An electrical connector includes: an insulating body provided with multiple accommodating holes running vertically therethrough, and multiple terminals correspondingly accommodated in the accommodating holes. Each accommodating hole has two protruding portions. Each terminal includes a main body portion. Two upper elastic arms are formed by bending upward and extending from left and right sides of the main body portion. Each upper elastic arm extends backward to form an upper abutting portion. A strip connecting portion extends upward from the main body portion to be connected to a strip. The strip connecting portion is located between the two upper elastic arms. Each of the left and right sides of the main body portion is provided with a position limiting portion protruding outward. The position limiting portion is located below the protruding portion. The position limiting portion and a corresponding upper elastic arm overlap along a vertical direction.

The background description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent it is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure.
Chinese Patent Publication No. CN200610085932.6 teaches an electrical connector, including an insulating body and terminals accommodated therein. The terminals are used to electrically connect a chip module and a circuit board. Each terminal mainly includes a main body portion, and two first arm portions and two second arm portions respectively extending from the main body portion toward two opposite sides obliquely upward and obliquely downward. That is, each of the two sides of the main body portion are respectively provided with two arm portions. The first arm portion and the second arm portion corresponding to each other are connected by a connecting portion. A tail end of each of the arm portions is provided with a first contact portion and a second contact portion being arc-shaped and respectively conductively connected to the chip module and the circuit board. The other two sides of the main body portion are respectively provided with clamping portions being plate shaped, and the same side of two ends of each clamping portion are symmetrically provided with small protruding blocks protruding outward.
However, the two clamping portions and the two first arm portions of each terminal are provided side-by-side along a width direction of the terminal, and the two first arm portions are located between the two clamping portions, such that a distance between the outermost sides of the two first arm portions being less than a distance between the outermost sides of the two clamping portions of a same terminal, the distance between the outermost sides of the two first arm portions is smaller, and the terminal impedance is smaller. In addition, the two clamping portions are provided at the outermost sides of the two first arm portions, and in the signal transmission process, the signal may be transmitted to adjacent channels through the two clamping portions, causing crosstalk and interferences between the terminals. Further, the two clamping portions are provided at the outermost sides of the two first arm portions, and a distance between the two adjacent first arm portions of two adjacent terminals is larger. The shielding effect will be affected if the two adjacent terminals along the width direction are respectively a ground terminal and a signal terminal. Moreover, the two clamping portions are provided at the outermost sides of the two first arm portions, such that the space occupied by the terminal in the width direction is larger, which is unfavorable to the developing trend of the dense arrangement of the terminals. Further, the spaces of the two clamping portions elastically deforming along the width of the terminal and the gap between the two first arm portions are provided at intervals along the width direction of the terminal, such that the space occupied by the terminal in the width direction is larger, which is unfavorable to the developing trend of the dense arrangement of the terminals.
Therefore, a heretofore unaddressed need to design an improved electrical connector exists in the art to address the aforementioned deficiencies and inadequacies.


A shopping cart having a rear-facing seat for intermittent sitting and resting while shopping. The seat is in a barrier-less rear region of a rear open alcove, allowing a user to freely access the seat for sitting and to freely exit the seat for standing. The seat hingedly connects to the cart, allowing the seat to selectively lower in a down position for sitting and selectively swing upwards for accessing a storage area below the seat. The seat operationally connects to a brake, actuating the brake when the seat is in the down position, the brake engaging at least one wheel of the cart when the brake is actuated. The rear region of the cart has a pair of arms defining the alcove, each arm having a horizontal grab bar, providing support when a user grabs the bar upon rising from sitting.

People love to shop in big box stores, discount retailers, mega-grocery stores and similar venues. The bigger the venue, the more variety of goods is available. The selection of prices and styles increases with an increase in the square footage of a store.
Walking through large store is sometimes a challenge for small children and people with health or mobility issues. Motorized carts are available on a limited basis, but many shoppers do not require a high level of assistance that the motorized carts provide.
In addition to motorized shopping carts, carts have been modified to have internal seats. However, these carts require another person to push the cart while the small child or person with health or mobility problems sits inside. Small children in particular are placed into internal seats that cannot easily be exited.
While these units may be suitable for the particular purpose employed, or for general use, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present disclosure as disclosed hereafter.
In the present disclosure, where a document, act or item of knowledge is referred to or discussed, this reference or discussion is not an admission that the document, act or item of knowledge or any combination thereof was at the priority date, publicly available, known to the public, part of common general knowledge or otherwise constitutes prior art under the applicable statutory provisions; or is known to be relevant to an attempt to solve any problem with which the present disclosure is concerned.
While certain aspects of conventional technologies have been discussed to facilitate the present disclosure, no technical aspects are disclaimed and it is contemplated that the claims may encompass one or more of the conventional technical aspects discussed herein.


Embodiments of the present invention relate to a court marking switching system, including: singles and doubles markings, wherein the singles and doubles markings present white color when they are not lit up, and present a same color with surrounding floor when they are lit up; a switching element which lights up the singles markings and turns off the doubles markings when receiving a doubles command and lights up the doubles markings and turns off the singles markings when receiving a singles command. During the doubles match, only the singles markings are lit up, the lit singles markings present a same color with that of the surrounding floor and are not easy to be observed, while the doubles markings which are not lit up present a white color, such that only the white doubles markings may be observed by a user.

Currently, in a playing court for the match in which the number of participants is changeable, the markings of the court may be correspondingly changed when the number of participants is changed. For example, markings for a badminton court are shown in FIG. 1, they include singles court markings and doubles court markings which may be used for both singles events and doubles events. The present court may save space on basis of serving for various activities and can be used for multi-purposes with the same court. However, such court markings will disrupt the visual sense and judgment of the players, umpires and spectators for a certain area. For example, they may observe the boundary line of the double court markings when a single event is played.


The present invention (with reference to FIG. 2a) relates to an integrated camera and illumination device. The device comprises illumination apparatus having a plurality of light emitting diodes (17) arranged in a circuit which regulates current output by the circuit to an approximately constant level. The device comprises camera apparatus having a CMOS sensor (12) in a circuit supplied by the current regulated by the illumination apparatus.

The present application relates to an integrated camera and lighting device.
It is known to provide small-scale cameras, typically 32 mm in diameter, for video inspection equipment used in pipes. These can either be mounted on the end of a relatively stiff cable and pushed along the pipe, or alternatively the cameras can be mounted on self-propelled vehicles which move down the piping. Since the interior of the pipe will have no natural light it is necessary for lighting apparatus to be associated with the camera so that the interior of the pipe can be illuminated.
It is convenient to use a CMOS sensor in the camera to provide the video image. However, CMOS sensors have a disadvantage in that they are not very resistant to heat. Indeed, there is only a relatively small temperature range in which a CMOS sensor will provide a good signal.
The present invention provides an integrated camera and illumination device comprising:
illumination apparatus having a plurality of light emitting diodes arranged in a circuit which regulates current output by the circuit to an approximately constant level; and
camera apparatus having a CMOS sensor in a circuit supplied by the current regulated by the illumination apparatus.
In the above-noted construction the lighting apparatus is used to provide a constant current supply to the camera apparatus. This ensures that the CMOS sensor is maintained within a particular temperature range.
In the past switch-mode power supplies have been used or separate low-voltage feeds for the camera. The use of switch-mode power supplies increases the size of the apparatus and adds noise to the picture signals thus degrading eventual picture quality. The provision of separate supplies to the lighting apparatus and the camera apparatus considerably complicates the wiring in the apparatus and the electronics in the control unit. The present invention reduces the number of conductors required to regulate the apparatus and this means that there is no need to regulate comparatively higher voltages which would require use of additional heat-sinks and increase the size of the apparatus. The present invention provides a good quality camera apparatus in an overall package of camera and lighting apparatus which is small in size.

Integrated camera and illumination device having a regulated current


A thermal management system for a gas turbine engine includes an additively manufactured nacelle component, at least a portion of the additively manufactured nacelle component forming an additively manufactured heat exchanger that extends into a fan bypass flow.

The present disclosure relates to a gas turbine engine and, more particularly, to a thermal management system at least partially integrated into a nacelle assembly.
Aircraft gas turbine engine thermal management systems utilize engine oil to reject heat from a number of sources such as bearing compartments, geared turbofan architectures, motor/generators, and other systems. Rejecting heat from the engine oil to maintain a desired operating temperature is then accomplished through one or more heat exchangers that typically require associated ducting and other ancillary structures within and through the engine nacelle assembly. Such multiple heat exchangers and ancillary structures may complicate and reduce engine efficiency.

Thermal management system for gas turbine engine


Systems and methods are described that facilitate predictive web-crawling in a computer environment. Aspects of the invention provide for predictive, utility-based, and decision theoretic probability assessments of changes in subsets of web pages, enhancing web-crawling ability and ensuring that web page information is maintained in a fresh state. Additionally, the invention facilitates selective crawling of pages with a high probability of change.

