various phosphors and wide range of color temperature and color rendering characteristics for light output can be achieved, resulting in its wide application. However, most of commonly used three-basal-color phosphors have disadvantages of high cost due to that these phosphors often use limited reserves of rare elements (such as Eu, Ce, Tb etc.) as raw materials.
Recently, white light-emitting diodes (W-LEDs) also have been actively developed due to their high luminescence efficiency, low power consumption, long lifetime and environment friendly features in comparison with traditional lighting devices and thus are considered most potential to replace fluorescent lamps. For white light-emitting diodes, the methods of making white light include: as a first type, mixing light from red, green and blue LED chips in a white light-emitting module; as a second type, mixing light from a blue LED chip and yellow YAG phosphors that can be excited by the blue LED chip; and as a third type, mixing light from red, green and blue phosphors that are mixed with an optically transparent resin and can be excited by an UV LED.
Most of commercially available white LEDs apply the above-mentioned second method to emit white light. However, the second technology was claimed for a patent by Nichia. Accordingly, it is necessary to develop novel materials to overcome patent barrier.

Phosphors and light-emitting devices using the same


The invention includes a computer readable medium with executable instructions to receive a query based on nested semantic abstractions for corresponding data sources. Data source specific queries are constructed based on the query by executing the query against the nested semantic abstractions. Each data source specific query is associated with an underlying data source described by a nested semantic abstraction. The data source specific queries are executed to produce results and the results are returned.

Business Intelligence generally refers to software tools used to improve business enterprise decision-making. These tools are commonly applied to financial, human resource, marketing, sales, customer, and supplier analyses. More specifically, these tools can include: reporting and analysis tools to present information; content delivery infrastructure systems for delivery and management of reports and analytics; data warehousing systems for cleansing and consolidating information from disparate sources; and, data management systems, such as relational databases or On Line Analytic Processing (OLAP) systems used to collect, store, and manage raw data.
In many organizations data is stored in multiple formats that are not readily compatible, such as relational and OLAP data sources or combinations of different relational or different OLAP databases. Additionally, in many organizations it is desirable to insulate a user from the complexities of the underlying data source. Therefore, it is advantageous to be able to work with data using a semantic layer that provides terms and abstracted logic associated with the underlying data.
Semantic layers for relational databases are known in the art. It would be advantageous to enhance the architecture of known semantic layers to support abstractions of custom calculated dimensions and measures and to support the concept of hierarchies for dimensions. Likewise, it would be advantageous if a single query could be applied to a combination of data sources, such as relational data sources, OLAP data sources, and combinations thereof.

Processing queries against combinations of data sources


A heat treatment apparatus includes a vertically disposed process tube defining a reaction chamber therein; a main heater for heating the reaction chamber, the main heater being disposed outside of the process tube; a boat for holding a plurality of wafers, the boat being loaded into and unloaded from the reaction chamber; and a boat rotating device for rotating the boat. The boat rotating device is provided with a rotatable hollow shaft assembly and a fixed shaft coaxially disposed inside the rotatable hollow shaft assembly. A sub-heater is attached to an upper end of the fixed shaft, and the boat and an insulating portion are disposed on the rotatable hollow shaft assembly.

The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for processing objects loaded in a reaction chamber while being heated with a heater; and, more particularly, to a heat treatment apparatus and method applicable to, e.g., an oxidation and diffusion processes for semiconductor wafers (hereinafter, referred to as wafers) having semiconductor integrated circuits (ICs) therein, a carrier activation process after ion implantation, a reflow process for planarization, an annealing process and a film forming process by thermal CVD reaction.
In a method for fabricating an IC, a vertical batch type hot-wall heat treatment apparatus (hereinafter, referred to as a vertical heat treatment apparatus) has been widely used in performing a heat treatment process on wafers. Such a vertical heat treatment apparatus includes a vertically disposed process tube provided with an inner tube, defining a reaction chamber therein, into which the wafers are loaded, and an outer tube surrounding the inner tube. Further included in the vertical heat treatment apparatus is a heater for heating the inside of the process tube, which is installed to the outside of the process tube, wherein a plurality of the wafers that are vertically stacked in a boat are loaded into the inside of the inner tube through a furnace mouth formed at the bottom thereof, and then the inside of the reaction chamber is heated to perform the heat treatment for the wafers.
In particular, some vertical heat treatment apparatuses are provided with a sub-heater at the bottom portion of the reaction chamber where large heat loss occurs, expediting the heat treatment process of the wafers by enabling temperature recovery and stability in a timely manner. However, such apparatuses suffer from its inability to rotate, which leads to deterioration of uniformity in thickness of thin film on a wafer (i.e., intra-wafer nonuniformity in film thickness). As a result, there has been proposed another type of vertical heat treatment apparatus, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 2001-156005 and 2001-210631, which include the sub-heater and a device for rotating the boat in order to improve intra-wafer uniformity in temperature as well as inter-wafer uniformity in temperature.
The vertical heat treatment apparatus disclosed in the former includes an insulating unit which is fixed on a cover and disposed between a boat and the cover for closing the lower end of the process tube, and a rotatable shaft for rotating the boat, which axially penetrates the center portion of the insulating unit. Disposed on the upper portion of the insulating unit is a sub-heater and disposed in the rotatable shaft are feeding lines for supplying electricity to the sub-heater.
Further, in the vertical heat treatment apparatus disclosed in the latter, an insulating body is disposed on a turntable for rotating the boat, and a sub-heater arranged in a planar shape is installed in the upper portion of the insulating body.
However, such a vertical heat treatment apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-156005, has certain deficiencies. For instance, by forming a hole in the central portion of the sub-heater, through which the rotatable shaft passes, the sub-heater does not provide a sufficient amount of heat to the central portion of the wafers held in the boat, thereby significantly deteriorating intra-wafer uniformity in temperature distribution. Further, the rotatable shaft penetrating the insulating unit, is slenderly formed in order to reduce the above-mentioned side effects, entailing limitations in stably supporting a heavy boat.
In addition, the vertical heat treatment apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-210631, has a problem of requiring a slippage ring in rotating the insulating body.
It is therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a vertical heat treatment apparatus capable of improving intra-wafer and inter-wafer uniformities in temperature, while performing a heat treatment process on wafers held in a boat.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, there is provided a heat treatment apparatus including: a vertically disposed process tube defining a reaction chamber therein; a main heater for heating the reaction chamber, the main heater being disposed outside of the process tube; a boat for holding a plurality of wafers, the boat being loaded into and unloaded from the reaction chamber; and a boat rotating device for rotating the boat; wherein the boat rotating device includes a rotatable hollow shaft assembly and a fixed shaft coaxially disposed inside the rotatable hollow shaft assembly, and wherein a sub-heater is attached to an upper end of the fixed shaft, and the boat and an insulating portion are disposed on the rotatable hollow shaft assembly.
In accordance with still another aspect of the invention, there is provided a heat treatment apparatus including: a vertically disposed process tube defining a reaction chamber therein; a main heater for heating the reaction chamber, the main heater being disposed outside of the process tube; a revolving insulating unit; and a boat for holding a plurality of wafers, the boat being loaded into and unloaded from the reaction chamber, the boat being disposed on the revolving insulating unit and rotated therewith; wherein a horizontal circular portion of a sub-heater is fixedly installed inside the revolving insulating unit or an upper part thereof, and one or more feeding lines for supplying electricity to the sub-heater are provided substantially along a rotational axis of the boat.
In accordance with still another aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for fabricating semiconductor devices, including the steps of: loading a plurality of wafers into a boat; loading the boat into a reaction chamber of a vertically disposed process tube; heating the plurality of wafers with a sub-heater installed on a fixed shaft aligned with respect to a vertical axis of the boat while rotating the boat with a rotatable hollow shaft assembly disposed outside the fixed shaft, during or after loading the boat into the reaction chamber; processing the plurality of wafers by supplying one or more processing gases to flow into the reaction chamber when a temperature thereof reaches a treatment temperature; reducing the temperature of the reaction chamber; unloading the boat from the reaction chamber; and discharging the plurality of wafers from the boat.
The above and other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of preferred embodiments given in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 illustrates a vertical cross sectional view of a vertical heat treatment apparatus in accordance with a first preferred embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 provides a perspective view of a boat rotating device, insulating plates and a sub-heater included in the vertical heat treatment apparatus of the first preferred embodiment;
FIG. 3 provides a cross sectional view of the boat rotating device, the insulating plates and the sub-heater included in the vertical heat treatment apparatus of the first preferred embodiment;
FIG. 4 sets forth a horizontal cross sectional view of the sub-heater taken along the line IVxe2x80x94IV in FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 describes a plurality of insulating plates of the present invention; and
FIG. 6 presents a partial vertical cross sectional view of a heat treatment apparatus in accordance with a second preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Heat treatment apparatus and method for processing substrates


A method for allocating pending requests for data packet transmission at a number of inputs to a number of outputs of a switching system in successive time slots, including a matching method including the steps of providing a first request information in a first time slot indicating data packets at the inputs requesting transmission to the outputs of the switching system, performing a first step in the first time slot depending on the first request information to obtain a first matching information, providing a last request information in a last time slot successive to the first time slot, performing a last step in the last time slot depending on the last request information and depending on the first matching information to obtain a final matching information, and assigning the pending data packets at the number of inputs to the number of outputs based on the final matching information.

