The present invention relates to an optical information recording medium including a disk-shaped transparent substrate and a recording layer for recording, reproducing or erasing information by irradiation of laser light, the recording layer being formed over the substrate. The recording layer of the present invention includes information tracks including groove tracks and land tracks that are formed alternately in a radial direction of the disk. The information tracks comprise information recording regions and address regions interposed between the information recording regions, the information recording regions and the address regions being arranged along the tracking direction of the laser light. In the information recording regions, every second step in the radial direction of steps for dividing the groove tracks from the land tracks adjacent to the groove tracks is wobbled in the tracking direction, and in a range whose ends are defined by the address regions the every second step is wobbled at a constant frequency. Prepit addresses for providing information on a position on the recording medium are formed on the address regions. Moreover, the present invention provides an optical information recording medium including n recording layers (where n is an integer of at least 2), and in at least the first recording layer to the (nxe2x88x921)th recording layer from the transparent substrate side, no pair of adjacent address regions in the radial direction of the disk are arranged so as to be aligned on a straight line passing through the center of the disk.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical information recording medium for recording/reproducing information by irradiation of laser light, and further relates to a method and an apparatus for recording/reproducing information on this medium.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Optical information media have been noted widely as a large capacity and high density memory, and erasable media that can be rewritten have been under development at present. In one of the erasable optical information recording media, a recording layer made of a phase change material that changes between an amorphous state and a crystalline state is formed on a substrate, and information is recorded and erased by irradiating the recording layer with laser light.
An alloy film comprising Ge, Sb, Te, or In as the main components such as a GeSbTe alloy is known as a phase change material for the recording layer. Information is recorded by making the recording layer partially amorphous to form recording marks. The recording layer is made amorphous by heating the recording layer to the melting point or more and cooling it. The recording layer is made crystalline by heating the recording layer to the crystallization temperature or more and not more than the melting point. The reflectance and the transmittance of the irradiated laser light in a region in which a recording mark is formed are different from those in other regions.
In general, spiral or concentric circular guide grooves that are tracked by laser light for recording/reproducing information previously are provided on a substrate. Regions between the grooves are called lands. In recordable CDs (CD-R) or minidisks (MD), either grooves or lands are used as information tracks to record information on, and the other is used as a guard band for separating adjacent information tracks.
In recent years, with improvement of the processing ability of various information equipment, the amount of information to be handled has increased. For this reason, there is a great demand for recording media with a larger capacity than ever. As one approach to achieve larger capacity, in DVD-RAMs or the like, a method for increasing track density by recording information on both grooves and lands is adopted (land and groove recording method).
In DVD-RAMs, a format structure called a ZCLV (Zoned Constant Liner Velocity) method is adopted. In this format structure, an information track is segmented into a large number of information recording regions (sectors) by addresses indicating the position on the medium. Further, several information recording regions are grouped in the radial direction to form a zone. The number of sectors corresponding to one rotation and the rotation speed are increased step by step by each zone from the inner circumference to the outer circumference. In each zone, the rotation speed is constant, and the linear velocity and the duration of a sector are substantially constant between the zones.
On the other hand, in CD-Rs or MDs, a CLV (Constant Liner Velocity) method is used in which information is recorded/reproduced at a constant linear velocity throughout the recording regions. This method can achieve the maximum recording density, and has an advantage in that the design of the recording layer is easy because the thermal conditions during recording are constant.
In the CLV method, it is necessary to change the rotation speed frequently for random access. For this change, the grooves are wobbled in the radial direction at a constant spatial frequency, and a rotating motor of a recording/reproducing apparatus is controlled based on signals obtained from these wobbles for recording/reproducing information. However, the length of a groove for one rotation is varied with the position in the radial direction, so that a phase difference occurs between the wobbles in the adjacent grooves. Therefore, when the land and groove recording method is used with the CLV method, signals are synthesized from wobbles having different phases in the land portion. Thus, good circuit control signals cannot be obtained.
In order to solve this problem, JP 6-338066 has proposed a recording medium in which only one edge of a groove is wobbled. In this recording medium, address information is recorded as a signal that has been frequency-modulated, using a rotation control signal as the carrier frequency.
However, when a gap between information tracks (track pitch) is narrowed to achieve higher density, the ratio of the variation of the information track width is increased, if the amplitude of the wobble is unchanged. Therefore, the signal amplitude is varied during reproduction of information, so that signal quality is deteriorated. On the other hand, when the amplitude of the wobble is reduced as well, the intensity of the signal obtained from the wobble is reduced, which makes it difficult to detect address information.
Furthermore, as another approach to achieve higher density information recording, multilayered recording media including at least two recording layers are proposed. In many multilayered recording media, it is necessary to record/reproduce information with laser light that has passed through another recording layer. Furthermore, it may be necessary to record information successively on a plurality of recording layers, or reproduce information continuously from a plurality of recording layers.
Therefore, with the foregoing in mind, it is an object of the present invention to provide an optical information recording medium with a large capacity that can achieve easy and reliable recording/reproduction of information. More specifically, first, it is an object of the present invention to provide an optical information recording medium that can achieve easy detection of address information while using the land and groove recording method and the CLV method. Secondly, it is another object of the present invention to provide an optical information recording medium that allows stable recording/reproduction of information even when the recording medium includes two or more recording layers, and information is recorded/reproduced on/from a recording layer with laser light that has passed through another recording layer. Thirdly, it is another object of the present invention to provide an optical information recording medium that can achieve efficient and reliable recording/reproduction of information even when information is recorded/reproduced successively and continuously on/from a plurality of recording layers.
A first optical information recording medium of the present invention includes a disk-shaped transparent substrate and a recording layer for recording, reproducing or erasing information by irradiation of laser light. The recording layer is formed over the substrate, wherein the recording layer comprises information tracks including groove tracks and land tracks that are formed alternately in a radial direction of the disk. The information tracks comprise information recording regions and address regions interposed between the information recording regions. The information recording regions and the address regions are arranged along the tracking direction of the laser light. In the information recording regions, every second step in the radial direction of steps for dividing the groove tracks from the land tracks adjacent to the groove tracks is wobbled in the tracking direction, and in a range whose ends are defined by the address regions the every second step is wobbled at a constant frequency, and prepit addresses for providing information on a position on the recording medium are formed in the address regions.
The first recording medium of the present invention makes it possible to detect the address information reliably when the CLV method is used together with the land and groove method, so that the present invention allows stable recording/reproduction of information.
The present invention also provides a method for recording/reproducing information on the first optical information recording. In this method, information is recorded, reproduced or erased at a constant linear velocity in all the information recording regions while controlling a rotation speed of the recording medium with a rotation control signal obtained from the wobbled steps.
One embodiment of a second optical information recording medium of the present invention includes n recording layers (where n is an integer of at least 2), wherein the recording layers comprise information tracks. The information tracks comprise information recording regions and address regions interposed between the information recording regions. The information recording regions and the address regions are arranged along the tracking direction of the laser light. Prepit addresses for providing information on a position on the recording medium are formed on the address regions, and in at least the first recording layer to the (nxe2x88x921)th recording layer from the transparent substrate side, no pair of adjacent address regions in the radial direction of the disk are arranged so as to be aligned on a straight line passing through the center of the disk.
Another embodiment of the second optical information recording medium includes a disk-shaped transparent substrate and n recording layers (where n is an integer of at least 2) for recording, reproducing or erasing information by irradiation of laser light. The recording layer is formed over the substrate, wherein the recording layers comprise information tracks including groove tracks and land tracks that are formed alternately in a radial direction of the disk. The information tracks comprise information recording regions and address regions interposed between the information recording regions. The information recording regions and the address regions are arranged along the tracking direction of the laser light. Prepit addresses for providing information on a position on the recording medium are formed on the address regions. A pair of adjacent information tracks in the radial direction of the disk have a common address region on which a common prepit address is formed, and in at least the first recording layer to the (nxe2x88x921)th recording layer from the transparent substrate side, no pair of adjacent common address regions in the radial direction are arranged so as to be aligned on a straight line passing through the center of the disk.
The second recording medium allows stable recording/reproduction of information, even when information is recorded/reproduced with laser light that has passed through another recording layer. In this medium, even if the transmittance of the laser light is different between the information recording regions and the address regions, the address regions do not form a block but are dispersed. Therefore, transmitted laser light hardly affects the recording layer. The difference in the transmittance of the laser light is made typically by formation of recording marks on the information recording regions.
The present invention also provides a method and an apparatus for recording/reproducing information suitable for the second optical information recording medium. This method is a recording/reproducing method for an optical information recording medium for recording, reproducing or erasing information by irradiating an optical information recording medium with laser light, including detecting reflected light obtained by irradiating the recording medium with the laser light by a photodetector including two light-receiving portions divided in a direction corresponding to a tracking direction of the laser light; generating a sum signal and a difference signal of electrical signals output from the two light-receiving portions; generating a corrected sum signal obtained by correcting an amplitude variation of the sum signal with the difference signal; and generating data information from the corrected sum signal, thereby reproducing the information.
Furthermore, this apparatus is a recording/reproducing apparatus for an optical information recording medium for recording, reproducing or erasing information by irradiating an optical information recording medium with laser light, including an optical head for outputting reproduction signals of the information based on reflected light obtained by irradiating the recording medium with the laser light. The optical head includes a photodetector including two light-receiving portions divided in a direction corresponding to a tracking direction of the laser light; an addition amplifier for generating a sum signal of electrical signals output from the two light-receiving portions; a differential amplifier for generating a difference signal of electrical signals output from the two light-receiving portions; a waveform correcting circuit for generating a corrected sum signal obtained by correcting an amplitude variation of the sum signal with the difference signal; and a data demodulating circuit for reproducing the information by generating data information from the corrected sum signal.
The above-described recording/reproducing method and apparatus are effective for an optical information recording medium in which no pair of adjacent address regions or adjacent common address regions are formed so as to be aligned on a straight line passing through the center of the disk, such as the second optical information recording medium of the present invention, regardless of the number of the recording layers.
A third optical information recording medium of the present invention includes a disk-shaped transparent substrate and n recording layers (where n is an integer of at least 2) for recording, reproducing or erasing information by irradiation of laser light. The recording layers are formed over the substrate, and include a first recording layer and a second recording layer, the first recording layer including a first information track for guiding the laser light from an inner disk circumference side to an outer disk circumference side by rotation of the disk in a predetermined direction, and the second recording layer including a second information track for guiding the laser light from an outer disk circumference side to an inner disk circumference side by rotation of the disk in the predetermined direction.
The present invention also provides a method for recording/reproducing information on the third optical information recording medium. This method is a method for recording, reproducing or erasing information by irradiating the third optical information recording medium with laser light, wherein when in either one recording layer selected from the first recording layer and the second recording layer, recording, reproducing or erasing information on either one information track selected from the first information track and the second information track ends at either one end selected from an inner circumferential end and an outer circumferential end of the one information track, subsequently in the other recording layer, recording, reproducing or erasing information is performed in succession from the corresponding end in the other track.
This and other advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading and understanding the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying figures.