The evolution of computers and networking technologies from high-cost, low-performance data processing systems to low cost, high-performance communication, problem solving and entertainment systems has provided a cost-effective and time saving means to lessen the burden of performing every day tasks such as correspondence, bill paying, shopping, budgeting and information gathering. For example, a computing system interfaced to the Internet, via wire or wireless technology, can provide a user with a channel for nearly instantaneous access to a wealth of information from a repository of web sites and servers located around the world, at the user's fingertips.
Typically, the information available via web sites and servers is accessed via a web browser executing on a web client (e.g., a computer). For example, a web user can deploy a web browser and access a web site by entering the web site Uniform Resource Locator (URL) (e.g., a web address and/or an Internet address) into an address bar of the web browser and pressing the enter key on a keyboard or clicking a "go" button with a mouse. The URL typically includes four pieces of information that facilitate access: a protocol (a language for computers to communicate with each other) that indicates a set of rules and standards for the exchange of information, a location to the web site, a name of an organization that maintains the web site, and a suffix (e.g., corn, org, net, gov, and edu) that identifies the type of organization.
In some instances, the user knows, a priori, the name of the site or server, and/or the URL to the site or server that the user desires to access. In such situations, the user can access the site, as described above, via entering the URL in the address bar and connecting to the site. However, in many instances, the user does not know the URL or the site name. Instead, the user employs a search engine to facilitate locating a site based on keywords provided by the user. In general, the search engine is comprised of executable applications or programs that search the contents of web sites and servers for keywords, and return a list of links to web sites and servers where the keywords are found. Basically, the search engine incorporates a web "crawler" (aka, a "spider" or a "robot") that retrieves as many documents as possible (e.g., via retrieving URLs associated with the documents). This information is then stored such that an indexer can manipulate the retrieved data. The indexer reads the documents, and creates a prioritized index based on the keywords contained in each document and other attributes of the document. Respective search engines generally employ a proprietary algorithm to create indices such that meaningful results are returned for a query.
Thus, a web-crawler is crucial to the operation of search engines. In order to provide current and up-to-date search results, the crawler must constantly search the web to find new web pages, to update old web page information, and to remove deleted pages. The number of web pages found on the Internet is astronomical. It therefore requires that a web-crawler be extremely fast. Since most web-crawlers gather their data by polling servers that provide the web pages, a crawler must also be as unobtrusive as possible when accessing a particular server. In the extreme, the crawler can absorb all of the server's resources very quickly and cause the server to shut down. Generally, a crawler identifies itself to a server and seeks permission before accessing a server's web pages. At this point, a server can deny access to an abusive crawler that steals all of the server's resources. A web page hosting server typically benefits from search engines, because they allow users to find their web pages more easily. Thus, most servers welcome crawlers, as long as they do not drain too much of the server's resources, which can detrimentally impede a users' ability to exploit server contents.
The sheer volume of information on the Internet today presents a seemingly insurmountable obstacle to efficient web-crawling. For example, a typical web-crawler attempting to catalogue every page on the Internet can take weeks or even months to plod through them. A page that is updated a moment after it has been crawled might not be recrawled for months, in which case the information associated with the page is not accurately catalogued, which in turn reduces the efficiency with which a user can receive information relevant to a search. Thus, there is an unmet need in the art for systems and methods that improve web-crawling speed and efficiency.

Decision-theoretic web-crawling and predicting web-page change


In an example, a system for distributed video creation is provided. In an example, the system enables users to create the ideas that they and others might film and/or upload. These may be single scene ideas, or multiple scene ideas. These ideas may be as part of a broader, existing video work, or a new video work. These ideas may be manifested as text (such as descriptions or instructions) or verbal (audio), or through pictures or video.

Known video editing software allows a user to modify a video and/or combine another video with the video. The process involves collecting video(s) on a mobile device or a desktop computer associated with the video editing software. The video editing software can then output edited video based on the collected video(s). A user may share the output video with others by email, a message board, a video sharing website like YouTube®, or the like.


The present invention relates to a method for configuring, for each of one or more ranks in the DAS (distributed antenna system), a codebook for a DAS, including pre-coding matrices for the DAS, wherein the matrices include information on at least one or more antennas used for communication with a specific terminal, from among the whole antenna of the base station which belongs to the DAS, and information on the ratio of electric power allocated to each of the antennas of the base station. The present invention also relates to a method for transmitting a signal which is pre-coded using the thus-configured pre-coding matrices for the DAS.

With the evolution in the information industry, a technology performing high speed transmission of diverse types of high capacity data is being required. In order to do so, by providing multiple distributed antennas within the conventional (or already-existing) cell, a Distributed Antenna System (DAS) method for resolving shadow areas and expanding coverage ranges is currently being developed.
The DAS corresponds to a system using multiple distributed antennas being connected to a single base station via wired connection or a through a dedicated line. Herein, the single base station manages multiple antennas being located in a cell, which is serviced by the base station, wherein each antenna is spaced apart from one another at a pre-determined distance. The DAS is differentiated from a centralized antenna system (CAS) in that multiple antennas are distributed at predetermined intervals within a single cell. Additionally, the DAS is differentiated from a Femto cell in that a central base station of the cell (or a base station located at the center of the cell) controls all of the distributed antenna areas within the cell, instead of having each of the distributed antenna unit autonomously control each area of the corresponding antenna. Moreover, the DAS is differentiated from a multiple hop relay system or ad-hoc network, wherein the base station is connected to a Remote Station (RS) via wireless connection, in that the distributed antenna units are connected to one another via wired connection or through a dedicated line. Furthermore, the DAS is also differentiated from a repeater structure, which simply amplifies a signal and transmits the amplified signal, in that each of the distributed antennas transmits a different signal to each of the neighboring user equipments based upon the command of the base station.
The above-described DAS may be considered as a type of multiple input multiple output (MIMO) system in that the DAS may support a single mobile station or multiple mobile stations by having each of the distributed antennas simultaneously transmit and receive different data streams. In light of the MIMO system, being configured of antennas distributed to diverse locations within the corresponding cell, the transmission area for each antenna is reduced, as compared to the CAS. Thus, the DAS may reduce transmission power. Additionally, by reducing the transmission distance between the antenna and the user equipment, path loss may be reduced, thereby enabling high speed data transmission to be performed. Accordingly, the transmission capacity and power efficiency of a cellular system may be enhanced, and communication performance of a quality that is relatively consistent as compared to the CAS may be yielded. Furthermore, by having the base station connected to each of the multiple distributed antennas via wired connection or through a dedicated line, signal loss may be reduced, and a level of correlation and interference between each of the antennas may also be reduced, thereby providing a high signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR).
As described above, in order to reduce the cost for installing additional base stations and to reduce the cost for maintaining a Backhaul network, and in order to expand service coverage and to enhance channel capacity and SINR, the next generation mobile communication system may be alternately configured of the conventional CAS and the DAS, or the DAS may replace the conventional CAS so as to become a new basis of cellular communication.
Accordingly, in the related art mobile communication system, a CAS-based communication standard is required to support the CAS as well as the DAS.

Method for transmitting a signal in a distributed antenna system


Provided is an information processing device, etc., that provides information which is the basis for quick detection of abnormalities that occur in a device. An information processing device calculates a degree of suitability between observation information and prediction information, the observation information observed for a system suffering an effect from an certain device, the prediction information predicted in accordance with a model for a state of the system; and calculates a difference between manipulation amount to the certain device and predictive manipulation amount predicted for the manipulation amount based on the model, the difference being a difference in case that the degree satisfies a predetermined calculation condition.

A farming system, a factory system, or the like includes an actuator, a sensor, and a controller. The controller inputs observation information acquired by a sensor for observing the system. The controller generates a control signal for controlling the actuator, based on the input observation information, and transmits the generated control signal to the actuator. The actuator receives the control signal transmitted from the controller, and executes actuation in accordance with the received control signal in the system. The control signal is, for example, an electronic signal or a physical signal. The actuation executed by the actuator causes a change in the system. The sensor observes the change that occurs in the system, and transmits an observation signal indicating a result of the observation to the controller.
PTL 1 or PTL 2 discloses an example of a device for detecting an abnormality of an actuator in a system as described above.
The device disclosed in PTL 1 detects an abnormality of an actuator that converts supplied electric power into a physical momentum. The device monitors a current supplied to the actuator when the current transits from a steady state to a transient state. The device determines that an abnormality of the actuator occurs when the device detects that the current exceeds a predetermined threshold value. When the device is an actuator itself, the actuator detects an abnormality of an own device by performing processing as described above.
The device disclosed in PTL 2 compares a control signal transmitted from an electronic control device to an actuator with an actuation state signal indicating an actuation state of the actuator when the actuator performs processing in accordance with the control signal, and detects an abnormality of the actuator based on a result of the comparison.

Information processing device, information processing method, and non-transitory recording medium


Accelerated channel change (ACC) strategies are described for supplying a client module with media information by transitioning between a first delivery of media information provided by first delivery functionality and a second delivery of media information provided by second delivery functionality without exceeding prescribed data rate limitations. The first delivery functionality can represent server-based functionality for delivering a unicast stream of media information at a data rate (or maximum data rate) of some excess amount over the nominal rate of delivery, starting at a selected location within the media information. The second delivery functionality can represent any functionality for delivering the media information at the data rate (or maximum data rate) of the nominal rate of delivery. A join interval separates the first delivery at the excess rate and the second delivery at the nominal rate. In that period, the first delivery functionality can provide media information at a join interval data rate. The join interval data rate, if it is below the nominal data rate, will cause the client module to miss packets of media information. The client module can receive these missing packets by issuing retry requests to the first delivery functionality or to some other entity. The client module can determine the excess amount available by investigating the amount of missing information that occurs at different data rates; or the excess amount can be defined in advance.

