A hand-held dispenser for applying a flowable correction medium on a substrate surface. The correction medium is provided in a reservoir of the dispenser and in fluid communication with an application member at least during operation of the dispenser, when the dispenser is pressed against a substrate surface, such that the correction medium can flow from the reservoir to the application member. The application member is configured and dimensioned such that an application width of the application member can be selected by adjusting the dimensions of a contact region of the application member and the substrate surface. This can be particularly done by adjusting the force and/or the direction by which the application member is pressed against the substrate surface.

The present invention relates generally to a hand-held dispenser for applying a flowable correction medium on a substrate surface.
The application of a correction medium or fluid by means of a pencil or brush is well-known in the art. According to one known technique, a small brush is dipped into the correction fluid in a small container and then the fluid is applied by xe2x80x9cpaintingxe2x80x9d the region to be corrected with the small brush. Typically, such a correction medium is a liquid or a gel having particles dispersed therein. Alternatively, the correction medium can be a gas charged with particles or droplets (aerosol) or a flowable solid such as powder.
Another known technique relates to dispensers in which the correction medium is automatically supplied from a reservoir or container to an application member during the use of the dispenser. Such dispensers are therefore characterized by a flow of the correction medium towards the application member during the use of the dispenser.
Pen like dispensers for correction fluids are well-known. For example U.S. Pat. No. 4,685,820 to Kremer et al. discloses an applicator device for applying a liquid or a flowable solid to a surface. The device comprises a material container and a surface applicator for applying the applicator material to the surface. A valve having a valve element is interposed between the material container and the surface applicator to permit the flow of applicator material to the surface applicator when the valve element is in an open position and to inhibit the flow of applicator material to the surface applicator when the valve element is in a closed position. The surface applicator comprises the distal end portion of the valve element co-operating with the applicator opening when the distal end portion of the valve element is pressed against the surface, thereby forming an annular opening for the flow of the applicator material to apply and disperse the applicator material on the surface. Such an applicator device is suitable for applying liquids such as type writer correction fluids, oils, pains and coatings as well as semi-solids or solids such as glues, gels and powders.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,813,463 to Lin discloses an instantly applicable correction fluid container structure. The device comprises a threaded cap which can semi-automatically dispense the contents via a port on the top of the cap by pressing down the upper conical portion of a spring-biased mounted control portion therein.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,123,766 to Babiak discloses a correction fluid dispensing pen including a cylindrical body formed with a conically tapered forward end, with the forward end including a spherical or brush applicator. The cylindrical body includes an end cap threadedly mounted thereon, with the end cap housing a piston. The piston is biased within the cylindrical body to effect pressurizing of a fluid reservoir contained within the cylindrical body to direct such fluid through the applicator brush or spherical member of the applicator.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,261,755 to Draper et al. discloses a fluid dispenser for depositing a liquid correction fluid onto a print medium, wherein the dispenser is formed of an elongated tubular body having a valve means at one end and being closed at the opposite end for retaining the fluid therein. The tubular body is substantially circular in cross-section at either end and comprises an enlarged body portion of larger cross-section for squeezing the material from the body when the valve is in the open position.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,499,881 to Chang discloses a writing implement with correction supply. U.S. Pat. No. 5,516,223 to Matz et al. discloses a correction fluid including a suspending agent, a binding resin, water and an opacifying pigment. U.S. Pat. No. 4,511,273 to Trotta discloses a correction fluid dispenser having a retractable and lockable sealing tip.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,917,521 to Lai discloses a pen type container for correction fluid with daubing function. A manually-squeezable lever is mounted on the container for rotating the cover. A wedge surface on the cover interior surface is slidably engaged with the wedge surface on the spiral liner wall, such that rotation of the cover causes the spiral liner to move the internal shaft away from the liquid discharge opening at the tip end of the cover.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,971,648 to Koreska discloses a pen for applying a color or correction liquid. U.S. Pat. No. 5,482,393 to Sekiguchi et al. discloses a dispenser for applying correction liquid to writing errors that includes a valving rotary ball which controls the dispensing. The rotary ball is normally biased against a spring member via an elongated biasing element to shut-off dispensing of the correction liquid. To insure integrity of shut-off and dispensing of correction liquid, the biasing member is a cylindrical member which has been integrally been formed at the end distant from the rotary ball to provide an outwardly extending stepped portion which firmly engages with the biasing spring.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,056,949 to Petrillo discloses a correction fluid dispenser with a ball valve comprising a body member adapted to retain a correction fluid and a barrel disposed at one end thereof for delivery of the fluid to a surface. The barrel terminates in an orifice formed by a circular rim with a spherical ball of greater diameter disposed in the barrel at the orifice. The ball is supported by a socket member, the ball and socket member being spring biased toward the orifice. A stop means is provided to prevent the ball from extending entirely within the rim of the orifice.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,716,151 to Satake discloses a coating tool. U.S. Pat. No. 4,572,691 to Kirchhoff et al. discloses a pen-like instrument for applying correction fluid comprising an elongate housing, a bag of thin flexible polymeric film material containing correction fluid within a cavity in the housing, and an applicator tip assembly. The applicator tip assembly comprises a body secured to the housing and the bag and having a through opening. The correction fluid is dispensed through the through opening when an applicator member positioned within the through opening is separated from a lip on the body against the bias of a spring.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,812,071 to Batra, deceased et al. discloses a correction fluid pen for applying a correction fluid, the correction fluid being of the type containing an opaque covering pigment and a volatile solvent.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,923,317 to Bishop et al. discloses a brushless correction fluid applicator for use in applying correction fluid to paper without using a brush. The correction fluid is a suspension including a substantial proportion of white or substantially white particles, such as titanium dioxide, or other color particles. The applicator includes a wear-resistant, porous tip, and a regulator between the tip and the reservoir. The regulator may be formed of foam material, and the tip may be of sturdy porous plastic. The size of the pores in the tip and regulator are large enough so that they do not become clogged with particles in the correction fluid. The regulator prevents the tip from dripping by regulating the rate at which fluid can leave the reservoir. The size of the pores adjacent the reservoir may be different from the size of the pores and passageways adjacent the tip. The applicator may be provided with an air-tight cap to avoid drying out between uses. Alternative embodiments of the applicator include a foam tip with a nylon mesh outer covering for wear resistance, and an internal, pressure-actuated valve may be included to regulate the flow of the correction fluid to the tip.
In view of the above prior art it, a need exists for an improved hand-held dispenser for applying a flowable correction medium on a substrate surface in a more user-friendly manner.
The present invention is directed to a hand-held dispenser for applying a flowable correction medium on a substrate surface. The dispenser comprises a reservoir for housing the correction medium, an application member in fluid communication with the reservoir, and an intermediate element interposed between the application member and the reservoir. In the operating state of the dispenser, in which the dispenser is pressed against the substrate surface, the correction medium can flow from the reservoir to the application member. The application member is designed such that the application width of the application member can be selected by the user by adjusting the force and/or by adjusting the direction in/by which the application member is pressed against the substrate surface. By adjusting the force and/or the direction/angle between the application member the dimensions of the contact region between the application member and the substrate surface can be selected.
In one embodiment, the application member is a rotatable element elastically retractable in the longitudinal direction and, during operation of the dispenser, the correction medium can flow from the reservoir to the application member. The intermediate element is configured to transport the correction medium to the application member, and may be a part of a displaceable portion of a valve mechanism for selectively bringing the reservoir into fluid communication with the application member. The user can select the desired application width of the dispenser as is customary with other pen-like devices. This can be done, for instance, by selecting the dimensions of the contact region of the application member and the substrate surface.
In one embodiment, the tip of the application member can be elastically deformable such that the width of at least the tip of the application member increases when the application member is pressed against the substrate surface. Also, the tip of the application member can be elastically retractable.
The correction medium can consist of an aerosol, a liquid, or a gel having particles dispersed therein, or a flowable solid. A valve mechanism can be provided by means of which the container can be selectively brought in communication with the application member. The valve mechanism can comprise an elastic member such that the valve mechanism is in a closed state as long as there is no inwardly directed thrust force acting on the application member. The valve mechanism opens as soon as the inwardly directed thrust force exceeds a predetermined level.
In one embodiment, the cross-section of the front region of the application member can taper towards the tip of the application member. In another embodiment, the application can be made of a porous or pervious material. The application element can comprise at least one channel parallel to its length direction.
In another embodiment, the application member can be a rotatable element such as a substantially/generally toroidal element or a roller. The cross-section of the outer region of the application member can have an asymmetrically pointed shape. In an alternate embodiment, the application member can be made from a rigid material, and the application member can be held by a transverse bearing axis. An intermediate rotatable element can be provided essentially in contact with the application member to transport the correction medium to the application member. The intermediate rotatable element can be part of the displaceable element of the valve mechanism. Also, the correction medium in the reservoir can be pressurized.

Hand-held dispenser for applying a flowable correction medium on a substrate surface


An information processing system comprises a processor. The processor executes a process that causes the information processing system to perform first writing, when requested to write data, data from which to subtract remainder data obtained by dividing a data size of write target data by a first data size of first processing unit data, the first data size being a size of processing unit data of a reading/writing process in a first storage device, in the write target data requested to be written to the first storage device and second writing the remainder data not being written by the first writing to a second storage device in which to set a second data size of second processing unit data, the second data size being smaller than the first data size of the first processing unit data.

