Substantially linear olefin polymers having a melt flow ratio, I10/I2, xe2x89xa75.63, a molecular weight distribution, Mw/Mn, defined by the equation: Mw/Mnxe2x89xa6(I10/I2)xe2x88x924.63, and a critical shear stress at onset of gross melt fracture of greater than about 4xc3x97106 dyne/cm2 and their method of manufacture are disclosed. The substantially linear olefin polymers preferably have at least about 0.01 long chain branches/1000 carbons and a molecular weight distribution from about 1.5 to about 2.5. The new polymers have improved processability over conventional olefin polymers and are useful in producing fabricated articles such as fibers, films, and molded parts.

This invention relates to elastic substantially linear olefin polymers having improved processability. e.g., low susceptibility to melt fracture, even under high shear stress extrusion conditions. Methods of manufacturing these polymers are also disclosed.
Molecular weight distribution (MWD), or polydispersity, is a well known variable in polymers. The molecular weight distribution, sometimes described as the ratio of weight average molecular weight (Mw) to number average molecular weight (Mn) (i.e., Mw/Mn) can be measured directly, e.g., by gel permeation chromatography techniques, or more routinely, by measuring I10/I2 ratio, as described in ASTM D-1238. For linear polyolefins, especially linear polyethylene, it is well known that as Mw/Mn increases, I10I2 also increases.
John Dealy in xe2x80x9cMelt Rheology and Its Role in Plastics Processingxe2x80x9d (Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1990) page 597 discloses that ASTM D-1238 is employed with different loads in order to obtain an estimate of the shear rate dependence of melt viscosity, which is sensitive to weight average molecular weight (Mw) and number average molecular weight (Mn).
Bersted in Journal of Applied Polymer Science Vol. 19, page 2167-2177 (1975) theorized the relationship between molecular weight distribution and steady shear melt viscosity for linear polymer systems. He also showed that the broader MWD material exhibits a higher shear rate or shear stress dependency.
Ramamurthy in Journal of Rheology, 30(2), 337-357 (1986), and Moynihan, Baird and Ramanathan in Journal of Non-Newtonian Fluid Mechanics, 36, 255-263 (1990), both disclose that the onset of sharkskin (i.e., melt fracture) for linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) occurs at an apparent shear stress of 1-1.4xc3x97106 dyne/cm2, which was observed to be coincident with the change in slope of the flow curve. Ramamurthy also discloses that the onset of surface melt fracture or of gross melt fracture for high pressure low density polyethylene (HP-LDPE) occurs at an apparent shear stress of about 0.13 MPa (1.3xc3x97106 dynes/cm2).
Kalika and Denn in Journal of Rheology, 31, 815-834 (1987) confirmed the surface defects or sharkskin phenomena for LLDPE, but the results of their work determined a critical shear stress of 2.3xc3x97106 dyne/cm2, significantly higher than that found by Ramamurthy and Moynihan et al.
International Patent Application (Publication No. WO 90/03414) published Apr. 5, 1990, discloses linear ethylene interpolymer blends with narrow molecular weight distribution and narrow short chain branching distributions (SCBDs). The melt processibility of the interpolymer blends is controlled by blending different molecular weight interpolymers having different narrow molecular height distributions and different SCBDs.
Exxon Chemical Company, in the Preprints of Polyolefins VII International Conference, page 45-66, Feb. 24-27, 1991, disclose that the narrow molecular weight distribution (NMWD) resins produced by their EXXPOL(trademark) technology have higher melt viscosity and lower melt strength than conventional Ziegler resins at the same melt index. In a recent publication, Exxon Chemical Company has also taught that NMWD polymers made using a single site catalyst create the potential for melt fracture (xe2x80x9cNew Specialty Linear Polymers (SLP) For Power Cables,xe2x80x9d by Monica Hendewerk and Lawrence Spenadel, presented at IEEE meeting in Dallas, Tex., September, 1991).
Previously known narrow molecular weight distribution linear polymers disadvantageously possessed low shear sensitivity or low I10/I2 value, which limits the extrudability of such polymers. Additionally, such polymers possessed low melt elasticity, causing problems in melt fabrication such as film forming processes or blow molding processes (e.g., sustaining a bubble in the blown film process, or sag in the blow molding process etc.). Finally, such resins also experienced melt fracture surface properties at relatively low extrusion rates thereby processing unacceptably.
We have now discovered a new family of substantially linear olefin polymers which have many improved properties and a method of their manufacture. The substantially linear olefin polymers have (1) high melt elasticity and, (2) relatively narrow molecular weight distributions with exceptionally good processibility while maintaining good mechanical properties and (3) they do not melt fracture over a broad range of shear stress conditions. These properties are obtained without benefit of specific processing additives. The new polymers can be successfully prepared in a continuous polymerization process using constrained geometry catalyst technology, especially when polymerized utilizing solution process technology.
The improved properties of the polymers include improved melt elasticity and processability in thermal forming processes such as extrusion, blowing film, injection molding and blow-molding.
Substantially linear polymers made according to the present invention have the following novel properties:
a) a melt flow ratio, I10/I2, xe2x89xa75.63,
b) a molecular weight distribution, Mw/Hn, defined by the equation:
Mw/Mnxe2x89xa6(I10/I2)xe2x88x924.63, and
c) a critical shear stress at onset of gross melt fracture of greater than about 4xc3x97106 dyne/cm2.

Elastic substantially linear olefin polymers


A computing hardware and software device called a Meta Mentor Central Processing Unit. The Meta Mentor purpose is to control memory, input/output interfaces, defining the operating system, the scheduling processes and the parsing of individual threads to an array of slave Processing Units that are uniquely connected, thus creating a highly optimized computing core. In effect, the Meta Mentor tells the array of slave processors what to process by controlling all external and internal system input/output and individual processor scheduling.

