The present invention provides a method of enabling a provision of public warning system, PWS, messages to a user equipment, UE, device via a non-3GPP radio network, the method comprising establishing an internet protocol security, IPSec, tunnel connection from the UE device to a non-3GPP interworking function, N3IWF, via a non-3GPP, N3GPP, radio access technology, requesting from a first core network, CN, entity a provision of public warning system, PWS, messages; and providing the first CN entity with information about a location of the UE device.

A user equipment (UE) device in general accesses the 3GPP core network (CN) through an access network that may be a radio access network (RAN). If the radio access network is defined by 3GPP, e.g. the newly defined 5G radio access network, the access network provides a connection to an authentication and mobility function (AMF). The AMF may be present multiple times in a single CN. An AMF is usually selected for a UE at registration of a UE in the network and only one AMF is responsible for a single UE. The AMF, as all elements of the CN, can communicate to other CN elements through a routing infrastructure. The AMF for example connects to the universal data management (UDM) to authenticate a UE at registration, to receive information about subscribed services and to get security credentials used for communication with the UE.
A UE, when entering a cellular mobile network, selects a cell, e.g. the strongest cell, and acquires information about the cell and the accessible CNs from system information broadcast. If the selected cell is the most suitable, the UE sets up a connection to the respective base station and connects from there to a selected AMF to request registration at the CN. The cells of a CN are grouped in tracking areas (TAs) and the UE device requests registration in the TA of the selected cell. While registered, the CN always knows the TA or at least a configured list of TAs in which the UE resides so that the CN can connect to the UE. If the UE is in connected mode, the CN can use the established connection between UE and AMF to connect, i.e. the AMF knows the serving RAN node (base station, eNodeB, eNB). If the UE is in idle mode, the CN can request the RAN to page the UE in all cells belonging to the TA or list of TAs in which the UE is currently registered. If the UE in idle mode changes to a cell with a TA not in the list of configured TAs, the UE requests re-registration to inform the CN about the new TA and request a new list of registered TAs.
If at any time the system information of a cell changes, the cell broadcasts a paging message to inform all UEs currently residing in the cell about the change. The UE can then re-read the parts of the system information that has changed. This mechanism releases the UEs from the necessity to permanently monitor the system information to ensure the information used in the UE is up to date. Thus, UEs in idle mode can read the system information of a cell once when the cell is entered. After that, the UE listens to paging messages informing about system information change or attempts of the CN to setup a connection to the UE, e.g. in case of a pending mobile terminated call or pending downlink data.
After authentication between UE and AMF for which AMF communicates with the UDM, the UE is registered, and it can request services. If data delivery to a data network (DN) should take place, e.g. to the internet, the UE requests setup of an appropriate connection, a so-called PDU session, from the (R)AN to one or more User Plane functions (UPF) and from there to the data network. The appropriate context setup in the UPFs as well as the allocation of network resources is done by a Session Management Function (SMF). The SMF is selected by the AMF according to the subscriber data, the data network to be contacted and current network load. A network exposure function (NEF) is responsible for exchange of data between the operator network (PLMN) and entities outside that network. The NEF for example can provide subscriber or device specific information (reachability, available QoS, addresses) to servers outside the PLMN or it can provide information from outside servers to CN entities.
Cellular mobile networks in general consist of access networks and a core network as described above. The access networks provide mainly cellular radio access to mobile device, e.g. via GSM, UMTS or LTE. Additional access networks may provide access via short range radio access, e.g. WLAN, or fixed or satellite access to mobile or fixed devices. The access networks usually provide the complete functionality to setup, control and maintain radio connections to devices.
The core network provides mechanisms that are not access specific, e.g. authentication, authorization and accounting (AAA) of devices and/or subscribers, mobility between access networks and routing between the access networks and external data networks.
3GPP defines various access networks to access the 3GPP core network, e.g. GSM, UMTS, HSPA, LTE, LTE-A and in near future a 5G access network. These networks are developed to work specifically under control of the 3GPP core network. The respective base stations support the security mechanisms of the core network and they are setup and maintained by the operator of the core network or a trusted third party. As a result, the 3GPP access network can be trusted by the core network.
In addition, the 3GPP core network is setup to support access networks that may not be setup and maintained by any trusted operator, they may also reside outside the operator's domain. These access technologies are collectively named Non-3GPP access (N3GPP) and they may be so called untrusted N3GPP access if there is no trust relationship between the core network and the access network.
FIG. 1 shows network elements that provide the UE with access to a CN via 3GPP access technologies ((R)AN) and in addition the UE connected to the CN via a non-3GPP access (N3GPP access, e.g. WLAN). The WLAN is an untrusted node, therefore the WLAN itself connects to a non-3GPP interworking function (N3IWF) that may accumulate multiple untrusted non-3GPP access networks (only one is shown in FIG. 1). The N3IWF is a device that is maintained by the operator and is therefore trusted.
The non-3GPP access to a 5G core network requires the following functionality to be performed to access the core network from a UE via untrusted N3GPP access, e.g. WLAN:                The UE acquires IP-connectivity from the WLAN access point and performs a selection of an N3IWF.        After that the UE establishes a security association with the selected N3IWF using pre-shared secrets from the UICC of the UE. The N3IWF selects an appropriate AMF, asks to authenticate the UE or its respective subscriber and receives security credentials. These credentials are the counterpart of those generated by the UICC and build the base for the security association with the UE. The UE and N3IWF setup an internet protocol security (IPsec) tunnel so that the UE can securely communicate with the N3IWF over the untrusted WLAN.        For setup of the IPsec tunnel, the N3IWF allocated to the UE a second IP address from a N3IWF-local address space, the inner IP-address. Also, the UE is provided with a destination IP address from the same address space to which the UE addresses control messages to the CN, i.e. to its AMF, the so called NAS_IP_ADDRESS. The N3IWF uses the NAS_IP_ADDRESS as source and the inner IP-address of the UE as destination for NAS signaling over the IPSec tunnel.        Once the IPsec tunnel between UE and N3IWF and the interface between N3IWF and the AMF are securely setup, the UE has a route that constitutes its logical connection to the AMF.
The UE may now request to setup connections to a data network (DN) via user plane functions (UPFs) over the untrusted WLAN. For that purpose, PDU sessions are setup via WLAN and N3IWFs and for the first and all subsequent such PDU sessions the UE is provided with a second destination IP address from a N3IWF-local address space that the UE uses to address user data.
UE devices can use any N3GPP access that provides connectivity to the N3IWF of an accessible operator network (PLMN) to connect to the network. Typical examples are private or public WLAN hot-spots providing public internet access. The UE can access the internet and via internet the N3IWF and can thus setup a secure connection to the CN.
One result of the flexibility of N3GPP access is that the CN is not aware of the location of the UE or the N3GPP access node, e.g. the WLAN access point. A UE accessing the CN may be at its home location connected to the user's private WLAN access point or at a hotel hot spot in another country. The UE device may in parallel be connected to a CN via 3GPP access, i.e. the CN of the same PLMN as with the N3GPP or of a different PLMN.
As wireless, e.g. WLAN, access points are not under control of the PLMN operator, they do not have a fixed location and they do not provide a tracking area (TA) or cell ID information to a connected UE device pointing at a location. Therefore, a 5G CN allocates a single TA to all N3GPP access networks. This TA allows distinction from 3GPP networks, but it does not provide any meaningful device location information.
While there are means to derive a device's location from its globally routable IP address, these means are neither trustworthy nor accurate. They usually lead to the location of the internet access point of the internet service provider (ISP) instead of the device's location due to network address translation performed in the ISP network.
3GPP specified a feature for public warning systems (PWS) providing the framework for several regional warning systems. PWS includes support of Japan's earthquake and tsunami warning system (ETWS), the United States' commercial mobile alert system (CMAS) and Europe's EU-alert. A warning notification provider outside the operator CN provides a warning message and a notification area to the CN. The message is currently limited in size (90 or 316 characters) and it typically comprises the event description, alert category, area affected, recommended action, expiration time and sending agency.
From the notification area a list of TAs and/or cells (cell IDs) is derived in which the warning messages need to be distributed. The transport of the messages uses broadcast mechanisms of the respective cell. In 2G and 3G system the cell broadcast feature is used for transport, in LTE systems a specific similar distribution mechanism is used based on an unacknowledged broadcast to all UEs capable of receiving the respective broadcast messages.
In LTE alert messages are transported in system information broadcasted in every cell. UEs are informed about new alert messages via paging messages similar to the system information change notification described earlier in this document. UEs camping on a cell listen to paging for CN requests to connect to the network, for system information change notifications and for alert messages according to their individual paging cycle. Roaming users and UEs must be supported by operators for PWS.
An alert category is specified globally to ensure a unique and defined mobile device behaviour. Users may be able to opt out of an alert category manually depending on device implementation and local regulation. For example, the CMAS "presidential alert" is not selectable while CMAS "extreme alerts with severity of extreme, urgency of Immediate, and certainty of observed" is selectable. Alerts received by a UE device have to be brought to the user's attention immediately, i.e. shown on the display, while they must not break ongoing audio or video conversations.
There are known warning message provisioning systems based on servers and over the top applications running on a mobile device. Warning messages are received from warning notification providers and delivered from the server on a dedicated, i.e. server to each device, IP-connection to every device that registered with one or more areas of interest comprising the notification area. These applications usually use push notification mechanisms of the mobile device's ecosystem to alert the device. The application may inform the user according to the device's current state and according to the application settings and the state of the device's MMI
US 2014/0273909 describes a method that prevents a UE device from switching from a network supporting delivery of public warning system (PWS) alert messages, e.g. a cellular mobile network, to a networking not supporting PWS message delivery, e.g. a N3GPP network, for a pre-defined time after a PWS message has been received. The method allows reception of further PWS alert messages expected to follow the first message by not switching to the N3GPP network or alternatively communicating with the N3GPP network while keeping a connection to the cellular network to receive PWS messages.
The described methods solve some deficiencies of prior-art by preventing a network connection to a N3GPP while the present invention enables N3GPP networks to support the required service.
EP 1 798 898 A1 describes a method of selecting a radio access point from a plurality of access points which may support different radio technologies such as WLAN and UMTS. A control entity on the network side can decide which of the plurality of access points should be used for transmissions to a UE.
The public warning system (PWS) of 3GPP allows secure warning of users of supporting devices in a PLMN, even devices that do not have an active registration to or a subscription with the PLMN. However, PWS messages do not work via N3GPP access technologies. Neither the broadcast mechanisms to efficiently deliver warning messages nor the location mechanisms to provide alert messages at the correct notification area are available.
However, the growing use of public hot spots and their use for access to a 3GPP network results in the demand to provide PWS over N3GPP access, especially over WLAN.
OTT applications provide a warning mechanism usable via public hotspots and WLAN, but the usage is voluntary, not regulatable and requires a user to install and maintain an application on his/her device. Also, the mechanisms only work on smart devices that can run such applications while other types of UE device like simple phones, machines and sensors are out of scope for such features.
As a result, there is missing a PWS usable over N3GPP access but controlled by an operator network and usable by a broad variety of mobile devices.
US 2017/0289883 A1 describes a technique for handing over an established emergency services session from a cellular 3GPP wireless access network to a non-3GPP wireless access network. The document is silent regarding the transmission of PWS messages which would not require the establishment of an emergency services session and indeed, the establishment of an emergency services session in order to transmit such PWS messages would be counterproductive.

