In a system for detecting changes in body posture, electrocardiograms are recorded. The recorded electrocardiograms analyzed are to determine changes in the body posture of a patient from changes in the morphology of the recorded electrocardiograms. The electrocardiogram analysis can be augmented by obtaining and analyzing an accelerometer signal as well.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system for detecting changes in body posture.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Most sensors for measuring different physiological parameters of a subject, like pressure, electrical impedance etc., are affected by changes in the body posture of the subject. Thus more accurate and reliable information can be obtained if the body posture is known. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,370,667 a device and a method are described for automatically adjusting tachycardia recognition criteria based on detected physical activity of the patient. In this way it is possible to discriminate between physiological and pathological tachycardias. The activity sensor, which is an accelerometer of a piezoelectric, piezoresistive or piezocapacitive type, determines the activity status of the patient, including the position of the patient, and this information is used to adjust a threshold rate for the tachycardia recognition criterion of an ECG.
Furthermore, the body responds to a change in body posture from supine to standing by a transient increase in the heart rate (see U.S. Pat. No. 5,354,317). In this patent an apparatus and a method for cardiac pacing responsive to patient position are described, the same types of accelerometer as mentioned above being proposed for detecting changes in posture of the patient. This information is used for controlling the pacing rate, in a manner which is as physiologically correct as possible.
It has now been observed that body posture changes result in immediate changes in the morphology of the ECG. Thus FIG. 1 shows average ECGs for a number of cardiac cycles with the patient in the supine position and in a sitting upright position, respectively. As can be seen from this FIG. 1, the two positions of the patient are reflected in a characteristic difference in the surface ECG after the QRS complex. FIGS. 2 and 3 respectively illustrate an average IECG of two patients for a number of cardiac cycles for three different positions, standing, sitting and supine. Also in FIGS. 2 and 3, characteristic changes in the average IECGs can be observed for the different body postures of the patient, these differences being more pronounced in certain portions of the cardiac cycle then in other portions.

System for detecting changes in body posture


One-cylinder circular knitting machine for production of hose-like knitwear, such as socks, etc., that are closed at one of their ends, is provided with an dial plate (3) situated above the needle cylinder of the machine and equipped with dial sinkers (4, 4′) for cooperation with needles (1) during transferring the knitting. The machine is provided with a device for transferring the retained knitting of the toe pouch (V) knitted on a half-circle of needles (1) from one half of the dial sinkers (4) to the other half of the dial sinkers (4′).

Small-diameter one-cylinder circular knitting machines used in the production of hosiery or similar goods and equipped with a device used to close the toes directly in the machine by means of an overturnable half-plate which is situated above the needle cylinder of the machine, are known. This half-plate is equipped with transferring sinkers of special forms. The transferring sinkers have controlling butts on both sides, which are controllable in both of their positions, for receiving and handing over of knitting loops in forming the closed toe, and for the hanging up of a double welt in the basic non-overturned position. The transferring sinkers cooperate gradually in the knitting of a closed toe with both half-circles of needles: first, with the first half of the needles, or the so called heel needles, during the make-up of the loops before the formation of a toe pouch by means of a reciprocation run of the needle cylinders, and second, during the transfer of the retained knitting to the needles (i.e., instep needles) of the second half-circle after overturning the half-plate in closing the knitting of the toe. The transferring dial sinkers of the half-plate are of a very filigree workmanship which require accuracy and precision in mounting and control to accomplish a properly executed transfer of the loops from the heel arch to the instep arch. However, in the knitting of the double welt, for example, this device works as an integral part of the dial, and so in fact, it limits the function or the possibilities of the dial plate, particularly with regard to the limited workmanship and arrangement possibilities of the half-plate cams with regard to the built up space.
Another disadvantage consists in that during the overturning of the half-plate, the loops that are overturned only at the distance of one needle (i.e., the loops on the ends of the knitting arc) cause holes in the knitting at the knitwear toe, and consequently, produce a knitted product that is of poor quality. This is because the end loops are the most stretched ones during the overturning process.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a novel method and apparatus for producing a high-quality toe closing directly in the machine without limiting the dial function.


Techniques are described for performing forensic assisting and tracing of transaction data from an automated teller machine (ATM) to detect suspicious activity and potential security threats. The techniques include a forensic assisting and tracing (FAST) ATM configured to intercept data packets including transaction data generated by the ATM; map, store, and index the transaction data; and analyze metadata for the transaction data to generate reports on the operation of the ATM for a higher-level hub server. In some examples, a plurality of FAST ATMs may be networked to the hub server such that the hub server receives reports from each of the individual FAST ATMs and analyzes the reports to identify larger, global trends of suspicious activity and potential security threats.

Automated teller machines (ATMs) provide account holders with a convenient option for making monetary deposits to and withdrawals from their accounts at financial institutions from remote locations. Additionally, certain financial institutions may allow their account holders to perform transactions using ATMs serviced by other financial institutions, providing an even wider range of locations for the account holder to perform transactions. In addition to providing more convenient locations, ATMs may also provide account holders with more convenient hours of operation by being available for use during times when a financial institution's retail banking locations are closed, otherwise unavailable, or busy. Thus, ATMs provide a wide range of locations and times at which account holders may perform deposits and withdrawals, making these transactions more convenient than if the account holder were limited to performing them only at a retail banking location during its operating hours.
Despite their utility, ATMs are still vulnerable to security threats that can be detrimental to financial account holders and financial institutions. These security threats may be either physical or logical in nature. A physical threat involves an attack on an ATM user or on the ATM itself at its actual location. Logical threats involve cyber-attacks such as denial of service (DoS), distributed DoS (DDoS), malware, or trojans that may attempt to take control of the ATM or exploit another node on the ATM network for financial gain.

Forensic assisting and tracing for automated teller machines


A foil element and a method for producing such a foil element. The foil element includes a dielectric carrier layer, which spans an xy plane of a Cartesian coordinate system having an x-axis, a y-axis and a z-axis, and at least one electrically conductive layer which is arranged on the carrier layer and in which a conductor track is shaped in a frame-shaped region of the foil element. The frame-shaped region is formed by the area of a larger, outer rectangle having sides each running parallel to the x-axis or y-axis, from which area the area of a smaller, inner rectangle with the same orientation as the outer rectangle is cut out. A mechanical property of the carrier layer is different along the x-axis and the y-axis. More than 50% of the length of at least one conductor track section runs obliquely with respect to the x-axis and the y-axis.

The invention relates to a foil element comprising a dielectric carrier layer and at least one electrically conductive layer arranged on the carrier layer, and to a method for producing such a foil element.
DE-B-102007030414 describes a method for producing an electrically conductive structure on a dielectric carrier substrate, such as a PET foil (PET=polyethylene terephthalate). In this case, firstly a conductive layer, a so-called seed layer, in the form of a conductor track, for example an RFID antenna, is formed by patterned printing of a conductive printing substance, for example metal particles bound in a dispersant, on the surface of the carrier substrate (RFID=Radio Frequency Identification). The printed seed layer is subsequently reinforced by plating in order to form the electrically conductive structure by means of a metallic coating being deposited on the conducive layer by the application of a current flow in an electrolyte containing a dissolved coating metal.
It is known that foil elements which are subjected to elevated temperatures, for example during a lamination process, can become wavy, which can result in considerable disadvantages. Thus, DE-A-102006029397 describes a plastic carrier foil with a security element arranged thereon, wherein the carrier foil, after a further plastic foil has been laminated over the carrier foil and after cooling of the layer composite, in the region of the security element, exhibits an orange peel effect in such a way that the security element appears wavy over its whole area. This problem is solved by heat treatment of the carrier foil before the security element is applied, since this evidently brings about a local reduction of the internal stress in the carrier foil.


A tension alert hand tool comprises a driving portion being installed with a buckling unit; the buckling unit being installed with an elastic unit; a handle being formed with a receiving groove for receiving the buckling unit and the elastic unit; a surface of the handle being formed with an through hole; and a tension alarm device having a sensor switch and an alarm unit; the sensor switch being installed in the receiving groove; the alarm unit being installed in the through hole of the handle; the sensor switch being conductive to the alarm unit; when the sensor switch is touched by the buckling unit, the sensor switch will actuate the alarm unit to light up. The tool is an opener or a spanner. The buckling unit includes an upper teethed block and a lower teethed block; and the upper teethed block is movable along the lower teethed block.

The one prior art tension alert tool has one end being an opening head. Another end of the driving portion is formed as a buckling unit. The buckling unit is formed by an upper teethed block and a lower teethed block. The upper teethed block is engageable to and bidirectionally moveable through the lower teethed block. An elastic unit encloses the driving portion and is installed above the buckling unit. The elastic unit is a spring. The handle is formed with a receiving groove for receiving the buckling unit and the elastic unit of the driving portion. The buckling unit will compress the elastic unit.
In operation, when the opener of the present invention is used to screw an object so that the driving portion rotates and the elastic unit rotates therewith. When the twisting force to the screw unit has achieved to an upper limit value, the elastic unit will release the engagement of the upper teethed block and lower teethed block so that the upper teethed block will move through the lower teethed block. The user determines whether the tension applied to a screw unit is overlarge by hearing the collision voice between the upper teethed block and lower teethed block so as to determine whether it is necessary to stop the operation.
However in this prior art, the sense of the over tension is determined by the touch feeling of the user, if the user has no precise touch feeling, he (or she) can not find that the applied tension is too large and is necessary to stop of the operation, as a result, an overlarge force is applied so as to destroy the structure and engagement of the upper teethed block and lower teethed block. For a long time, the setting value of the tension will change so as to lose the precision in operation.
Furthermore, in the prior art, the worker determines the over tension state by hearing the collision between the upper teethed block and lower teethed block, however in a noisy environment, it is often that the user can not hear the voice of collision.