Many packet switching devices are based on an input-queued architecture, comprising queues sorted per output (virtual output queues—VOQ) at every input line card, a crossbar routing fabric, and a central arbitration unit that computes which input is allowed to send to which output in every time slot. A time slot as herein understood equals the duration of one fixed size packet.
Typically, the arbitration unit is physically located close to the crossbar. In such a system, a data path is provided which comprises the flow of data packets from input line cards through the crossbar to the output line cards, and a control path, which comprises the flow of control information from the line cards to the arbiter, i.e. the request information, and back to the line cards, i.e. the grant information.
To obtain good performance, the arbitration unit should compute a matching between the inputs and outputs in every successive time slot, wherein a set of data packets from the inputs is forwarded to the respective outputs. An optimum solution for the matching is too complex to be implemented in fast hardware. Instead, heuristic iterative algorithms such as PIM, i-SLIP or DRRM are commonly used. The quality of their matching solution strongly depends on the number of iterations or steps that can be carried out in the available arbitration time, commonly in one time slot. In general, O(log(N)) iterations or steps are required for adequate performance, although in the worst case these algorithms only converge in N iterations, where N is the number of ports.
As line rates continue to increase but cell sizes remain constant, the available arbitration time is shrinking, making it harder to complete enough iterations or steps to achieve an optimized matching solution. The arbitration in general requires a number of iterations (depending on the number of ports N) that may not be feasible to complete during one time slot.
One solution to this problem is to parallelize or load balance the matching process over multiple allocation units, as proposed by Oki et al. "Pipelined-based approach for maximal size matching scheduling in input-buffered switches", IEEE Communication Letters, Vol. 5, No. 6, June 2001, pp. 363-365. To obtain one arbitration decision at every cell cycle, a number of identical parallel subschedulers are employed, each of them performing several iterations to perform the matching. One drawback of this solution is that the subschedulers in any case need a predetermined time until all iterations are performed before returning a matching result even if the matching was produced in the first iteration. This produces a latency which is determined by the predetermined number of time slots used for the iteration which cannot be reduced any further.
Another solution to the same problem is to pipeline the matching process as proposed by Nabeshima "Input-Queued Switches Using two Schedulers in Parallel", IEICE Transactions on Communication, Vol. E85-B, No. 2, February 2002, pp. 523-531. To obtain one arbitration decision in every time slot, the matching process is overlapped over multiple subschedulers arranged in a sequential pipeline setup, each of them performing one or more iterations to perform optimize the matching. The main drawback of this scheme is again the minimum latency which equals the sum of latencies of all the subschedulers.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method and an allocation device for allocating pending requests for the transmission of data packets at a number of inputs to a number of outputs of a packet switching device according to their destination, wherein the latency of the arbitration is minimized.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a high throughput close or equal to the maximum achievable throughput and lower latency at low utilization relative to the existing schemes.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method which may be combined with any of the known matching algorithms commonly used.

Method and allocation device for allocating pending requests for data packet transmission at a number of inputs to a number of outputs of a packet switching device in successive time slots

International Business Machines Corporation


A self-suspending proppant comprises a proppant particle substrate carrying a coating of an anionic hydrogel-forming polymer. The detrimental effect of calcium and other divalent ions on the ability of the proppant to swell when contacted with water is reduced by including a calcium binding agent in the proppant.

In our earlier applications including Ser. No. 13/599,828, filed Aug. 30, 2012, Ser. No. 13/838,806, filed Mar. 15, 2013, Ser. No. 13/939,965, filed Jul. 11, 2013, Ser. No. 14/197,596, filed Mar. 5, 2014, and Ser. No. 61/948,212, filed Mar. 5, 2014, we disclose self-suspending proppants which take the form of a proppant particle substrate carrying a coating of a hydrogel-forming polymer. As further described there, these proppants are formulated in such a way that they rapidly swell when contacted with aqueous fracturing fluids to form hydrogel coatings which are large enough to significantly increase the buoyancy of these proppants during their transport downhole yet durable enough to remain largely intact until they reach their ultimate use locations. The disclosures of all of these earlier applications are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
Preferably, these self-suspending proppants are also free-flowing when dry. In this context, "dry" will be understood to mean that these proppants have not been combined with a carrier liquid such as would occur if they were present in an a fracturing fluid or other suspension or slurry. In addition, "free-flowing" will be understood to mean that any clumping or agglomeration that might occur when these proppants are stored for more than a few days can be broken up by gentle agitation.
It is well known that calcium and other divalent ions can substantially retard the ability of anionic hydrogel-forming polymers to swell when contacted with water. In this context, an "anionic hydrogel-forming polymer" will be understood to mean a hydrogel forming polymer whose hydrogel-forming properties are primarily due to pendant carboxylic groups but may also be due to other anionic groups such as sulfonate, phosphonate, sulfate and phosphate groups. This problem can be particularly troublesome when such polymers are used in hydraulic fracturing applications, because the source water used to make up the fracturing fluids used for this purpose often contain significant quantities of these ions. To this end, the self-suspending proppants of our earlier disclosures can also be adversely affected by these ions, as reflected by a reduction in the degree to which these proppants swell and hence the degree to which they become self-suspending when contacted with their aqueous fracturing fluids

Calcium ion tolerant self-suspending proppants


A digital content authentication system, an image display apparatus applied to the system, and a digital content authentication controlling method of the system are provided. The image display apparatus includes an interface section which demands authentication results from a plurality of source providing apparatuses through a bus and receiving responses to the demanding for the authentication result and an output section outputting the authentication results by the received response. Accordingly, the image display apparatus can recognize the authentication states of the source providing apparatuses.

1. Field of the Invention
Apparatuses and methods consistent with the present invention relate to a digital content authentication system, an image display apparatus applied to the system, and a digital content authentication controlling method of the system, and more particularly, to a digital content authentication system, an image display apparatus applied to the system, and a digital content authentication controlling method of the system which can confirm a digital content authentication result by the image display apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, aspects of digital contents have taken on more significance. Especially, use of a digital versatile disk (DVD) as a record medium for recording and reproducing an image at a high quality has increased and a digital television (TV) having a high resolution has been developed in the TV field.
Accordingly, users using various DVD apparatus, such as a DVD player, a DVD recorder, etc., for recording and reproducing an image in a DVD by connecting them to a TV have increased. Additionally, an interface such as a high definition multimedia interface (HDMI) for transmitting data between a DVD apparatus and a TV has been standardized.
The HDMI is a broadcasting standard for protecting multimedia contents in a TV having a high resolution and is the first multimedia interface capable of transmitting uncompressed digital audio and video signals. Additionally, the HDMI takes the form in which conventional Red-Green-Blue (RGB), Y, Cb/Cr channels, and eight audio channels are integrated in one channel.
FIG. 1 is a view showing a general HDMI system.
Referring to FIG. 1, the HDMI system includes a source providing apparatus 10 and a TV 20. The source providing apparatus 10 includes a transmission section 12 transmitting video and audio signals and the TV 20 includes a reception section 22 receiving the video and audio signals transmitted from the source providing apparatus 10.
The source providing apparatus 10 and the TV 20 can transmit and receive audio/video (A/V) data, device information, and control instructions through three independent communication channels, i.e. transition minimized differential signaling (TMDS) channels 30, a display data channel (DDC) 40, a consumer electronics control (CEC) channel 50.
The source providing apparatus 10 and the TV are connected to each other in the form of peer to peer (P2P) through the TMDS channels 30 and the DDC 40 and are connected in the form of a bus through the CEC channel 50. This is illustrated in FIG. 2.
FIG. 2 is a view showing the connection states of the channels in the HDMI system.
Referring to FIG. 2, the source providing apparatuses #1 to #n (10a to 10d) constituting the HDMI system are hierarchically connected to the TV 20. The TV 20 and the source providing apparatuses #1 to #n (10a to 10d) are connected to one another in the form of P2P through the DDC 40 and are connected in the form of a bus through the CEC channel 50.
In the HDMI system, the TV 10 can control the source providing apparatuses #1 to #n (10a to 10d) through the CEC channel 50 and can confirm the operation states of the source providing apparatuses #1 to #n (10a to 10d) through the CEC channel 50.
Authentication procedures are required between the TV 20 and the source providing apparatuses #1 to #n (10a to 10d). Video and audio signals may be normally processed only if the authentications between the TV 20 and the source providing apparatuses #1 to #n (10a to 10d) have succeeded. If any of the authentications between the TV 20 and the source providing apparatuses #1 to #n (10a to 10d) has failed, the TV 20 cannot process normal video and audio signals.
For example, even if the authentication between the TV 20 and the source providing apparatus #1 (10a) has succeeded, if the authentication between the source providing apparatus #1 (10a) and the source providing apparatus #3 (10c) has failed, the source providing apparatus #1 (10a) cannot normally receive video and audio signals from the source providing apparatus #3 (10c) and then the TV 20 cannot normally receive video and audio signals either.
If an authentication error is generated in the HDMI system, the TV 20 generally generate a noise signal. Then, the generation of an authentication error cannot be recognized at all from the TV 20.
Additionally, although the authentication error has a problem in high-bandwidth digital content protection (HDCP) processing in the source providing apparatuses #1 to #n (10a to 10d) regardless of the TV 20, a user can misrecognize that an error is generated in the TV 20.

