Apparatus and method for deflecting the drilling direction of a rotary drill string and drill bit through a borehole wall include an anchor, a housing, and a chute. The anchor anchors the apparatus in the borehole. The housing is connectable to the anchor and has an uphole end, a downhole end, a sidewall extending between the uphole end and the downhole end, and a passageway extending through the housing. The passageway has an entrance through the uphole end of the housing and an exit through the sidewall of the housing. The chute is slidably disposed in the housing passageway and has an uphole end, a downhole end, a sidewall extending between the uphole end and the downhole end, and a passageway extending through the chute from the uphole end through the downhole end. The chute passageway passes the drill bit and drill string through the chute. The chute is movable between a retracted position in which the chute is retracted into the housing passageway and an extended position in which the chute is extended through the housing passageway exit to the borehole wall. The apparatus is inserted into a borehole and anchored, the chute is released to extend into contact with the borehole wall, and the drill bit and drill string are deflectingly passed through the chute.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to apparatus and methods for steering subterranean drilling assemblies and more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to apparatus and methods for deflecting the drilling direction of a rotary drill string and drill bit into and through a borehole wall.
2. Setting of the Invention
In order to enhance the recovery of subterranean fluids, such as oil and gas, it is sometimes desirable to orient the direction of the well bore or borehole. In an oil producing formation or strata which has limited vertical depth and relatively greater horizontal extent with respect to the surface of the earth, a borehole which extends horizontally through the oil producing formation may be more productive than one extending vertically. In order to create an inclined, highly deviated or horizontal borehole, it is necessary to steer the drilling bit at the end of the drill string from a generally vertical orientation to a lateral or horizontal orientation.
In steering a drill bit and drill string from a vertical orientation to a horizontal or other non-vertical orientation, it is necessary to deflect or side track the drill bit from the generally vertical borehole to a drilling direction inclined to the wall of the borehole. This initial step is also known as "kicking off" the drill bit and drill string. It is typical to first drill a vertical borehole and then attempt to deflect the drill bit and drill string by some means thereby causing it to drill through the wall of the existing borehole.
When drilling a deviated wellbore from a cased well, one must first cut and remove a section of the casing. Once the casing is removed, an opening is provided for the drill bit to pass through and into the cement surrounding the casing and then out into the formation. Due to irregularities in the cementing process, the casing may not be centered within the wellbore; further, the cement may not fully surround the casing. Thus, the actual distance between the sectioned casing and the material to be drilled (i.e., cement and/or formation material) is not known.
The drilling assembly (drill bit and drill string) is usually very flexible so it is partially unsupported as it spans the gap and thus is difficult to control, particularly during the "kick off" activities when the drill bit is just starting to drill into the borehole wall. This lack of control often necessitates the time consuming additional step of drilling a short pilot hole with a more easily controlled, nonflexible drilling assembly prior to using the flexible drilling assembly.
Another problem with the prior whipstocks is that the maximum deflection of the drill bit from the axis of the borehole ("exit angle") is in the range of about four degrees or less. As a result of this limitation, the total footage required to attain a horizontal trajectory and the amount of borehole casing that must be removed are much larger than with a greater exit angle.
Another problem with the prior whipstocks is that there is considerable difficulty in retracting the skewed or curved drill string and drill bit from the skewed borehole because the shoulders and other abrupt surface-changes in the drill string and drill bit hang up on the whipstock as they are pulled across the gap.
Therefore, there is a need for an apparatus and method of deflecting the drilling direction of a rotary drill string and drill bit through a borehole wall which will support the drill bit and drill string throughout its transition from the generally vertical borehole into the borehole wall, which will reduce the axial length of casing which must be removed to allow deflection through the borehole wall, which will reduce the likelyhood of snagging when retracting the drill bit and drill string from the borehole wall, which will eliminate the need for drilling a pilot hole with a rigid drilling assembly prior to running the flexible drilling assembly, which will provide greater control of kick off direction and angle, and which will reduce the total drilling footage required to attain a horizontal or other desired nonvertical drilling trajectory. It is contemplated that such an apparatus and method will allow more accurate steering of subterranean drilling assemblies and result in higher production rates of oil and gas.


A process for the formation of a deposited functional film by separately introducing, into a film-deposition space (A) for forming a deposited film on a substrate, a precursor as the starting material for forming a deposited film which is formed by applying a microwave energy in to a precursor-generating gaseous raw material a decomposition space (B) and an active species which is formed in a decomposition space (C) and which is chemically reactive with the precursor, respectively and chemically reacting them to thereby form a deposited film on the substrate, wherein the inner wall face of a chamber constituting the film-deposition space (A) and the inner wall face of a chamber constituting the decomposition space (C) are coated with a thin film constituted with an element or ingredient constituting the deposited film having a resistance value of 10.sup.6 .OMEGA..cm or more, thereby preventing intrusion of impurities from inner wall material into the deposited film.