One of the first computing models was the mainframe model. This model featured a central processing unit ("CPU"), volatile memory storage, and input/output ("I/O") devices. It often had different cabinets for each component storage, I/O, RAM (random access memory), task, program, and job management. According to this model, the host mainframe processor manages multiple processes and I/O devices, but all processes are run on the host mainframe with the user interfaces being "dumb" terminals communicating with the mainframe but not running any of the processes. Communication between the mainframe and the user terminals is handled by a program running (usually in the background) on the mainframe. Other than user interface information, nothing else is communicated between the host mainframe and the terminals. In effect, the terminal users are connected to a large computer (the mainframe) by long wires.
It is important to note that the operating systems for modern mainframes are limited in number, e.g., UNIX, Linux, VMS, Z/OS, Z/VM, VSE/ESA. Conventionally a mainframe's control is limited to the processes being run within the boundaries of its computing machinery. Machines and other CPUs (central processing units) not associated with the mainframe's CPU and its operating system (OS) are treated as foreign systems—each foreign system conventionally consisting of a CPU, input/output memory and other devices. Conventionally each mainframe CPU runs a single instance of its operating system, and is dedicated to that system and the operating system schedules CPU cycles and allocates memory only within that system.
The above mainframe model was the standard until the late 1960's and early 1970's when several components of a mainframe were consolidated into what are now known as "microprocessors." In conventional microprocessors, memory management, arithmetic units and internal registers are incorporated into a single integrated circuit (commonly called a "chip"). Peripheral devices are handled by various interrupt schemes. Conventionally these interrupts are electrical signals originating, directly or indirectly, from external peripherals for the purpose of interrupting the microprocessor's normal processing to service a peripheral device that requires immediate attention. A keystroke on a keyboard is good example of a peripheral that can normally create an interrupt and initiate an interrupt cycle. When a key is depressed, an interrupt is generated to the microprocessor's CPU by presenting a high or low signal on one of the microprocessor's interrupt pins. When an interrupt occurs the CPU must relocate all information relevant to its 'current' job to an external location, i.e., a "stack" memory. The information stored in the stack generally includes the contents of all the CPU registers, program counter information or the memory address of the program that it was executing before the interrupt. This stack information is stored to enable the CPU to return to its pre-interrupt state after servicing the interrupt, the pre-interrupt state being defined by the contents of the stack. When the CPU services the interrupt, it starts with a blank page, and a known state. After putting the 'current' job contents on the stack, the CPU examines a known location in memory to determine which device produced the interrupt. In the keyboard case, the CPU determines that a key was depressed, 'jumps' to a memory address, starts executing the program code that determines which key was depressed, and puts the results in memory, memory cache, or CPU register. After 'servicing' the interrupt, the CPU retrieves the pre-interrupt information, restores all relevant registers and counters to their pre-interrupt states, and returns to the task (the current job) it was performing before the interrupt occurred. In conventional microprocessor based disk operating systems, each microprocessor within the computing machine is dedicated to that operating system, disk storage, memory, program counter, and system scheduler; and the operating system manages its memory, interrupt stack, keyboard and so forth.
Microprocessor based systems have a huge cost savings over mainframe computers. They require less maintenance, can be massed produced, and they have far more software available at affordable prices. However, the microprocessor systems are less reliable than a mainframe system. Microprocessors are prone to system freezes and component failure. When performing system maintenance, microprocessor systems must be taken off-line and brought down to a single user state, or turned off altogether. In mainframe systems, system maintenance can be performed while the machine is running, which is advantageous when the computer system must be online all the time. Each computer system's architecture and structure determines the cost, type of maintenance, and the reliability of that system. In the microprocessor system each CPU is dedicated to a single operating system, so when a problem/fault occurs, the whole computing machinery stops. These faults can be hardware or software related, but each system will come to a halt if a critical system part fails or even a single CPU becomes lost or misdirected through some software error. The reliability problem has been attacked from several directions. Redundancy is the most common approach, e.g., double or even triple mirrored storage systems, duel ported memory, and more.
Several computer architectures have addressed these problems. In the early 1990's, CRAY computers developed a microprocessor based computer that was dubbed, "Highly Available." It featured redundant computer systems each having its own memory, I/O, and scheduler. The redundant systems shared a common data storage, either in disk or tape storage, and featured a time monitor, commonly called "watch dog timer;" i.e., if one system didn't respond to a signal from the other system in some selected amount of time, the monitor would assume that the non-responding system was "down" and would start up new processes on the remaining system to replace those lost on the failed system. Any process or user that was connected to the failed system needed to restart the process on the remaining system since it was available for processing the tasks that were performed by the failed system. This redundancy makes this type of computing system highly reliable, and the act of bringing up the processes on the new system is called "highly available." As an example, during the Sep. 11, 2001 crisis when Highly Available systems located in New York failed, they failed-over to systems in New Jersey and Wilmington Del.
In addition, some of the microprocessor-based systems are capable of reallocating CPU's. Two or more operating systems can be loaded on a machine with multiple CPU's of the same type and manufacture, and each of these CPU's can be allocated to a particular operating system by manual re-deployment. Each operating system has its own memory, I/O, and scheduler, and interrupt system. However, once a CPU is committed to an operating system within the computing machine and that machine fails, the CPU will fail with that machine and cannot be reused until the operating system is restarted, or manual intervention reassigns the CPU. The main advantage of this type of system is its ability to distribute processes and processing threads to several processors which significantly decreases computing time.
Most of the world's fastest computers utilize hosts of microprocessors for parallel processing but such systems are extremely complex. For example, "backplane" circuit boards that connect the microprocessors together require as many as thirty-two circuit layers and are so complicated that only a single manufacturer is capable of producing these complex circuit boards.
Clustering is another technique used to increase reliability and decrease computing time. Currently certain vendors, like CRAY, IBM, HP, and SUN MICROSYSTEMS have increased the number of systems that can join a cluster from two to thirty-two, but each machine acts independently of one another and does not share a common memory between operating systems. It has no control over program counters and does not attempt to make the system more than highly available.
Another type of clustering system is available for Linux systems called a "Beowulf cluster" which is a type of parallel system that utilizes PC (personal computer) style microprocessors. It is a cluster of desktop-type computers that are networked with one of the computers acting as a master. Users can log in to the master node and run a script which will run their program on the slave nodes of the cluster. This program can contain a specially designed code, such as MPI, to communicate with its siblings on the other node. Each slave's individual process can use this code to communicate with all of the other processes to transmit data, calculations results, etc., combining the power of all of the computers into one virtual super computer. The problem with the Beowulf system is that if one of the master systems is lost, the whole cluster must be rebooted because the master system has lost the state of the machine. Without knowing the system state, the only option is to start over from scratch and a reboot is required. In addition, each slave computer has its own set of memory, its own I/O, interrupt vectors, stacks, and schedulers. It is the unknown state of these items that require the entire system to be rebooted.
The Meta Mentor system of this invention is highly advantageous compared to the above mentioned solutions because it employs novel parallel processing techniques to significantly reduce computing time, while it also avoids the loss-of-state problems when one of the parallel processors or system components catastrophically fails. The system according to this invention is thus superior to even the "highly available" prior art.
Other advantages and attributes of this invention can be seen from a reading of the specification herein and a viewing of the drawings.


Disclosed are a traffic control method, a traffic control apparatus and a server. In some embodiments, the method includes: determining, by a device on a network side, a first queue delay based on transceiving time of a communication data packet currently received from a user terminal and transceiving time of a communication data packet received from the user terminal last time; adjusting a first quality of service parameter based on the first queue delay, a second queue delay stored by the device on the network side and a reception data volume of the device on the network side, to obtain a second quality of service parameter; and transmitting the second quality of service parameter to the user terminal, and the user terminal transmits subsequent communication data packets based on the second quality of service parameter.

With rapid development of the technology, more and more application programs for communication appear, and the application programs may be installed in terminals such as a mobile phone, a computer or a tablet computer. When the terminal is to communicate by the application programs, the terminal needs to be connected to an internet and occupy a certain network bandwidth of the internet. Since the network bandwidth is limited, network congestion may occur when many communication data packets are transmitted during a communication process. Therefore, in order to utilize the limited network bandwidth better, it needs to control traffics for communication data packets to be transmitted.
Presently, a process of controlling a traffic includes: when multiple user terminals communicate with each other, the multiple user terminals transmit respective communication capability information, such as a packet loss rate, network jitter and a type of a connected network, to a server; when receiving the communication capability information transmitted by the multiple user terminals, the server may set a Quality of Service (Qos) parameter for each of the multiple user terminals based on the communication capability information transmitted by the multiple user terminals, and transmit the Qos parameter to a respective user terminal. When receiving the Qos parameter transmitted by the server, the user terminal may transmit a communication data packet to the server based on the Qos parameter; and when receiving the communication data packet, the server forwards the communication data packet to other user terminals among the multiple user terminals, thereby controlling the traffic.
The Qos parameters of the multiple user terminals during the communication process are fixed, therefore loss of the communication data packet may occur once network congestion occurs, thereby resulting in that a communication effect of the multiple user terminals is deteriorated.

Traffic control method, traffic control apparatus and server

TENCENT TECHNOLOGY (SHENZHEN) COMPANY LIMITED


An electrochemical reaction unit including a unit cell, a cathode-side member, and an anode-side member. The sum La of the distance Lai between a virtual straight line representing a center position of the unit cell and the midpoint between opposite end points of a cathode-side supply opening group and the distance Lao between the virtual straight line and the midpoint between opposite end points of a cathode-side discharge opening group is smaller than the sum Lf of the distance Lfi between the virtual straight line and the midpoint between opposite end points of an anode-side supply opening group including an opening of an anode-side supply communication channel and the distance Lfo between the virtual straight line and the midpoint between opposite end points of an anode-side discharge opening group including an opening of an anode-side discharge communication channel.