Systems and method for identifying individuals who may be potentially influential on a particular identified contact for a particular sales opportunity are disclosed. The individuals identified as potential influencers are then ranked according to a predicted level of influence and displayed in a graphic representation. In one embodiment, the ranked potential influencers are displayed as icons in a spiral formation relative to an icon representing the identified contact. The closer an icon representing a particular potential influencer is to the icon representing the identified contact, the greater the level influence is that that influencer might have on the identified contact.

The present disclosure relates to the utilization of business system information, and in particular, to systems and methods for identifying and evaluating potentially influential people on a given contact or a particular sales opportunity.
Unless otherwise indicated herein, the approaches described in this section are not prior art to the claims in this application and are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.
One of the major functions of a salesperson is to identify potential sales opportunities. The sales opportunities are typically defined by the potential for sale of a particular product to a particular entity, such as a customer company or organization. Once a potential sales opportunity is identified, it is typically up to a salesperson to identify the appropriate personnel (e.g., a purchasing manager or project manager) within the particular entity with whom he should make contact.
Traditionally, contact information, such as name, title, email address, telephone number, and the like, for contacts within customer entities, is stored in electronic business system databases (e.g., a customer relationship management (CRM) system). For example, the business system database may store records for each contact regarding their title, role, or responsibilities. Using such information, the salesperson can easily identify a potentially helpful contact. Specifically, a salesperson may search the contact information records for contacts within a potential customer's organization who may be responsible decision makers for the products and/or projects related to the identified sales opportunity.
Once the appropriate contact is identified, the sales person, and/or team of salespeople, must determine an effective strategy to contact, communicate with, and successfully close a deal with the identified contact. In some scenarios, an effective strategy can include asking fellow salespeople or contacts within the customer entity who have had previous relationships or professional dealings with the identified contact to provide an introduction. In some scenarios, it may even be helpful to ask those with a previous relationship or demonstrated level of influence to be included as part of the sales team, or otherwise be involved with the initiation, negotiation, and or close of the sales opportunity. Such individuals who have previous relationships with the identified contact are referred to herein as "influencers".
While many individuals, both contacts and fellow employees, may have had previous relationships and/or dealings with the identified contact, it may not be beneficial to include all such individuals as part of the particular sales opportunity. In general, it is best to include the most positively influential individuals in the sales opportunity.


A method for the operation of an electrical circuit taking the form of a multi-level half-bridge (MLHB), and a multi-level half-bridge designed for implementation of the method, comprising two connections to which a bridge voltage is applied and which are connected via two symmetrical branches meeting at a central connection, wherein a central voltage is applied to the central connection against the potential of one of the connections.

What is understood by a multi-level half-bridge here is an electrical circuit that has a connection of two terminals, between which a bridge voltage is present, via two branches meeting at a central terminal, wherein a central voltage relative to the potential of one of the aforesaid terminals is present at the central terminal and wherein the branches configured symmetrically relative to the central terminal respectively have a predetermined number n of switching elements connected in series. These connection points between each two adjacent switching elements of the first branch are respectively connected via a capacitor with the connection points, symmetrically situated relative to the central terminal, between each two switching elements of the second branch. The switching elements of the multi-level half-bridge can be switched to various switched states by using a control unit.
Such a multi-level half-bridge, which is frequently also referred to as a "flying capacitor multi-level converter" or "flying capacitor multi-level converter/inverter" is known in principle from the prior art, wherein an (external) bridge voltage is applied in this case to the (outer) terminals of the multi-level half-bridge and thus the central terminal is used to tap the central voltage as an output voltage.
Corresponding circuits and methods for operation thereof are known, for example, from the following publications:
"Modified Phase-Shifted PWM Control for Flying Capacitor Multilevel Converters"; Feng, C.; Liang. J.; Agelidis V. G.; IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics, Vol. 22, No. 1, January 2007, pages 178-185 and
"Modelling and Control of a Flying-Capacitor Inverter"; Watkins, S. J.; Zhang, L.; School of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, University of Leeds, UK, EPE 2001, Graz.
The term "flying capacitors" is used inasmuch as the respective potential thereof—depending on the actual switched state of the individual switching elements—is constantly shifting relative to the reference potential present at one terminal of the multi-level half-bridge. It is of advantage in this respect that the voltages to be switched by the individual switching elements can be reduced to a fraction of the total voltage to be switched, whereby the requirements for their design are reduced. It is further known that, for given bridge voltage, and depending on the selected charging level of the capacitors, a plurality of different switched states exists for each central voltage—which can be predetermined at various voltage levels—provided this is not 0 or does not correspond to the bridge voltage, and that these states respectively compose the same central voltage redundantly, albeit as a function of the actual switched state of the switching elements, by drawing on various capacitors of the circuit. Nevertheless, the operation of such a half-bridge—even with a substantially uniform load at the central output of the half-bridge—proves to be extremely complex, since the various switched states of the switching elements have a different influence on the charged states of the individual capacitors and since—in the case of too high or too low charging of one of the capacitors—one or more switching elements or capacitors may be destroyed.
Multi-level half-bridges of the type mentioned in the introduction, inasmuch as they are used at all in practice, serve mainly for switching voltages in the high power range. The complex structure and operation of such a multi-level half-bridge has made their use in the medium and low power ranges seem less attractive, however.
According to the conventional prior art, voltage or current converters in the low and medium power range up to the order of magnitude of several hundred kilowatts power are usually designed in the form of standard step-down converters/buck converters, step-up converters/upward converters/boost converters, inverse converters/buck-boost converters, SEPIC converters, Ćuk circuits Ćuk converters, double inverters, zeta converters, forward converters or flyback converters as two-step converters.
In all aforesaid topologies, the switched voltage is reversed between two voltage levels. Therefore these topologies are also referred to as two-step converter topologies. They are subject to harmonics, all the more so the steeper the switching flanks are, to EMC interferences, conversion losses at parasitic capacitances, remagnetization losses in inductors and ohmic losses at the current-carrying components, which are even further intensified by the harmonics and associated high frequencies (skin effect).
Therefore so-called multi-level converters are sometimes used in power engineering, for voltage or current converters for high powers, which typically lie in the megawatt range. Mostly modular or cascadable multi-level converters or cascaded multi-step inverters with separate DC intermediate circuits are used for this purpose, wherein several modules with their own DC intermediate circuits and charge-storage units, acting as two-point networks on the power side, are connected together in series and as half-bridges. These converters are well suited for high powers and are characterized by modularity, good scalability, reduced harmonics, good EMC properties and high efficiency. The structure and control for them are relatively complex, and so these systems are not suitable for lower power classes for the time being.
Flying capacitor multi-level converters in the form of a multi-level half-bridge of the type already mentioned in the introduction are also known, as are so-called diode-clamped multi-level converters.
As already mentioned for the flying capacitor multi-level converters, these are not of as particularly flexible and modular construction as the other aforesaid modular multi-level converters, and so they are not used in practice in power engineering. Moreover, these converters require relatively complex driving and voltage monitoring at the storage capacitors, and so heretofore they have been used hardly or not at all in practice, especially for low or medium powers.

Multi-level half bridge with sequenced switch states


A method of improving an individual artificial concrete log widely used in gas fires, the new concrete log(1) having at least one decorative ceramic fiber pad (1a) or (2a) secured in the cut out(2) section, the pad (1a or 2a) is positioned to mate with the contour of the concrete log (1). The decorative pad (1a or 2a) is installed to provide a secondary air chamber(3) between the back of the decorative pad (1a or 2a) and inner surface of the cut out (2). When the log is placed on an existing gas fire some of the gas flames are directed up through the secondary air chamber(3) creating flames coming out of the body of the composite concrete log(1) at the same time gas flames impinge the front decorative surface(6) of the installed ceramic fiber pad (1a or 2a) producing a radiant surface (6) simulating a real burning log thereby improving the overall visual effect of most existing gas log fire.

Gas log fires using concrete logs are popular in North America due to the convenience of no refueling or cleaning out ashes. Most manufactured artificial concrete logs are cast in flexible molds of the first model and whilst the formulation may vary from manufacturer to manufacture the basic raw material is a high temperature cement a aggregate filler, a wetting agent and tap water added to form the desired concrete mix, after removal from the mold the concrete artificial log is colored to resemble a real log.
The widely used cast concrete artificial logs result in excellent mirror image detail reproduction and provide almost a perfect copy of none burning real logs but when used in a gas log fire the concrete logs lacks any glowing surfaces, radiant heat output or directional flame technology when compared to real burning log fire or the widely used vacuum formed ceramic fiber artificial log taught in the Corry U.S. Pat. No. 5,700,409 and the Corry U.S. Pat. No. 6,139,786.
Therefore there is a serious demand in the market place for a retrofit individual composite artificial log combining the remarkable detailed reproduction of the cast concrete log and radiant heat output and glowing properties of inorganic ceramic fiber and the introduction of new flame directional technology when used in a gas fire and, in which this innovative and novel composite log will be viable to manufacture, my invention described herein will meet all these requirements.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,026,597 Thow teaches a concrete cast composite log for use in a gas log fire having two complete halves a complete upper half of concrete that simulates a real log bark finish and a lower plain half consisting of a vacuum formed plain surface block of ceramic fiber, the two halves are secured together length ways forming a closed sandwhich the top half represents the simulated real log bark finish and the lower half is a plain surface and does not continue the decorative simulated real log bark finish of the concrete log body, it is true that up to now the Thow U.S. Pat. No. 5,026,597 invention never achieved any success in the gas log fire market place.