Broadcasting public warning messages over N3GPP access node of a non-3GPP network


In a general aspect, upgradability scores are determined, and remedial security measures are identified in a computing environment. The computing environment is analyzed to identify computing resources that are eligible to receive a cryptographic security upgrade. Attributes of the computing resources are identified based on communicating with the computing resources. A set of rules, that define upgradability scores as a function of computing resource attributes, is obtained. Sets of intermediate output values are generated for the respective computing resources by applying the set of rules to the identified attributes of the respective computing resources. Upgradability scores are generated for the respective computing resources from the set of intermediate output values for the respective computing resource. Remedial security measures are identified for respective subsets of the computing resources based on the upgradability scores for the respective subsets.

The following description relates to determining upgradability scores and identifying remedial security measures in a computing environment.
Cryptography systems are used to communicate securely over public channels. For example, some cryptosystems provide confidentiality by encrypting messages, and some cryptosystems provide authenticity through digital signatures. Many cryptosystems include protocols that use cryptographic keys. For example, in a public key infrastructure (PKI), the cryptographic keys include public and private keys for each entity, and a certificate authority can issue digital certificates to certify the public keys.

Determining upgradability scores and identifying remedial security measures in a computing environment


An ignition timing circuit is disclosed which provides variable fuel ignition timing as a function of the rotational speed of a small internal combustion engine. A measure of the rotational speed of an engine is generated from the shape of pulses generated by a sensor. A timing delay circuit converts this measure of the rotational engine speed into a fuel ignition trigger signal with a controlled delay relative to the engine's angular position. This trigger signal activates a switching device which in turn delivers energy to the engine's spark plug system. A significant benefit of the disclosed ignition timing circuit is its ability to be enclosed in a package which is size and pin-compatible with standard silicon controlled rectifiers.

Internal combustion engines operate by igniting fuel in order to apply a force to a mechanical system. For example, in a piston engine the piston provides a movable surface which forms a combustion chamber. Fuel enters this chamber as the piston retracts and is then compressed as the piston advances to reduce the volume of the combustion chamber. When the fuel ignites, the chamber volume is forced to expand, thus pushing the piston and applying force to a drive system. The momentum of this drive system causes the piston to advance which expels the expended fuel and the process then repeats. The performance of such engines depends highly on the relationship between the piston position and the timing of the fuel ignition. For example, if the fuel is ignited before the piston reaches its top position (known in the art as "top dead center" or TDC) the force of the burning fuel will apply force to the drive system in the wrong direction. However, if the piston has moved well past TDC when the fuel ignites the energy applied to the drive system is reduced representing a loss of output power. This dependency on ignition timing is common to most internal combustion engines, including two-cycle and rotary engines. As such, nearly all such engines include a method of timing the fuel ignition with the state of the combustion chamber.
In small engines, such as those used in gasoline-powered lawn equipment, the ignition timing system comprises a permanent magnet embedded in a flywheel synchronized with the piston, a primary coil of wire and a secondary coil of wire. Both coils are wrapped about a ferrous armature which is located in close proximity to the flywheel. Each pass of the magnet generates a set of voltage pulse across the coils. Pulses generated in the primary coil are captured in a capacitor in the ignition timing circuit. Pulses generated by the secondary coil are used to initiate the transfer of this captured energy to a fuel igniter which serves to ignite the fuel. The position of the secondary coil determines the timing between the piston reaching TDC and the ignition of the fuel.
In small engines the desirable timing between TDC and fuel ignition varies with the operating conditions. For example, when first starting the engine, it is often desirable to delay the fuel ignition until the piston has passed TDC by several radial degrees. This allows for easier start-up, particularly for pull-rope engines. However, when the engine is operating at high revolutions per minute (RPM), better performance in terms of output power and reduced emissions is obtained by advancing the fuel ignition to just before the piston reaches TDC. Unfortunately, the timing of ignition in small engines is often controlled largely by the physical position of the secondary coil armature with respect to the piston position. Given this, such engines typically have a constant ignition delay measured in radial degrees. As such, this delay is often a compromise between ease-of-start and high-speed performance. Prior art attempts to provide variable ignition timing, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,931,137, 6,408,820, 6,932,064, 6,973,911, and 7,069,921 implement multiple secondary coils and/or complicated circuitry which increase the complexity and cost of the engine's construction. As such, these solutions are poorly adapted to the low-cost engines typical of small hand-held equipment.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,931,137 describes an ignition apparatus for internal combustion engines which provides spark advance. The spark advance is generated by application of a trigger coil and an auxiliary coil wound about different permeable cores in close proximity to the engine's flywheel. The coils are connected to triggering circuitry. When the flywheel rotational speed crosses a design threshold, pulses from the auxiliary coil cancels pulses from the trigger coil, thereby providing spark advance at higher engine RPMs. This approach increases the cost and weight of an engine by requiring multiple coils and permeable cores. It can also provide only two spark advance settings, one for low RPM values and one for higher RPM values. The amount of spark advance is also limited by the physical location of the coils. An additional disadvantage is that this approach requires a complete redesign of the flywheel and armature system, thus increasing the cost of incorporating this invention or the cost of retrofitting an existing engine design.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,408,820 discloses an ignition system with automatic ignition advance.
This invention utilizes both a charging coil and a trigger coil connected to a circuit which produces a spark advance as a function of the amplitude of pulses generated by the trigger coil. As in the '137 patent, this approach increases the cost and weight of an engine by requiring multiple coils (and additional permeable core mass). Also, since this invention's circuitry requires multiple connections to these coils, its application would require considerable reworking on existing engine designs and can not be made pin-compatible with existing silicon controlled rectifiers. U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,932,064 and 7,069,921 disclose related inventions with similar limitations.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,973,911 discloses a device for controlling ignition timing for internal combustion engines which utilizes a single coil to both power the device and provide ignition timing as a function of engine speed. A coil produces pulses which are synchronous with the engine's operation. The device uses a comparator to detect these pulses and uses a microcontroller to measure the time between pulses in order to calculate the rotational speed of the engine. This calculation is used to determine an appropriate delay between each pulse and initiation of a spark. While this invention avoids the expense of additional coils and cores, it requires a microcontroller, thus adding considerable cost. This microcontroller also makes the device poorly suited for retrofitting of existing engine designs. This device also has limited performance since it calculates engine speed by measuring the delay between pulses over a complete rotation of the engine's flywheel, resulting in a slower response to changes in the engine's speed.


A plurality of transactions are executed in a data storage application. Thereafter, log entries are sequentially stored according to the plurality of transactions in at least one log. Each log segment has a first globally unique identifier (GUID) uniquely identifying the log segment and includes a second GUID uniquely identifying an immediately preceding log segment in the sequence. In addition, the current position in the at least one log is stored along with the current log segment GUID together with data pages during data backup. Subsequently, a position in the at least one log from which to initiate replay of the log segments and a GUID for a corresponding log segment at the determined position at database recovery time is determined based on information stored during data backup. Replay of the log segments is then initiated starting at the determined position. Related apparatus, systems, techniques and articles are also described.