For the formation of amorphous silicon films, there have been attempts to use, for example, vacuum vapor deposition process, plasma CVD process, CVD process, reactive sputtering process, ion plating process or light CVD process, and among these processes, the plasma CVD process has been used generally and put to industrial application.
However, for the deposited films constituted with amorphous silicon, there has been room for the further improvement of overall characteristics in electrical and optical characteristics, wear characteristics upon repeated use, use environmental characteristics, as well as productivity and mass productivity including homogenity and reproducibility.
The reaction process in the formation of a deposited amorphous silicon film by using the plasma CVD process that has been put to generalized use is rather complicated as compared with the conventional CVD process, and there have still been several points left unclear in the reaction mechanisms. In addition, there are many parameters for the formation of the deposited film (for instance, substrate temperature, the flow rate and the ratio of gases introduced, inner pressure upon film formation, RF power, electrode structure, structure of reaction vessel, gas discharging rate, plasma generation system, etc.). Combination of these many parameters often renders plasmas instable and causes noticeable undesired effects on the deposited films formed. Moreover, parameters inherent to apparatus have to be selected on every apparatus and, accordingly, generalization for production conditions is difficult at present.
On the other hand, for attaining amorphous silicon films capable of sufficiently satisfying electrical and optical properties as the amorphous silicon films in each of the application uses, it is considered most preferred at present to form them by means of the plasma CVD process.
However, it is necessary to enable mass production with good reproducibility while completely satisfying the increase of area, homogenity of films and homogenity of film quality depending on the application uses of the deposited films. Accordingly, in the formation of a deposited amorphous silicon film by means of the plasma CVD process, an enormous installation cost is required for the mass production apparatus, the items for the administration of mass production thereof are too complicated to restrict the allowable range for the administration and the adjustment of the apparatus is delicate. These have been pointed out as problems to be solved.
As a method of eliminating the foregoing drawbacks in the plasma CVD process, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Sho 60-41047 has proposed a process for the formation of a deposited film on a substrate by separately introducing, into a film-deposition space (A) for forming the deposited film on the substrate, a precursor as the starting material for forming the deposited film which is formed in a decomposition space (B) and an active species which is formed in the decomposition space (C) and which reacts with the precursor respectively.
FIG. 5 schematically shows a typical example of an apparatus which is suitable to practicing the process for the formation of a deposited film.
In FIG. 5, 501 denotes a film-deposition chamber as a film-forming space, in which a deposited film-forming substrate 503 is placed on a substrate bed 502. There are also shown a heater 504 for heating the substrate, starting material gas supply sources 505 through 508 and 512, pressure controllers 505a through 508a and 512a for starting material gas, valves 505b or 505c through 508b or 508c and 512b or 512c for flowing respective gases and mass flow controllers 505d through 508d and 512d for adjusting the flow rate of each of the gases, gas introduction pipes 509 and 513 for respective starting material gases, a microwave source 510 for converting the starting material gas passing through the gas introduction pipe 509 into active species in the decomposition space (C), a waveguide 511 and an electric furnace 514 for converting the starting material gas passing through the gas introduction pipe 513 into a precursor in the decomposition space (B), an exhaustion valve 515, an exhaustion pipe 516 and a quartz pipe 521. The precursor formed in the decomposition space (B) and the active species formed in the decomposition space (C) are reacted with each other in the deposition space (A) for forming a deposited film, thereby forming a deposited film on the substrate 503.
According to the process for the formation of the deposited film, it is possible to easily attain the improvement for the productivity of the film and massproduction thereof while improving various properties, film-forming rate and reproducibility of the films to be formed and unifying the film qualitY, with suitability for increasing the area of the film.
However, when a deposited film is formed on the substrate by the above-mentioned process, the deposited film is deposited not only on the substrate 503 but also on the inner wall of the deposition chamber 501 and on the surface of the substrate support bed 502. Accordingly, it is usual to employ a method of removing the deposited film before transferring to the succeeding film formation by applying dry etching to the inside of the deposition chamber 501 using an appropriate etching gas, for example, a gas mixture of CF.sub.4 and O.sub.2. For instance, dry etching is carried out by a method like that for the formation of active species in the conventional deposited film forming apparatus shown in FIG. 5, introducing an appropriate amount of a gas mixture from a CF.sub.4 /O.sub.2 gas mixture reservoir not illustrated into the deposition chamber 501, charging an appropriate amount of power from a microwave power source 510 and generating based on a gas mixture of CF.sub.4 and O.sub.2 mixed plasmas in the decomposition space (C).
However, the inner wall of the decomposition space (C) or the deposition chamber 501 may sometime be eroded in the dry etching, by F radicals formed, by which elements constituting the inner walls may be made free and adsorbed to the inner wall surface. Further, carbon atoms, oxygen atoms, etc. derived from CF.sub.4 or O.sub.2 may be adsorbed to the inner wall of the decomposition space (C) and the deposition chamber 501.
If the step is transferred to the succeeding filmforming under such conditions, carbon atoms or oxygen atoms adsorbed to the wall surface may be mixed as contaminates into the deposited film during film formation, to form an impurity level and remarkably reduce the properties of the deposited film.
In addition, when activation energy, for example, microwave is introduced into the decomposing space (C) for forming the active species, thereby forming plasmas, the inner wall of the decomposition space (C) is damaged by the plasmas and the inner wall constituent elements (for example, oxygen in the case where the decomposition space (C) is made of quartz (SiO.sub.2 pipe) is made free, which may also be mixed into the deposited film thereby remarkably reducing the property thereof.
Accordingly, since carbon atoms, oxygen atoms, etc. will some time be mixed as contaminants into the film as has been described above, it is further necessary to make an improvement for the process for the formation of the deposited film in order to further satisfy productivity and mass productivity of the film while maintaining various properties of the deposited film.

Process for forming film in a three-chambered apparatus having two chamber faces coated with films of at least 10.sup.6 .OMEGA. cm resistance


A stent graft (40) for treating Type-A dissections in the ascending aorta (22) is provided with a plurality of diameter reducing suture loops (56-60) operable to constrain the stent graft during deployment thereof in a patient's aorta. The diameter reducing loops (56-60) allow the stent graft (40) to be partially deployed, in such a manner that its location can be precisely adjusted in the patient's lumen. In this manner, the stent graft can be placed just by the coronary arteries (26, 28) with confidence that these will not be blocked. The stent graft (40) is also provided with proximal and distal bare stents (44,52) for anchoring purposes.

1. Technical Field Text
The present invention relates to a stent graft designed to treat Type-A dissections, that is dissections occurring close to the heart in the ascending aorta. The present invention also relates to an introducer assembly for the deployment of a stent graft into the ascending aorta to treat Type-A dissections. The stent graft and introducer assembly disclosed herein can also be used to treat aortic ruptures, transactions, coronary dissections, valve ruptures, cardiac tamponades, distal malperfusions and other similar defects.
2. Background
Dissections occur when the wall of a lumen tears, creating a secondary or false lumen. Blood can flow into this false lumen, generally causing the vessel to balloon outwardly as a result of the weaker lumen wall. If the dissection is left untreated, there is the risk of rupture of the lumen, with severe consequences to the patient. Dissections can be treated by open surgery, involving closing the tear by suturing and/or strengthening of the lumen wall, again often by suturing. Open surgery procedures should, however, preferably avoided, particularly to the thoracic region, in light of the trauma caused to the patient. For this purpose, some endoluminal treatments have been developed in which the dissection is treated by means of a stent or stent graft placed against the damaged portion of the vessel wall. The stent or stent graft acts to press together the two parts of the lumen wall so as to close off the false lumen. It have been found that if the false lumen can be closed, the lumen wall often repairs itself. A stent graft can usefully be placed at the point of the tear, so as to close off the blood supply to the false lumen. This removes the blood pressure in the false lumen and thus allows the two parts of the lumen wall to come into contact one another and thus to heal in time.
The use of stents and stent grafts to treat dissections has been restricted to lumen locations and zones which are free of complications, such as branch vessels, complex lumen geometries and so on, particularly in light of the difficulties in placing the stent and stent grafts accurately in the lumen. As a result of the particular complexities of Type-A dissections, that is dissections in the ascending aorta, stents or stent grafts have not been used. At this location, there is only a short length of aorta which is free of side branches critical to the health of the patient. The geometry of the lumen, that is beyond the aortic arch, also causes positioning difficulties For these reasons the treatment of Type-A dissections still remains restricted to open surgical procedures.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


In a valve mechanism for controlling oil pressure in an oil path (13) connecting between a hydraulic pump (11) and motor (12) of a hydrostatic transmission (10), a differential piston (23) serving as a relief valve member for gradually increasing the oil pressure has a larger pressure-applied surface area at the side opposite to the oil path than at the side of this path. A throttled oil passage (24) is provided for conducting oil pressure in the path to the larger surface area. The piston is biased by a valve spring (25) through a control piston (26). A receiving member (27) for the spring and a stopper member (28) for the control piston are provided such that they are adjustable in position independently of each other. By this, the manner of increasing the oil pressure may be adjusted in a large variety. The valve mechanism also serves as a relief valve for excluding a possible, excessively high pressure.