Traditional systems for delivering broadcast media information rely on the use of a physical tuner in a client module (e.g., a television set) that tunes to and receives the media information. In this traditional model, a user can quickly change channels, resulting in the virtual instantaneous transition from one program to another. And as such, the user does not typically perceive a delay in the presentation of a new program upon tuning to a new program. However, this simple manner of operation does not apply to the delivery of digital media information in streaming fashion over a network. In this environment, the client module typically must store a prescribed amount of media information in a buffer before it begins to play the media information to the user. It requires a certain amount of time to fill up this buffer when the user first connects to a stream of media information. Further, digital media information is commonly expressed as a series of key frames (e.g., I frames) and difference frames (e.g., B and P frames). A client module must wait for a key frame before it begins to present the media information. As a result of these factors, there will be a noticeable lag prior to the presentation of programs as the user switches from one channel to the next.
Microsoft Corporation of Redmond, Wash., has developed several strategies that reduce the effects of the above-noted problem in media streaming environments. These strategies are generally referred to as Accelerated Channel Change (ACC) paradigms herein, since they permit the client module to display a new program in an expedited manner when a user "tunes" to the new program (or when the user otherwise commences presentation of the new program). In these strategies, the head-end infrastructure delivers an initial burst which feeds a large quantity of media information to the client module via a communication channel, enabling it to begin presentation of the media information on an expedited basis. After the initial burst, the head-end infrastructure delivers the media information to the client module at a regular data rate (e.g., at or below a specified nominal data rate).
Generally, the ACC strategies make additional demands on the communication channels beyond that required to transmit the media information at its normal steady-state rate. A system can address these demands by allocating extra bandwidth to implement the ACC strategies. However, many environments allocate a limited amount of bandwidth to the communication channels. The application of ACC strategies in these kinds of environments may present various challenges. For example, there is a potential that the ACC strategies can overburden the communication channels, leading to their over-saturation. Such over-saturation of the channels can result in a poor quality of media presentation (e.g., due to the loss of an unacceptable number of media packets). Such over-saturation can also possibly result in the streams being dropped. For example, consider a household that includes various media presentation units that all "feed off" of a single communication channel. The ACC strategies have the potential of overburdening such a communication channel, particularly when multiple users in the household happen to be consuming media information at the same time (and also potentially invoking the ACC behavior at the time).
Other rate-limited environments may allocate a relatively large amount of bandwidth to the channels, thus reducing the potential of over-saturating the channels. It is nevertheless beneficial to adapt the ACC strategies in these environments so as to make efficient use of the allotted communication resources. In any environment, it is also beneficial to find ways to streamline the ACC protocol to make it less costly, less error prone, and more efficient.
For at least the above-identified reasons, there is a need for an improved paradigm for performing accelerated channel change (ACC) in rate-limited environments of all kinds.

Accelerated channel change in rate-limited environments


A software-implemented method for assisting in handling of connection setup requests in a telecommunications network is disclosed. The method includes intercepting a connection setup request from a user equipment (UE) to a control node of a radio access network part of the telecommunications network, determining whether the connection setup request is to be fulfilled based at least on information regarding resource use within a network access point serving the UE, and passing the connection setup request for further processing within the telecommunications network only upon positive determination.

Currently, in deployed Long-Term Evolution (LTE) telecommunications networks, whether a connection setup request requesting establishment of a dedicated connection setup for a particular service can be fulfilled is decided by a telecommunications network in a two-step process. In a first step, the network determines whether a subscriber has the right to use the requested service. In a second step, the network determines whether resources are available within the network to fulfil the request. The first step implies that each connection setup request is extensively processed by various nodes within the network, such as e.g. a serving gateway (SGW), a packet gateway (PCG) and a policy and charging rules function (PCRF), all of them located within the core network (CN) part of an LTE network. The second step implies that the eNB serving the terminal, which, for the terminal, is a point of radio access to the telecommunications network, checks whether it has the radio resources to fulfil the request. This is not necessarily the most efficient approach because it is the radio access network (RAN) part of a telecommunications network, in particular the eNB serving the terminal, that typically presents problems in that the RAN part of the network does not have the resources to fulfil the request, which only becomes apparent in the second step.
Furthermore, it would be desirable for network operators to be able to offer to subscribers certain application services, such as e.g., video streaming, gaming, or augmented reality, as premium services. Network operators would then owe it to their subscribes to make sure that premium services receive greater attention and effort from the network than non-premium services, which becomes prominent in case there are not enough resources to fulfil connection setup requests for all of the requested services. However, as telecommunications networks currently make decisions in a process described above, there are no guarantees that a premium service will receive precedence over other services at a specific moment in time. When a connection setup request sent by a subscriber's terminal is 'approved' by participating elements in the CN part of the LTE network, with PCRF being the most critical element as it contains user profile and lists of things that the terminal may and may not do, then it is up to eNB to decide on the request based on whether it is has resources to serve this approved request. It may happen that eNB does not have resources to serve such a request, in which case the request is simply denied/discarded.
One way to account for different priorities of requests is to use different Quality of Signal (QoS) parameters in the network which determine which requests are served first. While QoS parameters may indicate that certain traffic has priority over other types of traffic, when the network is loaded (i.e. it has limited or not at all resources remaining for serving additional requests), the use of QoS parameters has no significant impact and does not give guarantees that premium services will be provided.
Similar problems are encountered in telecommunications networks implementing radio access technologies (RATs) other than LTE.
What is needed in the art is an approach to handling connection setup requests that can improve on or eliminate at least some of these drawbacks.

NEDERLANDSE ORGANISATIE VOOR TOEGEPAST-NATUURWETENSCHAPPELIJK ONDERZOEK TNO


The invention relates to a process for stabilizing at altitude a stratospheric balloon between the upper and lower levels through a plurality of diurnal and nocturnal cycles. The process comprises providing the stratospheric balloon (1) of the open, variable volume type a with a thermal trapping hood (7) arranged in the vicinity of its upper pole piece (4). This hood has reflecting properties from the side oriented toward the interior of the balloon and preferably thermal insulating properties, and its surface comprises between 1% and 15% of the total surface area of the balloon when full, preferably between 2% and 5%. In the full state, it does not appreciably alter the thermal balance of the balloon, while at lower levels at reduced states of inflation, it limits the energy loss from the bulb by reflecting toward the exterior and avoids an irreversible descent of the balloon. The process of the invention permits stabilizing a stratospheric balloon during a number of cycles which may be several tens of cycles.

It is known that stratospheric balloons with a variable volume may present very significant volumes (greater than 10.sup.6 m.sup.3) and carry heavy loads up to altitudes on the order of 40 to 45 km. These stratospheric balloons are characterized especially in that they operate with a lighter than air gas from which they draw their ascending force, and in that the volume at a state of fullness is much greater (of a factor much greater than 10) than their volume at their bulbous state (a state of reduced inflation). This type of balloon is, for example, described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,312,427. These stratospheric balloons differ completely from hot air balloons which are balloons having a constant volume, using the gas of the atmosphere in which they are immersed and drawing their ascending force, either from a burner or from ambiant radiation (solar or infrared). Solar or infrared hot air balloons are produced in such a manner as to captivate permanently the maximum solar or infrared energy and, for this reason, are provided on at least half of their surface with a device for trapping solar or infrared radiation. The hot air balloons may for example be illustrated by French patent No. 2,418,150 or U.S. Pat. No. 4,262,864.
The basic problem which is presented by variable volume stratospheric balloons, which are the subject of this invention, resides in their very short length of life, on the order of 24 hours, and which may only be extended by several days by releasing significant quantities of ballast. In effect, during the daytime period, when a stratospheric balloon reaches a state of fullness, a portion of the gas is expelled until the rising force is annulled, the balloon being stabilized at its flight ceiling. At night, the gasses of the balloon are subjected to a significant cooling which causes a considerably diminution of the volume thereof and an irreversible descent. Only a releasing of ballast then permits a stabilization (on the order of 10% of the weight of the assembly). However, the rising force which is then restored, appears the following day and results in a new expulsion of the gas at the ceiling, such that the operation of the release of the ballast must be done again each night in order to avoid an irreversible descent. The quantities of ballast released being limited, the duration of life of such balloons cannot generally exceed 4 or 5 days. This limitation of the period of life is a serious drawback of this type of balloon, while the obligation for releasing ballast of sizeable quantity is very penalizing since it requires, for a given useful load, increasing the volume of the balloon and the mass of aerostatic gas, and as a consequence, leads to an increase in the cost of a flight.
The present invention proposes to overcome the drawbacks mentioned above for stratospheric balloons of the variable volume, open type.
The essential object of the invention is to avoid, by means other than a release of ballast, an irreversible descent of the balloon during the nocturnal period, in such a manner as to assure a stabilization of the balloon between the upper levels (daytime periods) and the lower levels (nocturnal periods) during a plurality of daytime and nighttime cycles.

Process of stabilizing at altitude a stratoshperic balloon, and balloon adapted for carrying out the process

Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (C.N.E.S.)


A method of comparing the size of a feature in sequential X-ray images includes the steps of: forming first and second sequential X-ray images including an image of the feature, an image of a first target located directly adjacent the feature and an image of a second target located between the object and an X-ray detector; calculating scale factors for the first and second X-ray images based on the relative sizes of the images of the first and second targets in the X-ray images; measuring the sizes of the feature in the first and second X-ray images; adjusting the measured sizes of the feature in the first and second X-ray images by the respective scale factors; and comparing the adjusted measured sizes. A computer program product for performing the method is also provided.