One known fuel cell that generates electricity by using an electrochemical reaction of hydrogen and oxygen is a solid oxide fuel cell (hereinafter referred to as an "SOFC"). A fuel cell electricity generation unit (hereinafter referred to as an "electricity generation unit"), which is a structural unit of an SOFC, includes a fuel cell unit cell (hereinafter referred to as a "unit cell"). The unit cell includes an electrolyte layer and further includes a cathode and an anode that face each other in a prescribed direction (hereinafter referred to a "first direction") with the electrolyte layer therebetween.
The electricity generation unit includes a cathode-side member (hereinafter referred to as a "cathode-side frame") having a cathode chamber hole that forms a cathode chamber to which the cathode is facing. A cathode-side gas supply channel hole and a cathode-side gas discharge channel hole are formed in the cathode-side frame. The cathode-side gas supply channel hole forms a cathode-side gas supply channel (hereinafter referred to as an "oxidant gas introduction manifold") through which gas to be supplied to the cathode chamber (the gas is hereinafter referred to as "oxidant gas") flows. The cathode-side gas discharge channel hole forms a cathode-side gas discharge channel (hereinafter referred to as an "oxidant gas discharge manifold") through which gas discharged from the cathode chamber (hereinafter referred to as "oxidant off-gas") flows. A cathode-side supply communication channel and a cathode-side discharge communication channel are further formed in the cathode-side frame. The cathode-side supply communication channel is in communication with the cathode-side gas supply channel hole and has an opening at an inner circumferential surface (hereinafter referred to as a "first inner circumferential surface") of the cathode chamber hole. The cathode-side discharge communication channel is in communication with the cathode-side gas discharge channel hole and has an opening at another inner circumferential surface (hereinafter referred to as a "second inner circumferential surface") of the cathode chamber hole that faces the first inner circumferential surface. The oxidant gas is supplied to the cathode chamber of the electricity generation unit through the oxidant gas introduction manifold and the cathode-side supply communication channel. The oxidant off-gas discharged from the cathode chamber is discharged to the outside through the cathode-side discharge communication channel and the oxidant gas discharge manifold.
Moreover, the electricity generation unit includes an anode-side member (hereinafter referred to as an "anode-side frame") having an anode chamber hole that forms an anode chamber to which the anode is facing. An anode-side gas supply channel hole and an anode-side gas discharge channel hole are formed in the anode-side frame. The anode-side gas supply channel hole forms an anode-side gas supply channel (hereinafter referred to as a "fuel gas introduction manifold") through which gas to be supplied to the anode chamber (hereinafter referred to as "fuel gas") flows. The anode-side gas discharge channel hole forms an anode-side gas discharge channel (hereinafter referred to as a "fuel gas discharge manifold") through which gas discharged from the anode chamber (hereinafter referred to as "fuel off-gas") flows. An anode-side supply communication channel and an anode-side discharge communication channel are further formed in the anode-side frame. The anode-side supply communication channel is in communication with the anode-side gas supply channel hole and has an opening at an inner circumferential surface (hereinafter referred to as a "third inner circumferential surface") of the anode chamber hole. The anode-side discharge communication channel is in communication with the anode-side gas discharge channel hole and has an opening at another inner circumferential surface (hereinafter referred to as a "fourth inner circumferential surface") of the anode chamber hole that faces the third inner circumferential surface. The fuel gas is supplied to the anode chamber of the electricity generation unit through the fuel gas introduction manifold and the anode-side supply communication channel. The fuel off-gas discharged from the anode chamber is discharged to the outside through the anode-side discharge communication channel and the fuel gas discharge manifold.
In a known SOFC structure, the facing direction of the first inner circumferential surface at which the cathode-side supply communication channel in the cathode-side frame has an opening and the second inner circumferential surface at which the cathode-side discharge communication channel has an opening is approximately the same as the facing direction of the third inner circumferential surface at which the anode-side supply communication channel in the anode-side frame has an opening and the fourth inner circumferential surface at which the anode-side discharge communication channel has an opening. In this structure, the main flow direction of the gas in the cathode chamber of each electricity generation unit is approximately opposite to the main flow direction of the gas in the anode chamber (the main flow directions of the two gases are opposite to each other). Alternatively, the main flow directions of the two gases are approximately the same. The SOFC structure in which the main flow directions of the two gases are approximately opposite to each other is referred to as a counter flow type structure, and the SOFC structure in which the main flow directions of the two gases are approximately the same is referred to as a co-flow type structure.
Generally, in an SOFC of the counter flow type or the co-flow type, cathode-chamber-side openings of the communication channels (the cathode-side supply communication channel and the cathode-side discharge communication channel) formed in the cathode-side frame and anode-chamber-side openings of the communication channels (the anode-side supply communication channel and the anode-side discharge communication channel) formed in the anode-side frame are arranged so as to be approximately symmetric with respect to a center position of the unit cell in a direction orthogonal to the direction of flow of the oxidant gas or the fuel gas (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Therefore, the cathode-chamber-side openings of the communication channels formed in the cathode-side frame and the anode-chamber-side openings of the communication channels formed in the anode-side frame are disposed at positions spaced certain distances from the center position of the unit cell.

Electrochemical reaction unit including cathode-side frame configured to improve spreading of oxidant gas and electrochemical reaction cell stack


The adjustable, collapsible clothes rack is easily portable due to the telescopic fit of the leg inserts within the legs and the slideable cross bar insert within the cross bar. Additionally, the pivoted fastening of the legs to the cross bar assembly provides for a further compact state. The expandable and retractable features of the apparatus provide for fit to a variety of surfaces. The rubberized leg insert stoppers and the suction cups provide for apparatus position retention on a given surface. Further, the suction cups are pivoted and thereby even allow for the cups to be removably attached to a wall or other surface at and angle to the positioning of the leg inserts.

Hanging clothes anywhere, especially near an appliance such as a washer or dryer, can be convenient. Hanging clothes for drying not only spares certain fabrics but also saves energy that might other be spent in mechanical drying. Additionally, just having a portable clothes hanger often provides advantages. These advantages are increased if the portable hanger is collapsible or easily capable of disassembly. The present apparatus provides several unique features and advantages over existing portable clothes racks.


The present disclosure relates to an elevation detection system for an Autonomous Vehicle (AV) and a method for detecting elevation of surrounding of the AV. The elevation detection system includes an elevation sensor unit and a computation unit. The elevation sensor unit is configured to detect an elevation of a plurality of objects having a lower most elevation, in the surrounding of the AV to determine a boundary elevation of the road. The elevation sensor unit is vertically movable within a range of vertical positions. A Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) sensor unit is associated with the elevation sensor unit, to detect the surrounding of the AV, having a predefined Field of View (FoV). The computation unit determines a lower limit value of the FoV and provides it to the LIDAR sensor unit for accurately detecting obstacles in the road.

Autonomous Vehicles (AV) use various sensors like Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) sensor units, imaging units and the like to detect surrounding of the AV. The various sensors enable tracking of objects in the surroundings and vehicles on a road for the AV to navigate the road. The various sensors also detect pedestrian way or boundary of the road for the AV to remain on the road. In an AV, there is a possibility that a LIDAR sensor unit detects the road as an obstacle if it tries to process very low elevation points data without proper caution.
Conventional approaches adjust Field of View (FoV) of the LIDAR sensor unit to focus above certain height above the road. However, the certain height is arbitrarily determined and cannot be used for different terrain of road. Also, if an object is present below the lower viewing angle, such objects are not detected by the LIDAR sensor unit.
Thus, there is a need to determine a lower viewing angle of the LIDAR sensor unit for efficient object tracking.
The information disclosed in this background of the disclosure section is only for enhancement of understanding of the general background of the invention and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art already known to a person skilled in the art.

Elevation detection system for autonomous vehicles and a method thereof


A method and system for the application of foam insulation onto a surface or into a cavity include a sheet with an aperture, where the sheet covers or partially covers the surface or a cavity with the aperture adjacent to the surface or cavity. A pressure-activated foam generator which generates foam is coupled with the sheet. The pressure-activated foam generator includes a frangible output seal with a ruptured position. The pressure-activated foam generator is positioned so that in the ruptured position the foam has a path from the frangible output seal through the aperture and onto the surface or into the cavity. The sheet is connected to cover or partially cover the surface or cavity, and the pressure-activated foam generator is activated and the foam flows onto the surface or into the cavity.

In building construction, urethane foam is often used to seal any cracks and crevices and reduce conductive, radiant and convective heat transfer. Foam is vastly superior to other insulation as the foam is a rapidly expanding and highly adherent adhesive substrate (material) which seals and makes buildings airtight. The two main types of spray foam used are open and closed cell foam. Open cell foam is generally lower density and less expensive and has a lower thermal resistance than closed cell foam. Urethane foam is typically composed of two chemical precursors; an isocyanate component and a resin (generally polyol). These components react to produce a urethane polymer (polyurethane), steam and carbon dioxide. Various chemical foaming agents, such as catalysts and accelerators, may be incorporated into the foam components.
In the construction market foam is sprayed into wall, ceiling, and roof cavities utilizing high pressure delivery systems which mix and catalyze the chemicals. A typical setup involves remotely located chemical drums of A (isocyanate) and B (polyol) foam precursors, pneumatic pumps, heated delivery hoses and a handheld dispenser. The pumping equipment is located in an external truck which has its own electrical generator and air compressor to power the process. U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,123,081 B2 and 7,377,404 B2 disclose typical dispensing apparatus used in this method. Drawbacks to using spray foam involve the complexity and expense of the dispensing apparatus as well as the fact that isocyanate components create gases (vapors) which are hazardous to health. Furthermore, since the two foam components are mixed and dispensed in the field, the ratio of A to B can be other than the preferred ratio due to poor control over mixing (otherwise referred to as off-ratio), potentially resulting in an inferior foam, which can off-gas isocyanate and make the occupants of the building sick. Moreover, isocyanate crystalizes in the presence of air and dispensing equipment is prone to clogging and must be regularly maintained and cleaned to prevent problems. Typically before application, several test shots of foam are made to confirm the foam quality is correct. If the installer is inexperienced or does not realize the ratio is off, an entire building can have improperly catalyzed foam. There is a history of off-ratio foam being dispensed in this manner and requiring it to be removed after having sickened the building occupants.
Given that the cost of dispensing spray foam is significant, as described above, there are many do-it-yourself (DIY) products sold on the market. Such systems utilize pressurized canisters and dispensing guns which mix the two chemicals with static mixers. U.S. Pat. Nos. 9,211,552 B2 and 9,546,037 B1 detail dispensing guns and prior art spray foam systems. These systems make smaller jobs accessible to the homeowner but create hazardous waste as the pressurized canisters are not completely emptied and must be disposed of by the homeowner. Furthermore, the static mixers utilized by these systems clog easily and can create off-ratio foam which can outgas hazardous isocyanate vapors. They also have a relatively high fixed cost and because they are applied by hand the applicator must wear a full protective suit. Full protective suits are still needed for non-isocyanate urethane foams where the exposure level of the user is still high in spray applications.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,699,902 and 5,996,782 disclose a self-contained foam in bag system that has two foam precursors packaged within a flexible bag sealed on four edges to receive catalyzed foam from the combined precursors. Although this system is effective as a packaging product, it is ineffective as an insulating product where the expanding urethane foam is fully contained in a bag, restricting its ability to flow and fully fill corners and crevices. The sealing properties of the product are also compromised where the insulation is unable to adhere to surfaces such as walls of a cavity creating pathways around the expanded foam containing bag. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,899,325 and 8,006,844 B2 similarly disclose foam in bag systems.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,882,483 B2 and 9,561,606 B2 disclose a contained foam envelope for insulating and sealing large volumes. The system includes an envelope having walls defining an interior which receive a foaming composition. In one iteration, a foaming composition is configured for insertion into the interior of the envelope. The envelope is configured such that the foaming composition expands the envelope such as to fill a large gap. A further iteration involves storing foam precursors in this envelope and yet a further iteration includes leak pores in the envelope to permit small amounts of foam to seep out to seal against the substrate. Since the foam insulation composition is enclosed and expands within an envelope, the envelope impedes the ability of the foam to flow and expand causing a reduction in the maximum expansion capability. Where the envelope restricts flow and produces variability in the volume and the density, it also limits the ability of the foam to fully expand in a cavity and to generate a proper air seal and insulation barrier as the effectiveness of the leak pores is also variable due to the limitations of the envelope, the position of the pores and the geometry and void locations in a cavity. The envelope further impedes the foam from filling a cavity when obstructions such as outlets, wiring, and pipes are present.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,983,839 B2 discloses a foam producing system in which two chemical precursors are separately packaged, and separated by a frangible seal. Manually applied pressure, such as by squeezing, is used to break the frangible seal and mix the precursors. The frangible seals are achieved by printing an ink pattern to selectively control the peel strength of the frangible seals as outlined in U.S. Pat. No. 6,983,839 B2. Another method of achieving a breakable seal is outlined in U.S. Pat. No. 6,245,176 B1, where a peelable plastic is zone sealed to the foil laminate.
In other known foam expansion systems, such as expanding foam for fence post installations, two chemical foam precursors are contained in a package and are separated by a frangible seal. One end of the package is pressed or rolled until the seal breaks. Then the ends of the package are alternately pressed to mix the chemicals. The package is then cut (such as with scissors) to allow the foam to escape from the package. This foam is not contained within a surrounding bag or sack.