A method and device for supporting a driver of a motor vehicle during a driving maneuver during which longitudinal guidance and/or lateral guidance is/are performed in an automated manner. A trajectory for performing the driving maneuver being determined and the vehicle being guided with automatic control along the trajectory, while the surroundings of the vehicle is being monitored during the driving maneuver. If the driver intervenes in the steering while lateral guidance is being performed or if the driver operates the accelerator while longitudinal guidance is being performed or if the driver intervenes in the steering or operates the accelerator while longitudinal guidance and lateral guidance are being performed, the control of the vehicle is returned to the driver. In the case of an imminent endangerment to the surroundings, control is not transferred to the driver.

Methods for supporting a driver of a motor vehicle during a driving maneuver are, for example, methods that support the driver during a parking operation. In the case of currently known methods, the location and orientation of a parking space relative to the vehicle are determined when driving past a parking space via distance sensors attached to the side of the vehicle. A suitable trajectory along which the vehicle may be moved into the parking space is then calculated. At the start of the parking operation, a control unit activates the vehicle steering in such a way that the steering wheel turns as the vehicle moves without operation by the driver to guide the vehicle into the parking space. The control unit thus takes over the lateral guidance of the vehicle. During the parking operation, the driver is responsible for operating the accelerator, the brake and the clutch, if applicable, to brake or accelerate the vehicle as needed. This means that the driver is responsible for the longitudinal guidance of the vehicle.
In addition to such semi-automatic systems, fully automatic systems in which the longitudinal guidance of the vehicle is also taken over by a control unit are known. A differentiation is made between systems in which the driver is not supposed to operate any pedals and the speed is regulated without action by the driver. Operation of a pedal by the driver is interpreted as the driver's intent to regain control.
Also known are methods in which the driver still operates the pedals but the maximum achievable speed during the parking operation is continuously decreased as a function of the position so that the speed of 0 is achieved upon reaching the boundaries of the parking space. In this case, the driver may continuously operate the accelerator to indicate to the system that he is still in control while the vehicle automatically slows until it automatically stops upon reaching the boundary of the parking space.
Methods for semi-autonomous or autonomous driving of a motor vehicle, as may be used for parking in a parking space, are discussed in DE A 10 2009 010 006, for example. It is also known that the system may be overridden by actions of the driver so that control is returned to the driver as a result of the override.
However, a disadvantage of the known methods is, for example, that operation of the accelerator by the driver may result in excessive acceleration of the vehicle, possibly causing a collision with an object bordering the parking space, depending on the orientation of the vehicle. To prevent this, it is known, for example, that the brake pedal must be operated before the driver may perform the longitudinal guidance. By requiring operation of the brake pedal, it is ensured that the driver's foot is not on the accelerator during the control transfer, thus preventing abrupt acceleration. However, if quick acceleration is required, for example in the case of a lateral approach of a vehicle, the driver will first attempt to operate the accelerator to accelerate the vehicle before remembering that the brake must first be operated to allow vehicle acceleration. This behavior is generally found to be unnatural or unacceptable.

Device and method for supporting a driver of a motor vehicle during a driving maneuver


The invention discloses a wireless music playing method, a wireless music playing system and a wireless music player, wherein the method includes the following steps. A digital media controller edits a play schedule and delivers the play schedule to a wireless music player, and the play schedule includes a playing time and corresponding location information of a music source. The wireless music player links to the corresponding location information of the music source to play music media data according to the playing time and the corresponding location information of the music source in the play schedule. The technical solution of the invention can simplify the operation of music playing and realize the automatically classified playing according to time.

Field of Invention
The present invention is related to multimedia playing technology, and more particularly, a wireless music playing method, a wireless music playing system, and a wireless music player.
Description of Related Art
The current wireless music playing technology is mostly by means of artificially real-time operation to realize the selection and playing of particular music sources. The specific description is shown below.
Users use a digital media controller (DMC) to browse music information on a music information network, select desired music from the music information network, record music sources, and send the music sources to a wireless music player in turn. After receiving the music sources, the wireless music player obtains music media data in turn and plays the music media data. The music sources can specifically be web addresses that provide corresponding music media data.
In the conventional art of wireless music playing, it takes much people involvement to manually operate a digital media controller after a selection of a music source and send the music source to a wireless music player in turn. The wireless music player plays music media data related to the received music sources in real time. The speed and efficiency decrease because a large number of selected music sources are operated in turn. In conclusion, there are disadvantages of complicated operation and inconvenience in the method of the conventional art.

Wireless music playing method, wireless music playing system and wireless music player

Inventec Appliances (Pudong) Corporation


A method of operating a user equipment device includes extracting at least one rank indicator (RI) from an uplink grant, and adapting a transmission rank in response to said RI. At least two transmit antennas are configured to transmit according to said transmission rank.

MIMO communication systems offer large increases in throughput due to their ability to support multiple parallel data streams that are each transmitted from different antennas. In single user MIMO (SU-MIMO), a user is served by one base station, and the user occupies a transmission resource, such as time or frequency, exclusively. SU-MIMO requires that the user has multiple transmit antennas and receive antennas. An objective of the protocol is to increase the data rate and communication reliability by exploiting the spatial multiplexing gain or spatial diversity gain available in MIMO channels.
In the most general form, MIMO transmissions employ a number of parallel spatial streams that are independently forward error correction (FEC) encoded. Each stream, also termed a codeword associated with a transport block, is then mapped to one or more spatial transmission layers. Mapping to multiple antennas can be done by introducing a linear transformation from the transmission layers to the physical antennas. The number of spatial transmission layers is called the rank of transmission, and the layers are mapped to the physical transmit antennas. This mapping is typically accomplished by linearly combining the layer signals to obtain the actual transmit signals. This operation is also termed pre-coding. A pre-coding matrix can be selected from a pre-determined set of matrices called a codebook. In such a case, the pre-coding operation is termed codebook-based pre-coding. It is also possible to perform non-codebook-based pre-coding. Overall, codebook-based signaling tends to require less signaling overhead.
Although current MIMO communications offer advantages over single antenna systems, further improvements would prove beneficial in the art.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Rank and PMI in download control signaling for uplink single-user MIMO (UL SU-MIMO)


The present invention relates to a dental plaque hydrolyzing or inhibiting enzyme having simultaneously dextranase and amylase activities.

