A method of conducting an electronic card payment between a merchant, having a merchant's device, and a cardholder, having a payment card and a cardholder's device. The method include entering payment card information associated with the payment card comprising at least a first part of a personal account number (PAN), and purchase information in the merchant's device, entering a second part of the PAN in the card holder's device and submitting the second part of the PAN to a payment server, transmitting the purchase information and payment card information to the payment server, where the PANs are concatenated to a complete PAN, and transmitting the purchase information and an updated payment card information with the complete PAN to a bank server conducting the card payment.

Every day an incredible number of credit card payments are made around the world, and the number of payments are steadily increasing.
EMV is the leading payment system specification for credit cards on the market and was jointly developed by the companies Europay International, Mastercard International, and Visa International, hence the abbreviation EMV. To be able to develop a credit card payment system that is capable of using standard EMV-approved credit cards, it is essential that the payment system fulfills the EMV specification.
The majority of credit card payments are still made in stores using bulky and stationary EMV-approved point-of-sale (POS) terminals. However, in the last couple of years the interest, both from the public and from companies, of being able to make payments with portable hand-held devices such as mobile phones have grown rapidly. However, the mobile phone alone is not considered to be a secure device and does not fulfill the requirements for conducting a secure EMV-approved payment.
It has been shown that a credit card payment can be made secure and EMV-approved using a specialized card reader device that can be attached to an unsecure mobile phone in the manner presented in the International patent application with the application number PCT/EP2010/066186 by the iZettle company. However, the method presented in PCT/EP2010/066186 relies on that the cardholder has a payment card with an integrated EMV-approved chip which can be read by the card reader device, which today is not always the case. There are instances when the payment card can't be read in a card reader, for instance when the payment card only has a magnetic strip, if the chip has been damaged or if a card reader device is missing.
Thus, finding a way to be able to make secure and EMV-approved electronic credit card payments using an ordinary unsecure mobile phone without any secure card reader device also without using a payment card with a microchip is therefore highly sought after.

Method for hub and spokes pan entry and payment verification


A label of the present invention is characterized by a three-dimensional design image printed theron on the basis of two-dimensional image data obtained by three-dimensionally correcting at least one data selected from two dimensional data (X,Y) and color data (R,G,B) to two-dimensionally convert height data (Z) among three-dimensional data (X,Y,Z) and the color data (R,G,B) obtained by actually measuring a surface of a three-dimensional model. Such a label can be provided with printed images giving three-dimensional impressions close to the three-dimensional model (real model).

Various types of labels to be fastened or attached to objects such as containers and goods have been used. For example, heat-shrinkable cylindrical labels (also referred to as shrink labels or cylindrical shrink labels) commonly used with cylindrical containers such as beverage containers are labels that are fastened onto the objects by heating at a predetermined temperature. Product names, pictures, company names, instructions, ingredients, and other printed designs are provided to various labels including the heat-shrinkable cylindrical labels.
Such printed designs have decorative and advertising functions and the quality of the printed designs influences the sales of the products. Thus, heat-shrinkable cylindrical labels with fancy printed designs attracting consumers' attentions have been desired.
Thus, an object of the present invention is to provide a label or heat-shrinkable cylindrical label with printed designs of high decorative values and a package provided with such a label. Another object of the present invention is to provide a measurement method suited for actually measuring the profile height on the surface of a cylindrical three-dimensional model and a method for making a cylindrical label using the data obtained by this method.

Heat-shrinkable cylindrical label, use thereof, manufacturing method thereof, and cylindrical model surface height measurement method


A computer implemented method and system including techniques for developing and executing automated test cases are described herein. In one embodiment, a test case automation tool provides functionality for defining an automated test set and associated test cases within a testing user interface without the use of scripting languages or compiled programming. The definition of each test case may occur within a testing user interface, including displaying and receiving user selection of available methods for testing; displaying user parameter fields and receiving user parameter values in response for testing; abstracting parameter types in the user parameter values; and generating XML-format definitions of the test case. The test case automation tool may then execute the selected methods of the software application using parameters provided in the XML-format definitions, and return testing results of the test case execution.

Various commercial and open-source tools exist to assist with the automation of test cases for software testing, and to generally perform testing for website user interfaces, web services, command line utilities, and common language interface (CLI) applications. Many of these automation tools generate code in a specific scripting language in order to automate execution of the test cases. Apart from the fact that this code (and the underlying test scripts) requires a specific skill set and expertise to develop, the use of scripting language also makes the modification and debugging of automation code difficult.
The automation of test cases requires developing a comprehensive approach to test all of the functional areas that the software is deployed on. This may involve test cases invoked on duplicative frameworks to fully test software applications with existing tools. For example, one test case may be required to test a functional area such as a website user interface, whereas a separate test case may be required to automate CLI test case scenarios used in connection with the website. Likewise, if a user wants to implement testing of a Java application and a web service running components of this Java application, the user will have to build separate components to consume each of the Java application and the web service. Moreover, existing test automation programs involve high costs, lengthy turn-around time, user expertise in scripting or programming languages, and high maintenance requirements that increase with the number of test cases.


The present invention relates to a cryopreservation (freezing) medium which can be used for long-term storage of cell lines, tissue samples, sperms, oocytes and embryos. The invention enables to freeze and store cells without affecting cell viability, to increase cell viability and to protect multipotent properties of the cells. The invention facilitates freezing and storing sperms, eggs, embryos, plant cells and materials, cancer and sensitive cell lines, stem cells (embryonic and mesenchymal), blood and blood cells and biological material and organs.

The cryopreservation (freezing) process is the preserving of a cell, tissue or a full organism at temperatures below zero degrees Celsius under suitable conditions and in the presence of chemicals. It is aimed to stop enzymatic and chemical reactions at lower temperatures and store the materials without getting damaged further. In order to stop all biological activity and realize the most effective biological freezing process, liquid nitrogen (−196° C.) and vapor are preferred. There are cryoprotectants which are developed for this purpose and which protect the material that will be frozen against freeze-thaw stress. The most important detrimental effect of the freezing process is accumulation of the water in the living system in intercellular and intracellular areas which form of ice crystals due to decreasing of the temperature (Carpenter, and Hansen, 1992). The freezing and thawing process is performed by slowly decreasing the temperature which stops biological activities and then rapidly warming and transferring into a normal culture medium. One of the events which occur during this application and which is known to have detrimental effects is the "solution effect" (medium effect). This effect is caused by the metabolites accumulating in the small amount of liquid medium remaining after ice formation. Following the slow freezing process, the cells are exposed to these metabolites for a prolonged period of time (Stachecki et al., 1998). Another detrimental effect is the intracellular liquid flowing out of the cell and forming ice crystals in the intercellular area as a consequence of slow freezing application. Chemicals such as glycerol, dimethyl sulfoxide (Me2SO) and 1,2 propandiol (PrOH) are used during freezing process and they replace water enabling it to flow out of the cell. This is used for eliminating the detrimental effects of the freezing process (Stachecki et al., 1998). As much as the freezing process should be performed slowly, thawing process should be performed rapidly. The rapidly thawed cells should be quickly transferred to a healthy culture medium in order to get rid of the toxic effects of the chemicals used in the freezing process (Buchanan et al., 2004). In this case, freezing media and methods which are non-toxic, can increase cell viability, and can provide effective protection are needed. An effective cell cryopreservation process is needed for embryos, sperm and egg cells and important cell lines such as stem cells. Storage of stem cells and particularly of mesenchymal stem cells, and establishing stem cell banks are necessary for therapeutic applications (Woods et al., 2009). Storage of the stem cells under suitable conditions is extremely important to be able to use them effectively in therapy. Long-term freezing and storage is required for the cells to maintain their multipotent properties, to be stocked at large numbers and to be easily transported (Gonda et al., 2008). Boron is a trace element which is known to be important particularly in plants. In mammalian system, it forms cell membrane glycoproteins and diester borate complexes and functions as a redox regulator and also affects membrane structure and function (Goldbach et al., 2007).
European patent document no. EP0813361B1 relates to a medium used for freezing the cells, particularly the erythroid progenitor cells in blood.
United States patent document no. US20130059381A1 relates to a cell cryopreservation solution that can be used for non-programmed cell cryopreservation.

Boron added cell cryopreservation medium


A compressor tip clearance management system includes a compressor section having a low pressure compressor and a high pressure compressor arranged downstream from the low pressure compressor. A variable stator vane is arranged upstream from the high pressure compressor. The variable stator vane is connected to an actuator, and a controller is in communication with the actuator. The controller is configured to provide a command to the actuator to move the variable stator vane in response to a high pressure compressor clearance condition. A high pressure compressor rotor speed is altered, and the high pressure compressor clearance condition is changed to a desired clearance.

This disclosure relates to a compressor tip management system and a method for controlling the tip clearance in a high pressure compressor.
One type of gas turbine engine includes a two-spool arrangement having low and high compressor sections. The low pressure compressor section may include a variable guide vane. Alternatively or additionally, a variable inlet guide vane may also be arranged upstream from the low pressure compressor section. The variable guide vanes arranged upstream from the high pressure compressor section are varied to adjust the low pressure compressor characteristics, but not the high pressure compressor characteristics. The variable guide vanes are adjusted only to provide a desirable operating line and stall margin for the low pressure compressor section.