Some of the more serious consequences of periodontal disease include changes in bone structure around teeth. Typically, detecting these changes in bone structure requires the comparison of sequential radiographs recorded over time for the affected areas. These comparisons may be made both visually and by using subtractive methods via computer, but both these methods suffer from the same significant shortcomings which will now be described.
Current dental radiographic equipment and procedures include the use of devices for ensuring proper set-up of the radiographic system. Such devices include beam size rulers and dental beam diameter gauges for measuring beam size; a mesh for determining focus and clarity; and comparators and pinhole cameras for measuring focal spot size. Devices used for measuring the size of features in an X-ray image include radio-opaque rulers and Fixott-Everett grids.
The Fixott-Everett grid is generally placed in contact with the X-ray film during exposure and results in a grid of known size being imaged on the film. Dental rulers are used to measure the size of a feature in an image on the X-ray film. However, these devices and methods alone provide no way to determine if the scale on the film is other than 1:1, nor do they ensure that the scale is consistent between X-rays taken at different times, and with different set-ups. Due to the divergent nature of the X-ray beam and the varying separation between the X-ray source, the tooth, and the film, measurements made directly on the film, whether with a ruler or a grid, fail to account for the attendant scale change.
Consequently, a precise determination of the size of the a feature is not possible from X-ray to X-ray due to the effects on scale caused by the problems described above. While qualitative assessments such as "bigger" or "smaller" are sometimes possible, what is required is the ability to precisely determine the relative increase or decrease in size of a feature between subsequent X-ray images, and the rate of that change.
Thus, there remains a need therefore for an improved method of determining the change in size of features which has taken place between subsequent X-ray images.

Method and program for comparing the size of a feature in sequential x-ray images


An implant device used to replace and restore the function of the knee meniscus in a human. The compliant, yet resilient device is comprised of a biocompatible, non-degradable three-dimensional body comprised of at least a central body, a second structure, a third structure, and a coating. The device is concentrically aligned wherein the second structure is adjoined to the central body wherein the third structure is adjoined on the central body opposite of the second structure. The third structure further features a first and a second pulling element which is coupled to the central body and forms the outer periphery and major circumference of the device. The device is comprised of multiple components which provide tensile strength, compressive resilience, and attachment mechanisms for replacing the meniscus. Each structure is comprised of multiple surfaces which are further reinforced, separated, and connected by an individual plurality of vertical elements. The implantable device further features a surface coating on the surface of the central body.

The meniscus is a crescent-shaped fibrocartilage tissue paired in both the medial and lateral compartments of the knee between the femur and the tibia. Macroscopically, the menisci are C-shaped (semi-lunar) tissues which feature a triangular (wedge shaped) cross-section and cover and separate the tibial plateau from the femoral condyles providing a bearing surface within the joint. The meniscus plays a critical role in load transmission, stability and in reducing contact stresses in the knee joint which is attributed to the unique shape and microstructure of the tissue. The microstructure of the meniscus is largely comprised of type I collagen fibers and the spatial orientation of these collagen fibers are highly functionalized in order to provide the meniscus' unique mechanical properties. Specifically, the meniscus features circumferential bundles of collagen fibers embedded within a hydrated matrix which acts to bear circumferential hoop stresses. When the meniscus is axially loaded, the meniscus tends to displace radially out of the joint center due to its wedge shaped cross-section. Extrusion is, however, resisted as the meniscus is anchored both posteriorly and anteriorly in the tibia via the meniscal horns, The circumferential arrangement of type I collagen fibers throughout the meniscus as well as the meniscal horns give rise to circumferential, or hoop, stresses which resist radial displacement. The meniscus thus converts vertical load into hoop stresses, thereby reducing contact stresses a mechanism known as the 'hoop stress mechanism'.
Injuries to the meniscus are the most common injuries requiring surgical intervention in orthopaedic practice with approximately one million surgeries occurring in the United States every year. Traumatic tears occur in young, active individuals and are more common in the medial meniscus, usually as a result of rotational forces applied to a flexed knee, while degenerative meniscal tears tend to occur in middle aged and older individuals, as a result of the weakening of the tissue and hence the reduction in mechanical properties.
With increased meniscal injuries, meniscal repair has become a standard procedure, and the traditional treatment of partial or full resection which was previously identified as the gold standard, is now understood to have deleterious effects and should be performed as sparingly as possible. Replacement of the damaged meniscal tissue with an implant aims to restore the knee biomechanics and might avoid articular cartilage degeneration and the onset of osteoarthritis. Different types of meniscal substitutes, such as allografts, collagen based materials, and synthetic biodegradable scaffolds, have been used in experimental and clinical studies. Allograft menisci suffer from problems relating to availability, size matching, cost, and risk of disease transmission. Additionally both allografts and collagen scaffolds experience remodeling after implantation causing shrinkage and reduced mechanical strength. Synthetic biodegradable scaffolds lack durability under knee loading conditions and also vary in the body response to the implant and the quality of the tissue formed. Synthetic biodegradable scaffolds also require the native tissue to be present (typically as a rim) for not only attachment but also as source of autologous cells which can seed the implant. Mimicking the microstructure and mechanical property distribution of the meniscus improves the chances for restoring the contact pressures along the tibial plateau during normal activities, and preventing the onset of osteoarthritis following injury. Accordingly, an improved anatomically designed meniscus implantable device is needed to replicate the mechanical properties distribution within the native meniscus.
Prosthetic meniscus implants are a novel treatment method to repair meniscal lesions. To date, there is no meniscus substitute that takes into account the microstructure of the native meniscus. Implantable devices that can restore and replace the function of the meniscus would be of great interest for orthopaedic applications given the clear indication of the unmet need in the area. The challenge in developing a meniscal replacement with biomechanical characteristics close to that of the native meniscus lies in the construction and design choice of material. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved implantable device for treating meniscal injuries through replacement with an anatomically designed meniscus implant.

Anatomically designed meniscus implantable devices


A storage bag configured to contain or that contains at least one therapeutic compound such as a viral vector and non-viral vector is provided. In one embodiment, the storage bag contains a viral vector and/or a non-viral vector containing genetic material. The storage bag has two edges and two ends including a first face and a second face integrally joined at the two edges of the bag and defining an inner surface and an outer surface forming the bag; the inner surface including a higher melting polymer, and the outer surface including a lower melting polymer; a joint at one of the ends; a discrete composite sheet having a first side including a higher melting polymer and a second side including a lower melting polymer folded over the joint with the first side including a lower melting polymer engaging the joint to form a lap seam over the joint.

Single-use flexible containers are used for transportation and storage of materials such as biologics. Such containers are flexible bags that are typically made out of plastic film. The bags may be used for storage and particularly in cryopreservation applications. The bags are typically disposable and intended to reduce risk of cross contamination and the need for cleaning validation.
In the cryopreservation application, biologic bulk drug substances are stored and transported frozen in the storage bags. This maintains protein stability over storage time. Current bags have certain drawbacks, including durability at freezing temperatures (which can be as low as −80° C.) and during warm-up and usage of the bags. There is also the risk of plastic extractables interacting with the drug substances in existing storage bags. Moreover, existing bags tend to have leakage problems, particularly at the ends and corners of the bags.
A storage bag particularly for cryogenic applications with improved durability with low extractables and reduced leakage is therefore desirable.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Storage bag for containing therapeutic compounds


An apparatus for testing O-ring gaskets under a variety of temperature, pressure, and dynamic loading conditions. Specifically, this apparatus has the ability to simulate a dynamic loading condition where the sealing surface in contact with the O-ring moves both away from and axially along the face of the O-ring.

Prior to the present invention, typical test fixtures for testing the sealing characteristics of O-ring gaskets used as bore seals were of two types. First, there was the totally static fixture. This fixture, as its name implies, checked O-ring performance under a totally static configuration, i.e., neither surface in contact with the O-ring was allowed to move. The second type was a partially dynamic test fixture. Under this configuration, one of the surfaces in contact with the O-ring was allowed to rotate with respect to the O-ring during the test. In addition, axial movement across the face of the O-ring could also be simulated with the second test fixture. However, neither fixture could check the response of an O-ring gasket where there was radial movement of the sealing surface away from the O-ring, i.e., where the space or gap filled by the O-ring became enlarged.
The present invention was first discussed in NASA test reports covering various results of testing performed on the invention. One report was dated January 1987 and the other one was dated Dec. 22, 1987. Both reports were authored by James E. Turner, a coinventor of the present invention, and were restricted to NASA personnel and NASA contractors only. The invention was first disclosed to the public at a conference in a paper entitled "Evaluation of the Sealing Ability of Various O-ring Materials for the Space Shuttle Redesigned Solid Rocket Motor," which was presented on June 7, 1988.

The United States of America as represented by the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration


Method and arrangement in a base station for allocating resources to a user equipment. The method and arrangement comprises analyzing a period of time comprising a subset of the predetermined scheduling request opportunities, detecting a scheduling request from the user equipment, establishing priority level information from the detected scheduling request and the subset of the predetermined scheduling request opportunities, and allocating resources to the user equipment, according to the established priority level information. In addition, a method and arrangement in a user equipment for assisting the base station in allocating resources to the user equipment are described.