This application is a 371 of PCT/KR00/00191 filed Mar. 9, 2000.
The present invention relates to an enzyme capable of hydrolyzing dental plaque, a microorganism producing the same and a composition comprising the same.
Plaque formed on the surface of a tooth is composed of compactly packed bacteria and non-cellular materials. The main polysaccharide component of plaque is water-insoluble glucan or mutan, which constitutes approximately 20% of the dried mass of plaque and is a main cause of dental caries. Structural studies of glucans produced by Streptococos mutans revealed that the insoluble glucans are mainly composed of xcex1-1,3-, xcex1-1,4-, xcex1-1,6-D-glucoside. Therefore, to eliminate plaque effectively, mutanolytic, amylolytic. and dextranolytic activities are required.
Conventionally, methods of reducing the growth of Streptococos mutans (S. mutans) in mouth have been suggested to prevent the formation of plaque or dental caries. To achieve this, antiseptics or fluoride which inhibit the growth of S. mutans have been added in oral compositions such as toothpaste or mouthwash. Fluoride is one of the most widely used chemicals because it reduces the growth of S. mutans. Although fluorine can inhibit the growth of the caries inducing bacteria, it can cause caries-like lesions (formation of orthodontic white spots on tooth enamel) as well as severe side effects such as strong toxicity and air pollution. Enzymes such as dextranase have been used to prevent dental caries, however, its effect has yet to be proven.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,741,773 discloses a toothpaste composition comprising glycomacropeptide having antiplaque and anticaries activities.
These conventional techniques relate to the reduction of the bacteria growth that causes dental caries. This invention can prevent the formation of plaque and hydrolyze pre-formed plaque.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an enzyme which can hydrolyze or inhibit dental plaque.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a microorganism which produces a dental plaque hydrolyzing or inhibiting enzyme.
The present invention relates to a dental plaque hydrolyzing or inhibiting enzyme, a preparation method thereof, a composition containing the same and microorganism producing the same.
It has been reported that Lipomyces starkeyi (L. starkeyl) produces endo-dextranase (EC 22.214.171.124) which degrades dextran and xcex1-amylase which degrades starch. This microorganism has been used in food related applications and is not known to produce antibiotics or toxic metabolites.
Except for a few bacterial dextranases, dextranases which are produced by microorganisms are known to be inducible enzymes. The present inventors have reported that L. starkeyi ATCC 74054 produces both dextranase and amylase (U.S. Pat. No. 5,229,277) while disclosing the characteristics of the enzyme produced by the same microorganism. The present inventors have also reported that these microorganisms can produce small molecular weight dextrans by using sucrose and/or starch.
The present invention relates to an enzyme that can inhibit the formation of or degrade dental plaque.
The enzyme of the present invention degrades dextran and starch as well as insoluble glucans and will be referred to as DXAMase hereinafter.
DXAMase according to the present invention mainly produces glucose, isomaltose and branched tetrose and small amounts of branched pentose and hexose when dextran is used as a substrate. When starch is used as a substrate, DXAMase can mainly produce glucose, maltose, maltotriose and maltotetraose as well as a variety of malto-oligosaccharides.
Since DXAMase can degrade levan which is a polymer of xcex2-fructan, DXAMase according to the present invention can effectively degrade fructan forming plaque.
DXAMase according to the present invention, therefore, can effectively degrade soluble as well as insoluble glucans and fructan. DXAMase can effectively prevent dental caries since plaque formation can be inhibited by preventing the aggregation of glucan and microorganisms or pre-formed plaque can be eliminated.
Experimental results using hydroxyapatite, which is similar in composition with dental materials, indicate that DXAMase has a stronger binding with hydroxyapatite than P. funiculosum dextranase. Therefore, it is expected that DXAMase will have a higher chance to retain on the tooth surface.
DXAMase according to the present invention is stable in a variety of mouthwash. Moreover, DXAMase does not lose its enzymatic activity in the presence of by chlorhexidine which is currently used as a remedy of periodontal disease.
DXAMase can be isolated from L. starkeyi ATCC 74054 or L. starkeyi KSM 22. In other words, DXAMase is isolated from a culture medium of L. starkeyi ATCC 74054 or L. starkeyi KSM 22, and is identified by double bands of 94K and 60K on a SDS-PAGE (10%) eletrophoresis whose pl is 6.0 for both bands.
The present invention also relates to a new microorganism that produces DXAMase. L. starkeyi KSM 22 was obtained by mutating L. starkeyi ATCC 74054 and has a higher productivity of DXAMase than L. starkeyi ATCC 74054. The present microorganism, L. starkeyi KSM 22 (Taxonomy: Eukaryota; Fungi; Ascomycota; Saccharomycotina; Saccharomycetes; Saccharomycetales, Lipomycetaceae; Lipomyces; Lypomyces starkeyi) has been deposited with Korean Federation of Culture Collections (KFCC) located at Shinchon-dong 134, Seodaemun-ku, Seoul, Korea on Jan. 19, 1999 and was given a deposit number KFCC-11077. The same strain was also deposited according to the Budapest Treaty at the international depository Korean Culture Center of Microorganisms (KCCM) located at 361-221, Yurim B/D, Hongje-1-dong, Seodaemon-gu, Seoul 120-091, Republic of Korea, and was given a deposit number KCCM-10181 on Mar. 7, 2000.
The present invention also relates to a method of producing DXAMase. The method of the present invention comprises culturing L. starkeyi ATCC 74054 or L. starkeyi KSM 22 and recovering DXAMase from the culture medium. Since L. starkeyi ATCC 74054 and L. starkeyi KSM 22 can produce DXAMase from not only the expensive dextran but also relatively cheap glucose, fructose, sucrose or starch, it is economical for practical use. DXAMases obtained from L. starkeyi ATCC 74054 and isolated from L. starkeyi KSM 22 are practically identical.
Also the present invention relates to an anticaries composition comprising DXAMase. The composition according to the present invention can be used as an additive of a composition for oral hygiene such as toothpaste and mouthwash and food such as candy, chewing gum and beverage. The enzyme according to the present invention maintains its enzymatic activity for a long period of time in commercially available mouthwash solutions and has a strong resistance against enzyme inhibitors. It will be understood that the components of the oral composition and of food ingredients can be verified without difficulties within known conventional limits as will be apparent to those skilled in this art.
Dextranase activity is determined by measuring the amount of isomaltose produced by the reaction of an enzyme solution in a buffer solution containing 2% dextran for 15 min at 37xc2x0 C. Dextranase 1 IU is defined as the amount of the enzyme that produces 1 xcexcmol of isomaltose when reaction is carried out by using dextran as a substrate for 1 min at 37xc2x0 C.
Amylase activity is measured by reacting the enzyme solution in a buffer solution containing 2% starch for 15 min at 37xc2x0 C.
Minimum salt medium: (NH4)2SO4 0.5%(w/v); KH2PO4 0.1 5%(w/v); MgSO4.7H2O 0.01%(w/v); NaCl 0.01%(w/v); CaCl22H2O 0.01%(w/v).
LW medium: yeast extract 0.3%(w/v); KH2PO4 0.3%(w/v).       Glucan hydrolysis rate    =                              (                                                                      reducing sugar produced                                                                                with enzyme treatment,                                                                                μmol/mL                                                              )                -                  (                                                                      reducing sugar produced                                                                                without enzyme treatment,                                                                                μmol                  /                  mL                                                              )                            [                                                            total glucose                                                                                in polysaccharide                                                                                sample, μmol                                                    ]              xc3x97    100

Enzyme capable of hydorlyzing plaque, microorganism producing the same, and a composition comprising the same


A garment for wear by the operator of a sport motor vehicle includes a map access pocket system disposed on or formed as part of an outer surface of the garment. This map access pocket system is configured to present a map to the wearer of the garment in a convenient orientation to be easily read when the map access pocket system is opened. The map access pocket system includes features which improve readability of the map by presenting the map aligned along a line of sight of the wearer of the garment, and other features which discourage the wearer of the garment from attempting to read the map while the vehicle is in motion. The map access pocket system also provides for storage of small items which are easily accessed by the operator of the vehicle. Both the map and other small items stored in the map access pocket system are protected from water, moisture, snow, and other elements commonly encountered in operation of sport motor vehicles.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is in the field of garments for wear by operators of sport motor vehicles. More particularly, the present invention is in the field of garments to be worn by operators of such vehicles as snow mobiles, ATV's, and motorcycles, for example, which provide for convenient storage of small items in a pocket system on the exterior of the garment, and which is conveniently accessed by the wearer of the garment. Still further, the invention relates to such a storage pocket system which provides for storage of a map, and when the pocket is opened also provides for convenient presentation of the map to the wearer of the garment in an easily read orientation.
2. Related Technology
Lap top desks for use by pilots have been known for a long time. It is common for a pilot (especially the pilot of a small general aviation aircraft) to use such a lap top desk to hold and display maps and charts so that the pilot can use these while also piloting the aircraft. Such lap top desks are not suitable for use by the operators of other types of sport motor vehicles. For example, the operator of a motorcycle or snow mobile could not rely on such a lap top desk because the desk could be dislodged from the rider's lap while the vehicle is in motion. Once such a lap top desk was dislodged from the rider's lap, it would certainly be lost from the moving vehicle.
Similarly, tank bags for use on motorcycles have been known for a long time, some of which include provision for storing and displaying a map in front of the rider of the motorcycle. Generally, such tank bags include a transparent plastic weather-proof map holder envelope which is secured to the upper surface of the tank bag and which is visible to the operator of the vehicle while the vehicle is in motion. Unfortunately, such tank bag map holders may lead to motorcycle accidents because some riders will unadvisedly try to read the map while also operating the motorcycle. Even though some such tank bag map holders include a warning label advising against such a use of the map holder, some motorcycle operators will ignore this warning and will still attempt to read a map while the motorcycle is in motion. Understandably, such uses of the conventional map holders sometimes result in accidents.
Also, such conventional tank bag map holders are not suitable for use on other types of sport motor vehicles because many of these vehicles do not have a tank upon which the bag could be mounted. Additionally, these tank bag map holders have the disadvantage of not being easily detached from the vehicle. Thus, when the operator of a motorcycle equipped with such a tank bag wishes to stop and read the map at a location apart from the motorcycle (at a road-side picnic table, for example) the rider will have to spend some time removing the map from the holder, or removing the map holder and map from the tank bag.
Further, in the operation of some sport motor vehicles, such as all terrain cycles (ATC's), all terrain vehicles (ATV's), and snow mobiles, as well as other vehicles, it is common for the operator of the vehicle to venture "cross country", perhaps following natural geographic features, using a GPS system, or using compass headings and orienting from one point to another across the landscape. In such uses of these vehicles, it is desirable for the operator of the vehicle to have a map close at hand and easily accessible. On the other hand, it is not desirable for the operator to be able to read the map while the vehicle is in motion for the same reasons discussed above concerning motorcycle tank bag map holders. Additionally, when a snowmobile operator is orienting by compass, it is generally best to stop the vehicle and walk some distance from it so that the compass provides the most accurate indication of magnetic north.


A system and method for augmnented reality documentation of a work process such as production, installation, or maintenance. A camera records images of objects in the work process. A tracking mechanism determines the position and orientation of the camera relative to points in space. A mobile computer at the workstation processes the camera images and the position and orientation of the camera, and relays this information to a remote computer system. A technical editor uses the remote computer system to supplement the image data with symbols and text assigned to points in space, producing support documentation for the work process. This information may be displayed on goggles on a service technician perforiming the work, making the support documentation appear as if displayed in space adjacent to the objects in a workflow sequence to guide the technician.

A system and method of this type is used, for example, in the field of automation technology, for production machinery and machine tools, in process automation, for diagnostic/service support systems, and for complex components, devices and systems, such as for example vehicles and industrial machines and facilities. One particularly advantageous use is in conjunction with AR ("augmented reality"), a new form of human/technology interaction in which the visual field of the user is enriched by computer-generated virtual objects—for example by means of data goggles. However, the display is composed on a context-dependent basis, i.e. adapted for and based on the object which is being looked at, e.g. a component. In this way, the real-world field of view of a fitter, for example, is enhanced by assembly notes displaying items of information which are important to the fitter. In this case, one effect of augmented reality can be to replace a conventional assembly manual.
WO 00/52537 describes a system for providing a worker with on-site support, appropriate to the situation, from a remote expert, whereby data is transmitted to the expert, for example in the form of video images, and the expert supplies the supporting information in the form of augmented reality information, which is then available locally to the worker.
WO 01/24536 describes a system for the visual display of computer graphics in combination with a pictorial representation of real objects, with which the appearance and orientation of the display for the graphics and the real object are maintained even if, for example, a camera used to record the real object changes its position so that the object is observed from a different viewing angle.