Digital content authentication system, image display apparatus applied to the same, and digital content authentication controlling method of the same


A belt tightener for tightening a safety belt in a vehicle includes an impulse screw drive unit to generate a greater torque than can be achieved by a mechanical coupling between a motor and the belt tightener.

Exemplary embodiments of the invention relate to a belt tightener for tightening a safety belt in a vehicle. Exemplary embodiments also relate to a safety belt device comprising a belt tightener of this kind. Furthermore, exemplary embodiments relate to a method for operating a safety belt device of this kind.
A belt tightener is generally known as a passive safety device that is intended to be arranged in a vehicle. By means of a belt tightener of this kind, a safety belt can be automatically tightened in the case of a collision or an imminent collision of the vehicle such that the safety belt is tightened against the body of a vehicle occupant. As a result, the vehicle occupant participates in a total deceleration of the vehicle caused by the collision comparatively early. A reversible belt tightener comprises an electric motor and is coupled to a belt retraction device of a safety belt device. Alternatively or additionally, pyrotechnic belt tighteners are used, which are not reversible, however. The safety belt device is also coupled to a driver assist device for actuating the belt tightener, the driver assist device comprising sensors for detecting collision-related information.
Exemplary embodiments of the invention are directed to a belt tightener that is improved with respect to the prior art, an improved safety belt device comprising a belt tightener of this kind, and an improved method for operating a safety belt device of this kind.
According to embodiments of the invention, a belt tightener for tightening a safety belt in a vehicle comprises an impulse screw drive unit.
In the impulse screw drive unit, a force is transmitted from a drive component to an output component that can be connected to the belt retraction device, the drive component and the output component being mechanically decoupled from one another in the second ignition stage. In this case, force is not transmitted continuously, but in a pulse-like manner, with generated angular momentum peaks increasing asymptotically. The second ignition stage is activated, in particular, in the case of an impending unavoidable collision.
Even though the term "ignition stage" suggests pyrotechnics, here and in the following, this generally means an actuation stage occurring without the use of pyrotechnics, if not otherwise clear from the context.
By means of the impulse screw drive unit, a maximum torque of a belt retraction device that can be connected to the belt tightener can be increased with respect to conventional electromotive belt tighteners when the second ignition stage is activated. This makes it possible to generate a tightening force that is as comparably high as a tightening force that can be generated by means of a pyrotechnic belt tightener. The belt tightener is in this case reversible and can be reused after its actuation, i.e., after a collision. In particular, by means of the impulse screw drive unit, a number of electrical connection elements can be reduced with respect to conventional belt tighteners that comprise an additional pyrotechnic ignition unit. The pyrotechnic ignition unit in a conventional belt tightener having a second ignition stage requires its own cable set for the pyrotechnic tightener. A control device connected to the belt tightener likewise requires a second output for controlling the second ignition stage. By means of the impulse screw drive unit, the two ignition stages of the belt tightener can be activated using just one cable set and an overcurrent control means. The belt tightener therefore has a simple control system and is purely mechanical.
In other words: Nowadays, vehicles that have PRE-SAFE and reversible retraction tighteners experience reversible retraction tightening before the collision and in the case of a detected critical situation. The pyrotechnic retraction tightener is then ignited during the crash. Using the invention, the PRE-SAFE phase would remain the same and the electric motor would tighten the belt. Activating the second ignition stage or actuation stage before or during the crash is new. This sets the described impulse mechanism in the same unit into action.
According to one embodiment, the impulse screw drive unit comprises an electric motor as a drive component, a container filled with a hydraulic fluid and an output component, the electric motor being connected to the container for conjoint rotation and the output component being arranged at least in part in the container. As a result, when the second ignition stage is activated, hydraulic coupling between the electric motor and the output component is possible such that a higher torque can be transmitted to the output component than the electric motor can generate. When the first ignition stage is activated, the electric motor and the output component are mechanically coupled to one another, since a lower torque is sufficient in this case. The electric motor is therefore mechanically decoupled from the output component when the second ignition stage is activated. An impulse screw drive unit structure of this kind is already known. The impulse screw drive unit can thereby be simply integrated in the belt tightener.
Force is in this case transmitted from the electric motor to the output component via the hydraulic fluid in the container, the hydraulic fluid being an oil, for example, in particular a hydraulic oil. The container comprises a receiving region for receiving the hydraulic fluid, which region has an elliptical cross-section, for example. An inner diameter of the receiving region is in this case reduced by means of at least one rib-like projection which projects radially inwards. For example, four projections are provided which are equally distributed over a circumference of the receiving region. The shape of the cross-section and the reduced inner diameter in this case make it possible to seal particular regions of the receiving region such that the hydraulic fluid can dam up therein and exert pressure on the output component.
Alternatively, the impulse screw drive unit can also have a spring element instead of a hydraulic fluid, which spring element is coupled to the output component and the electric motor. The electric motor is in this case mechanically decoupled from the output component when the second ignition stage is activated. This makes it possible for pretensioning of the spring element to be influenced by means of the electric motor, with a pulse-like rotational movement of the output component occurring when the pretensioning is triggered.
The output component passes through the receiving region and is a spindle, for example, which has at least one drive element that projects radially outwards in the region of the container. In particular, the output component has two drive elements that are opposite one another in the circumferential direction. By means of the drive elements, the output component has a particular outer diameter corresponding to an inner diameter of the receiving region that is formed by means of two opposing rib-like projections. The drive elements are used in this case to transmit force from the hydraulic fluid to the output component or from the spring element to the output component.
The container is rotated about a rotational axis by means of the electric motor when the impulse screw drive unit is in operation. In this case, a rotational speed of the container is constant. Within the first ignition stage, the output component is rotated together with the container, since the electric motor is in this case still mechanically coupled directly to the output component. In the second ignition stage, the electric motor is decoupled from the output component such that the container and therefore also the receiving region comprising the projections, which region is filled with the hydraulic fluid, move relative to the output component. If the projections reach the same angular position as the drive elements during a rotation of the container, partial regions of the receiving region are sealed from one another since the drive elements abut the projections. This produces chambers that have different pressures since, as a result of the inertia, the hydraulic fluid flows further in the drive direction and a pressure is therefore exerted on the drive elements in the drive direction. The drive elements are therefore subjected to this pressure and convey the pressure to the output component to which the drive elements are rigidly connected. As a result, the output component rotates relative to the container until the drive elements do not abut the projections and the hydraulic fluid can flow freely again. This short rotational movement occurs in pulses. Since the output component can be rigidly connected to the shaft of the belt retraction device, this also rotates in pulses when connected.
After the pulse-like rotational movement of the output component, the container further rotates relative to the output component until the projections again reach the same angular position as the drive elements. This process repeats with each rotation of the container. As the number of rotations increases, the pulse-like rotational movements become asymptotically greater until a maximum value is reached. In so doing, a maximum torque of the output component can be increased with respect to a direct coupling to an electric motor. The maximum torque is in this case comparable to a maximum torque when a pyrotechnic belt tightener is used.
A safety belt device of a vehicle is also provided which comprises a belt retraction device comprising a shaft for unwinding and winding a safety belt in the vehicle and a belt tightener according to the invention or an embodiment of the belt tightener.
The safety belt device designed in this way makes it possible to use a reversible belt tightener that generates a tightening force when a second ignition stage is activated, which force is as comparably high as a tightening force that can be generated by means of a pyrotechnic belt tightener. As a result, the tightening force can be adapted, in particular, to an occupant and collision severity.
For this purpose, the output component of the impulse screw drive unit is connected to the shaft of the belt retraction device for conjoint rotation, such that a maximum torque can be transmitted to the shaft of the belt retraction device.
In a further embodiment, the safety belt device comprises a control unit coupled to the belt tightener, the control unit being coupled to a plurality of detection units for detecting collision-relevant information, and it being possible, by means of the control unit, to generate a control signal based on detected collision-relevant information in order to activate the belt tightener. The tightening force can therefore be adapted to an occupant and collision severity by means of the control unit. Furthermore, it is also possible, by means of the control unit, to activate the belt tightener even before the collision has occurred, such that the window of time until the maximum torque is reached is optimally used and the occupant participates in a total deceleration of the vehicle caused by the collision comparatively early. In this case, activation of the second ignition stage of the belt tightener is required, in particular, in the case of a collision that is classified as unavoidable.
A method for operating a safety belt device of a vehicle is also provided, in which the belt tightener is activated before the occurrence of a detected impending collision of the vehicle and a required tightening force is specified based on the collision-relevant information. In this case, a first ignition stage of the belt tightener is activated at a specific tightening force, at which the output component rotates so as to correspond with the electric motor. A second ignition stage of the belt tightener is activated at a further specific, in particular higher, tightening force, at which the output component rotates relative to the electric motor in a pulse-like manner. In this case, a period of time until the maximum torque is reached can be optimally used such that the occupant is positioned in the direction of a backrest comparatively early, as a result of which the danger of the cervical spine overstretching, which is referred to as the whiplash effect, is substantially avoided or at least reduced.
Parts which correspond to one another are provided with the same reference numerals in all drawings.