Compressor tip clearance management for a gas turbine engine


The invention relates to methods for determining the sex of birds' eggs. It can be used for an early determination of the sex, in particular in poultry farming, and in this respect also with non-incubated eggs. In the method in accordance with the invention, electromagnetic radiation is emitted onto the blastodisk of an egg by a radiation source and, after a switching off of the radiation source, the decay behavior of the autofluorescence intensity excited by the electromagnetic radiation is detected by a detector at the irradiated region of the blastodisk with time resolution and spectral resolution for at least one wavelength of the autofluorescence. The fractal dimension DF is calculated using the determined measured intensity values and the value of the fractal dimension DF is compared with a species-specific and sex-specific limit value, wherein, when the limit value is exceeded, the respective egg is classified as female and, when it is not reached, the egg is classified as male.

The invention relates to methods for determining the sex of birds' eggs. It can be used for an early determination of the sex, in particular in poultry farming.
Eggs are normally incubated after laying, which predominantly takes place in incubators which have to be heated for several days or weeks in accordance with the type of bird. However, since breeding is carried out in a sex-specific manner, a sex determination after hatching is required. This can be done manually, which naturally represents a high effort and/or expense.
The hatched chicks having the respective unwanted sex are predominantly destroyed in this process, which is contrary to the interests of animal protection.
Different possibilities have been tried for this reason to be able to carry out a sex determination with sufficient accuracy in as early a stage as possible.
It is thus proposed in DE 10 2007 013 107 A1 to examine DNA-relevant cell material with light and in this process to measure molecule oscillation spectra which are to be compared with reference spectra. This is to take place by means of Raman spectroscopy, IR spectroscopy or terahertz spectroscopy. The results thus obtained have a very high error rate, in particular on a measurement within an egg, since all the contents contained in an egg exert an influence during this process. High intensities are required for the irradiation which result in a heating and consequently in an impairment of the irradiated cells. The accuracy can only be increased in these procedures in that eggs are examined which have already been incubated for several days.
This likewise relates to the method described in DE 697 11 943 T2. In this respect, the content of a sex-specific hormone contained in extraembryonic liquid should be determined.

Methods for determining the sex of birds' eggs

Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Foerderung der Angwandten Forschung E.V.


Epigenomic states of genome DNA are altered at multiple sites to rapidly change traits by providing a fusion protein including a first region that defines a polypeptide capable of binding sequence-specifically to multiple sites on genome DNA and a second region that defines a polypeptide capable of regulating an epigenomic state.

Increasing plant biomass production can have the effect of not only increasing food production, but also protecting the global environment, preventing global warming, and reducing emissions of greenhouse gasses. Consequently, techniques for increasing plant biomass production are of great industrial importance. Moreover, microorganisms are used effectively in various industries. For example, in bioethanol manufacture using polysaccharides such as cellulose as raw materials, yeasts having properties such as high heat resistance, high alcohol concentration resistance, and high alcohol synthesis ability are desirable for performing low-cost ethanol fermentation.
These properties associated with improved productivity and stress resistance in plants and yeasts are quantitative traits that are affected by expression of multiple genes rather than a single gene. Conventionally, modification of such traits that are affected by multiple genes has been achieved by repeated mutagenesis over several generations. This is because according to ordinary mutation treatments such as base substitutions and DNA deletions, the phenotypic changes induced by a single mutation treatment are normally small, and it is difficult to simultaneously affect multiple traits. It is known that in the case of such mutagenesis over multiple generations, multiple unnecessary mutations accumulate at the same time as useful mutations, and often necessary traits are also lost in the process. For these reasons, there is a need for development of systems capable of directly controlling a broad range of gene expression in order to modify traits that are controlled by multiple genes.
A chimera repressor has already been developed including a transcription inhibition domain linked to a transcription factor protein that plays a central role in controlling gene expression (CRES-T method, Patent Literature 1, Non Patent Literature 1). and this is reportedly able to induce phenotypes similar to knockouts.
As a method for specifically controlling individual gene expression, a method is already known for editing a genome through DNA breaks using TALEN or CRISPR/dCas9/gRNA as a DNA sequence recognition molecule (Patent Literature 2, 3). A method has also been reported for controlling epigenomic states by linking such a DNA sequence recognition molecule to a transcription control factor or epigenomic state control factor to thereby modify a specific DNA sequence (Non Patent Literature 2, 3). Like genome editing techniques, these techniques are aimed at regulating expression of specific genes.
Meanwhile, methods for obtaining various mutants by artificially inducing genetic recombination on genome DNA in actual plants and fungal cells have been reported as methods capable of efficiently performing large-scale genome reorganization (Patent Literature 4 to 6). With these methods, mutants can be efficiently obtained through genome DNA reorganization by artificially inducing so-called genome shuffling with restriction enzymes in plant cells and fungal cells.

Fusion protein for controlling epigenomic state, and use thereof


The circuit system includes an integrated circuit which is one of a family of equivalent integrated circuits that comprises a first-generation integrated circuit operating at the supply voltage of the circuit system and at least one subsequent-generation integrated circuit having a portion operating at a lower voltage. The first-generation integrated circuit has a direct electrical connection between one of the supply terminals and another terminal. The subsequent-generation integrated circuit has a voltage reducer with regulator the output of which is connected to the other terminal. A filter capacitor is connected between the other terminal and one of the supply terminals.

The present invention relates to the manufacture of circuit systems containing integrated-circuit devices and, more particularly, to a circuit and method of using, in a circuit system which is designed to operate with a first integrated-circuit device operating at a first supply voltage, a second integrated-circuit device having the same functional characteristics as the first device and comprising at least a portion operating at a second supply voltage.
It is known that, in the manufacture of integrated circuits, there is a tendency to reduce as far as possible the area of the substrate of semiconductor material, typically silicon, in which the integrated circuit is formed. The reduction in size is achieved by the use of more and more refined techniques and tooling which increase the precision of the photolithographic processes and improve control over diffusion.
In the manufacture of MOS digital integrated circuits, the development of the technology is evident basically as a reduction in the minimum channel length which can be achieved for the transistors both of the logic circuits and of the memory cells, and as a reduction in the depth of the diffused source and drain regions of the transistors. These dimensional reductions are advantageous not only because of the saving in area involved, but also because of some functional aspects such as lower energy consumption and faster speed of operation.
However, there are cases in which it is not possible to make use of these advantages. An example is a digital integrated circuit designed to perform a certain function as a component of a complex circuit system which is mounted, together with other components, on a printed circuit board. The supply voltage of the integrated circuit is set at the design stage at an optimal value which is determined by the minimum length of the channels of the transistors of the logic circuits. If the integrated circuit as a whole, or a portion thereof, is reproduced on a reduced scale with the use of more advanced manufacturing techniques, the optimal supply voltage is also reduced. For example, upon changing from 0.35 xcexcm technology, which requires a supply voltage of 3.3 Vxc2x110%, to 0.25 xcexcm technology, the supply voltage must be reduced to 2.5 Vxc2x110%. In order to use a new-generation integrated circuit in the circuit system which was designed for using the integrated circuit of the preceding generation, it is necessary to modify the printed circuit board, for example, by adding a voltage reducer thereto. This modification is necessary when the average life of the product which contains the circuit system is longer than that of the technology by which the integrated circuits used therein are produced. (Currently, the life of a technological generation is slightly less than one year.) It is therefore sometimes necessary to forego the advantages of technological progress and to keep obsolete production lines in operation to provide the supplies and the spare parts which are required by the manufacturers of the products, or to modify the circuit systems contained in these products in order to adapt them to equivalent new-generation integrated circuits. The first solution is disadvantageous for the manufacturer of the integrated-circuit devices and the second is disadvantageous for the manufacturer of the circuit systems; naturally, both of these solutions adversely affect the cost of the product.
The object of the present invention is to define a method and to provide a circuit system to enable integrated-circuit devices of different generations to be used in the same circuit system without modifications or adaptations.
According to one embodiment of the invention, a circuit system is provided, configured to accommodate an integrated circuit. First and second voltage supply terminals are provided, which supply a voltage level consistent with the voltage requirements of a first-generation integrated circuit. An additional terminal is provided, with a filter capacitor connected between the additional terminal and the second voltage supply terminal. In the event that a first generation integrated circuit is used, the first and second voltage supply terminals provide power for the integrated circuit, while a direct connection is made within the integrated circuit between the terminal pins that make contact with the first voltage supply terminal and the additional terminal.
In the event that a subsequent-generation integrated circuit is used, a voltage reducer circuit is integrated into the subsequent-generation integrated circuit, with an input of the voltage reducer circuit connected to the first voltage supply terminal, and an output of the voltage reducer circuit providing a reduced voltage to the integrated circuit, according to the requirements of the integrated circuit. The output of the voltage reducer circuit is also connected to the additional terminal, where the filter capacitor provides filtering for the reduced voltage.