In recent years, a distributed file system has been utilized in the field of information processing apparatuses. The distributed file system includes a storage device shared between or among a plurality of information processing apparatuses via a computer network etc. In the distributed file system, a block size of the storage device is fixed for restraining a decrease in terms of performance (especially a writing speed) in many cases. A block includes a processing unit of a reading/writing process executed by an Operating System (OS) with respect to the storage device such as a Hard Disk Drive (HDD) and a Solid State Disk (SSD).

Information processing system and control method of information processing system


An optical memory medium (2) has cores (21) each constituting a planar optical waveguide and clads (22) sandwiching each core, and has a data image (203) in which data is recorded as a scattering factor and a pair of positioning marks (201, 202) which are scattering factors required for positioning at an interface between a core (21) and a clad (22) or in the core (21). A read light (103) travels while spreading in the core (21) and scatters and interferes by the data image (203), and data is reproduced from a data reproduction light (1031) generated by this scattering and interference. A pair of positioning lights (101, 102) are caused to enter the core (21) with offsets with respect to the read light (103) in opposite directions along a thickness direction of the core (21), and scatter and interfere at the pair of positioning marks (201, 202). Incidence positions of the lights emitted from a light source (11) with respect to the core (21) in a thickness direction of the core (21) are controlled based on intensities of a pair of positioning mark lights (1011, 1021) generated by this scattering and interference.

In recent years, in a field of mobile computing in particular, a demand for a memory which is formed compact, can be easily carried and has a large data capacity has been increased. A planar optical waveguide type optical memory using a planar optical waveguide as a data area can be increased in capacity by superimposing planar optical waveguides, and appears promising as a storage medium in future. Further, an optical memory reproduction apparatus which reproduces data from such a planar optical waveguide type optical memory has been also studied in many ways.
FIG. 1 is a view showing a configuration and a utilization mode of a conventional optical memory reproduction apparatus 1A.
The optical memory reproduction apparatus 1A is an apparatus which reproduces data from an optical memory medium 2 formed by alternately superimposing a core 21 and a clad 22 constituting a planar optical waveguide.
In data reproduction by the optical memory reproduction apparatus 1A, a light source 11 first emits a collimated laser light 1 toward an end surface 200 of the optical memory medium 2. Further, a condenser lens 12 condenses a part of the laser light 111 into a dot-like or a circular pattern, thereby generating a read light 103 which travels in a direction of the optical memory medium 2.
When the read light 103 reaches the end surface 200 of the optical memory medium 2, a part of this light enters the core 21. A data image 203 obtained by two-dimensionally recording data by using a scattering factor is written in an optical coupling area 2103 where the core 21 is coupled with the read light 103. The scattering factor expressing the data image 203 is formed as, e.g., irregularities on an interface between the core 21 and the clad 22 or a change in refraction index of the core 21 in the core 21.
When the read light 103 is coupled in the optical coupling area 2103, the read light 103 scatters and interferes by the data image 203, and exits as a data reproduction light 1031 to the outside of the optical memory medium 2 from the interface between the core and the clad or the inside of the core where the scattering factor is formed through the clad.
Then, the data reproduction light 1031 is imaged by an imaging element 133, and a data reproducing section 14 reproduces data based on an obtained reproduction image.
In order to reproduce data stored in the optical memory medium without an error by using the optical memory reproduction apparatus 1A, a read light must be caused to accurately enter a target core.
It is to be noted that the detail of positioning of the read light is described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2003-51122.
However, the content of Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2003-51122 is an example using a zonal read light which does not spread in the core, and it cannot be applied to positioning of a read light which travels while spreading in a core, e.g., a read light which is condensed toward a focal point and spreads from the focal point. As a result, when a spreading read light is used, positioning of this light cannot be carried out, and realization of such an optical memory reproduction apparatus is obstructed.

Optical memory reproduction apparatus and incidence positioning method for read light thereof

Nippon Telephone & Telegraph Corporation


A five-direction switch base structure includes a bottom rest, four base components, and two outer covers. A self-luminous push switch is centrally selectively disposed at the bottom rest. The base components each have one side selectively disposed with a self-luminous tactile switch and another side corresponding in position to four sides of the bottom rest so as to be inserted into and fixed to the bottom rest to therefore form a base structural body. The two outer covers cover the self-luminous push switch from above such that, after the base components have been coupled together to form the base structural body, the base structural body and the self-luminous push switch are fixed to each other to form two connection layers. Hence, the base structural body comprising the bottom rest and the base components enables switch installation to take place in five directions, namely forward, backward, leftward, rightward, and upward.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to structural design of tactile switches, and more particularly, to a five-direction switch base structure operable in five directions, namely forward, backward, leftward, rightward, and upward.
2. Description of Related Art
A commercially-available two-stage switchable microswitch structure comprises: a base; an axial cylinder slidably disposed in the base; a receiving tank with an inner wall guiding and moving the axial cylinder to thereby enable the axial cylinder to attain a first position and a second position, wherein the receiving tank has therein a first electrode, a second electrode, and a third electrode; a conductive leaf spring disposed on the axial cylinder and movable to the first position or the second position together with the axial cylinder to come into contact with the first electrode and the third electrode and come into contact with the second electrode and the third electrode; and a light-emitting diode (LED) disposed in the axial cylinder, wherein a user presses the axial cylinder to electrically connect the first electrode to the third electrode or electrically connect the second electrode to the third electrode, thereby acquiring a sense of touch pertaining to two-stage switching and enhancing ease of use by emitting light from the LED.
Another commercially-available self-luminous tactile switch essentially comprises a seat, a base, an LED, and an embedding mold terminal and is characterized in that an n-shaped bend portion is disposed at each of the ends of conducting pins of the LED, such that the conducting pins of the LED can get connected to the embedding mold terminal twice consecutively, wherein the embedding mold terminal has a switch conducting terminal and LED positive and negative poles, such that circuit conduction begins by means of a round leaf spring as soon as a contact of the switch conducting terminal comes into contact with the round leaf spring, thereby allowing the LED to form a self-contained conducting mechanism by means of the self-contained feature of the embedding mold terminal.
The two aforesaid products indicate that conventional tactile switches operate mostly by a unidirectional mechanism from which additional functions can be derived but are seldom explored with a view to developing their multiple-direction operability. However, considering the increasingly diverse functions and intricate structures of electrical apparatuses nowadays, switches operating in a single direction are going to fall short of requirements and thus will inevitably drop out of the market in the near future.


A method of reparing a worn flight bar is accomplished by first removing by torch cutting the worn ends of the flight bar. Replacement endpieces having an outer surface profile matching that of a new flight bar and an inner face configured to match the cut face of the flight bar ends are secured thereto by welding. Each profiled replacement endpiece is preferably formed by drop forging and contains welding chamfers and seating lands formed around the inner face thereof to insure strong weld joints and reproducible dimensional accuracy.

The invention relates generally to methods of repairing worn wear parts and, more particularly, to the refurbishment of worn flight bars used in chain scraper conveyors to transport coal in longwall mining, for example. It is common in longwall mining to transport the cut coal from the shearing face of the seam by way of a so-called armored face conveyor or "AFC" in order to move high tonnages of coal from the area of the mining machine to a main conveyor belt and, thence, out of the mine. A typical AFC is made up of a number of interconnected line pans having profiled side channel guides, commonly referred to as "sigma sections", so named due to the close similarity of their cross-sectional configuration with that of the capital Greek letter. A plurality of elongated flight bars, interconnected by one or two continuous chains, slide along the line pans to move the cut coal therein. The ends of the flight bars are specially contoured to slidably fit within the contoured sigma sections of the line pans and are guided with minimum friction therein, while wedging of material is also minimized. The flight bars are slidably dragged along the line pan by the attached endless chains which, in turn, are driven by powerful motors.
As can be appreciated, there is a great deal of sliding contact between the profiled ends of the flight bars and the similarly contoured and closely fitting sigma sections of the line pans. In order to minimize wear and damage to the more expensive line pan, the sigma sections generally are hardened to a higher degree than the profiled flight bar ends. Thus, after a period of time, the softer end portions of the flight bars become worn down to a degree that excessive clearances develop between the flight bar end portions and the sigma sections and the required guidance provided by the sigma sections is no longer present. When this condition develops, the worn flight bars shift and misalign which can cause serious line breakage and equipment shut-down if the problem is not corrected.
Heretofore, it has been common practice in the coal mining industry to remove and scrap the worn flight bars and replace them with flight bars in a newly manufactured condition. Needless to say, this is an expensive practice which has received some considerable attention in the past, but has yet to be rectified until the present invention.
As stated, prior attempts to repair worn flight bars have not proved entirely successful. One such repair method proposed to build-up or reconstruct the worn tips by hardforming, that is, by direct weld deposition on the worn areas of the flight bar. If the amount of deposited weld material becomes too great in certain areas, it has been found that the hardness of the surface coating will vary, which proves troublesome due to differential wearing. It is also very expensive and difficult to duplicate the complex surface profile geometry of the original flight bar tip by welding or hardforming. When the original tip profile is not duplicated to a substantial degree, the repaired flight bar will cause objectionable increased wear or jamming in the profiled sigma sections of the line pans. Hence, the desired smooth running chain scraper operation will not be realized.
Prior attempts to repair worn flight bars have also utilized a method in which the worn tips were cut off in a straight cut and then a flat faced, bar shaped tip was welded thereon. The welds along interface between the old flight bar and replacement tips were, typically, linearly extending welds, running in a plane co-extensive with the conveying direction. It was found that the forces occurring between the flight bar and the welded-on tips caused high stress areas in the welds and caused the tips to fracture and break off in subsequent service. In addition, the profiles of the endpiece inserts had to be finally shaped by welding deposition to match the original tip profile and this feature proved to be both costly and unsatisfactory due to the inability to consistently reproduce the original tip profile.
The present invention solves the problems heretofore encountered by providing a method of repairing worn flight bars in an economical manner which produces refurbished flight bars having substantially the same tip profiles as newly manufactured flight bars. In addition, the present invention provides a repair method for producing refurbished flight bars having end pieces that will better withstand mining conditions so as to increase the life of the repaired flight bar. Still further, the present invention contemplates a method of repairing flight bars which provides a welding plane configuration which better distributes the loading forces imposed on the flight bar during operation so as to minimize weld fracture problems. In addition, the present invention provides a method of repairing flight bars in a fast and economical manner which includes the use of shaped surfaces on the flight bar and replacement endpieces which fit together in a self-aligning manner for ease in welding, while also assuring reproducible dimensional tolerance control.