Optical information recording medium, and method and apparatus for recording/reproducing information thereon

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


An apparatus, system, and method are provided for sharing a cached security profile in a database environment. The apparatus, system, and method include a cache module for caching a security profile accessible to primary tasks and secondary tasks. An identification module is provided that distinguishes between primary tasks authorized to refresh the security profile and secondary tasks. A refresh module cooperates with the cache module and identification module to selectively refresh the security profile in response to a refresh request and expiration of the security profile such that an old version of the security profile is retained for use by secondary tasks until an execution window closes.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to cached security data. Specifically, the invention relates to apparatus, systems, and methods for sharing a cached security profile in a database environment.
2. Description of the Related Art
Large scale database management systems (LSDBMS), such as IBM's Information Management System (IMS), often have unique operating requirements. For example, these systems should service large volumes of transactions almost simultaneously. Transactions should complete as quickly as possible. Although many thousands of users may be using the LSDBMS at any given time, each transaction should be authenticated to ensure security of the data. The LSDBMS should operate 24/7 with any down time kept to an absolute minimum. Large corporations and other entities invest heavily in the speed, reliability, and security provided by these LSDBMS.
Data maintained by LSDBMSs is often very critical to the owner of the LSDBMS and/or the user. Consequently, certain transactions may authenticate a user's identity and authority multiple times to perform a transaction or parts of the transaction. Such authentication is known as authorization checking. Authorization checking should be done rapidly to minimize delay in completing the transaction.
FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional system 100 configured to rapidly perform authorization checking. The system 100 includes a client application 102, a network 104, and a LSDBMS 106, such as IMS 106. Generally, IMS 106 operates on a server 108 such as a mainframe. The server 108 may execute various operating systems, such as Multiple Virtual Storage (MVS), OS/390, or zSeries/Operating System (z/OS).
The client application 102 may comprise a web-based client, a terminal device, or any other software module configured to execute transactions on the IMS 106. The client 102 sends a transaction request over the network 104. The network 104 may comprise direct terminal connections, a Local Area Network (LAN), the Internet, or the like. IMS 106 executes the transaction and provides a result to the client application 102.
Generally, each transaction requires authorization checking to ensure security of the data. Authorization checking involves reading a security profile (SP) 110 uniquely associated with the user initiating the transaction. Typically, the SP 110 includes information identifying the user and the types of transactions the user is allowed to execute. If the user is identified and authorized according to the SP 110 to execute the transaction, the transaction is allowed to execute. Otherwise, the transaction request is rejected.
Initially, when a user requests a transaction, the SP 110 is loaded from database files 112 maintained by a security software component of server 100 such as the Resource Access Control Facility (RACF) from IBM. Loading the SP 110 incurs I/O overhead as the SP 110 is read from comparatively slow storage devices such as disk drives.
As mentioned above, a single transaction may require multiple authorization checks. In addition, a user of the client application 102 may initiate a series of separate transactions within a relatively short time period. Consequently, to prevent I/O overhead for each transaction, the SP 110 is temporarily stored in a cache 114.
Typically to meet performance objectives, transactions are executed by one or more independent modules in IMS 106. Generally, a transaction request is received by an initial module 116. The initial module 116 typically performs an authorization check using the a cached SP 110. If the SP 110 for a particular user is not cached, the initial module 116 caches the SP 110. If the authorization check is successful, the transaction is queued for execution by a secondary module 118.
In certain circumstances, the secondary module 118 also performs an authorization check. For example, an authorization check may be performed by the secondary module 118 prior to initiating a program switch to complete the transaction. Similarly, the secondary module 118 uses a cached SP 110 for the authorization check, if possible.
Cached SPs 110 should be refreshed periodically to ensure that the most recent data in an SP 110 is used to satisfy authorization checking requests. Consequently, each transaction request received by IMS 106 includes an aging value. The aging value defines a period of time for which the SP 110 is valid in the cache 114. If an initial module 116 or secondary module 118 determines that an SP 110 is as old as, or older than the aging value, the current SP 110 in the cache is deleted and a new version of the SP 110 is loaded.
In addition, to provide security in an emergency situation, the IMS 106 permits a database administrator to force transactions to use only the most recent version of SP 110 for one or more users stored in the database files 112. Typically, the database administrator issues a refresh request message. Consequently, any cached SPs 110 are deleted from the cache 114 by the initial module 116 or secondary module 118 when the next request for a cached SP 110 is made.
Preferably, the initial module 116 and secondary module 118 function asynchronously. Unfortunately, because both modules 116, 118 share access to a single cached SP 110 and are capable of deleting and loading a new version of the cached SP 110, there is a high potential for data inconsistency. For example, both the initial module 116 and secondary module 118 may attempt to use the same SP 110 at substantially the same time. Alternatively, one module, the initial module 116 for example, may delete the SP 110 based on the existing aging value prior to the secondary module 118 having an opportunity to use the SP 110 in an authorization check. The secondary module 118 does not know the particular SP 110 was just deleted. When the secondary module 118 uses the particular SP 110 for an authorization check, the secondary module may experience an error due to the attempt to use the deleted SP 110.
One potential solution is to use a latching or locking methodology for the SPs 110. However, due to the speed at which transactions are processed in the IMS 106, even a momentary delay for one module 116 to release a lock on an SP 110 is unacceptable. Furthermore, avoiding or resolving deadlock conditions between the modules 116, 118 regarding the SP 110 adds additional unacceptable complexity and delay. In addition, latching or locking methodologies do not adequately address responding to an administrator initiated refresh request.
Accordingly, what is needed is an apparatus, system, and method for sharing a cached security profile in a database environment. The apparatus, system, and method should maintain data consistency for cached security profiles without significantly increasing cache management overhead. In addition, the apparatus, system, and method should serialize access by one or more modules to a cached security profile without requiring that the security profile be locked or latched during an authorization check. The apparatus, system, and method should also allow for administrator initiated refresh requests.

Apparatus, system, and method for sharing a cached security profile in a database environment

International Business Machines Corporation


A wrap-around carrier with end panels. Folded gusset panels connecting the end panel flaps and the bottom panel are located between the bottoms of the packaged articles and the bottom panel, thereby locking the end panel flaps in closed position. Transverse and upwardly extending fold lines in the end panel flaps fallow the end panel flaps to flex so as to better conform to the shape of adjacent articles.