Method and a circuit system for using equivalent integrated-circuit devices operating at different voltages


A method for magnetic orientation of a magnetic recording medium using Meissner effect of a superconductor and a system therefor and a magnetic recording medium produced thereby. The magnetic particles of plate hexagonal barium ferrite in the magnetic coating are allowed to orient in the longitudinal direction thereof so that a magnetic recording medium having a magnetic orientation in such direction with the magnetic particles can be obtained.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for magnetic orientation of magnetic recording media such a magnetic disk, a magnetic tape and the like, and a system for such magnetic orientation, and more particularly, to a method for magnetic orientation of magnetic recording media which are suitable for high density recording and a system therefor and an inside magnetic recording medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
Prior techniques for magnetic orientation of high density magnetic recording mediums include disposing a plurality of electromagnets or permanent magnets both above and below the magnetic recording medium, as described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,189,508, Japanese Patent Kokai (Laid-open) No. 62-24430 and Japanese Patent Kokoku (Post-Exam. Publn.) No. 62-50888. Strict control of the relative positions of a plurality of magnets and the distances between the magnets and the magnetic recording medium (U.S. Pat. No. 4,189,508) or a combination of a plurality of DC magnets or permanent magnets and AC magnets (Japanese Patent Kokai No. 62-24430) have been proposed.
The aforementioned prior techniques have not been designed to provide a satisfactorily high ratio of reproducing output signal to noise (S/N) and have disadvantages that they are incapable of producing a magnetic recording medium having a high output and a high ratio of S/N. An explanation about one of the causes of this problem may be as follows. In order to enhance the reproducing output of the magnetic recording medium, an increase of residual flux density is generally required and for this purpose one known method is to increase the thickness of magnetic coating film. On the other hand, it is known that if the film thickness is increased, the properties at higher frequencies become poor.
In order to maintain better properties at higher frequencies, therefore, an attempt has been made to orient magnetic particles in a magnetic field so that the ratio of S/N is increased with the film thickness being kept thin.
However, this conventional technique could not achieve a desired reduction of noise (N), though the output (S) was increased. This is attributed to occurrence of the coagulation of magnetic particles.
Therefore, there has been a problem that the prior art is unable to produce a magnetic recording medium having a high output and a high S/N ratio.

Method for magnetic orientation of magnetic recording medium using Meissner effect of high Tc superconductor


An optical sensor and method for measuring naturally occurring phenomena such as vibrations is disclosed. An optic fiber is wound as a coil and placed such that strain is introduced in it by the phenomena. Low coherence light is launched through a coupler and split to produce counter rotating beams in the coil. The counter rotating beams are phase modulated by an optical modulator driven by an oscillator and by naturally occurring phenomena. The sensitivity and response of the sensor increases dependent on the length of fiber in the coil and improves linearly as the frequency of source signal increases. The modulated counter rotating beams are recombined in the coupler to produce an intensity modulated optical signal on a photodetector. The output of the detector is an electrical signal containing the signal of interest as modulation which is recovered througth demodulating circuits mixing the fundamental and second harmonic frequencies.

This invention concerns a method and means for measuring high frequency analog signals, such as vibrations from a building, bridges, a car or other body to which a sensor may be attached using a fiber optic sensing device. The applications for such sensors are many, for example, vibration sensors mounted on automobiles could be used to provide a signal to a servo control which could adjust air shock absorbers to provide an extremely smooth ride. Vibration sensors could be mounted on buildings which are under construction in order to detect large motions and provide alarms which would warn construction workers of approaching collapse preventing tragedies prevalent at such sites. Monitoring bridges such as the one which collapsed in Connecticut a few years ago could also present tragedies.
Another application for vibration sensors is intrusion detection for security systems. Conventional devices often fail due to false alarms caused by detection of low frequency signals such as vibrations of a truck on a nearby street. The optical configuration described here would be configured to discriminate against such low frequency signals. Sensing other phenomena such as thermal and ultrasonic variations when measured using this sensing technique also have applications for security systems as well as other systems.
Conventional sensors for measuring vibratory motion, dynamic thermal fluctuations or other physical phenomena of interest are typically designed to sense low frequency variations which are characterized by signals of relatively large amplitude. As the frequency associated with the phenomena to be measured, e.g., vibrations, increases, the signal amplitude decreases except in the region of resonances.
Sensors currently available in the market have flat frequency responses such that their ability to detect signals at higher frequencies decreases. That is, the dynamic range of sensors with flat frequency responses is limited by the large amplitudes generated by virtually every natural phenomena at low frequencies. Using vibrations as an example, a typical sensor which exhibits a flat response with respect to frequency and which has limited sensitivity for detecting high frequency vibrations is the PCB Model 303A02 accelerometer. When used with the amplifier designed for this accelerometer, it is limited to 1.times.10.sup.-5 gs at 8 kHz.
The response curves for currently available accelerometers may be plotted. Assuming, for example, that the amplitude of the signal to be measured, e.g., vibrations, decreases linearly with an increase in frequency, the transfer function of sensors currently available to measure such signals are flat with respect to frequency such that the relative output of sensors decreases linearly as frequency increases. For example, assume that the minimum detectable signal of a typical sensor is 1 at 1 Hertz with a relative output signal of 1000 at that frequency. The transfer function for that sensor dictates a signal to noise ratio of only 5 at a frequency of 1 kHz.
The sensor of the present invention overcomes these difficulties of the prior art sensors. It employs an optical configuration which provides a transfer function which increases linearly with frequency, thus providing greater sensitivity at higher frequencies. As used herein, the term high frequency is a relative term. It can in an extreme example be only a few Hertz. Typically, the current frequency ranges within the meaning of this term are 100 Hz to 100 kHz.
The configuration of the invention described herein provides optimum response maximizing both high frequency sensitivity and dynamic range of the sensor. The transfer function for the device of the invention increases linearly with frequency. Thus, in the example given above on the assumption of boundaries of 1 Hertz and 1 kHz, the signal to noise ratio of the sensor of the current invention is 1000 at both boundaries.
This optical sensor configuration is ideal for measuring high frequency signals and can be utilized for sensing virtually any parameter which can be measured with an optical fiber interferometer, e.g., acoustic, magnetic, electrical fields, thermal fluctuations, vibrations, strains and so forth. Fiber optic accelerometers are known but they too have flat frequency responses and, consequently, poor minimum detection thresholds at high frequencies. They are also sensitive to interference from low frequency environmental factors such as temperature variations.


An arrangement is provided for alternatively providing a 3-phase or a 1-phase power stream. In an embodiment, the arrangement includes a 3-phase power source including a first, a second and a third power source output terminal; a switching section adapted to selectively provide, from the three power source output terminals of the 3-phase power source, either: a 3-phase power stream at three arrangement output terminals or a 1-phase power stream at two arrangement output terminals, different from the three arrangement output terminals.

In a subsea installation or subsea application, such as an oil or gas exploration and conveying application, there may be a need for heating pipelines which convey the gas or the oil to prevent clogging due to the generation of hydrates within the conveyed carbohydrates including oil and/or gas. This clogging or aggregation of hydrates within the pipeline may occur both during operation, i.e. flow of the carbohydrates, and in particular at a steady state or at still-stand.
Conventionally, to prevent the hydrates from being clogged chemicals have been injected into the manifold or the pipeline. Alternatively, a direct electrical heating (DEH) system has been installed, wherein the electric power has been provided from a topside facility, i.e. a facility which is located above the sea level. The direct electrical heating may heat a pipeline by running an electric current through the pipeline which evolves, when ends of the pipeline are connected to two terminals of a 1-phase power source.
Document WO 2006/075913 A1 discloses a system for power supply to subsea installations, wherein a power supply cables are for direct electrical heating of a pipeline and the system is further configured, to provide a 3-phase power supply to an electrically powered motor in a subsea installation unit, wherein means are arranged for switching so that the three conductors forming the power supply cables form parallel conductors in a second circuit configuration, wherein the power supply cables supply power for direct heating of the pipeline.
It has been observed that supply of the 1-phase power stream from a topside facility to the direct electrical heating system is very cumbersome and difficult and involves hampering the performance of the system.