A method is provided for autonomously operating a vehicle. The method includes receiving, at a processor, at least vehicle state data and vehicle object environment data; generating, with the processor, an optimal path for the vehicle with a cost function based on the vehicle state data and the vehicle object environment data; identifying, with the processor, at least one critical condition constraint based on at least one of the vehicle or vehicle environment; modifying, with the processor, at least a first portion of the optimal path based on the at least one critical condition constraint to result in a short-range trajectory portion; generating a resulting trajectory with the short-range trajectory portion; and implementing the resulting trajectory on the vehicle.

An autonomous vehicle is a vehicle that is capable of sensing and navigating its environment with little or no user input. Vehicle automation has been categorized into numerical levels ranging from Level Zero, corresponding to no automation with full human control, to Level Five, corresponding to full automation with no human control. Various automated driver-assistance systems, such as cruise control, adaptive cruise control, and parking assistance systems correspond to lower automation levels, while true "driverless" vehicles correspond to higher automation levels. Even though autonomous vehicles have made great advances in recent years, designers continue to seek improvements, particularly with respect to navigation functionality such as trajectory planning.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide systems and methods that perform improved trajectory planning for autonomous driving systems, particularly systems and methods that addresses various driving environments and conditions. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the systems and methods will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background.

Autonomous vehicle driving systems and methods for critical conditions


According to an embodiment, a translation unit translates a first sentence in a first language into a sentence in a second language using parallel translations. A next utterance table includes first identification information distinguishing between a sentence in the first language and a sentence in the second language included in the parallel translation and includes second identification information identifying a sentence previously selected as the next utterance of the sentence indicated by the first identification information. An acquiring unit acquires next utterance candidates, which are sentences indicated by the second identification information associated with the first identification information of the first sentence. If the selected next utterance candidate is the first language, the translation unit translates the selected next utterance candidate into the second language. If the selected next utterance candidate is the second language, the translation unit translates the selected candidate into the first language.

In recent years, with the globalization of culture and economy, there is an increasing demand for a translation device that supports communication between people who have different mother tongues. For example, Japanese Patent No. 3962766 discloses a technique in which the conversation history of the user is stored in a database and the next utterance of the user is predicted and suggested with reference to the conversation history.
However, in the technique disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 3962766, the amount of data of the conversation history increases in proportion to the number of times the conversion support apparatus is used. Therefore, a high-capacity storage device is needed, which increases the costs.

Translation device and computer program product


An ultrasonic welder includes dynamic adjustment of a weld parameter used to control welds of weld cycles during serial operation of the ultrasonic welder. The ultrasonic welder includes a power supply controlled by a controller and the controller sets a value of the weld parameter for a next weld cycle based on a value of a stack heat energy parameter indicative of heat energy in the ultrasonic stack prior to beginning the next weld cycle. The controller controls the power supply based on the value set for the weld parameter to control a weld in the next weld cycle.

This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
A model of a typical ultrasonic plastic welder 100 is shown in FIG. 1. Typical components of ultrasonic plastic welder 100 include an ultrasonic stack 101 having an ultrasonic transducer 102, a booster 104, and an ultrasonic horn 106. As is commonly understood by those of skill in the art of ultrasonic welding, an ultrasonic horn is a metal bar that transfers mechanical energy from the ultrasonic transducer to the work piece. The ultrasonic horn is typically one-half wavelength long at the resonant frequency that is produced by the ultrasonic transducer. Electrical energy from a power supply 122 at a frequency of 20-60 kHz is converted to mechanical energy by the ultrasonic transducer 102. The mechanical energy converted in the ultrasonic transducer 102 is transmitted to an application 108, such as two parts 112, 114 that are to be welded together, through the booster 104 and the ultrasonic horn 106. The booster 104 and the ultrasonic horn 106 perform the functions of transmitting the mechanical energy as well as transforming mechanical vibrations from the ultrasonic transducer 102 by a gain factor. The ultrasonic welder 100 is controlled by a controller 124 that has inputs and outputs coupled to the applicable components of ultrasonic welder 100. It should be understood that power supply 122 can include controller 124 (as shown in FIG. 1) or controller 124 can be a separate device from power supply 122.
The mechanical vibration that results on a horn tip 110 is the motion that performs the task of welding the parts 112, 114 together, which in the following example are plastic parts. Horn tip 110 may be made of titanium or other high strength, hard material. The parts 112, 114 to be welded together are placed adjacent to the horn tip 110, such as being placed together on an anvil 120. The horn tip 110 is brought into contact with top part 112 to be welded. The ultrasonic horn 106 oscillates in a manner to impart vertical oscillations in the plastic pieces. That is, the ultrasonic horn causes oscillatory compression/decompression of the plastic parts with respect to each other causing surfaces of the plastic parts abutting each other at a weld interface to be heated, eventually melting together.
Most ultrasonic weld processes are processes controlled by a weld parameter. The weld parameter is a parameter that is used to determine when to stop the application of weld energy—the mechanical vibrations—to the parts being welded. In one example, the weld parameter is time in which case the weld process is a time controlled process where the mechanical vibrations are applied to the parts being welded for a predetermined period of time to which the weld parameter was set. In another example, the weld parameter is energy in which case the weld process is an energy controlled process where the mechanical vibrations are applied to the parts being welded until a predetermined amount of energy to which the weld parameter was set has been utilized. In another example, the weld parameter is a collapse distance in which case the weld process is a weld by collapse distance process where the mechanical vibrations are applied to the parts being welded until they have collapsed together by a predetermined distance to which the weld parameter was set. In this regard, collapse distance is often determined by the distance that the ultrasonic horn tip moves toward the anvil once the two parts being welded begin to melt together. It should be understood that other weld parameters can be utilized, such absolute distance, comparative distance, frequency, amplitude, amplitude profile, force, force profile, power output, temperature, and approach speed.
Ultrasonic welders used in automated installation are typically employed under stable operating conditions for best operation. Stable operating conditions are achieved when the stack has reached a stable temperature after a ramp-up phase. The ramp-up phase is the time after being idle or shutdown and the weld installation welds the first parts in series production of the production cycle until the time at which the stack has carried out a enough welds to reach a stable temperature. At the beginning of the ramp-up phase the stack has a lower temperature, for example the temperature of the environment where the welder is installed. The stack warms up as the ramp-up phase continues until it reaches a stable temperature. The ramp-up phase ends when the stack reaches a stable temperature.
A steady state condition is when the ultrasonic stack has reached a nominal stable temperature which is typically considered as occurring once ultrasonic welder has performed a sufficient number of weld operations for the ultrasonic stack to have reached the nominal stable temperature. However, the ultrasonic welder typically is never at a true steady state condition as the temperature of its ultrasonic stack can still vary even after reaching the nominal stable temperature such as due to changes in the ambient temperature of the area in which it is located. For example, the ambient temperature of an area of a factory in which the ultrasonic welder is located may be several degrees lower during the early morning than during the late afternoon. This difference in ambient temperature will affect the temperature of the ultrasonic stack even though the ultrasonic welder has been running continuously throughout the day.
As the temperature of the ultrasonic stack varies, so too does the heat energy in the ultrasonic stack. An increase in temperature of the ultrasonic stack results in increased heat energy in the ultrasonic stack and conversely, a decrease in temperature of the ultrasonic stack results in decreased heat energy in the ultrasonic stack. Variations in heat energy in the ultrasonic stack can cause variations in weld results of the ultrasonic welder. In this regard, the weld parameter used for the weld process is typically set for when the ultrasonic stack is at the steady state condition. Thus, as the heat energy in the ultrasonic stack varies due to variations in temperature of the ultrasonic stack, there can be resulting variations in weld results.