Wrap-around carriers are well known as a relatively inexpensive but effective means for packaging articles, requiring blanks of only minimum size which are capable of running on packaging machines at high speeds. A wrap-around carrier is typically formed by wrapping a carrier blank around a group of articles and securing the ends of the blank together at the bottom of the carrier. By tightly wrapping the articles and gripping the articles with the edges of heel openings in the side panels through which the heels or bottom portions of the articles protrude, the articles are contained in the carrier and prevented from falling out through the open ends. An example of such an arrangement is found in a wrap-around carrier containing beverage bottles.
While such measures have been successful in containing bottles of traditional design in their wrap-around carriers, new bottle designs do not always lend themselves to conventional treatment. The trend to larger beverage bottles makes it incumbent to employ carriers that are not only structurally capable of supporting heavier loads but are able to positively prevent outward movement of the end bottles. This becomes even more difficult when the bottle design is such that it no longer includes a conventionally shaped heel. A conventionally shaped heel is circular in cross section, so that the relationship between the bottle and the heel cutout remains the same regardless of which portion of the bottle is facing toward the cutout. The orientation of the bottles within the carrier at the time of packaging and during shipping is therefore not a consideration in designing the cutouts. A problem arises when the bottle heels have varying contours of irregular shape. One such type of beverage bottle is formed of plastic and has a decorative bottom portion of petaloid shape. These bottles have support feet which are regularly spaced from each other about the periphery of the bottle. The sides of the support feet as well as the lower surface of the feet terminate at a point near the center of the bottom of the bottle, which is slightly higher than the bottom support surfaces of the feet. Thus when one views the bottom of the bottle, as in a plan view, the appearance of the bottom face is petaloid in nature, with the center area appearing to form the center of a flower and the support feet the petals.
Since the heel portions of petaloid bottles are not uniform, being broken up by the spaced support feet, the normal rotation of the bottles as they are moved into place for packaging makes it impossible to predict the exact portion of the heel which will be presented to a cutout at the time the carrier wrap is applied. Further, even if it were possible to orient the bottles so that the cutouts are able to fit the precise shape of the heel design presented at the time of packaging, rotational movement of the bottles in the package during shipping would tend to misalign the heel portions with the cutouts, rendering the cutouts ineffective. Aggravating the problem is the fact that petaloid bottles are sometimes formed with four support feet and sometimes with five, which present different contours to the cutouts.
Another problem of conventional wrap-around carriers is the ease with which the end articles can be removed from the carrier in a store and purchased as a single item, thus destroying the integrity of the carrier. A further problem is the visibility of the product bar code on the end articles. This can lead to errors in calculating the bill since the bar code reader will charge only the price of a single article if it reads the code of an end article rather than the code printed on the carrier itself.
It would be desirable to be able to employ wrap-around carriers to package bottles and other articles whose design makes it difficult or impossible to be held in place by side panel cutouts, and to do so without danger of the articles sliding out the ends of the carrier. It would also be desirable to have a wrap-around carrier that covers the bar code on the end articles.

Wrap-around carrier with flexible end panels


Support members for a roof system are provided to allow for positioning panels of a roof apart from building members so that building components, such as insulation may be placed between the roof panels and the building members. The support members may be utilized in new buildings or to retrofit existing buildings. Each of the support members may comprise a single support member that has a base portion operatively coupled to an offset portion that is operatively coupled to an upper portion. One or more channels may be provided in the base portion, offset portion, and/or the upper portion to provide structural support and to allow the support members to be operatively coupled to each other and other building members without the need for additional components.

Buildings that utilize metal decking are typically large area, open floor steel frame buildings. The buildings typically are pre-engineered and are provided as kits of components for use in a wide range of industries, including agricultural, aircraft hangers, garages, riding arenas, indoor sports fields, warehouses, as well as commercial and governmental buildings. Steel buildings may feature open floor space, referred to as bays, and are commonly but not always, built on poured concrete slabs. Building members may comprise columns, beams, rafters, purlins, joists, girts, bracing, or the like. Vertical columns may be operatively coupled to the concrete slabs and extend from the concrete. The vertical columns may be operatively coupled to and support elongated rafters or trusses. Long bay purlins or joists may be operatively coupled to the rafters or trusses in a transverse orientation to the rafters. A plurality of roof panels may be operatively coupled to the purlins or joists with clips, such as standing seam clips. Typically, the clips provide a gap between the purlin or joists and the roof panels. Frequently, the gap is filled with insulation components and/or other building components to reduce heat transfer through the roof panels. There is a need to provide improved roof systems.

Insulated roof systems, support members thereof, and method of installing


An object is to prevent light leakage caused due to misregistration even when the width of a black matrix layer is not expanded to a designed value or larger. One embodiment of the present invention is a semiconductor device including a single-gate thin film transistor in which a first semiconductor layer is sandwiched between a bottom-gate electrode and a first black matrix layer. The first semiconductor layer and the first black matrix layer overlap with each other.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device, a liquid crystal display device, and the like. Note that in this specification, a semiconductor device refers to a semiconductor element itself or a device including a semiconductor element. As an example of such a semiconductor element, for example, a transistor (a thin film transistor or the like) can be given. In addition, a semiconductor device also refers to a display device such as a liquid crystal display device.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional liquid crystal display device has a structure in which a liquid crystal layer including a liquid crystal material is sandwiched between a substrate including a thin film transistor (also referred to as a thin film transistor (TFT) substrate) and a counter substrate. The TFT substrate has a layered structure in which a glass substrate, a base insulating film, a gate electrode, a gate insulating film, a semiconductor layer, source and drain electrodes, an interlayer insulating film, a pixel electrode, and an alignment film are stacked in this order. The counter substrate has a layered structure in which a glass substrate, a black matrix layer (an organic resin or metal), a color filter, a counter electrode, and an alignment film are stacked in this order.
In order to prevent a thin film transistor provided in a pixel portion on the TFT substrate from being irradiated with light from a backlight or light from the outside, in the liquid crystal display device, the black matrix layer is provided in a region of the counter substrate which overlaps with the thin film transistor.
In addition, in order to improve image quality, in the conventional liquid crystal display device, a black matrix layer is also provided in a region of the counter substrate, which is over a region of the TFT substrate where projections and depressions due to a variety of metal wirings, a holding capacitor, or the like exist.
However, in the case where the black matrix layer is provided on the counter substrate, there is a problem in that light leakage occurs due to misregistration between the counter substrate and the TFT substrate, so that the thin film transistor of the TFT substrate is irradiated with the light.
In addition, when the width of the black matrix layer is extended to a designed value or more in the counter substrate in order to prevent light leakage even if misregistration between the counter substrate and the TFT substrate occurs, the aperture ratio of the pixel portion might be reduced.
In recent years, higher resolution of a liquid crystal display device has been advanced as well as higher-speed driving thereof. Therefore, a display panel having a large number of pixels and displaying a high-resolution image has problems in that adverse effects caused by a load of parasitic capacitance between wirings, a load due to an increase in the number of signal lines, or the like are increased.

Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.


Methods and compositions for inducing immune suppression are disclosed. The methods involve administering an effective amount of an agent that inhibits MD-1 with or without an OX-2 protein or a nucleic acid encoding an OX-2 protein. The methods are useful in preventing graft rejection, fetal loss, autoimmune disease, and allergies. Methods and compositions for preventing immune suppression are also disclosed. The methods involve administering an effective amount of MD-1 or an agent that activates or stimulates MD-1.

