An object of the present invention is to provide a prophylactic or ameliorating agent for a genetic disease that is caused by a mutation in an exon of a gene and is capable of forming a functional truncated protein by skipping of the exon comprising the mutation. The prophylactic or ameliorating agent used in the present invention is a prophylactic or ameliorating agent for a genetic disease that is caused by a mutation in an exon of a gene and is capable of forming a functional truncated protein by skipping of the exon comprising the mutation, wherein the prophylactic or ameliorating agent contains a compound having a molecular weight of 1500 or lower.

Muscular dystrophy is a generic name for genetic muscular diseases that show the gradual progression of muscle atrophy or weakness resulting from the repeated cycles of the breakdown or degeneration (necrosis) and regeneration of muscle fibers. Among these diseases, progressive muscular dystrophy is well known. Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), one type of progressive muscular dystrophy, is the most common form of the muscular dystrophy and is caused by mutations in the dystrophin gene, which is located on the X chromosome (see non-patent document 1). Reportedly, DMD patients typically die of heart failure or respiratory failure in their 20s due to progressive muscle atrophy that began in early childhood.
The dystrophin protein (hereinafter, also simply referred to as "dystrophin"), which is located at the cytoplasmic face of the sarcolemma, plays a role in, for example, structurally maintaining muscle cells by conveying mechanical energy generated by actin-myosin-driven muscle contraction to the sarcolemma, its surrounding connective tissues, tendons, etc., in a balanced manner, and regulatorily preventing excessive impact from being applied thereto. In the case of DMD patients, their muscle fibers contain no or only scarce dystrophin protein due to mutations in the dystrophin genes. The sarcolemma is thus disrupted as a result of muscle contraction, leading to the entrance of a larger-than-normal amount of calcium ions into the muscle fibers. Excessive calcium activates enzymes, such as calpains or proteases, which break down the muscle or induce apoptosis. As a result, fibroblasts are activated to form fibrotic scar tissues, which in turn impede the regeneration of muscle cells and accelerate muscle atrophy.
Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD), another type of progressive muscular dystrophy, is also caused by mutations in the dystrophin gene, but typically affects only adults. Its symptoms also progress more slowly than DMD. DMD and BMD differ in the severity of symptoms and the rate of progression thereof, though these diseases are both caused by mutations in the dystrophin gene. This difference between DMD and BMD is explained by the reading frame rule. A premature termination codon (PTC) mutation (nonsense mutation) in dystrophin mRNA usually brings about a grave DMD phenotype (Duchenne type), whereas a mutation that does not alter the original reading frame of dystrophin mRNA (in-frame mutation) results in a milder BMD phenotype (Becker type) (see non-patent document 2). Unexpectedly, in spite of the fact that some mild BMD patients have a nonsense mutation in their dystrophin genes, the skipping of an exon comprising this nonsense mutation reportedly yields new in-frame dystrophin mRNA (see non-patent documents 3 to 6). Dystrophin (truncated dystrophin) encoded by this dystrophin mRNA lacking some such exons by skipping is shorter than normal dystrophin, but still has, to some extent, the function of structurally maintaining muscle cells. The resulting muscular dystrophy exhibits relatively mild symptoms. Also, muscle atrophy progresses at a relatively slow rate.
The fundamental therapy of muscular dystrophy remains to be established. Only symptomatic treatment for heart failure or respiratory disorder has previously been practiced, in addition to functional training or stretch to prevent joint contracture. Novel therapy for DMD, however, has been developed by the present inventors or other researchers in recent years and has encouraged expectations. This therapy is a method involving inducing exon skipping using an antisense oligonucleotide (AON) against dystrophin mRNA to convert a DMD phenotype to a BMD phenotype so that symptoms are relieved (non-patent document 3). Some different types of AONs were designed against any of splice sites or splicing-enhancing elements in order to induce exon skipping in the cells of DMD patients. These AONs successfully repaired the reading frame of dystrophin mRNA. For example, AON against an exonic splicing enhancer (ESE) in exon 19 caused the skipping of exon 19 in the cells of the DMD patients to observably form truncated dystrophin (see non-patent documents 3 to 5). Alternatively, AON against exon 51 is also often used for such patient-derived cells. These AONs are currently at the stage of clinical study (see non-patent documents 6 to 8).
Unfortunately, such AONs must be injected intramuscularly or intravenously on a regular basis. This becomes undesirable burdensome to patients. Also, the preparation of AONs in large amounts disadvantageously costs a great deal of money. In addition, when mdx mice (muscular dystrophy model mice) were treated with AON, dystrophin expression made a recovery to some extent in the skeletal muscles, but was difficult to recover in the hearts (non-patent document 9). Thus, low molecules that regulate exon skipping have been strongly demanded from a clinical standpoint. According to the reports, PTC124 (registered trademark) (3-[5-(2-fluorophenyl)-1,2,4-oxadiazol-3-yl]benzoic acid), a low-molecular-weight non-aminoglycoside nonsense mutation suppressor compound, is capable of treating some DMD patients having a nonsense mutation (non-patent documents 10 and 11) and is currently under phase IIb clinical trial in the USA, etc. PTC124 is a therapeutic drug that induces ribosome to read through a premature termination codon (PTC) during translation so that the expression of full-length functional dystrophin is recovered to some extent. Its influence on the nonsense mutation-dependent mRNA decay mechanisms of the other genes is still uncertain.
The present inventors have identified a Cdc-like kinase (Clk)-specific kinase inhibitor TG003 (compound represented by the general formula (1) described later wherein R1 and R2 each represent a methyl group; and R3 represents a methoxy group). The compound TG003 influences splicing both in vitro and in vivo (see non-patent documents 12 and 13). The patent application (see patent document 1) in which the present inventors are involved discloses that TG003 has the effect of regulating alternative splicing mediated by the phosphorylation of SR protein and that diseases such as cancer may be prevented or treated using this effect. It has been unknown so far that TG003 is capable of promoting the skipping of an exon in the dystrophin gene.

Prophylactic or ameliorating agent for genetic diseases


A modified copolymer is provided. The modified copolymer includes a random copolymer of a repeat unit of formula (I) and a repeat unit of formula (II)

Carbon paste is used to make black paste, black matrix of display frame, antistatic coating, and conductive carbon paste. In the material of the black paste and the display frame, in order to obtain a paste with stability, blackness and high optical density, a surface-modified carbon black is mostly used to increase the dispersibility and added amount thereof in resin. In comparison with precious metals, using carbon material as filler can effectively reduce costs by increasing electrical conductivity. For achieving the requirement of low resistivity and passing a reliability test, the superconductive carbon black (such as Evonik XE2B or carbon BP2000), which has an intact surface structure and a high surface area, is used as filler. The superconductive carbon black, however, is not apt to uniformly disperse in the resin, since the superconductive carbon black does not have polar functional groups.
In order to maintain the adhesion and hardness of the carbon film, it is particularly important to select an appropriate dispersant. At present, most of the dispersant are oligomers, but the oligomer has no polymerizable functional groups and has relative low molecular weight. When mixing with the resin and curing to form a solid film, the oligomer will degrade the properties (such as adhesion and hardness) of the cured film. In addition, using styrene-maleimide copolymer as a dispersant, the adhesion and hardness of the carbon film formed by curing the carbon paste are also reduced.
Therefore, a novel dispersant is still called for.

Modified copolymer, method for preparing the same, and method for preparing paste

Abstract: wherein M is derived from monomers with double bonds, R is a direct bond or an aliphatic hydrocarbon chain group having 1 to 12 carbon atoms, a cyclic aliphatic hydrocarbon group having 3 to 16 carbon atoms, an alkylcarbonyloxy group having 2 to 6 carbon atoms, a carbonyl group, an ether group, an ester group, an amide group, an aromatic group having 6 to 16 carbon atoms, or a divalent group having any of the above groups, wherein m and x are positive integers less than 50. The weight average molecular weight of the modified copolymer is between 3000 and 30000.

INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH INSTITUTE


Multiple voice channels are aggregated into a packet having a segmented data structure and sent over a packet network. The segmented data structure includes segment IDs, corresponding data segments and a packet header arranged so that all data is aligned on 8-byte boundaries for efficient processing by 64-bit processors. The data segment represents one or more milliseconds of digitized voice data, and the segment ID explicitly identifies the voice channel associated with the digitized voice data without reference to any other data in the data structure.