Dynamic adjustment of weld parameter of an ultrasonic welder


A memory array, and in particular, an embedded memory array is tested by interfacing to a stimulus generator and a response evaluator pair. In a non-test condition the pair is steered in a transparent mode, and in a test condition in a stimulus generating mode and a response evaluating mode respectively. In a subsequent array repair condition row and/or column-based repair intervention are allowed. In particular, the evaluator will evaluate correspondence between successive fault patterns, and further in a fault response signalizing mode to external circuitry on the basis of a predetermined correspondence between an earlier fault pattern and a later fault pattern signalize one of the two compared patterns only in the form of a lossless compressed response pattern.

The invention relates to a method as recited in the preamble of claim 1. Stand-alone memory integrated circuit chips have been growing in size during many years. Large-size memories, and in particular DRAMs, suffer from low manufacturing yield. It has become common practice to provide such memory arrays with spare rows and/or columns that may be used after testing to repair a faulty array by replacing a faulty row or column, respectively. In common manufacturing practice, a 2% redundancy may triple manufacturing yield. Testing of memory arrays has become a refined art, based on presenting the array with many test stimuli with a prescribed content and in a prescribed sequence, and subsequently reading the stored content for comparison with the expected response. The combination of stimulus and expected response is sometimes called the test pattern.
Of late, processing or similar other circuitry has been combined with a large amount of so-called embedded memory. The nature of such other circuitry is not critical to the present invention, inasmuch as it may be a conventional instruction-based processor, a single-purpose digital logical circuit, circuitry for treating analog signals, and a multitude of other items. For digital processing, the setup often allows an increased communication bandwidth between logic on the one hand and memory on the other hand, than between the overall circuit and the environment, both in terms of data path width and also in terms of bit rate per wire. Similar arguments apply to situations where at least part of the operations are analog. In general, the memory to a large extent is isolated from the chip""s surroundings. Furthermore, in contradistinction with stand-alone memory arrays, the embedded array often has a much larger number of I/O bit terminals than the overall chip has available data pins. Hence, immediate access to the array is often unfeasible.
Furthermore, due to the large number of test patterns required, parallel-to-serial conversion of the complete response patterns for external verification would appreciably slow down the execution of the test. On the other hand, restricting to an inexpensive on-chip pass/fail determination, such as through a signature-generating mechanism or through a xe2x80x9chalt on first faultxe2x80x9d, would not allow to execute the repair operations.
On the other hand, providing the whole test and repair circuitry on-chip is relatively complicated and hence, expensive, inter alia because the test result should provide on-chip pointers to the various fault locations for repair. Therefore, an improved trade-off should require only moderate extensions of the on-chip facilities, while at the other hand necessitating only little communication with the external world, whilst still providing a lossless compressed response pattern.
In consequence, amongst other things, it is an object of the present invention to provide facilities for generating an abbreviated test result, based on the recognition that many tested addresses, even if faulty, will result in identical fault response patterns, and therefore would allow the use of certain compression or extraction procedures without loss of information.
Now therefore, according to one of its aspects, the invention is characterized according to the characterizing part of claim 1. The invention also relates to a memory-based device being arranged for implementing a method as claimed in claim 1. Further advantageous aspects of the invention are recited in dependent Claims.

Method and apparatus for testing a memory array using compressed responses


A method (and system) of conducting business electronically between a first party and a second party, includes providing a third party who knows the identity of the first party but no privacy-compromising information regarding a proposed electronic business transaction between the first and second parties, and conducting the electronic business transaction between the first and second parties through the third party such that the identity of the first party is kept from the second party.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and system for performing commerce, and more preferably to a method and system for performing electronic commerce (i.e., "e-commerce") with full anonymity for the participants.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, rapid development of electronic commerce over the Internet has occurred. However, a perceived problem of this new type of commerce is that many consumers are still afraid of the lack of privacy protection to which one is exposed by using electronic commerce and other usage of the Internet.
However, in reality, several policies and technologies exist which allow to use the benefits of electronic commerce with complete protection of privacy and even complete anonymity. For instance, protocols for anonymously buying solid goods and electronic goods have been disclosed respectively in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/129,826, filed on Aug. 5, 1998, entitled "Method and apparatus for remote commerce with customer anonymity", by M. Shub et al., and in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/569,068, filed on May 11, 2000, entitled "Achieving Buyer-Seller Anonymity for Unsophisticated Users Under Collusion Amongst Intermediaries" by P. Dubey et al. However, despite these advances in security, there is still a perceived lack of privacy and security in performing e-commerce by a wide majority of potential users.
Further, previously, in the context of regular contact between a commercial organization and a customer, where the nature of the transaction heavily depends on some collection of data associated to/with the customer, such as the precise contract, past information, information about the transaction being made, etc., conventional methods forced the data to be attached to the identity of the customer (e.g., the word "forced" should be understood as "forced up to unbearable duress").
With the development of Information Technology, such data were first input in a computer system for better handling and processing of the transaction. A next stage of development of Information Technology allowed making heavier use of the computer, in particular for data mining, to better evaluate the risk associated to each customer, to evaluate the risk of portfolios, to perform customer segmentation for different purposes (commercial and marketing strategy, pricing, etc.), and other aspects of business intelligence and use of advanced analytics.
However, using such a method of business intelligence has arguably been a first serious blow to customer privacy, just because business intelligence allows a company to learn more about their customers than what the customers have willingly (or knowingly) approved.
Because business intelligence has become so precious, both for marketing and related functions, and for customer relationship management purposes, some companies have used data about their customers as an asset that they would sell to other companies. This has been another serious breach to customer privacy.
While trying to limit privacy violations, and even trying to restore fuller privacy than was ever possible before the beginning of modem Information Technology, it is still desirable to achieve this goal without compromising the analytic tools which have allowed better customer understanding and thereby better pricing. Otherwise, without these tools being available to the relevant industry and marketers, the customer would have to pay for the price of reduced commercial efficiency.

Method and system for commerce with full anonymity

International Business Machines Corporation


A thick aesthetic laminate surface layer is achieved by using pre-cured particulates of the impregnating resin along with an initial binder material and preferably also abrasion resistant mineral particles. The protective overcoating may be applied in a thick layer to give gouge resistance and a deep look. Because the impregnating resin and the pre-cured particulates have the same index of refraction, the transparency of the coating and the resultant clarity of the underlying decor sheet are excellent.

Decorative laminates have been conventionally made by stacking a plurality of layers of paper impregnated with synthetic thermosetting resins. Normally, the assembly consists of a plurality (for example, three to eight) core sheets made from phenolic resin impregnated Kraft paper, above which lies a decor sheet, usually a print or solid color, impregnated with melamine resin. An overlay sheet is often provided on top of the decor sheet which, in the laminate, is made to be as transparent as possible and which provides protection for the decor sheet.
Early attempts to eliminate or simplify or improve the overlay sheet are exemplified in the Fuerst U.S. Pat. No. 3,373,071 and the Michl U.S. Pat. No. 3,135,643. The technique of these patents was to impregnate the decor sheet with plain melamine resin and then apply a thick coating to the surface of the impregnated sheet using a relatively viscous mixture of 2,000-60,000 cp. As a result, the viscous coating dried on the surface of the saturated decor sheet thus in essence forming an overlay sheet in situ. Insofar as is known, laminate made in this fashion never achieved substantial commercial utilization, except possibly for flooring material, probably because the expense involved, including double handling, i.e. first saturating the impregnated sheet and then coating it, did not justify any modicum of improvement over the use of conventional overlay, or more probably because the resultant laminate was not of sufficient quality for commercial purposes, e.g. cracks, creasing, undue stiffness, insufficient overlay transparency, etc.
The manufacture of laminate tile for flooring using similar techniques has been practiced for many years, but solid colors are so lacking in clarity, i.e. muddy-looking, that they are commercially unsatisfactory, and such flooring tile is commercially suitable only for patterns which, because the floor is so far from the eyes can tolerate poor resolution.
A later attempt to provide a more transparent yet fully protective layer over the decor sheet is discussed in the Chevallier U.S. Pat. No. 3,968,291 where barium sulfate is utilized as a particulate filler material in the overlay sheet, the patentee having determined that barium sulfate has an index of refraction which is closer to the melamine resin than other fillers, thereby increasing the transparency of the overlayer and consequently the clarity of the decor sheet therebelow. This product also has never achieved any commercial acceptance, possibly for the same reasons as indicated above relative to the Fuerst and Michl patents.
More recently, the present art has been revolutionized by the development of the NEVAMAR ARP.RTM. technology, reference being made to Scher et al U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,255,480; 4,395,452; 4,430,375; Re 32,152; 4,263,081; 4,327,141; 4,400,423; Ungar et al U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,713,138; 4,517,235; 4,520,062; 5,037,694; 5,093,185; Lex et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,971,855; and O'Dell et al U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,499,137; 4,532,170; and 4,567,087. In the ARP.RTM. technology the overlayer which protects the decor sheet from abrasion is greatly reduced in thickness so as to provide a highly concentrated layer of abrasion resistant particles bound to the upper surface of the upper paper layer, usually the decor sheet. This technology not only provides improved abrasion resistance over earlier technologies, but provides increased transparency because of the ultra-thinness of the protective layer.
The ARP.RTM. technology has served the industry and the public very well, laminate product made according to this technology being recognized as a superior product and being in great demand. Even so, the need continues for a super clear deep look in a decorative laminate having good gouge resistance and NEMA abrasion resistance characteristics, especially such a laminate having a decorative appearance which is clear and bright, but which appears to be below the upper surface of the laminate. Moreover, even in thinner protective coatings, it would be desirable to retain excellent wear and abrasion resistance while reducing pressing plate die wear and tool wear on the tools which are used to cut the laminate.