The immune system protects the body from infectious agents and disease and is critical to our survival. However, in certain instances, the immune system can be the cause of illness. One example is in autoimmune disease wherein the immune system attacks its own host tissues, in many instances causing debilitating illness and sometimes resulting in death. Examples of autoimmune diseases include multiple sclerosis, type 1 insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, lupus erythematosus and arthritis. A second example where the immune system can cause illness is during tissue or organ transplantation. Except in the cases of genetically identical animals, such as monozygotic twins, tissue and organ transplants are rejected by the recipient's immune system as foreign. The immune reaction against transplants is even more pronounced in transplantation across species or xenotransplantation. A third example where the immune system harms the host is during an allergic reaction where the immune system is activated by a generally innocuous antigen causing inflammation and in some cases tissue damage. Another example where the immune system has a negative effect is in fetal loss or spontaneous abortions wherein the maternal immune system rejects the fetas as being foreign
In order to inhibit the detrimental immune reactions during transplantation, autoimmune disease and allergic reactions, immunosuppressive drugs (such as cyclosporin A, tacrolimus, and corticosteroids) or antibody therapies (such as anti-T cell antibodies) are generally administered. Unfortunately, these non-specific modes of immunosuppression generally have undesirable side effects. For example, cyclosporin may cause decreased renal function, hypertension, toxicity and it must be administered for the life of the patient. Corticosteroids may cause decreased resistance to infection, painful arthritis, osteoporosis and cataracts. The anti-T cell antibodies may cause fever, hypertension, diarrhea or sterile meningitis and are quite expensive.
In view of the problems associated with immunosuppression, there has been an interest in developing methods or therapies that induce unresponsiveness or tolerance in the host to a transplant, to "self" tissues in autoimmune disease and to harmless antigens associated with allergies. The inventors have been studying the mechanisms involved in transplant rejection and has developed methods for inducing a state of antigen-specific immunological tolerance in transplantation. In particular, in animal allograft models, it has demonstrated that graft survival can been increased if the recipient animal is given a pre-transplant infusion via the portal vein of irradiated spleen cells from the donor animal. In contrast, a pre-transplant infusion via the tail vein does not prolong graft survival where there are multiple antigenic incompatibilities (10,11). Using a DNA subtractive hybridization approach, it was further shown that tolerance in pv immunized mice is associated with increased expression of a number of distinct mRNAs (12). One was shown to encode OX-2, a molecule expressed on the surface of dendritic cells. OX-2 was initially described by Barclay (13), though at the time its function was unknown. Gorczynski et al. subsequently showed that anti-OX-2 monoclonal antibodies blocked the protective effect of pv immunization in mice receiving renal allografts (12) and rats receiving small intestinal transplants (14). Moreover anti-OX-2 blocked the polarization to type-2 cytokine production seen in these models. More recently, the inventors demonstrated that a soluble immunoadhesion, in which the extracellular domain of OX-2 was linked to a murine IgG2aFc region, was itself capable of inhibiting T cell allostimulation and type-1 cytokine production (IL-2, IFNγ) in vitro and in vivo (15). These and other data (16) indicate that OX-2 is a novel "coregulatory" molecule, which controls the outcome of TCR: antigen encounter. The inventors also determined that OX-2 is capable of preventing fetal loss (WO 99/24565). The OX-2 protein has recently been renamed CD200 and both terms may be used interchangeably.
In addition to OX-2 (CD200), the inventors determined that other molecules are differentially expressed following pv immunization. The full length sequence for one of these was determined to be MD-1. MD-1 has been reported to regulate expression of RP105 on B cells (26, 30). RP105, which is also expressed on dendritic cells (18), is a member of a family of molecules bearing a leucine-rich repeat motif which serves an important, and evolutionarily conserved, function in immunity in a number of species (19) This family, which includes the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) receptor CD14 (20), acts as receptors for invariant molecular structures in pathogens which trigger innate immune responses, including the induction of inflammatory cytokines (IL-1, IL-8, IL-6, IFNγ) as well as some costimulatory molecules (e.g. CD80)(21).
Understanding the molecular mechanisms involved in the induction of tolerance may lead to the development of methods of inducing immune suppression that may be useful in transplantation, autoimmune disease, allergies, fetal loss, and other related conditions requiring immune modulation.


A method, apparatus and computer program product for providing a fast re-route of a multicast packet within a network element to an available port associated with a multi-link trunk is presented. A packet is received by a Forwarding Data Unit (FDU) in a data plane of a network element and a determination made that the packet is a multicast packet. The packet is forwarded to all egress FDUs having at least one port associated with at least one receiver of the multicast packet. A lookup is performed by each egress FDU in a synchronized local port state database to find a port for each receiver that is in an UP state. The packet is forwarded out the port to a receiver when the port is in the UP state and dropped when the port is in the DOWN state.

Data communication networks may include various computers, servers, nodes, routers, switches, hubs, proxies, and other devices coupled to and configured to pass data to one another. These devices are referred to herein as "network elements," and may provide a variety of network resources on a network. Data is communicated through data communication networks by passing protocol data units (such as packets, cells, frames, or segments) between the network elements over communication links on the network. A particular protocol data unit may be handled by multiple network elements and cross multiple communication links as it travels between its source and its destination over the network. Hosts such as computers, telephones, cellular telephones, Personal Digital Assistants, and other types of consumer electronics connect to and transmit/receive data over the communication network and, hence, are users of the communication services offered by the communication network.
Network elements are typically implemented to have a control plane that controls operation of the network element and a data plane that handles traffic flowing through the network. The data plane typically will have a collection of line cards having ports that connect to links on the network. Data is received at a particular port, switched within the data plane, and output at one or more other ports onto other links on the network. To enable the data to be handled quickly, the data plane is typically implemented in hardware so that all of the decisions as to how to handle the data are performed using hardware lookups, etc.
Ports can fail for many reasons, including line card failure, failure of the link connected to the port (e.g. line cut), far-end line card failure, etc. The terms multi-link trunk (MLT), Link Aggregation Group (LAG) and logical ports are synonymous and these terms are used interchangeably Likewise, the internal forwarding datapath within the network element may fail which may cause a port or set of ports to appear to have failed, or there may be some other failures along the logical/virtual connection to the port's external peer endpoint. There are numerous reasons why a port may fail.
In the event a port fails, traffic destined to the port should be diverted to flow out an alternate port to enable connectivity to be restored through the network. To minimize impact on the traffic being handled by the network element, e.g. to minimize down-time and packet loss, the quicker the rerouting of traffic can occur the better. Preferably, it would be advantageous to enable the traffic to fail over to an alternate port in under ten milliseconds (ms). Preferably, in the case of LAG or MLT, the traffic should be spread across the remaining ports rather than all moved from the failing port to a particular designated alternate port to prevent the designated alternate port from being overloaded with traffic.

Method and apparatus for providing fast reroute of a multicast packet within a network element to an available port associated with a multi-link trunk


An improved hanger for mounting mirrors and pictures mounted in frames, the improved hanger having a top end and a bottom end, the top end having a groove disposed parallelledly to the wall on which the mirror or picture mounted in a frame is to be hung, the groove having a flared opening and parallel side walls terminating in a flat bottom wall having arcuate edges where the bottom wall intersects the side walls of the improved hanger, the improved hanger having at least one diagonal aperture there through for the receipt of a fastening means.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to hangers that are attached to walls for supporting objects such as small mirrors and small pictures mounted in frames.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Applicant is the holder of U.S. Pat. No. 5,482,244 for a hanger attached to a wall for supporting objects such as mirrors and pictures mounted in frames. The '244 patent discusses the prior art known to the Applicant at the time of the filing of that application, and it is incorporated herein.
The improved hanger incorporates improved structure developed by the Applicant through testing and use.
Applicant's improved hanger has application to small items such as pictures mounted in frames which may have taut wires stretched across their frames for hanging, and also to pictures mounted in frames which utilize a saw-tooth hanging clip for mounting.


An optical product includes an optical multilayer film on an optical product base. A color of reflected light of the optical multilayer film satisfies both of the following conditions in a chromaticity diagram (x,y,Y) of a CIE color system: [1] 0.27≦x≦0.30 and [2] 0.30≦y≦0.36. The optical product base is a spectacle plastic lens base.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to optical products such as a camera lens and spectacle plastic lenses.
2. Description of Related Art
In plastic optical products, an optical multilayer film as an antireflection film is formed on the surface in order to reduce light reflection from the surface. Such an optical multilayer film is formed by alternately stacking several low refractive index and high refractive index layers, and an antireflection film having W-shaped spectral distribution of reflectance with a local maximum point at around 520 nm is commonly used in view of processing stability and appearance. Thus, upon incidence of light on the optical product having the optical multilayer film, a light green reflected image is seen when the optical product is viewed from the light incidence side (this phenomenon can also be seen in spectacle plastic lenses).
In order to make such a reflected image more faint and inconspicuous, the antireflection film needs to be designed to further reduce reflectance in a visible region in view of the cost. However, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2006-126233 (JP 2006-126233 A) shown below discloses design of an antireflection film having a seven-layer structure in which reflectance of light having an incident angle of 0 degrees is 1.0% or less in the wavelength range of 420 to 720 nm, although this design is produced in order to reduce reflections.
However, in the antireflection film of Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2006-126233 (JP 2006-126233 A) as well, reflectance has a local maximum point of about 1% at around 580 nm (see reference number 21 in FIG. 2 of JP2006126233), and a light green reflected image is seen. Although the level of light transmittance and the degree to which reflection of outside light is reduced are relatively satisfactorily improved, the reflected color is still conspicuous.

Optical product and spectacle plastic lens


A method and device for forming a cigarette filter rod. The method is as follows: in a process of continuously conveying forward cigarette filter materials that tend to converge to have a rod shape, multiple granular additives are continuously output in accordance with a certain time interval, and are sprayed into the cigarette filter materials that converge forwards under the action of continuous transporting flows, so that after the cigarette filter materials converge to form a continuous filter rod, multiple groups of additive unit combinations formed of different granular additive units are embedded in an axial direction of the filter rod. With the method and device for forming a cigarette filter rod, a filter rod containing multiple granular additives can be formed in one step; multiple granular additives can be combined and arranged in any way along an axial direction of the filter rod; dosage positions and intervals of various granular additives can be adjusted and changed randomly; a production process is simplified and the production cost is reduced.