Most databases write their data into data area asynchronously and use logging to store operations done on the data synchronously to the log. To guarantee the recoverability of the data in a catastrophic situation, both data and log areas are backed up to some tertiary medium (e.g., set of backup tapes). Usually, the data area is backed up periodically (e.g., once a day) and new log segments in the log area are backed up as soon as they are closed. In case of a catastrophic situation requiring data recovery, the data area is recovered from a backup to an older state (last valid data backup). Replaying backed up log segments backed up after this data backup will bring the database to the last committed state contained in the backed up log (and if the log area is still available, replaying further not-yet-backed-up log segments from the log area even to the last committed state while the database system was online).
When the recovery is finished, a new log segment will be started, where new data will be written. This process may invalidate certain portion of the log. In addition, in enterprise settings, there are usually many databases in production and they may be even copied/cloned, so it is possible that a system administrator might select an incorrect backup and try to restore from it. In most cases, this will lead to severe data errors and database crashes.
Other issues may arise in high availability settings in which the same database is kept in a master mode and a hot-standby mode using log shipping to a remote location. When temporarily both master and hot standby run at the same time, and log backups are taken on both, during take-over there can be an ambiguous recovery path. This recovery path has to be detected and resolved in order to ensure consistent recovery.

Ensuring database log recovery consistency


A magnetic transducer and manufacturing method are described, where a transducer core is made from a composite block of magnetic material. The composite block has a first portion made of a first magnetic material, and a second portion made of a second magnetic material, the two block portions being integrally joined at corresponding planar surfaces. In the preferred embodiment, the first magnetic material is selected to have high granular density and other physical and magnetic properties which are necessary to obtain excellent transducing gap definition. The second magnetic material is selected to obtain high transducer performance. The composite block is machined around a periphery thereof at surfaces extending at oblique angles to said joined surfaces to provide a magnetic core having its first portion reduced to a wedge shaped portion. The wedge shaped portion has a first thusly obtained surface extending in a transducer-to-medium interface, a second surface extending in a transducing gap plane, and a third surface, corresponding to the integrally joined surfaces. The oblique angle between the second and third surface is selected along with other design parameters to obtain a desired small length of the wedge shaped portion in the transducer-to-medium contact area, while the total amount of the first magnetic material in the transducer is significantly reduced.

Magnetic transducers in contact with the recording medium exhibit wear in the transducer-to-medium interface area due to abrasion effected by the medium. Such wear shortens the useful life of the transducer, which has to be often replaced at considerable cost. Among the desirable features of magnetic transducers, in addition to wear resistance, is to have a well defined transducing gap which maintains its shape during the useful life of the transducer. To extend transducer life, while also improving transducing gap definition and integrity, various magnetic as well as nonmagnetic materials have been utilized in the transducer-to-medium interface area, in combination with magnetic core materials having desirable magnetic properties. However, such known composite core structures are rather complex, and they employ complicated, and therefore costly manufacturing methods.
Magnetic materials which provide excellent gap definition and integrity generally have high granular density, and therefore are not susceptible to "pullouts" of small grains of material during the manufacturing process or operation. Such pullouts lead to chipping or breaking of the magnetic material, thereby damaging the sharp edges defining the transducing gap, and degrading the gap. Pullouts may occur during certain manufacturing steps, for example lapping, or during operation, when the transducer is in contact with the medium at high relative transducer-to-medium speed.
An example of a type of magnetic materials having high granular density and which are known to provide very good gap definition, while also having desirable wear resistance properties, are single crystal ferrites. However, as it is well known, single crystal ferrite when utilized in magnetic transducers in contact with the medium exhibits a disturbing rubbing noise, which distorts the information signal. Rubbing noise is attributed to magnetostriction which, as well known is a property of a magnetic crystal material to change the magnetic reluctance in response to an external force. In this case the external force is represented by the magnetic medium in contact with the magnetic crystal material of the transducer. It is further known that when utilizing single crystal ferrite, the magnetic as well as other properties, such as rubbing noise, wear rate or material strength, each may be optimized by selecting a particular crystal axis orientation. However, when the crystal axis is oriented to optimize one parameter, for example to minimize rubbing noise, the other parameters will not be at their optimum values, and the overall transducer performance will suffer.
There are other magnetic materials with high granular density which provide a desirable gap definition, but they have other, less desirable properties when utilized in a large quantity in the magnetic transducer structure. Examples are metallic magnetic materials, such as Sendust or amorphous magnetic materials. These materials are known to provide excellent transducing gap definition and integrity, but they also have undesirable high frequency losses. Therefore, it is desirable to use only a minimum amount of these high density materials, in combination with other suitable magnetic materials, to reduce frequency losses.

Composite core magnetic transducer having a wedge shaped core portion


A transformer includes an input-side primary coil, an output-side secondary coil, a core around which the primary and secondary coils are coiled, a casting case housing a transformer body provided by the primary and secondary coils and the core, and a mold resin filling a clearance between the case and the transformer body. The case includes a bottom portion attached with the transformer body, a side wall surrounding the bottom portion, and an opening provided opposite to the bottom portion, the transformer body being housed and the mold resin being filled through the opening. A thickness of a mold layer provided in the clearance between an inner wall surface of the side wall and an outer surface of the transformer body opposed to the inner wall surface is constant for a predetermined length from a point at or near the opening of the case toward the bottom portion.

Transformers include a primary coil to which power is input, a secondary coil from which power is output and a core (iron core) around which the primary and secondary coils are coiled to be magnetically coupled. The relative positions of the primary and secondary coils and the core of, for instance, a boosting transformer are of great significance and have to be accurately maintained in order to stably obtain a predetermined inductance performance (magnetic coupling degree) required for a boost operation. Further, the primary and secondary coils and the core have to be mutually insulated and have to be efficiently cooled because the primary and secondary coils and the core sometimes generate heat due to electric loss and magnetic loss during the boost operation (i.e. when being energized). When the above requirements are not met, the transformer may sometimes be inoperative. Further, in case of insufficient cooling, an operative range capable of stable boosting may be narrowed.
Accordingly, as disclosed in Patent Literature 1, a typical transformer includes a plate piece made of a composite material of glass and epoxy (usually referred to as glass epoxy) of a predetermined thickness inserted between the primary and secondary coils and the core. A similar plate piece is inserted between the primary and secondary coils. When a transformer is assembled, a sub-assembly in which the mutual positions of the primary and secondary coils and the core are accurately held is initially made and a thermosetting fluid resin (referred to as a mold resin hereinafter) is put into a case housing the sub-assembly, which is thermally cured to completely hold the relative positions of the primary and secondary coils and the core. The mold resin is also required for preventing loss of insulating function due to invasion of foreign substances or moisture into the case.
It should be noted that the case in which the sub-assembly is housed is connected to a heat sink via a screw and the like, where the heat generated by the sub-assembly is transmitted to the heat sink to be radiated. Accordingly, the case preferably has good thermal conductivity and thus is made of aluminum casting. Further, since the core is the component of the sub-assembly that is adapted to be brought into contact with the case with the largest area in view of the magnetic properties, the bottom side of the core is made to be a flat surface and a core-contacting surface facing the flat surface is also made flat. Since the flat surfaces are closely contacted, the heat of the sub-assembly is efficiently transferred from the core to the case and is radiated via the heat sink without impairing the magnetic properties.

Transformer and method for manufacturing case of the transformer


A heat exchanger system, a fuel control system therefor and methods of making the same are provided, the fuel control system having an electrical circuit means that comprises an ignition trial portion, a flame sensing control portion and a timer portion that comprises a counter having a plurality of outputs and a timer that clocks the output of the counter on each discharge of the timer, the timer portion also comprising a capacitor, a trial time resistor and a wait time resistor that are selectively placed in series with the capacitor by the counter when clocked to certain outputs by the timer to determine an ignition trial time period and a wait time period, and a transistor operatively interconnected to the capacitor to discharge the capacitor when flame is sensed by the flame sense portion.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a new heat exchanger system and to a new fuel control system for such a heat exchanger system as well as to new methods of making such a heat exchanger system and such a fuel control system.
2. Prior Art Statement
It is known to provide a fuel control system for a heat exchanger system that comprises a thermostat, burner means, and electrically operated igniter means for igniting fuel that issues from the burner means, the fuel control system comprising electrical circuit means that comprises an ignition trial portion for operating the igniter means, a flame sense control portion for operating the burner means, and a timer portion adapted on each cycle of closing of the thermostat and before the next opening thereof to cause the ignition trial portion to tend to operate the igniter means for a first certain period of trial time, said flame sense control portion being adapted to terminate the operation of the igniter means during the first certain period of trial time if the flame sense portion senses that fuel issuing from the burner means has been ignited, the timer portion being adapted to terminate the operation of the igniter means upon the termination of the first certain period of trial time if no flames appear at the burner means and to provide a first certain period of wait time before causing the ignition trial portion to tend to operate the igniter means for a second certain period of trial time during that cycle, the flame sense control portion being adapted to terminate the operation of the igniter means during the second certain period of trial time if the flame sense control portion senses that fuel issuing from the burner means has been ignited, the timer portion comprising a counter having a plurality of outputs and a timer that clocks the output of the counter on each discharge of the timer, a capacitor for causing the timer to discharge and discharge the capacitor to a discharged condition thereof upon each charging of the capacitor to a certain voltage, trial time resistor means, and wait time resistor means, the counter when clocked to a first output thereof by the timer being adapted to place the trial time resistor means and the capacitor in series at the start of the first trial time period so that the trial time resistor means determines the time period the capacitor charges from its discharged condition to the certain voltage thereof and that time period comprises the first certain trial time period, the counter when clocked to a second output thereof by the timer being adapted to place the wait time resistor means and the capacitor in series at the start of the wait time period so that the wait time resistor means determines the time period the capacitor charges from the discharged condition thereof to the certain voltage thereof and that time period comprises the wait time period, the counter when clocked to a third output thereof by the timer being adapted to place the trial time resistor means and the capacitor in series at the start of the second trial time period so that the trial time resistor means determines the time period the capacitor charges from its discharged condition to the certain voltage thereof and that time period comprises the second certain trial time period. For example, see the U.S. Pat. to Geary, No. 5,141,431.
For similar fuel control systems, see the U.S. Pat. to Geary, Nos. 4,836,770; 4,856,983; 4,971,549 and 4,976,605.
Also see Chapter 8, pages 15514 173 of the book, IC Timer Hand Book With One Hundred Projects And Experiments by Joseph J. Carr, published by Tab Books Inc. in 1981 for various applications of such a counter.