Abrasion-resistant, aesthetic surface layer laminate


A hose assembly suited for delivering viscous material to a dispenser nozzle at a controlled viscosity and temperature. The hose assembly includes a jacketed hose including an outer hose positioned around an inner hose carrying the mastic and defining an annular passage between the inner hose and the outer hose, and a hose cover assembly adapted to be releasably wrapped around a further remote hose carrying the mastic. The cover assembly includes an elongated strip of flexible material including generally parallel opposite longitudinal edges; a plurality of tubes embedded in the strip and running longitudinally through the strip; and coacting interengagable quick release means (such as a zipper) on the opposite longitudinal edges of the strip to enable the strip to be wrapped around the hose and secured in position around the hose by releasable interengagement of the quick release means.

This invention relates to a hose cover and a hose assembly utilizing the hose cover.
There are many industrial applications (for example the manufacture of motor vehicles) where it is necessary to provide a bead of viscous adhesive material for application to a surface of a part to facilitate the attachment of the part to other parts. The adhesive bead is typically provided by a system including an adhesive pump supplying adhesive material to a nozzle which may, for example, be mounted on a robot so as to allow the nozzle to be movable by the robot in any desired motion program so as to apply a predetermined pattern of adhesive beading to the part. In order for such systems to operate successfully, it is important that the viscosity of the adhesive bead be carefully controlled at all times so as to provide a desired and preprogrammed flow of the adhesive bead onto the surface of the part. Control of the rate of flow of the adhesive material involves, among other parameters, control of the temperature of the adhesive. Whereas various systems have been proposed to control the temperature of the adhesive flowing between the adhesive pump and the nozzle, the prior art systems are either ineffective to precisely control the temperature and thereby the viscosity of the adhesive and/or are unduly complicated and unduly expensive.


The invention relates to a hyperblebbing strain of Neisseria gonorrhoeae which produces large amounts of blebs useful for production of blebosomes containing antigens for use as a vaccine delivery vehicle or as a diagnostic reagent. The invention also relates to a method for producing high levels of a desired protein in purified form using the hyperblebbing strain of N. gonorrhoeae, and to a vaccine delivery systems containing the blebosomes expressing the desired antigen.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention provides compositions comprising blebosomes which express an immunogenic polypeptide specific for a disease, methods of manufacturing the same, methods for detecting antibodies specific for said immunogenic polypeptides and methods for immunizing an animal using said blebosomes.
2. Discussion of the Background
Immunization is a principal feature for improving the health of infants and young children. Despite the availability of a variety of successful vaccines against most of the common childhood illnesses, infectious diseases remain a leading cause of death in children. Significant problems inherent in existing vaccines include the need for repeated immunizations, and the ineffectiveness of the current vaccine delivery systems for a broad spectrum of diseases.
The number of successful approaches to vaccine development is almost as broad as the number of infectious agents. As technology has developed, it has become possible to define at the molecular level the nature of the protective immunogen. In recent years, acellular vaccines have become the method of choice for vaccine development because they can be administered with subunits from a variety of pathogens (i.e. multicomponent vaccines) and they have the potential for reduced numbers of adverse reactions. Subunit vaccines are composed of defined purified protective antigens from pathogenic microorganisms.
Perhaps the best example of success with subunit vaccines is the current vaccine that prevents diseases caused by H. influenzae. A conjugate vaccine composed of H. influenzae polyribosyl ribitol phosphate (PRP) capsular polysaccharide conjugated to an outer membrane protein complex (OMPC) from N. meningitidis has proven to be safe and effective in generating protective immune responses in infants as young as 2 months of age. Covalent coupling of PRP to OMPC results in a conjugate that effectively mediates carrier priming and additionally provides an insoluble particulate antigen containing lipooligo-saccharides (LOS) which have adjuvant activity. This vaccine is widely accepted as safe and effective in reducing the incidence of morbidity and mortality associated with diseases caused by H. influenzae (Stover, C. K. et al., Nature 351:456-460, 1991; Husson, R. N. et al., J. Bacteriol. 172: 519-524, 1990; Jacobs, W. R. et al., Curr. Top. Microbiol. Immunol. 155:153-160, 1990; Jacobs, W. R. et al., Nature 327: 532-535, 1987. All documents cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference).
Although there have been a few stunning successes, a small number of subunit vaccines are currently in use. Perhaps the most daunting reason impeding the use of subunit vaccines is the problem of antigen delivery. For optimal antigen delivery, the antigen needs to be delivered to the antigen presenting cells in its biological context, or the antigen needs to be readily recognized and taken up by phagocytes. Most antigens possess three dimensional structures that are important for parasite-host cell interactions and many of these structures are lost during antigen purification.
One approach taken to circumvent most of the problems associated with subunit vaccine production is the development of live recombinant vaccine vehicles, based on attenuated viruses and bacteria that have been genetically engineered to express protective antigens in vivo (i.e. recombinant forms of vaccinia virus, adenovirus, Salmonella and mycobacterium tuberculosis typhus bonivur var. Bacille-Calmette-Guerin or BCG) (Snapper, S. B. et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci USA 85:6987-6991, 1988; Jackett, P. S. et al., J. Clin. Micro. 26:2313-2318, 1988; Lamb, J. R. et al., Rev. Infect. Dis. 11:S443-S447, 1989; Shinnick, T. M. et al., Infect. Immun. 56:446-451, 1988).
Live vaccines present advantages in that the antigen is expressed in the context of an innately immunogenic form; the live delivery system replicates and persists in the host, restimulating the host immune system and obviating the need for multiple doses; live vector systems eliminate the need to purify the antigen, and are less expensive to produce; and live vectors can be designed to deliver multiple antigens, reducing the number of times an individual must be vaccinated.
Investigators developing Escherichia coli and Salmonella as live vaccine vehicles have developed export vectors utilizing flagella, fimbriae or major outer membrane proteins (OmpA and LamB) as carriers to export protective epitopes to the surface of the bacterial vaccine vehicle (Stover, C. K. et al., Infect. Immun. 58: 1360-1475, 1990; Thole, J. E. R. et al., Infect. Immun. 55:1466-1475, 1988). However, the approach of grafting epitopes into these surfaces is limited, as only small epitopes may be inserted, and the epitopes are presented in a context of a foreign protein that may limit its ability to assume its native conformation.
In order to develop vaccines against pathogens that have been recalcitrant to vaccine development, and/or to overcome the failings of commercially available vaccines due to underutilization, new methods of antigen presentation must be developed which will allow for fewer immunizations, and/or fewer side effects to the vaccine. A new vaccine delivery system is described in this application which is based on Neisseria gonorrhoeae as a host, a bacterium that naturally turns over its outer membrane into easily isolated immunogenic blebs.
N. gonorrhoeae is a human pathogen of mucosal surfaces. N. gonorrhoeae is a Gram-negative bacteria with an undulating outer membrane which appears as a bilayered structure (Reviewed In: The Gonococcus, P. B. Roberts (Ed.). Wiley, New York). The chromosome of the gonococcus contains approximately 2.1.times.10.sup.6 nucleotide pairs. During log phase, the gonococcus forms cell wall blebs which are produced by budding of the outer membrane (Schorr, J. B. et al., Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press Vaccines 91:387-392, 1991). These blebs are spherical and are surrounded by a bilayer membrane-like structure. Blebs derived from Neisseria have a liposomal three-dimensional structure and provide immune stimulation (adjuvant activities) to antigens covalently coupled to them (Brandt, M. E. et al., Infect. Immun. 58:983-991, 1989). Protein profiles from gonococcal blebs closely resemble those proteins seen in the outer membrane of the gonococcus (Melchers, F. et al., J. Erp. Med. 142:473-482, 1975). Gonococcal blebs contain on their surface proteins I (Pistor, S. and G. Hobom, Wochenschr. 66:110, 1988), II (Bakker, D. et al., Microb. Path. 8:343-352, 1990), and H8 (Charbit, A. et al., EMBO 5(11):3029-3037, 1986). In addition, they contain gonococcal lipooligosaccharide (LOS).
Much work has been done on characterizing the cell surface antigens of the gonococcus, and many of the genes encoding the protein antigens have been cloned and their DNA sequences determined (Vodkin, M.H. and Williams, J. C., J. Bact. 170:1227-1234, 1988; Young, D. L. et al., Infect. Immun. 54(l):177-183, 1986; Young, D. R. et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A 85:4267-4270, 1998; Newton, S. M. et al., Science 244:70-244, 1989). Studies on biosynthesis and the genetics underlying the biosynthesis of each of the LOS components are far enough along to allow for the successful construction of strains with a defined LOS structure and a stable cell surface. Neisseria mutants that are deficient for LOS and other cell surface proteins have been well described and can be easily produced. Furthermore, gonococcal blebs are easy to isolate and vectors for the genetic manipulations of Neisseria already exist.
Blebosomes are advantageous over liposomes as carriers of antigens. Liposomes are artificially made and proteins of interest are either entrapped in them or chemically conjugated to their surface. The blebosomes of the present invention require no special treatment, and proteins are folded naturally by native enzymes and can be engineered to be expressed inside or outside the bleb.
The present invention provides a vaccine delivery system comprising engineered N. gonorrhoeae wherein, said bacteria expresses and directs any heterologous target antigen to its outer membrane. The outer membrane with the antigenic protein is naturally sloughed off in gonococcal blebs during cell growth. The resulting target antigen-membrane bleb complex or blebosome is easy to isolate and would represent a non-living but immunogenic cell-like particle which can be used to elicit a protective immune response.
Free blebbing, or hyperblebbing strains allow for the necessary production of large amounts of blebosomes for use in a vaccine. In order to commercially produce a vaccine based on gonococcal blebs, it must be possible to produce large quantities of blebosomes. Although all gonococcal strains produce blebs, the yield tends to be low, and prohibitive for use as a vaccine delivery system. A strain that hyperblebs gives the required high yield of blebs for economic production of a vaccine. Such a hyperblebbing strain has not yet been described in the literature. Therefore, there is a need for a strain of N. gonorrhoeae which is able to hyperbleb in order to economically produce quantities of blebosomes containing the target antigens in amounts sufficient for use as a vaccine delivery system.