The use of the Internet to support voice traffic is an emerging technology that offers several advantages over the traditional dedicated circuit-switched connections of the public switched telephone network (PSTN). The delivery of voice data over the Internet using the Internet Protocol's (IP) packet-switched connections is referred to as VoIP. One of the advantages of using VoIP is that it bypasses PSTN toll services by using the Internet backbone for long distance transport. In addition, Internet service providers (ISPs) are exempt from access fees to use local telephone company facilities to complete the call. Since PSTN tolls and access fees are a large part of the cost of all long distance calls, the ability to avoid them is a tremendous advantage.
VoIP offers other advantages over PSTN as well, including bandwidth consolidation and speech compression, both of which contribute to overall network efficiency. However, before these advantages are fully realized, certain technical challenges must be met.
In VoIP, voice data travel as packets of digitized data on shared lines. More than other types of data, it is particularly important that voice packets are delivered in a timely way to achieve voice quality that is comparable to PSTN. This can be particularly difficult when using a public network, such as the Internet, where the level of quality of service (QoS) cannot be assured. A number of competing proprietary and non-proprietary standards have been developed to support the transmission of voice packets. Some of the protocols work better for hardware than for software, and vice versa, but none of the protocols have yet solved all of the problems inherent in sending large volumes of voice packets over the Internet.
As an example, the real-time protocol (RTP) documented in Request For Comment (RFC) 1889 entitled "RTP: A Transport Protocol for Real-Time Applications," and published in January, 1996, provides end-to-end delivery services for data with real-time characteristics, such as interactive audio and video. FIG. 1 illustrates an example of an RTP packet 100. As illustrated, the RTP packet 100 is comprised of a payload 110 of 40 bytes and four different headers totaling 54 bytes, including a Media Access Control (MAC) header 102, an Internet Protocol (IP) header 104, a User Datagram Protocol (UDP) header 106, and an RTP header 108. The RTP payload 110 is designed to hold voice packets from 5 to 30 milliseconds (ms) in length. Shorter voice packets are considered more desirable, since they result in lower latency and improved voice quality.
Probably the most significant drawback to RTP is the lack of scalability. Because RTP is optimized for sending only a single channel of voice data (i.e. one voice call) per packet long-haul over the Internet, it is necessary to send the packets at a fairly high rate, e.g. 200 packets per second (pps), especially when sending smaller voice packets of 5milliseconds. To support a larger number of voice calls, say 1000, the packet rate increases sharply to 200,000 pps, which quickly degrades the performance of VoIP applications that must process an interrupt every time a packet arrives. Consequently, sending large numbers of packets using RTP tends to degrade the performance of VoIP applications, and makes poor use of bandwidth.
In order to consolidate bandwidth, some protocols aggregate multiple voice channels into a single packet. For example, an aggregated, or multi-channel, version of RTP, developed by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) and documented in an Internet Draft entitled "An RTP Payload Format for User Multiplexing," by J. Rosenberg and H. Schulzrinne, published on May 6, 1998, multiplexes data from multiple users into a single RTP packet in an attempt to reduce packet overhead and improve scalability to ensure that packets get delivered in a timely way. But the aggregated RTP protocol introduces other problems. For example, while the terminating computers have more than enough power to process one voice call, they can quickly become overloaded when simultaneously processing hundreds of voice calls in a single packet, which can again adversely affect the performance of the VoIP applications.
Another drawback to multi-channel RTP and other aggregated channel protocols for VoIP, is the lack of an explicit voice channel ID, which adds additional processing overhead and makes it difficult, if not impossible, to consolidate packet flows. In voice over multi-protocol label switching (VoMPLS), one of the prior art aggregated channel protocols for voice data, the channel identification data is only 8 bits in length and must be combined with the packet identification in order to fully identify the voice channel to which the data belongs. Thus, for example, the channel 5 data on packet flow A is not the same voice channel as the channel 5 data on packet flow B. Consequently, it is not possible to move channels between packets without additional signaling.
Another drawback to current VoIP protocols is that they are not designed to support explicit 8-byte boundary alignment, which is necessary for efficient processing by 64-bit processors.

System and method for aggregating channel segment ID's into a first section and data segments into a second section


A kitchen trash container system that has a tray slidably movable into and out of a kitchen cabinet when waste is placed in a container carried by the tray. A slide mechanism is positioned on the inside walls of the cabinet engaging another cooperating slide mechanism fastened to the top of the container or inside the tray walls or floor. The container top extends over both engaging slides on each side of the container to shield the mechanisms from dust and debris and hide them from view.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention provides a waste collection system in which a waste container is stored in a tray within a kitchen cabinet that is movable out of the cabinet to receive waste or allow the container to be emptied and movable into the cabinet for storage and concealment wherein the slide mechanism for the tray is concealed and positioned to prevent the collection of dust and particles therein.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A typical kitchen waste collection system is often positioned within a kitchen cabinet on a tray with a slide mechanism so that the user can withdraw the waste receptacle and place waste and refuse therein. The slide mechanism is usually installed in exposed locations between the cabinet inside walls and the outside walls of the tray where it readily gathers unwanted and damaging dust and particles. Thus there is a need to shelter the slide mechanism from such exposure and hide the mechanism from view. It is to this need that the present invention is directed.


A current limiting circuit for a power switching transistor, the current limiting circuit incorporating a DC modulator to control the conducting/non-conducting state of the switching transistor, with an input signal generated and supplied to the modulator (and thus controlling a modulator DC bias output signal and therefore the conducting/non-conducting state of the switching transistor) comprised of two components: a first component which controls the modulator state based upon limiting maximum transistor current when a DC supply voltage is at a nominal design value, and a second component which dynamically adjusts the value of the modulator input signal when values of the DC supply voltage are other than the nominal design value.