Expanding foam insulating system and method


A method for optical recording of a linear barcode pattern and determination of a symbol sequence as defined by the barcode pattern from a blurred raw image and includes the following steps: taking a raw image of the barcode pattern, preprocessing the raw image to generate a series of output patterns, comparing the output pattern with stored reference patterns, wherein the reference patterns correspond to blurred images of sharp nominal patterns and each reference pattern is provided with at least one symbol, determining for each of the output patterns the reference pattern which most closely resembles the output pattern outputting, transmitting or storing the symbols corresponding to the determined reference pattern and following the sequence of output patterns, as a symbol sequence.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the field of optical recognition of barcodes. In particular, it relates to a method and to a portable apparatus for the optical detection of a linear barcode pattern and for determining a symbol sequence which is coded by the barcode pattern, according to the preamble of the respective independent patent claims.
2. State of the Art
Methods and apparatus for the optical detection of a linear barcode pattern, in particular those with which the portable apparatus are mobile telephones with cameras, are known. Thereby, as a rule, it is to be assumed that the pictures which are taken by the camera are adequately focussed, for example because the camera has an auto-focussing function. Such methods however fail with cheaper cameras with fix-focus lenses, since the cameras do not provide a focussed picture with an object distance which is necessary for an adequately defined picture of a barcode or line code.
Ideas for processing blurred or indistinct pictures for the recognition of barcodes exist. These are known for example from the following publications:    J. Kim and H. Lee, "Joint nonuniform illumination estimation and deblurring for bar code signals", Opt. Express 15, 14817-14837 (2007)    Ta-Hsin, Ke-Shin Lii, "Deblurring Two-Tone Images by A Joint Estimation Approach Using Higher-Order Statistics", Proceedings of the 1997 IEEE Signal Processing Workshop on Higher-Order Statistics (SPW-HOS '97), page: 108, year of publication: 1997, ISBN: 0-8186-8005-9    S. Esedoglu, "Blind deconvolution of bar code signals" Inverse Probl. 20, 121-135 (2004).
The described methods however are very computation-intensive, so that for example minutes are required for the analysis of a picture. Moreover, the recognition with regard to pictures of a quality, as is provided by a defocused mobile telephone camera, is not reliable or not at all possible.

Method and portable apparatus for recognizing barcodes


Provided is a protective cover kit for a marine propeller having a protective cover and a shift control warning attachment. The protective cover components have a slit and a central opening with a plurality of reliefs radiating from its circumference capable of accommodating various sized propeller hubs or shafts. Attaching elements are coupled to a slit and the first layer and second layer of the protective cover. The first and second layers are of a shape capable of substantially encasing a marine propeller. Once a force is applied by a user to the release apparatus, the attaching element is released and the protective cover is removed remotely from a distance above the surrounding water of the marine propeller. A shift control warning attachment is installed by a user onto a shift control lever to prevent inadvertent shifting prior to the removal of the propeller cover.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a protective cover kit for a marine propeller having a protective cover in which a user facilitates remote removal and having a shift control warning attachment in which a user installs to prevent inadvertent shifting prior to the removal of the protective cover. The present invention relates particularly to a protective cover having a release apparatus located thereon whereby a user applies a force to an end of the release apparatus from a distance away from protective cover thereby releasing the associated attaching element to uncover a marine propeller.
2. Background Art
An anti-fouling protective cover is placed around a marine propeller to prevent barnacle growth and to prevent other contaminants or organisms from coming into contact with a propeller. Formerly, protective covers are seen to incorporate excess parts including pockets, pairs of sleeves, and stiffening members as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,964,174.
Thus, there is a need for a protective cover with an improved attaching method whereby eliminating the need for additional parts, stiffening members, pairs of sleeves, pockets, and eliminating the associated costs for manufacturing these parts.
Prior art propeller covers are seen to incorporate a hinge with a latch and an eyelet as a method of locking the protective cover at the site of the marine propeller unit as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,246,345. This requires that the respective parts be disassembled by the user at the site of the marine propeller to facilitate the protective cover removal. In addition, the locking assembly may fail, rendering the protective cover inoperable.
There are several drawbacks to removing a protective cover at the site of a marine propeller. The most obvious drawback is a user being exposed to the surrounding water while releasing the attaching element of the protective cover of a submerged propeller. A second disadvantage is a user manually facilitating release of the protective cover's attaching element. This makes the removal of the protective cover more difficult and increases the time required to complete the removal.
U.S. Pat. No. Des. 386,466 shows and describes a marine propeller cover having a flexible material with a central opening and a drawstring closure around the circumference of the central opening. This design is not remotely releasable from a propeller due to the absence of a release system. There is no release apparatus and there is no releasable attaching element or slit incorporated onto the protective cover to allow for a user to remove the cover without physically coming into contact with the surrounding water while the propeller is submerged. The improved remote removal eliminates the need for a user to occupy the submerged site of the marine propeller while performing the acts of releasing the protective cover from a distance above the surrounding water.
According to Prop Pak. 19 Jun. 2011 <http:www.proppak.com>, describes an underwater propeller cover designed to be removed from a marine propeller from above the surface of the water. This Prop Pak is described as having a propeller cover with an open end for receiving a propeller and a slit for sliding past the shaft, a clamp to secure the open end of the cover in a closed configuration, and a webbing to release the cover from the propeller from above the waterline. This propeller cover's open end requires that the fabric be gathered and secured together with an attaching bias such as a clamp. The attaching bias may fail, rendering the propeller cover inoperable. Also, the act of gathering the fabric of the propeller cover and securing it closed with a clamp is time consuming and is not effective at preventing contaminants from reaching the propellers as described below. First, a user may gather the fabric incorrectly, allowing the propeller to be exposed to water and contaminants. Next, the act of gathering the fabric does not create a tight seal to block contaminants from reaching the propeller.
Hence, there is a need for a protective cover with an attaching element such as a series of hooks and loops which will seal the protective cover and not leave any portion of the cover open. The improved attaching method will eliminate the need for additional parts such as a clamp and eliminate the extra step requiring a user to gather fabric at an open end of the cover to secure it closed.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives, there is still a need for a protective cover kit having a protective cover with an improved release apparatus facilitating remote removal of a protective cover and having a warning attachment for the shift control lever. It is problematic that a boat engine may be started before removing the propeller cover. This would cause the propeller cover to become tangled around the hub or shaft and cause the boat to become inoperable. A warning attachment is installed by a user onto the control lever to prevent unintentional shifting prior to the removal of the propeller cover.