Arrangement providing a 3-phase or 1-phase power stream


A D/A converter realizes an output analog signal with less ripple within a wide range and includes (a) a bit recognizer for recognizing at least one bit of a digital input signal to thereby produce a pulse width signal and a control signal; (b) a PWM signal generator for generating a PWM signal with a variable pulse width according to a value of the input signal by modulating the input signal according to a PWM process; and (c) an output circuit for outputting an output pulse voltage according to the value of the input signal. The pulse width of the PWM signal is controlled by the pulse width signal, and the output pulse voltage is controlled by the control signal. The pulse width of the PWM signal and the output pulse voltage are controlled in such a way that an area of a pulse of the PWM signal is equal to an area of every other pulse. Each pulse of the PWM signal may be divided into blocks having different values designed for forming a specific expansion characteristic.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a Digital-to-Analog (D/A) conversion and more particularly, to a D/A conversion method and a D/A converter designed for this method, in which Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) is used.
2. Description of the Prior Art
FIG. 1 schematically shows a conventional D/A converter, which is comprised of a Pulse Width Modulator (PWM) circuit 102, a latch circuit 104, and a Low-Pass Filter (LPF) circuit 105.
A digital input signal S.sub.IN is applied to the PWM circuit 102. The input signal S.sub.IN is a stream of coding pulses produced by modulating or encoding an original analog input signal according to Pulse Code Modulation (PCM). In other words, the input signal S.sub.In is a stream of Pulse-Code-Modulated (PCM) pulses.
The PWM circuit 102 receives the digital input signal S.sub.IN through an input terminal T1. The PWM circuit 102 modulates the PCM input signal S.sub.IN to produce a modulated output signal S.sub.PWM having a variable pulse width proportional to the amplitude of the input signal S.sub.IN. The modulated output signal S.sub.PWM is applied to the latch circuit 104.
The latch circuit 104 is formed by a Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (CMOS) inverter comprising p- and n-channel MOS Field_effect Transistors (MOSFETs) M1 and M2. Gates of the MOSFETs M1 and M2 are coupled together to be connected to the output terminal of the PWM circuit 102. A source of the n-channel MOSFET M2 is connected to the ground. A source of the p-channel MOSFET M1 is connected to a power supply line applied with a power supply voltage V.sub.SS. Drains of the MOSFETs M1 and M2 are coupled together to be connected to an input terminal of the LPF circuit 105.
When the PWM output signal S.sub.PWM is in the logic high (H) level, the modulated output signal S.sub.LC of the latch circuit 104 is in the logic low (L) level. Thus, the output signal S.sub.LC is equal to zero or the ground voltage. When the PWM output signal S.sub.PWM is i the logic L level, the output signal S.sub.LC of the latch circuit 104 is in the logic H level. Thus, the output signal S.sub.LC is equal to the power supply voltage V.sub.SS.
The LPF circuit 105 receives the output signal S.sub.LC of the latch circuit 104 and removes its high-frequency components, thereby producing a smooth continuous analog output signal S.sub.OUT at an output terminal T2. The analog output signal S.sub.OUT is a same as the original analog input signal.
With the conventional D/A converter described above, when the maximum pulse width of each sample of the input signal S.sub.IN is W.sub.S, the sampling frequency is f.sub.S, and the pulse voltage of each sample is V.sub.P, the maximum voltage V.sub.MOUT of the analog output signal S.sub.OUT is given as EQU V.sub.MOUT =k.times.W.sub.S.times.V.sub.P, (1)
where k is a constant.
Therefore, to increase the maximum voltage V.sub.MOUT of the analog output signal S.sub.OUT, the pulse voltage V.sub.P of each sample needs to be increased.
Also, when the PCM input signal S.sub.IN is an n-bit signal (n is a natural number) and the PWM circuit 102 is formed by a counter operated at a frequency f.sub.c, the clock frequency f.sub.c of the counter is expressed as EQU f.sub.c =f.sub.S.times.2.sup.n (2)
This means that the clock frequency f.sub.c of the counter needs to be 2.sup.n times as large as the sampling frequency f.sub.S . In this case, the magnitude M.sub.QS of the quantization step of each sample is given as EQU M.sub.QS =k.times.W.sub.S.times.V.sub.P.times.(f.sub.S /f.sub.c) (3)
Thus, if the clock frequency f.sub.c of the counter is fixed and the sampling frequency f.sub.S is unchanged, the maximum voltage V.sub.MOUT of the analog output signal S.sub.OUT increases with the increasing voltage V.sub.P. In this case, however, there arises a disadvantage that the magnitude M.sub.QS of the quantization step of each sample also becomes larger with the increasing pulse voltage V.sub.P.
Moreover, if the original analog signal has the highest frequency f.sub.0, the highest frequency f.sub.0 satisfies the following relationship due to the sampling theorem. EQU 2f.sub.0.ltoreq.f.sub.S (4)
Therefore, from the above equation (2) and the above inequality (4), the clock frequency f.sub.c of the counter satisfies the following inequality (5). EQU 2.times.f.sub.0.times.2.sup.n.ltoreq.f.sub.c (5)
It is seen from the inequality (5) that the clock frequency f.sub.c of the counter has the minimum value of (2.times.f.sub.0.times.2.sup.n). Accordingly, there arises a disadvantage that the latch circuit 104 serving as an output circuit is required to have a switching speed corresponding to the clock signal with a frequency as high as (2.times.f.sub.0.times.2.sup.n) or higher.
Additionally, the signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) for a linear- or uniform-quantized PCM signal is given by EQU S/N=1.7+6B, (6)
where B is the number of quantization bits of the PCM signal. Therefore, the S/N of the PCM signal degrades with its decreasing level due to quantization noise. If the number B of the quantization bits is increased to improve the S/N, the total amount of information to be transmitted is increased.
Thus, to improve the S/N of the PCM signal without increasing the total amount of information to be transmitted, there have been developed and practically used the logarithmic compression codes termed ".mu.-law" and "A-law".
The logarithmic compression code ".mu.-law" is a 8-bit PCM code having first to eighth bits. The full-scale amplitude of the original analog signal is divided into 15 equal segments to form 16 steps. Each of the segments thus formed is linear- or uniform-quantized to form 16 equal quantization steps. The first bit, i.e., the Most Significant Bit (MSB), of the .mu.-law code is a sign bit to represent the polarity of the original analog signal. The second to fourth bits of the .mu.-law code are segment bits to designate one of the 16 segments. The fifth to eighth bits of the .mu.-law code are step bits to designate one of the 16 quantization steps for a corresponding one of the 16 segments.
The logarithmic compression code "A-law" also is a 8-bit PCM code having first to eighth bits. The full-scale amplitude of the original analog signal is divided into 13 equal segments to form 14 steps. Each of the segments thus formed is linear- or uniform-quantized to form 16 equal quantization steps. The first bit, i.e., the Most Significant Bit (MSB), of the A-law code is a sign bit to represent the polarity of the original analog signal. The second to fourth bits of the A-law code are segment bits to designate one of the 14 segments. The fifth to eighth bits of the A-law code are step bits to designate one of the 16 quantization steps for a corresponding one of the 14 segments.
With the conventional D/A converter shown in FIG. 1, however, there are the following problems.
First, the maximum pulse width of the PWM signal S.sub.PWM is determined by the sampling frequency f.sub.S. Therefore, to improve the pulse-width resolution of the PWM signal S.sub.PWM, the clock frequency f.sub.c of the counter serving as the PWM circuit 102, which determines the step number of the variable pulse width of the PWM signal S.sub.PWM, needs to be raised. In this case, however, there arises a problem that the relating hardware is required to operate at a higher speed and the power consumption is increased.
If the voltage or amplitude of the PWM signal S.sub.PWM is increased in order to expand the dynamic range of the analog output signal S.sub.OUT, the quantization step is increased and as a result, the minimum level of the output signal S.sub.OUT becomes higher according to the increased quantization step. Therefore, in this case also, the clock frequency f.sub.c of the counter serving as the SWM circuit 102 needs to be raised for reduction of the quantization step. Thus, there arises the same problem as above.
Second, there is a problem that the highest switching speed of the latch circuit 104, which allows the clock frequency f.sub.c of the counter having the minimum value of (2.times.f.sub.o.times.2.sup.n) to be inputted, limits the highest frequency f.sub.o of the applicable original analog signal.
Third, when the rotation of a motor is controlled by the use of the PWM signal S.sub.PWM, there is a problem that an uneven rotation of the motor occurs at a low duty of the signal S.sub.PWM. The uneven rotation is not completely removed, because the analog output signal S.sub.OUT contains some ripple at a low duty of the signal S.sub.PWM even after a averaging or smoothing operation by the LPF circuit 105.
Fourth, if the applied PCM signal S.sub.IN is linearly or uniformly quantized, the quantization noise becomes large at the low level of the signal S.sub.IN. If the bit number of the PCM signal S.sub.IN is increased to suppress the quantization noise, there arises a problem that the total amount of information or data to be transmitted is increased and at the same time, the clock frequency f.sub.c of the counter serving as the PWM circuit 102 needs to be raised. This problem is solved by the use of the above-described logarithmic compression codes termed ".mu.-law" and "A-law". However, in this case, there arises another problem that a conversion operation to convert the uniformly quantized PCM signal S.sub.IN to a logarithmically quantized one is required.
On the other hand, a PWM signal generator circuit applicable to speed or phase control of a motor in a Video Tape Recorder (VTR) is disclosed in the Japanese Non-Examined Patent Publication No. 4-192723 published in July 1992.
In this conventional PWM signal generator circuit, a PWM output signal with a variable pulse width according to an applied digital signal is produced. The PWM output signal has a first voltage corresponding to the logic high (H) level or a second voltage corresponding to the logic low (L) level. Each of the first and second voltages may have two or more different values.
With the conventional PWM signal generator circuit disclosed in the Japanese Non-Examined Patent Publication No. 4-192723, the output voltage range is expanded and the uneven rotation is suppressed due to resolution improvement of the PWM output signal. However, there is a problem that the uneven rotation of the motor is not satisfactorily reduced.