Field of Invention
The present invention relates to the manufacturing filed of tobacco, and particularly to a forming method and a forming device for a cigarette filter.
Description of Related Arts
In order to filter some certain of hazardous substances (such as nicotine, tar) of cigarette smoke, the vast majority of current cigarettes are provided with filter rods. The filter rod is produced by a filter rod forming machine, e.g., the KDF2 filter rod forming machine produced by Hauni Company, Germany. The machine generally consists of two parts of a tow pretreatment section (AF) and a filter rod forming section (KDF), the coming cellulose acetate tows are the continuous fiber tows having been compressed and packaged, then the fiber tows is continuously fed into the machine; during the tow pretreatment process, the cellulose acetate tows are opened and expanded to a relative loose and board fiber band, which is sprayed with plasticizer later. By the filter rod forming section, the loose, glued fiber band is furled to a carton though a furled device with a taper horn mouth, and then is packed with a continuous filter rod prepared by a forming paper. Next, after being cut into particular length specifications by a rotary cutter, the formed cellulose acetate is shaped and solidified under the action of plasticizer, and becomes a stable shaped filter rod.
A key direction of the development of cigarette manufacturing process, is to study how to reduce the harm of the hazardous substances, that are generated from the lighting and smoking of a cigarette, to human body. At present, one method commonly used is that, by applying granular additives with different absorption effects and functions, such as active carbon granules, molecular sieve granules and the like, so as to improve the filtration effect of the filter rod on hazardous substances. Besides, in order to allow smokers to get a different consumer experience, the filter rod inside is usually added with microcapsule granules containing liquid perfumes of a floral perfume, peppermint and the like, so that smokers is supplied with changes of fragrance and sensory effects. Generally, a special functional filter rob with granular additives is produced by the existing device of filter rod of cellulose acetate, by adding a particular apparatus of granular additives. In the existing technology, an apparatus of granular additives is widely arranged between a tow pretreatment section and a filter rod forming section, and then the granular additives are released to continuous transporting fiber bands; after the filter rod forming part is furled, the additives is tightly wrapped and fixed therein, so that the addition of additives is achieved.
Publication Number: WO2006/059134, title: Tobacco smoke filter production, Filtrona international limited, Milton Keyence, UK, has disclosed a production method for a filter rod with granular additives, in which the granular additives is discontinuously supplied into a pneumatic injector conduit by a valve. The valve is opened and closed repeatedly, to allow the injector conduit for feedstock and spray in a pulse mode, so that the granular additives is laterally spray to a center of collected filter material conveying forward. In such production method, the granular additives are sprayed to the filter material by adopting pulse flows, while pulse flows are discontinuous, and it requires for duty time between two sprays, which makes it difficult to carry out high-speed production. The pulse flow is varied periodically with strong and weak, which will affect the stability of the shaped granular additives.
Publication Number: WO2006/067629, title: Compound filter rod making apparatus and process, Philip Morris products S.A., Neuchatel, CH, has disclosed an apparatus for continuously making compound filter rod, in which a rotary pocket wheel is adopted. The wheel is provided with a number of interval cells, and a vacuum source applying to the rotary wheel is adopted to absorb filter mediums (granular additives) from a filter medium supply to the cell. The rotary wheel rotates upwards to a transfer opening, to release vacuum; compressed air is applied to a perforated pocket "bottom" to convey the filter mediums to a shaped continuous filter rob center, to achieve the release of granular additives. The device absorbs feedstock by vacuum, thus granular additives are likely to block the vacuum system that leads to shortage of material; besides, reliability of feedstock is reduced during high-speed operation, thereby causing shortage of material. It improves the difficulty of machining when adopting matched sealing surfaces to form a pressure system, and granular additives directly touch with the sealing surfaces, which is likely to cause pressure sealing failure.
Moreover, the above two devices for forming filter rob feature a common shortcomings, that is, during the process of forming filter rob, it is generally added with just one type of granular additive, thus, the produced filter rob contains one type of granular additive as well, in such way, the function of a cigarette filter rod is limited.

Method and device for forming cigarette filter rod

SHANGHAI PUFFMAN AUTOMATION & INSTRUMENT CO., LTD.


The present invention provides an image processing apparatus capable of obtaining good shake-corrected images in electronic image stablization irrespective of changes of image-taking conditions. An image processing apparatus comprises a shake correcting part that performs coordinate transformation processing based on shake information to an input image that is generated by use of an image-pickup device, and a method changing part that changes a coordinate transformation method for the coordinate transformation processing.

The present invention relates to an image processing technique that obtains an output image with reduced shake by performing coordinate transformation processing as shake correction processing to an image captured by an image-pickup apparatus.
Shake correction methods provided in image-pickup apparatuses include optical image stabilization and electronic image stabilization. The electronic image stabilization selects as a take-out area a region to be actually output (e.g., recorded or displayed) from within one frame image that is generated by use of an image-pickup device, and moves the take-out area in accordance with amount of shake for each frame. Then, coordinate transformation processing is applied to each take-out area image to thereby output an image with reduced shake (or a shake-corrected image).
Shake of an image-pickup apparatus can be detected by using an angular velocity sensor or angular acceleration sensor, or by comparing input images for two successive frames to detect motion vectors on the images as shake.
Shake appearing on an image includes combinations of various types of shake such as translation and rotation. Besides, characteristics of apparent shake on an image vary depending on the amount of shake or image-taking conditions such as zooming position of an imaging optical system. Accordingly, a technique is desired that provides properly shake-corrected images irrespective of various situations of shake occurrence.
For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-116476 proposes a shake correction technique that uses an angular velocity sensor for shake detection. With this technique, although shake in the direction of panning and/or tilting (panning/tilting shake) can be detected, translational shake cannot be detected. Thus, in normal image-taking, shake correction is performed on the assumption that translational shake can be approximated to shake in the direction of panning or tilting, but in close-up image-taking, shake correction itself is not performed because the approximation does not hold in close-up image-taking.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-227003 proposes a shake correction technique that allows selection of an image shake correction characteristic appropriate for various image-taking conditions (i.e., a mode in which cut-off frequency for shake correction is high and a mode in which the cut-off frequency is low) and/or the range of shake correction (i.e., a range in which correction optical devices can move).
However, although the technique proposed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-116476 can provide a properly shake-corrected image except in close-up image-taking, it cannot provide a shake-corrected image in close-up image-taking because it does not perform shake correction itself in close-up image-taking. The shake correction technique proposed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-227003 is mainly focused on optical image stabilization and is not applicable to electronic image stabilization.

Image processing apparatus, image-pickup apparatus, and image processing method


In one example, a holder for a frusto-conical beverage cup useable in conjunction with a frusto-conical sleeve, such as a corrugated paper heat sleeve, to hold the cup and enable it to be hung from a suitable hanging feature, such as a car door handle, includes an elongated vertical shank portion having front and rear surfaces and a pair of recurvate hooks respectively disposed at upper and lower ends thereof, an upper one of the hooks defining a downwardly opening channel, and a lower one of the hooks defining an upwardly opening channel.

1. Technical Field
This disclosure relates to cup holders in general, and in particular, to a holder for a frusto-conical beverage cup useful in conjunction with a frusto-conical sleeve, such as a heat-insulating paper sleeve, to hold the cup and its contents and enable them to be hung from a suitable hanging feature, such as the side of a shopping cart.
2. Related Art
The peripatetic lifestyles of many today often involve several "mobile" activities, including mobile computing, mobile communications, and in some cases, even mobile dining, i.e., eating and drinking "on the run." Indeed, in many areas, specialty vendors are prevalent, such as Starbucks, Peet's Coffee and the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf Co., who specialize in the preparation of popular beverages, such as coffee, espresso, tea and other hot and cold "takeout" beverages for customers who are in a hurry. In such instances, the beverages are typically served up in frusto-conical paper or plastic cups, and in the case of hot beverages, in cups surrounded by an insulating, frusto-conical "heat sleeve," typically made of cloth or corrugated and/or recycled paper.
Where the customer has the time to linger at the shop at which the beverage is procured while it is consumed, it is a small matter to rest the flat bottom of the cup on a corresponding surface of a table or counter provided by the shop for that purpose. However, if the customer leaves the shop with the beverage to pursue another activity, e.g., shopping, he or she could encounter a problem if it becomes necessary to use both hands, e.g., to effect a debit or credit card transaction, open a locked car door, or lift a heavy carton onto a shopping cart, when there is no nearby flat surface upon which to set the beverage cup.
Accordingly, what are needed are light weight, inexpensive, easy to use, yet reliable holders for frusto-conical beverage cups that are useable in conjunction with frusto-conical sleeves, such as giveaway heat insulating sleeves, to hold the cup and enable it to be hung from a nearby hanging feature, such as a shopping cart or a car door handle.