Heat exchanger system, fuel control system therefor and methods of making the same


A method for unpacking contents from an envelope in which the envelope is at least weakened along three folding edges and a first panel of the envelope is folded over relative to a second panel about a fourth folding edge. The contents are separated from the envelope and are delivered, and the envelope is discharged separately from its contents. An envelope separated from its contents is discharged along a discharge track from which the envelope can be intercepted. Each time contents from an associated envelope are delivered, an interval of time follows before the associated envelope is discharged. An apparatus for unpacking contents from an envelope includes an arrangement for separating first and second panels of an envelope from one another along three folding edges, a device for separating an envelope from its contents, an arrangement for delivering the contents, and an arrangement for discharging an envelope separated from its contents to a discharge track at which the envelope can be removed from the discharge track. A control system activates the arrangement for discharging an envelope after passage of a time interval following delivery of the contents of the envelope.

This invention relates to a method for mechanically unpacking contents from envelopes, in which an envelope is at least weakened along three of its folding edges, a first panel of the envelope is folded over relative to a second panel thereof about the fourth of the folding edges, the contents are mechanically separated from the envelope and are delivered, and the envelope is discharged separately from its contents along a discharge track.
Such a method is known for instance from French patent specification 346 891. In this known method, the contents of an envelope are delivered in one direction and, directly after the contents have been separated from the envelope, the envelope is discharged in the opposite direction to a suitable recipient.
An advantage of this known method is that the contents need not be removed from the envelope or off the envelope by hand. This is for instance necessary in methods as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,893,454, 3,238,926 or 3,116,718, European patent application 0 048 485 or French patent application 2 135 481, where the envelope with the contents disposed therein or thereon is passed over a belt or through a channel and the contents must be taken from or off the envelope by hand.
Because it is no longer necessary to separate the contents from the envelope by hand, in each case a maximum amount of time is available for inspecting and, if necessary, arranging and sorting the contents. Moreover, as a consequence, relatively little concentration is required in picking up the contents, which prevents fatigue. The processing of mail can therefore be carried out at a relatively high speed.
A drawback of this known method, however, is that when a part of the contents of an envelope or the contents as a whole are discharged along with the envelope, the contents will end up in the recipient referred to and it is laborious to remove the contents from the recipient. The contents may for instance be discharged along with the associated envelope because the contents and the envelope cling to each other.
A further drawback of this known method is that when it appears, after inspection of the contents, that information must be added to the envelope, for instance because the address of the sender is only specified on the envelope, it is laborious to retrieve the discharged envelope and, moreover, the envelope is difficult to retrieve because it has already ended up in the recipient referred to.
The object of the invention is to provide a method in which the envelope is automatically separated from its contents, but in which an envelope that has been separated from its contents and any such parts of the contents as have been carried along with the envelope can be simply and quickly retrieved.

Method and apparatus for unpacking contents from envelopes


A communication apparatus, which has a normal power consumption mode and a power saving mode lower in power consumption than in the normal power consumption mode and which is connected to a network via a network interface device, communicates with a device on the network via the network interface device. The communication apparatus acquires capability information indicating a communication capability of the device, and based on acquired capability information, determines a communication mode to be used when the network interface device communicates with the device under a condition that the communication apparatus has shifted to the power saving mode, and when the communication apparatus shifts from the normal power consumption mode to the power saving mode, sets the determined communication mode as a communication mode to be used when the network interface device communicates with the external device.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a communication apparatus having a normal power consumption mode and a power saving mode and connected to a network via a network interface device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Heretofore, in image forming apparatuses, such as multifunctional peripherals or single-function printers, various schemes have been adopted to reduce power consumption. Among others, image forming apparatuses with a sleep mode (power saving mode) for consuming less power than in a standby state (normal power consumption mode) have become widespread.
In the sleep mode, power supply to the units of the image forming apparatus is stopped except to a random access memory (RAM), a network interface card (NIC), and an operation unit, so that power consumption during the sleep mode can be reduced to about 1 Watt (W) to a few W. During the sleep mode, an image forming process cannot be performed because during the sleep mode, power supply to the photosensitive drum and the fixing unit in the printer unit of the image forming apparatus is stopped, and also power supply to the central processing unit (CPU) and the hard disk drive (HDD) is stopped.
When a predetermined condition is met during the sleep mode, the image forming apparatus returns from the sleep mode to the standby state. The predetermined condition includes, for example, that (1) a user has operated the operation unit of the image forming apparatus, and that (2) the NIC has received a packet that meets the return condition from the sleep mode to the standby state. Thus, power is supplied to the operation unit or the NIC even during the sleep mode to check if any button is pressed on the operation unit or if the packet is received.
Packets that meet the return conditions include (1) a unicast packet addressed to the image forming apparatus, (2) a return packet to request a return from the sleep mode to the standby state, and (3) broadcast packets or multicast packets of a specific protocol. In other words, the return packet (2) denotes a magic packet that includes a particular pattern in the packet. The broadcast packets or multicast packets of a specific protocol (3) are search packets formatted according to a protocol to enable another node on the network to search for the image forming apparatus on the network.
In order to receive packets described above, the NIC of the image forming apparatus needs to be linked to the network also when the image forming apparatus is in the sleep mode. If the network standard is Ethernet®, for example, the NIC is linked in a communication mode previously specified or linked in a communication mode determined by using autonegotiation defined in IEEE802.1u. The communication mode mentioned here includes a link speed (communication speed) and a duplex mode (full duplex or half duplex).
The NIC in some recent image forming apparatuses supports a communication speed of 1000 Mbps (1 Gbps) in addition to the conventional speeds of 10 Mbps and 100 Mbps. However, in a communication mode of 1000 Mbps, the power consumption of the NIC is larger than that at 10 Mbps or 100 Mbps. Therefore, there is known a method for reducing power consumption in the sleep mode, which causes the NIC to behave as if it does not support 1000 Mbps during the shift from the standby state to the sleep mode and then causes the NIC to be linked back to the network.
It is possible to further reduce power consumption by selecting a low communication speed to suit the communication capability of the hub on the network from among communication speeds (10 Mbps and 100 Mbps) other than 1000 Mbps.
For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-243533 discusses a method in which, when an image forming apparatus shifts to the power saving mode under the condition that the apparatus is connected to the hub, the media access control (MAC) unit of the image forming apparatus determines a communication speed in a manner to suit the communication capability of the hub.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-271334 describes a method in which, when communication has not taken place in the communication apparatus for a fixed period of time, the NIC connected to the host and the LAN changes the communication speed set in itself to a lower speed.
However, in a communication system in which the communication apparatus is connected to a network via the network interface device, consideration has not been taken for reduction of power consumption at the network interface device side when the communication apparatus is in the power saving mode.
More specifically, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-271334 mentioned above, since the image forming apparatus itself is directly connected to the network, attention has not been paid to a reduction of power consumption at the network interface device, which is independent from the image forming apparatus.
In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-271334 described above, the NIC itself acts to reduce power consumption. However, when communication has not taken place in the NIC for a fixed period of time, the NIC discussed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-271334 changes settings of the communication mode in the NIC, but not in response to a command from another communication apparatus (the host).
As described above, in a system where the communication apparatus is connected to a network via the network interface device, power consumption cannot be reduced by the network interface device connected to the communication apparatus. Unless the network interface device itself incorporates some mechanism to reduce power consumption, power consumption by the network interface device cannot be reduced even when the communication apparatus enters the power saving mode.