Belt tightener, safety belt device, and method for operating a safety belt device


Global ports are supported in multi-switch systems having arbitrary topologies. In some implementations, global ports are implemented in a manner which makes the switch system robust in the face of link failure. In specific Ethernet implementations, global ports enable flooding, learning, forwarding, and link aggregation across the switch system.

The present invention relates to multi-switch systems and, in particular to the implementation of global ports in such systems.
An Ethernet switch typically boots up without knowledge of which external stations (i.e., MAC addresses) correspond to which of its ports. When the switch receives a frame to an unknown station, it needs to broadcast the frame, and it associates the source address of the frame with the port on which it was received so that, when the switch receives a subsequent frame which indicates that address in the destination field, it knows on which port to forward the frame. In this way, an Ethernet switch learns addresses and "prunes" its broadcast domain accordingly. This can work in a conventional multi-switch architecture as long as, once the learning is done, none of the links go down or is disconnected. That is, if a link does go down in a conventional architecture, it typically becomes inoperable.
An Ethernet frame has a source address and a destination address. The sending computer puts its own address as the source address and puts the target address as the destination address. It used to be that there was a single wire or shared bus, and one sender at a time would broadcast a frame to everybody. All the other computers would then check the frame to determine if it was intended for them by looking at the destination address. Later came the Ethernet hub, and then the Ethernet switch.
An Ethernet switch has the ability not to broadcast which is considered an optimization of Ethernet, but there is always still support provided for "flooding," i.e., if you don't know where the frame goes, send it everywhere. The way a switch reduces the need for flooding is by "learning." That is, the switch looks at all the source MAC addresses of the frames that pass through it. When the switch sees a particular source MAC address coming in on a certain port, it maps that MAC address to that port and maintains these mappings in a MAC table or cache. Subsequently, when a frame comes in to the switch with a learned MAC address in the MAC table as its destination, the switch sends the frame out on the port to which that address is currently mapped. This is known as "forwarding."
The Ethernet spanning tree protocol only allows interconnection of multiple Ethernet switches as a spanning tree and will automatically disable links in other topologies to ensure that there are no loops. Because of the spanning tree protocol, Ethernet guarantees connectivity, but does not guarantee any particular level of performance regardless of how many switches are interconnected.
Link aggregation allows the dividing of traffic over multiple links between switches. But with standard Ethernet this only works between two switches or a switch and an endpoint. That is, the spanning tree protocol would turn off one of these links in a larger network of switches to avoid the associated loop. Therefore, some other approach is required to enable link aggregation in a network of switches which operate as one switch.
Conventional approaches to combining multiple switches have employed only limited static topologies, e.g., stacking rings, in which a failed link renders the whole system inoperable. More robust and flexible approaches are needed.


An article having a surface fastening system and a primary direction of load bearing. The surface fastening system includes at least one first fastening element and at least on second fastening element. The first fastening element further includes an attached portion, partially joined to the article, at least one liftable portion extending from the attached portion, and at least one hinge line disposed at an angle less than 90 degrees relative to the primary direction of load bearing, the hinge line is positioned between the attached portion and the liftable portion. At least one second fastening element is affixed at a second position to the article and configured to be engageable with the liftable portion of the first fastening element. Articles such as disposable diapers, bibs, clothing, etc. are disclosed.

The present invention also relates to articles such as diapers, training pants, bibs, sanitary napkins and the like with an improved surface fastening system.
Articles, absorbent articles and disposable absorbent articles such as diapers, training pants, bibs, sanitary napkins and the like are well known in the art. Such absorbent articles are typically used to absorb and contain bodily exudates such as feces, urine and/or menses, foods, or other substances. Until fairly recently, many of the absorbent articles identified above were made from reusable materials such as woven cloth materials including cotton and other absorbent fabrics. Many consumers have found that using disposable absorbent articles is more convenient than using reusable articles for various reasons. Accordingly, many different types of disposable absorbent articles, including disposable diapers such as those described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,151,092 entitled xe2x80x9cAbsorbent Article with Dynamic Elastic Waist Feature having Predisposed Flexural Hingexe2x80x9d issued to Buell et al. on Sep. 22, 1992 have achieved wide acceptance and commercial success.
Over the years, there have been many advancements related to disposable absorbent articles, including improvements in fastening systems, absorbency, and aesthetics. However, there is still a need for improvement relating to fit, comfort, aesthetics, and overall performance of such articles. For example, disposable diapers often do not look or feel like garments. Further, disposable diapers are often difficult for the user, whether it be the caregiver or child, to properly fasten about the wearer. This can lead to poor fit, which can result in leaks and/or reduced comfort for the wearer. Further, in diapers for active wearers and in refastenable pull-on diapers, such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,987,545 issued to Kline et al., multi-directional resistance to disengagement is important to ensure that the fasteners remain engaged while puling up and/or wearing the diaper.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide an absorbent article with an improved fastening system. It would also be desirable to provide an absorbent article with lower cost fastening system. It would also be desirable to provide an absorbent article with improved fit, aesthetics, and overall performance. Further, it would be desirable to provide an absorbent article with an improved fastening system that provides easier and more reliable fastening performance including improved resistance to disengagement during article use, thus requiring less fastening material than the prior art, for the same level of fastening security.
The present invention provides an article to be fastened together, and in alternate embodiments, to be worn about a wearer. The invention includes a surface fastening system having a primary direction of load bearing. The surface fastening system has at least one first fastening element, and at least one second fastening element. The first fastening element includes an attached portion joined to the article, at least one liftable portion extending from the attached portion, and at least one hinge line positioned between the attached portion and the liftable portion. The hinge line is disposed at an angle less than 90 degrees relative to the primary direction of load bearing. The second fastening element is affixed at a second position to the article and is configured such that at least a portion of the second fastening element is releasably engageable with at least a portion of the liftable portion of the first fastening element.
In alternate embodiments, the second fastening element may also be partially joined to the article and include a liftable portion. The surface fastening system may have a peel load capacity during use which is greater than or equal to about 1000 grams. A functional model of peel resistance is used to describe and claim preferred embodiments of the invention. The first fastening element liftable portion improves the overall load carrying capacity of the surface fastening system during article use. The surface fastening system preferably delivers improved multidirectional resistance to surface fastening system disengagement during use. Many variations of the invention are possible, of which several are specifically disclosed herein.

Absorbent article with improved surface fastening system


Microporous glutaraldehyde-crosslinked chitosan sorbents, methods of making and using them, and a generator for the radioisotope 99Mo containing the sorbents.