System and method for establishing a documentation of working processes for display in an augmented reality system in particular in a production assembly service or maintenance environment


An error correction and/or error detection method reads of stored information data from a storage device; wherein in addition to the information data, code data is read from the storage device. Syndrome data is formed from the information data and the code data in order to determine errors and/or error positions in the read data. For detection of multiple errors, it is verified whether in the case of a determined error position, the information data or code data associated with the relevant storage positions are either all equal to 0, or are all equal to 1.

Error correction and error detection methods are known which are used to increase the reliability of the operation of storage devices, for example DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory), SRAM (Static Random Access Memory), flash or EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory) devices deployed in computers or in embedded systems. Such methods are usually based on EC/ED (EC: Error Correction, ED: Error Detection) codes for error correction and error detection.
A similar error correction and error detection method is based on known fundamental principles, such as those described by Richard W. Hemming: Error Detecting and Error Correcting Code, Bell System Technical Journal 29 (2): pp. 147-160, 1950. In order to secure, for example, n bit data with single bit error correction (SEC, single bit error correction), 1+log2 n code bits are required. For a so called double bit error detection (DED, Double Bit Error Detection), an extension by another bit is required. SEC/DED will thus together require (2+log2 n) code bits.
It is assumed that the probability that of the occurrence of each of the two possible errors, that is to say in the case of a storage process in a computer, an error resulting in 0 instead 1 or in 1 instead of 0, is always about the same.
This type of error correction and error detection is illustrated by FIG. 1, which shows 8 information data items D1-D8 to be stored in addition to 5 code data items C0-C4 so as to form one data word which is stored with a total of 13 bits. In this example, the code data value designated with C0 is used for DED.
For the information data D (8:1) to be stored, code data C (4:1) is determined according toD1×D2×D4×D5×D7→C1,D1×D3×D4×D6×D7→C2,D2×D3×D4×D8→C3 andD5×D6×D7×D8→C4,  (1)wherein the combination symbol "x" designates an evaluation of the data values D1-D8 of the information data D (8:1) to be stored as an X-OR combination. The status of the individual data values D1-D8 to be stored is in this case evaluated so that it is either determined whether an even parity exists, or determined whether an uneven parity exists. The DED code data value C0 is determined according toD1×D2×D3×D4×D5×D6×D7×D8→C0.  (2)
For the information data D(8:1) and code data C(4:1) read from a storage device, a syndrome S(4:1) having syndrome data values S1-S4 is determined according toC1×D1×D2×D4×D5×D7→S1,C2×D1×D3×D4×D6×D7→S2,C3×D2×D3×D4×D8→S3 andC4×D5×D6×D7×D8→S4, as well as  (3)C0×D1×D2×D3×D4×D5×D6×D7×D8→S0.  (4)
According to this method, the first four code data values C1-C4 and the first four syndrome data values S1-S4 are used for SEC, and the code and syndrome data values C0, S0 are used for DED. If the syndrome data values S0-S4 equal the value 0 in all 5 bits of the syndrome S(4:1, 0), no error has occurred during the storage and reading of the information data D(8:1). In the case of a single error, the first four SEC syndrome data S(4:1) indicate the position of the defective bit in the read data word (D(8:1), C(4:1)) and the DED syndrome data value S0 equals 1. In this case, the positions SP within the read data word (D(8:1), C(4:1)) in the row after the individual code data values and information data values are arranged in the sequence C1, C2, D1, C3, D2, D3, D4, C4, D5, D6, D7, D8. In the case of a double error, at least one bit of the SEC syndrome data S (4:1) is not equal to 0, while the DED syndrome data value S0 is equal to zero.
Such a method makes it possible to ensure in an advantageous manner that an error will be detected in a storage device during the reading of data from a storage device, and that it can be also corrected in the case of a single bit error.
A disadvantage in this case, however, is the requirement of significantly increased storage, which is needed not only for the information data values, but in addition also to secure the code data values. Increased computing resources are also required in order to determine the code data or the syndrome data. The determination of the code data and of the syndrome data is usually converted by means of coding and decoding hardware, which is a constituent part of a storage control unit.

Error correction and error detection method for reading of stored information data and a storage control unit for the same


Modular electronic unit comprised of pivotably mounted modules leaning against a support in the form of a plate, notably for programmable controllers. A tightening spring is placed between the housing of each module and the support, near the lower rear end of the housing, and is gradually brought under stress by pressing on a heel during pivoting of the module, while stops of the housing come and rest frontally against the web plate of the support.

1 Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a modular electronic unit notably, though not exclusively, applicable to devices for the control of automatic operations such as programmable controllers.
2 Description of the Prior Art
Certain modular-structured programmable controllers comprise, for the purposes of convenient individual mounting and dismounting:
pivotably mounted electronic modules each comprising a housing containing a PC board and having, towards a rear vertical side, a connector,
a module supporting device in the form of a plate having a vertical web plate fitted with connectors for cooperating with the connectors of the modules and, for each module, a mainstay against which the latter can be applied and pivoted, and means for positioning and securing the module to the support.
Such a construction is notably known through European patent No. 162,373. In such a solution, pivot bearings provided in the upper part of the housing are placed on a ridge bearing the support and withstand most of the mounting strains transmitted by the operator; they therefore risk being deteriorated or broken. Furthermore, springs are provided near the upper and lower ends of the support, but merely serve the purpose of electrical contact, to the extent that the fastening of each module requires two fastening bolts respectively situated at the upper and lower ends of the housing.

Device for removably fixing an electric module on a support


A rotor for a rotary electric machine, the rotor including first and second pole pieces each having a respective magnetic hub arranged for rotation about an axis along which they are spaced. Pluralities of magnetic first and second pole fingers are spaced from each other and extend between the hubs. Each pole finger has a proximal end connected to its respective hub, and an axially opposite distal end. The first and second pole fingers circumferentially alternate about the axis, and each pole finger has a respective radially inner surface defining a cavity that extends axially from the distal end to a cavity terminus. Relative to each pole finger, at a respective axial position between the distal end and the cavity terminus the radial distance between the axis and the radially inner surface is substantially greater inside of the cavity than outside of the cavity.