In a hydrostatic transmission, an abnormally high oil pressure may be caused in an oil path between a hydraulic pump and hydraulic motor during the time when the pump has been started up but the motor has not been driven to rotate yet. Such abnormally high oil pressure may be caused also during a normal operating condition of the hydrostatic transmission when load applied to the motor is suddenly increased. Further, an abnormally high oil pressure may be caused during the time when the pump has been stopped but the motor is still rotating due to its inertia. There is known from JP, U No. 3-100659 an oil pressure control valve assembly which is operable as a relief valve for excluding such abnormally high oil pressure and also as a relief valve for increasing oil pressure in the oil path between the pump and motor gradually after a start-up of the hydrostatic transmission so as to assure a shock-free start of a vehicle in which the hydrostatic transmission is employed.
This relief valve assembly is fashioned such that it relieves oil from the oil path between the hydraulic pump and hydraulic motor to an oil-charging path from a charging pump for supplementing working oil to the hydrostatic transmission. Relief valve member of the valve assembly is particularly composed of a differential piston which has a first pressure-applied surface area at the side of the oil path between the pump and motor and a second pressure-applied surface area which is located opposite to the first surface area and is larger than the first surface area. A throttled oil passage is associated with this differential piston for conducting oil pressure in the oil path between the pump and motor to the side of differential piston having the second oil pressure-applied surface area. A control piston is disposed co-axially with the differential piston, and a valve spring is provided such that it biases the differential piston through the control piston.
Consequently, an abnormally high oil pressure which may be caused in an oil path between the pump and motor during the time between a start-up of the pump and the start of rotation of the motor is excluded to the oil-charging path by an oil-relieving operation of the differential piston which is moved to an oil-relieving position by the oil pressure applied to the first surface area against the biasing force of the valve spring with pushing the control piston to move toward the spring. Then, oil pressure in the oil path between the pump and motor is gradually applied to the second pressure-applied surface area of differential piston, which is larger than the first surface area, through the throttled oil passage so that oil-relieving pressure of the differential piston is gradually increased. By this, oil pressure in the oil path between the pump and motor is gradually increased so that a shock-free start of the vehicle is assured. At a normal operating condition, the differential piston takes a position remotest from the control piston due to the difference in surface area between the first and second pressure-applied surface areas and, at such position, it blocks the oil path between the pump and motor from the oil-charging path. An abnormally high oil pressure, which may be caused during a normal operating condition of the hydrostatic transmission, as well as an abnormally high oil pressure which may be caused during an inertial rotation period of the motor after stopping the pump will also be excluded to the oil-charging path by the differential piston.
In a pressure control valve assembly of the known structure set forth above, the manner how the oil pressure in a fluid path between the hydraulic pump and motor is increased after the start-up of a hydrostatic transmission can be much influenced by the force of the valve spring and by the predetermined stroke of the differential and control pistons. The known valve assembly is not fashioned so as to permit adjustment of these factors. However, the manner of increase in oil pressure will provide much effect on the feeling of an operator at the time when a vehicle is started. Further, with respect to a working vehicle such as a tractor, it is desirable to adjust the manner of increase in oil pressure in response to a working or auxiliary implement, such as mower, trailer, blading device, cultivator or the like, to be used in conjunction with the vehicle or in response to the type of the vehicle such that, by way of example, when the inertial mass to be driven by the hydrostatic transmission is large, the oil pressure is increased as from a relatively high starting pressure at a relatively high rate.
Accordingly, a primary object of the present invention is to provide an improved pressure control valve assembly which permits a large variety of adjustment of the manner in which oil pressure in an oil path between a hydraulic pump and hydralic motor of a hydrostatic transmission is increased after the transmission is started up.

Oil pressure control valve assembly for hydrostatic transmissions


A method for determining clock uncertainties is provided. The method includes identifying clock transfer types between registers from an integrated circuit design and identifying contributors to the clock uncertainties for each of the clock transfers. The jitter associated with each identified contributor is calculated for both set-up time and hold time. This calculated jitter is incorporated into a slack calculation to determine whether timing constraints are met for a circuit design.

Accurate timing closure is an essential part of any programmable logic device, or any other integrated circuit design flow. As designs are reaching device maximum frequencies, the margin left for correct timing closure is shrinking with every new design. Consequently, no guard band is left for error. Thus, for any integrated circuit, especially non-reprogrammable integrated circuits, it is important to account for clock uncertainties in order to avoid redesigns and costly mask changes should a design not work out after being committed to silicon.
Clock uncertainty needs to be considered in order to guarantee timing analysis accuracy. In an ideal situation, the clock edge in a system will be repeated at a fixed interval of time. However, due to noise, coupling and other effects, the clock edge will wander from the ideal position, causing both setup and hold clock uncertainty during a register-to-register data transfer. Whenever the setup or hold time spec is violated, an error occurs in the data transfer, which causes the circuit to function incorrectly.
Traditional systems with one or no PLL could get around calculating the clock uncertainty by ignoring it or adding an extra guard band to the timing closure. As the complexity of the system increased, additional clock uncertainty was added. However, this additional clock uncertainty was estimated rather than calculated and did not realistically represent the actual number.
Accordingly, there is a need to determine an impact of clock uncertainties on an integrated circuit design during the design phase to avoid costly re-designs.

Method and apparatus for determining clock uncertainties


A cell unit is provided for use in a multi-cell container. The cell unit includes a plurality of walls, each wall having opposed inner and outer planar surfaces. The walls are arranged to form a cell having a predetermined volume defined by the inner planar surfaces of the walls. Each wall includes at least an upper and a lower flap. The upper and lower flap of each wall is adhesively secured to the outer planar surface thereof.

The present invention is generally related to multi-cell containers and, more particularly, to multi-cell shipping containers for uncured rubber products.
Packages and shipping containers are generally designed and constructed in accordance with the characteristics of the product or material contained therein. Uncured rubber products and other materials having inherent cold flow characteristics require packages and shipping containers having sufficient strength and/or other features to address the problem of a products which is likely to undergo significant deformation and change of shape during shipping, handling and subsequent storage. U.S. Pat. No. 3,715,072 to Muskopf et al. discloses a multi-cell paperboard container particularly adapted for shipping and storing material having cold-flow characteristics, such as synthetic rubber, which exerts great pressure against the cell walls. The coextensive facing walls of the independent cells are secured together by a reenforcing sheet coextensive with and bonded by adhesive to such facing walls. This arrangement serves to strengthen the cells, to enhance bulge resistance, and to distribute pressure uniformly along the facing walls.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,968,397 to Cantrell, Sr. discloses a shipping container for bales of unvulcanized rubber products. A tubular bale holder is constructed to contain a plurality of bales, each bale holder having a cross-sectional configuration greater than the cross-sec tional configuration of the bales to be contained therein. When the bales become distorted during storage or handling, they snuggly fit within and abut against the walls of the bale holders.
In addition to having sufficient strength or some other feature to allow for deformation, packages and shipping containers for uncured rubber should desirably reduce or eliminate the introuduction of contaminants therein. Contamination of the uncured rubber degrades the quality of products subsequently formed therefrom. In particular, prior art multi-cell shipping containers for uncured rubber suffer from the introduction of dust into the rubber, notably dust from the rough edges of the material from which the cell units are constructed. As described in above-referenced U.S. Pat. No. 3,715,072, cell units are typically formed from corrugated board, fiberboard, or paperboard. Such a cell is illustrated in FIG. 1. Cell unit 1 includes an upper edge 2 and a lower edge 3. Since the board from which the cell unit is formed is typically die cut, edges 2 and 3 are rough and uneven. Any sliding contact with such edges by the product contained with the cell or with other portions of the container can produce rips and tears in a bag or container housing the product and can also generate fine dust particles from abrasion. The introduction of these dust particles, as noted, degrades the quality of the rubber.
Although the strength of a cell unit and the reduction of the introduction of contaminants such as dust is described above in terms of a shipping container for uncured rubber products, such considerations are important in many situations. For instance, the shipping of food such as fruit can require a container having strength and which advantageously includes an arrangement for reducing the introduction of contaminants hereto.