A communication wake-up scheme for an implantable medical device may involve repeatedly activating a receiver to determine whether an external device is attempting to establish communication with the implantable device. To reduce the amount of power consumed by the implantable device in conjunction with the wake-up scheme, the scheme may involve conducting preliminary RF signal detections as a precursor to conducting a full scan. In this way, power may be conserved since the more power intensive full scans may be performed less frequently. This preliminary detection of RF signals also may be adapted to reduce the number of full scans performed by the implantable device that do not result in communication with the external device. In some embodiments the adaptation involves adjusting one or more thresholds that are used in conjunction with the preliminary detection of RF signals. In some embodiments a wake-up scheme may involve scanning for signals using an initial RF band that is relatively wide, and then scanning for signals using narrower RF bands.

Implantable medical devices may be employed in various applications. For example, an implantable cardiac device may perform one or more functions including sensing signals generated in the heart, pacing the heart to maintain regular contractions, and providing defibrillation shocks to the heart. Similarly, an implantable stimulation device may be used to apply stimulation signals to a patient's muscular tissue, neurological system, or some other area of the patient's body.
In practice, there may be a need to communicate with an implantable medical device after it has been implanted in a patient. For example, an external monitoring device located in a person's home, a doctor's office, a clinic, or some other suitable location may be used to retrieve information collected by and stored on the implanted medical device. In the case of an implantable cardiac device such information may include sensed cardiac activity that a treating physician may wish to analyze to determine the relative health of the patient. Similarly, an external programming device located in any of the above locations may be used by a treating physician to change the operating parameters of the implanted medical device. Such parameters may include, for example, the timing or magnitude of stimulation pulses generated by the implanted medical device.
In a typical implementation, an implantable medical device utilizes radio frequency ("RF") telemetry to communicate with an external device. Thus, the implantable medical device may include an RF transceiver that is adapted to transmit and receive the necessary RF signals. In such an implementation, however, it is generally desirable to leave the transceiver in a powered-off or low power state as much as possible since a transceiver typically consumes a relatively large amount of power. Here, it should be appreciated that the replacement of the battery in an implanted medical device involves a surgical procedure. Hence, long battery life is an important aspect of an implantable medical device.
Some types of implantable medical devices employ a wake-up scheme whereby an implantable medical device will periodically turn on its transceiver (e.g., its receiver) to determine whether an external device is attempting to communicate with the implantable medical device. For example, whenever an external device wishes to establish communication with an implantable device the external device periodically transmits polling messages (e.g., connection requests) over one or more designated RF channels. Each polling message may include information relating to establishing the communication such as, for example, an identifier that uniquely identifies the implantable medical devices.
Every time the transceiver is turned on it may then conduct a scan to determine whether the external device is transmitting polling messages. This may involve, for example, performing an ID scan that checks each RF channel for any messages that include the identifier of that particular implantable medical device. In the event such a signal is detected, the implantable medical device transmits an appropriate signal to establish communication with the external device.
In practice, a transceiver of an implantable medical device may still consume a relatively significant amount of power even when a conventional wake-up scheme is used. For example, scanning each RF channel for polling messages consumes a relatively large amount of power since the RF receiver must be enabled for a relatively long period of time to perform the search. Moreover, it is also desirable that an implantable medical device respond to polling messages within a relatively short period of time. For example, a treating physician would normally not wish to wait several minutes to establish communication with the implanted medical device. To achieve such a quick response time, however, the implantable medical device may need to perform its scans at relatively frequent intervals. Hence, a relatively large amount of power may be consumed due to the frequency of such scans.
Some forms of wake-up schemes employ staged detection to further reduce the amount of power consumed by the implantable medical device. Here, the implantable medical device may employ an early detection stage that triggers a more refined detection stage that analyzes any detected signals to determine whether the signals are from an external device that is attempting to establish communication with the implantable medical device. For example, one technique employs an initial energy "sniff" in the radio frequency channel or channels of interest. By starting a detection search with this low-level and relatively coarse energy assessment stage, the implantable medical device may bypass the relatively high power stage scan whenever a radio frequency signal is not present. In practice, the absence of such an RF signal will be the case for most of the lifetime of the implantable medical device. Hence, additional power savings may be achieved with this type of wake-up scheme.

Adaptive staged wake-up for implantable medical device communication


An apparatus (10) for making snow or a snow-like substance includes a container (12) having a cooling space (13) adapted to contain pressurized air or gas of above atmospheric pressure. At least one flexible walled vessel (14) extends through the cooling space (13) and is connectable to a water source. The apparatus (10) is operable to maintain the cooling space at a sufficiently low temperature to at least partially freeze the water within the flexible walled vessel (14). As a preferred feature of the snow making apparatus, the apparatus may be adapted to maintain a static pressure within the cooling space of the container (12) and to periodically and temporarily increase the pressure within the cooling space to compress the flexible walled vessel (14). Invention also resides in an apparatus (10) for making snow or a snow-like substance, the apparatus including at least one flexible walled vessel (14) connectable to a water source. Spray equipment (18) sprays heat transfer medium onto the at least one flexible walled vessel (14) to chill the vessel sufficient to form ice crystals and/or snow within the vessel.

International Patent Application WO 02/37039 describes a snow making method and apparatus utilising a tank which is filled with liquid coolant. A number of flexible hoses are disposed within the tank. The hoses are filled with water and, through the process of heat transfer from the coolant, ice crystals form within the hoses. The hoses are periodically inflated to aid in dislodging the snow or ice crystals from the inner wall surfaces of the hoses. After each inflation, the hoses are permitted to deflate and this is aided by the pressure of the coolant in the tank.
One difficulty with this arrangement is that while snow and/or ice crystals are intended to form on the inner walls of the hoses, there is a risk that the ice crystals can form a solid block of ice which, once formed is difficult to dislodge. If the hoses should freeze up then it may be necessary to remove the coolant from the tank and allow the ice block within the hoses to melt or alternatively to physically break up the ice. This inevitably leads to downtime for the snow making apparatus and is also time consuming and physically demanding for the operator.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a snow making apparatus and/or a method of making snow or a snow substitute which addresses some of the aforementioned difficulties. An alternative object is to provide the public with a useful choice.


Heavy resid oils are upgraded by a thermal treatment under liquid coking conditions to evolve two at least partially immiscible liquid phases. The lighter gas oil phase is then separated from the heavier liquid coke phase by decantation.

This invention relates to the upgrading of hydrocarbon residues to obtain valuable products therefrom. More specifically, the invention relates to a thermal process for upgrading petroleum residua.
It is important to find improved methods of processing petroleum residua because the quantity of high quality petroleum stock is dwindling. More of the higher value petroleum products must be obtained from the whole crude and in particular from the resid. It is essential to remove metal, nitrogen, sulfur and other contaminants from the petroleum residua since such contaminants greatly reduce the value of the coke produced or poison the catalysts used in various upgrading processes.
Various methods are used to upgrade heavy petroleum residua to products of higher value and saleability. These methods have included hydrogenative processing in which the residua is contacted with hydrogen in the presence of a hydrogenation catalyst to remove the metals, nitrogen, and sulfur compounds contained in the residua, and hydrotreating to saturate aromatic and asphaltene compounds contained therein. Another commonly used method of upgrading residua is solvent extraction such as deasphalting. In this process the residua is contacted with a solvent such as propane to precipitate the high molecular weight asphaltene fraction.
Another common technique for upgrading residua is thermal processing, for example, coking. In this thermal process the heavy hydrocarbon feed is heated rapidly to cracking temperatures so as to convert the feed into cracked vapors and solid coke which is produced at typical coking conditions in amounts of greater than about 20 wt. % based of feed. Another thermal process is thermal visbreaking, a relatively mild cracking process in which the higher molecular weight components in the resid are cracked to lighter products.
Visbreaking promotes condensation reactions which yield carbonaceous materials including toluene insolubles which are incompatible with the remaining products and are undesirable. Under visbreaking conditions, these toluene-insoluble compounds remain in a liquid phase. These toluene-insoluble compounds are physically indistinct at the macro level from the remainder of a visbreaker product stream. Thus, the visbreaker product forms a single stable liquid phase which cannot be separated by decantation. The insolubles are even less desirable than solid coke in that they have little or no commercial use. Visbreaking conditions, therefor, are generally controlled to limit the formation of toluene insolubles to less than 0.5 wt. % based on feed.
The term "toluene-insolubles" as used herein is not the equivalent of "solid coke". The toluene-insolubles fraction is a complex hydrocarbon mixture soluble in solvents such as pyridine and tetrahydrofuran, and nominally has a hydrogen content of about 6-7 weight percent. Pyrolysis of a toluene-insolubles fraction yields a solid coke residue which represents substantially less (up to 30 to 50 percent less) than the original toluene-insolubles weight.
Hydroprocessing techniques such as those discussed above employed to upgrade resid require high hydrogen pressures, low flow rates and high temperatures. High capital investment and operation costs are thus necessitated. Solvent extraction using light hydrocarbons as solvents generally lacks selectivity for the contaminants and thus high ratios of solvent to residua requirements are required. The requirement for large amounts of solvent increases the capital investment cost as well as operational costs and energy consumption. The poor selectivity of the solvent extraction process leads to the production of a large volume of low value asphaltene. Disposal of this asphaltene can itself become a problem.
Coking to upgrade the petroleum residua is becoming more and more popular in the petroleum industry due to the need for minimizing residual fuel production. However, coking is both capital and operation cost intensive. Handling of solid coke including drilling, blowing-down and transportation is expensive. A substantial amount of solid coke, 20 to 40% by weight of resid, depending on the nature of the resid, is produced in the process. Coke yields generally range between 100 and 200% of the resid's ASTM D-189 Conradson Carbon Residue.
Due to the high levels of metal and sulfur contamination, the solid coke from low quality resids is often sold as fuel coke at about $20 per ton. Furthermore, a low quality resid often yields shot coke. Shot coke is currently valued at less than $10 per ton. To put these prices in perspective, it is interesting to note that the prices of crude and resids are $200 per ton and $150 per ton, respectively.
There are numerous patents related to the coking of heavy petroleum feeds including petroleum residua. Typical patents include U.S. Pat. No. 3,247,095 and 4,394,250. The latter patent also discloses adding small amounts of cracking catalyst and hydrogen to the hydrocarbon feedstock before it is charged to the coking drum. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,522,703 solid carbonaceous fines are incorporated into the feedstock which is subsequently converted to gasoline, gas oil, and resid tar. U.S. Pat. No. 4,522,703 is incorporated herein by reference.
Accordingly, it is an objective of the present invention to provide a less expensive process as an alternative to the conventional methods for upgrading resids. A further objective is to maximize the yield of upgraded liquid product without the use of external hydrogen. Another objective is to minimize the yield of solid coke and gas in the coking process. Still another object is to provide a continuous process thereby eliminating the need for a batch or semi-batch process. Other objectives of the present invention will become apparent from the accompanying description and illustrated Example.