D/A conversion method and a D/A converter using pulse width modulation


It is advantageous to switch an active element with a background element. By using a switching mechanism, a background element can be made active while the application remains active. That is, the application does not need to be taken offline to switch the active element with a previously loaded background element. Single input/single output (SISO) relationships are defined for background elements and an active element which provides one or many functions and an active element which provides one or many functions between one input variable and one output variable. The switching mechanism acts on a given SISO relationship to determine the background element to use to replace the active element.

The present invention relates to background element switching for models in model predictive estimation or control applications and particularly to allowing flexibility in changing the individual models of the model predictive estimation or control application online while maintaining the future prediction of the process as opposed to taking the application offline to make a model change. For example, individual models may be changed in the control or estimation layer of the model. The present invention may be used in a petrochemical process, for example, the process of liquefying a gaseous, methane-rich feed to obtain a liquefied product. The liquefied product is commonly called liquefied natural gas. In particular the present invention relates to using model predictive controllers for controlling the liquefaction process.
The liquefaction process includes the steps of:                (a) supplying the gaseous, methane-rich feed at elevated pressure to a first tube side of a main heat exchanger at its warm end, cooling, liquefying and sub-cooling the gaseous, methane-rich feed against evaporating refrigerant to get a liquefied stream, removing the liquefied stream from the main heat exchanger at its cold end and passing the liquefied stream to storage as liquefied product;        (b) removing evaporated refrigerant from the shell side of the main heat exchanger at its warm end;        (c) compressing in at least one refrigerant compressor the evaporated refrigerant to get high-pressure refrigerant;        (d) partly condensing the high-pressure refrigerant and separating in a separator the partly-condensed refrigerant into a liquid heavy refrigerant fraction and a gaseous light refrigerant fraction;        (e) sub-cooling the heavy refrigerant fraction in a second tube side of the main heat exchanger to get a sub-cooled heavy refrigerant stream, introducing the heavy refrigerant stream at reduced pressure into the shell side of the main heat exchanger at its mid-point, and allowing the heavy refrigerant stream to evaporate in the shell side; and        (f) cooling, liquefying and sub-cooling at least part of the light refrigerant fraction in a third tube side of the main heat exchanger to get a sub-cooled light refrigerant stream, introducing the light refrigerant stream at reduced pressure into the shell side of the main heat exchanger at its cold end, and allowing the light refrigerant stream to evaporate in the shell side.
International patent application publication No. 99/31448 discloses controlling a liquefaction process by an advanced process controller based on model predictive control to determine simultaneous control actions for a set of manipulated variables in order to optimize at least one of a set of parameters whilst controlling at least one of a set of controlled variables. The set of manipulated variables includes the mass flow rate of the heavy refrigerant fraction, the mass flow rate of the light refrigerant fraction and the mass flow rate of the methane-rich feed. The set of controlled variables includes the temperature difference at the warm end of the main heat exchanger and the temperature difference at the mid-point of the main heat exchanger. The set of variables to be optimized includes the production of liquefied product. The process was considered to be advantageous because the bulk composition of the mixed refrigerant was not manipulated to optimize the production of liquefied product. However, Applicants have now found that the production of the liquefied product is not maximized when the application must be taken offline.
Traditionally model predictive estimators or controllers use linear dynamic models to predict the future of output variables from changes in input variables. These models may be composed of a set of selected single-input/single-output (SISO) relationships. Each of these SISO relationships would be represented by a linear function. However, most processes or systems to which estimators or controllers are applied are nonlinear. The linear model works well over a certain range of operation, but performance can degrade when process conditions change significantly such that the linear model no longer matches the process very well. Traditionally, this problem was addressed by identifying new functions for one or more SISO relationships and then taking the application offline and replacing the SISO relationships with the new functions. Such approach required manual intervention which required costly downtime of the system. When the controller or estimator was re-activated after such a model change, it suffered temporarily from poor performance because of the loss of the future prediction. Also, the process suffered from poor performance while the new relationships were identified and replaced. Thus, the traditional approach was costly and suffered from user errors and poor performance.

System and method for background element switching for models in model predictive estimation and control applications


In a multi-stand rolling mill train, a strip successively runs through individual rolling stands. The strip—always as seen in relation to a rolling center line—is threaded into each of the rolling stands with known respective head offset and inlet-side head pitch, and therefore a strip head emerges with the respective head offset, a respective outlet-side head pitch and a respective outlet-side head curvature. The respective outlet-side head pitch is determined on the basis of respective inlet-side head pitch and pass reduction which takes place in the respective rolling stand. The respective outlet-side head curvature of the strip is determined based on respective measured and further data. The respective outlet-side head curvature is used to determine a respective control intervention for the respective rolling stand and/or the one arranged directly downstream and to drive the corresponding rolling stand in accordance with the respective determined control intervention.

When a strip is being rolled, tension differences can occur between the strip edges of the strip. One of the substantial causes of the tension differences is a wedge in the strip profile. A wedge in the strip profile can have various causes. Thus, for example, the strip can already have a wedge-shaped profile before being rolled. Alternatively, the wedge can be caused by the rolling in the roll gap. A plurality of causes come into discussion for lending the strip a wedge-shaped profile. For example, the strip can have a wedge-shaped temperature distribution and the strip can enter the roll gap eccentrically, or the roll gap itself can be wedge-shaped. Combinations of these (and other) causes are also possible.
It is known in the prior art to acquire the stress differences occurring in the strip by arranging between two respective stands a loop lifter that is equipped with force transducers on both side arms. However, conventional loop lifters have only lateral force measurement, and therefore deliver only a total force, but not a differential force between the two strip edges. The tension distribution in the strip is therefore unknown without a loop lifter with force sensors on both sides. It is therefore impossible to predict the direction in which the strip is deflected when the strip foot of the strip runs out of one of the rolling stands. However, particularly at the rear stands of a multistand rolling train an adjustment of the swivel value or other control elements of the rolling stand arranged directly downstream of the respective rolling stand is not possible quickly enough in order to prevent the strip foot from striking against a side guide of the rolling train.
Furthermore, it is known in the prior art for a controller of the rolling train to track the strip head visually as the strip is being threaded in and—in accordance with his personal impression of strip position and strip corrugation—to set the adjustment of the rolling stand currently being run through by the strip head (in particular a swivel position of the rollers).

Method for a operating a rolling mill train with curvature recognition


The present application provides example website login methods and apparatuses. One example method includes identifying a website jump trigger indication to jump from a first website to a second website. A first token is then obtained from a cookie store of the web browser, the first token associated with a website identifier of the second website and a device fingerprint indicating a running environment at a time when the password-free proxy login was previously set. In response to determining that a current running environment corresponds to the device fingerprint, a second token corresponding to the first token is obtained, wherein the second token comprises an access token indicating that the second website grants password-free login permissions. A password-free login request is sent to the second website including the second token. In response to the second website verifying the second token, the second website is logged into without a password.

In typical Internet surfing scenario, a user first visits a website through a browser, and is redirected to another website from the website the user first visited to perform certain services. For example, when shopping online, the user visits a shopping website through the browser. The shopping website displays a list of merchandise to be selected for purchase. When the user is paying for a selected merchandise, the shopping website needs to jump to a payment website. In the existing technology, in such a procedure of cooperation among a plurality of websites, the login is needed for a website jump. In the previous example, when the shopping website is switched to the payment website, the login information such as a user name and a password for the payment website needs to be entered, which is a complex procedure. Even though the payment website can be logged in to by using no password, in other words, the payment website can be directly jumped to without entering the login information, this password-free login security relies solely on the payment website. Because not all payment websites have a relatively high self-protection capability, some websites cannot ensure password-free login security and there is a security risk.


The present disclosure is directed towards systems and methods for global server load balancing spillover. An intermediary device providing global server load balancing (GSLB) identifies a spillover threshold for a first GSLB virtual server of the intermediary device. The first GSLB virtual server resolving DNS requests to a remote site of a plurality of remote sites. The intermediary device monitors spillover related statistics of each of a plurality of services at the plurality of remote sites, establishes a first spillover aggregate statistic for the plurality of services, determines that the first spillover aggregate statistic exceeds the spillover threshold for the first GSLB virtual server, and receives a DNS request and directing the DNS request to a second GSLB virtual server of the intermediary device responsive to the determination.