Communication apparatus, control method therefor, and storage medium


A system for detecting failures in a cache memory stores data words that may represent instructions or operands in plurality of blocks. The data words are divided into a plurality of data bit groups. A tag memory is associated with each block of data words in the cache memory. Storage in the cache memory is directed by block address bits, and storage in the tag memory is directed by tag address bits. A first parity generator is coupled to the cache memory which generates address parity bits selected from block and tag address bits. A second parity generator provides data parity bits for each group of the data word bits. These two parity bits are combined and are stored along with the bit groups of the associated data word. Upon read-out of a data word, the stored combined parity bits are compared with parity bits that were generated from the selected address bits and data bits and error indication occurs when a parity error results.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the detection of errors in c he memories, and more specifically to the detection of errors in instruction processor cache memories which hold operands wherein predefined bits of the operand are designated to provide block and cache array addresses.
2. Discussion of Background Art
Cache memories are used in conjunction with the instruction processors of computers to temporarily hold portions of main memory contents which are in use, or have been used relatively recently. In the instruction processor of such computer systems, cache memories may be used to store operands. The advantage of a cache memory is that data in it can be accessed in a small fraction of the time that is required to access the main memory. Therefore, if the cache contents, such as an operand, have been used relatively recently, the operand can be obtained from the cache memory without a time-consuming reference to the main memory. Whereas main memory access time has held relatively constant at 300 to 600 nanoseconds in recent years, information can be obtained from a cache memory in as short a time period as 10 nanoseconds with current technology.
The operation of cache memories and their advantages are well known. A comprehensive overall survey of cache memories appears in the article entitle "Cache Memories" by Allen J. Smith and published by the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) in Computing Surveys, Vol. 14, No. 3, September 1982, pp. 473-530.
Cache memories are often organized into a number of blocks each of which have a fixed set of words associated therewith. The organization of cache buffers into blocks is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,967,247, issued Jun. 29, 1976 to Vernon K. Anderson and Michael W. Goddard, and in U.S. Pat. No. 4,168,541, issued Sep. 18, 1979 to Clarence W. Dekarske. Both of the patents are assigned to the predecessor of the assignee of the present invention. A variation of this type of cache memory is provided by dividing each block into even word and odd word sections and by interleaving access of even and odd words alternately.
As shown in the Dekarske patent, a tag buffer may be associated with the cache memory which is also divided into a number of blocks. The tag cache holds tags which represent a portion of the memory address bits of the words which are currently held in the cache memory. When a match is achieved between a tag and the address that is supplied to the cache memory, the appropriate word is selected from the block of the cache memory that provided the matching tag.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,789,204 entitled "Self Checking Digital Storage System" which issued Jan. 29, 1974 to George Joseph Barlow discloses a system and a method for detecting faults within a self-checking digital storage system with capabilities of generating a data parity bit indicative of the data parity to be stored in the digital storage system, generating a first address parity bit indicative of the address parity where the data is to be stored, forming of a combined parity bit from the data parity and the address parity bit, storing the combined parity bit and the data in a selected location addressed by the address, accessing the combined parity bit along with the data whenever the data is read out of the digital storage system. Barlow also discloses a generating of a second address parity bit for the address utilized to effect the read out of the data and the combined parity bit, a forming of a reconstructed parity bit, and a comparing of the reconstructed parity bit with a parity bit of the data output.
The method and system of the Barlow patent, however, do not teach the implementation of a failure detection system or method for set associative cache memories which are divided into a number of blocks that are grouped into even and odd sets of words, and the memory is addressed through block and tag address bits. Further, the Barlow method will create problems for a large system at the system initialization since data in RAMs must be parity correct at all times. Therefore, the RAMs must be written at the system initialization by being scanned in or written in via a special hardware.
The present invention is implemented as a set associative manner wherein the memory is divided into a number of blocks which are subdivided into even and odd words that are grouped in a number of sets of words and the memory is addressed through block and tag address groups. An example of a prior set associative cache memory and its operation is found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,945,512 entitled "High-Speed Partitioned Set Associative Cache Memory," issued Jul. 31, 1990 to Clarence W. Dekarske et al. and assigned to the assignee of the present invention.

Failure detection for instruction processor associative cache memories


An orbital sander is provided having a number of novel features including a high speed permanent magnet DC motor having a relatively flat rpm versus torque curve. The sander includes an AC to DC power supply, a remotely located on/off switch operated by a switch actuator bar extending transversely through the housing enabling the operator to actuate the on/off switch by alternatively pushing opposed ends of the actuator bar. The orbital sander further includes a fan having non-uniformly spaced blades, eliminating the need for a conventional counterweight, and a dust outlet adapted to be alternatively connected to a dust canister or alternate size collector vacuum hoses.

1. Field of the Invention
This application relates to orbital tools and in particular, small hand-held palm sanders.
2. Background Art
Orbital palm sanders are widely used for a variety of sanding operations from woodworking to auto body repair. Orbital palm sanders come in two general types; random orbit sanders and pad sanders. Random orbit sanders typically have a round sanding platen which supports a sandpaper disc mounted on a central pivot bearing which is rotated about an orbital path. The sanding platen moves in an orbital pad but, is otherwise free to rotate about a bearing. Pad sanders are typically very similar in construction to a palm-type random orbit sander, however, the sanding platen is constrained so that it can orbit, but cannot freely rotate relative to the housing. An example of such a tool is a quarter sheet sander having a generally square sanding platen. A third variant, although not common, is an eccentric sander where the sanding platen orbits at high speed about the motor axis while being slowly rotated by an eccentric gear pair.
Orbital palm sanders are generally small and compact, and have a motor axis which extends perpendicular to the sanding platen. The output end of the motor is connected to the sanding platen by an eccentrically located drive bearing. In the case of the random orbit sander, the bearing is the sole connection between the platen and the eccentric drive. In the case of the pad sander, a sanding platen will be restrained from rotating by elastomeric elements. In the case of an eccentric sander, the sanding pad rotation relative to the housing will be controlled by an eccentric gear pair.
Orbital sanders are frequently provided with a dust collection feature. In order to collect dust, the sanding platen will have a series of apertures formed therethrough corresponding to matching apertures in the sandpaper. An internal fan associated with the eccentric drive cooperates with a chamber in the motor housing to extract air and dust through the sanding platen and discharge the air dust through an outlet port connected to a dust canister or a remote collector vacuum. The eccentric drive and fan assembly is frequently made of die cast zinc and commonly includes a cast counterweight sized to balance the eccentric drive fan and sanding platen sub assembly relative to the motor axis. The eccentric drive fan counter-weight assemblies are typically individually balance tested and machined in order to compensate for part to part manufacturing variability, particularly in higher price palm sanders where a smooth balance is desired.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A memory device includes a plurality of magnetic random access memory (MRAM) cells, a field line, and a field line controller configured to generate a write sequence that traverses the field line. The write sequence is for writing a multi-bit word to the plurality of MRAM cells. The multi-bit word includes a first subset of bits having a first polarity and a second subset of bits having a second polarity. The write sequence writes concurrently to at least a subset of the plurality of MRAM cells corresponding to the first subset of bits having the first polarity, then subsequently writes concurrently to a remaining subset of the plurality of MRAM cells corresponding to the second subset of bits having the second polarity.

MRAM devices have become the subject of increasing interest, in view of the discovery of magnetic tunnel junctions having a strong magnetoresistance at ambient temperatures. MRAM devices offer a number of benefits, such as faster speed of writing and reading, non-volatility, and insensitivity to ionizing radiations. Consequently, MRAM devices are increasingly replacing memory devices that are based on a charge state of a capacitor, such as dynamic random access memory devices and flash memory devices.
It is against this background that a need arose to develop the apparatus, system, and method described herein.

Apparatus, system, and method for writing multiple magnetic random access memory cells with a single field line


A configuration system and method is disclosed that includes a unified and integrated configuration that is composed of a payment system, an advertising system, and an identity management system such that the unified system has all of the benefits of the individual systems as well as several additional synergistic benefits. Also described are specific configurations including the system's access point architecture, visual wallet simulator user interface, security architecture, coupon handling as well as the system's structure and means for delivering them as targeted advertising, business card handling, membership card handling for the purposes of login management, receipt handling, and the editors and grammars provided for customizing the different types of objects in the system as well as the creation of new custom objects with custom behaviors. The configurations are operable on-line as well as through physical presence transactions.