1. Field
Disclosed herein are methods for modification of chitosan that increases their versatility as sorbents, particularly as sorbents of radioisotopes, as well the ability of these materials to function in environments where radioactivity is present. Also disclosed are the materials themselves, as well as methods of using them to separate and purify radioisotopes, and to separate and purify contaminated materials, in particular those radioactive and nonradioactive streams contaminated by metal ions, particularly those of heavy metals.
2. Description of Related Art
Radioactive isotopes are widely used, particularly in the field of nuclear medicine, both for therapy and imaging. However, these materials can present production, storage, and disposal challenges due to their radioactivity, as well as their often significant half-lives.
More particularly, in the radiopharmaceutical area, 99mTc (having a half-life t1/2=6 h), is one of the most widely used radioisotopes in diagnostic medicine, obtained from the decay product of parent 99Mo (t1/2=66 h). 99mTc is a pure gamma emitter (0.143 MeV) ideal for use in medical applications due to its short half-life (6 hours). It is used in 80-85% of the approximately 25 million diagnostic nuclear medicine procedures performed each year.
The parent 99Mo can be produced by the irradiation of 98Mo with thermal/epithermal neutrons in a nuclear reactor, but much of the world supply of 99Mo comes from the fission product of highly enriched uranium (HEU) in a reactor. The HEU process generates large quantities of radioactive waste and does not permit reprocessing of the unused uranium targets due to weapons proliferation concerns.
Low enriched uranium (LEU, 20 percent 235U or less) could be used as a substitute, but would yield large volumes of waste due to the large quantities of un-useable 238U present. Currently, most of the world supply of 99Mo comes from sources outside of the United States. Recent 99Mo production outages at these sources have disrupted medical procedures and have demonstrated the unreliability of this supply chain. This stresses the need for economically feasible alternative sources to produce 99mTc from 99Mo.
The main concerns with neutron capture-produced 99Mo, as compared to the more common fission-produced material described above, involves both lower curie yield and lower specific activity. The specific activity is significantly lower and is of great concern due to impacts on 99Mo/99mTc generator size, efficiency, and functionality. Therefore, use of lower specific activity molybdate is only feasible with a more efficient sorbent to reduce the generator size and to yield a usable dose at the radiopharmacy. Several research works have been focused on the uses of a molybdenum gel generator. See Marageh, M. G., et al., "Industrial-scale production of 99mTc generators for clinical use based on zirconium molybdate gel," Nuclear Technology, 269, 279-284 (2010); Monoroy-Guzman, F. et al., "99Mo/99mTc generators performances prepared from zirconium molybdate gels" J. Braz. Chem. Soc., 19, 3, 380-388 (2008). Others focused on preparation of 99Mo/99mTc generator based on polymeric or inorganic oxide as an adsorbent material for 99Mo. See Masakazu, T. et al., "A 99mTc generator using a new organic polymer absorbent for (n,γ) 99Mo," Appl. Radia. Isot., 48, 5, 607-711 (1997); Qazi, Q. M. et al., "Preparation and evaluation of hydrous titanium oxide as a high affinity adsorbent for molybdenum (99Mo) and its potential for use in 99mTc generator," Radiochim. Acta, 99, 231-235 (2011).
However, such medical uses require that the 99mTc be produced in highly purified form. For example, when 99mTc is produced from the decay of 99Mo, it is important to achieve a high degree of separation of the two elements in order to meet regulatory requirements.
One approach to achieving this level of purity is to separate 99mTc from 99Mo using a highly efficient, selective sorbent, e.g., by sorbing 99Mo and eluting 99mTc. Attempts have been made to use alumina as such a sorbent. However, this alumina provides an efficiency for Mo99 of about 25 mg/g of sorbent. Accordingly, there remains a need in the art for a sorbent that is both efficient in the adsorption of 99Mo, and resistant to the adverse effects of ionizing radiation. In addition, there remains a need for a sorbent that is highly selective for 99Mo, i.e., that is capable of sorbing 99Mo while providing good release of 99mTc.
More generally, there remains a need for a sorbent that is readily available, or producible from readily available materials, and that is customizable by modification to have one or more functional groups (which may be the same or different) allowing the material to remove constituents from a process stream requiring such purification, and that is resistant to degradation by ionizing radiation.
The ion exchange process, which has been used for decades to separate metal ions from aqueous solution, is often compared to adsorption. The primary difference between these two processes is that ion exchange is a stoichiometric process involving electrostatic forces within a solid matrix, whereas in adsorptive separation, uptake of the solute onto the solid surface involves both electrostatic and Van der Waals forces. In an attempt to find a suitable ion exchange resin for the removal of cesium and strontium from waste solution, several investigators have tried a number of inorganic, organic, and bio-adsorbents, with a varying degree of success. See Gu, D., Nguyen, L., Philip, C. V., Huckmen, M. E., and Anthony, R. G. "Cs+ ion exchange kinetics in complex electrolyte solutions using hydrous crystalline silicotitanates", Ind. Eng. Chem. Res., 36, 5377-5383, 1997; Pawaskar, C. S., Mohapatra, P. K., and Manchanda, V. K. "Extraction of actinides fission products from salt solutions using polyethylene glycols (PEGs)" Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry, 242 (3), 627-634, 1999; Dozol, J. F., Simon, N., Lamare, V., et al. "A solution for cesium removal from high salinity acidic or alkaline liquid waste: The Crown calyx[4]arenas" Sep. Sci. Technol., 34 (6&7), 877-909, 1999; Arena, G., Contino, A., Margi, A. et al. "Strategies based on calixcrowns for the detection and removal of cesium ions from alkali-containing solutions. Ind. Eng. Chem. Res., 39, 3605-3610, 2000.
However, major disadvantages with the ion exchange process are the cost of the material and regeneration for repeated use when treating radioactive streams. See Hassan, N., Adu-Wusu, K., and Marra, J. C. "Resorcinol-formaldehyde adsorption of cesium (Cs+) from Hanford waste solutions-Part I: Batch equilibrium study" WSRC-MS-2004. The cost of disposal is also a major issue. The success of adsorption processes depends largely on the cost and capacity of the adsorbents and the ease of regeneration.
Chitosan is a partially acetylated glucosamine polymer encountered in the cell walls of fungi. It results from the deacetylation of chitin, which is a major component of crustacean shells and available in abundance in nature. This biopolymer is very effective in adsorbing metal ions because of its ability for complexation due to high content of amino and hydroxyl functional groups. In their natural form, chitosan is soft and has a tendency to agglomerate or form gels in acidic medium. Moreover, chitosan, in its natural form, is non-porous and the specific binding sites of this biopolymer are not readily available for sorption. However, it is necessary to provide physical support and chemical modification to increase the accessibility of the metal binding sites for process applications. It is also essential that the metal binding functional group should be retained after any such modification.
It is well known that polysaccharides can be degraded due to scission of glycoside bonds by ionizing radiation. IAEA-TECDOC-1422, "Radiation processing of polysaccharides' International Atomic Energy Agency, November, 2004. The hydrogel based on polysaccharides and their derivatives has been extensively studied, but very limited work has been reported so far on the impact of radiation on the chitosan-based microporous composite materials and their metal ion uptake capacity.
Chitosan is a non-toxic, biodegradable material. It has been investigated for many new applications because of its availability, polycationic character, membrane effect, etc. The amino group present in the chitosan structure is the active metal binding site, but it also renders chitosan soluble in weak acid. In acidic media, chitosan tends to form a gel which is not suitable for adsorption of metal ions in a continuous process.
Several reports indicated that the cross-linking of chitosan with gluteraldehyde make chitosan acid or alkali resistant. See Elwakeel, K. Z., Atia, A. A., and Donia, A. M. "Removal of Mo(VI) as oxoanions from aqueous solutions using chemically modified magnetic chitosan resins, Hydrometallurgy, 97, 21-28, 2009; Chassary, P., Vincent, T., and Guibal, E. "Metal anion sorption on chitosan and derivative materials: a strategy for polymer modification and optimum use" Reactive and Functional Polymers, 60, 137-149, 2004; Velmurugan, N., Kumar, G. G., Han, S. S., Nahm, K. S., and Lee, Y. S. "Synthesis and characterization of potential fungicidal silver nano-sized particles and chitosan membrane containing silver particles" Iranian Polymer Journal, 18 (5), 383-392, 2009. Gluteraldehyde is a five carbon molecule terminated at both ends by aldehyde groups which are soluble in water and alcohol, as well as in organic solvents. It reacts rapidly with amine groups of chitosan during cross-linking through Schiff's reaction and generates thermally and chemically stable cross-links. See Migneault, I., Dartiguenave, C., Bertrand, M. J., and Waldron, K. C. "Gluteraldehyde: behavior in aqueous solution, reaction with proteins, and application to enzyme crosslinking" Bio Techniques, 37 (5), 790-802, 2004. The amine groups are also considered as the active metal binding sites of chitosan. Therefore, by cross-linking with gluteraldehyde, the chitosan is reported to be acid or alkali resistant but the metal adsorption capacity will be reduced.
Li and Bai (2005) proposed a method to cap the amine group of chitosan by formaldehyde treatment before cross-linking with gluteraldehyde, which was then removed from the chitosan structure by washing thoroughly with 0.5M HCl solution. Li, Nan, and Bai, R. "A novel amine-shielded surface cross-linking of chitosan hydrogel beads for enhanced metal adsorption performance" Ind. Eng. Chem. Res., 44, 6692-6700, 2005.
Crosslinking of chitosan with different functional groups is thought to depend mainly on the crosslinking reaction conditions, such as pH, temperature, ionic concentration, and the surface charge of the materials.
Sing et al. (2006) showed that swelling properties of chitosan hydrogel cross-linked with formaldehyde depends on the responsive behavior of pH, temperature, and ionic strength. Singh, A., Narvi, S. S., Dutta, P. K., and Pandey, N. D. "External stimuli response on a novel chitosan hydrogel crosslinked with formaldehyde" Bull. Mater. Sci., 29 (3), 233-238, 2006.
The surface charge of the chitosan that determines the type of bond that will form between the cross-linking agent and chitosan, depends on the pH of the solution. Hasan, S., Krishnaiah, A., Ghosh, T. K., Viswanath, D. S., Boddu, V. M., and Smith, E. D. "Adsorption of divalent cadmium from aqueous solutions onto chitosan-coated perlite beads, Ind. Eng. Chem. Res., 45, 5066-5077, 2006. The point of zero charge (PZC) value of pure chitosan is in the pH range of 6.2-6.8. See Hasan, S., Ghosh, Viswanath, D. S., Loyalka, S. K., and Sengupta, B. "Preparation and evaluation of fullers earth for removal of cesium from waste streams" Separation Science and Technology, 42 (4), 717-738, 2007. Chitosan is not soluble in alkaline pH, but at acidic pH, the amine groups present in the chitosan can undergo protonation to NH3+ or (NH2—H3O)+.
Li et al. (2007) reported cross-linked chitosan/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) beads with high mechanical strength. They observed that the H+ ions in the solution can act as both protection of amino groups of chitosan during the crosslinking reaction. Li, M., Cheng, S., and Yan, H. "Preparation of crosslinked chitosan/poly(vinyl alcohol) blend beads with high mechanical strength", Green Chemistry, 9, 894-898, 2007.
Farris et al. (2010) studied the reaction mechanism for the cross-linking of gelatin with gluteraldehyde. Farris, S., Song, J., and Huang, Q. "Alternative reaction mechanism for the cross-linking of gelatin with gluteraldehyde" J. Agric. Food Chem., 58, 998-1003, 2010. They suggested that, at higher pH values, the cross-linking reaction is governed by Schiff's base reaction, whereas at low pH, the reaction may also involve —OH groups of hydroxyproline and hydroxylysine, leading to the formation of hemiacetals.
Hardy et al. (1969) proposed that, at acidic pH, gluteraldehyde is in equilibrium with its cyclic hemiacetal and polymers of the cyclic hemiacetal and an increase in temperature produces free aldehyde in acid solution. Hardy, P. M., Nicholas, A. C., and Rydon, H. N. "The nature of gluteraldehyde in aqueous solution" Journal of the Chemical Society (D), 565-566, 1969.
Several studies focused on chitosan-based cross-linked material for medical and radiopharmaceutical uses with some success. See, e.g., Hoffman, B., Seitz, D., Mencke, A., Kokott, A., and Ziegler, G. "Gluteraldehyde and oxidized dextran as crosslinker reagents for chitosan-based scaffolds for cartilage tissue engineering" J. Mater Sci: Mater Med, 20(7), 1495-1503, 2009; Salmawi, K. M. "Gamma radiation-induced crosslinked PVA/Chitosan blends for wound dressing" Journal of Macromolecular Science, Part A: Pure and Applied Chemistry, 44, 541-545, 2007; Desai, K. G., and Park, H. J. "Study of gamma-irradiation effects on chitosan microparticles" Drug Delivery, 13, 39-50, 2006; Silva, R. M., Silva, G. A., Coutinho, O. P., Mano, J. F., and Reis, R. L. "Preparation and characterization in simulated body conditions of gluteraldehyde crosslinked chitosan membranes" Journal of Material Science: Materials in Medicine, 15 (10), 1105-1112, 2004.
However, Sabharwal et al. (2004) reported that the radiation processing of natural polymers has drawn less attention as the natural polymers undergo chain scission reaction when exposed to high energy radiation. Sabharwal, S., Varshney, L., Chaudhary, A. D., and Ramnani, S. P. "Radiation processing of natural polymers: Achievements & Trends" In Radiation processing of polysaccharides, 29-37, IAEA, November, 2004. It is reported that irradiation of chitosan yields lower viscosity and chain scission of chitosan. See Kume, T., and Takehisa, M. "Effect of gamma-irradiation on sodium alginate and carrageenan powder" Agric. Biol. Chem. 47, 889-890, 1982; Ulanski, P., and Rosiak, J. M. "Preliminary studies on radiation induced changes in chitosan" Radiat. Phys. Chem. 39(1), 53-57, 1992. The H+ and OH− radicals formed by radiolysis during irradiation of water accelerate the molecular chain scission of chitosan. The reaction between the above free radical and chitosan molecules leads to rapid degradation of chitosan in aqueous solution. See IAEA-TECDOC-1422, "Radiation processing of polysaccharides' International Atomic Energy Agency, November, 2004. These studies suggest that the use of chitosan in environments where it will be exposed to irradiation and potential radiolysis is problematic.
Nevertheless, the current demands for biocompatible polymeric materials in radiopharmaceutical and radioactive waste treatment have increased the interest in developing economically feasible alternative sources of acidic, alkaline, and radiation resistant polymer network structures. Recent development of chitosan-based materials in the area of medical, radiopharmaceuticals, and radioactive waste has drawn attention due to their availability and biocompatibility. See Alves, N. M., and Mano, J. F. "Chitosan derivatives obtained by chemical modifications for biomedical and environmental applications" International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 43, 401-414, 2008; Berger, J., Reist, M., Mayer, J. M., Felt, O., Peppas, N. A., and Gurny, R. "Structure and interactions in covalently and ionically crosslinked chitosan hydrogels for biomedical applications, European Journal of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics, 57, 19-34, 2004. It is reported that the chemical changes in chitosan occur due to irradiation and the extent of radiation-induced reaction depends on the polymer network structure. See Zainol, I., Akil, H. M., and Mastor, A. "Effect of γ-ray irradiation on the physical and mechanical properties of chitosan powder" Material Science and Engineering C, 29, 292-297, 2009; Chang, K. P., Cheng, C. H., Chiang, Y. C., Lee, S. C. et al., "Irradiation of synthesized magnetic nanoparticles and its application for hyperthermia" Advanced Materials Research, 47-50, 1298-1301, 2008; Casmiro, M. H., Botelho, M. L., Leal, J. P., and Gil, M. H. "Study on chemical, UV and gamma radiation-induced grafting of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate onto chitosan" Radiation Physics and Chemistry, 72, 731-735, 2005; Park et al. "Radioactive chitosan complex for radiation therapy" U.S. Pat. No. 5,762,903, Jun. 9, 1998; Wenwei, Z., Xiaoguang, Z., Li, Yu, Yuefang, Z., and Jiazhen, S. "Some chemical changes in chitosan induced by γ-ray irradiation" Polymer Degradation and Stability, 41, 83-84, 1993; Lim, L. Y., Khor, E., and Koo, O. "γ irradiation of chitosan" Journal of Biomedical Material Research, 43 (3), 282-290, 1998; Yoksan, R., Akashi, M., Miyata, M., and Chirachanchai, S. "Optimal γ-ray dose and irradiation conditions for producing low molecular weight chitosan that retains its chemical structure" Radiation Research, 161, 471-480, 2004; Lu, Y. H., Wei, G. S., and Peng, J. "Radiation degradation of chitosan in the presence of H2O2" Chinese Journal of Polymer Science, 22 (5), 439-444, 2004. However, there is very limited information available on the radiation effect on cross-linked chitosan composite matrices.