Global server load balancing (GSLB) presents several challenges. When a computing device receives, for example, a DNS request from a client, the computing device must communicate with numerous servers to obtain information about servers that may service the client's request. Then, the computing device must determine from the information it receives which server should be selected for the client. The amount of communication with other servers and processing of information received from those servers can overburden a single processor.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A lamination type inductor has a plurality of ferrite sheets assembled one above the other and laminated together, the uppermost and lowermost sheets being end sheets having lead-out conductor patterns thereon and conductor patterns on the surfaces of the end sheets which face each other which are connected to the lead-out conductor patterns and which are for connection to conductor patterns on intermediate sheets, and a plurality of intermediate ferrite sheets, each having a conductor pattern on one surface thereof which corresponds to a 0.25 turn of an inductor coil and a conductor pattern on the other surface which corresponds to a 0.5 turn of an inductor coil, each ferrite sheet having an opening therethrough through which the conductor patterns of the 0.25 and 0.5 turn are electrically connected to form a 0.75 turn of an inductor coil on each ferrite sheet. The conductor patterns on the successive intermediate sheets are connected to each other for forming an inductor coil having a number of turns which is a multiple of 0.75, and the conductor patterns on the upper surface of the uppermost of the plurality of intermediate ferrite sheets and the lower surface of the lowermost of the intermediate ferrite sheets are electrically connected to the conductor patterns on the surfaces of the end sheets which face each other for forming with the lastmentioned conductor pattern a complete inductor coil.

Recently, stricter regulation has been enforced for prevention of noise in high-frequency circuits, and an inductance element for preventing such noise came to be required, with the result that a small-sized lamination type inductor has come to be used in the field of noise prevention.
In the conventional small-sized lamination type inductor of this kind, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, an I-shaped conductor pattern 5 having outside lead-out electrodes 3, 4 at both ends of conductive portion 2 thereof, is printed on the surface of an intermediate ferrite sheet 1 by using conductive paste mainly composed of silver, and thereafter, the ferrite sheet 1 has laminated to the front and rear surfaces thereof plain ferrite sheets 6, 6 intended to be dummy sheets, to which plane pressure is applied and the structure is at an appropriate temperature to make it integral.
Then, after barrel finishing, conductive paste is applied to the laminated body at both end portions thereof in a manner to communicate with the lead-out electrodes 3, 4 and the paste is baked to thereby obtain outside lead-out electrodes 7, 8.
But, in such a lamination type conductor having the construction as above, a problem occurs in that, since it is small in shape and the conductive portion 2 thereof is short in length and so on, the required inductance value cannot be obtained.
Accordingly, it has been proposed that a conductor pattern constituting a coil part be printed on ferrite sheets, which are laminated to form a lamination type coil so that a coil is formed, and the inductor can be used in the noise-prevention field to thereby solve the above-described problem.
FIG. 11 shows a construction for the case where a 5.5 turn coil is constructed by using a conventional lamination type coil.
In FIG. 11, a dozen ferrite sheets 11-22 are used. Conductor patterns 31-48 are printed on either the front surface or the reverse surface, or both, of each ferrite sheet, which is laminated in turn in such a way that sheet 12 is under sheet 11, and sheet 13 is under sheet 12, and so on. End portions of each conductor pattern are positioned on top of one another, and are connected to each other to form a coil.
In FIG. 11, the conductor pattern printed on the front surface of each ferrite sheet is shown in solid lines, and the pattern on the reverse surface in broken lines. Hereafter, the same method of illustration is adopted for the drawings of this invention.
In addition, each conductor pattern is printed on a sheet while the sheet is a green ferrite sheet, which sheet is then baked to thereby obtain a finished ferrite sheet. The same is true of the present invention.
First, on the reverse side of sheet 11 is printed a conductor pattern 31 constituting an outside lead-out portion 61 and coil portion 62 equal to a 0.25 turn coil to obtain a 0.25 turn coil.
Next, sheet 12 is provided with a through hole 63 near the end portion of one side thereof, and a conductor pattern 32, intended to be a coil portion equal to a 0.25 turn coil, is printed on the front sheet surface in a manner to position the end portion thereof over the through hole 63.
The above-described conductor pattern 32 is printed in such a manner as to push printing paste into through hole 63, and the printing is followed by printing, on the reverse side of sheet 12, of the conductor pattern 33 having the same shape as that of pattern 32, with the result that the paste is pushed into the through hole 63 from both the front surface and reverse side to connect the conductor patterns 32, 33 in a sure manner to thereby obtain a 0.5 turn coil.
Each of ferrite sheets 14, 16, 18 and 20 has the same construction as that of sheet 12. Each of sheets 13, 15, 17, 19 and 21 has a conductor pattern thereon, formed in a different direction from but having the paste applied in the same way as that of sheet 12. In each conductor pattern, the same numerals are used for like parts.
In addition, the lowermost ferrite sheet 22 is provided on the surface thereof with conductor pattern 48 formed at a position at the opposite end of the sheet from that of pattern 31 on the uppermost ferrite sheet 11.
As above, ferrite sheets 11-22 on which conductor patterns are printed are laid one on top of another in the way previously described, whereby end portion 62a of conductor pattern 31 on sheet 11 is connected to portion 32a of the pattern 32 on sheet 12. Likewise, end portion 33a of conductor pattern 33 of sheet 12 is connected to portion 35a of the pattern 35 on sheet 13, so that as each sheet is laid on top of another, conductor patterns are connected to each other at the ends thereof to thereby constitute a coil.
But, with a coil in an inductor constructed as described above, a dozen ferrite sheets are required in order to obtain a 5.5 turn coil. In addition, said construction has not been satisfactory because of requirements for a large number of sheets and extensive conductor pattern printing and lack of work efficiency, workmanship, quality and because of cost.