An isolation sub for use in a perforating system that includes a pressure activated firing head. The isolation sub is set between the pressure source that is used to initiate the firing head. A pressure regulator in the sub is responsive to fluctuations in pressure difference between the pressure source and wellbore and isolates the firing head when the pressure difference is at or approaches a designated pressure difference that could initiate the firing head. The pressure regulator includes a spring loaded piston that seals the firing head from the source pressure before the pressure difference activates the firing head.

1. Field of Invention
The invention relates generally to a method and system for perforating a wellbore. More specifically, the present invention relates to a sub for regulating pressure for actuating a differential pressure firing head.
2. Description of Prior Art
Perforating systems are used for the purpose, among others, of making hydraulic communication passages, called perforations, in wellbores drilled through earth formations so that predetermined zones of the earth formations can be hydraulically connected to the wellbore. Perforations are needed because wellbores are typically lined with a string of casing and cement is generally pumped into the annular space between the wellbore wall and the casing. Reasons for cementing the casing against the wellbore wall includes retaining the casing in the wellbore and hydraulically isolating various earth formations penetrated by the wellbore. Sometimes an inner casing string is included that is circumscribed by the casing. Without the perforations oil/gas from the formation surrounding the wellbore cannot make its way to production tubing inserted into the wellbore within the casing.
Perforating systems typically include one or more perforating guns connected together in series to form a perforating gun string, which can sometimes surpass a thousand feet of perforating length. The gun strings are usually lowered into a wellbore on a wireline or tubing, where the individual perforating guns are generally coupled together by connector subs. Included with the perforating gun are shaped charges that typically include a housing, a liner, and a quantity of high explosive inserted between the liner and the housing. When the high explosive is detonated, the force of the detonation collapses the liner and ejects it from one end of the charge at very high velocity in a pattern called a jet that perforates the casing and the cement and creates a perforation that extends into the surrounding formation. Each shaped charge is typically attached to a detonation cord that runs axially within each of the guns. Firing heads are usually included with the perforating systems for initiating detonation of the detonation cord. Currently known firing heads may respond to command signals sent via a wireline, telemetry, or from a differential between firing head and wellbore pressure.

Flow isolation sub for tubing operated differential pressure firing head


An autonomic workflow framework may include a federated cloud that includes a plurality of clouds, where each cloud in the federated cloud includes one or more nodes. An autonomic workflow framework may include a workflow manager configured to receive a workflow. The workflow may include a plurality of stages, and the workflow may be associated with a user objective. An autonomic workflow framework may include an autonomic scheduler in communication with the workflow manager. The autonomic scheduler may be configured to provision one or more of the one or more nodes to process the stages to achieve the user objective.

Public clouds have emerged as an important resource class enabling the renting of resources on-demand and supporting a pay-as-you-go pricing policy. Furthermore, private clouds or data centers are exploring the possibility of scaling out to public clouds to respond to unanticipated resource requirements. As a result, dynamically federated, hybrid cloud infrastructures that integrate enterprise datacenters, grids, private and/or public clouds are becoming increasingly important. Such federated cloud infrastructures also provide opportunities to improve application quality of service by allowing application tasks to be mapped to appropriate resource classes. For example, a typical application workflow is usually comprised of multiple application stages, which in turn, can be composed of different application components with heterogeneous computing requirements in terms of the complexity of the tasks, execution time, and data requirements. Managing and optimizing these workflows on dynamically federated hybrid clouds can be challenging, especially since doing so requires simultaneously addressing resource provisioning, scheduling and mapping while balancing quality of service with costs.

Autonomic workflow management in dynamically federated, hybrid cloud infrastructures