Preparation of chitosan-based microporous composite material and its applications


An integrated motor support and transmission apparatus for a marine propulsion system having a motor and marine drive with a drive shaft, comprising: an output shaft; a support housing attached to a marine vessel and having an upper end and a lower end, the upper end supporting the motor and the lower end substantially aligning the output shaft with the marine drive; and a transmission connecting the motor to the output shaft, whereby the motor, transmission, and output shaft can be installed in the marine vessel in a single operation.

Marine drives such as propeller drives, surface drives, and waterjets each have many benefits for propulsion of marine vessels. However, a disadvantage inherent to all of these drives is the large amount of space taken up by the motor and the transmission, both of which are typically placed in front of the marine drive. The motor provides the power to drive the marine drive via a transmission that adapts the rotational speed of the motor to that of the marine drive. Especially in the case of an electrical motor or a gas turbine, the difference between input and output rotational speeds is quite significant and requires several speed reduction steps.
If the motor is placed over the top of a marine drive such as a waterjet (or beside or at an angle, half over, or half beside), a great deal of space in the vessel in front of the marine drive can be advantageously used for cargo or passengers, making the vessel more useful. In addition, the longitudinal center-of-gravity will be advantageously shifted aft, in general producing better vessel performance. The motor is no longer placed in the bilge, avoiding the effects of corrosion due to exposure to bilge water. If the motor is an internal combustion engine, the motor exhaust line is located relatively higher and is better protected from exhaust duct backwash.
In order to locate the motor further aft, it is possible to support the motor over the marine drive and to locate the transmission in front of the drive in the vessel with the motor output shaft protruding forward. However, this will require a special transmission and two sets of drive lines and a great deal of added weight, vessel structure and alignment labor. FIG. 1 portrays such a prior art installation, illustrating a waterjet 8 as the marine drive. It requires vessel internal support structures for motor 6, for motor mounts 1, for transmission 7 with its own mounts 2, and for forward drive carrier bearing 3. Flexible couplings 4 and drive shafts 5 are necessary to transmit power from motor 6 to waterjet 8. This is costly for a waterjet-propelled vessel builder or retrofitter to accomplish, placing him at a disadvantage in the marketplace. In addition, the installation is neither space-efficient nor lightweight.

Integrated marine motor support and transmission apparatus


A haze-free post-treated succinimide prepared by treating an alkenyl or alkyl succinimide with an oil-soluble, strong acid and contacting the treated succinimide with a cyclic carbonate to form the haze-free post-treated succinimide. The time, temperature, and acid concentration of the treating step and the time and temperature of contacting step are adjusted, in combination, to form the post-treated succinimide haze-free.