The output current of a power switching transistor is typically limited, via control circuitry, below a specified level. A representative use for semiconductor switching circuits is within DC-to-DC converter switching power supplies, which utilize a power switching transistor to produce the requisite DC current or voltage output The function of a DC-to-DC converter is to derive power from one source of DC voltage and deliver that power to a load at a regulated DC voltage (the regulated DC voltage may be the same as the originating source voltage or may be different than the originating source voltage, depending upon the design implementation required for a specific application). Various DC-to-DC converter circuit designs incorporating a power switching transistor are known in the prior art, including among others, those utilizing a pulse width modulator to control the conductive state of the power switching transistor. Additionally, various circuit design topologies are also known in the prior art, including, among others, forward, buck, boost, and flyback topology converters. Each individual topology and design utilizes some means of limiting the output current of the power switching transistor.
A conventional DC-to-DC converter circuit design incorporating a power switching transistor with output current limiting control is shown in FIG. 1. The circuit as illustrated in FIG. 1 is arranged with flyback topology. The positive polarity of a DC input voltage, V.sub.in1, is applied to one end of a primary winding of transformer T.sub.11, the second end of the primary winding is coupled to the drain of field effect transistor (FET), Q.sub.11, the source of Q.sub.11 is coupled to one end of source resistor R.sub.12, and the second end of R.sub.12 is coupled to the negative polarity of V.sub.in1, which is grounded. A pulse width modulator (PWM.sub.1) 12 is provided to control whether Q.sub.11 is on (conducting) or off (non-conducting). The PWM.sub.1 control output 14 is coupled to the gate of Q.sub.11 to provide the control function. A primary current sensing input (PCSI) 16 of the PWM.sub.1 12 is coupled to monitor voltage developed across source resistor R.sub.12. A secondary current sensing input (SCSI) 18 is also available as an input to the PWM.sub.1 12.
The secondary winding 20 of transformer T.sub.11 is coupled to provide regulated DC current through rectifyig diode D.sub.11. The cathode of D.sub.11 is coupled to one end of a secondary current sensing resistor, R.sub.11, with the second end of R.sub.11, coupled to a load resistance (R.sub.L1). R.sub.L1 is grounded to provide circuit continuity back to the secondary winding of T.sub.11. Optical isolator (U.sub.11) is comprised of a light-emitting diode D.sub.U and a transistor T.sub.U. D.sub.U is coupled across (and parallel to) R.sub.11. The collector of T.sub.U is coupled to provide a secondary cur-rent sensing signal to the SCSI 18 of the PWM.sub.1 12. The emitter of T.sub.U is grounded.
The DC-to-DC flyback converter of FIG. 1 operates as follows. When PWM.sub.1 12 provides a pulse width modulated control signal to the gate of Q.sub.11, Q.sub.11 turns on (begins conducting). The current path is from the positive polarity of V.sub.in1, through the transformer primary 10 of T.sub.11, through conducting transistor Q.sub.11 (from drain to source), through source resistor R.sub.12, and back to the negative polarity of V.sub.in1. The voltage developed across R.sub.12 is provided as the primary current sensing input (PCSI) 16 for PWM.sub.1 12. When PCSI 16 voltage reaches a predetermined level, PWM.sub.1 12 ceases to provide a pulse width modulated control signal to the gate of Q.sub.11 (i.e., PWM.sub.1 control signal returns to zero) and Q.sub.11 ceases to conduct (shuts off).
Transformer T.sub.11 is provided for isolation protection between the dissimilar voltages of a primary circuit (incorporating the primary winding 10 of T.sub.11) and a secondary circuit (incorporating the secondary winding 20 of T.sub.11). The inductance associated with the primary winding 10 of T.sub.11 causes the creation or enlargement of a magnetic field surrounding the primary winding whenever Q.sub.11 is on. Conversely, the magnetic field surrounding the primary winding collapses whenever Q.sub.11 is off. Due to mutual inductance between a transformer's primary and secondary windings, whenever the magnetic field of the primary winding 10 of T.sub.11, is in a state of flux (that is, the associated magnetic field is enlarging or collapsing), a potential is induced within the secondary winding 20 of T.sub.11. Increasing the frequency of transition between the conducting and non-conducting states of Q.sub.11 causes the coupling between the primary winding 10 and secondary winding 20 of T.sub.11 to increase, ultimately coupling more power to the secondary load circuit through the secondary winding 20.
Rectifying diode D.sub.11 is provided to restrict current induced in the secondary winding 20 of T.sub.11 unidirectionally through load resistance R.sub.L1. The value of filter capacitor C.sub.11 is selected to reduce power supply ripple to an acceptable and tolerable quantity. Current induced in the secondary winding 20 is directed through secondary current sensing resistor, R.sub.11, before passing through load resistance R.sub.L1.
The resistance value of R.sub.12 and the predetermined PCSI 16 voltage which causes Q.sub.11 to shut off are selected to limit current through transistor Q.sub.11 and the associated primary current loop. However, R.sub.12 and PCSI do not constrain the secondary circuit output power available at load resistance R.sub.L1. Specifically, if the unregulated value of inlet voltage V.sub.in1 is allowed to double, output power at R.sub.L1 would quadruple (if no secondary circuit output power control circuitry were provided). Separate secondary circuit output power control circuitry is therefore implemented.
Secondary circuit current control is accomplished by providing a feedback signal corresponding to secondary circuit current to the PWM.sub.1 at the secondary circuit sensing input (SCSI) 18 of the PWM.sub.1. When isolation between dissimilar voltages of the primary circuit (incorporating the primary winding 10 of T.sub.11) and the secondary circuit (incorporating the secondary winding 20 of T.sub.11) is required, one method of providing isolation is through the use of an optical isolator U.sub.11. An optical isolator is a semiconductor device comprised of an light-emitting diode D.sub.U and a transistor T.sub.U that conducts when it receives a photon emitted by the light-emitting diode. The light-emitting diode generates photons when the voltage applied across it is sufficient to forward bias the diode. Since D.sub.U is coupled across secondary current sensing resistor R.sub.11, when current through R.sub.11 develops a voltage sufficient to forward bias D.sub.U, T.sub.U will begin conducting. Once T.sub.U is conducting (on), a secondary circuit current control signal is applied to the SCSI 18 of the PWM.sub.1 12. When the secondary circuit current control signal applied to SCSI 18 reaches a predetermined level, the PWM.sub.1 12 ceases to provide a pulse width modulated control signal to the gate of Q.sub.11 (i.e., the PWM.sub.1 control signal returns to zero) and Q.sub.11 ceases to conduct (shuts off), thereby regulating the current/voltage available at R.sub.L1. Therefore, despite fluctuations in the value of V.sub.in1, outlet voltage at R.sub.L1 is regulated through the combination of primary current sensing and secondary current sensing.
However, several disadvantages exist with conventionally designed switching circuits. First, circuit efficiency is degraded by incorporating secondary current sensing resistor R.sub.11. This is so because all current available to the load resistance R.sub.L1 must first pass through resistor R.sub.L1, thus reducing circuit efficiency. Also, since R.sub.11 is connected in series with R.sub.L1, R.sub.11 characteristically possesses significant power dissipation capabilities and is therefore a large resistor occupying additional circuit board space.
Additionally, in circuits requiring isolation between primary and secondary circuits, the use of an optical isolator (to provide feedback from the secondary winding circuit to the primary winding circuit) also requires additional circuit board space. Furthermore, utilizing a secondary current sensing resistor (R.sub.11) and/or an optical isolator (U.sub.11) requires additional production costs to manufacture the circuit.

Control circuit arrangement for limiting output current in power switching transistor