Upgrading of resids by liquid phase mild coking


A method of detecting ethanol in lachrymal fluid is provided in which an open eye of a subject is enclosed in a chamber to define a space above the eye, an ethanol vapor sensor is introduced into the space of the chamber in a spaced relation to the eye; the sensor is calibrated; and the ethanol vapor concentration in the said lachrymal fluid exuded by the eye is measured.

The present invention relates to the detection of alcohol in a human and more particularly to methods and means for such detection.
The detection of blood alcohol levels in human beings has been achieved by various methods and for different purposes.
For law enforcement the determination of blood alcohol levels has been essential for the prosecution of various offences particularly highway driving offences where the suspect may be impaired.
For general medical purposes it is frequently essential for the physicians to make an objective determination of the alcohol blood level of a patient to determine the health of the patient and/or the appropriate treatment.
Sometimes the purposes overlap such as in a highway traffic accident However, irrespective of the purposes, in the latter situation where the patient is critically ill the measurement of the alcohol blood level is by present methods time consuming and requires considerable expertise and is not possible without invasive methods.
The obtaining of a blood alcohol reading by the breathalyser technique will not give an accurate reading if the patient has only just finished consuming alcohol: the alcohol in the mouth distorts the reading.
The patient may have vomited or regurgitated as a consequence of the accident with the same effect or so that the patient cannot apply the breathalyser tube to his mouth. Or the patient may be unconscious so that a breathalyser reading may not be feasible.
The other present methods and equipment are more cumbersome and awkward to use so that they are, for the purpose of the present discussion irrelevant.

Method and means for detecting blood alcohol in humans by testing vapor above the eye

Alcoholism and Drug Addiction Res. Foundation


Exemplary embodiments may provide one or more computer readable storage media storing executable instructions that when executed on processing logic output a source code listing and external content to an editor. The media may hold instructions for creating a source code listing in an editor, the source code listing being executable when the source code listing is compiled or interpreted. The media may further hold instructions for inserting a non-executable statement into the source code listing, the non-executable statement including metadata identifying external content. The media may hold instructions for interpreting the metadata. The media may further hold instructions for communicating with external content. The media may also hold instructions for outputting the source code listing and the external content to the editor. The media may further hold instructions for interacting with the external content from the source code listing.

In computer programming, a source code listing is a sequence of programming language statements that can be displayed or output. Often, a programming editor may enable a user to display a source code listing for source code that the user wishes to edit. The source code listing may include one or more comment statements. Comment statements can be non-executable statements that contain textual information, such as descriptive information about the source code. A comment symbol is often placed at the beginning of a comment statement to distinguish the comment statement from the rest of the source code listing which may contain executable statements. In most cases, when the source code is processed by a compiler or interpreter, comment statements are ignored.

Providing access to external content using metadata in source code listings


An ultra-hard construction is disclosed that is prepared by a method comprising the steps of treating a material microstructure having a polycrystalline matrix first phase material and a second phase material from at least a partial region of the material microstructure, wherein the second phase material is disposed within interstitial regions of the material microstructure, and wherein removal of the second phase material creates a porous material microstructure characterized by a plurality of empty voids and replacing the removed second phase material with a replacement material having a thermal characteristic that more closely matched polycrystalline matrix first phase that the second phase material.

The existence and use of ultra-hard materials in the form of polycrystalline material types for forming tooling, cutting and/or wear elements is well known in the art. Two polycrystalline material types, polycrystalline diamond (PCD) and polycrystalline cubic boron nitride (PcBN), are used for example as cutting elements to remove metals, rock, plastic and a variety of composite materials. Such known polycrystalline materials have a microstructure characterized by a polycrystalline matrix first phase, that generally occupies the highest volume percent in the microstructure and that has the greatest hardness, and a plurality of second phases, that are generally filled with a catalyst material that was used to bond or sinter the materials forming the polycrystalline matrix first phase.
For example, conventional PCD is formed by combining diamond grains (that will form the polycrystalline matrix first phase) with a suitable solvent catalyst material (that will form the second phase) to form a mixture. The mixture is subjected to processing conditions of extremely high pressure/high temperature, during which process the solvent catalyst material promotes desired intercrystalline diamond-to-diamond bonding between the grains, thereby forming a PCD structure.
Solvent catalyst materials typically used for forming conventional PCD include solvent metals from Group VIII of the Periodic table, with cobalt (Co) being the most common. Conventional PCD can comprise from about 85 to 95% by volume diamond and a remaining amount being the solvent metal catalyst material. The solvent metal catalyst material is present in the microstructure of the PCD material within interstices that exist between the bonded together diamond grains and/or along the surfaces of the diamond crystals.
The resulting PCD structure produces enhanced properties of wear resistance and hardness, making PCD materials extremely useful in aggressive wear and cutting applications where high levels of wear resistance and hardness are desired. Industries that utilize such polycrystalline materials for cutting, e.g., in the form of a cutting element, elements include automotive, oil and gas, aerospace, nuclear and transportation to mention only a few.
For use in the oil production industry, such PCD cutting elements are provided in the form of specially designed cutting elements such as shear cutters that are configured for attachment with a subterranean drilling device, e.g., a shear bit. Thus, such PCD shear cutters are used as the cutting elements in shear bits that drill holes in the earth for oil and gas exploration. Such shear cutters generally comprise a PCD body that is joined to substrate, e.g., a substrate that is formed from cemented tungsten carbide. The shear cutter is manufactured using an ultra high pressure/temperature process that generally utilizes cobalt as a catalytic second phase material that facilitates liquid phase sintering between diamond particles to form a single interconnected polycrystalline matrix of diamond with cobalt dispersed throughout the matrix.
The shear cutter is attached to the shear bit via the substrate, usually by a braze material, leaving the PCD body exposed as a cutting element to shear rock as the shear bit rotates. High forces are generated at the PCD/rock interface to shear the rock away. In addition, high temperatures are generated at this cutting interface, which shorten the cutting life of the PCD cutting edge. High temperatures incurred during operation cause the cobalt in the diamond matrix to thermally expand and even change phase (from BCC to FCC), which expansion is know to cause the diamond crystalline bonds within the microstructure to be broken at or near the cutting edge, thereby also operating to reduces the life of the PCD cutter. Also, in high temperature oxidizing cutting environments, the cobalt in the PCD matrix will facilitate the conversion of diamond back to graphite, which is also known to radically decrease the performance life of the cutting element. Additionally, the presence of cobalt in the polycrystalline matrix is also known to inhibit the ability of heat to be transferred away from the cutting edge of the cutter, because the coefficient of heat transfer for cobalt is approximately 100 W/mK as compared to diamond that is about 500-2600 W/mK.
Attempts have been made to address the above-noted limitations, associated with the presence of cobalt in the polycrystalline matrix, for the purpose of enhancing the service life of PCD cutting elements. For example, it is known to treat PCD to remove the cobalt or second phase material therefrom, which treatment has been shown to produce a resulting diamond body having enhanced cutting performance. One known for doing this involves at least a two-stage technique of first forming a conventional sintered PCD body, by combining diamond grains and a cobalt solvent catalyst material and subjecting the same to high pressure/high temperature process as described above, and then removing the solvent catalyst material therefrom, e.g., by acid leaching process.
However, the approach of removing the second phase cobalt from the polycrystalline diamond matrix creates the formation of voids or empty pores within the matrix surrounding the diamond crystals. The presence of such voids results in the formation of a porous structure that, while providing somewhat improved thermal expansion properties, now lacks strength and fracture toughness. In addition to the diamond structure lacking such physical properties, the presence of the voids within the microstructure act as insulation like empty air spaces, thereby impairing or reducing thermal heat transfer within the microstructure by relying on convective rather than conductive heat transfer within these voids.
It is, therefore, desirable that an ultra-hard construction be engineered in a manner that not only provides for improved properties of thermal stability, but that does so in a manner that does not sacrifice mechanical properties such as strength and fracture toughness. It is also desired that such ultra-hard constructions be engineered in a manner that provides improved thermal transfer characteristics when compared to conventional thermally stable PCD, by improving one or all of the thermal transfer mechanisms of conduction, convection and/or radiation within the material microstructure and/or construction.