Lubricating oil compositions for internal combustion engines generally contain a variety of additives to reduce or control deposits, wear, corrosion, etc. The present invention is concerned with compositions useful as dispersants in lubricating oil compositions.
In lubricating oils, dispersants function to control sludge, carbon, and varnish produced primarily by the incomplete combustion of the fuel, or impurities in the fuel, or impurities in the base oil used in the lubricating oil composition. Dispersants also control viscosity increase due to the presence of soot in diesel engine lubricating oils.
One of the most effective classes of lubricating oil dispersants is polyalkylene succinimides. In some cases, the succinimides have also been found to provide fluid-modifying properties, or a so-called viscosity index credit, in lubricating oil compositions. It produces a reduction in the amount of viscosity index improver that would otherwise have to be used.
Polyalkylene succinimides are generally prepared by the reaction of the corresponding polyalkylene succinic anhydride with a polyalkyl polyamine. Polyalkylene succinic anhydrides are generally prepared by a number of well-known processes. For example, there is a well-known thermal process (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 3,361,673), an equally well-known chlorination process (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 3,172,892), a combination of the thermal and chlorination processes (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 3,912,764), and free radical processes (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,286,799 and 5,319,030). Such compositions include one-to-one monomeric adducts (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,219,666 and 3,381,022), as well as "multiply adducted" products, adducts having alkenyl-derived substituents adducted with at least 1.3 succinic groups per alkenyl-derived substituent (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 4,234,435).
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,361,673 and 3,018,250 describe the reaction of an alkenyl- or alkyl-substituted succinic anhydride with a polyamine to form alkenyl or alkyl succinimide lubricating oil dispersants and/or detergent additives.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,612,132 teaches that alkenyl or alkyl succinimides may be modified by reaction with a cyclic or linear carbonate or chloroformate such that one or more of the nitrogens of the polyamine moiety is substituted with a hydrocarbyl oxycarbonyl, a hydroxyhydrocarbyl oxycarbonyl, or a hydroxy poly(oxyalkylene) oxycarbonyl. These modified succinimides are described as exhibiting improved dispersancy and/or detergency in lubricating oils.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,747,965 discloses modified succinimides similar to those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.4,612,132, except that the modified succinimides are described as being derived from succinimides having an average of greater than 1.0 succinic groups per long chain alkenyl substituent.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,234,435 teaches a polyalkene-derived substituent group with a number average molecular weight (M.sub.n) in the range of 1500 to 3200. For polybutenes, an especially preferred M.sub.n range is 1700 to 2400.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,112,507 discloses a polymeric ladder type polymeric succinimide dispersant in which each side of the ladder is a long chain alkyl or alkenyl, generally having at least about 30 carbon atoms, preferably at least about 50 carbon atoms. The dispersant is described as having improved hydrolytic stability and shear stress stability, produced by the reaction of certain maleic anhydride-olefin copolymers with certain polyamines. The patent further teaches that the polymer may be post-treated with a variety of post-treatments, and describes procedures for post-treating the polymer with cyclic carbonates, linear mono- or polycarbonates.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,334,321 and 5,356,552 disclose certain cyclic carbonate post-treated alkenyl or alkylsuccinimides having improved fluorocarbon elastomer compatibility, which are preferably prepared by the reaction of the corresponding substituted succinic anhydride with a polyamine having at least four nitrogen atoms per mole.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,716,912 discloses polyalkylene succinimides prepared by reacting, under reactive conditions, a mixture of a polybutene succinic acid derivative, an unsaturated acidic reagent copolymer of an unsaturated acidic reagent and an olefin, and a polyamine, then treating those succinimides with cyclic carbonates, linear mono- or polycarbonates or a boron compound.


The invention relates to a method for axial joining of a hybrid joining component to a workpiece, wherein the joining component has a thermoplastic joining section and a metal section which can be heated, having the following steps: moving the joining component into contact with a surface of the workpiece; heating of the metal section such that the joining section at least partially melts; ending the heating of the metal section such that the joining component makes a force-fitting, interlocking and/or integral connection with the surface of the workpiece. In this case, the joining component is held with a regulated force and/or in a regulated position with respect to the workpiece at least during the heating of the metal section, in such a manner that the joining component can be joined to the surface of the workpiece without any opposing support.

The present invention relates to a method for joining a joining component to a workpiece, and to a joining apparatus, in particular for carrying out a joining method as disclosed herein.
In general, the present invention relates to the field of joining of joining components, such as attachment elements, to workpieces such as bodywork components. In this case, an attachment element such as this generally has two functional sections, firstly a flange section by means of which the connection can be made to the workpiece. Secondly, the joining component in general has a holding section which, for example, may be in the form of an attachment shaft in order to fix further attachment elements, such as plastic clips, thereto.
Joining components such as these have been known for a long time as welding studs composed of metal, which are welded to workpieces such as metal bodywork sheets by means of so-called stud welding. This type of attachment has the advantage that a welding stud such as this can be welded onto the workpiece even when the latter is accessible from only one side.
It is also known for metal studs such as these to be adhesively bonded to a metal bodywork sheet. In this case, a joining surface of a flange section of the stud is provided with thermoplastic adhesive which can be activated by heating the stud, in order to form a force-fitting adhesive connection with the surface of the workpiece. An apparatus for stud adhesion is, for example, known from the document DE 10 2004 012 786 A1. In this case, the stud is held by means of a holding apparatus and is heated by means of an induction coil which is arranged coaxially with respect to a shank section of the bolt that is being held. Furthermore, a carriage which is provided on the joining apparatus can be moved towards the workpiece by means of a linear drive, in order to press the stud onto the workpiece. When the adhesive is activated and liquefied, an adhesive bead is formed around the outer rim of the flange section.
In a similar apparatus (U.S. Pat. No. 4,355,222), the stud is placed on the workpiece in advance, and is then pressed against the workpiece by means of a joining tool, while the adhesive is being activated.
Document DE 10 2006 059 337 A1 discloses a method for connection of parts composed of thermoplastic material wherein a joining component in the form of a holder is joined to a vehicle bumper bar composed of plastic. A connection element which has apertures, projections and/or depressions is arranged between the surfaces of the parts to be connected to one another. The connection element is designed to be heated when a varying magnetic field is applied. In consequence, the thermoplastic material of the surfaces is melted. When the molten material solidifies, this leads to a connection at least between the surfaces and the connection element, and thus to a connection between the parts via the connection element. The connection element can be joined onto one of the parts to be connected, in advance. Furthermore, the connection element is inductively heated via an induction heating device, which is arranged on the side of the workpiece opposite the joining component during the joining process.


A cloud-based DNS-SD architecture may link together separate LANs to form a virtual discovery zone from a service discovery perspective that includes a cloud based DNS-SD server separate from regular Internet DNS, and asleep node handling, among other things. In an example, a cloud based DNS-SD server is separate from the regular Internet DNS servers. This cloud DNS-SD server may run as a private Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) specifically for service discovery in the virtual discovery zone.