Players place bets. A 36 card deck with the tens, Jacks, Queens, and Kings removed from a standard 52 card deck is dealt into eight piles of four cards each in front of a house dealer. A player/dealer chooses an action pile from the eight. A roll of three dice establishes who receives the action pile. The last four cards and any cards at vacant player positions are discarded. Players each create a front hand of two cards and a back hand of two cards of higher value than the pair of cards in the front hand. The player/dealer turns over his/her cards to the face side for both front and back hands. Each player in turn, beginning with the action hand, compares front and back hands with those of the player/dealer. Betting chips are paid or taken by the dealer/player depending on the comparative value of the player hands to the dealer hands.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to wagering card games and particularly to a fast-paced card game in which the number of cards in a standard deck are reduced by removing the tens, Jacks, Queens and Kings, the remaining cards being distributed in eight stacks of four cards, the players arrange their cards so they have a two-card back hand that ranks higher than their two-card front hand, which are then played against the dealer's hand.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Casino games include many subsets of games. In one subset, players wager on which of two or more hands will win. For example, Baccarat is a live table game that uses a standard deck of fifty-two playing cards. The object of Baccarat is for a player to successfully wager on which of two hands, designated the bank hand and the player hand, is going to win. The player is paid even money for the wager if he or she wagers on the winning hand and loses the wager if he or she selects the losing hand. The players, who embrace Baccarat, like the simplicity, rapid wager-resolution and low house advantage of the game, and especially its simple point-count rankings wherein hands are ranked in descending order as follows: 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, and 0 point. But the game is played with stacks of seven cards so that the play and scoring is somewhat time consuming.
Most of the prior art gaming card games use at least a full deck of cards and have unnecessarily complex scoring schemes taking more time to play.
Pai Gow Poker (also known as Asian poker) is a casino game in which each player plays against the bank and each receives seven cards after placing their bets against the bank. Then each player picks up his cards and sets them in two hands consisting of a two card set (one set having five cards, the other set having two cards) according to the rules of Draw Poker. Both hands must be winners against the casino in order to win the game against the casino. If one hand wins and the other hand loses it will be a push and the bet will stay for the next round of play.
U.S. Patent Application #20040009801, published Jan. 15, 2004 by Nama, describes an Indian poker casino game. The method of playing the card game is operated among multiple players, a dealer and a banker. The game is played with 15 decks of cards from J to A and 1 Joker from each deck, hence there are 255 cards altogether. All cards from 2 to 10 are removed. Alternately, the game is played with 2 decks of cards from J to A, hence there are 32 cards plus 3 Jokers total 35 cards altogether. All cards from 2 to 10 are removed. Each player places a wager before the banker shakes the dice cup, which contains 3 dices to determine where the action starts. The dealer will deliver 3 cards unexposed to each player. The players set their hands by making a one-card hand and a two-card hand. The two-card hand must rank higher than one card hand. After all players have set their hands, the dealer will then reveal the banker's cards the way the banker wants them to be set. Then the dealer will compare the cards of each player to the banker's cards and winners or losers or pushers are determined based on the comparison.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,540,444, issued Jul. 30, 1996 to Nguyen, indicates a method of playing a card game that is operated among a plurality of players and a house dealer. The method uses a deck of 32 cards. The 32-card deck is obtained from a conventional 52-card deck with an additional two jokers, all jack, queen, and king cards removed. Additionally, the six of hearts, six of spades, jack of hearts, jack of spades, ace of hearts, and ace of spades cards are removed. According to the method of the present invention, each player places a wager, and the house dealer deals four cards for each of the players. All of the sets of four cards are placed on the table, in a row, and the house dealer assigns the position of banker to one of the players. The banker then picks one of the eight hands, and roll a set of dice to determine which of the remaining players should receive that hand of four cards. The remaining hands are assigned to the remaining players in an orderly fashion. All of the players' cards are placed face down in an arranged order, except for the banker's hand, which is placed face up in an arranged order. Each player determines the arranged order of his hand. The players' cards are then sequentially compared to the banker's cards, and winners are determined based on the comparison.
U.S. Patent Application #20040007815, published Jan. 15, 2004 by Nama, discloses an Indian double super 9 casino game. The method of playing the card game is operated among multiple players, a dealer and a banker. The game is played with 12 decks of cards from A to 6, hence there are 288 cards altogether. All cards from 7 to K and Jokers are removed. According to the method of the present invention, each player places a wager before the banker shakes the dice cup, which contains 3 dices to determine where the action starts. The dealer will deliver 4 cards unexposed to each player. The players set their hands by making a front 2-card hand and a back 2-card hand. The back 2-card hand must rank higher than or at least, be even to the front 2-card hand. After all players have set their hands, the dealer will then reveal the banker's cards (front & back) the way the banker wants them to be set. Then the dealer will compare the cards of each player to the banker's cards and winners or losers or pushers are determined based on the comparison.
U.S. Patent Application #20040009801, published Jan. 15, 2004 by Nama, describes an Indian poker casino game. The method of playing the card game is operated among multiple players, a dealer and a banker. The game is played with 15 decks of cards from J to A and 1 Joker from each deck, hence there are 255 cards altogether. All cards from 2 to 10 are removed. Alternately, the game is played with 2 decks of cards from J to A, hence there are 32 cards plus 3 Jokers total 35 cards altogether. All cards from 2 to 10 are removed. Each player places a wager before the banker shakes the dice cup, which contains 3 dices to determine where the action starts. The dealer will deliver 3 cards unexposed to each player. The players set their hands by making a one-card hand and a two-card hand. The two-card hand must rank higher than one card hand. After all players have set their hands, the dealer will then reveal the banker's cards the way the banker wants them to be set. Then the dealer will compare the cards of each player to the banker's cards and winners or losers or pushers are determined based on the comparison.
U.S. Patent Application #20030234491, published Dec. 25, 2003 by Robinson, discloses a method of and apparatus for playing a casino card game with the object to get the numerical value of 9. The game is comprised of each player placing one wager and an optional Jackpot Side bet; the dealer dealing each player four face up cards and the dealer four face down cards; each player's four cards compared with the Jackpot Side bet combinations; each player selecting a two card front hand and a two card back hand and then the dealer turning over the dealer's four cards and selecting a two card front hand and back hand, and each player's front hand and back hand measured against the dealer's front hand and back hand. In the event of a tie, the dealer deals a tie-breaker card for the player and a tie breaker card for the dealer with the highest card winning, dealer winning ties.
U.S. Patent Application #20030114209, published Jun. 19, 2003 by Ritner, indicates a card game based on the well-known game of Pai Gow Poker, which is played with five cards which players arrange into a three-card hand and a two-card hand. The three-card hand includes slightly modified poker rankings. In order to win a primary wager, the player's three-card hand and two-card hand must beat the dealer's corresponding three-card hand and two-card hand. Additionally, players may place an independent secondary wager that is related to the poker ranking of the five cards received by the player or the relationship between the two-card hand and three-card hand. A pre-established pay table defines the secondary wager winning combinations and corresponding payouts. A bad beat jackpot is also an option. With only five cards to deal and arrange, the embodiments of the disclosed game are played faster than Pai Gow Poker thereby increasing the casino's revenue generating ability and player interest.
U.S. Patent Application #20030094761, published May 22, 2003 by Furuta, puts forth a card game that is played on a gaming table, with a regular standard deck of cards consisting of 52 cards, and with between one and seven players and a dealer. A hand is dealt for each player and the dealer. Each player is allowed an opportunity to place a bonus bet based on the hand. The hand is then formed into a high hand and a low hand, and a play bet is placed on these two hands. The player's high and low hands are compared to the dealer's high and low hands, respectively, and winners are paid according to a payout schedule. Each player's hand is compared to a bonus bet card configuration table. If a player's hand contains a bonus bet card configuration, the player is paid according to a bonus bet payout schedule.
U.S. Patent Application #20030073476, published Apr. 17, 2003 by Friedman, concerns a method of playing wagering games. According to a first embodiment the present invention, one or more players place a wager and a dealer deals four cards to the players and to the dealer. The players and dealer then inspect their four cards and arrange them into two separate two-card hands. After the arrangement is complete, five cards are dealt face-up as community cards to be used in conjunction with each of the players' and the dealer's two separate two-card hands. The players' wagers are then resolved by evaluating the players' two separate two-card hands and the dealer's two separate two-card hands in a predetermined fashion according to the conventional rules of poker. Various modifications to the first embodiment of the present invention are set forth herein.
U.S. Patent Application #20030034608, published Feb. 20, 2003 by Bui, illustrates a method of playing a mini-Baccarat type game. The game is played using a playing surface and playing cards. Three cards are randomly dealt to each of a plurality of players and the dealer. The method includes multiple wager options, including the step of placement of a bet that the cumulative value of the three cards of one or more of the plurality of players will exceed the cumulative value of the three cards of the dealer.
U.S. Patent Application #20030178774, published Sep. 25, 2003 by Marcilio, puts forth a card game to be played in casinos and wagering rooms. The card game played with a dealer and at least one player comprising the steps of providing the dealer with only one deck of cards having four suits containing cards numbered 2 through 10 and an ace, each player placing an initial bet, sequentially dealing four cards to each player and to the dealer from the only deck, each player reviewing his/her cards and choosing to continue to play placing a final bet, determining whether the dealer is eligible to play, revealing the dealer's cards if the dealer is eligible to play, and for each player continuing to play, determining whether the player has a higher hand than the dealer and paying money to the player if the player has a higher hand than the dealer, paying no money if the dealer and the player tie, and forfeiting the player's initial and final bets if the dealer has a higher hand than the player. Prior to the dealer revealing his/her cards, a player is chosen to select a super ace. The game also provides for the players receiving Add-on prizes and Insurance awards.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,659,087, issued Apr. 21, 1987 to Shen, provides a casino card game for a number of players which is played on a table that includes a station for the House and a number player stations adjacent thereto. Each station has positions for two pairs of cards and the player stations having a position for bet made by the player. The game is one in which each player is dealt four cards which the player has to make into two groups of two having a highest value, the value being achieved either by adding the face value of the cards, with the court card having a nominated face value of ten and disregarding the ten digit should there be one. Each player plays against the bank, the player having a winning hand, if both of his pairs are higher than both of the bank pairs, a losing hand, if both is his pairs are lower than both of the bank's pairs and a stand-off, if one pair is lower and one pair is higher than the bank's pairs.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,863,042, issued Jan. 26, 1999 to Lo, shows a card game that uses a standard fifty-two card poker deck. Each Player is dealt four or preferably five cards, and plays against a Banker. There is a primary wager and independent secondary wagers. In the primary wager, four-of-a-kind is an automatic winner for the Player. If the Player does not have four-of-a-kind, the Player splits the dealt cards into a high hand and a low hand. The low hand must not rank higher than the high hand, or it is a foul and the Player loses. The Player's low hand and the Banker's low hand are compared, and the Player's high hand and the Banker's high hand are compared. The Player wins if both hands win, loses if both lose, and ties in the event of a split. Hands are ranked three of a kind (for the five card version), pair, and point value. A higher ranked three-of-a-kind beats a lower ranked three-of-a-kind; a higher ranked pair beats a lower ranked pair; a higher point value beats a lower point value. Point value is calculated by adding the sum of the non-matched cards, and looking to the right-most digit. For example, 654 adds to 15 for a "point value" 5. Face cards count 10 or 0, and Aces count 11 or 1. The Banker wins ties in pairs. Ties in point value are broken as follows: in a low hand point value of 0 to 4, Banker wins tie. In other point value ties, the hand with the highest ranking card wins, the Banker winning highest card ties. Setting the dealt hand in the primary wager requires some skill. The Secondary Wager or Side Bet does not require skill; Players win their wagers based on the strength of the hands as dealt.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,788,241, issued Aug. 4, 1998 to Ung, claims a method of playing a joker dominoes and alternate playing methods. The invention comprises a two handed game in which comparison is made between the two hands of a player and a banker. Both hands of the player must have a point total greater than the corresponding two hands of the banker in order to win. Each hand of the player and the banker contain only two dominoes or cards.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,560,613, issued Oct. 1, 1996 to Nguyen, describes a method of playing California Paigow, which is operated among a plurality of players and a house dealer. The method uses a deck of 36 cards. The 36-card deck is obtained from a conventional 52-card deck with an additional two jokers, and all jack, queen, and king cards removed. Additionally, the three of hearts, three of spades, six of hearts, six of spades, nine of hearts, and nine of spades cards are removed. According to the method of the present invention, each player places a wager, and the house dealer deals four cards for each of the players. All of the sets of four cards are placed on the table in a row, and the house dealer assigns the position of banker to one of the players. The banker then picks one of the eight hands, and rolls a set of dice to determine which of the remaining players should receive that hand of four cards. The remaining hands are assigned to the remaining players in an orderly fashion. All of the player's cards are placed face down in an arranged order, except for the banker's hand, which is placed face up in an arranged order. Each player determines the arranged order of his hand. The player's cards are then sequentially compared to the banker's cards, and winners are determined based on the comparison.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,411,268, issued May 2, 1995 to Nelson, discloses a game that uses a standard 52 card deck, and is played by a minimum of an action player, a banker and a dealer. The dealer, deals the playing pieces, but does not act as the banker. The action player and banker place their wagers before the cards are dealt. The dealer deals 4 cards, each to the player and to the banker. The player, but not the banker, looks at his cards and arranges them in a front hand and a back hand and in any order desired. The front hand is to be played first. The banker's cards are turned over and placed in respective front and back hands. The two front hands are compared to show a win, lose or draw, using the rules of the game of Blackjack. If the action player wins, the banker satisfies the extent of the action player's wager, and that round of play terminates, and the remaining players lose their right to play in that round. Otherwise, play proceeds to the next player. If the action player loses, the amount of his wager is given to the banker. In case of a tie, the two back hands are compared to determine a winner and a loser, using the rules of the game of Poker. If there still exists a tie, the outcome is determined by pre-established rules.
What is needed is a fast-paced easy-to-play and easy-to-score gaming card game which allows many more games to be played in a given amount of time than prior gaming card games.