The present disclosure relates to rotary electric machines, and particularly to rotors therefor, and more particularly to rotor types which include permanent magnets.
An example of a prior rotary electric machine to which the teachings of the present disclosure may be applied, an alternator for use in a vehicle, is depicted in FIG. 1. Alternator 20 has a housing 24 and a rotor shaft 28 supported within the housing 24 by front and rear rolling element bearings 32 and 36, respectively. A belt driven pulley 40 is fastened to a protruding front end of the rotor shaft 28. The rotor 56 of the depicted rotary electric machine 20 includes front and rear alternator pole pieces 44 and 48, respectively, which are mounted to and rotate with the shaft 28. Alternator 20 generally includes a stator 52 which surrounds the rotor 56 and is affixed to the housing 24. Rotation of the rotor 56 about its axis of rotation, the machine central axis 60, causes an alternating current to be induced in the stator winding 68.
The stator 52 generally includes a stator core 64 about which stator winding 68 is coiled. As is known in the art, the stator core 64 generally includes a lamina stack 72 formed by a plurality of laminae stacked axially relative to the rotational axis 60 of the rotor shaft 28. Each lamina may be made of electrical steel or another suitable ferromagnetic material. Referring to FIG. 2, the stator winding 68 typically includes a plurality of conductors 76, and the stator core 64 defines a plurality of slots 80 leaving a plurality of stator teeth 84 therebetween; the stator slots 80 and teeth 84 are also shown in FIG. 10. The plurality of conductors 76 extend axially through the slots 80 and are looped in a conventional fashion such that the loops are distributed around the circumference of the stator 52. As shown in FIG. 2, the plurality of stator winding conductors 76 are namely a first conductor 76a, a second conductor 76b, and a third conductor 76c, the conductors defining three phases of electrical power generated by the alternator.
The rotor 56 is a type well-known as a claw-pole rotor, and includes the pair of opposing claw-pole pieces 44, 48 and an excitation field coil 88 disposed about the central axis 60. Pole pieces 44 and 48 are made of a magnetic material such as steel, and are substantially identical to each other, having respective hub portions 92, 96 and a plurality of respective, elongate pole segments or fingers 100, 104. The pole fingers of each pole piece 44, 48 are distributed about the circumference of the respective hub portion 92, 96 and are spaced by voids 108 in the respective hub portion. The pole fingers 100, 104 of each pole piece 44, 48 extend axially away from their respective hub portion, and axially towards the hub portion 92, 96 of the other pole piece. Further, the pole fingers 100, 104 of each pole piece 44, 48 are symmetrically spaced around the perimeter of the respective hub portion 92, 96 and, with the rotor 56 configured as assembled onto the shaft 28, are interleaved in a non-contacting, spaced relationship with the pole fingers of the other pole piece, as shown in FIG. 2. Air gaps or channels are thus defined between adjacent pole fingers 100,104 and are distributed circumferentially about the rotor 56.
Referring to FIG. 3, the excitation field coil 88 of the rotor 56 is wound upon an electrically insulative bobbin 112 and the coil 88 and bobbin 112 are sandwiched between the pair of opposing, axially inwardly facing surfaces 116, 120 of the pole piece hub portions 92, 96. Pole pieces 44, 48 may have axially-extending portions 121 about which the field coil 88 and its bobbin 112 are disposed, as shown in FIG. 1, or the field coil 88 and its bobbin 112 may be disposed about a cylindrical rotor core member 122 disposed about the central axis 60 and located between the pole pieces 44, 48, as shown in FIG. 3. Referring again to FIG. 1, DC excitation current is applied to the excitation winding 88 through a pair of slip rings 124 and associated contact brushes 128. The slip rings 124 are secured to the shaft 28 and in operation couple the field coil 88 to a regulated DC current source via the contact brushes 128. A control system known as a voltage regulator (not shown) is used to apply an appropriate level of DC voltage to the excitation windings 88.
The pole pieces 44, 48 and the energized field winding 88 produce an alternating polarity magnetic field that rotates with the rotor 56 about the central axis 60. Although a DC excitation current is applied to the field winding 88, the interlacing of the alternating pole fingers 100, 104 creates an alternating polarity magnetic flux linkage. This magnetic flux linkage is presented to the winding conductors 76 of the stationary stator 52 that surrounds the rotor 56. The movement of the alternating polarity magnetic flux linkage presented by the rotor 56 across the stator winding conductors 76a, 76b, 76c generates three-phase AC electrical power in a well-known manner.
Typically, AC electrical output by the alternator 20 is directed to a rectifier 132, which may be located at the rear of the housing 24 as shown in FIG. 1. The alternator may also include further filtering and power conditioning devices through which the electrical output is directed before it is conducted as DC electrical power to the positive terminal of the vehicle battery (not shown) or an electric distribution bus (also not shown). The desired RMS value of the outputted alternating current from the alternator 20 is dependent upon the level of DC voltage applied by the voltage regulator to the excitation windings 88. Additionally, front and rear air circulation fans 136 and 140 are located at opposite axially outward sides of the pole pieces 44, 48. The fans 136, 140 are coupled to the rotor 56 and rotate in unison therewith. Cooling airflow is typically drawn axially inwardly of the housing 24, and is expelled radially outwardly of the housing 24, by the fans 136, 140. The rear fan 140 typically directs cooling airflow across the rectifier 132 and other electronic components of the alternator 20. If an airflow path is provided, the fans 136, 140 may also direct some amount of cooling airflow around the pole fingers 100, 104 and the excitation coil 88.
The direction of rotation of the rotor 56 relative to the stator 52, and thus the direction of movement of the rotor pole fingers 100, 104 relative to the stator teeth 84 is shown by arrow 144. Upon energization of the field coil 88 with a regulated DC current the rotor 56 is magnetized, with the adjacent pole fingers 100, 104 alternating circumferentially between north (N) and south (S) magnetic polarities. In other words, all pole fingers 100 have N magnetic polarity and all pole fingers 104 have S magnetic polarity. Accordingly, it will be recognized that upon rotation of the rotor 56, the alternating magnetic polarities of the pole fingers 100, 104 pass sequentially around the stator 52, thereby inducing an output current in the stator winding 68. Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the respective N and S magnetic polarities of the front and rear pole pieces 44, 48 are determined as a function of the chosen direction of DC current flow through the excitation field coil 88.
FIGS. 5A-5H show an example of a prior claw-pole piece 44 or 48 including a plurality of pole fingers or segments 100, 104 each having a base or proximal end 148 connected to the respective pole piece hub portion 92, 96 at locations between the voids 108. Each pole finger 100, 104 also has a tip or distal end 152 opposite is respective base 148, and the tips 152 of the pole fingers 100, 104 of one pole piece 44, 48 are located near the base 148 of the pole fingers 100, 104 of the other pole piece 44, 48, as shown in FIG. 3.
Each pole finger 100, 104 also has a leading edge 156 and an opposite trailing edge 160, each of which extends between the base 148 and the tip 152 of the pole finger. The designation of an edge 156, 160 as leading or trailing is related to the direction of pole finger travel relative to the stator core teeth 84, as indicated by arrow 144. The leading and trailing edges 156, 160 of each pole finger 100 of front pole piece 44 respectively define leading edge side surface 164 and trailing edge side surface 168; the leading and trailing edges 156, 160 of each pole finger 104 of rear pole piece 48 respectively define leading edge side surface 172 and trailing edge side surface 176.
Each pole finger 100 also defines a radially outer surface 180 and a radially inner surface 184, each of which extends circumferentially between its opposite leading and trailing edge side surfaces 164, 168. Each pole finger 104 also defines a radially outer surface 188 and a radially inner surface 192, each of which extends circumferentially between its opposite leading and trailing edge side surfaces 172, 176. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 5A, each radially outer surface 180, 188 lies along a respective surface line 196 that is substantially parallel with central axis 60, such that a cylinder may be defined by the arranged plurality of surface lines 196. Thus, the radially outer surfaces 180, 188 of the plurality of alternating pole fingers 100, 104 define the substantially cylindrical outer circumferential surface of the rotor 56.
Relative to each pole finger 100, 104 shown in FIGS. 1-8 and 10, which depict them as having a generally pyramidal shape, the respective radially inner surface 184, 192 is closer to the central axis 60 near its base or proximal end 148, and further from the central axis 60 near its tip or distal end 152, which may be flattened, as shown. Thus, each pyramidal pole finger 100, 104 is thicker radially, relative to the axis 60, between its radially outer surface 180, 188 and its radially inner surface 184, 192, at its proximal end or base 148 than at its distal end or tip 152. Additionally, when viewed in a radial direction each pyramidal pole finger 100, 104 is tapered as the pole finger extends away from its respective hub portion 92, 96 and therefore is circumferentially wider between its leading and trailing edges 156, 160 at its proximal end 148 and narrower at its distal end 152. It can therefore be understood that each pole finger 100, 104 may be generally V-shaped as viewed in both a radial direction relative to the central axis 60, and in a direction normal to an imaginary plane in which the respective surface line 196 and the central axis 60 both lie. In other words, each generally pyramidal pole finger 100, 104, if sectioned at its base 148 by an imaginary plane oriented perpendicular to the central axis 60 and flattened at its tip, is substantially hexahedral.
Moreover, as can be clearly understood from the various views of FIGS. 1-8, in imaginary planes perpendicular to the central axis 60, at varying distances axially along each pyramidal pole finger 100, 104 (that is, at various axial locations in directions generally parallel with the central axis 60, the respective thickness of each pole finger between its radially outer surface 180, 188 and its radially inner surface 184, 192 is substantially uniform between its leading and tailing edges 156, 160. Additionally, but for radially inner and outer surfaces 180, 188, 184, and 192 presenting slight curvatures about the central axis 60 corresponding to the cylindrical shape of the rotor 56 (convex in the case of radially outer surface 180, 188, and concave in the case of radially inner surface 184, 192), these surfaces 180, 188, 184, and 192 are generally flat and featureless between their respective pole finger leading and trailing edges 156, 160.
In some prior machines 20 the pole fingers 100, 104, rather than being generally pyramidal in shape as discussed above, instead have a different geometry. For example, referring to FIG. 9, the pole pieces 44, 48 may instead define pole fingers or segments 100, 104 that are generally rectangular in shape when viewed radially relative to the central axis 60. As in the case of the generally pyramidal pole segments described above, the pole fingers or segments 100, 104 of the prior claw-pole pieces 44 or 48 shown in FIG. 9 each have: a base or proximal end 148 connected to the respective pole piece hub portion 92, 96 at locations between the voids 108; a tip or distal end 152 opposite its respective base 148, with the tip 152 of the pole finger of one pole piece 44, 48 being located near the base 148 of the pole finger of the other pole piece 44, 48; a leading edge 156; and an opposite trailing edge 160, the leading and trailing edges 156, 160 extending between the pole finger base 148 and tip 152. The generally parallel leading and trailing edges 156, 160 of each pole finger 100 respectively define the leading edge side surface 164 and the trailing edge side surface 168, whereas the leading and trailing edges 156, 160 of each pole finger 104 respectively define the leading edge side surface 172 and trailing edge side surface 176. As discussed above, the designation of an edge 156, 160 as leading or trailing is related to the direction of pole finger travel relative to the stator core teeth 84, as indicated by arrow 144.
Unlike the generally pyramidal pole segments described above, however, in the example of FIG. 9 the leading and trailing edges 156, 160 are generally parallel to each other and to the central axis 60. Here, the depicted pole finger tips or distal ends 152 are flat, and each pole finger 100, 104, if sectioned at its base 148 by an imaginary plane oriented perpendicular to the central axis 60, may be substantially hexahedral. In the example depicted in FIG. 9, each pole finger 100, 104 respectively defines a radially outer surface 180, 188 and a radially inner surface 184, 192 (not shown in FIG. 9). As in the case of the generally pyramidal pole fingers, each radially outer, rectangular surface 180, 188 lies along a respective surface line 196 that is substantially parallel with the central axis 60, whereby the cylindrical rotor shape may be defined by the arranged plurality of surface lines 196. Relative to each pole finger 100, 104, its respective radially outer surface 180, 188 extends a substantially uniform distance between the circumferentially opposite leading edge 156 and trailing edge 160; similarly, its respective radially inner surface 184, 192 extends a substantially uniform distance between the circumferentially opposite leading edge 156 and trailing edge 160. Thus, each pole finger 100, 104 has a generally rectangular shape when viewed in a radial direction, as mentioned above.
Furthermore the pole fingers 100, 104 depicted in FIG. 9 may each be substantially configured as a rectangular parallelepiped or cuboid, wherein, as viewed in a direction normal to an imaginary plane in which the respective surface line 196 and the central axis 60 both lie, the thickness of each pole finger 100, 104 between its respective radially outer surface 180, 188 and radially inner surface 184, 192, is substantially uniform along its axial direction, i.e., in a direction generally parallel with the surface line 196. Thus, each pole finger 100, 104 has a generally rectangular shape when viewed in a tangential direction, perpendicular to the central axis 60. Furthermore, but for surfaces 180, 188, 184, 192 presenting slight curvatures about the central axis 60 corresponding to the cylindrical shape of the rotor 56 (convex in the case of radially outer surface 180, 188, and concave in the case of radially inner surface 184, 192), the surfaces 180, 188, 184, and 192 of the generally cuboid pole fingers 100, 104 are generally flat between their respective pole finger leading and trailing edges 156, 160. Moreover, the opposed radially outer surface 180, 188 and radially inner surface 184, 192 of each generally cuboid pole finger 100, 104 are substantially parallel. In other words, in imaginary planes perpendicular to the central axis 60, at varying distances axially along each pyramidal pole finger 100, 104 (that is, at distances in directions generally parallel with surface lines 196), the respective thickness of each pole finger between its radially outer surface 180, 188 and radially inner surface 184, 192 is substantially uniform. A prior electrical machine including pole fingers or pole segments having leading and trailing edges substantially parallel with each other and the machine central axis is also disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,973,444 entitled ELECTRIC MACHINE AND ROTOR FOR THE SAME and assigned to the assignee of the present application, the entire disclosure of which is expressly incorporated herein by reference.
As noted above, regardless of whether their pole fingers 100, 104 are generally pyramidal or generally cuboid, in prior rotary electrical machines such as an alternator 20 the pole finger radially inner surfaces 184, 192 are substantially flat or provided with only a very minor concave curvature about the central axis 60 between their respective leading and trailing edges 156, 160, at various locations along the axial length of the pole finger, i.e., in directions parallel with surface lines 196. The curvature of the radially inner surface 184, 192, where present, is more pronounced near the pole finger base or proximal end 148 than it is near the pole finger tip or distal end 152, as revealed by comparisons between FIGS. 5F-5H, and between FIGS. 7B-7E.
It is also known to employ permanent magnets in the rotors of rotary electrical machines such as alternators. In some prior alternators, high-magnetic-strength permanent magnets 200 are disposed between the adjacent claw-pole fingers 100, 104 to supplement the magnetic field generated by the excitation coil 88. Such magnets 200, which are optional, are shown in FIGS. 6-9. Any of a variety of permanent magnet material may be used for permanent magnets 200 such as neodymium-iron-boron, samarium-cobalt, or ferrite. Alternators utilizing both field coil and permanent magnet fluxes coupled to a stator coil are referred to as hybrid alternators. Referring to FIG. 10, in a hybrid alternator 20, permanent magnets 200 maintain a permanent magnet flux across channels 204 that would otherwise be air gaps between the claw-pole segments 100, 104, which in a hybrid alternator are magnetically linked to the permanent magnets 200 disposed in channels 204 and carried by the rotor 56, and a portion of the stator structure 52, thereby coupling significant magnetic flux through the stator structure. The magnetic flux path 208 is shown in dashed lines in FIG. 10. When the field coil 88 is not energized, the magnetic flux developed by the permanent magnets 200 is shunted through the rotor 56. However, when the field coil 88 is energized, the magnetic flux developed by the permanent magnets 200 additively contributes to the electromagnetically generated magnetic flux resulting from field coil excitation, across the stator/rotor air gap 212. Depending on the desired output of the hybrid alternator 20, the effect of the permanent magnets 200 on the flux across the radial stator/rotor air gap 212 may supplement, or boost, the electromagnetic flux generated by the DC current being passed in one direction through the field effect coil 88; the effect of the permanent magnets on the flux across the stator/rotor air gap may also be reduced, or bucked, by electromagnetic flux that is generated by DC current being passed in the opposite direction through the field effect coil 88. Alternator buck/boost control circuits are known in the art and may be of various designs, one of which is disclosed in above-mentioned U.S. Pat. No. 7,973,444.
Channels 204 may be oriented as described above; typically, the orientation and shape of the permanent magnets 200 is similar. Thus, permanent magnets 200 are generally prism-shaped with six substantially flat faces. The permanent magnets 200 being substantially prism-shaped provides substantially symmetrical abutting surfaces at their respective interfaces with the leading and trailing edge side surfaces 164, 168, 172, 176. The prism-shaped permanent magnets 200 are illustrated herein as an exemplary shape, it being understood that other shapes for the permanent magnets will be apparent to the skilled artisan. As shown herein, each permanent magnet 200 has a pair of circumferentially opposing pole faces 216, with the polarized faces 216N and 216S corresponding to N and S magnetic polarities, respectively. The polarities of the permanent magnets alternate such that adjacent magnets are of opposite polarity. Therefore, it can be appreciated that claw-pole fingers 100 abut permanent magnet pole faces 216N and have a first common polarity (i.e., N), and claw-pole fingers 104 abut permanent magnet pole faces 216S and have a second common polarity (i.e., S). The pole faces 216N, 216S of magnets 200 are immediately adjacent respective leading and trailing edge side surfaces 164, 168, 172, 176 on pole fingers 100 and 104. As mentioned above, all pole fingers 100 have N magnetic polarity and all pole fingers 104 have S magnetic polarity. All permanent magnet pole faces 216N are adjacent the side surfaces 164, 168 of each N pole finger 100. Likewise, all permanent magnet pole faces 216S are adjacent the side surfaces 172, 176 of each S pole finger 104. The foregoing arrangement is generally well known to those skilled in the art.
Typically, when permanent magnets 200 are added between the claw poles 100, 104 of an alternator 20 to boost machine performance, the air gap channel 204 is machined or otherwise adapted to provide a constant width between the opposing pole finger leading and trailing edge side surfaces 164, 168, 172, 176 to contain the magnets. However, the shape of the claw-pole pieces 44, 48 used in prior hybrid alternators is not optimized to maximize the use of the permanent magnets 200. Rather, the pole piece designs of such hybrid machines, and particularly the designs of their pole segments or fingers 100, 104 are "carried over" from a conventional, non-permanent magnet-equipped claw-pole rotor design, which had already evolved to maximize machine performance without the addition of permanent magnets to the claw-pole rotor. To simply adhere to this practice does not take full advantage of the benefit of adding magnets to claw-pole rotors.
A rotary electric machine configured to maximize the beneficial aspects of a permanent magnet-equipped rotor would provide a desirable improvement in the art.