A container for food processing including an upwardly opening receptacle with a cover selectively sealed thereto and retained by pivotally mounted handles including outer retention bars which downwardly engage against the cover and include depending clips which lock beneath lugs on the receptacle. The cover includes a pressure responsive central domed portion and a selectively openable venting port.

The present invention generally relates to food processing containers, and is particularly concerned with containers specifically adapted for preparation of kimchi, a national dish of Korea prepared as a "vegetable pickle" seasoned with garlic, red pepper and ginger.
Kimchi is prepared through a fermentation process, typically within large crockery pots with lids adapted to contain elevated pressures generated during the fermentation process.
The length of the fermentation process is normally approximately eight days. However, this is rather inexact and may vary in accord with the specific quantity and quality of the ingredients. Conventionally, at what is deemed to be an appropriate time, the lid of the pot is removed and the contents inspected. This of course releases the internal gases and the pressure generated thereby. With the conventional crockery pot, there is no good or accurate way to determine the progress of the fermentation process without an actual opening of the pot and a visual inspection of the contents. If, upon removal of the cover, it is found that the fermentation process has not in fact progressed to an acceptable point, it may be necessary to start the process all over again. By the same token, if the process has proceeded beyond an acceptable point, the resultant product itself may be unacceptable.
Thus, the preparation of kimchi using conventional means is a trial and error procedure at least until one reaches a degree of skill enabling proper preparation based on developed knowledge.
It is also to be appreciated that the gases generated during the fermentation process can be quite odiferous. As such, the instantaneous and total release thereof by a removal of the cover for a direct inspection of the contents of the pot can be unsettling, particularly to those new to the preparation of kimchi.


A system, computer-readable medium, and method for determining a potential drilling location, of which the method includes obtaining data representing a subterranean domain. The data includes at least seismic data. The method also includes inverting the seismic data, creating a petroleum systems model of the subterranean domain based at least in part on a result of inverting the seismic data, simulating a dynamic reservoir model of the subterranean domain based at least in part on the petroleum systems model, and identifying the potential drilling location based on a combination of the inverting of the seismic data, creating the petroleum systems model, and simulating the dynamic reservoir model.

Prior to and/or while drilling wells for hydrocarbon recovery, the subterranean formation is evaluated. Based on this evaluation, the location and trajectory of at least a portion of the wellbore may be selected, e.g., to manage risk, enhance production economics, etc. Multi-domain technology, such as inversion geophysics, petroleum systems modeling, reservoir characterization, fracture geomechanics, and production stimulation are sometimes employed in such evaluations.
In an unconventional hydrocarbon system, shale may act as both the source and the reservoir for the hydrocarbons. Various geological, geochemical, and petrophysical studies may reveal a combination of characteristics that assist in the identification of drilling sites or "sweet spots" in such shale. However, due to a lack of integrated, multi-domain technology techniques, a well drilled in a shale reservoir can end up producing little or no hydrocarbons, or can have a rapidly declining rate of hydrocarbon production.


To protect the end of a cable composed of a set of tendons individually held in an anchorage system, the device comprises a skirt extending from the front of the anchorage system and placed around the set of tendons, and several sleeves. The tendons have respective end portions which extend beyond the front of the anchorage system and which are individually received in the sleeves, said sleeves being sealed off beyond the end portions of the tendons. A connection between the skirt and the sleeves encloses a chamber delimited by the front of the anchorage system, the skirt, and the sleeves, the connection comprising an active stuffing box kind of system. The volume of this chamber is filled in with a filling product.

The invention relates to the field of structural cables used in construction. It applies, in particular, to the anchorage of stay cables or prestressing cables.
Such structural cables are often made of a plurality of parallel tendons, such as strands for example. Their ends are anchored by means of blocks having throughholes where the tendons are individually blocked, for example by means of split frusto-conical jaws. The tendons have excess lengths extending beyond the anchorage blocks, which makes it possible to hold onto them when tensioning and anchoring the cable. It is common to retain this excess length so that the cable can be slackened at a later time.
As an example, this excess length may be 3 millimeters per meter of cable. For very long cables (several hundred meters for example), the excess length can become fairly cumbersome.
A constant concern of those who work with such structural cables is protecting the metal of the tendons against corrosion. Various anticorrosion techniques are used to protect the main portion of the cable and the portion in the anchorages (for example see WO 01/20098 A1).
In general, the metal of the tendons is exposed in the anchorage area. A cover is placed over the excess length of the tendons which extend beyond the front side of the anchorage system, and inside this cover a filling product is injected such as wax, grease, a polymer, a resin, or cement grout. The length of the cover must be greater than the excess lengths of the tendons extending beyond the anchorage system. The cover is therefore voluminous in the case of relatively long cables.
The space required by the arrangement on the front side of the anchorage can be problematic in certain configurations. By way of example of such a configuration, the stay cable anchorages on the pylons of cable-stayed bridges can be mentioned. The stays 12 generally form webs of inclined cables on each side of the pylon 14, as illustrated in FIG. 1. When the anchorages 15 are opposite one another in the pylon 14, the space occupied by the covers may interfere geometrically, as can be seen in the case of the covers 16 indicated by dotted lines in FIG. 2.
One solution to this problem consists of making covers that are curved in shape. However, this is not a satisfactory solution. The energy necessary to curve the bundle of tendons and maintain them in this position is very high. The attachments for the cover must then be particularly robust. Any maintenance operation which involves opening the cover becomes more difficult. In addition, a curved cover may make it impossible to position the jack used to manipulate the cable tendons.
A need therefore exists for a protection for the excess lengths of the tendons of an anchored cable, which limits the occurrence of the above space requirement problems.