Domain Name System
The Domain Name System (DNS) is a distributed database of information about devices (also called hosts) connected to the Internet. Specifically, DNS contains information to map between human readable names (used as a mnemonic device) and IP addresses (used in Internet routing):                Example 1: Web site name "www.google.com" maps to IP address "18.104.22.168"        Example 2: Email address "email@example.com" maps to IP address "126.96.36.199"
This information is stored in DNS database entries which are referred to as DNS Resource Records (RRs). DNS servers respond to client queries by giving information about Internet connected devices (hosts) stored in the DNS records. The most common query is translating a name to an IP address. This function is termed DNS name resolution. Technically, the name that is resolved is referred to as an FQDN. There are also other types of possible DNS queries which will be discussed herein.
A semi-manual scheme for DNS worked initially, but did not scale well when the number of hosts connected to the Internet started growing exponentially. An investigation was then made to determine a more automatic and scalable solution which resulted in a key series of IETF standards defining DNS. See RFC 1034 and RFC 1035, which are incorporated by reference in their entirety.
DNS today is a distributed database spread over many computer servers located worldwide. The database is organized around the concept of domain names (e.g., ".com" is part of a domain name, and "www.bestcompany.com" is a FQDN). Each domain name is essentially a path in a large inverted tree, called the domain namespace (see FIG. 1). A domain is a sub-tree of the entire space. The tree structure has a single (logical) root at the top. The depth of the tree is limited to 127 levels. Each node in the tree has a text label name that can be up to 63 characters long. Domain names are always read from the leaf node toward the root with dots separating the names in the path. So, for example for the FQDN "www.bestcompany.com", the ".com" would be at the top of the tree and is referred to as the Top Level Domain (TLD). Then ".bestcompany" would be next down the tree, and "www" would be at the bottom leaf of the tree.
As mentioned previously, DNS database entries are stored in a format called RRs. The RRs are organized by domains or specific domain names (FQDNs). FQDNS are ultimately associated with a physical network device, while domains (e.g., ".com") are used to identify a group of devices. There are various types of RRs classified by the type of information related to the device that they contain. Some exemplary DNS RRs are listed in Table 1.
TABLE 1Types of DNS Resource Records (RRs)Type of RRNameDescriptionAAddress RecordThe IPv4 address of the host(device) for the given FQDNAAAAIPv6 Address RecordThe IPv6 address of the host(device) for the given FQDNMXMail Exchange RecordThe E-Mail Exchange serverfor a given domainNSName Server RecordThe authoritative DNS nameserver for the given domainPTRPointer RecordA pointer to another part ofthe DNS name space(Often used to map an IPaddress to a host name)SRVService Locator RecordA generalized service locationrecord that gives the FQDNand port number of serversfor the specified service(This is used for newerprotocols instead of creatingprotocol-specific records suchas MX (used for E-Mail)).TXTText RecordText string that can beinterpreted as required bydifferent protocols
DNS queries and responses are typically sent directly over UDP packets on port 53. A TCP transport option also exists but is not the recommended option for DNS queries/responses which are typically fairly short transactions. DNS defines a single message format with three components as shown in FIG. 2.
The three components are header portion 105, question portion 107, and answer portion 109. With regard to header portion 105, there is fixed twelve byte header with fields that describe the type of message and the size of the variable portions. Question portion 107 contains one or more queries for information being sent to a DNS name server. Answer Portion 109 contains one or more RRs in three sub-components as an answer to the query/question in question portion 107, such as answer 111, authority 112, and additional 113. Answer 111 is a RR(s) that answers the question directly. Authority 112 is a RR(s) that points to authoritative DNS name servers that can be used to continue the resolution process. Additional 113 is a RR(s) that contains additional information related to the query that is not strictly necessary to answer the original question.
FIG. 3 illustrates a typical message sequence diagram for a DNS lookup initiated by a user doing web browsing. At step 121, a user at laptop 130 wants to read the latest Google business news. This information is entered through a user interface associated with browser 131 of laptop 130. Browser 131 then recognizes that it needs to get the IP address of "google.com." So browser 131 contacts DNS client 132 in laptop 130 with this request. At step 122, once DNS Client 131 gets the request, it forms a DNS Message query with FQDN="google.com". This query is sent to default DNS server 133 over Internet 120. The IP address of DNS server 133 may be already available in DNS client 132. The IP address of DNS server 133 may have been pre-provisioned in the laptop or retrieved at the laptop boot up process by a protocol such as DHCP.
At step 123, DNS server 133 does an internal lookup on the received query of step 122 and determines that the server of the ".com" domain is DNS server 134. So a DNS message (containing the RR) is sent back to DNS client 132 to inform it that it should do a recursive search and contact DNS server 134 with the same query. At step 124, DNS client sends DNS message with similar information of step 122 to DNS server 134. In this example, DNS server 134 is the authoritative domain server and so no further recursion is necessary. At step 125, DNS server 125 will sends a DNS message with a response to step 124 containing the "A" RR which contains the IP address (184.108.40.206) of the requested "google.com" server. At step 126, DNS client 132 sends the "google.com" IP address from the DNS Message to the browser 131. At step 127, browser 131 sends an HTTP Get request directly to the "google.com" IP address (220.127.116.11) to retrieve the content that it wants, which may be the latest business news. At step 128, the "google.com" server responds with an HTTP response with the appropriate latest business news content.
DNS-SD
DNS-Service Discovery (DNS-SD) is a relatively new feature that has been added to DNS in recent years. DNS-SD refers to the use of DNS to discover available local network IP based services in addition to the usual name resolution function. For example, querying DNS-SD for available printers in the local network that can be accessed via IP. Specifically, given a type of service (e.g., printing) that a client is looking for this mechanism allows clients to discover a local list of devices (named instances) of that desired service, in a given domain, using standard DNS-queries. The commercial pre-cursor to the IETF standardized solution was by Apple Computer and was referred to as "AppleTalk" (sometimes also referred to as "Bonjour"). See RFC 676, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety.
In IETF, an IP "service" is recognized by a combination of three pieces of information that includes a service name (e.g., FTP, HTTP), a transport protocol (e.g., UDP, TCP), and a port number of the transport protocol. An extensive registry of known Internet IP services is maintained by IETF in a service name and transport protocol port number registry. See http://www.iana.org/assignments/service-names-port-numbers/service-names-port-numbers.xhtml, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety.
Technically, DNS-SD is composed of two functions. The first function is referred to as multicast DNS (mDNS). mDNS provides the ability to perform local network DNS operations in the absence of any conventional unicast DNS server by utilizing local IP multicast functionality. Thus, devices can directly answer local IP multicast DNS queries themselves instead of requiring dedicated DNS servers to respond to the query (e.g., a printer will directly answer multicast DNS queries looking for printing services). mDNS also allows devices to pro-actively advertise their supported/changed services using link-local multicast. In addition, mDNS designates a portion of the DNS namespace to be free for local use (e.g., a new ".local" domain), without the need to pay any annual fee, and without the need to set up delegations or otherwise configure a conventional DNS server to answer for those names. See RFC 6762, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety.
The second function is itself (a bit confusingly) called DNS-SD. It is described in RFC 6763 (which is incorporated by reference in its entirety) and specifies the changes required within the DNS record structure to support service discovery queries (e.g., configuring DNS to support more than the classical name resolution queries). It can also be used in a pure unicast mode for querying for specific services of a given domain. However, this unicast mode is not used as general service discovery function today.
The combination of DNS-SD and mDNS is typically referred to as just "DNS-SD" when used in the context of dynamic multicast service discovery in a network. The discovery of services is done as needed directly by clients sending multicast queries and receiving (unicast) responses directly from the devices that support the requested IP based services. This service discovery works for local networks (e.g., cannot discover services dynamically across multiple LANs).
FIG. 4 illustrates a typical DNS-SD message flow. At step 141, a user wants to print a color document from word processor 136. Word processor 136 recognizes that it needs to get the IP address of a color printer (e.g., color printer 139). So word processor 136 sends a message to DNS client 132 in laptop 130 with this request. At step 142, once DNS client 132 gets the request it determines that it should form a DNS-SD (multicast) message query indicating that it is looking for a "Color Printer". This query is sent by IP multicast over LAN 140 that laptop 130 is connected with. The IP multicast mechanism will automatically distribute the DNS-SD query to all devices connected to LAN 140 (the message should not go beyond LAN 140). Unlike standard DNS queries (which are sent over UDP port 53), a multicast DNS-SD query is sent over UDP port 5353. Also, a multicast DNS-SD domain is specified as having an FQDN that ends with ".local" suffix, such as "ColorPrinter.local".
At step 143, multiple devices in LAN 140 receive the DNS-SD multicast query, but, here, only color printer 139 has a matching service type. Color printer 139 sends a DNS-SD message (unicast) response including the IP address (e.g., 192.168.0.11) of the requested service server. At step 144, DNS client 132 of laptop 130 sends the IP address of color printer 139 to word processor 136. At step 145, word processor 136 sends an HTTP Post request directly to the IP address of color printer 139 to request that the attachment is printed. At step 146, color printer 139 responds with a successful HTTP response code (201) to indicate that the attachment was successfully printed.
As mentioned previously DNS-SD is primarily used to discover IP based services in the local network. DNS-SD uses a combination of three standard DNS RRs to identify services which usually includes Pointer Record (PTR), Service Locator Record (SRV), and Text Record (TXT). DNS-SD searches involve a client sending a DNS query that specifies in the search parameters to look for a particular service type in the PTR records for a given domain. The DNS-SD servers then return a set of zero or more SRV/TXT pairs that gives the target device (host) name and port where the service instance can be reached (in the SRV RR) as well as ancillary information (in the TXT RR). The IP address of the target device can then be obtained from the associated "A" or "AAAA" record.
Hybrid DNS-SD Proxy
A recent draft hybrid unicast/multicast DNS-based service discovery proposes utilizing a hybrid proxy to allow selective wide area discovery of IP based services. See http://tools.ietf.org/html/draft-ietf-dnssd-hybrid-00, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. Specifically, the draft proposes a proxy that will use mDNS to discover DNS-SD services in the local network, aggregate the responses, and answer back to a requesting client in a different LAN. This will also require key changes to the naming system in DNS (which is fairly controversial and has not yet been agreed to in IETF). Currently, the DNS domain names are ultimately associated with a given device as described previously. If the hybrid unicast/multicast DNS-based service draft is approved then it will allow a LAN (e.g., local link), instead of individual devices, to be also named (e.g., "4thFloor.Building1.companyX.com") so that it can be queried to search for a given service.
FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary flow for a hybrid DNS-SD Proxy scenario. At step 151, a query is required to be sent to a specific "named" LAN (e.g., 3rd floor of BestCompany) to search for a color printer. At steps 152-154, the normal (unicast) DNS query mechanism will result in the query being forwarded to the DNS-SD proxy 150 for the given LAN 140 (e.g., 3rd floor of BestCompany). At steps 155-156, DNS-SD proxy 150 triggers an mDNS request. The devices in LAN 140 receive the DNS-SD multicast query, but only color printer 139, which has a matching service type (of Color Printer), will answer. Color printer 139 sends a DNS-SD message (unicast) response including the IP address of the requested service server. At steps 157-158, the DNS response with the IP address is relayed back to word processor 136. At step 159, word processor 136 then sends an HTTP Post request directly to the IP address of color printer 139 to request that the attachment is printed.
DNS-SD can currently discover and advertise IP based services (e.g., printer, fax, etc.) in the local network, but there is a need for a system that works across LANs.

Wide area service discovery for internet of things


A household dishwasher includes a dishwasher cavity which includes a base having a first connection flange, a dishwasher cavity casing connected to the base, and a rear wall connected to both the base and the dishwasher cavity casing. The rear wall includes a second connection flange having at least one section resting against the first connection flange. The second connection flange has a deformation region which projects beyond the first connection flange and is bent in a direction oriented away from the first connection flange in such a way that the deformation region rests against the second connection flange.

The present invention relates to a household dishwasher.
In most cases a dishwasher has a dishwasher cavity and a base support which supports the dishwasher cavity. The dishwasher cavity is typically formed from a number of sections of sheet metal. For instance, the dishwasher cavity comprises a base and a rear wall which are connected to one another with the aid of connection flanges, for instance.
The publication DE 196 11 049 A1 discloses a dishwasher having a box-shaped dishwasher cavity made from at least two sheet metal parts, of which the one sheet metal part forms the two side walls, the upper wall and the base of the container and the other sheet metal part forms the rear wall of the container and which have flanges arranged externally on the container along its opposing edge zones, at which flanges they are connected to one another by means of welding, wherein in the disassembled state, the flanges of the rear wall project beyond the flanges of the further parts of the container and in the assembly the projecting parts of the flanges of the rear wall are bent so as to overlap in the direction of the further parts of the container and the flanges of the further parts of the container.
The publication DE 196 11 055 A1 discloses a dishwasher with a machine base on which a dishwasher cavity can be placed, wherein on the rear side the dishwasher cavity rests on the top edge of the machine base.

Domestic dishwasher having increased rigidity in a region of connection flanges of base and rear wall