Protective cover kit for a marine propeller


The present invention provides an image forming method including ejecting an ink composition, using an ink jet apparatus, onto a recording medium thereby forming an image, the ink composition comprising a pigment, a water-soluble polymerizable monomer which is polymerized by actinic energy rays, and water, and the recording medium being composed of a base paper, a first layer including a binder, and a second layer including a white pigment and an acidic substance, which are disposed in this order, wherein a surface of the first layer is disposed on the base paper and has a Cobb water absorption capacity of 2.0 g/m2 or less at a contact time of 120 seconds as measured by a water-absorbing capacity test according to JIS P8140, a surface of the second layer has a water absorption of from 2 ml/m2 to 8 ml/m2 at a contact time of 0.5 seconds as measured by the Bristow's method, and the surface of the second layer has a pH of 5.5 or less.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming method.
2. Description of the Related Art
Ink jet is a process of color image recording. The ink jet technique has been used in the field of office printers and home-use printers. In recent years, the ink jet technique has been applied in the field of industrial printing.
In particular, the need for high-speed printing is growing in recent years. When ink jet recording is carried out using a high-speed printing system such as a single pass system, high quality images are formed at a low cost through the use of, for example, a recording medium disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. 2009-125948. The recording medium will not cause bronzing or mixing of colors while preventing curling, cockling, and paper deformation.
On the other hand, in order to give good abrasion resistance to inks containing pigments, for example, JP-A No. 2001-323194 discloses a method for applying an ink jet ink containing a coloring material and a photocurable monomer to a recording medium having a porous ink image-receiving layer.
In the ink described in JP-A No. 2009-125948 which contains a pigment and polymer particles, the polymer particles work as a binder to improve fixability and water resistance to some extent. However, since the fixability depends on the thermal properties of the polymer, it may be insufficiently improved, particularly conspicuously in high-speed recording. In such cases, the softening point of the polymer is decreased thereby accelerating the fixation to some extent, but also causes the deterioration of the adhesiveness of the image in a high temperature environment, and thus hinders the achievement of these performances.
The method described in JP-A No. 2001-323194 causes coalescence of ink droplets (spotting interference) during high-speed printing, and is not suitable for high-speed recording.
The invention has been accomplished in view of the above problems, and is intended to provide an image forming method which allows the formation of high definition images having good adhesiveness to the recording medium and good drawing properties, even in high-speed recording.


A host apparatus of a financial auction system is disposed in a site that is accessible from user terminal apparatuses through the transmission line of a network. The host apparatus has a borrowing agent serving as the window for a potential borrower, a lending agent serving as the window for a potential lender, a screening section for extracting a potential lending offer matching a predetermined condition, a matchmaking section for selecting a successful bid from potential lending offers, and an information collection section for collecting background information of a potential borrowing request. A database is attached to the host apparatus, where a borrowing request file, lending offer file, and background information file are formed.

The present invention relates to an auction system for making match between a person who wants to obtain a loan, i.e., a potential borrower, and a person who wants to finance a loan, i.e., a potential lender through a network, and a method therefor.
Normally, a company which wants to obtain a loan requests it to a specialized financier such as a bank or a nonbank financial organization. However, as is represented by the problem of credit crunch for small and medium companies, the current financing method in Japan has several problems as will be described below.
First, in association with credit limit decision (decision of risk that a company bankrupts to be unable to repay), there is a large time lag between the financing requiring time and the actual financing time. In addition, the fund supply route for risky financing has multiple stages, and the distribution cost therein makes the risk premium too larger. Furthermore, since the indirect financing system is employed, individual assets that are supposed to be able to bear the risk cannot select the borrower, so the acceptable risk of the assets is limited.
For these reasons, even a superior company eligible for a loan at an interest lower than the market average must pay a high interest or cannot be financed in some cases. In addition, an unsecured loan from a nonbank financial organization requires a higher interest payment. As described above, companies in Japan must pay unnecessarily high interests, and this probably impedes development of domestic industries.

Financial Technology Research Institute, Inc.


In an overhead cam internal combustion engine, an adjustable thickness shim assembly is interposed between the end of a valve stem and the underside of a conventional inverted cup follower engaged by the cam shaft. A body component of the shim assembly forms a ramp for a tapered wedge component which is slidable along the ramp to adjust the effective thickness of the shim. The body component has an inclined threaded bore adjacent to the wedge component receiving a screw which when turned advances along the ramp to butt against the wedge component. The body component is formed of a material having a higher coefficient of thermal expansion than the screw such that when the engine is cold the screw is pinched in its bore and will not turn. When the engine is warmed to normal operating temperature, the body component expands to a greater degree than the screw and the screw is free to turn. The bore and screw are positioned such that inertial force exerted on the screw by movement with the valve stem tends to advance the screw toward the edge component so as to adjust the valve clearance automatically.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improved tappet assembly interposed between an overhead cam shaft and the stem of a standard poppet valve of an internal combustion engine. Such assembly is self-operating to eliminate valve lash when the engine is running at its normal operating temperature.
2. Prior Art
The tappet assembly of an overhead cam internal combustion engine commonly includes an inverted cup follower fitted in a cylindrical bore of the cylinder head in line with the upward-projecting stem of a valve. Shims can be used to achieve a desired clearance between the top end of the valve stem and the underside of the cup. The top of the cup is engaged by a lobe of the cam shaft. Ideally, the clearance is set and periodically adjusted such that valve lash is eliminated, i.e., the clearance is zero, when the engine reaches its normal operating temperature. It can be time-consuming, painstaking work to set or adjust the clearance by use of shims of different thicknesses.
More complicated tappet assemblies use screws to move wedgelike shims or to compress elastomeric shims, such as the assemblies disclosed in Jensen U.S. Pat. No. 3,538,895, issued Nov. 10, 1970, Line U.S. Pat. No. 3,818,879, issued June 25, 1974, and Morgan U.S. Pat. No. 3,989,016, issued Nov. 2, 1976. Still, the screws must be turned manually to adjust the valve clearance. Achieving the ideal clearance requires partial disassembly of the engine and the experience and technique of a skilled mechanic.
Representative tappet assemblies intended to be self-adjusting are shown in Saives U.S. Pat. No. 1,733,240, issued Oct. 29, 1929, and Campbell U.S. Pat. No. 2,747,559, issued May 29, 1956.