An access point (AP) in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure provides a convenient approach to provision wireless devices. In an embodiment, the AP initiates push button mode of WPS procedures with a wireless device, in response to receiving of a provisioning request from the wireless device, without requiring a WPS push button signal locally. The AP thereafter operates to complete provisioning of the wireless device. According to yet another aspect of the present disclosure, a wireless device may also participate in push button mode of WPS, without requiring a push button signal locally. In an embodiment, a wireless device automatically transmits a request for provisioning. An AP within the transmission range, responds back with a command to initiate push button mode of WPS procedures. The wireless device communicates with the AP to complete provisioning.

1. Technical Field
Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to wireless networks, and more specifically to convenient use of push button mode of WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup) for provisioning wireless devices.
2. Related Art
WLAN (Wireless local area network) technology is used at locations such as homes to facilitate communication capability for various wireless devices. In general, a WLAN environment contains an access point (AP), which receives packets from one wireless device and forwards the packet to or towards a target device, thereby operating as a switching device.
There has been recognized a general need to implement secure communication between wireless devices and APs, or between wireless device and other systems on a wired network via an AP. Secure communication implies features such as preventing malicious or unintended wireless devices from communicating via an AP, and also ensuring that third parties cannot decipher the packet content by snooping on the wireless medium.
A wireless device generally needs to be provisioned before being able to communicate with other devices via an AP implementing various security measures. Provisioning normally entails configuring (e.g., storing at appropriate locations) the wireless device with various parameters that enable the wireless device to comply with the security measures enforced by the AP. In many WLAN environments the parameters include SSID (Service set identification) of the network and a passphrase, as is well known in the relevant arts.
WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup) is a standard defined by the Wi-Fi Alliance™, that has been adopted by many vendors of APs and wireless devices, to simplify configuration of a new wireless device in a wireless network at locations such as homes. A push-button mode is one of the approaches defined by WPS, in which a user is normally required to press respective buttons of an AP and a new wireless device (enrollee) within a short duration (typically 2 minutes) such that the AP (or other device operating as a registrar) can automatically provide the configuration information/parameters to the wireless device.
There may be situations in which it is desirable that such provisioning be made convenient, as suitable in corresponding environments.
In the drawings, like reference numbers generally indicate identical, functionally similar, and/or structurally similar elements. The drawing in which an element first appears is indicated by the leftmost digit(s) in the corresponding reference number.

Convenient use of push button mode of WPS (Wi-Fi protected setup) for provisioning wireless devices


A new and distinct Haworthia plant named ‘LOCK02’, which is characterized by spirally-arranged, light green foliage which is densely covered with prominent linear protuberances presenting as white raised ribs which transversely encircle both the adaxial and abaxial leaf surfaces. The new variety has shown to be uniform and stable in the resulting generations from asexual propagation.

Parentage: 'LOCK02' is a spontaneous whole-plant mutation of Haworthia limifolia 'LOCK01' (Community Plant Variety Rights grant number 28557) which was discovered in the spring of 2010 at a commercial greenhouse in 's-Gravenzande, the Netherlands. The mutation was noted for its light green foliage with prominent white ribs encircling the leaves.
Asexual Reproduction: Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar 'LOCK02', by way of meristematic tissue culture, was first initiated in the spring of 2010 at the inventor's commercial greenhouse in 's-Gravenzande, the Netherlands. Through three subsequent generations, the unique features of this cultivar have proven to be stable and true to type.


A transmission and a clutch assembly for a vehicle are disclosed. The clutch assembly includes a housing defining a cavity presenting an interior surface. The interior surface defines a pocket along a longitudinal axis. The clutch assembly further includes a piston disposed in the pocket and movable between an initial position and a final position relative to the pocket along the longitudinal axis. The piston includes a plurality of flanges extending outwardly away from the longitudinal axis. The clutch assembly also includes a biasing member attached to the interior surface of the housing and engaging the piston to continuously bias the piston toward the initial position. The biasing member abuts the flanges of the piston to prevent rotation of the piston about the longitudinal axis as the piston moves between the initial and final positions along the longitudinal axis.

Clutches are commonly used in vehicles. Some clutches include a component movable along a central axis. In some instances, the component rotates about the central axis concurrently with the movement along the central axis. A seal can cooperate with the component and the sealing ability of the seal can change as the component rotates about the central axis during movement along the central axis.

Transmission and a clutch assembly for a vehicle


An image forming system includes an image producing apparatus that produces image data and an image forming apparatus that prints the image data. The image producing apparatus produces the image data, and detects from the image data usage information indicative of an amount of consumable required for printing the image data. Then, the image producing apparatus sends the usage information to the image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus adds the usage information to an accumulated amount of consumable to update the accumulated amount of consumable. When the accumulated amount of consumable exceeds a threshold, the image forming apparatus sends to the image producing apparatus setting information that specifies the settings of the image producing apparatus such that an image is formed without an accumulated amount consumable exceeding an upper limit. The image producing apparatus performs its setting based on the setting information.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus and an image forming system.
2. Description of the Related Art
The users of some of conventional image forming apparatuses such as printers and copying machines are often restricted from using consumable items such as paper and toner. Japanese patent (KOKAI) No. 2004-98505 discloses one such apparatus. An upper limit of usage of a consumable item is assigned to each user and accumulated usage is recorded. When the accumulated usage of the consumable item reaches the upper limit, the user is prevented from using the apparatus any further.
However, it may happen that the user is advised that the accumulated usage has reached the upper limit in the middle of a printing operation, in which case, the accumulated usage must be set again before the printing operation can be resumed.

Image forming apparatus and image forming system


In a tire having a tread with cap/base construction, a regulated amount of partially crosslinked natural rubber in a tire tread compound increases the uncured ("green") stiffness, tensile strength and tear resistance of a green compound used for the base without adversely affecting physical properties of the tread after it is cured. Such green stiffness is particularly useful in the construction of a tread for a pneumatic tire, which tread is of cap/base construction because stiffness provides requisite dimensional stability of both cap and base (in the tread) during the curing of the tire. The amount of partially crosslinked natural rubber used in a tread compound depends upon the extent of crosslinking in the natural rubber, the non-crosslinked remainder being virgin latex.