RUTGERS, THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW JERSEY


A structured packing sheet includes a top interface region, a first turning region, a central region, a second turning region, and a bottom interface region. The central region includes a plurality of corrugations extending thereacross in a linear fashion and arranged generally parallel to each other. The plurality of corrugations are arranged at a first angle with respect to a vertical axis. The top interface region and the bottom interface region include the plurality of corrugations extending thereacross in a linear fashion. The plurality of corrugations are arranged at a second angle with respect to the vertical axis. The second angle is smaller than the first angle. The first turning region and the second turning region include the plurality of corrugations extending thereacross. The plurality of corrugations have a plurality of breaks in the first turning region and the second turning region.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to vapor-liquid contact tower having a structured packing bed, the structured packing bed including a plurality of packing layers, the packing layers include a plurality of corrugated sheets and, more particularly, but not by way of limitation, corrugated contact sheets or plates having upper and lower linear corrugated fluid flow interface regions, each linear corrugated fluid flow interface region being disposed at an angle relative to intermediate corrugated body portions, at least some linear corrugated fluid flow interface regions abutting contiguous linear corrugated fluid flow interface regions of a second vertically-adjacent packing section to enhance fluid flow therebetween.
History of the Related Art
In the vapor-liquid tower contact art, it is highly desirable to efficiently improve the quality as well as the quantity of the mass heat transfer occurring in process towers during fluid flow therethrough. The technology of such process towers is replete with various material designs used for tower packing. Types of packing as well as packing designs are dependent on the particular process to be effected within the tower. The packing elements may thus comprise a structured grid array (grid packing) arranged to form a regular array inside the column or may comprise oblique shapes dumped into and randomly arranged (dump packing) or structured packing within the tower. Close fractionation and/or separation of the feed stock constituents introduced into the tower and the elimination of harmful or undesirable residual elements imparts criticality to the particular vapor-liquid contact apparatus placed within the tower. In particular, the shape of the grid, dump, or grid packing elements generally determines the flow patterns in and density of the array and the resultant resistance to fluid flow caused thereby.
It has been found particularly desirable to afford efficient heat transfer, fluid vaporization, or vapor condensation whereby cooling of one of the fluids can be accomplished with a minimum pressure drop through a given zone of minimum dimensions. High efficiency, low pressure drop, and reduced temperatures are most often found as design criteria in the chemical-engineering art as applied to petroleum fractionating operations. Process towers for effecting such chemical reactions are generally of the counter-current flow type providing descending fluid flow from an upper portion of the tower and ascending fluid flow from a lower portion of the tower. In some instances, the ascending fluid flow may be in the vapor phase. With ascending vapor flow, sufficient surficial area for vapor-liquid contact is necessary for the primary function and the reduction or elimination of liquid entrainment present in the ascending vapor. Most often it is necessary for the packing array to have sufficient mass and surficial area in both its horizontal and vertical planes so that fractions of the heavy constituents are conducted downwardly in condensed form and the vapors are permitted to rise through the packing with minimum impedance. With such an apparatus, undesirable solids or heavy constituents of the feed stock are removed by the coaction of the ascending liquid vapor to provide some self-cleaning with the grid. A plurality of stacked layers affording compatible and complemental design configurations are generally assembled within a single process column. Each layer utilizes the velocity and kinetic energy of the ascending vapors to perform the dual function of eliminating liquid entrainment in the ascending vapor and the thorough and turbulent contacting of the vapor with the descending liquid to accomplish sufficient separation or fractionation of the fluids into desired components. Quick cooling of the ascending vapor is generally a prerequisite for efficient operation to effect efficient heat transfer for vapor condensation and minimum pressure drop in a minimum vertical depth of the packing. Oppositely inclined corrugated lamella, also referred to as sheets or plates, have thus been utilized in the prior art for affording multiple vapor passages through the horizontal and vertical planes of the packing layers to insure the flow of vapor and distribution thereof within the lamella and prevent maldistribution, or channeling, of the vapor through certain portion of the layers and not others. Only in this manner is efficient and effective utilization of the column and the energies applied therein effected.
Most often used in process columns is a plurality of layers with packing members of each layer having angularly disposed adjacent elements. Each element generally has a structural configuration and angularity that permits a large upright vapor passage area which is in excess of one-half the horizontal area of the lamella. This design affords acceptable efficiency and vapor-liquid distribution for heat-mass transfer. Such structures also be necessity provide thorough and turbulent mixing or contacting of ascending vapor and descending liquid. This is done without materially displacing either the vapor or liquid from its vertical location within the flow grid. It is important to prevent maldistribution or channeling of either the vapor or the liquid through certain portions of the packing or its layers.
The structural configuration of inclined corrugated contact plates variety often incorporate linear vapor orifice passages. Vapor turbulence is created by such orifices to insure intimate vapor liquid contact. It is also necessary to insure the ascending vapor performs a dual function of liquid contact and liquid disentrainment within close proximity to the vertical location at which ascending vapor approaches or leaves the vapor passage orifices. In this manner maldistribution of ascending vapor or descending vapor is prevented.
Oppositely-inclined corrugated plates provide but one method and apparatus for countercurrent, liquid-vapor interaction. With such packing arrays, the liquid introduced at or near the top of the column and withdrawn at the bottom is effectively engaged by vapor being introduced at or near the bottom of the column and withdrawn at the top. In such methods and apparatus it is necessary to insure that the liquid and vapor achieve the desired degree of contact with each other so that the planned reaction or separation occurs at a designed rate within controlled parameters of mass transfer. The internal structure is, of course, passive in the sense that it is not power driven and has few, if any, moving parts. Common devices utilize cross-fluted and perforated sheets of material in face-to-face engagement. This configuration encourages the liquid moving through the packing to form itself into films having, in the aggregate, a large area over which the vapor may pass. However, the design problem is not merely a matter of providing a large surface area or a multitude of corrugations, cross-flutes, or perforations. A number of other interrelated design considerations must be taken into account, some of which have been mentioned above.
From a process standpoint, it is important that the desired vapor-liquid contact reaction be carried as close to completion as possible. For example, in a crude oil vacuum tower, close fractionation and good separation are needed to produce gas oil streams that are free of undesirable residual elements. As mentioned above, the contact column and its internal apparatus must efficiently utilize the heat supplied to the unit. In this manner, it minimizes direct operating costs, whether the reaction is mass transfer, heat transfer, liquid-vaporization or vapor condensing duty. With the above, pressure drop is the primary consideration as is the vapor-liquid fluid interface. U.S. Pat. No. 4,842,778, issued Jun. 27, 1989, for example, discusses a structured packing section having corrugated layers of one half to one third of conventional thickness for improving vapor-liquid interaction. U.S. Pat. No. 6,206,349, reexamination certificate issued Oct. 11, 2011, discusses packing sheets having a progressively varying crimp angle in the region of sheet interface. U.S. Pat. No. 5,124,087, issued Jun. 23, 1992, discusses packing sheets having a bottom edge that is cut on an oblique angle along the width of the packing sheet. U.S. Pat. No. 6,478,290, issued Nov. 12, 2002, discusses a packing section having a base region, a bulk region, and a top region. Each of the base region, the bulk region, and the top region has a particular geometry that is different from the other two regions.
In the above-referenced vapor-liquid contact method and apparatus patents, a plurality of design configurations are presented for affording intimate vapor-liquid contact. In particular, stacked corrugated contact plates in face-to-face contact having corrugations inclined to the horizontal, and/or orthogonal one to the other, have been shown and provided in various material configurations. These configurations include monofilament yarns, and solid plates.
While many prior art methods and apparatus for vapor liquid contact have been shown to be effective, certain disadvantages still remain. In particular, vapor-liquid contact towers incorporating descending liquid flow and ascending vapor flow of the structured packing variety defined above, is generally incapable of self-regulation of internal pressure differentials and the prevention of maldistribution, or non-homogenous, vapor-liquid flow across the grid areas. This is true even with a plurality of apertures disposed between corrugated and/or cross-fluted plates in face-to-fact contact. Vapor flow is ultimately sensitive to pressure differentials, including laminar flow patterns, and is easily diverted between the myriad of exposed areas of mating corrugations or flutes. When the corrugations of adjacent plates are inclined at relatively sharp angles, vapor flowing along any one corrugation may be substantially exposed to the adjacent corrugated channels rather than to the film of liquid along wall sections. Vapor-liquid flow in such configurations is thus susceptible to an inefficient, random flow pattern which cannot be accurately determined within the passive contact plates. Likewise, when corrugations of adjacent plates are inclined at relatively flat angles, vapor flowing along any one corrugation is susceptible to a high degree of pressure drop, which pressure drop inhibits fluid interaction and decreases efficiency.
Additionally, fluid flow through vertically-aligned structured packing sections is particularly important at an interface between two adjacent vertically-aligned structured packing sections. At the interface, fluid flow is susceptible to high pressure drop, random flow patterns, and decreased fluid interaction and efficiency. As will be discussed hereinbelow, the present invention facilitates decreased pressure drop at the interface by having corrugations interface at steep angles. However, by having the respective corrugations interface at angles between 15 degrees and 7 degrees from vertical, the present invention also facilitates laminar fluid flow along the corrugations thereby enhancing fluid interaction and improving efficiency.

Structured packing with enhanced fluid-flow interface


A de-chuck control method is provided for de-chucking a workpiece from an electrostatic chuck that electrostatically attracts the workpiece. The de-chuck control method includes a discharge step of introducing an inert gas into a chamber after a plasma process and performing a discharge process; a high pressure step of introducing a gas having a lower ionization energy than helium gas after the discharge step, and maintaining a pressure within the chamber to a higher pressure than a pressure during the plasma process or a pressure during the discharge step; and a de-chuck step of de-chucking the workpiece from the electrostatic chuck with a support pin while the higher pressure is maintained by the high pressure step or after the higher pressure is maintained by the high pressure step.

A plasma process is often performed under a vacuum atmosphere by vacuuming gas from a processing chamber. In such case, a workpiece is placed on an electrostatic chuck (ESC) that is arranged on a mounting table within the processing chamber.
The electrostatic chuck includes a chuck electrode made of a conductive sheet and dielectric members arranged on a surface and a backside surface of the chuck electrode. A workpiece such as a wafer is electrostatically attracted to the electrostatic chuck by a Coulomb force that is generated when a voltage from a DC voltage supply is applied to the electrostatic chuck. A plasma process is performed while the workpiece is electrostatically attracted to the surface of the electrostatic chuck as described above. In some cases, a heat transfer gas may be supplied between a backside surface of the wafer and the surface of the electrostatic chuck.
When the plasma process is completed, voltage application to the electrostatic chuck is stopped so that a Coulomb force may not be generated, and the workpiece is de-chucked from the electrostatic chuck. An exemplary method of de-chucking the workpiece may involve raising support pins that are embedded within the mounting table and lifting the workpiece from the electrostatic chuck.
In order to de-chuck the workpiece in a more reliable manner, a discharge process is performed for discharging (removing) an electric charge remaining in the electrostatic chuck and the workpiece. For example, after stopping the voltage application to the chuck electrode, an inert gas may be introduced into the chamber and the pressure within the chamber may be maintained at a predetermined pressure. Further, a high frequency power for plasma generation may be applied to generate a plasma that is weak enough to be incapable of etching the workpiece, and a discharge process may be performed by moving the residual charge residing within the electrostatic chuck and the workpiece into a plasma space.
For example, in Patent Document 1, after a plasma process is completed, a high frequency power that is weak enough to be incapable of etching a wafer is applied and the supply of a heat transfer gas is stopped. The ions or electrons within a plasma generated by the high frequency power enter between a surface of the wafer and a surface of the electrostatic chuck to neutralize a residual charge charging the surface of the wafer from a peripheral edge portion of the wafer toward the center of the wafer. Pins are raised as the above neutralization progresses, and the wafer is thereby de-chucked.