The present invention provides a multi-compartment package, a machine for the automated or semi-automated packaging of a diverse array of animal supplements into such packaging, and a process allowing efficient procurement and fulfillment of custom supplement orders.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system for administration of equine and other animal supplements and feed additives comprising a unique package, an apparatus for packaging supplements into such a package, and a process to transact shipments of these supplements.
2. Background
Given the opportunity to graze in a diversified meadow, horses and other livestock will seek out a balanced diet by eating the plants they require. When removed from free range grazing, horses require a combination of cultivated hay and commercial horse feed to maintain adequate caloric intake. Horses also require adequate micro and macronutrients (such as vitamins and minerals). Generally, manufacturers of commercial horse feed add vitamins and minerals to processed grain. The amounts of nutritional additives are targeted toward the average horse. Many horse owners, trainers and veterinarians believe that further nutritional supplementation is beneficial for horses in active training, competition, those with health problems, or those who fall in some general demographic groups (older, pregnant, etc.).
Nutritional supplements can consist of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, proteins, herbs, oils, etc., and are intended to provide additional nutritive support for the horse. Specific supplements routinely added to the horse""s diet include, but are not limited to: Vitamins A, the B-complexes, C, D, E, H, K; chemical entities such as MSM, DMG, DMSO, etc.; minerals including copper, manganese, selenium, cobalt, iron, phosphates, zinc, sulfur, etc.; proteins such as Glucosamine HCl, Glucosamine Sulfate, Chondroitin Sulfate, Perna Mussel; Electrolytes such as sodium, potassium, chloride, magnesium, etc.; naturally derived substances, such as Brewer""s Yeast, Bee Pollen, and Yucca; and herbs including Devil""s claw, echinacea, mint, St. John""s wort, etc.
In addition to nutritional supplements, there are other additives that may be routinely added to a horse""s feed. These include, but are not limited to: 1) daily dewormer, used to control intestinal parasites, 2) feed through insecticide, to prevent flies from using horse manure as a breeding ground, and 3) garlic, which is believed to repel flies. For purposes of this disclosure, the term supplements will be used to describe all additives that are customarily added to feed prior to consumption.
Presently, most supplements are marketed in bulk containers with airtight seals to maintain freshness and potency. Most of these containers have a plastic bag lining the inside that further protects the product, usually sealed by a wire twist closure. In most cases, the horse owner is responsible for maintaining their own personal supply of supplements.
The present system of administering supplements to horses gives rise to a number of specific problems. First, administration of the supplement is time consuming and labor intensive. For each solid supplement, the person feeding the horse must 1) open the airtight tub, 2) open the twist closure on the internal bag, 3) fish out the scoop, 4) precisely measure out the appropriate amount of supplement for that particular horse on that particular day, 5) replace the scoop, 6) re-close the internal bag, and 7) reseal the tub. This process is repeated for each additional supplement received by that particular horse. With some horses receiving as many as a half a dozen supplements or more, this can be time consuming and offers the opportunity for potential errors of omission or measuring. The person feeding the horse must then repeat this process for every horse to be fed in the facility.
Second, the present approach can result in over or under dosing the horse, either through an error in measuring, or because the horses"" intended daily dose is not properly communicated to the person feeding. For a single horse, the dosage can vary by day based upon a number of factors, including length of time on the supplement, time of year, and intensity of work/competitions. Horse owners complain of a given container of supplement lasting either far longer or shorter than would be expected if the horse received the appropriate dosage each day.
Third, some horse feeders simplify the feeding process by feeding a group of horses receiving a similar supplement out of a single horse""s supplement bucket. This involuntary xe2x80x9csharingxe2x80x9d causes angst among some horse owners, who want the costly supplements that they have purchased to go exclusively to their own horse. It also creates uncertainty as to whether their horse is receiving his supplement on a regular basis, or whether the horse is receiving another supplement that may not be desirable or could have contraindicated ingredients.
Fourth, because supplement inventory is generally managed by the owner, and supplements are often consumed at an erratic rate, owners frequently receive little notice that they are xe2x80x9cabout to run outxe2x80x9d of a given supplement. For many supplements, continuity of treatment is desirable. An impending shortage can result in an urgent need to replenish and may cause logistical challenges for the owner.
Horse facilities have attempted to cope with the complexity of supplement feeding in a variety of ways. Some horse facilities have taken to limiting outright the number of supplements they are willing to feed and/or assessing a surcharge for horses receiving supplements. Some barns simplify supplement feeding by giving all horses on the same supplement the same dosage. This approach can result in over or under dosing (for example, a 800 pound pony receives the same amount as an 1,500 pound horse). Some barns leave the supplement containers uncapped, making access easier, but causing oxidation and a loss of potency, particularly when large tub sizes are used that are consumed over an extended time.
Some horse owners prepare their own mixtures of supplements for their horse(s) in advance. It is possible that pre-mixing multiple supplements could result in an unintended chemical reaction either compromising the quality of the supplements through a cross reaction (e.g. acid base or metallic reduction reactions) and/or losing potency. Also, depending upon how many days in advance these mixtures are prepared, the supplement may be subject to oxidation, risking a further loss of potency.
There has been relatively little activity to solve the logistical problems posed by supplements by their manufacturers. Two companiesxe2x80x94Select the Best and Vitaflexxe2x80x94each offer one of its products in single dose packaging. While this facilitates administration of this particular supplement by eliminating the measuring element, their single standard-sized package limits the flexibility of the amount of supplement administered. Further, this system does not reduce the complexity of administering multiple supplements. See also U.S. Pat. No. 3,845,744 and 5,555,482.
It thus would be desirable to have improved methods for providing supplements to horses and other animals.
The present invention is a system designed to solve the above problems comprising a multi-compartment, easy to open package, a machine for the automated or semi-automated packaging of a diverse array of equine supplements into such packaging, and a process allowing efficient procurement and fulfillment of custom supplement orders.
More particularly, in a first aspect, packaging is provided which is easy to handle as a single unified whole, and that comprises multiple sub-containers or sub-compartments capable of maintaining separation between a plurality of solid and/or liquid animal supplements or feed materials. Suitably, distinct animal feed materials will be placed in distinct, separated compartments of the packaging. Specified amount of the feed materials also can be placed in each compartment to provide a customized feed or dosage amount for a given animal.
The packaging of the invention is particularly useful for administration of feed supplements to horses. Accordingly, the packaging of the invention will be especially useful in horse stables, i.e. buildings that house one or more horses. The packaging of the invention also is useful for administration to a variety of other animals, including dogs and camels.
The invention also includes methods for administering supplement feed materials to an animal such as a horse or pet, which include administering to the animal multiple, distinct supplement feed materials without use of an administration tool (e.g. without the use of a scoop). The administered feed materials are suitably contained in a multiple-sectioned unitary package as disclosed herein prior to administration to the animal. As referred to herein with respect to such methods, an administration tool is a scoop, scoop-type device or other manual or mechanical feed delivery device as has been used previously.
In another aspect, the invention provides apparatus useful to package equine or other animal supplements into the packaging described above. Preferably, the apparatus can draw from a plurality of potential supplements and dispense a desired amount of each of the selected supplements into separate sub-compartment within each container.
As discussed above, in a yet further aspect, processes are provided by which orders are received, fulfilled, and shipped. Customers (most likely the horse owner, owner""s agent, veterinarian, or trainer) will be able to order the supplement utilizing a web site that will provide the following functionality: 1) Ability to customize the supplement dosing regimen, 2) user friendly access to academic and lay information about each supplement, 3) promotions offered by manufacturers, 4) a summary of totals of various ingredients administered, and 5) ability to sign up for automatic fulfillment, delivered to either home or stable.
The packaging, apparatus and processes of the invention will be useful with a wide variety of animals, including livestock such as camels, cattle, sheep, and the like, as well as pets such as dogs and cats. However, as mentioned above, the invention is particularly useful for providing supplements to horses. Accordingly, the present description of the invention is generally directed to use of the invention with horses, although it will be understood that the invention can be used in the same manner with other animals, including pets and livestock.
Other aspects of the invention are discussed infra.

Systems and methods for facilitated feed supplementation


There is provided an image forming apparatus including a belt which conveys images, first rollers which support the belt and a second roller which supports the aforementioned belt at its surface opposite from the surface supported by the aforementioned first rollers, wherein the image forming apparatus rotates the aforementioned belt at a first speed and rotates the aforementioned belt at a second speed smaller than the aforementioned first speed or stops the aforementioned belt when the portions of the aforementioned belt which have been supported by the aforementioned first rollers at the time of stoppage of the aforementioned belt are supported by the aforementioned second roller, prior to image formation after the stoppage of the aforementioned belt.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus which records, onto recording mediums, images formed with image forming means and also forms images by rotating a belt being supported by rollers. More particularly, the present invention relates to an image forming apparatus including a means for correcting the curling tendency of the belt.
2. Description of the Related Art
As image forming apparatuses such as copying machines and printers, electrophotographic type image forming apparatuses have been widely used as image forming means. In the present day, apparatuses capable of forming color images have been used as such copying machines.
An electrophotographic type color-image forming apparatus includes plural image forming stations for forming images in respective colors of yellow, magenta, cyan and black which are arranged in parallel and superimposes images formed in the respective image forming stations to form a color image. As the configuration for superimposing the images having the respective colors, an intermediate transfer belt which is an endless belt is placed such that it is faced to the plural image forming stations placed in parallel, and images formed in the respective image forming stations are successively primarily transferred to the intermediate transfer belt to form a color image. This color image is secondarily transferred to a recording medium at a secondary transfer portion and, then, the color image is output.
Also, in addition to the aforementioned intermediate transfer system, there is a system for conveying a recording medium through an endless belt facing to respective image forming stations and successively transferring color images formed in the respective image forming stations to the recording medium such that they are superimposed thereon to form a color image.
As described above, a color-image forming apparatus forms images by rotating an endless belt, wherein the endless belt is wound around and supported by plural rollers. However, bending stresses are constantly generated in the endless belt wound around and supported by the tension rollers, at its portions which come into contact with the tension rollers.
Usually, such bending stresses and physical changes are dispersed over the entire belt during movement of the belt, which prevents the occurrence of significant malfunctions. However, when the belt is temporarily brought into a standby state, such bending stresses and physical changes are generated concentratively at the portions of the belt which come into contact with the rollers and the heated portion of the belt. This may cause permanent sets in the belt, thereby causing image degradations such as color shifts, color heterogeneity and the like.
Also, it is possible to employ a method which idly rotates the intermediate transfer belt for a predetermined time period after the start of operation in order to disperse bending stresses and physical changes over the entire belt. However, if the standby time period becomes longer, this will make it impossible to form images efficiently.
Therefore, there has been disclosed a configuration for releasing or reducing the pressures exerted on a belt from tension rollers at non-operation states of an apparatus, in order to prevent the aforementioned belt from exhibiting a curling tendency (Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2003-173090).
However, if the apparatus is configured to release or reduce the pressures exerted on the belt from the tension rollers at non-operation states of the apparatus as described in the aforementioned Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2003-173090, this will cause the problem of increases of the complicacy and the size of the apparatus.

Image forming apparatus with a belt curling correction feature


A integrated electronic networked notary system includes sub-systems of computers to execute biometric analysis, target object information input and analysis, marking and time stamping with an trusted third-party provider to enable an electronic notary process. The system provides for authentication of both the signatories as well as the target objects. The user has the option to either unilaterally self-notarize or to collaborate with others for the purpose of electronically notarizing the target object. For high-value target objects, a selectable display menu can be changed into the semi-automatic mode, whereby, a legal notary person may be present to interface and/or assist the user(s) in their notarization and time stamping process. A machine-readable notary symbol generator generates a machine-readable notary symbol by encoding an identifier representing a container of notary information including an official current time corresponding to a notarization event, identification information of the target object, and GPS notarization authorization information.