State of the art pneumatic rubber tires are typically prepared with a rubber tread having a cap/base construction. In such construction the "cap" refers to the outer portion of the tread having a pattern of grooves (or "valleys") and lugs ("raised portions defining the valleys") which together impart desirable characteristics to a rolling tire as the lugs contact the ground. A primary purpose for dividing a tread into "cap" and "base" portions is to reduce the tire's rolling resistance relative to that of a tire having the same tread except that it is prepared from a single rubber compound, and to do so without unduly sacrificing its traction (skid resistance) or tread wear.
The cap preferably extends inwardly to just beneath the bottoms of the grooves. Rubber for the cap ("cap compound") is compounded to provide good skid resistance, tread wear and rolling resistance.
The base lies beneath and contiguous to the cap, thus being sandwiched between the cap and outermost belt of the tire's carcass. Rubber for the base ("base compound") is compounded to enhance rolling resistance and durability of the tire. Such constructions and different rubber compounds in the formulation of the cap and base, are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,157,218 to Brown; and U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,174,838 and 5,284,195 to Sandstrom et al.
In the art of tire construction, it is deemed that increasing the base's thickness (gauge) provides an improvement in rolling resistance (lowered resistance to rolling the tire, usually under loaded conditions) relative to a thinner base formed of the same compound. However, increasing the thickness of the base tends to produce "peaking" of the base during the molding and curing of the tire. "Peaking" refers to protrusion of base compound into the lower portion of the cap, including its lugs, which cap is formed from a cap compound different from that used to form the base. Peaking is conducive to undue wear of the lugs and the development and propagation of cracks in the cap. In extreme cases of peaking, when the lugs are worn so far as to expose the base rubber compound, the original traction and tread wear of the cap are severely compromised.
Peaking is attributed mainly to the viscosity of uncured base compound being substantially lower than that of the cap compound. Therefore, during curing of the tire at elevated temperature and under pressure, because the base compound tends to flow more easily than the cap compound, base compound seeks to protrude into the lugs and grooves as the cap is formed in a mold.
To minimize unacceptable protrusion (and peaking) it is known that it is desirable to increase the green strength and viscosity of the uncured base compound while maintaining a satisfactory resilience (rebound value) of the cured base compound. In the art, the viscosity of uncured base rubber compound has been increased with conventional compounding ingredients, such as, for example, carbon black content; and, optionally, reducing the oil content of the base compound. However, it is also conceded in the art that such expedients for increasing viscosity tend to increase the hysteresis of the cured base compound resulting in poorer rolling resistance, and otherwise compromise the desirable properties inculcated by a choice base compound. In the '838 patent and other prior art treads of similar construction, the Mooney viscosity of the uncured base rubber compound of choice is lower than that of the uncured cap compound.
The '838 patent specifically teaches the use of "high" trans 1,4-polybutadiene (so-termed because its "trans" content is at least 70%) for a base compound; and the use of trans 1,4-polybutadiene has been disclosed for various purposes, including tire tread rubber compounds and increasing green strength of rubber mixtures in Japanese Patent Publications Nos. 60-133,036: 62-101,504 and 61-143,453 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,510,291. All failed to realize that improving green strength was a good criterion for choice of a base compound only if the green strength was maintained in the higher portion of the range of normal processing temperatures, specifically at a temperature of at least 100.degree. C. Further, the prior art failed to disclose that the critical criteria for desirable green strength was the stress/strain values of the uncured compound at 100.degree. C., as for example, measured by the Monsanto RPA Test, which permits processing of the ingredients at a temperature in the range from about 100.degree. C. to about 190.degree. C.
In the '838 and '195 patents a desirable difference in flow properties of the cap and base compounds was obtained by using specified amounts of trans 1,4-polybutadiene or trans 1,4-polyisoprene. Each is substantially crystalline, and curing the tire requires conversion of each into a satisfactory rubber which is homogeneously distributed within the cured base compound. In this invention, partially crosslinked NR having minimal crystallinity is substituted for the crystalline rubbers previously used, thus avoiding the mechanism for homologating the latter. Further, crystalline rubbers are more sensitive to elevated temperatures such as are generated in a non-productive stage of compounding, resulting in less flexibility and less latitude for processing discrepancies.
The base rubber compound used to build a tire of this invention may also be used to compound a `ply coat` and a `wire coat`. Conventional compounds for the ply coat and the wire coat are predominantly NR and are, therefore, prone to flow excessively during cure, resulting in displacement of the wires in the belts, or in the cords of fabric, or in distortion of the circumferential profile of the inner liner compound. Typical recipes for a wire coat and a ply coat are found in The Vanderbilt Rubber Handbook, Thirteenth Edition pg 606, Table 7 (published by R. T. Vanderbilt Company Inc. 1990). It is highly desirable that the flow of the wire coat and ply coat compounds be more controlled and limited than it is with conventionally used NR blended with less than 30 phr (parts per hundred parts rubber by weight) cis 1,4-polybutadiene, and that such controlled flow be obtained without adversely affecting the desirable properties of the wire coat and ply coat.
Partially crosslinked natural rubbers are conventionally used as processing aids for improving the extrusion, calendering and general processing properties of natural and synthetic rubbers. In particular, partially crosslinked natural rubbers have been used in the formulation of compounds for rubber hose and rubber conveyor belts. There has been no suggestion that any of these rubbers be used to modify the viscosity of a cap or base compound specifically to affect the Mooney (ML1+4) value at 100.degree. C., and no reason to expect that such change in value might provide the basis for controlling peaking during the cure of a tread having cap/base construction, without adversely affecting the desirable physical properties of the cured tire.
Despite the relatively low glass transition temperature Tg of the specified partially crosslinked NR which Tg might be expected to lower the Mooney viscosity of the base compound at elevated processing temperatures, the (ML1+4) viscosity at 100.degree. C. of the novel base compound remains in the range from 50 to 60, thus allowing a processing temperature in the range from about 100.degree. C. to 180.degree. C. This range of processing temperature, in at least one non-productive and one productive stage, allows optimum compounding of the base compound though this range is higher than that generally deemed desirable to process prior art base compounds.

Tire tread compounds comprising partially crosslinked natural rubber


The present invention relates to implantable medical devices comprising poly(ester-amide) elastomers in coating layers on the device.

Until the mid-1980s, the accepted treatment for atherosclerosis, i.e., narrowing of the coronary artery(ies) was coronary by-pass surgery. While effective and having evolved to a relatively high degree of safety for such an invasive procedure, by-pass surgery still involves potentially serious complications and in the best of cases an extended recovery period.
With the advent of percutaneous tranluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) in 1977, the scene changed dramatically. Using catheter techniques originally developed for heart exploration, inflatable balloons were employed to re-open occluded regions in arteries. The procedure was relatively non-invasive, took a very short time compared to by-pass surgery and the recovery time was minimal. However, PTCA brought with it other problems such as vasospasm and elastic recoil of the stretched arterial wall which could undo much of what was accomplished and, in addition, it created a new disease, restenosis, the re-clogging of the treated artery due to neointimal hyperplasia.
The next improvement, advanced in the mid-1980s was the use of a stent to maintain the luminal diameter after PTCA. This for all intents and purposes put an end to vasospasm and elastic recoil but did not entirely resolve the issue of restenosis. That is, prior to the introduction of stents, restenosis occurred in from 30-50% of patients undergoing PTCA. Stenting reduced this to about 15-20%, much improved but still more than desirable.
In 2003, drug-eluting stents or DESs were introduced. The drugs initially employed with the DES were cytostatic compounds, compounds that curtailed the proliferation of cells that resulted in restenosis. The occurrence of restenosis was thereby reduced to about 5-7%, a relatively acceptable figure. Today, the DES is the default the industry standard to treatment of atherosclerosis and is rapidly gaining favor for treatment of stenoses of blood vessels other than coronary arteries such as peripheral angioplasty of the femoral artery.
One of the key criteria of DESs is selection of a polymer or blend of polymers to be used in a drug reservoir layer, a rate-controlling layer, a protective topcoat layer, etc. If a biostable polymer is selected, i.e., a polymer that does not significantly decompose in a patient's body, their chemical composition is often not of significant concern since they are not intended to break down and enter the patient's system. On the other hand, currently biodegradable polymers are preferred for many applications because their ability to decompose in a biological environment confers on them a number of desirable characteristics. For example, the fact that a polymer will biodegrade and can eventually be essentially completely eliminated from a patient's body can avoid the need to invasively remove a DES after its job is done. In addition, by judicious choice of biodegradable polymer, e.g., selecting one that bio-erodes by bulk erosion or one that bio-erodes by surface erosion, the properties of the polymer can be used as an added tool for the fine-tuning of the release rate of a drug.
Of course, if a polymer is going to degrade in a patient's body, it is imperative that it be biocompatible, that is, that its degradation products do no harm to the patient. This requires careful attention to the chemistry of the polymer and the properties of its degradation products. A great deal of work has gone into the effort to find suitable biodegradable polymers and one class of such polymers that is exhibiting particularly desirable properties in terms of biodegradation, biocompatibility, drug compatibility and, generally, the range of properties that can be engineered into the polymer by judicious selection their constitutional units is the poly(ester-amide) family of polymers.
As currently employed, however, poly(ester-amide)s tend generally to be rather soft and quite permeable to many if not most drugs, which limits their application in DESs to some extent. What is needed is poly(ester-amide)s that are stronger, tougher and less permeable than those currently in use while still maintaining the other beneficial characteristics of the class. The current invention provides such poly(ester-amide)s and methods of their use.