De-chuck control method and plasma processing apparatus


A support clip for supporting ceiling panels in a suspended ceiling includes a top portion connected to and arranged substantially perpendicular to a front portion. A pair of juxtaposed prongs extend rearwardly from a bottom edge of the front portion below the top portion for insertion into an edge of a ceiling panel. A pair of laterally spaced tabs extend forwardly from the bottom edge of the front portion in an opposite direction from the prongs but in generally the same plane as the prongs. The tabs are positioned to rest on a wall molding which is attached to a wall of a building. A downwardly projecting barb is formed on the top portion for penetrating an upper surface of a ceiling panel.

This invention relates generally to ceiling panel supports and, in particular, to a clip for supporting ceiling panels in buildings.
Suspended ceilings installed in buildings typically consist of a plurality of individual ceiling panels supported on a gridwork formed of wall moldings and cross supports extending along and between the walls of the building, respectively. The wall moldings are L-shaped while the cross supports have an inverted T-shape. The cross supports which extend between two of the opposite walls of the building are arranged parallel to each other but perpendicular to the cross supports which extend between the other two opposite walls of the building. This arrangement of the cross supports forms a plurality of square or rectangular openings of predetermined size in the gridwork which receive the ceiling panels. The dimensions (i.e. length and width) of these openings substantially match the dimensions (i.e. length and width) of the ceiling panels.
Ceiling panels are manufactured in standard square and rectangular sizes with what is commonly known as a "tegular" or notched edge on all four sides. These "tegular" edges have an inverted L-shape in cross section thus forming a flange or a lip that rests on the cross supports and the wall moldings of the gridwork Therefore, the ceiling panels may be quickly and easily installed after the gridwork is installed.
A problem commonly encountered when installing ceiling panels which border the walls of a building is that the openings formed in the gridwork for receiving these border panels are often odd shaped with dimensions that do not match the dimensions of standard size ceiling panels. Accordingly, it is necessary to cut standard size ceiling panels in order to make border panels which fit within these odd shaped openings in the gridwork Such cutting to make a border panel results in the "tegular" edge having to be recut on one side of the panel when installing it along a wall of a building and on two sides of the panel when installing it in a corner of a building. Recutting the "tegular" edges is a difficult and time consuming task because it must be done by hand using a tool such as a razor knife. The "tegular" edges are recut by making a vertical cut partway through the panel parallel to the new edge which has been previously made and then making a horizontal cut through the new edge intersecting the vertical cut. The horizontal cut is the most difficult.
One attempt at eliminating the recutting of "tegular" edges on ceiling panels is to use a support clip as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,833,854 granted May 30, 1989 to H. J. Paul. The clip of the Paul patent includes prongs which are inserted into the cut straight edge of a ceiling panel and support members that rest on a wall molding. However, this clip has a drawback in that it does not provide adequate stability for ceiling panels due to its lack of sufficient bearing surface against the upper surface of ceiling panels. Another drawback of the Paul clip is that it has nothing to lock the prongs into the edge of a ceiling panel as the clip is being installed. Consequently, the prongs can be easily pulled out of a ceiling panel during installation of the clip. The Paul clip also has small tabs extending above and below the prongs. A further drawback of the Paul clip is that these tabs prevent the cut straight edge of a ceiling panel from fitting tightly against a wall molding thereby permitting the undesireable passage of light rays from lighting fixtures mounted above the ceiling panel while also permitting the undesireable accummulation of dust formations.


Provided is an electrophotographic photoreceptor including a conductive support having thereon an intermediate layer, a charge generating layer, a charge transporting layer, and a protective layer sequentially laminated in that order, wherein the intermediate layer contains rutile type titanium oxide particles, and 50% or more of the rutile type titanium oxide particles have an organic compound on a surface of the titanium oxide particles; the charge generating layer has a pigment containing a 2,3-butanediol adduct of a phthalocyanine compound; the charge transporting layer contains a charge transporting material having an ionization potential of 5.45 to 5.60 eV; and the protective layer contains metal oxide particles and the charge transporting material in a cured resin prepared by curing a polymerizable compound.

In recent years, there has been increased frequency in use of copying machines and printers employing an electrophotographic method accompanied with the development of electronic devices. An active research has been made in the field of an electrophotographic photoreceptor used for an image-forming apparatus employing an electrophotographic method to obtain a highly sensitive electrophotographic photoreceptor (hereafter, it may be simply called as "a photoreceptor") and a charge generating material used for the photoreceptor.
For example, Patent document 1 (JP-A No. 2012-198278) discloses a highly sensitive photoreceptor in which a 2,3-butanediol adduct of titanyl phthalocyanine is contained as a charge generating material in a charge generating layer. This compound is highly sensitive and hardly deteriorating the performance by the environmental change. Further, titanium oxide particles excellent in electron transporting property are contained in an intermediate layer in the photoreceptor.
In the high sensitive photoreceptor as described above, there will often remain carriers produced in an exposed portion in a first rotation. As a result, it is difficult to obtain a uniform surface electric potential during a charging process in a second rotation. Consequently, it may be produced a so-called exposure memory in which the exposed portion in the first rotation is distinctly observed in the half-tone image produced in the second rotation.
Here, in order to restrain the generation of the exposure memory, it is efficient to incorporate metal oxide particles having a low electron transporting property in the intermediate layer, or to incorporate a charge transporting material having a large ionization potential in the charge transporting layer. However, this will produce a problem that the image density will be changed due to the decrease of the sensitivity after the repeated usage.
Therefore, it is required a highly sensitive photoreceptor that hardly produces an exposure memory, and produces an invariable image density even after repeated usage.

Electrophotographic photoreceptor and image-forming apparatus


A container for storage, transport, and dispensing of liquid chemicals includes a fluid container having a port, a dip tube having a fluid passage from an upper end to a lower end of the dip tube, a dip tube coupling at the upper end of the dip tube for insertion into the port, and a rupturable membrane sealed over a top end of the port. The dip tube coupling has a cavity in its upper end and a fluid passage connecting the cavity with the fluid passage of the dip tube. The dip tube coupling defines a gas passage extending from an interior of the fluid container to the cavity. A rupturable membrane is positioned over a top end of the port to seal the cavity, so that when the rupturable membrane is punctured or removed, gas from the fluid container, which has accumulated in the cavity, is permitted to escape. To remove the liquid chemical, the cap is removed to expose the rupturable membrane. A probe is next inserted through the membrane to allow gas to escape, and into the cavity, whereby the probe, upon insertion into the cavity, causes the gas passage to be blocked. Liquid is dispensed from the fluid container through a fluid passage within the dip tube and through a flow passage within the probe.