In 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), work is ongoing on specifications of the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access Network evolution (UTRAN). This work is frequently referred to as evolved UTRAN (E-UTRAN), as part of the Long Term Evolution (LTE) effort.
In LTE, the scheduler is placed in the eNodeB (eNB) and the Medium Access Control (MAC) layer. The scheduler assigns radio resources, also called Resource Blocks (RB), for the downlink (assignments) as well as for the uplink (grants) using the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH). Also, information concerning which transport format to use is comprised within the assignment and grant, respectively.
The radio downlink is the transmission path from a base station, e.g. an eNodeB, to a User Equipment (UE). The uplink is the inverse of a downlink, i.e. the transmission path from the user equipment to the base station.
For uplink scheduling, the eNodeB needs information about the current state of the buffers in the user equipment i.e. if and how much data the user equipment has in its priority queues. This information is sent from the user equipment to the eNodeB either as a 1-bit scheduling request (SR) or by a buffer status report (BSR). Buffer status reports are transmitted on a data channel such as Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH), mostly together with user data. Before access to the data channel is granted, scheduling requests are transmitted on a control channel such as e.g. Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) or Random Access Channel (RACH). If the user equipment has a valid PUCCH resource for scheduling request configured in any Transmission Time Interval (TTI) it sends a one bit scheduling request when the timing is right.
Scheduling requests may either be transmitted on the RACH channel (RA-SR) or on dedicated resources on the PUCCH (Dedicated SR, D-SR) if such resources are available. The PUCCH resources for dedicated SR are assigned and revoked by the eNodeB through Radio Resource Control (RRC). In addition, the resources are autonomously revoked when the user equipment looses uplink synchronization.
A dedicated scheduling request is typically used when the user equipment uplink is time synchronized. The purpose is to enable user equipment to rapidly request resources for uplink data transmission. In 3GPP, a dedicated solution for the scheduling request has been agreed on. For the dedicated approach, each active user is assigned a dedicated channel for performing the scheduling request. The benefit with this method is that no user equipment identity has to be transmitted explicitly, since the user equipment is identified by the channel used. Furthermore, no intra-cell collisions will occur in contrast to the contention based approach.
Precise and up-to-date scheduling information allows more accurate scheduling decisions, and can help to optimize the use of radio resources and to improve capacity. However, the accuracy of the information provided by the user equipment is limited by the granularity of the buffer status reports, by the frequency of the scheduling requests and buffer status report transmissions and by the delay between the reception of the scheduling requests or buffer status report and the scheduling decision.
For delay sensitive services with periodical packet arrival, such as Voice over the Internet Protocol (VoIP), the likelihood that the buffer status information is outdated when it is used is high. It is likely that additional data has arrived since the buffer status report was transmitted. It is also likely that the buffer will be emptied frequently and therefore the only available information will be a one bit scheduling request. With only a 1-bit indication from the user equipment, it is impossible for the eNodeB to know what kind of data that has arrived in the user equipment's buffer. This means further that the eNodeB scheduler might not be able to prioritize important data, such as handover signalling messages, even though this data is associated with a Quality of Service (QoS) Class Identifier (QCI) of high priority. This will result into an unendurable delay for the important data.
With incorrect uplink information, the scheduler is furthermore likely to provide either a too large grant, which then result in the user equipment transmitting padding and may reduce system capacity, or a too small grant, which may lead to Radio Link Control (RLC) segmentation and an increase in transmission delay.
Buffer status reporting is used by the user equipment to report to the eNodeB the amount of data stored in its buffers for transmission. The eNodeB uses these reports to allocate resources to the user equipment, and to prioritize resource allocation among different user equipments.
The user equipment triggers a regular buffer status report and scheduling request when uplink data becomes available for transmission and if this data belongs to a Logical Channel Group (LCG), or radio bearer group, with higher priority than those for which data already existed in the buffer or if the user equipment buffers were empty just before this new data became available for transmission.
The dedicated scheduling request is repeatedly transmitted on consecutive scheduling request opportunities on PUCCH until the user equipment receives an uplink grant on PDCCH. The transmission is stopped at least when PUCCH resources are released and/or uplink synchronization is lost even if the user equipment has not received any uplink grant on PDCCH. After stopping transmission on the dedicated scheduling request, the user equipment transmits on the random access scheduling request, i.e. accesses the system via RACH.
The random access scheduling request is used when the user equipment has lost uplink synchronization or if it has no dedicated scheduling request resources.
With the current approach in LTE, the eNodeB can with a received scheduling request only determine that the user equipment has new data to be scheduled, without any further knowledge on the amount and type of data available. This means for example that the eNodeB in many cases do not know to what QoS class identifier the available data is related and with what priority it thereby should be treated in scheduling decisions. This can in turn result in that important traffic with high priority is not recognized as such and therefore not treated with the required priority.
In a scenario where a service such as VoIP is used, where the user equipment buffer is typically emptied frequently and the only information for the eNodeB scheduler will be the reception of a 1-bit scheduling request, the scheduler cannot differentiate between the arrival of a VoIP frame and a high priority signalling message related to e.g. handover. Handover signalling messages are important to treat with high priority as the handover signalling is typically triggered when the user equipment experiences bad channel conditions at the cell border and the signalling is therefore urgent to complete. Long scheduling delays may lead to that the user equipment moves further away from the serving cell and into worse channel conditions, possibly leading to that the messages cannot be delivered at all. The handover may therefore fail due to the eNodeB's inability to differentiate VoIP traffic from handover signalling.
Only having a 1-bit scheduling request means further that the eNodeB has no knowledge of the amount of data available in the user equipments buffer. The scheduler can therefore in this case only make a "best guess" when assigning transmission resources, which is likely to lead to suboptimal use of the available resources.
Previously known scheme in LTE for scheduling request transmissions has the following shortcomings:
The only information the reception of a scheduling request gives is that new data is available in the user equipment buffer. It is therefore in many cases impossible for the eNodeB to determine which Logical Channel Group (LCG), and thus also QCI, the data belongs to and with which priority it should be handled. Upon receiving a scheduling request, the eNodeB has no knowledge on the amount of data available in the buffer of the user equipment and it is therefore likely that the assigned transmission resources are not the most optimal. A method for obtaining more information on the user equipment buffer status with the reception of a scheduling request may be useful for improving the scheduling.

Methods and arrangements in a wireless communication system


There are described diquaternary ammonium compounds of the general formula:

The present invention relates to new diquaternary ammonium compounds, to a process for the preparation thereof, to the use thereof as antimicrobial agents against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, yeasts, fungi and algae, to the use thereof as disinfectants and preservatives, and to the use thereof in the preparation of formulations for technical use, cosmetic use and use in hygiene.
The diquaternary ammonium compounds according to the invention correspond to formula:
wherein
R1 is C5-C16alkyl, phenyl or phenyl-C1-C10alkyl,
R4 is C4-C16alkyl, phenyl or phenyl-C1-C10alkyl,
R2, R3, R5 and R6 are each independently of the others C1-C4alkyl, and
A is a monovalent anion,
with the proviso that when R1 and R4 are benzyl and R2, R3, R5 and R6 are identical and are methyl or n-propyl, A is not Brxe2x88x92 or Ixe2x88x92.
C4-C16Alkyl radicals are unbranched or branched alkyl radicals, for example n-butyl, sec-butyl, tert-butyl, pentyl, hexyl, octyl, decyl, dodecyl or hexadecyl.
C5-C16Alkyl radicals are unbranched or branched alkyl radicals, for example pentyl, hexyl, octyl, decyl, dodecyl or hexadecyl.
Phenyl-C1-C10alkyl is, for example, benzyl, phenethyl, phenylpropyl, phenylisopropyl, phenylbutyl, phenyl-sec-butyl, phenyl-tert-butyl or phenyldecyl.
C1-C4Alkyl radicals are unbranched or branched alkyl radicals, for example methyl, ethyl, propyl, isopropyl, n-butyl, sec-butyl or tert-butyl.
A is a monovalent anion, for example a halide anion, such as Fxe2x88x92, Clxe2x88x92, Brxe2x88x92 or Ixe2x88x92, or an inorganic or organic group, for example hydrogen carbonate, nitrate, hydrogen sulfate, chlorate, dihydrogen phosphate, formate, acetate, or p-toluene hydrogen sulfate. Preferred as halide anion is Clxe2x88x92.
The identities of substituents R1, R2, R3, R4, R5 and R6 may each be independent of the others and have the meanings given. Preference is given to diquaternary ammonium compounds in which R4 and R1, R5 and R2, and R6 and R3 are identical, in accordance with formula (1xe2x80x2):
Of interest are compounds of formula (1xe2x80x2) wherein R1 is C5-C16alkyl, preferably unbranched C5-C16alkyl, and especially C6-, C8-, C12- or C16-alkyl.
Also of interest are compounds of formula (1xe2x80x2) wherein R2 and R3 are each independently of the other unbranched C1-C4alkyl, especially a CH3 group.
Of special interest are the mentioned compounds of formula (1xe2x80x2) wherein A is a halide anion, especially Clxe2x88x92, preferably according to the following formulae:
The process according to the invention for the preparation of diquaternary ammonium compounds of formulae (1) and (1xe2x80x2) comprises a quaternisation reaction of a biphenyl compound of formula:
wherein X is halogen, such as fluorine, chlorine, bromine or iodine, or a monovalent, inorganic or organic, anion-forming leaving group, for example xe2x80x94CO3H, xe2x80x94NO3, xe2x80x94SO4H, xe2x80x94ClO3, xe2x80x94PO4H2, xe2x80x94COOH, xe2x80x94COOCH3 or xe2x80x94SO3(C6H4)CH3,
with an amino compound of formula
wherein
R1, R2 and R3 are each independently of the others as defined hereinbefore, and with a further amino compound of formula
wherein
R4, R5 and R6 are each independently of the others as defined hereinbefore.
In the general process for the preparation of the diquaternary ammonium compound of formula (1), the reaction of the biphenyl compound (6) is carried out with two different amino compounds (7) and (8), which can result in a mixture of up to three different products which, if desired, can be separated, for example by chromatographic methods.
In the process for the preparation of the diquaternary ammonium compound of formula (1xe2x80x2), the reaction of the biphenyl compound (6), for example with an amino compound of formula (7), is carried out preferably in a polar solvent, with heating, there being possible as solvent, for example, water, an alcohol, for example MeOH, EtOH or isopropanol, a ketone, for example acetone, or DMF, DMSO, or a mixture of two or more such solvents. The amino compound (7) is preferably used in stoichiometric ratio or in stoichiometric excess relative to the biphenyl compound (6). Especially suitable amino compounds of formula (7) are those in which R1 is unbranched C5-C16alkyl and R2 and R3 are each a CH3 group. For example, N,Nxe2x80x2-dimethylhexylamine is introduced into water and heated to approximately from 60 to 90xc2x0 C. The biphenyl compound of formula (6), wherein X is preferably halogen and is especially xe2x80x94Cl, for example bis(chloromethyl)biphenyl, in a suitable solvent, for example isopropanol, is metered in in the course of approximately from 40 to 80 minutes. After stirring for a relatively long period (for example approximately 2 hours), the isopropanol is distilled off at approximately from 80 to 110xc2x0 C., water simultaneously being added dropwise to the mixture. After concentration, the residue is brought to dryness in vacuo, yielding the diquaternary ammonium compound which, in the example mentioned, corresponds to formula (2). Further details relating to the preparation process according to the invention are given in the corresponding Examples.
The biphenyl compounds of formula (6) used in the preparation process are known or can be prepared in a manner known per se; for example they can be prepared according to the Blanc chloromethylation reaction from biphenyl, formaldehyde, and HCI in the presence of ZnCl2 (e.g. DE-A-1 793 482).
The present invention relates also to the use, as antimicrobial agents, disinfectants and preservatives, of diquaternary ammonium compounds of formula:
wherein
R1 and R4 are each independently of the other C4-C16alkyl, phenyl or phenyl-C1-C10alkyl,
R2, R3, R5 and R6 are each independently of the others C1-C4alkyl, and
A is a monovalent anion.
The diquaternary ammonium compounds exhibit pronounced antimicrobial action, especially against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, against bacteria of the skin flora, against yeasts and moulds, and also against algae. They are accordingly suitable as antimicrobial agents, as disinfectants and as preservatives.
They are suitable especially for disinfection, deodorisation, and for general and antimicrobial treatment of the skin, mucosa and hair, more especially for the disinfection of hands, wounds and the throat. It has furthermore been demonstrated that, even at low concentrations, the antimicrobial activity is still assured.
They are also suitable for use in solid or liquid formulations, such as personal care preparations, shampoos, bath additives, haircare preparations, cosmetic and medicinal soaps, lotions, creams, deodorants, or cleansing solutions, for cleaning or rinsing solutions, for example for oral use in the household sector and in the hygiene sector, for example hospitals, retirement homes or doctors"" surgeries, and for use in cleaning and disinfecting preparations for surfaces in the household sector, in industry and in the hygiene sector.
They are furthermore suitable for imparting antimicrobial properties to technical plant, such as cooling systems, paper treatment machines and swimming pools, and for antimicrobial water treatment for the purpose of reducing the growth of bacteria, fungi and algae and for controlling slime. In addition, they are suitable for the preservation of materials, for example filter materials for air and water filters, textile fibre materials, for example cellulose fibres, cotton, silk, wool, polyamide fibres, plastics, for example dressing materials, catheters and syringes, and for the preservation of paper, wood, leather, paints and surface coatings. They are furthermore suitable for the preservation of foodstuffs or drinks, for example beer.
Some of the mentioned applications for the preparation of formulations are listed hereinbelow:
A disinfectant preparation for the hands has, for example, the following composition:
0.01 to 5% by weight of a compound of formula (1)
60% by weight isopropanol
0.1% by weight perfume oil, and
water ad 100%.
A personal care preparation contains, for example, from 0.01 to 15% by weight, preferably from 0.1 to 10% by weight, based on the total weight of the composition, of a diquaternary ammonium compound of formula (1) and cosmetically tolerable adjuvants.
Depending upon the form of the personal care preparation, it comprises, in addition to the diquaternary ammonium compound of formula (1), further constituents, such as sequestering agents, colourings, perfume oils, thickening or solidifying agents (consistency regulators), emollients, UV-absorbers, skin protective agents, antioxidants, additives that improve the mechanical properties, such as dicarboxylic acids and/or aluminium, zinc, calcium or magnesium salts of C14-C22fatty acids, and, optionally, preservatives.
The personal care preparation may be in the form of a water-in-oil or oil-in-water emulsion, an alcoholic or alcohol-containing formulation, a vesicular dispersion of an ionic or non-ionic amphiphilic lipid, a gel, a solid stick or an aerosol formulation.
As a water-in-oil or oil-in-water emulsion, the cosmetically tolerable adjuvant contains preferably from 5 to 50% of an oil phase, from 5 to 20% of an emulsifier and from 30 to 90% water. The oil phase may comprise any oil suitable for cosmetic formulations, for example one or more hydrocarbon oils, a wax, a natural oil, a silicone oil, a fatty acid ester or a fatty alcohol. Preferred mono- or poly-ols are ethanol, isopropanol, propylene glycol, hexylene glycol, glycerol and sorbitol.
Cosmetic formulations can be used in various fields. There come into consideration, for example, especially the following preparations:
skin-care preparations, e.g. skin-washing and cleansing preparations in the form of tablet-form or liquid soaps, synthetic detergents or washing pastes,
bath preparations, e.g. liquid (foam baths, milks, shower preparations) or solid bath preparations, e.g. bath cubes and bath salts;
skin-care preparations, e.g. skin emulsions, multi-emulsions or skin oils;
cosmetic personal care preparations, e.g. facial make-up in the form of day creams or powder creams, face powder (loose or pressed), rouge or cream make-up, eye-care preparations, e.g. eyeshadow preparations, mascara, eyeliner, eye creams or eye-fix creams; lip-care preparations, e.g. lipsticks, lip gloss, lip contour pencils, nail-care preparations, such as nail varnish, nail varnish removers, nail hardeners or cuticle removers;
intimate hygiene preparations, e.g. intimate washing lotions or intimate sprays;
foot-care preparations, e.g. foot baths, foot powders, foot creams or foot balsams, special deodorants and antiperspirants or callus-removing preparations;
light-protective preparations, such as sun milks, lotions, creams or oils, sun-blocks or tropicals, pre-tanning preparations or after-sun preparations;
skin-tanning preparations, e.g. self-tanning creams;
depigmenting preparations, e.g. preparations for bleaching the skin or skin-lightening preparations;
insect-repellents, e.g. insect-repellent oils, lotions, sprays or sticks;
deodorants, such as deodorant sprays, pump-action sprays, deodorant gels, sticks or roll-ons;
antiperspirants, e.g. antiperspirant sticks, creams or roll-ons;
preparations for cleansing and caring for blemished skin, e.g. synthetic detergents (solid or liquid), peeling or scrub preparations or peeling masks;
hair-removal preparations in chemical form (depilation), e.g. hair-removing powders, liquid hair-removing preparations, cream- or paste-form hair-removing preparations, hair-removing preparations in gel form or aerosol foams;
shaving preparations, e.g. shaving soap, foaming shaving creams, non-foaming shaving creams, foams and gels, preshave preparations for dry shaving, aftershaves or aftershave lotions;
fragrance preparations, e.g. fragrances (eau de Cologne, eau de toilette, eau de parfum, parfum de toilette, perfume), perfume oils or perfume creams;
dental care, denture-care and mouth-care preparations, e.g. toothpastes, gel toothpastes, tooth powders, mouthwash concentrates, anti-plaque mouthwashes, denture cleaners or denture fixatives;
cosmetic hair-treatment preparations, e.g. hair-washing preparations in the form of shampoos and conditioners, hair-care preparations, e.g. pretreatment preparations, hair tonics, styling creams, styling gels, pomades, hair rinses, treatment packs, intensive hair treatments, hair-structuring preparations, e.g. hair-waving preparations for permanent waves (hot wave, mild wave, cold wave), hair-straightening preparations, liquid hair-setting preparations, hair foams, hairsprays, bleaching preparations, e.g. hydrogen peroxide solutions, lightening shampoos, bleaching creams, bleaching powders, bleaching pastes or oils, temporary, semi-permanent or permanent hair colorants, preparations containing self-oxidising dyes, or natural hair colorants, such as henna or camomile.
An antimicrobial soap has, for example, the following composition:
0.01 to 5% by weight of a compound of formula (1)
0.3 to 1% by weight titanium dioxide,
1 to 10% by weight stearic acid,
soap base ad 100%, e.g. a sodium salt of tallow fatty acid or coconut fatty acid, or glycerol.
A shampoo has, for example, the following composition:
0.01 to 5% by weight of a compound of formula (1),
12.0% by weight sodium laureth-2-sulfate,
4.0% by weight cocamidopropyl betaine,
3.0% by weight NaCl and
water ad 100%.
A deodorant has, for example, the following composition:
0.01 to 5% by weight of a compound of formula (1),
60% by weight ethanol,
0.3% by weight perfume oil, and
water ad 100%.
An oral composition contains, for example, from 0.01 to 15% by weight, based on the total weight of the composition, of a compound of formula (1), and orally tolerable adjuvants.
Example of an oral composition:
10% by weight sorbitol,
10% by weight glycerol,
15% by weight ethanol,
15% by weight propylene glycol,
0.5% by weight sodium lauryl sulfate,
0.25% by weight sodium methylcocyl taurate,
0.25% by weight polyoxypropylene/polyoxyethylene block copolymer,
0.10% by weight peppermint flavouring,
0.1 to 0.5% by weight of a compound of formula (1), and
48.6% by weight water.
The oral composition may be, for example, in the form of a gel, a paste, a cream or an aqueous preparation (mouthwash).
The oral composition may also comprise compounds that release fluoride ions which are effective against the formation of caries, for example inorganic fluoride salts, e.g. sodium, potassium, ammonium or calcium fluoride, or organic fluoride salts, e.g. amine fluorides.
The compounds can be used especially in household and general-purpose cleaners for cleaning and disinfection, and for disinfecting hard surfaces.
A cleaning preparation has, for example, the following composition:
0.01 to 5% by weight of a compound of formula (1)
3.0% by weight octyl alcohol 4 EO
1.3% by weight fatty alcohol C8-C10polyglucoside
3.0% by weight isopropanol
water ad 100%.
A general purpose cleaner has, for example, the following composition:
0.01 to 5% by weight of a compound of formula (1)
2.9% by weight cocamidopropyl betaine
3.0% by weight lauramine oxide
4.2% by weight sodium lauryl ether sulfate
4.0% by weight sodium citrate
3.0% by weight sodium carbonate
3.0% by weight ethanol
water ad 100%.
An all-purpose cleaner has, for example, the following composition:
0.1 to 5% by weight of a compound of formula (1)
2.0% by weight cocamidopropyl betaine
3.0% by weight lauramine oxide
6.0% by weight lauryl alcohol 9 EO
4.0% by weight sodium citrate
3.0% by weight sodium carbonate
5.0% by weight sodium cumenesulfonate
3.0% by weight ethanol
water ad 100%.
A bathroom cleaner has, for example, the following composition:
0.01 to 5% by weight of a compound of formula (1)
1.7% by weight octyl alcohol 4 EO
3.5% by weight fatty alcohol C8-C10polyglucoside
4.8% by weight citric acid
4.0% by weight acetic acid
water ad 100%.
A dishwashing agent has, for example, the following composition:
0.1 to 5% by weight of a compound of formula (1)
15.0% by weight fatty alcohol C8-C10polyglucoside
7.0% by weight lauryl alcohol 9 EO
5.0% by weight sodium cumenesulfonate
3.0% by weight citric acid
1.0% by weight sodium chloride
3.5% by weight sodium sulfate
water ad 100%.
A further dishwashing agent has, for example, the following composition:
0.01 to 5% by weight of a compound of formula (1)
10.0% by weight sodium C14-C17alkyl-sec-sulfonate
20.0% by weight fatty alcohol C8-C10polyglucoside
3.0% by weight lauryl alcohol 9 EO
5.0% by weight sodium cumenesulfonate
3.0% by weight citric acid
water ad 100%.
The following Examples illustrate the invention. Unless otherwise indicated, parts are parts by weight.