Self-operating lash-adjusting tappet assembly


An electronic mail system for efficiently transmitting mail data according to a change of the transmission condition of the wireless transmission path is disclosed. The system comprises a mail sender including a mail receiving unit, storage device, mail sending unit, command interpreting section, and mail order rearranging section, and a mail receiver including a mail receiving unit, a receiving condition monitoring section, and a command issuing section. The mail receiving unit monitors the condition of receiving mail data at predetermined intervals, and generates a detection signal when the receiving condition changes. According to the detection signal, the mail receiver sends a command ordering the rearrangement of the mail data. The mail sender receives the command, and rearranges the mail data stored in the storage device.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic mail system for efficiently transmitting mail data coping with the fluctuation of the transmission quality of each wireless transmission path, which is a constituent of the communication network for connecting the mail server and clients.
2. Description of the Related Art
Most conventional electronic mail systems (abbreviated as xe2x80x9ce-mail systemsxe2x80x9d, hereinbelow) have been developed on the premise of using a wire communication line as the transmission path. In wire communication lines, transmission quality is stable and thus it is unnecessary to consider problems such as fluctuation of the transmission quality or disconnection of the line during the mail data transmitting or receiving operation. Such a problem often occurs in the wireless-line communication. In an example method of efficiently operating the e-mail system, priority is set for each e-mail (i.e., electronic mail) in accordance with the importance or urgency of the e-mail so as to rearrange the e-mail data, where such a rearranging operation is executed after the current e-mail is received by the relevant client. Examples of the above kind of conventional e-mail system are disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication, Nos. Hei 4-82347 and Hei 5-22339.
However, recently, data transmission using mobile terminals such as cellular phones has been widespread, and data transmitting or receiving operation is often performed under an undesirable condition, that is, with degraded transmission quality generated when the mobile terminal moves with a high speed or when a weak radio wave is received. When an e-mail is sent using such a degraded communication line, retransmission may be necessary, and as the number of repeating retransmission increases, a longer transmission time is necessary.
If a plurality of mail data addressed to a client are stored in a mail server, the mail data are sent to the client in turn according to the order of arrival of the mail data when a mail data sending request is sent from the client. Therefore, when a relatively large mail data is stored at the head (top of the output queue) and relatively small mail data is stored after the relatively large mail data, if the wireless transmission path becomes unstable, then the relatively large mail data is not stably transmitted and thus the following relatively small mail data may not be transmitted, so that the number of normally received mail data decreases.
In general data communication, the calling and called sides use a protocol defined for correctly sending data, in which data is divided into data units, each having a specific data amount, and it is confirmed whether each data unit has been normally sent and received, and if the confirmation fails, the relevant data unit is retransmitted. According to such a protocol, divided data units of mail data are sent in turn, and when all data units of an e-mail have been sent and received, the mail-data transmitting operation is completed. Therefore, the probability of completion of the mail-data transmission decreases in inverse proportion to the size of the mail data. As the size of the mail data increases, the number of data units, each having a specific data amount, increases; therefore, the number of times for confirming whether the data is normally sent and received increases and the probability of retransmission of each divided data unit also increases. Accordingly, the transmission time of data corresponding to an e-mail becomes longer, and a longer time is necessary for completing the mail data transmission if the transmission condition of the wireless transmission path is unstable.
As described above, in the conventional e-mail system, a plurality of mail data stored in the mail server are sent to a relevant client in their arrival order. Therefore, if the wireless transmission path is unstable and relatively large mail data is sent first, the transmission of the relatively large mail data takes a long time, and the following small mail data may not be sent, thereby degrading the mail data transmission efficiency. In addition, in the conventional system, the mail data sent while the wireless transmission path is stable is not always relatively important and urgent mail data; therefore, efficient transmission according to a user""s request, such as sending an important e-mail first, cannot be performed.
In consideration of the above circumstances, an objective of the present invention is to provide an electronic mail system for monitoring the condition of receiving mail data so as to cope with a change of the condition of a wireless transmission path in the communication network, and for efficiently transmitting mail data when the transmission quality is degraded, by, for example, rearranging the order of sending mail data stored in the mail server and sending an e-mail having a smaller data size first.
Therefore, the present invention provides an electronic mail system comprising:
a mail server having a mail sender which is connected to a first communication network including a data communication network and which receives an electronic mail and sends the received electronic mail to a relevant client;
a client having a mail receiver for receiving the electronic mail sent from the mail sender; and
a second communication network including a wireless transmission path, for connecting the mail server and the client, wherein:
the mail sender comprises:
a first mail receiving unit for receiving mail data of each electronic mail sent via the first communication network,
a storage device for storing the mail data received by the first mail receiving unit in turn;
a mail sending unit for reading out the mail data stored in the storage device, and sending the readout data to the second communication network;
a command interpreting section for receiving and interpreting a command, generated by the client, sent via the second communication network, and outputting a signal ordering rearranging the mail data stored in the storage device; and
a mail order rearranging section for rearranging the order of the mail data stored in the storage device, based on the signal sent from the command interpreting section, and
the mail receiver comprises:
a second mail receiving unit for receiving a wireless signal from the second communication network, and demodulating and storing the mail data from the received signal, and monitoring the condition of receiving the wireless signal of the mail data so as to detect a change of the receiving condition and output a detection signal;
a receiving condition monitoring section for receiving the detection signal indicating a change of the receiving condition from the second mail receiving unit, and outputting a signal ordering the issue of a command; and
a command issuing section for sending a command signal according to the output from the receiving condition monitoring section to the second communication network.
In the above basic structure, the second mail receiving unit may comprise a radio wave monitoring section for detecting and outputting the intensity of the received radio wave of the wireless signal at predetermined intervals, and generate the detection signal indicating a change of the receiving condition based on the output from the radio wave monitoring section.
In this case, it is possible that the output from the radio wave monitoring section is compared with a predetermined threshold value, and the detection signal is generated when the intensity of the received radio wave becomes lower than the threshold value.
It is also possible that a variation of the intensity of the received radio wave per unit time is calculated based on the output from the radio wave monitoring section, and the detection signal is generated when the variation becomes larger than a predetermined threshold value.
Also in the above basic structure, the mail data may be sent to the mail receiving unit in a divided form; and the second mail receiving unit may comprise a mail receiving section for reconstructing and outputting the mail data corresponding to an electronic mail, and also outputting information on the size of the reconstructed mail data at predetermined intervals. In this case, it is possible that the second mail receiving unit calculates the speed of reconstruction of the mail data at predetermined intervals based on the data size information output from the mail receiving section, and generates the detection signal indicating a change of the receiving condition based on the calculated speed of reconstruction.
In the above case, the second mail receiving unit may compare the speed of mail data reconstruction with a predetermined threshold value, and generate the detection signal when the speed becomes lower than a predetermined threshold value.
Also in the above case, the second mail receiving unit may calculate a variation of the speed of mail data reconstruction per unit time, and generate the detection signal when the variation becomes larger than a predetermined threshold value.
In a preferable example, the second mail receiving unit comprises a storage device for storing the received mail data and outputting information on the vacant capacity at predetermined intervals, and generates the detection signal indicating a change of the receiving condition when the vacant capacity of the storage device, detected according to the information on the vacant capacity, becomes lower than a predetermined capacity.
In another preferable example, the second mail receiving unit comprises an input device for a user of the mail receiver to input a signal for communicating a change of the receiving condition, or a signal for ordering the rearrangement of the sending order of mail data stored in the mail sender; and the second mail receiving unit generates the detecting signal supplied to the receiving condition monitoring section, based on a signal input via the input device.
It is also possible that:
the second mail receiving unit comprises a wireless data processing section for receiving and demodulating the wireless signal from the second communication network, and measuring an error rate of the demodulated digital signal of the mail data according to specific codes included in the digital signal; and
the second mail receiving unit generates the detection signal when the measured error rate of the digital signal becomes larger than a predetermined threshold value.
It is also possible that the second mail receiving unit comprises a radio wave monitoring section for measuring the power supply voltage of the mail receiver at predetermined intervals, and generates the detection signal when the measured power supply voltage becomes lower than a predetermined threshold value.
According to the present invention, the condition of receiving mail data is monitored by the mail receiver at the client side so as to detect a change of the transmission condition of the wireless transmission path. When a change is detected, a command is sent to the mail server side so that the sending order of the mail data can be rearranged. Therefore, it is possible to efficiently transmit the mail data under the degraded transmission quality, thereby improving the operation efficiency of the electronic mail system.
In the rearrangement of the mail data performed by the mail order rearranging section, the order of the mail data may be determined according to the degree of importance or urgency of each electronic mail.
Typically, the storage device in the mail sender also stores mail data storage information which indicates a property of each electronic mail.
Accordingly, the priority of the transmission can be set for each e-mail (i.e., electronic mail) in accordance with the importance or urgency of the e-mail so as to rearrange the e-mail data, thereby improving the convenience of the e-mail system.

Electronic mail system for rearranging stored mail data according to monitored data receiving condition


A sealed lead acid battery including a container; a cover connected to the container; a plurality of plate groups disposed in the container, each of the plate groups comprising a plurality of pairs of positive plates and negative plates separated, each from the other, by separators; an upper space within the container extending from the plates to the cover; a pair of straps disposed in the upper space; each of the plates having an upstanding lug; each of the lugs extending from the negative plates being connected to one of the straps; each of the lugs extending from the positive plates being connected to the other of the straps; and foam polyurethane resin filling a sufficient amount of the upper space to control the possibility of an explosion occurring due to the collection of gases within the container, the foam polyurethane having an apparent specific gravity of from 2 g/l to 50 g/l and an open cell structure.

1. Industrial Useful Field
This invention relates to a sealed lead acid battery.
2. Prior Art
Since a sealed lead acid battery is so constructed that oxygen gas produced on the positive plate at the time of charging is absorbed in the negative plate, there is generally no chance for the oxygen gas to disperse outside of the battery. When charging is carried out with a large current in the sealed lead acid battery, a produced quantity of oxygen gas on the positive plate becomes larger than an absorbed quantity of it on the negative plate, so that hydrogen gas is also produced from the negative plate. For, this reason, when the battery is completely sealed, the inside of the battery is filled with oxygen gas and hydrogen gas so as to cause an increase in inside pressure. In the event when these gases catch fire by some accident, explosion of the battery would occur.
In order to restrain or prevent such an explosion of the battery, the following methods (a) and (b), for example, are tried now. (a) Method in which a safety valve that opens when the battery inside pressure rises is installed and the produced gas is exhausted by this valve. (b) Method in which a porous material is filled in a space on upper parts of positive and negative plate groups under a cover on a container.
In the method (a), however, an extent of explosion can be lessened but breaking-into-fragments of the container or other parts by the explosion can not be prevented. A method, in which the cover is put in place after filling plastic etc. in the space on upper parts of positive and negative plate groups, is generally adopted for the method (b). However, this method includes such problems that the work becomes troublesome and manufacturing cost increases.
On the other hand, when the sealed lead acid battery is overcharged during use, the positive plate will be corroded. Many of corroded materials produced in this instance are formed on grain boundaries of lead alloy composing the positive plate. Since the corroded material increases in its volume, it will widen the grain boundary so as to elongate the positive plate. FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional view showing a case where the positive plate is elongated. In FIG. 5, 10 denotes positive and negative plate groups composed of plural positive plates 1 and negative plates 2 arranged through separators 3. A lug 2a which is formed on an upper edge of the negative plate 2 and extends upward, is joined to a strap 4 from under side. When the positive plate 1 is corroded so as to be elongated, an elongated portion 11 will sometimes contact with the lug 2a or the strap 4 as shown by FIG. 5. For this reason, a short-circuiting has sometimes occurred so as to exhaust the life of the battery before the life of plate has been exhausted.
As a method for obstructing the elongation of the positive plate 1 to prevent the short-circuiting, a method is tried, for example, in which a combed plate made of plastic having acid resistance and insulation property is inserted in such a way that each combed piece is located between adjoining lugs 2a. However, this method was able to prevent the positive plate 1 from directly contacting with the strap 4 but was not completely able to prevent the positive plate 1 from contacting with the lug 2a. Therefore, the short-circuiting could not be prevented completely. The foregoing insertion of plate 1 was carried out by hand work after putting the positive and negative plate groups 10 in a container, but spaces between the lugs 2a could not be kept constant when welding the lugs 2a by means of a cast-on method used frequently in recent years. For this reason, the above plate-insertion work was difficult and automization of the insertion work was also difficult.
This invention is made in consideration of the problems described above. Namely, an object of this invention is to provide a sealed lead acid battery which can prevent the explosion of the sealed lead acid battery, prevent short-circuiting and provide a simple method of manufacturing a sealed lead acid battery.