Method and device for protecting the end of an anchored cable


A method and system for laser based instrument registration. The system includes an operating table coupled with a robot holding an instrument, and CT scanner. The CT scanner has first and second laser markers. The method includes moving the robot to align the instrument in a first position wherein a tip of the instrument is disposed within a first laser plane created by the first laser marker. Then, the robot moves the instrument to a second position wherein the entire instrument is disposed within the first laser plane. Coordinate data of the robot in the second position is obtained. Image data of a first slice is obtained from the CT scanner. The registration data is calculated based on the coordinate data and the image data.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to robotic devices used in computer-assisted surgery. In particular, the invention relates to systems and methods for computer assisted laser-based instrument registration with a computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Minimally invasive and noninvasive procedures for surgery are gaining increased popularity mainly due to reduced trauma to patients and improved recovery time. One of the main problems encountered in minimally invasive procedures is, in contrast to open surgical procedures, a dramatic reduction in the surgeon's visual ability. Accordingly, radiological, ultrasonic, and magnetic resonance imaging techniques are employed to map anatomical geometry during intra-operative procedures.
Computed tomography (CT) guided percutaneous procedures are becoming increasingly popular in radiological interventions. CT guided interventions have been facilitated by the development of the CT fluoroscopy (CTF) imaging systems, which are a new generation of CT-scanners that allow for fluoro-imaging of a CT slice. Using the real-time cross-section image, the radiologist can manually orient and insert a procedure needle towards the target, provided that the skin entry point and the target are located in the current fluoro-slice. Even though the procedure is fast and precise in experienced hands, the major limitation of CTF is the relatively high radiation exposure to patient and physician. In order to make the real time adjustments in needle trajectory the physician's hand is often disposed in or near the scanning plane. Such hand exposure has been theoretically and empirically determined to be approximately 2 mGy per procedure [see, Nawfel R D, Judy P F, Silverman S G; Hooton S, Tuncali K, Adams D F: Patient and personnel exposure during at fluoroscopy-guided interventional procedures. Radiology (2000) 216:180-184]. If an annual dose limit of 500 mSv for the hands were presumed, a physician would be limited to performing only four CTF procedures per year.
A number of procedural techniques, shields, and passive needle holders have been proposed to reduce radiation exposure during such operations. Robotic systems have been investigated for eliminating radiation exposure and simultaneously increasing accuracy in radiological intervention.
One system using CT-fluoroscopy was reported by Loser and Navab, in Loser M H, Navab N: A new robotic system for visually controlled percutaneous interventions under CT fluoroscopy, MICCAI 1999, Lecture Notes in Computer Science, Springer-Verlag (2000) 1935:887-896. This system used a visual-servoing algorithm to orient the procedure needle based on fluoro-CT images. The approach demonstrated good targeting accuracy by using the procedure needle as a marker, without additional registration hardware. Even though the radiation exposure of the surgeon supervising the procedure from the control room is virtually zero, the patient is still being exposed to radiation during the robot's image-based servo orientation.
Susil et al. reported a registration method using a localization device (a modified Brown-Roberts-Wells frame) attached to the end-effector for the robot, which was further modified by Masamune. See Susil R C, Anderson J, Taylor R H: A Single Image Registration Method for CT Guided Interventions. MICCAI 1999, Lecture Notes in Computer Science, Springer-Verlag (1999) 1679:798-808; and Masamune K, Patriciu A, Stoianovici D, Susil R, Taylor R H, Fichtanger G, Kavoussi L R, Anderson J, Sakuma I, Dom T: Development-of CT-PAKY frame system—CT image guided Needle puncturing manipulator and a single slice registration for urological surgery, Proc. 8th annual meeting of JSCAS, Kyoto 1999:89-90. These methods present an advantage of providing the registration data from a single image slice. In addition the methods are not restricted to the use of CTF. However, the registration frame of these methods are cumbersome in the confined gantry space, and its initial positioning with respect to the CT active field imposed stringent constraints for interventional use.
Thus, there is a need for new and improved image based target guiding systems and methods that take advantage of commonly available imaging technology and solve problems with the prior art.

System and method for laser based computed tomography and magnetic resonance registration


Chimeric polynucleotides comprising a nucleotide sequence encoding a chloroplast transit peptide operably linked to a heterologous polynucleotide of interest are provided, wherein the chloroplast transit peptide comprises an amino acid sequence having the chloroplast transit peptide sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:1 or a biologically active variant or fragment thereof or wherein the chloroplast transit peptide comprises the sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 58 or an active variant or fragment thereof. Chimeric polypeptides encoding the same, as well as, cells, plant cells, plants and seeds are further provided which comprise the chimeric polynucleotides. Compositions further include HPPD polypeptides and polynucleotides encoding the same as set forth in SEQ ID NOS: 57 and 60 or active variants and fragments thereof. Such sequences comprise the chloroplast transit peptide as set forth in SEQ ID NO: 58 or an active variants or fragments thereof. Cells, plant cells, plants and seeds are further provided which comprise such sequences. Methods of use of the various sequences are also provided.

Plastids are a heterogeneous family of organelles found ubiquitously in plants and algal cells. Most prominent are the chloroplasts, which carry out such essential processes as photosynthesis and the biosynthesis of fatty acids as well as of amino acids. Chloroplasts are complex organelles composed of six distinct suborganellar compartments: three different membranes (the two envelope membranes and the internal thylakoid membranes) and three compartments (the innermembrane space of the envelope, the stroma and the thylakoid lumen.) More than 98% of all plastid proteins are translated on cytosolic ribosomes. Such proteins are posttranslationally targeted to and imported into the organelle. For a review, see, Jarvis et al. (2008) New Phytologist 179:257-285. Such translocation is mediated by multiprotein complexes in the outer and inner envelope membranes called TOC (Translocon at the Outer envelope membrane of Chloroplasts) and TIC (Translocon at the Inner envelope membrane of Chloroplasts). See, Soll et al. (2004) Nature Reviews. Molecular Cell Biology 5:198-208, Bedard et al. (2005) Journal of Experimental Botany 56:2287-2320, Kessler et al. (2006) Traffic 7:248-257, and Smith et al. (2006) Canadian Journal of Botany 84:531-542. Once the chloroplast precursor enters the stroma, the transit peptide if cleaved off, leaving the remaining part of the protein to take on its final confirmation or engage one of a number of different sorting pathways. See, Keegstra et al. (1999) Plant Cell 11:557-570, Jarvis et al. (2004) and Gutensohn et al. (2006) Journal of Plant Physiology 163:333-347.
Methods and compositions are needed to allow heterologous polypeptides to be targeted to the chloroplast.

Methods and compositions for targeting sequences of interest to the chloroplast


A device (24) for preparing a hot beverage, especially coffee, includes a water reservoir (4), a heating unit (11) connected to the water reservoir (4), delivery elements (16) connected to the heating unit with a delivery opening (19) for delivering hot water to a container (20) which during use contains an extract from which a beverage is to be made, water transport elements (12, 14) for transporting water from the heating unit (11) to the delivery element (16), and an air supply conduit (27) for supplying air to the hot water. The air supply conduit (27) discharges in or near the delivery element (16), upstream of the container (20), for cooling the water to be delivered by the delivery element (16) to the container (20), wherein the hot water before cooling has a temperature of at least 95° C., preferably at least 97° C., more preferably a temperature around the boiling point.

Such a device for preparing filter coffee is known from for example GB 1.185.470. This patent publication describes such a device with a filter chamber to which hot water from a hot water tank is supplied via a pump. Air is blown in by an air pump near the bottom of the filter chamber to improve the extraction process by agitation.
A disadvantage of such a device is, that the known filter device is not configured for setting the water temperature or the type of beverage, the type of coffee in the filter chamber or a desired temperature of use.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a device which allows the water temperature to be adapted easily to the type of beverage during preparation, the type of coffee in the filter chamber or to a desired temperature of use.


Various systems and methods are provided in a client, a line card or other conversion device, and a server to implement either a linear or a nonlinear PCM transmission mode for data communication in a data communications network. The client and the server negotiate with each other to establish a specific data communications mode. The data communications mode may be, for example, linear pulse code modulation (PCM) or nonlinear PCM. To begin, the client informs the server whether it supports nonlinear PCM, linear PCM, or both. In light of the clients communications capability and the modes supported by the server itself, the server responds by informing the client which data communications mode is to be used. In the case that both the client and server support linear and nonlinear PCM, the server informs the client that linear PCM is to be used, such being more conducive to accurate high-speed data communication. In the case that one of either the client or the server only supports nonlinear mode, the server informs the client that nonlinear PCM is to be employed. Assuming that linear PCM is specified as the data communications mode between the client and the server, the server then transmits a message to the line card that informs the line card that linear PCM is to be used.

The present invention is generally related to the field of data communications and, more particularly, is related to a system and method for selecting a data transmission mode in a data communications link between a client device and a server.
In data communications networks, it is often the case that a client device is in data communication with a server over various networks, etc. In one typical network arrangement, a client device may be linked to a server through both a local loop and a digital network. Specifically, such a client device may include a modem that is coupled to a line card in a central office through the local loop. The communication across the local loop is typically of an analog nature due to the limitations of the local loop as a data communications medium. The line card, in turn, is coupled to the digital network such as the Internet, etc. The line card thus provides access to the digital network for the client device. Using this network arrangement, a client device may communicate with a server or other device on the digital network. Essentially, an analog-to-digital transformation occurs in the line card for upstream data traffic and a digital-to-analog transformation occurs in the line card for downstream traffic.
In a given instance of communication between the client device and the server, a specific mode of data transmission may be established therebetween. The mode of data transmission may include nonlinear or linear pulse code modulation (PCM) depending upon the individual capabilities of the client device and the server. Generally, it is necessary that the line card support the particular mode of data transmission that is employed by the client device and the server. Unfortunately, cases can occur in which both the client device and the server support a particular mode of data transmission that is not supported by the line card. Consequently, the client device and the server are prevented from using the mode of data transmission not supported by the line card, resulting in data transmission that is less than optimum.
In light of the foregoing discussion, the present invention provides for a data communications network including respective systems and methods in a client, a line card or other conversion device, and a server to implement either a linear or a nonlinear PCM transmission mode for data communication.
According to the present invention, the client and the server negotiate with each other to establish a specific data communications mode. The data communications mode may be, for example, linear pulse code modulation (PCM) or nonlinear PCM. To begin, the client informs the server whether it supports nonlinear PCM, linear PCM, or both. In light of the client communications capability and the modes supported by the server itself, the server responds by informing the client which data communications mode is to be employed for further data communication. In the case that both the client and server support linear and nonlinear PCM, the server informs the client that linear PCM is to be used, such being more conducive to accurate high-speed data communication. In the case that one of either the client or the server only supports nonlinear mode, the server informs the client that nonlinear PCM is to be employed.
Assuming that linear PCM is specified as the data communications mode between the client and the server, the server then transmits a message to the line card that informs the line card that linear PCM is to be used. If the line card is capable of performing linear PCM, upon receiving the message from the server, the line card transitions to linear PCM to conduct the data exchange between the client and the server. If the line card does not support linear PCM, then it ignores the message from the server.
Any failure on the part of the line card to implement linear PCM as mandated by the server is discovered during subsequent startup negotiations between the client and the server. If such a failure is discovered, the client and the server revert back to nonlinear data communication accordingly. One advantage provided by the present invention is that clients and servers or other data communications devices may communicate with each other using an optimum data communications mode.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to a person with ordinary skill in the art in view of the following drawings and detailed description. It is intended that all such additional features and advantages be included herein within the scope of the present invention.