1. Field of Art
The disclosure relates to electronic transaction systems such as electronic commerce systems.
2. Description of the Related Art
Online payment platforms can generally be categorized into two types of systems: account-based and token-based. Account-based systems generally include a web-based interface that leads to one or several account management and transaction processing servers which have access to potentially numerous financial accounts. A seller transfers a transaction to the account-based system in order to handle the payment. Upon transfer, a buyer logs into the account-based system and commits the payment with the press of a button. Known account-based systems include PAYPAL, GOOGLE CHECKOUT, MONEYBOOKERS and BIDPAY. Token-based systems are the other major type of online payment platform. Token-based systems utilize tokens, which are typically implemented as files, which carry actual value. Payment for a good or service with a token-based system is accomplished with the electronic transfer of a token, from the purchaser to the seller. The appeal of the token-based systems is that during a transaction, a user feels as if the user is moving value rather than just hitting a button.
A drawback of current account-based systems is that the user interfaces are unnatural; the button-press payment method does not closely model a customary, in-person transaction so the user is immediately unfamiliar with the transaction process; there are also a wide range of different button-press systems so the user must learn to navigate each one separately. Another drawback of current account-based systems is that their user interfaces are not sufficiently rich in features to allow the wide range of information they require (such as login information, credentials, shipping information, coupons, subscription information, and different payment instruments) to be easily inputted by the user through a small number of mouse clicks or screen touches. Another drawback is that classic account-based systems are limited in terms of security because they are, in general, very limited in how they can interact with a user's computer hardware, so they are largely dependent upon web browsers which are well known to be vulnerable to a wide range of types of malicious attacks. Another drawback is that account based systems do not allow a user to perform much customization because these systems are web-based and therefore controlled by the payment system operator.
Drawbacks of token-based systems are their security risks. For example, token-based systems are generally divorced from their modes of transfer. The tokens are simply files which can be sent to other users electronically. Tokens can therefore be intercepted before they reach their true destination. Furthermore, tokens can be copied and fraudulently double-spent. Mitigating these problems requires awkward software for issuing, verifying and removing tokens after use, making the payment process quite cumbersome. Token-based systems also generally suffer from the same usability problems of account-based systems, because they do not provide users with the ability to easily convey the large amounts of information to complete even ordinary transactions: credentials, shipping information, coupons, subscription information, different payment instruments, and the like.
In addition electronic payment systems today lack intuitive interactive features that allow for quick and easy transaction initiation and completions, and are therefore not capable of handling micropayments. Further, such interfaces are devoid of a look and feel that can be easily translated from the familiar tangible transaction tools such as hard currency, debit cards, credit cards and business cards.
Another major drawback of current online payment systems involves their lack of integration with the real world. Other than credit cards, there are few means of paying which can be used in both the online and real-world setting.
In terms of advertising, once again there is very little cross-pollination between the online and real-world setting. Online advertising is dominated by companies such as GOOGLE as well as a host of smaller 'banner ad' providers. One major problem facing these advertisers is that most users have been trained to ignore their ads. One potential way of solving this problem is to offer users a quid pro quo for viewing advertising such as coupons, and several coupon systems have been proposed, but the market has resisted the wide-scale adoption of coupons as an effective means of advertising online. This is partly due to the clumsy user interface commonly found in these systems, such as coupon codes which need to be typed in, and coupons which must be printed in order to be redeemed, and partly due to the fact that most of these systems are independent from any payment system, so any checkout process involving them would require two transactions—one to receive the coupon's discount, and the second to pay for the remainder of the transaction. A separate problem facing this area is that of stigma; many people do not wish to be seen as cheapskates, and therefore avoid the use of coupons.
Another major problem facing advertisers both online and in the real world is that of targeting. Advertising is typically targeted demographically in order to appeal to the audience of a television show, radio station, or web page. The limitation of this approach is that even within such a demographic, people's tastes vary widely, prompting efforts to develop customized or 'targeted' advertising aimed at individuals. However, the inability of advertisers to gain sufficient personal information about users and to then translate that knowledge into effective automated advertising has hampered these efforts.
In terms of identity management and universal login, the online market has seen remarkably little progress. Several social networking websites such as FACEBOOK and MYSPACE have allowed users to enter some of their personal information online so that it can be shared with friends, but these sites have largely failed to provide a universal means of identity management which is compatible with commercial needs such as subscription administration. Furthermore, the problem of developing a viable universal login service is far from being solved, with the market rejecting efforts such as MICROSOFT'S PASSPORT/WINDOWS LIVE ID. Online users continue to be frustrated by the problem of having to remember the user names and passwords of the many websites at which they are members.
In sum, the current state of the art is lacking, inter alia, in electronic commerce and advertising systems that provide ease of transaction processing, identity theft prevention and management, and user experiences with respect to such transactions.