Battery containing foam polyurethane resin and method of making


An apparatus, using rigid surfaces or trays, to convey indexed items through a controlled environment when the items require a specific retention time within the controlled environment and to attain the desired retention time by traversing back and forth within the controlled environment as many times as necessary, within the constraints set by the height of the controlled environment, to achieve said retention time. The apparatus includes mechanisms for lifting or lowering trays from one level to another, at the end of each traverse, through a plurality of levels, which maintain the trays in a horizontal orientation while being lifted or lowered and to accomplish this as a smooth, continuous, and reversible process, unaffected by the heat or cold of the controlled environment.

This invention relates generally to a machine for moving quantities of product or items, into, through and out of a controlled environment in a continuous process. The length of the process or retention time within the controlled environment, to be determined in part by the length of the conveyor and the length of the conveyor is determined by, the size and how often it traverses, the controlled environment. A partial list of these environments might include: A freezer for food processing, a low temperature oven for bread proofing, a medium temperature oven for bread baking or a high temperature oven for annealing or heat treating.


A computer-implemented system and method for providing gun shot detection through a centralized parking services server is provided. Smart parking devices are physically proximate parking spaces. Acoustic sensors are deployed with at least one acoustic sensor in a smart parking device. Vehicle occupancy sensors and parking availability indicators are associated with the parking spaces. Parking space occupancy is sensed through the nearest vehicle occupancy sensor. Use of the parking space is processed based on an identity of a driver. Potential gunshots are detected by aurally monitoring ambient sounds in the service region through the acoustic sensors. The potential gunshots are identified by evaluating the ambient sounds for sound characteristics of gunfire and triangulating the ambient sounds relative to the locations of the acoustic sensor comprised in one of the smart parking devices and at least one other of the acoustic sensors. Finally, an alert is generated for the potential gunshot.

Public roads primarily facilitate motor vehicle traffic. Vehicle parking is ordinarily offered as a secondary benefit incident to vehicle throughway. Consequently, parking is an inherently limited public resource. Within an urban environment, local government generally regulates parking at curbside on public roads, in municipal parking lots, and on other public property through a regulatory scheme that both provides revenue generation and promotes public safety and health. Commonly, public parking is regulated through a scheme of fees assessed through parking meters for fixed time period parking, by issuance of permits for residential, commercial, or special use parking, and through zoning that regulates permissible uses of property, including parking. Parking on privately-owned property is often offered through hourly fees or some form of parking contract.
Meeting the parking needs of motorists requires more than simply finding a balance between supply and demand, yet the capability to efficiently allocate and manage on-street parking remains elusive, even when parking needs are significant, recurring, and known ahead of time. For instance, urban parking spaces characteristically undergo periods of widely skewed demand and utilization, with low demand and light use in some periods, often during the night, and heavy demand and use at other times. As well, merely finding available parking is only the start, as subsequent occupancy of a parking space must also be permissible under applicable rules. Parking regulations, though, are often complex and confusing, with time limits on parking in residential and business zones, parking enforcement undertaken during working hours in neighborhood zones, parking enforcement of loading zone rules and rules governing parking near fire hydrants occurring at all hours, and exceptions to parking regulations made to accommodate select holidays or events, depending upon the municipality.
Consequently, the impact of regulated control over on-street parking affects all motorists, as well as urban residents, local businesses, and other parties that use or rely upon on-street parking. Drivers seeking a place to park their motor vehicle are most immediately impacted by regulated parking control. Looking for a parking space wastes time, contributes to traffic congestion, creates frustration, and generates pollution, while violating parking rules, such as by allowing a parking meter to expire, can result in parking tickets, fines, wheel clamping ("booting"), or towing and impoundment. These motorists need both to readily determine on-street parking availability and ensure parking regulation compliance once parked.
Urban residents are a subclass of motorists with special recurring needs. Urban residents often lack garages and must park on the street at night, on the weekends, and at other times when they are at home. Regular on-street parking requires particular care. For instance, urban residents may be expected to feed payments regularly into parking meters or continually re-park their vehicles when they are home during the day, which can be impractical and unduly burdensome. As well, they may be expected to remember to park off-street when street cleaning or other scheduled street work occurs. As a result, urban residents need to know more than just parking availability; they need to have parking predictability, which can be crucial to ensuring their personal safety, for instance, when arriving home late at night, and for convenience as needed, for example, when unloading shopping bags from their car or in inclement weather.
The parking needs of local businesses are complementary to the needs of drivers and urban residents. Many local businesses depend on the availability of customer parking for their success. In some locales, tourists and out-of-town visitors may constitute a large percentage of local business' customers, and a lack of on-street parking, or overly-complex parking regulations, can discourage these potential customers, thereby harming the opportunities for local businesses to flourish. Local businesses also often need to ensure that parking is available for the delivery of goods or for the use of commercial vendors.
U.S. Pat. No. RE40,013, reissued Jan. 22, 2008, to Quinn, discloses a method and apparatus for detection and remote notification of vehicle parking space. Local detector devices sense the presence or absence of a vehicle in a particular parking space and communicate space identification and status information to a computer network. The information is integrated with electronic street maps of the area. The street maps, annotated with the parking space status identifiers, are electronically communicated to any number of networks.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,791,501, issued Sep. 7, 2010, to Ioli, discloses a vehicle identification, tracking, and parking enforcement system. The system includes a meter system that generates image data of a vehicle in a parking space, public roadway, and highway entrances and exits. In operation, the system allows license tags, special parking permits, handicapped tags, or other suitable tags to be readily identified, which allows parking areas that have been reserved for handicapped or other personnel to be monitored. Unauthorized individuals that have parked in those locations can thereby be determined. An enforcement and tracking system receives the vehicle image data and generates a vehicle license number, vehicle tag identification number, and facial image. From the image date acquired, monitoring of parking spaces is performed and violation citations or notices are generated.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,768,426, issued Aug. 3, 2010, to Groft, discloses a parking system employing remote asset management techniques. A vehicle detection system and smart meter identify all information as to a parking space, including when a vehicle enters or leaves, how long the vehicle has been in the space, whether the parking meter associated with the space is in good operating order, whether the requested charge for parking has been paid, whether the vehicle is in compliance with regulations regarding the space, whether a violation has occurred or is about to occur, and status of usage of the collection mechanism. This information is collected, stored, and transmitted to a central command and control interface, which collates, analyses, and transmits reports to a display. Thus, all parties involved in parking, from whatever point of view, are able to monitor the status of all parking spaces in near real time and make use of the information developed on an interactive basis, thereby enabling the highest degree of efficiency in management of parking spaces through real time parking information collection.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,579,964, issued Aug. 25, 2009, to Nath et al., discloses a method for intelligent parking, pollution, and surveillance control. Parking meters sense the presence of a vehicle parked in a metered zone by emitting a narrow signal beam around an area where a vehicle can park. Two pairs of miniature surveillance cameras are included in the housing of an intelligent parking enforcement device, such as a parking meter. The presence of a vehicle parked nearby is sensed by a sensor beacon and, on the successful acknowledgement of a vehicle's presence, the system transmits a unique identifier to the parked vehicle and continuously monitors the vehicle for idling. The intelligent parking enforcement device communicates with a automobile registration control system, which is informed of impending parking violations and, when appropriate, a violation summons is issued.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,393,134, issued Jul. 1, 2008, to Mitschele, discloses a parking meter that includes a micro-controller coupled with a vehicle detector that is focused at associated parking space. A payment acceptance mechanism is coupled with the micro-controller to receive payment for pre-paid parking. Operation of the parking meter is initiated by an interrogation station directing an interrogation signal at an associated parking space and the presence of a vehicle is detected by a vehicle detector. A parking violation occurs when the operator of the vehicle either fails to make payment within a pre-determined standby interval or when the pre-paid parking interval expires.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,237,716, issued Jul. 3, 2007, to Silberberg, discloses a parking system for sending messages. The parking system has a parking meter in close proximity to a parking space, in which a user's vehicle is able to be parked. The parking meter receives payment and thereafter establishes a parking period, during which the vehicle is able to legitimately park in the space. A communication means sends a message to the user's mobile phone prior to the expiry of the parking.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,019,670, issued Mar. 28, 2006, to Bahar, discloses an enhanced meter utilizing user identification technology. A user or vehicle is identified by communication of user data into the parking meter system. If the meter becomes expired with the vehicle remaining in the parking space, a citation is electronically processed and thereafter delivered to the user or vehicle owner. A vehicle presence detector utilizes infrared, ultrasonic, sonar, photoelectric, or other technology to detect the presence of a vehicle in a metered parking space. Recognition of the user or vehicle further enables the system to limit the individual's or vehicle's parking time to help regulate traffic within a municipality district, as well as prevent people from parking on a metered location for excessive periods of time.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,014,355, issued Mar. 21, 2006, to Potter, Sr. et al., discloses an electronic parking meter system. Electronically operated parking meters are coupled with a sensor for positively and unobtrusively sensing the presence or absence of a vehicle in a specified parking space. An induction coil mounted below the surface of a parking area provides positive signals to the electronically operated parking meter upon both the entrance and movement of a vehicle into and from the parking space. A transaction record can be stored showing exact dates and times of the arrival and departure of the vehicle. This data, when combined with other records, can provide a variety of real time management information to a parking manager, including an electronic citation issuance system.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,823,317, issued Nov. 23, 2004, to Ouimet et al., discloses an urban parking system. A wireless network covering a large local geographic area is linked to a large number of payment terminals, which are located near a plurality of parking spaces, either at curbside or in municipal lots. Parking data is gathered from motorists at the payment terminals, including vehicle or parking space identification data. The parking data is sent to the wireless network in response to payment. A plurality of portable terminals is provided for use by parking wardens. The wireless network is used to transmit the parking data to the portable terminals of the parking wardens upon receipt.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,493,676, issued Dec. 10, 2002, to Levy, discloses a system and method for charging for vehicle parking. A parking system includes a plurality of mobile parking units that each has a unique identification for installation in a vehicle, and a parking control center for communicating with each of the mobile parking units. Each mobile parking unit checks its location whenever the vehicle is not moving and, if the location coincides with a known parking area, a charge for parking is activated until the vehicle resumes travel.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,910,782, issued Jun. 8, 1999, to Schmitt et al., discloses an on-board vehicle parking space finder service. When a vehicle enters a parking space, a parking meter, equipped with an ultrasonic, sonar, or other sensor device, senses the presence of the vehicle and changes its internal state to "occupied." When the vehicle leaves, the parking meter senses the departure and changes its internal space to "available." As soon as the parking meter detects a change of state, a data message containing the parking meter identifier or location information and parking availability status is sent to a nearby central site. When a driver in the vehicle desires to locate available on-street parking, a request is initiated from the on-board navigation computer to the central site. Upon receipt of the request, the central site computer transmits a parking space availability message to the vehicle. The vehicle on-board computer displays the parking space availability to the requester.
In addition to providing parking services to motorists, local governments have a strong interest in ensuring public safety by preventing crime. For instance, over the last few decades, government has been taking an increasingly strong position on gun control in an effort to curb violent crime. As part of this effort, many local governments have deployed gunshot detection systems throughout urban areas. These systems detect and relay the suspected location of gunfire to law enforcement through sensors geographically distributed throughout a municipality. While police departments have traditionally had to rely on citizens calling in reports of gunshots, several minutes can elapse between gunshots being heard and the police being notified. Gunshot detection systems effectively eliminate the delay in reporting gunfire, as well as the inaccuracy in pinpointing the location of gunshots, thereby allowing law enforcement to react effectively.
Current gunshot detection systems require a local government to incur a two-fold expense in installing physical infrastructure to monitor urban areas for suspicious sights and sounds, and in deploying data analysis components to identify gunshots and notify the proper authorities. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 7,474,589 issued Jan. 6, 2009 to Showen et al. discloses acoustic location of gunshots using combined arrival and time of arrival measurements provided by acoustic sensors as deployed in an urban environment, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference. Each sensor calculates an angular uncertainty from sound impulses received at four or more microphones having rotational symmetry. An intersection of one or more time-of-arrival hyperbolas with one or more angle-of-arrival beams is used to determine candidate gunshot location.
Even in an average sized-city, the cost of physical infrastructure can be substantial, as networks of microphones and cameras need to be installed in sufficient number with adequate dispersion to enable accurate gunshot triangulation. Also, encumbrance of private property for placement of microphones and cameras may require reimbursement of the property owners, thereby adding further to the overall cost of infrastructure. Alternatives to dedicated physical infrastructure exist. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 7,855,935 issued Dec. 21, 2010 to Lauder et al. discloses a weapon fire location system and method involving mobile devices, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference. The system obtains information about a cellular phone, whose location can be determined using 9-1-1 location information. The system may then present gunshot location, including displaying the positional information of the source location of the weapon fire and the mobile device. However, the system relies upon the serendipitous presence of and access to a mobile device at the time of gunfire, which implies that some gunshot events go unnoticed, and must also adjust triangulation calculations for post-gunfire dispersal of the mobile device.
Therefore, a need remains for providing cost effective gunshot detection and notification, particularly in an urban environment.