Claw pole rotor with cavity for minimizing flux leakage


A grain-oriented electrical steel plate is characterized in that grooves having a width of 10 μm to 200 μm and a depth of 10 μm to 30 μm exist in at least one of a front surface and a rear surface of a steel plate at intervals of 1 mm to 10 mm, an angle between a direction in which the grooves extend and a rolling direction of the steel plate is 60 degrees to 120 degrees, and tensile stresses having a maximum value of 20 MPa to 300 MPa act in the rolling direction within ranges of 10 μm to 300 μm from side surfaces of the grooves.

A grain-oriented electrical steel plate having an easy magnetization axis in a rolling direction of a steel plate has been used for an iron core of a power converter such as a transformer. A low core loss property has been required strongly for a material of the iron core in order to reduce loss to be caused at the time of energy conversion.
The core loss of an electrical steel plate is classified into a hysteresis loss and an eddy current loss roughly. The hysteresis loss is affected by a crystal orientation, a defect, a grain boundary, and so on. The eddy current loss is affected by a thickness, an electrical resistance value, a 180-degree magnetic domain width, and so on.
Then, in manufacturing the electrical steel plate, arts in which crystal grains are aligned highly in the orientation of (110)[001] and crystal defects are reduced have been employed in order to reduce the hysteresis loss. Further, in order to reduce the eddy current loss, arts in which a thickness of the electrical steel plate is thinned, an electrical resistance value is increased, and a 180-degree magnetic domain is subdivided have been employed. An increase in Si content or the like has been performed for the increase in the electrical resistance value, and coating of a tension film on a surface of the electrical steel plate or the like has been performed for the subdivision of the 180-degree magnetic domain.
In recent years, in order to reduce the core loss drastically, there also has been proposed an art in which in addition to the application of tension to the surface of the electrical steel plate in order to drastically reduce the eddy current loss, which occupies most of the core loss, a groove and/or a strain is/are artificially introduced into the surface of the electrical steel plate and further the 180-degree magnetic domain is subdivided.
For example, in Patent Document 1 and the like, there is described an art in which a laser beam is emitted in a direction perpendicular to a rolling direction of a surface of a grain-oriented electrical steel plate with a predetermined beam width and energy density, and at predetermined emitting intervals, thereby introducing a local strain into the surface.
In Patent Document 2, there is disclosed an art in which a groove is formed in a predetermined direction of a surface of a grain-oriented electrical steel plate with a predetermined load, and then fine crystal grains are generated in a strain introduction section by strain relief annealing.
In Patent Document 3, there is disclosed an art in which a groove having a predetermined depth is mechanically formed with a roller with a groove or the like in a predetermined direction of a grain-oriented electrical steel plate in which annealing has been performed, and thereafter by etching, fine grains caused by mechanical strain are removed to deepen the groove.
In Patent Document 4, there is disclosed an art in which grooves are periodically formed in a surface of a grain-oriented electrical steel plate in which a finish annealing film has been removed, and thereafter a tension film is applied thereto.
In Patent Document 5, there is disclosed an art in which an interval and an angle of a groove to be formed in a surface of a directional electrical steel plate are limited within a predetermined range.
These arts described in Patent Documents 1 to 5 presuppose that a film is formed on a surface of an electrical steel plate. That is, the formation of a film is indispensable.
However, there is sometime a case that a magnitude of tension of the film cannot be obtained sufficiently due to variation in manufacturing processes. Then, in the above case, a favorable core loss property cannot be obtained. As measures against this case, coating the film thickly is also performed, but thickening the film leads to an increase in a nonmagnetic layer inevitably, resulting that a magnetic flux density is lowered. Consequently, at the time of manufacturing a transformer, a necessity of using the electrical steel plate more is created, resulting that weight is increased and cost is increased.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. Sho 55-18566
Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. Sho 61-117218
Patent Document 3: Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2000-169946
Patent Document 4: Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2003-301272
Patent Document 5: Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. Hei 7-320921

Low core loss grain-oriented electrical steel plate and method of manufacturing the same


In a frequency-offset self-injection-locked (FOSIL) radar, a first mixer is provided to mix a first oscillation signal of a first injection-locked oscillator (ILO) and a second oscillation signal of a second ILO so as to cancel out the frequency drifts of the first and second oscillation signals. Accordingly, the transmit frequency of the FOSIL radar can remain constant to mitigate the EMI issue.