Poly(ester-amide) elastomers and their use with implantable medical devices


A steering assembly includes a steering column including a column housing for retaining a column tube, and a reinforcing member for reinforcing an end of the column tube. The column housing includes a positioning portion, and a fitting hole having an aperture at the positioning portion. The column tube includes an end fitted in the fitting hole. The reinforcing member includes a sleeve having a first and a second end, and a flange extended radially outwardly from the first end of the sleeve. The sleeve is fixed as fitted on an outer periphery of an end of the column tube and inserted in the fitting hole at the second end thereof. The flange is abutted on the positioning portion of the column housing, for axially and/or radially positioning the column tube.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a steering assembly for a vehicle.
2. Description of Related Arts
An example of automotive steering assemblies includes a steering column including a column housing having a fitting hole, and a column tube fitted in the fitting hole at one end thereof. This type of steering assembly has an arrangement wherein a steering shaft is rotatably supported in the steering column.
In some cases, for instance, the column tube has an inner tube and an outer tube slidably fitted on an outer periphery of the inner tube, whereas the inner tube of the column tube is fitted in the fitting hole. When an impact load is applied from a driver to the column tube during automotive collision (or in the event of a so-called secondary collision), the outer tube may be slidably moved relative to the inner tube thereby absorbing the impact load.
As the steering assembly of this type, there has been proposed a steering assembly wherein a bracket for securing the column housing to a vehicle body is formed in a fashion to bridge between the column housing and the column tube (see, for example, Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No.2000-85589 published on Mar. 28, 2000).
There has been proposed another steering assembly wherein a ring-like clamping member, which is called a clamp, is mounted on an outer periphery of a fit-engagement portion between the column housing and the column tube thereby fastening the column housing and the column tube with each other (see, for example, Document 2: Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No.2000-85596 published on Mar. 28, 2000).
There has been proposed still another steering assembly wherein the column tube has the bracket welded to its end at which the column tube is secured to the column housing, whereas the bracket is fixed to the column housing by means of a bolt (see, for example, Document 3: Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No.2002-173035 published on Jun. 18, 2002).
There has been proposed still another steering assembly wherein the column tube is provided with a flange at its end press-fitted in the fitting hole, the flange extended radially inwardly (see, for example, Document 4: Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No.2002-255044 published on Sep. 11, 2002).
By the way, it is preferred that the column tube (the inner tube, for example) has a high mounting rigidity to the column housing such that the inner and outer tubes may be slidably moved in a favorable manner during the secondary collision.
However, all the assemblies of the above Documents 1, 2 and 3 encounter limitations on space for assembly layout because the column tube is disposed in a cabin where the layout space is limited.
According to the steering assembly of the above Document 4, on the other hand, the column tube is provided with the flange extended radially inwardly so as to attain a sufficient thickness at its portion fitted in the column housing and also to ensure the high mounting rigidity. Unfortunately, however, no measure of the press-fit quantity is available when the column tube is press-fitted in the fitting hole of the column housing. Therefore, the press-fitting operation takes much labor, resulting in a labor intensive assembly work.


A lighting system comprised of a central controller, a digital communications path, and a plurality of image projection lighting devices (IPLDs) is provided. The IPLDs contain cameras that can capture both visible light and infrared light. Address signals sent from the central controller first address a particular IPLD and then command signals sent from the central controller control an infrared blocking filter to be positioned in and out of a camera optical path of the particular addressed IPLD.

Lighting systems are formed typically by interconnecting many light fixtures by a communications system and providing for operator control from a central controller. Such lighting systems may contain multiparameter light fixtures, which illustratively are light fixtures having two or more individually remotely adjustable parameters such as beam size, color, shape, angle, and other light characteristics. Multiparameter light fixtures are widely used in the lighting industry because they facilitate significant reductions in overall lighting system size and permit dynamic changes to the final lighting effect. Applications and events in which multiparameter light fixtures are used to great advantage include showrooms, television lighting, stage lighting, architectural lighting, live concerts, and theme parks. Illustrative multi-parameter light devices are described in the product brochure entitled "The High End Systems Product Line 2001" and are available from High End Systems, Inc. of Austin, Tex.
Prior to the advent of relatively small commercial digital computers, remote control of light fixtures from a central controller was done with either a high voltage or low voltage current; see, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 3,706,914, issued Dec. 19, 1972 to Van Buren, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,898,643, issued Aug. 5, 1975 to Ettlinger, which are incorporated by reference herein. With the widespread use of computers, digital serial communications over wire was widely adopted as a way to achieve remote control; see, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 4,095,139, issued Jun. 13, 1978 to Symonds et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 4,697,227, issued Sep. 29, 1987 to Callahan, incorporated by reference herein. In 1986, the United States Institute of Theatre Technology ("USITT") developed a digital communications system protocol for multi-parameter light fixtures known as DMX512. Basically, the DMX512 protocol is comprised of a stream of data which is communicated one-way from the control device to the light fixture using an Electronics Industry Association ("EIA") standard for multipoint communications know as RS-485.
A variety of different types of multiparameter light fixtures are available. One type of advanced multiparameter light fixture which is referred to herein as an image projection lighting device ("IPLD") uses a light valve to project images onto a stage or other projection surface. A light valve, which is also known as an image gate, is a device for example such as a digital micro-mirror ("DMD") or a liquid crystal display ("LCD") that forms the image that is projected. U.S. Pat. No. 6,057,958, issued May 2, 2000 to Hunt, incorporated herein by reference, discloses a pixel based gobo record control format for storing gobo images in the memory of a light fixture. The gobo images can be recalled and modified from commands sent by a control console. A pixel based gobo image is a gobo (or a projection pattern) created by a light valve like a video projection of sorts. U.S. Pat. No. 5,829,868, issued Nov. 3, 1998 to Hutton, incorporated by reference herein, discloses storing video frames as cues locally in a lamp, and supplying them as directed to the image gate to produce animated and real-time imaging. A single frame can also be manipulated through processing to produce multiple variations. Alternatively, a video communication link can be employed to supply continuous video from a remote source.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,828,485, issued Oct. 27, 1998 to Hewlett, incorporated herein by reference, discloses the use of a camera with a digital micro mirror equipped light fixture for the purpose of following the shape of the performer and illuminating the performer using a shape that adaptively follows the performer's image. A camera capturing the image (such as a digital camera, which captures an image at least in part by storing digital data in computer memory, the digital data which defining or describing the image) preferably is located at the lamp illuminating the scene in order to avoid parallax. The image can be manually investigated at each lamp or downloaded to some central processor for this purpose.
United States patent application titled "METHOD, APPARATUS AND SYSTEM FOR IMAGE PROJECTION LIGHTING", inventor Richard S. Belliveau, publication no. 20020093296, Ser. No. 10/090926, filed on Mar. 4, 2002, incorporated by reference herein, describes prior art IPLDs with cameras and communication systems that allow camera content, such as in the form of digital data, to be transferred between prior art IPLDs.
IPLDs of the prior art use light from the main projection lamp that is sent though a light valve and focused by an output lens to project images on a stage. The light cast upon the stage by the IPLD is then imaged by the camera. U.S. Pat. No. 6,219,093 to Perry titled "Method and device for creating the facsimile of an image", incorporated herein by reference describes a camera that may be an infrared camera for use with a described lighting device that uses liquid crystal light valves to project an image. "Accordingly the camera and light are mounted together for articulation about x, y, and z axes as is illustrated in FIG. 1" (Perry, U.S. Pat. No. 6,219,093, col. 4, line 59).
The prior art patent to Perry, U.S. Pat. No. 6,219,093 makes use of a camera to distinguish objects in the camera's field from other objects. The distinguished object as imaged by the camera is then illuminated by the projected light passing through the light valves so as to only illuminate the distinguished object. The objects may be provided with an infrared emitter or reflector which interacts with a receiver or camera. Perry relies on the light produced from the projection lamp and the light valves to provide the illumination to the scene where the camera images or separate emitters or reflectors are provided with the objects on the stage. The Perry prior art patent describes its invention as a camera/light unit.
For IPLDs having a main projection lamp, a camera, and a light valve it would be desirable to superimpose an optical path of the camera with an optical path of the main projection lamp so that the two paths are coaxial. In this manner the images that are created by the main projection lamp and the light valve, that are projected onto the projection surface, and that are captured by the camera on the projection surface will be directly centered. There are several problems associated with superimposing the camera and the main projection lamp optical paths. One method involves using beam splitters as known in the optics art for superimposing two optical paths however beam splitters are known to produce a compromise where neither optical path will operate at its best efficiency. For example a 50% beam splitter could be used to provide 50% transmission of the light from the main projection lamp optical system towards the projection surface while allowing returning light from the projection surface to be reduced by 50% as it is captured by the camera. Various percentages can be managed such as 70% transmission of light from the main projection lamp optical system and 30% returning light to be captured by the camera as known in the optics art. The use of beam splitters for superimposing the camera optical path and the main projection lamp optical path requires unacceptable compromises.
Another method as known in the optics art is the pick off some of the light reflected from a projection surface towards the center of a main focusing lens. A small mirror can be located at the center of the main projection lens where light reflected from the projection surface can be directed at an angle towards the camera optical path by the small mirror while light projecting from the lens towards the projection surface is minimized only by the blockage of the small mirror. Depending on the size of the mirror used to pick off some of the light, the main projection lens is partially blocked resulting again in loss of efficiency of the main projection lamp optical system.