Computer-implemented system and method for providing gun shot detection through a centralized parking services server


An adjustable and recoverable vertical assembly comprised of a post containing a load cell, mounted to a base, capable of recovering its original vertical and horizontal orientation after an impact with a moving object, with the additional capability of accepting attachments of various types and sizes. A low profile signage panel so designed to provide a surface with no protruding edges to be snagged during a vehicle collision, that may be attached to the vertical assembly. Attachments capable of being mounted on top of the vertical assembly that enable it to be utilized as a sign stanchion or a base for objects requiring a horizontal mounting surface.

The present invention pertains in general to stationary highway marker posts and more particularly to posts having the characteristics of self restoration after a collision with a moving object. Delineator posts for marking roadways and identifying the existence of hazards are frequently accidentally struck by vehicles straying off the designated travel way. The need therefore was presented to provide characteristics for automatic restoration once the post was contacted. A proliferation of designs have been presented which provided for this restoration capability in various ways, but inherent in present designs, there is exhibited a tendency to pivot when uprighted, to not possess the feature of tension adjustability without complete disassembly, and to not have the capability of adapting to various other attachments when so required.
Consequently, it is desirable to provide an assembly which would incorporate all aforementioned features into one design.

Adjustable and recoverable vertical assembly


During an inertial energy storage operation, electric power conversion at an inverter is controlled such that a direct current electric power from an electric power storage device is converted into an alternating current by the inverter so as to be supplied to stator windings, such that torque in the direction of engine rotation is applied to an output side rotor from a stator to rotatively drive the output side rotor in a state where power transmission from the output side rotor to a drive axle is stopped. During a cranking operation after the inertial energy storage operation, the electric power conversion at an inverter is controlled to permit application of the alternating current to rotor windings, such that a torque in the direction of engine rotation is applied to an input side rotor from the output side rotor, thereby rotatively driving an input side rotor to crank the engine.

A related art power transmission device of this type is disclosed in Patent Literature 1 below. The power transmission device according to Patent Literature 1 comprises a first rotor provided with a winding and mechanically connected to an engine, a second rotor provided with magnets that form an electromagnetic coupling with the first rotor winding and that is mechanically connected to the drive axle, a stator provided with a winding that forms an electromagnetic coupling with the second rotor magnets, a slip ring electrically connected to the first rotor winding, a brush that electrically contacts the slip ring, a first inverter that controls electric power exchangeably between the battery and the stator winding, and a second inverter that exchangeably controls electric power between the battery and the first rotor winding via the slip ring and the brush. According to Patent Literature 1, power from the engine transmitted to the first rotor is transmitted to the second rotor via the electromagnetic coupling of the first rotor winding and the second rotor magnets, thereby making it possible to drive the drive axle with the engine power. Further, since electric power is made exchangeable between the battery and the first rotor winding via the second inverter, the rotational speed of the drive axle can be controlled by controlling the electric power of the first rotor winding with the second inverter. In that case, when the rotational speed of the first rotor is higher than the rotational speed of the second rotor, electric power generated by the first rotor winding is supplied to the battery side via the second inverter, and when the rotational speed of the first rotor is lower than the rotational speed of the second rotor, the electric power of the battery is supplied to the first rotor winding via the second inverter. Further, due to the electromagnetic coupling of the stator winding and the second rotor magnets, power supplied to the stator winding from the battery side via the first inverter may be used to generate power in the second rotor to drive the drive axle, which then allows control of torque transmitted to the drive axle by controlling electric power supplied to the stator winding by the first inverter.