Self-injection-locked (SIL) radar is a continuous-wave (CW) Doppler radar in that the Doppler signal with phase shift caused by subject's movement is injected into an oscillator to allow the oscillator to have a frequency drift. The SIL radar used to detect tiny vital sign has gained attention in recent years owing to the oscillator has the frequency drift directly proportional to the subject's displacement and a high sensitivity. Even though the conventional SIL radar using injection-locking technique provides very high sensitivity to tiny vibration, frequency swing of wireless signal transmitted from the SIL radar may cause electromagnetic interference (EMI) to other wireless devices in the environment.


The invention relates to a high-pressure discharge lamp (2) provided with a discharge vessel (3) with a ceramic wall (3a) and provided with a bimetal element (11) which rests against the discharge vessel wall in the cold state of the lamp, and which is removed from the discharge vessel wall during lamp operation. The discharge vessel is surrounded by an outer bulb (30) with intervening space (6), in which space a solid-state getter (15) is provided. According to the invention, the solid-state getter is provided on the bimetal element.

The invention relates to a high-pressure discharge lamp provided with a discharge vessel with a ceramic wall and provided with a bimetal element which rests against the wall of the discharge vessel in the cold state of the lamp and which is remote from the wall of the discharge vessel during lamp operation, said discharge vessel being enclosed with intervening space by an outer bulb, in which space a solid-state getter is provided near the discharge vessel.
A lamp of the kind mentioned in the opening paragraph is known from EP-A-0453652.
The term "ceramic wall" in the present description and Claims is understood to denote a wall of gastight translucent crystalline metal oxide, for example, monocrystalline such as sapphire, or polycrystalline such as gastight sintered Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 and yttrium-aluminium garnet, as well as gastight translucent crystalline metal nitride such as, for example, AlN. In the known lamp, the solid-state getter is fastened in a pinch of the outer bulb by means of a separate pole, electrically unconnected. The lamp is constructed as a two-pinch lamp. The two-pinch version is particularly suitable for use as a floodlight. In other applications, however, such as, for example, public lighting and interior lighting, it is desirable for the lamp to be provided with a lamp cap. The manufacture of a pinch provided with an additional pole in itself has a cost-raising effect on manufacture. In the case of a lamp provided with a lamp cap, the use of a separate pole for the getter leads to the construction of a so-called three-wire mount. The use of a three-wire mount, however, was found to be very disadvantageous in practice for an efficient lamp manufacture, giving rise to considerable cost increases. In addition, the available space at the area where the mount is sealed in the outer bulb is comparatively restricted, which renders positioning and mounting of separate elements on an additional pole inconvenient.

High-pressure discharge lamp having solid state getter mounted on bimetallic element


An air compressor with porous surfaces to separate particles from air flowing therethrough, using curvilinear flow paths to effect the same.

In comparison with reciprocating and rotary engines, gas turbine engines offer significant benefits in terms of small size and light weight. In terms of fuel economy, however, gas turbine engines have lagged behind the other engines, particularly for the small engine sizes. Gas turbine engines have also been considerably more expensive, mainly due to intricate designs, close manufacturing tolerances, and the use of exotic materials. Data as to many of these prior art engines are found in "The Aircraft Gas Turbine Engine And Its Operation," United Technologies (Pratt and Whitney), 1988; and "Aircraft Gas Turbine Guide," (General Electric (Aircraft Engine Group), 1980.
My gas turbine engines have a smaller size and lesser weight than current turbine engines having the same power. Consequently, they provide less weight for the same power or more power for the same weight as prior engines. As a result, they offer greater range or flying power and savings in fuel consumption, initial cost, and maintenance.


An apparatus, system, and method are provided for defining a web services interface for an MFS-based IMS application. The apparatus, system, and method include a parser that parses an MFS-based IMS source file into one or more Message Input Descriptions (MIDs) and one or more Message Output Descriptions (MODs). A prompt module prompts a user for a device type and device feature combination supported by the MIDs and MODs. A display module displays a MID list and a MOD list and automatically selects one or more MODs associated with a user-selected MID. An assembly module assembles the user-selected MID, the associated MODs, and the user-selected device type and device feature combination into a web services interface.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to web services. Specifically, the invention relates to apparatus, systems, and methods for defining a web services interface for MFS-based IMS applications.
2. Description of the Related Art
Computer and information technology continues to progress and provide tools that allow software applications to interact more easily than in the past. For example, web services have been introduced recently as a standard interface allowing one software application to utilize a feature or function of another software application over a public network without obstacles such as proprietary message formats, encoding, firewall access, and the like.
To control costs, web services need to interface with other computer and information technology which remain largely unchanged. For example, large corporations, governments, and other entities continue to use legacy applications, software programs designed, written, and maintained for large, mission-critical computers, such as mainframes. These entities have invested large amounts of work and money into developing and maintaining the legacy applications. In addition, these applications have been tested and refined to operate very efficiently and with minimal errors.
Legacy applications continue to manage a high percentage of the everyday transactions and data for these businesses. One example of legacy applications in wide-spread use are Message Format Service-based Information Management System applications (hereinafter MFS-based IMS applications). MFS is a component of the transaction management module for IMS. MFS translates transaction messages between various devices and the MFS-based IMS application.
Converting or upgrading MFS-based IMS applications to the latest technologies and standards, such as web services, is often costly and/or impractical. Instead, components are built to translate messages between software applications executing modern standards and technologies and the MFS-based IMS applications.
For example, XML-MFS adapters have been built which convert between web services messages utilizing eXtended Markup Language (XML) and Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) and proprietary transaction messages used by MFS-based IMS applications. In this manner, MFS-based IMS applications benefit from the new standards and technologies without making any changes to the MFS-based IMS applications themselves.
Proprietary transaction messages used by MFS-based IMS applications insulate the MFS-based IMS application from the differences in characteristics and layout among different device types and device features that cooperate to provide an interface for the MFS-based IMS application. The devices interfacing with MFS-based IMS applications may include hardware and software including different terminals, keyboards, mouse devices, monitors, light pens, touch screens, card readers, and the like. Instead of device specific code in each MFS-based IMS application, a common MFS control block known as a Message Input Description (MID) and Message Output Description (MOD) is defined for the different device types.
The MID and MOD define how the input or output messages are formatted and laid out for the specific input/output device. MFS supports a plurality of devices including the IBM 3270 terminal. MFS uses the MIDs/MODs to manage interface information such as field formats, field layouts, input devices, and the like. Because MFS manages the interface specific information, the MFS-based IMS application may focus on business logic that utilizes the inputs and outputs.
As mentioned above, XML-MFS adapters allow non-MFS based IMS applications to interface with MFS-based IMS applications for implementing e-commerce software such as web services. Non-MFS based IMS applications send XML messages to the XML-MFS adapter, which provides messages in the MID/MOD format to the MFS-based IMS application. However, MFS-based IMS applications typically support a large number of devices, which means that a corresponding large number of MIDs/MODs are defined. The XML-MFS adapter needs to know which MID and associated Device Input Formats (DIFs) and which MODs and associated Device Output Formats (DOFs) define an application interface for the MFS-based IMS application providing the web service.
This MFS-based IMS application interface may be defined in an XMI (XML Metadata Interchange) file. The XML-MFS adapter uses the XMI files to convert an XML message from a non-MFS based IMS application, such as a servlet, Java bean, or SOAP client application, into the appropriate MFS input and output messages to communicate with the MFS-based IMS application.
Using XMI files, the XML-MFS adapter performs the run-time conversion of XML messages into suitable MID/DIF and MOD/DOF messages and vice versa. In addition, a code generation tool may use XMI files to build a servlet implementing a web service on a web server. Furthermore, a web services description tool uses the XMI files to produce a description of the web service suitable for a web services directory such as a Uniform Description, Discovery, Integration (UDDI) directory. The web services description tool formats the web services description into a Web Services Description Language (WSDL) file.
Unfortunately, no user tools exist for building suitable XMI files to define the web services application interface for an MFS-based IMS application. XMI files may be written manually using a text editor, though such a process is time consuming, error prone, and requires the author to have intimate knowledge regarding the MID and associated MODs supported by the MFS-based IMS application that the XMI files are intended to represent. Furthermore, the author must know which required MODs to include in the XMI files. In addition, the author must now how a desired MID for implementing the web service is associated with one or more MODs.
Accordingly, what is needed is an apparatus, system, and method for defining a web services interface for an MFS-based IMS application. In particular, the apparatus, system, and method should automate the generation of XMI files that define a web services interface for an MFS-based IMS application that includes a user-selected MID, one or more associated MODs, and any required MODs. To be most beneficial the apparatus, system, and method should also allow a MID/MOD selection for preexisting XMI files to be readily revised.

Apparatus, system, and method for defining a web services interface for MFS-based IMS applications

International Business Machines Corporation