Dispensing digital objects to an electronic wallet


A spark plug having a tubular metallic shell (1), an insulator (2) fitted into the metallic shell (1), a center electrode (3) provided in the insulator (2), and a ground electrode (4), one end of the ground electrode (4) being joined to the metallic shell (1) by means of welding or a like process, and a spark discharge gap (g) being formed between the other end portion of the ground electrode (4) and the center electrode (3), the spark plug being further characterized in that: the ground electrode (4) has an electrode base metal (4a), a Cu-based heat transfer acceleration element (4c) embedded in the electrode base metal (4a) and formed predominantly from Cu, and a noble metal chip (32) welded to the electrode base metal (4a) at a position facing the spark discharge gap (g); and the electrode base metal (4a) is an Ni alloy containing Cr in an amount of 14%-17% by mass, Mo in an amount of 0.8%-3.5% by mass, and Ni in an amount of 68%-85.2% by mass. In a second embodiment, the ground electrode (4) has a diffusion layer formed in a boundary between the electrode base metal (4a) and the Cu-based heat transfer acceleration element (4c), and the electrode base metal (4a) contains C in an amount not greater than 0.3% by mass.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a spark plug used for providing ignition of an internal combustion engine.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, in order to improve the performance of an internal combustion engine such as an automobile engine, or to cope with tightened emission gas regulations or to enhance combustion efficiency, the engine has employed lean burn, which is accompanied by a tendency toward an increase in the electrode temperature of a spark plug used for providing ignition of the engine. Particularly, a ground electrode exhibits greater temperature rise than does a center electrode, since the ground electrode is located deeper in a combustion chamber. Particularly, in the case of a spark plug for use in a direct-injection-type engine or the like, the ground electrode is more likely to exhibit marked temperature rise. Under the above-mentioned severe conditions, spark ablation of an electrode tends to be accelerated. In order to suppress the expansion rate of a spark discharge gap, a spark plug having a noble metal chip welded to a ground electrode at a portion facing a spark discharge gap has been widely used.
An increase in the temperature of a ground electrode raises a problem of high-temperature oxidation of an electrode base metal, to which a noble metal chip is welded. Conventionally, in order to attain high-temperature oxidation resistance, an Ni-based heat resistant alloy such as INCONEL 600 (INCONEL is the trade name of a product from available INCO Corp., UK) has often been used as a base metal of the ground electrode. However, the thermal conductivity of an Ni-based heat resistant alloy is generally not very high; thus, the Ni-based heat resistant alloy exhibits poor heat release and raises a problem of exhibiting a tendency toward a high rise in electrode temperature particularly in high-speed operation or the like. A rise in electrode temperature resulting from poor thermal release leads to a rise in the temperature of a metal chip joined to the electrode base metal, thereby shortening the life of the metal chip through abnormal ablation. In order to accelerate thermal release, a method has been proposed for suppressing a temperature rise of an electrode by means of disposing a core formed from a Cu-based metal (a Cu-based heat transfer acceleration element) in an electrode base metal (e.g., Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (kokai) No. H05-159857 and Japanese Patent Publication (kokoku) No. H06-48629).
2. Problems Solved by the Invention
However, a further increase in combustion temperature and further approach of a spark portion to the center of a combustion chamber as in the case of the above-mentioned direct-injection-type engine involve a more significant increase in the temperature of a ground electrode. As a result, INCONEL 600 or a like alloy used as an electrode base metal fails to sufficiently resist high-temperature oxidation. In this case, the electrode base metal may be replaced with a metal having higher high-temperature oxidation resistance. For example, replacement of conventionally used INCONEL 600 with INCONEL 601 has been proposed. INCONEL 601 has higher Cr and Fe contents and therefore exhibits enhanced high-temperature oxidation resistance. However, such replacement of materials raises a significant problem when embedment of a Cu-based heat transfer acceleration element is to be employed.
Specifically, an electrode having a Cu-based heat transfer acceleration element is formed in the following manner: a Cu material which is to serve as the Cu-based heat transfer acceleration element is embedded in an Ni alloy material which is to serve as an electrode base metal, thereby yielding an assembly; and the assembly is subjected to cold working such as drawing, forging, or rolling, thereby yielding a clad wire material. However, a nickel-based heat resistant alloy of increased Cr content, such as INCONEL 601, exhibits high deformation resistance and low ductility as compared with INCONEL 600 or the like, as is commonly observed with a metal material whose strength is enhanced by increasing the alloying element content. Therefore, the above-mentioned process for manufacturing a clad wire material having the Cu-based heat transfer acceleration element is apt to involve cracking or a like problem, thereby raising a problem of a great reduction in yield. When a spark plug in which the Cu-based heat transfer acceleration element is embedded in the electrode base metal formed predominantly from Ni is used in an engine, a diffusion layer is formed such that metal components are diffused between the electrode base metal and the Cu-based heat transfer acceleration element. As a result of being subjected to repeated load stemming from the thermal expansion difference between the electrode base metal and the Cu-based heat transfer acceleration element, separation may arise in the diffusion layer. As a result, heat may fail to be sufficiently conducted from the electrode base metal to the Cu-based heat transfer acceleration element. When the Cu-based heat transfer acceleration element is eliminated, high-temperature oxidation of the electrode base metal can be suppressed, but the temperature rise of a noble metal chip cannot be suppressed. Thus, a problem of abnormal ablation of the chip cannot be solved.
An object of the present invention is to provide a spark plug in which sufficient high-temperature oxidation resistance is imparted to an electrode base metal of a ground electrode. The subject ground electrode has a structure including an embedded Cu-based heat transfer acceleration element exhibiting better thermal conductivity than that of the electrode base metal and is adapted to suppress a temperature rise of the electrode, the structure being able to be formed through cold working without encountering problems associated with cold working, and in which abnormal ablation of a noble metal chip joined to the electrode base metal can be prevented.
The above object of the present invention has been achieved by providing a spark plug comprising a tubular metallic shell (1), an insulator (2) fitted into the metallic shell (1), a center electrode (3) provided in the insulator (2), and a ground electrode (4), one end of the ground electrode (4) being joined to the metallic shell (1) by means of welding or a like process, and a spark discharge gap (g) being formed between the other end portion of the ground electrode (4) and the center electrode (3). The spark plug is further characterized in that the ground electrode (4) comprises an electrode base metal (4a), a heat transfer acceleration element (4c) embedded in the electrode base metal (4a), formed predominantly from, for example, Cu, and exhibiting higher thermal conductivity than that of the electrode base metal (4a), and a noble metal chip (32) welded to the electrode base metal (4a) at a position facing the spark discharge gap (g). The electrode base metal (4a) comprises an Ni alloy containing Cr in an amount of 14%-17% by mass, Mo in an amount of 0.8%-3.5% by mass, and Ni in an amount of 68%-85.2% by mass. Herein, the term xe2x80x9cpredominantxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cpredominantlyxe2x80x9d used in relation to content means that the subject component is present in the highest content by mass.
In the above-described spark plug of the present invention, the Cu-based heat transfer acceleration element is embedded in the electrode base metal of the ground electrode so as to accelerate heat release, thereby suppressing temperature rise and thus extending the life of the ground electrode. Also, since the temperature rise of the noble metal chip welded to the electrode base metal is suppressed, abnormal ablation of the noble metal chip is prevented, thereby ensuring durability. The present invention employs an Ni alloy of the above-mentioned composition as the electrode base metal, thereby yielding the advantage described below as compared with the case of employing INCONEL 601 or the like as practiced conventionally and without encountering the above described problems of the prior art. When an Ni alloy containing C is to be employed as in the case of the present invention, addition of a certain amount of Mo together with Cr greatly enhances the high-temperature oxidation resistance of the alloy. Therefore, by virtue of employing the composition in combination with the Cu-based heat transfer acceleration element, even when the spark plug is used under severe conditions, the ground electrode can maintain sufficient durability and thus can exhibit extended life.
In this case, particularly in the case of an Ni alloy containing C, addition of Mo yields an effect of improving high-temperature corrosion resistance. The carbon may be contained as an impurity or may be intentionally added so as to enhance precipitation in the form of carbide (a so-called weak-precipitation alloy). The C content is adjusted to not greater than 0.3% by mass. Particularly, in the latter case, the C content is adjusted to, for example, 0.03%-0.3% by mass. However, when the C content is excessively high, a large amount of carbide is formed, thereby impairing cold workability. Therefore, the C content is preferably not higher than 0.10% by mass. In either case, when Mo is not added, contained C forms a carbide mainly with Cr. When such a Cr carbide is formed in a large amount, the amount of Cr, which is an element for imparting oxidation resistance, decreases as a result from precipitation of Cr in the form of Cr carbide. As a result, a passivation oxide film is insufficiently formed, leading to impairment in oxidation resistance. Particularly, when a Cr carbide is formed at a grain boundary, a Cr-deficient layer is formed in the vicinity of the grain boundary. Such formation leads to a tendency toward intergranular corrosion while the local-cell effect reinforces the development of the tendency, thereby further exerting an adverse effect on the durability of the electrode base metal.
However, when Mo is added in an appropriate amount, an Mo carbide is formed in precedence to a Cr carbide, thereby suppressing precipitation of a Cr carbide and increasing the amount of Cr contributing to formation of a passivation oxide film. As a result, even in the case where Cr content is fixed, a stronger passivation oxide film can be formed, thereby contributing to enhancement of high-temperature corrosion resistance. Also, since an Mo carbide is generally unlikely to precipitate at a grain boundary, a Cr-deficient layer is unlikely to be formed. Thus, an Mo carbide acts advantageously to suppress intergranular corrosion.
As a result, even when the Cr content is set to a relatively low level of 14%-17% by mass, the above-mentioned effect of addition of Mo implements high-temperature corrosion resistance equivalent to or higher than that exhibited by INCONEL 601 or a like alloy, which contains Cr in a higher amount. Therefore, since cold workability is improved to a degree corresponding to a reduction in the Cr content, a clad material in which a Cu-based heat transfer acceleration element is embedded and from which a ground electrode is formed can be manufactured without problem.
Even in long-hour use in an engine, the addition of Mo can yield the effect of suppressing an increase in the thickness of a diffusion layer formed in the boundary between the electrode base metal and the Cu-based heat transfer acceleration element, thereby preventing separation in the diffusion layer. Conceivably, low ductility of an alloy of Ni and Cu contained predominantly in the diffusion layer may be related to the occurrence of the separation.
When the Cr content of an Ni alloy serving as the electrode base metal is less than 14% by mass, the high-temperature oxidation resistance of the electrode base metal becomes insufficient, thereby shortening electrode life. When the Cr content is in excess of 17% by mass, workability is impaired, resulting in a tendency toward the occurrence of cracking or the like in the course of manufacturing a clad material in which a Cu-based heat transfer acceleration element is embedded and from which a ground electrode is formed.
When the Mo content is less than 0.8% by mass, addition of Mo poorly yields an effect of improving high-temperature oxidation resistance and an effect of preventing separation in the diffusion layer in long-hour use. When the Mo content is in excess of 3.5% by mass, the hardness of a resultant alloy increases, thereby increasing deformation resistance and thus leading to impaired workability. When the Ni content is less than 68% by mass, the accessory-component content becomes excessively high, resulting in a tendency toward impaired workability or the like. When the Ni content is in excess of 85.2% by mass, the required Cr and Mo contents cannot be attained, thereby leading to impaired high-temperature oxidation resistance.
In view of ensuring weldability, or weld strength, in welding a ground electrode to a metallic shell, preferably, an Ni alloy serving as the electrode base metal has an Al content less than 1% by mass. When the Al content is not less than 1% by mass, aluminum oxide is excessively formed, thereby potentially impairing weldability or weld strength. For the purpose of enhancing high-temperature oxidation resistance, Al can be intentionally added within the above-mentioned range.
Fe can be added to an Ni alloy serving as the electrode base metal. Fe forms a solid solution containing Fe and Ni in order to increase the strength of the alloy to thereby enhance its high-temperature strength. Preferably, the Fe content is adjusted to 6%-10% by mass. When the Fe content is less than 6% by mass, the contained Fe falls to yield a sufficient effect of enhancing high-temperature strength. When the Fe content is in excess of 10% by mass, high-temperature oxidation resistance may fail to be sufficiently attained.


An automatic system and method to detect moisture in a compressed gas cylinder is faster, less labor intensive and has increased accuracy, including the ability to detect free moisture, over prior methods and devices. This device and method avoid the need to individually invert cylinders. A system to detect moisture level in a compressed gas cylinder includes a gas vent/fill line that is in fluid communication with a compressed gas cylinder; a vacuum system with a vacuum line and a vacuum pump connected to the vacuum line; and a dewpoint monitor connected to a dewpoint line and the vacuum line. When a compressed gas cylinder is connected to the gas vent/fill line, the vacuum pump draws gas from the gas vent/fill line into the vacuum line and the dewpoint line, and into the dewpoint monitor, where the dewpoint monitor measures moisture content in compressed gas.

Excess moisture, or water syrup that combines water with other substances, in a cylinder can cause contamination and corrosion of the cylinder. The FDA and other regulators require that cylinders be free of, or largely free of water, to avoid contamination of the fluid in the cylinder. In current practice, cylinders had to be individually inverted to detect moisture, which is labor intensive, time consuming, and often inaccurate.

Automatic detection of moisture in compressed gas cylinder


This invention relates to an in-mold label comprising a core layer with a first and second surface and a heat seal layer on the first surface of the core layer, wherein the heat seal layer comprises a polyolefin, having a peak melt temperature of less than about 110xc2x0 C. and where less than about 25% of the polyolefin melts at a temperature of less than 50xc2x0 C. as measured by differential scanning calorimetry. The label may also contain a skin layer on the second surface of the core layer. The invention also relates to plastic substrates bonded to the label. In another aspect, the present invention also relates to a process for in-mold labeling and a process for preparing an in-mold label.