Ultra-hard constructions with enhanced second phase


Disclosed are various examples for enrolling a device in a management service. An enrollment wizard can include a series of user interfaces to facilitate enrollment of a device in the management service. Enrollment data can be obtained from the user and sent to the management service for authentication of the user and device. A user interface object can be instantiated to access a webpage within a user interface of the enrollment wizard for downloading a configuration profile provided by the management service. A user can be redirected to a settings application to install the configuration profile.

With the emergence of bring-your-own-device (BYOD) technology in the workplace, enterprises permit employees or other personnel to use their own devices for business purposes. This can include accessing enterprise data, such as email and corporate documents. However, prior to an employee using his or her own device in the workplace, a company can require the employee to enroll with a management service capable of protecting enterprise data from theft, loss, and unauthorized access. Administrators can utilize the management service to oversee operation of the devices enrolled with or otherwise managed by the service.
Enrollment of a device with the management system can include installation of a configuration file on the device that defines configuration settings for the device in accordance to settings specified by the administrator of the management service. To protect a user from unintentionally downloading and installing malware or other type of harmful software or files that could compromise the user or user device, the operating system of the device can require specific procedures for downloading and installing the configuration files.

Device enrollment in a management service


The objective of the present invention is to provide a zoom lens system having an f-number of approximately 1.3 at the wide extremity, a half angle-of-view of 75 degrees, and a zoom ratio of approximately 3:1. The solution to this objective is to provide a zoom lens system including a first lens group, having a negative refractive power, a diaphragm, and a second lens group, having a positive refractive power, in that order from the object side; wherein the first lens group and the second lens group move in the optical axis direction so that the distance therebetween decreases upon zooming from the wide-angle extremity to the telephoto extremity.

The demand for compact-sized surveillance cameras in offices and inside train stations is increasing. Until now, low-pixel cameras have been common, so that lenses that are adopted for low pixelization, such as VGA, etc., and a half angle-of-view of approximately 60 degrees at the short focal length extremity have become predominant.


An electrochromic window assembly is disclosed that includes a first substrate and a second substrate that is maintained in a parallel and spaced relation from the first substrate by means of a window frame and spacer. The window assembly further includes an electrochromic device mounted within the airtight chamber formed between the first and second substrates. Electrochromic device 22 may be mounted so as to provide an air chamber between first substrate 12, which is the external substrate, and electrochromic device 22. At least one of the chambers formed between substrates 12 and 14 and electrochromic device 22 may be filled with an insulating gas such as argon. Also disclosed are novel methods for manufacture of an electrochromic device for incorporation into such a window assembly. A novel electrochromic device is also disclosed having electrical bus clips secured about the entire periphery of the electrochromic device.

The present invention generally relates to windows having variable transmittance light filters, and more specifically to windows including electrochromic light filters.
Variable transmittance light filters, such as electrochromic light filters, have been proposed for use in architectural windows, skylights, and in windows and sunroofs for automobiles. Such electrochromic light filters reduce the transmittance of direct or reflected sunlight during daytime through the window, while not reducing such transmittance during nighttime. Not only do such light filters reduce bothersome glare and ambient brightness, but they also reduce fading of interior materials and heat load caused by the transmittance of sunlight through the window.
Electrochromic windows have not been widely accepted commercially for several reasons. First, they tend to be very expensive due to the cost of materials required for their construction, and their complex construction makes mass production difficult. Additionally, electrochromic windows have tended to have a lower life expectancy than conventional windows due to degradation of the electrochromic materials used in the window. The combination of added cost and lower life expectancy has deterred many architects and builders from using electrochromic windows.

Electrochromic windows and method of making the same


An actively damped steering rate sensing device for an autopilot control system capable of producing angular rotation in a control plane of an intentionally continuously axially rolling airframe such as a homing missile in response to a rotation related guidance command signal. The device includes an elongated armature member mounted to the airframe for pivotal movement about an axis extending through the member intermediate its length. The pivot axis is oriented with respect to the rotational axis of the airframe so that the armature member will pivot by gyroscopic precession in response to rotation in the control plane of the rolling airframe. Sensing and damping coils are mounted on opposite ends of the armature member. Magnets and flux path return elements are fixedly mounted adjacent each of the coils. Movement of the armature member during flight produces an output signal in the sensing coil which is amplified and applied in the correct phase to the damping coil to damp the pivotal motion of the armature member.

The present invention relates to control mechanisms for rotating airframes, and more particularly, to a steering rate sensing device and active damping circuit for use in an autopilot control system which directs the flight path maneuvers of a rolling missile.
Many missiles have been designed for intentionally induced and maintained roll rates about their longitudinal axis during flight. Such missiles have significant practical advantages over roll stabilized airframes. This rolling airframe concept has been applied to both air and surface launched missiles. These missiles can be spun initially by the launcher and utilize control surfaces to maintain a predetermined rate of roll. With a roll rate of approximately 5 to 10 revolutions per second, it is possible to utilize a single control plane to guide the missile in all three earth related axes.
In a typical application of this concept, as disclosed in U. S. Pat. No. 4,037,806, the control system utilizes a single pair of variable incidence control surfaces to steer the missile about the control plane at a selected instantaneous rotational orientation upon command from a guidance command signal. Thus, with such a missile operating in a level flight attitude, to cause the missile to climb, a guidance command signal must vary in amplitude at a frequency equal to the roll rate of the missile. For example, in the vertical plane, the guidance command signal would be a generally sinusoidal wave form that would induce pitch-up as the control plane of the vehicle approaches earth vertical and pitch-down after the control surface rotates and nearest a one-half revolution from pitch-up, thereby producing upward change in the angle of attack. The angle of attack produces a body lift and alters the missile course from a horizontal to a climbing course. Similarly, a course change to the right would be effected by a sinusoidal signal displaced 90.degree. from the signal required for a vertical course change. This provides a simplified control system resulting in a reduction in cost and an increase in reliability for rolling airframes in contrast with stabilized airframes.
The present invention was conceived and developed for utilization in a recently developed autopilot control system for rolling airframes which is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,054,254. In such a control system, it is desirable to produce a damping of the commanded wing incidence to prevent overshoot.
In U. S. Pat. No. 4,054,254 mentioned above, the steering rate sensing device includes a pivotally mounted magnetic flapper surrounded by an inductive pick-off assembly. The flapper is immersed within a damping fluid. Since the sensing device rotates with the airframe, a gyroscopic effect is produced on the flapper which in conjunction with the damping fluid stabilizes the position of the magnetic flapper, and therefore a zero output is produced by the inductive pick-off assembly. However, when action of the control surfaces causes the airframe to pitch in the control plane, the angular velocity of that pitching movement determines the degree to which the flapper will precess. This causes the magnetized flapper to approach the inductive pick-off assembly and produce a signal output corresponding to the angular velocity on pitch rate. The output of the pitch rate sensing device is summed with the undamped control signal to produce a damped control signal. This prevents overshoot.
Steering rate sensing devices which may be utilized in the autopilot control system of the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 4,054,254 are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,114,451 and 4,114,452. These devices may also be fluid damped.
In prior steering rate sensing devices, the degree of damping of the rotor, i.e., the damping coefficient, must be carefully controlled to achieve missile flight path accuracy. This is because the output of such steering rate sensing devices is proportional to the damping. Prior steering rate sensing devices have been subject to large variations in output with changes in temperature. This is due to fluid viscosity changes in the case of fluid damped devices and due to changes in resistivity in the case of electromagnetically damped devices.

Actively damped steering rate sensor for rotating airframe autopilot

General Dynamics Corp., Pomona Division MZ 1-25