System and method for selecting a data transmission mode


The present disclosure provides stents, particularly self-expanding stents, useful for the GI tract, and more particularly, useful for treating esophageal strictures. The stents provided herein include a medial region and proximal and distal cuffs having external diameters greater than the medial region diameter when the stent is in the deployed state. The medial region comprises an open weave wire construction. An elastomeric coating circumscribes the medial region, while the may be an extension of the wire construction or separate elements. Preferably, the cuffs have a textured surface for contact with the esophageal wall tissue to resist stent migration. The elastomer coated medial region provides a barrier to tissue ingrowth, and has an enhanced radial restoring force to maintain an open passageway in a body lumen. Optionally, the stent includes an exterior sheath with a surface pattern, to which the stent couples. A low durometer sleeve, between the stent and body lumen, axial positioning of the stent relative to the body lumen. Consequently, precision in stent placement is provided without tissue damage that could result if positioning motion occurred between the surface texture and the body lumen.

The present disclosure relates to implantable treatment devices, and more particularly to stents and other prostheses intended for fixation in body lumens especially including the esophagus
Stents are generally employed to open or keep open a body lumen. For example, carcinomas in the esophagus lead to progressive dysphagia, i.e. difficulty in swallowing, and the inability to swallow liquids in the most severe cases. While surgical removal is sometimes effective, the majority of patients have tumors that cannot be surgically removed. Repeated dilations of the body lumen of the esophagus provide only temporary relief.
Difficult or refractory cases often are treated by intubation using open wire weave prostheses or stents. An example of an open wire weave stent is provided in U.S. Pat. No. 4,800,882 (Gianturco), wherein is described such a device employed as an endovascular stent. These prostheses are frequently subject to migration. Self-expanding mesh stents also have been considered for use as esophageal prostheses. U.S. Pat. No. 4,655,771 (Wallsten) discloses a mesh stent as a flexible tubular braided structure formed of helically wound thread elements. Mesh stents appear unlikely to lead to pressure necrosis of the esophageal wall. The inherent scalability of mesh stents, as compared to a rigid plastic stents, makes them more easily inserted and the subsequent implantation causes much less trauma to the patient.
A difficulty with self-expanding stents concerns their accurate placement and deployment. Typically a tube surrounds the self-expanding stent and radially compresses the stent into a reduced-radius delivery configuration. With the stent positioned at a treatment site, the outer tube is axially withdrawn, permitting the stent to radially self-expand. However, the larger size of an esophageal stent (as compared to biliary and vascular applications, for example) gives rise to substantial friction at the stent/outer tubing interface. As a result, it is difficult to precisely maintain the position of the stent during deployment, and practically impossible to retract the stent after partial deployment.
Migration resistant stent designs include the addition of a mechanically lumen-bonding surface to the outer surface of a stent. U.S. Pat. No. 8,435,283 (Jordan et al) describes the addition of a cross hatch pattern of pyramids to the outer surface of a stent. The texture is intended to mechanically grasp tissue, and thereby anchor the stent. Such stents suffer from the disadvantage that dislocation by peristaltic motion causes inflammation of the inner lining of the body lumen, leading to infection, necrosis and possibly perforation.
Stenting of the esophagus has proven to be a particularly challenging stent application. The esophagus is a muscular lumen that is about ten inches long and extends from the hypopharynx to the stomach. The esophageal lumen is subject to wavelike contractions known as peristalsis, which pushes food down through the esophagus to the stomach.
Conventional stents utilized for the esophagus have significant drawbacks. Because the esophagus is very soft and flexible compared to other lumina, preventing migration of the stent is problematic. In particular, the esophagus frequently changes size and position, which causes complications for typical stents. For instance, a stent having a constant diameter along its entire axial length will have a tendency to migrate as the esophagus expands. The stricture is narrower than the lumen located proximally and distally of the stricture, and the stent is longer than the length of the stricture such that the portions of the stent proximately and distally of the stricture do not help prevent the stent from migrating. Therefore, there is an increased possibility that the stent will migrate within the lumen.
Moreover, the esophageal lumen is muscular and its wavelike contractions generally travel from its proximal end to its distal end resulting from an impulse applied at one side of the lumen wall. Due to the actions of the lumen, flexible stents have been designed to mimic the movement of the lumen. However, flexible stents may be prone to infolding or kinking, effectively occluding one or both of the openings of the stent. Furthermore, providing more rigid stents increases the risk of damage to the lumen of the esophagus, such as by damaging the blood vessels lining the lumen. Rigid stents are also typically more prone to migration.
A further difficulty with self-expanding esophageal stents is that they can cause gastrointestinal reflux. To place the self-expandable esophageal stent at a lesioned part of the stenosed gullet, an operator primarily shrinks the stent so as to reduce the cross section of the stent, installs the shrunken stent in a stent insertion device, and inserts the stent into the stenosed part of the gullet using the insertion device. After the stent reaches the stenosed part of the gullet, the stent is pushed so that the stent, usually fabricated from shape-memory alloy wires, is separated from the insertion device and elastically expands and restores its original shape, thus pushing the wall of the stenosed part outwards in radial directions and thereby enlarging the size of the passage of the stenosed part, making swallowing easier.
However, when the esophagus is stenosed near the stomach, where the esophageal sphincter is located, the esophageal stent must be placed in the lower end of the esophagus. Low end esophageal placement can open the esophageal sphincter causing gastrointestinal reflux. The presence of stomach acid in the esophagus can significantly complicate an already pathologic condition.
Accordingly, there is a need in the industry for a stent that is capable of conforming to a lumen and maintaining the opening through a stricture. In addition, there is a need for a stent that reduces migration and the possibility of obstruction of the stent openings.


A server registers, into a first memory, user identification information and service information in a condition where a connection between the server and a target device via the Internet has not been established. The server registers, into a second memory, first device identification information in association with the user identification information and the service information registered in the first memory after receiving the first device identification information. After the connection between the server and the target device via the Internet has been established for a first time, the server causes a service providing server to provide the service to the user using the user identification information and the service information in the first memory in response to receiving the device identification information from a target device matching the first device identification information.

A system for enabling automatic delivery of a new ink cartridge to a user of a printer when a remaining amount of ink in an ink cartridge currently mounted in the printer becomes low is known. In order to receive such a service, the user registers various pieces of information, e.g., user information and printer information, in an information management server. More specifically, under circumstances where a personal computer ("PC"), the printer, and the information management server are communicable with each other via the Internet, the user registers user information in the information management server by operating the PC, and then causes the printer to transmit its serial number and product name to the information management server by operating the printer. Through such operation events, the user registers the printer information in the information management server in association with the user information. Thereafter, the user causes the PC to transmit a contract request to the information management server by operating the PC. In response to this, the information management server transmits contract start information to the printer, and the information management server transmits dispatch information including identification information of an ink cartridge to a dispatch management server.

Servers and non-transitory computer readable storage medium for registering and monitoring consumables


A corrugated board plant includes a corrugated board production assembly for producing a double-face laminated web of corrugated board, and at least one cutting assembly arranged downstream of the corrugated board production assembly, which has a cross-cutting device for producing sheets from the double-face web of corrugated board, and is capable of producing at least one identification sheet from the double-face laminated web of corrugated board, which is different from the sheets. The corrugated board plant further has a stack depositing area arranged downstream of the cutting assembly to stack the sheets and the at least one identification sheet in such a way as to form a stack, which is identifiable by means of the at least one identification sheet, in particular for further processing.

Corrugated board plants are generally known from prior art. It is common practice to stack the corrugated board thus produced in the form of sheets. The sheets arranged in a stack are generally identical. However, the sheets arranged in the different stacks frequently differ from each other. It is known through prior public use to insert an identification sheet into each stack by hand, which allows the respective stack or its assignment to a particular order to be identified easily.

BHS Corrugated Maschinen- und Anlagenbau GmbH


A hook for attaching a boat cover to a boat trailer. The hook comprises a long vertical member having an opening through which a cord or rope can be placed, a horizontal member positioned perpendicular to the bottom of the vertical member, a shorter vertical member perpendicular to the distal end of the horizontal member so as to define an opening into which the bar of the boat trailer fits, and a horizontal cantilevered member, projecting from the long vertical member, which fits across the top of the trailer bar.

At present, a boat cover is attached by tying ropes around the boat cover, under the bottom of the boat and over the opposite side of the boat, and tying the topes to the cover again. This is a cumbersome and time-consuming process.
The invention is a hook for attaching a boat cover to the boat trailer rather than to the boat itself. The primary object of the invention is to provide an easier way to attach a boat cover by providing a means to hook the boat cover to the bar of the boat trailer frame without the need for any tightening mechanisms.