Biphenyl diquaternary ammonium compounds

Abstract: wherein

Abstract: R1 and R4 are each independently of the other C4-C16alkyl, phenyl or phenyl-C1-C10 alkyl,

Abstract: A is a monovalent anion. The compounds exhibit a pronounced action against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, and also against yeast, molds and algae. They are accordingly suitable for the antimicrobial treatment of surfaces and for the preservation and disinfection of materials and cosmetic products, and especially also for the preparation of solid or liquid formulations and for the preservation of foodstuffs and drinks. The compounds are furthermore suitable for imparting antimicrobial properties to technical plant and for antimicrobial water treatment.


A process for depositing a diamond-like carbon film, which comprises providing a means for generating a sheet-like beam-type plasma region inside a vacuum vessel for depositing the diamond-like carbon film, and depositing the film on a substrate being moved through said plasma region. Also claimed is an apparatus for fabricating a magnetic recording medium by sequentially and continuously forming a magnetic layer and a diamond-like carbon film on a polymer substrate material, which comprises at least a first vacuum vessel for forming the magnetic layer of the magnetic recording medium and a second vacuum vessel for forming the diamond-like carbon film, provided that the pressure difference between the operation pressures for the first vessel and the second vessel is set in the range of from 10−2 to 10−5 Torr.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a rapid process for treating a substrate with a plasma, such as a film deposition process, an etching process and an ashing process. More particularly, the present invention relates to a rapid process for depositing a diamond-like carbon (hereinafter sometimes abbreviated as "DLC") film having superior properties with respect to wear resistance, surface smoothness, insulating properties, hardness, and the like. The present invention also relates to an apparatus for fabricating, on a polymer substrate, a long-endurable magnetic recording medium suitable for mass production, and yet having high recording density. Accordingly, the application field of the present invention covers a wide area ranging from visual equipments to information apparatuses.
2. Prior Art
The application field of diamond-like carbon films is widely spreading these days because the films are as hard as, or even harder than, the conventionally known hard thin films of, for example, TiC, TiN, SiC, Si3N4, and Al2O3, and yet, the DLC films can be deposited at room temperature without the application of a heating process.
Recently, a plasma treatment is applied in a wide field of industry to not only a semiconductor process but also a surface of a metal, a fiber and a plastic. Main plasma treatments can be classified into a film formation, an etching and an ashing and the like. Physical vapor deposition (PVD) and chemical vapor deposition (CVD) are known as the film formation. Sputtering is the representative process in the field of PVD (physical vapor deposition), while plasma CVD is the typical one in the field of CVD (chemical vapor deposition). Contrary to CVD, the etching and the ashing are processes in which a substance is removed from a substrate surface by a chemical or physical action of active species activated by the plasma. The CVD is generally carried out in a heated atmosphere, and the etching and the ashing are carried out at room temperature.
A low temperature CVD process for forming a film at a low temperature is desired in variety of application fields of CVD in that more kinds of substrate materials can be used in the low temperature CVD process, and cost of the substrate can be reduced by employing the low temperature CVD process. In particular, CVD making use of a kinetic energy of an ion is used for carbon film. The carbon film is formed with the carbon film receiving bombardment by the ion. A bond having a large bond energy is then selectively formed to form a film of high hardness which is collectively called a diamond-like carbon (DLC). Substrate heating is not particularly necessary in the formation of the DLC film as apparent from an elementary process of the formation of the DLC film. Therefore, the DLC films are promising as a variety of protection films from the cost advantage of the DLC films.
A DLC film can be formed by sputtering, e.g. a reactive sputtering using graphite or SiC partially containing silicon as the target material in a mixed gas atmosphere of argon and hydrogen.
FIG. 1 shows schematically the inner structure of a practically used prior art apparatus.
In general, the carbon source material for use as the starting material in the case of forming DLC by CVD include a saturated hydrocarbon gas such as methane (CH4) as described in JP-B-61-53955 or JP-B-62-41476 (the term "JP-B-" as referred to herein signifies an "examined Japanese patent publication") and others containing more carbon atoms per molecule, or an unsaturated hydrocarbon gas such as methylene (C2H4) and others containing more carbon atoms per molecule. Furthermore, the use of substances containing silicon as partial substituents, such as tetramethylsilane (TMS; (CH3)4Si) and tetraethylsilane (TES; (C2H5)4Si) is also studied.
However, with the prior art film deposition methods or processes using the commercially available conventional apparatuses, it is fundamentally difficult to obtain a DLC film at a high rate of film deposition while maintaining its properties as a protective film at a favorably high level. In other words, a film of superior quality can be obtained only at the expense of the high rate of film deposition. Thus, in depositing a film of sufficiently high quality, a film deposition rate which is practically feasible is approximately in the range of from 0.1 to 0.3 μm/min. Moreover, the conventional apparatuses and methods for film deposition fail to achieve a satisfactory level of dehydrogenation to sufficiently accelerate the formation of covalent bonds between carbon atoms during the deposition of the carbon film.
In addition, it has been difficult to generate and maintain a stable plasma in depositing a film over a large area using the above static methods in which the substrates are fixed. The thermal damage which the substrates suffer upon film deposition at high rate also remains as a problems yet to be solved.
Recently, a higher recording density is required for magnetic recording media. Accordingly, the conventional magnetic recording media such as audio and video tapes which have been fabricated by a coating process, i.e., a process which comprises coating a polymer substrate with a magnetic powder of, for example, γ-Fe2O3, CrO, or pure iron, using a binder and an abrasive material, are now being replaced by those having a stable metallic thin-film type magnetic layer obtained by depositing a magnetic metal such as iron (Fe), nickel (Ni), cobalt (Co), and chromium (Cr), using PVD processes (in a broader meaning) such as vacuum deposition, plating, ion plating, and sputtering. In this manner, a magnetic recording media having not only a higher recording density but also a superior coercive force and an improved electromagnetic conversion property can be obtained at a higher productivity.
Recently, the DLC films are also formed using CVD processes represented by a plasma-assisted CVD or any of the PVD processes enumerated above.
It is still difficult to obtain layered thin films having favorable interface characteristics and surface properties using any of the above processes while maintaining a high rate of film deposition, because of the problems such as those associated with the step of air exposure and the like, and the technically difficult ones concerning synchronizing the deposition of the magnetic film and the DLC film at such a high film deposition rate. It is therefore desired to develop a new process of film deposition.