The invention relates to containers for storage, transport and use of liquid chemicals including acids, solvents, bases, photo-resists, dopants, inorganics, organics, biological solutions, pharmaceuticals, and radio-active chemicals. In particular, the invention relates to a container which uses a dip tube, and to dispensing systems used in conjunction with this container.
A dip tube allows for safe dispensing of a liquid chemical from larger sized containers having capacities greater than one gallon. The use of a dip tube permits the container to be kept upright while the liquid chemical is dispensed from the container. Dip tubes have been commonly used to insure that the complete contents of the container have been emptied. However, in order to assure that the contamination is kept to a minimum, it would be desirable to install the dip tube immediately after the container is filled with the liquid chemical. Because dangerous drips and spills occur when the dip tube is removed, it is not practical to extract a long dip tube from one container to insert it in another container. Consequently, once the dip tube is installed, it should not be removed until all the liquid is dispensed.
If the dip tube is in place from immediately after filling the container, problems may arise when the liquid chemical is dispensed. During shipping and handling, vapor pressure is generated inside the container. If the container is not properly vented, the chemical vapor pressure will force the liquid chemical up the dip tube upon removal of the cap or seal used during shipment to cover the upper end of the dip tube. As a result, a vapor pressure build up can cause dangerous liquid chemical spills. To prevent these spills, chemical vapor pressure buildup must be vented before liquid chemical is dispersed. Consequently, liquid chemical containers using dip tubes are required to have an additional mouth or port to permit the venting of vapor pressure buildup before dispensing liquid chemical through the dip tube.
Before the employment of double containment containers for liquid chemicals, liquid chemicals were dispensed from containers by either pumping the liquid chemicals out or by placing the container in a pressure vessel to force liquid chemicals out to a dispense point.
To allow for direct pressurization of the shipping containers and to enable complete reuse of the containers, the containers were usually constructed of more substantial materials. The containers consisted of formed and welded metallic vessels, typically stainless steel, certified to specified transportation regulations. However, this system had several drawbacks. With certain chemicals, contact with a metallic container caused ionic contamination. In addition, removal of submicron particulate inside the container was extremely difficult. These particulates ended up in the liquid chemical and affected the purity of the liquid chemical. In addition, the handling logistics of returning the empty container to the chemical supplier for refilling was problematic. To avoid the possibility of cross-contamination, a specific container had to be dedicated to a specific chemical and to a specific user.
An additional feature which presently solves these problems is the use of a double containment container having a pre-cleaned, flexible film bag, constructed of inert materials and placed within an outer container. After the liquid chemicals have been dispensed from the film bag, the film bag can be easily disposed of. By inserting a fresh, pre-cleaned bag in the existing outer container, contamination, logistics, reuse and environmental issues are addressed. See U.S. Pat. No. 5,102,010 to Osgar et al. issued on Apr. 7, 1992, which is assigned to NOW Technologies, Inc.

Liquid chemical container and dispensing system


A remote memory preference system for a passenger vehicle is disclosed. The remote memory preference system utilizes existing passive or active remote entry devices. Memory preference settings include driver""s seat position, mirror positions and radio station presets. Once these settings are adjusted by a primary vehicle user, they are stored in a memory location in the vehicle either automatically or when a memory button on the remote entry device is depressed by the user. Settings may then be later recalled either automatically by activating the remote entry device or when a recall button on the remote entry device is depressed by the user. The system may also employ a shift register system, which would automatically store current and previous memory preference settings.

This invention relates to a remote memory preference system for a passenger vehicle for adjusting user preferences such as seat position, mirror positions and radio presets and which ties a memory set of preferences to a user ID code. The remote memory preference system is incorporated into existing passive or active remote entry devices. Essentially, the features of storing and then moving the components to the memory position is as known. This invention relates to the way the memory positions are set and stored.
Many modem passenger vehicles are equipped with a convenience feature commonly referred to as xe2x80x9cmemory seatxe2x80x9d in which a user may store and then later recall desired seat adjustment settings. Typically there are two numbered storage buttons, xe2x80x9c1xe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9c2xe2x80x9d, which correspond to the number of positions that may be stored in memory and recalled. There is also a third memory or xe2x80x9cMxe2x80x9d button, which activates the memory storage feature. Thus a user would adjust the seat to a desired position and press the xe2x80x9cMxe2x80x9d button to activate memory storage followed by the xe2x80x9c1xe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9c2xe2x80x9d button to fix the desired settings. To recall the desired settings the user presses the relevant numbered storage button that was activated during the user""s original storage of settings. The memory seat concept has been expanded to include the storage of other convenience settings such as rear view and side view mirror positions as well as radio station presets. Such an expanded system will hereinafter be referred to as a memory preference system.
One disadvantage of the memory preference systems currently in use is that the number of settings that may be stored and therefore the number of users that may store their settings is limited to the number of storage buttons provided. Typically, vehicles have a keypad with only two numbered storage buttons indicating that only two users can store their settings.
A related disadvantage is that each storage button must have a pair of wires leading to and from it, and the storage buttons must be mounted in an accessible location. Memory preference systems currently in use that are able to store two different settings typically have three buttons, the two numbered storage buttons and the memory button which activates memory storage. Positioning the three button keypad presents a challenge in that it must be accessible to the user yet not be so prominent as to detract from the styling of the vehicle thus rendering it aesthetically unpleasing.
Further, routing the wires to and from the keypad buttons also becomes an obstacle in vehicles having many electronic options. The sheer size and weight of the complex wiring systems within such vehicles has become a drawback.
The use of remote entry devices for vehicles is known. Typically, the remote entry devices are provided with a coded number for recognition by the vehicle prior to the vehicle allowing the holder of the remote entry access to certain security functions. This coded number is typically unique to the particular remote entry device, and will also provide unique signals for each of the two or more remote entry devices held by the several possible typical users of a vehicle. As an example, should a husband and wife each typically use a vehicle, the remote entry devices would still have unique signals. It would be desirable to incorporate memory preference functions with the remote entry system thus eliminating any complications that occur as a result of a complex wiring configuration. In addition, the incorporation of memory preference functions with the remote entry system nullifies accessibility requirements of the memory preference functions which would be provided in a hand held remote device.
It would further be desirable to provide a remote memory preference system that is able to accommodate more than two preferred configurations as well as temporary configurations.
In a disclosed embodiment of this invention a remote memory preference system is incorporated with a remote entry device for a vehicle. The remote entry device may utilize a passive or an active system. Passive devices communicate with the vehicle automatically, usually through an inductive couple. Active devices communicate with the vehicle only when indicated to do so by the user by way of activating a button or switch on the device. The remote entry device employs a complex and often encrypted electronic identification system to prevent unauthorized access to the vehicle. In this invention, the electronic identification system of the remote entry device is tied to the memory preference system. As a user approaches the vehicle and enters the range where positive identification can occur, the memory preference settings for the user are automatically recalled and activated. The number of users whose different settings could be stored is limited only by how many remote transmitters are recognized by the system and on the amount of memory reserved for storing convenience settings.
One way to implement the incorporated system is to have the vehicle temporarily xe2x80x9crememberxe2x80x9d the identification and memory preference data whenever it is either passively or actively electronically received. This identifying data would remain in temporary memory until the vehicle is started and then later when the vehicle is turned of for a set period of time such as thirty seconds. Upon expiration of the set time period, the vehicle would electronically store the users memory preference data along with the users identification data. The next time that users identification data is received by the vehicle, the memory preference settings for that particular user would be automatically recalled. In this embodiment, no extra button or switch for memory preference recall are required in the vehicle. The authorized user would not allow others to use his or her remote entry device while using the vehicle.
For example, in the instance where a father, the primary user, allows his daughter the use of the car, he would simply provide the ignition and door lock keys without the remote entry device. The daughter could set the convenience settings to her liking during use of the car. The father""s stored settings would be automatically recalled, however, once he operates the remote entry device. Of course, a second remote entry device may also be provided for the daughter which would enable her own electronic identification with respect to the vehicle as well as recall of her own preferences settings.
An alternative to automatically storing a users identification and memory preference data upon the expiration of a set time period is to incorporate a memory button system on the remote entry device. To store preference settings for the primary user, a memory storage button is depressed within a set period of time. An alternate user may then temporarily re-adjust the preference settings. A memory recall button may then be depressed by the primary user to override the temporary settings and return to the stored preference settings. The use of the memory button system may involve depressing more than one button to initiate storage or recall. That is, it may not be necessary to have a separate memory button, but rather utilize some combination of actuations of the existing buttons (door lock/unlock) in a particular order may be utilized to actuate the memory function.
In another alternative embodiment, the memory preference settings could be automatically stored for each users identifying data every time the engine is shut off. These stored settings would be entered in a shift register, such that earlier stored settings remain in the memory. A memory button system is incorporated into the remote entry device. Upon depressing a memory recall button, the shift register would be queried. Each setting entry would be compared against the other, and a match of five out of eight, for example, would be considered to be the most likely valid settings for that particular identification data and thus would be the settings that are recalled. This embodiment could be beneficial in such situations as where the alternative user is a parking valet.
A variation of this embodiment would be to use a shift register in conjunction with a permanent register. Any time there are five consecutive matching memory preference settings, for example, for a particular identification data in the shift register, those settings would be permanently stored in a memory location. The desired settings in this memory location would then be recalled whenever the recall function was commanded by the identified user.
These and other features of the present invention can be understood from the following specification and drawings, the following of which is a brief description.