1. Field
Example embodiments relate to a non-human system, method and computer-readable medium providing a secure and an accurate independent and automatic third-party notarization for the time stamping process of a plethora of target applications that are electronically available on a variety of electronic devices and systems 24 hours per day, every day of the year and available from any point on, within or above the earth.
The following describes, an independent, uninterested, neutral, third party notarization service, which is available: 24 hours-per-day, 7 days per week, from any country on earth, in any language, from any time zone, from home, office or any wireless field location, that is convenient to use as well as secure and legal.
Example embodiments may utilize the time signal preferably by the United States Naval Observatory Time Generation Service or equivalent. The completed system provides the User/client/customer, working from their home, office, library or field location, with a fast, convenient, automatic and extremely accurate means for the notarization also referred to as a "Time Stamp" for their creative work-product, transaction, communications, etc. that is available from any location that has a microprocessor-based device/computer, and a communications network, such as the Internet. Some examples of creative work product are: documents, scripts, stories, objects, graphics, images, video, film, audio, music, software, etc. Other notarization applications include, but are not limited to: automated transactions, communications, decision making, legal documents, accounting, financial reports, financial instruments, material data reports, configuration management, time and attendance, security access, etc. in either electronic using a digital network, such as the Internet and/or physical form using a combination of digital images In analog form.
Examples of applicable industries for the digital time stamping process described herein may include Aerospace, Automotive, Banking, Communications, Computer, Electronic, Entertainment, Exploration, Financial, Gaming, Government, Healthcare, Internet/networks, Legal, Manufacturing, Market Research, Medical, Military, Nuclear, Pharmaceutical, Political, Product Differentiation, Research and/or Development, Royalties Reconciliation, Scientific Analysis, Security, Software, Space, Television, Time and Attendance, Transactions, and Video Games.
There are two basic forms of electronic notarization to apply time stamps:
(1) Manual/Semi-manual system(s) on an "as needed" basis where the data is either entered via a keyboard, or other similar device such as telephone or cell phone keypads, or (2) fully automated systems that, once the specific system is set up by the client/user, it will automatically issue time stamps on-demand by the application-specific client's/user's system supplying time stamp requests, 24 hours-per-day, 7 days per week from any location on/in/above the earth, i.e., underground, underwater, on the Earth's surface and/or in space,
FIG. 1 graphically depicts a simple schematic of the two basic forms of Electronic Notarization; the manual/semi-automatic system and fully automatic system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Time dictates every aspect of our modern life. Time and date information is linked to and/or controls the flow of ideas, technologies, schedules, legal processes, contracts, budgets, transactions and countless other applications involving a myriad of activities and documents each and every day.
Greed, confusion, deviousness, theft, duplication, multiple claims, first-to-invent, jealousy, money, power, frame, competition, human errors, etc. are all barriers to a peaceful smooth entry into business transactions and the marketplace. These are just a few of the many problems that plague mankind in protecting his or her creative work-product as being the original or earlier conception preceding those that intentionally or unintentionally copy or claim similar ideas or work-product as their own.
One famous example includes Alexander Graham Bell's patent application related to the telephone which was filed three hours before another competitor's patent application and a vast fortune was to be made and hung in the balance.
One problem in today's fast moving society includes the use of a Notary Public. Locating a notary public at any given moment is somewhat of a hassle because one most likely either has to travel to their location or wait for them to schedule an appointment to meet in order to complete the notarization process.
The problem is that obtaining a person who is a Notary on a moment's notice or scheduling one for a particular time is a slow process rooted in the 18th century. A notary may be difficult to locate especially when a person is a strange city and taking documents to the place of the Notary's business can be very time-consuming. These situations are physically disruptive.

Digital signatory and time stamping notary service for documents and objects


The present invention is directed to a polymer comprising repeat units derived from 1,3-butadiene and a substituted butadiene of formula I or II

With existing tire polymer and compound technology there is a tradeoff between desirable tire properties using commonly used tire polymers. The impending introduction of fire labeling regulations, along with increased competition make it more important than ever to produce tires that show high performance in every category. Tire properties are directly related to the material properties of the polymers used in the tire, which are in turn directly related to the glass transition temperature (Tg) of the chosen polymer. The most commonly used tire polymers are cis-polybutadiene, natural rubber, high-vinyl polybutadiene, and styrene/butadiene copolymers; these polymers are largely chosen for different roles in tire compounds based on their Tg. The traditional relationships between polymer Tg and three important tire performance properties are outlined in the following table.
Performance Effect of characteristicincreasing TgRolling resistanceworsenedTread wearworsenedWet tractionimproved
This relationship between Tg, tan delta, and tire properties can also be visualized by examining the tan delta curves of various polymers. The value of tan delta at various temperatures is commonly used as an indicator of polymer performance, for example, the tan delta at 0° C. is an indicator of wet performance, while the tan delta at 60° C. is an indicator of rolling resistance. A tire with a higher tan delta at 0° C., such as an SBR, also exhibits a high tan delta at 60° C., making it a good choice for wet performance, but bad for rolling resistance. The opposite is true for cis-polybutadiene: the tan delta is low at both 0° C. and 60° C., making cis-PBD an excellent choice for improved rolling resistance but poor for wet traction performance.
There is a tradeoff between wet performance and the other two important characteristics, and it would seem at first glance that there is no way around this natural tradeoff. However, the shape of the tan delta/temperature curve also influences the polymer properties. Polymers of different composition exhibit different relationships between their glass transition temperatures and physical properties. An ideal polymer would exhibit a higher Tg and a steeper tan delta/temperature slope, allowing tan delta to be as high as possible in the wet traction regime and as low as possible in the rolling resistance regime. This ideal polymer is not known among existing tire elastomers, therefore there is a need for new technology to prepare new classes of polymers with properties approaching those of this ideal polymer.
Both high-cis polybutadiene rubber and low-cis butadiene/styrene copolymers have achieved widespread use as tire polymers, and are commonly used in blends in tire tread compounds to balance RR and traction properties. To date, however, there is no example of a polymer that combines the major aspects of these two important polymers, that is to say there are no established butadiene/styrene copolymers that contain a high-cis butadiene backbone.

High cis diene/phenylbutadiene copolymers prepared using a Ziegler/Natta neodymium catalyst

Abstract: wherein R is hydrogen, an alkyl group, aryl group, or a fused cyclic group; andwherein at least 95 percent by weight of the repeat units have a cis-1, 4 microstructure. The invention is further directed to a rubber composition and pneumatic tire comprising the polymer, and a method for making the polymer using a neodymium catalyst system.


A distributed, multistage agent for monitoring, diagnosis and maintenance of network devices comprises an input/output interface for receiving input monitoring and diagnostic data relevant to operation of a first neighboring agent and transmitting output monitoring and diagnostic data relevant to operation of the host network device to a second neighboring agent. An agent process analyzes the input data and generates processed data characterizing operation of the host network device, using a local database which stores expected performance data on operation of said network device. The processed data is correlated with the expected data any error is signaled to the network operator. The agents may be designed as a multiple stage process, the stages being triggered by the data output by an earlier stage only when needed.

There is a distinct challenge in monitoring large scale networks and two fundamental approaches. One approach is to use a central system (e.g. a network management system NMS) that polls all the devices in the network and tries to understand what is happening. Another approach is to distribute the intelligence between the network devices so that they can self diagnose problems and only report exceptions, rather than the volumes of information that say everything is still fine.
There is significant industry research and development in area of network device management, but little in distributed router management with intelligent agents. Most networks currently use centralized network management systems (NMS), and local agents on most network devices, which operate as clients of the NMS. In this case, the local monitoring is enabled by software running on the respective node, for sending some data to the central NMS that ultimately provides the intelligence and management capabilities.
As network complexity grows, it is unlikely that the central systems can remain competitive and scale up according to the network growth. The disadvantages of the current centralized NMS solution are, to list a few:                Centralized monitoring, diagnostics and maintenance tools require significant network resources in order to effectively manage the network. Generally, only a limited amount of information is gathered from the devices in the network, in order to constrain the resource usage in a large network. As a result, many problems are not detected until after they occur.        Preventative maintenance requires volumes of detailed information to be processed, the vast majority of which is a result of normal operation. Centralized systems cannot manage the amount of information in a large network to offer significant preventative maintenance capabilities.        Central systems require resources to function, such as the ability to retrieve data from the nodes. When the network is misbehaving, and when the maintenance systems are required to be operational by definition, the resources may not be available, i.e. the central system may not be able to communicate with the devices in its network.        The topology of the network must be known when using centralized management system solutions.
It is also known to use systems external to a network device that analyze more deeply a specific node behavior, such as routing. While the external mechanisms may provide a more in-depth analysis of the device operation, these systems use extensive computing resources. As a result, equipping a network device with such a complex mechanism is not economically feasible due to the limited amount of physical resources available at the node. In addition, the external systems do not report the problem immediately due to the need of off-line computations; there is no way to retrieve synthetic results at a speed compatible with quick reaction to a detected anomaly.
Some network devices are enabled with embedded monitoring engines. However, the existing embedded mechanisms are very rough and too weak to provide the network operator with meaningful information on the behavior of the host network device. Such embedded mechanisms generally compare counter values with fixed values and trigger alerts when the threshold is exceeded.
There is a need to provide a network device (such as a router or a switch) with an agent for distributed monitoring and diagnosis of network operation. Such an agent will operate as an intelligent distributed agent to filter the data provided to the NMS, thus reducing the network traffic overhead transmitted to the central management system.
There is also a need to provide a network device with a multistage intelligent monitoring and diagnostic agent which incrementally triggers the resource-consuming monitoring and analysis modules at the router as need be.

Agent based router monitoring, diagnostic and maintenance