Process for treating a substrate with a plasma

Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.


A method and system include routing telephone calls from multiple private networks via public lines and trunks in a public switched telephone network (PSTN) to a host switch, at which the connections would begin to run parallel. The host switch routes the telephone calls via a private trunk group to a private facility, such as an electronic tandem network (ETN) node or an asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) switch. If the private trunk group is full or unavailable, the host switch routes the telephone calls over alternate private or public trunk groups and selected carriers.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of telecommunications. More particularly, the present invention relates to area wide central exchange service (centrex) and private branch exchange (PBX) systems.
2. Acronyms
The written description provided herein contains acronyms that refer to various telecommunications services, components and techniques, as well as features relating to the present invention. Although some of these acronyms are known, use of these acronyms is not strictly standardized in the art. For purposes of the written description herein, the acronyms are defined as follows:
Access Code (AC)
Advanced Intelligent Network (AIN)
American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII)
Automatic Selection of Facilities-Remote Tie Line (ASF-RTL)
Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM)
Called Party Number (CDN)
Calling Party Number (CPN)
Call Type Code (CTC)
Carrier Identification Code (CIC)
Central Exchange Service (Centrex)
Centralized Route Selection (CRS)
CentrexSMART Front End (CFE)
Custom Virtual Network (CVN)
Customized Dialing Plan-Access Code (CDP-AC)
Direct Inward Dial (DID)
Electronic Tandem Network (ETN)
File Transfer Protocol (FTP)
Initial Address Message (IAM)
Integrated Service Control Point (ISCP)
Interexchange Carrier (IXC)
Local Access and Transport Area (LATA)
Local Exchange Carrier (LEC)
Lucent Service Control Point (LSCP)
Manipulation Dialing Plan (MDP)
Multi-Frequency (MF)
Numbering Plan Area (NPA) a.k.a. area code
North American Numbering Plan (NANP)
Nature Of Number (NON)
Off Hook Delay (OHD)
Original Called Number (OCN),
Outgoing Call Screening (OCS)
Point of Presence (POP)
Private Network (PN)
Privilege Class (PC)
Private Branch Exchange (PBX)
Private Numbering Plan (RXX)
Public Office Dial Plan (PODP)
Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN)
Redirected Number (RDN)
Regional Bell Operating Company (RBOC)
Remote Tie Line Billing Reduction (RBR)
Service Control Point (SCP)
Service Switching Point (SSP)
Signaling System 7 (SS7)
Signaling Transfer Point (STP)
Station Message Detail Recording (SMDR)
Special Dialing Plan (SDP)
Terminating Attempt Trigger (TAT)
Transaction Capabilities Application Part (TCAP)
Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)
Trunk Group (TG)
Usage Billing Reduction (UBR)
Usage Billing Suppression (UBS)
Virtual Private Network (VPN)
3. Background Information
Currently, enterprises are removing private electronic tandem networks (ETNs), which are dependent on a network of private lines, in order to reduce network expenses. With the reduction in prices on public switched telephone network (PSTN) usage and the increase in price of private lines, it is desirable for enterprises to direct their call traffic over the PSTN using a local Regional Bell Operating Company (RBOC) virtual network, if available. Increased use of the PSTN also reduces responsibility for telecommunications maintenance functions within the enterprises' domain, which are inherent with any system dependent on private facilities, such as ETN and asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) facilities. Although many enterprises are comfortable sending as much traffic as possible over the PSTN, they may desire to retain portions of their private facilities, such as ATM backbones and international links, as needed, thus creating the need for a hybrid virtual private network-private network (VPN-PN).
The virtual network market is growing rapidly. Virtual network offerings by the interexchange carriers (IXCs) such as AT&T's Software Defined Network (SDN), MCI's Virtual Networking Service (VNET), and Sprint's Virtual Private Network (VPN) are the primary market players in virtual network services.
AT&T markets SDN primarily to large users and has been one of the most popular services offered by resellers and aggregators. AT&T also offers Software Defined Data Network (SDDN) as an optional feature. SDDN provides data networking capability for its SDN service. SDN provides users with on-line network management capabilities to proactively monitor and control performance, security, accounting, network planning and configuration which is a major strength. AT&T has improved its billing features by introducing OneNet, a new SDN billing service. OneNet combines the charges from a customer's SDN and 800 services onto one bill. OneNet does not, however, provide a predictable monthly bill.
MCI's VNET provides customers with long distance, voice, data and messaging services, both on domestic and international levels. VNET supports voice and data transmission up to 64 Kbps. VNET also provides optional features such as an integrated network management service. A major strength of VNET is the centralized software defined database, which can be controlled directly from a workstation on the customer's premises. MCI also offers MCI Perspective, which is a PC based software analysis tool allowing customers to track, analyze and control their telecommunications billing information. MCI Perspective does not, however, provide a predictable monthly bill.
Sprint's VPN is a voice and data network operated by a single software controlled management system through the use of shared transmission facilities. VPN supports 56 Kbps transmission and was designed for large corporate telecommunications users with multiple locations. Sprint's Insight Executive integrates the network management of VPN with other Sprint services such as 800, WATS, etc. onto a single platform. Another strength is Sprint's Insite ACT, a phone-based service change tool that allows VPN customers to add, change or cancel their VPN service.
In FLEISCHER, III et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,974,133, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, an overlay method and system are described for a multiple location communications network, which provide additional telecommunication services, such as abbreviated dialing plans, automatic selection of routing, centralized access to private and public network facilities, and outgoing call screening. FLEISCHER, III et al.'s system is a good basic system, but provides limited flexibility and offers limited options for automatic selection of routing, centralized access to private network facilities and outgoing call screening. FLEISCHER, III et al.'s system also does not provide predictable periodic billing or centralized data collection.
Routing traffic to hub switches is well known in the field of telecommunications. For example, MOSS et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,917,899, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, teach a method for providing an interLATA virtual private network, using host or "hub" switches in the PSTN to connect calls within the network. An interLATA, intra-network call is routed, based on instructions from an SCP, from an originating switch to a first hub switch within the same LATA as the originating switch and then to a second hub switch within the same LATA as the called party number. MOSS et al.'s system is limited, though, to accommodating abbreviated dialing for in-network calls across more than one LATA. Also, MADOCH et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,995,605, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, teach a hub switch that combines calls from multiple switches to a centrex telephone line into a data stream. The data stream is transmitted over a digital trunk to an information network node servicing a high traffic computer network, such as an Internet access system. MADOCH et al.'s system is limited to routing calls to an information network having a predetermined access number and does not handle routine customer telephone traffic.
The overarching need is to have a comprehensive network alternative to private facilities, such as ETN, including centralized administration of carrier and private route selections as well as centralized call screening functions. Moreover, the "virtual network" should be a uniform application. Currently, the virtual network systems do not provide the needed flexibility for efficiently merging a PSTN system and a private network to maximize call flow efficiency and cost control.
Rather, the systems either restrict calls to the PSTN or to private networks with little flexibility, or the systems route calls over a combination of the PSTN and private networks, based on a real time analysis of trunk and carrier availability, often resulting in duplication of effort or overuse of one of the sets of resources. For example, small remote locations within a private network tend to funnel calls, as a practical matter, through the same ETN node. Use of only private trunk groups in this situation is overly expensive because the call traffic from individual locations is insufficient to warrant the expense of the private lines. Use of only the PSTN therefore appears to be more appropriate. However, at some point, the aggregated calls from several remote locations begin to parallel one another to access the single ETN node, thus overusing the PSTN and causing excessive expense to the customer. A private trunk group dedicated to the ETN node in this situation would handle the call traffic less expensively.
Conventional systems also offer limited reporting functions. For example, current systems produce call data records, referred to as station message detail recording (SMDR), which is used by customers to determine outgoing call activity on a station by station basis. SMDR call details are accessible through an optional SMDR port on a PBX where the call originates, or in the case of centrex, through the serving network central office switch where the call originates. With centrex, SMDR records flow to an SMDR host central processing unit in preparation for SMDR delivery to the customer. The centrex SMDR network is known as centrex station message detail recording and transmission (CentrexSMART). The current centrex and PBX SMDR systems, however, are independent of one another so it is not possible for the customer with both PBX and centrex SMDR records to have the data streams combined and delivered to the customer as one aggregated data stream direct from the serving PBX or network switch.
Furthermore, the collection and dissemination of the SMDR data is currently very decentralized. The SMDR data on which the calling records are based are collected at local service switching points. Therefore, each PBX providing SMDR data requires a specific connection to its SMDR port, and in the case of centrex, each network switch must have direct connectivity to the SMDR host (i.e., CentrexSMART) for the data to be transferred. Also, each switch/PBX must be loaded with a relatively expensive SMDR package, for instructions regarding records to capture and transmit. For example, if the customer's network is serviced by five service switching points, the customer or local exchange carrier must have five SMDR packages loaded at all five locations.

Method and system for processing telephone calls via a remote tie-line