This invention relates to in-mold labels for plastic substrates. The invention provides labels which have reduced blistering. The invention also relates to plastic substrates containing the label and processes for applying the label and making the label.
In-mold labeling has significant advantages over methods commonly used in the past to label plastic containers with polymeric labels. The most common of these previous methods involve the use of liner-carried pressure sensitive adhesive labels, or liner carried heat activatable adhesive labels. To produce the liner carried labels, a laminating step is performed to sandwich a layer of adhesive between a web of label stock and a web of silicone-coated paper which is to function as a carrier or release liner, the label stock is printed, the ink is dried by heating elements or ultraviolet radiation, separate labels are cut from the label stock by passing the combination through a rotary-die or flat-bed cutting station, and the matrix of waste or trim label stock surrounding the labels is stripped and discarded or recycled. Use of these types of methods results in high costs due to the use of a release liner, and the ecological difficulties in disposing of the liner and the trim.
In contrast, in-mold labeling avoids the use of any release liner or carrier. During in-mold labeling with polymeric labels, self-supported or free-film polymeric label stock is combined with heat-activatable adhesive, printed, die-cut and then arranged for deployment, as by being magazine-loaded as a series or stack of linerless labels, or by other means. The polymeric labels are then sequentially deployed on the molding surface of a blow mold to be bonded onto successive hot plastic substrates or containers. The blow molded parisons are expanded against the molding surface and the in-mold label which activates and bonds the heat-activatable adhesive to the blown plastic substrate or container.
When the in-mold label fails to form a bond with the plastic substrate, a blister may form. One of the main reasons for formation of the blister is that the heat seal layer did not activate completely or uniformly during the molding process. Another problem for in-mold labels is post-application blistering. This blister occurs when the heat seal layer bonds to the plastic substrate but fails to cool sufficiently fast enough to form a bond. The activation temperature of the heat seal layer affects the ability of the in-mold label to effectively bond with the plastic substrate.
Films for in-mold labels may be oriented or non-oriented. Films for in-mold labels may be stretched and oriented in a single or double direction. After stretching, the film is thermally set or annealed. If the film is not sufficiently annealed, some of the polymers of the label resume some of their original length. This reduction leads to shrinkage of the film label material. This shrinkage is a major contributor to gage bands and bagginess in the rolls of film material. Gage bands are formed from thickness irregularities in the film. As the film is stored on rolls, the thickness irregularities cause the roll to form what is referred to as gage bands. Bagginess is caused by relaxation of the polymers in the film upon storage. This relaxation leads to formation of xe2x80x9cbaggyxe2x80x9d pockets or bagginess. The shrinkage of the material increases the effects of gage bands and bagginess. The defect makes the film unprintable and is thus a functional defect for in-mold labels.
It is desirable to obtain a label which solves one or more of the above problems. A label which is better bonding would have reduced blisters. Labels with reduced shrinkage and polymer relaxation would have reduced gage bands and bagginess. The usage of conventional polymers poses certain limitations on the manufacturability of in-mold label films. By nature, in-mold films have a layer of materials that activate under heat. However, these films need to be heated to stretch them and anneal them. The lowest melting fraction of the heat activated resin component determines the temperature of these process conditions, if the in-mold adhesive is applied prior to orientation as in coextruded film processes.
Conventional polymers have very broad molecular weight distributions, which means there will be fractions that have much lower melting points than the peak melting point. These fractions, called the low molecular weight tails, are significantly reduced in metallocene catalyzed polymers or in polymers which are distilled or fractionated to remove the low molecular weight tail. Hence polymers that have more ideal peak melting temperatures can be used, enhancing adhesive performance.
The low molecular weight tail mentioned above causes xe2x80x9cplate-outxe2x80x9d problems which require frequent down-times for cleaning up the machine. In xe2x80x9cplate-outxe2x80x9d, the low molecular weight tail separates from the main fraction of the film under the high temperature, pressure and shear in processing and condenses on the metal surface of rollers, dies and metal rolls. This condensed material attracts dirt, dust and suspended additives in the formulation and causes surface contamination. Thus, as the plate-out builds up on the machine, the machine needs to be stopped and cleaned periodically. Polymers without the low molecular weight tail, such as those prepared using metallocene catalysts, greatly decrease this downtime, from about once every 3 hours to about once every 24 hours, improving economics, throughput, productivity and reducing waste from shutting down the processing line. The reduced plate out allows an oriented film to be annealed at a higher temperature, which reduces film shrinkage.
Similar to the low molecular weight tail, there is also a high molecular weight tail present in polymers. This tail has a melting point which is substantially higher than the peak fraction. In the in-mold labeling process, as the hot plastic substrate or container comes into contact with the adhesive, the high molecular weight tail requires higher temperatures to activate. This higher temperature results in (1) very high cycle times since high temperatures also need long cooling times, which decreases productivity, or (2) non-uniform activation of adhesive, which causes blisters. In practice, both problems are encountered. Use of polymers with little high molecular weight tail, such as those produced with metallocene catalysts, alleviates this problem by ensuring uniform activation of adhesive.
In the application of in-mold labels, after the hot substrate contacts and activates the adhesive on the label, the whole assembly is rapidly cooled down to as close to room temperature as possible. During this rapid cooling process, the low molecular weight tail also needs to harden fast enough to provide a bond of substantial strength. If not, the differences in shrinkage rates of the container and label will result in post-application blisters. Polymers with lower amounts of low molecular weight tails, such as those produced with metallocene catalysts greatly decrease this phenomenon.
As an example, an EVA based adhesive with a 80xc2x0 C. peak melting point has a broad molecular weight distribution which means that there will be low molecular weight tail that softens around, for example, 60xc2x0 C., and high molecular weight tail that softens around, for example 100xc2x0 C. This means the film needs to be annealed around 60xc2x0 C. but the labels need to be heated to at least 100xc2x0 C. for uniform activation. For comparison, a metallocene catalyzed polyolefin, with a peak melting point of 80xc2x0 C. and a narrow molecular weight distribution, has a low molecular weight tail which might have a softening point of 70xc2x0 C. and a high molecular weight tail that might have a softening point of 90xc2x0 C. This film can be annealed around 70xc2x0 C., which gives the film better properties, such as lower shrinkage and improved thermal stability. In the in-mold label process, the high molecular weight tail needs to be heated to only 90xc2x0 C., ensuring better activation.
This invention relates to an in-mold label comprising a core layer with a first and second surface and a heat seal layer on the first surface of the core layer, wherein the heat seal layer comprises a polyolefin, having a peak melt temperature of less than about 110xc2x0 C. and wherein less than about 25% of polyolefin melts at a temperature of less than 50xc2x0 C. as measured by differential scanning calorimetry. In one aspect, the invention includes polyolefins prepared with a metallocene catalyst. The label may also contain a printable skin layer on the second surface of the core layer. The invention also relates to plastic substrates bonded to the label.
In another aspect, the present invention also relates to a process for in-mold labeling comprising the steps of: forming a label comprising a core layer with a first and second surface and a heat seal layer on the first surface of the core layer, wherein the heat seal layer comprises a polyolefin, having a peak melt temperature of less than about 110xc2x0 C. and wherein less than about 25% of polyolefin melts at a temperature of less than 50xc2x0 C. as measured by differential scanning calorimetry; inserting the label into a mold for producing a plastic substrate with an inside and outside surface; and forming a plastic substrate in the mold with sufficient heat to bond the heat seal layer on the label to the outside surface of the plastic substrate. In another aspect, the invention relates to a process for preparing an in-mold label comprising the steps of coextruding a multi layer film comprising a core layer having a first and second surface and a heat seal layer on the first surface of the core layer and annealing the film at a temperature above 75xc2x0 C. In another aspect, the film is stretched in one or two directions.
The labels and processes provide reduced amounts of one or more of the following: blisters, both before and after bonding, shrinkage, bagginess and gage bands.


A dual air flow rebuildable dripping atomizer for use with electronic cigarettes which uses a sleeve lock that allows the user to adjust and direct the air flow is provided. The adjustable air flow sleeve also allows the sleeve to be locked in place preventing the e-liquid from leaking out. Rotating the adjustable air flow sleeve in a clockwise or counter-clockwise direction allows not only the direction of the air flow to be determined but how much air enters an inner air chamber of the atomizer. As a result, a user can determine, for example, the size of the vapor cloud and the intensity of the flavor. Additionally, the adjustable air flow sleeve may be adjusted to block air holes located on an inner edge surface of the adjustable air flow sleeve preventing the e-liquid from leaking.

An electronic cigarette, or e-cigarette, is a handheld, battery operated device that is designed to turn nicotine and other chemicals into a vapor which is delivered to the lungs via inhalation. The primary components of an electronic cigarette parts are a mouthpiece, a tank (or cartridge), a heating element/atomizer, and a battery. The atomizer comprises a small heating element, or coil, that vaporizes liquid solution or e-liquid and wicking material, such as cotton, that draws e-liquid onto the coil, when air flows through the atomizer. When the user activates the electronic cigarette, for example by pushing a button, activating a pressure sensor by inhaling, or any other known method in the art, the heating element in the atomizer atomizes the liquid solution creating a vapor which the user inhales. The vapor provides a flavor and feel similar to tobacco smoking.
With the increasing popularity of electronic cigarettes comes various competitions among electronic cigarette smokers, such as competitive vaping (or "cloud chasing") in which competitors try to blow the biggest, densest vapor cloud possible. Users utilize the air flow in the atomizer to draw the vapor from where it's being created and into the mouth/lungs of the user, to change the vapor cloud. When a large about of air flow is passing through the coils, the vapor gets less dense but produces larger vapor clouds. While this allows for a bigger vapor cloud, it also reduces the flavor. Conversely, users who are more concerned with the flavor and less with the size of the vapor cloud, may desire to limit the air flow.
While there are existing atomizer on the market that allow users to adjust the air flow, these prior art atomizers utilize caps that cover the tank where the e-liquid is stored. However, these caps can be easily pulled off or loosened. When the cap is pulled off or loosened, the e-liquid can then leak out of the tank. This can be very problematic for users who carry their electronic cigarettes in their pockets, bags, purses, etc.
In view of the above, what is needed is a rebuildable dripping atomizer which uses a sleeve lock that allows the user to adjust and direct the air flow while preventing the e-liquid from leaking out of the atomizer.

Dual air flow rebuildable dripping atomizer with an adjustable air flow sleeve for an electronic cigarette