Auto setting of memory preference settings from remote vehicle entry device


A system predicts future positions or vergence depth of the user's eyes and generates gaze contingent content, such as for a head-mounted display (HMD), based on the predicted positions or vergence depth. The system includes an eye tracking controller that creates eye tracking information defining positions of a first eye and a second eye of a user over time. The eye tracking information is input to a neural network model that outputs the predicted positions or vergence depth. The predicted positions or vergence depth is then used to render the gaze contingent content, or to change other configurations of the HMD. Latency between the detection of user eye movement and the output of corresponding content is reduced to provide a more immersive real-time user experience.

The present disclosure generally relates to head-mounted displays (HMDs), and specifically relates providing gaze contingent content on HMDs.
HMD's generate displays that depend on user motion. For example, a scene presented by a display of an HMD may move with detected changes in the user's eye position to create an immersive virtual reality (VR) environment. Eye tracking refers to the process of detecting the direction of a user's gaze, which may comprise detecting the position or angular orientation of the user's eyes. However, there is typically a (e.g., processing, data communication, etc.) latency between eye tracking data detection and the corresponding gaze contingent content being output on the display.

Predictive eyetracking using recurrent neural networks


A method for establishing a tunnel between VTEPs includes receiving at an SDN controller a tunnel creation request to establish a VxLAN tunnel from a first VTEP to a second VTEP, determining a VxLAN tunnel of network nodes coupling the first VTEP to the second VTEP, assigning a SvcPI to the VxLAN tunnel, and sending a tunnel initiation command to the first VTEP, the tunnel initiation command causing the first VTEP to convert an Ethernet frame to a path-ID frame by adding an NSH encapsulation header and to forward the path-ID frame to the next network node in the VxLAN tunnel.

Data centers often operate hosting components, such as data servers, for multiple tenants. The push for elastic provisioning of resources required by cloud computing systems and the general push toward virtualization for efficient use of resources often require that multiple tenants be hosted on a single hosting component. For security reasons, data centers use various techniques to isolate network traffic to ensure that one tenant does not have access to another tenant's data. Data centers with layer 2, data link layer, and/or routing systems often use virtual local area networks (VLANs) to isolate network traffic. VLAN solutions proved to be problematic for large data centers because VLAN provides 12-bit identifiers (IDs), allowing only 4094 unique VLANs to operate in a data center system. Data centers also use layer 3, network layer, and/or routing systems to allow multiple tenants to share the same set of layer 3 addresses within their networks and require that a data center employ additional forms of isolation.
Virtual Extensible Local Area Network (VxLAN) provides VLAN functionality over a hybrid layer 2 layer 3 network. Components on a VxLAN may send a layer 2 VLAN packet to a VxLAN tunnel endpoint (VTEP). The VTEP may encapsulate the VLAN packet in a VxLAN packet and transmit the resulting VxLAN packet over a layer 3 network. A VTEP in the destination network may receive the VxLAN packet, decapsulate the packet to obtain the original VLAN packet, and forward the VLAN packet over the layer 2 network. This system allows VLAN components in a layer 2 network to reach layer 2 components in a different layer 2 network. VLAN provides 24-bit IDs, allowing over 16 million unique VxLANs to operate in a data center system.


A device featuring an hour hand, a minute hand, and an operation indicating disk which are secured at the end of an hour hand shaft, a minute hand shaft, and a second hand shaft, respectively. The shafts are fitted coaxially and pass through a dial. The operation indicating disk is located at a central concave portion of the minute hand and a transparent cover is provided.

The present invention relates to a timepiece operation indicator.
In conventional clocks, a second hand indicates the operation or a light-emitting element such as an LED flickers at the dial.
However, exposed-hand-type clocks having a second hand with no front cover may not correctly indicate the time because human fingers may accidentally contact the second hand when turning a minute hand with the fingers to correct the time. The clocks having a flickering light-emitting element have a complicated system, causing an increase in cost.

Operation indicator of timepiece and so on


One or more techniques and/or systems are provided for suggesting a word and/or phrase to a user based at least upon a prefix of one or more characters that the user has inputted. Words in a database are respectively assigned a unique identifier. Generally, the unique identifiers are assigned sequentially and contiguously, beginning with a first word alphabetically and ending with a last word alphabetically. When a user inputted prefix is received, a range of unique identifiers corresponding to words respectively having a prefix that matches the user inputted prefix are identified. Typically, the range of unique identifiers corresponds to substantially all of the words that begin with the given prefix and does not correspond to words that do not begin with the given prefix. The unique identifiers may then be compared to a probability database to identify which words have a higher probability of being selected by the user.

Auto-complete or text prediction techniques are used to predict a word or phrase that a user is inputting based upon one or more characters that the user has already inputted. Today, such techniques are used by a wide array of applications to increase the speed and efficiency, or accuracy, with which users input data. For example, such auto-complete techniques are commonly used in conjunction with SMS applications (e.g., text messaging applications) and/or email applications on mobile devices because the user input aspect of mobiles devices (e.g., the qwerty keyboards, the touchscreens, etc.) are generally small and hamper a user's ability to quickly input text. Moreover, in other applications, such as in search applications, auto-complete techniques are used to assist the user in quickly generating a string of one or more search terms and/or promoting the correct spelling of words. In this way, the search results may better reflect the intent of the user, for example. Still, in other applications, other benefits may be derived from the use of auto-complete or text prediction techniques.