Image projection lighting devices with visible and infrared imaging


A memory board which functions as a main memory of a CPU, is accessible at high speed and is usable in a disk manner is proposed. A flash memory and a D-RAM are mounted on the memory board. The flash memory has a S-RAM interface which synthesizes a row address and a column address transmitted via an address bus, through a latch circuit or a signal processing circuit, to define an address. The CPU, when accessing an address in the flash memory, converts an address signal using an interleave rule in reverse, and transmits the converted address to a system logic. As a result, data can be written into contiguously allotted addresses in the flash memory. The flash memory can thus be used in a disk-like manner.

Recently, electronic apparatuses with a microcomputer built therein are smaller in size. During operation of a known small-sized electronic apparatus, a memory board is attached in a memory slot of a microcomputer board with the CPU or system logic mounted thereon.
Presently, such memory board is a main memory of the CPU and is provided with a dynamic random access memory (hereinafter referred to as D-RAM) which is small in size and large in capacity. In the D-RAM, row and column addresses are arranged and one address is designated in a matrix manner. Therefore, the system logic has therein a logic for classifying an address signal transmitted from the CPU into the row address and the column address.
The system logic also has therein an interleave logic in which, for efficiently accessing the D-RAM, the D-RAM is divided into a plurality of banks, and an address signal transmitted from the CPU is converted such that adjoining addresses are allotted to individual banks.
However, since the memory in D-RAM is lost when power supply is disconnected, data cannot be stored in the aforementioned memory board. Therefore, a need exists for a memory board that can store data even when the power supply is disconnected.
To fulfill such need, an erasable and programmable read only memory (hereinafter referred to as EP-ROM) can be mounted on the memory board. However, EP-ROM requires ultraviolet radiation for deleting data, all the data is deleted at once, and thus EP-ROM cannot be partially written or erased.
These days a nonvolatile flash memory that can be partially written or erased is desired. However, in the flash memory, addresses are allotted contiguously and data is processed at an insufficiently high rate for the main memory of CPU.

Combination flash memory and dram memory board interleave-bypass memory access method, and memory access device incorporating both the same


The present disclosure provides a method for local calling via a webpage, including that: a local calling operation instruction is serialized, the serialized local calling operation instruction is filled into a webpage as a hyperlink character string, and the webpage is sent to a server or a local operating system; and a browser acquires the webpage from the local operating system or the server according to a model of the operating system local to the browser local to the browser, de-serializes the hyperlink character string in the webpage, and requests, according to an instantiated local calling operation instruction obtained through the de-serialization, the operating system local to the browser to execute a local calling operation indicated by the instantiated local calling operation instruction. The present disclosure further provides a system for local calling via a webpage. With the method and system provided in the present disclosure, a new local calling function may be added without updating any browser code, thereby improving universality of local calling.

As a basic element constituting a website, a webpage bears a variety of website applications with files, and the content of the webpage may be displayed with a browser. A webpage includes a so-called "hyperlink" point, or hyperlink, which is a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) indicated generally by a hyperlink character string containing a combination of a path and a name of a local or remote webpage file, representing a hyperlink (e.g. http://www.sipo.gov.cn/a.htm, C:\b.htm). The hyperlink in the webpage may be activated by clicking to acquire the webpage file in the webpage path corresponding to the hyperlink.
A World Wide Web is constructed according to a hypertext, which is a mesh-like text that organizes text information in various spaces using hyperlinks; local calling may be implemented via a hyperlink (namely, a hyperlink character string) in a webpage. However, an existing method of local calling via a hyperlink character string is limited in function to perform local calling using a local function of a browser and a certain third-part program, wherein as the local function of the browser and the third-part program are integrated in the browser, codes of the browser have to be updated or a plug-in has to be installed for the browser if a new function of local calling is to be added, leading to poor universality of this method of local calling.

Method and system for local calling via webpage


Disclosed herein are embodiments of a heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) head that includes a near-field transducer (NFT) with a trailing bevel. Also disclosed are sliders and data storage devices comprising those HAMR heads, and methods of manufacturing HAMR heads with NFTs having trailing bevels. A HAMR head comprises a waveguide core, a main pole, and a NFT comprising a trailing beveled edge at an acute angle to an air-bearing surface (ABS) of the HAMR head. A method of fabricating a HAMR head comprises depositing material for a NFT, creating a trailing-side surface of the NFT, and creating a trailing beveled edge in the trailing-side surface of the NFT at the ABS, and forming a dielectric layer over the trailing beveled edge. The trailing beveled edge is at an acute angle to the ABS, and a remainder of the trailing-side surface of the NFT is substantially perpendicular to the ABS.

Higher storage bit densities in magnetic media used in disk drives have reduced the size (volume) of data cells to the point where the cell dimensions are limited by the grain size of the magnetic material. Although grain size can be reduced further, the data stored within the cells may not be thermally stable. That is, random thermal fluctuations at ambient temperatures may be sufficient to erase data. This state is described as the superparamagnetic limit, which determines the maximum theoretical storage density for a given magnetic media. This limit may be raised by increasing the coercivity of the magnetic media or by lowering the temperature. Lowering the temperature may not always be practical when designing hard disk drives for commercial and consumer use. Raising the coercivity, on the other hand, may result in a requirement for write heads that incorporate higher magnetic moment materials, or techniques such as perpendicular recording (or both).
Another solution uses heat to lower the effective coercivity of a localized region on the magnetic media surface and writes data within this heated region. The data state becomes "fixed" upon cooling the media to ambient temperatures. This technique is broadly referred to as "thermally assisted (magnetic) recording" (TAR or TAMR), "energy assisted magnetic recording" (EAMR), or "heat-assisted magnetic recording" (HAMR). The term "HAMR" is used herein to refer to all of TAR, TAMR, EAMR, and HAMR.
In HAMR, a magnetic recording material with high magneto-crystalline anisotropy (Kn) is heated locally during writing to lower the coercivity enough for writing to occur, but the coercivity/anisotropy is high enough that the recorded bits are thermally stable at the ambient temperature of the disk drive (the normal operating or "room" temperature of approximately 15-30 degrees Celsius). In some proposed HAMR systems, the magnetic recording material is heated to near or above its Curie temperature. The recorded data may then be read back at ambient temperature by a conventional magnetoresistive read head. HAMR disk drives have been proposed for both conventional continuous media, wherein the magnetic recording material is a continuous layer on the disk, and for bit-patterned media (BPM), in which the magnetic recording material is patterned into discrete data islands or "bits."
One type of HAMR disk drive uses a laser source and an optical waveguide coupled to a near-field transducer (NFT) for heating the recording material on the disk. A "near-field" transducer refers to "near-field optics," wherein light is passed through a first element with subwavelength features and the light is coupled to a second element, such as a substrate (e.g., of a magnetic recording medium), located a subwavelength distance from the first element. The NFT is typically located at the air-bearing surface (ABS) of an air- or gas-bearing slider that also supports the read/write head and rides or "flies" above the disk surface. An evanescent wave generated at a surface of the waveguide couples to surface plasmons excited on the surface of the NFT, and a strong optical near-field is generated at the apex of the NFT output end. The NFT couples light onto the media at a spot of a size that is smaller than the optical diffraction limit, which heats a region of the media.
To write data, a magnetic field and heat are simultaneously applied to the area of the magnetic recording medium in which data is to be written. As a result, the temperature of the area increases and the coercivity decreases, thereby enabling the data to be written at a relatively modest field.
An important parameter in HAMR is the distance at the ABS between the waveguide and the NFT. It is desirable for the manufacturing process to allow this parameter to be well controlled in order to provide a HAMR disk drive with good performance. It is also desirable to simplify manufacturing processes for HAMR devices and systems.
To facilitate understanding, identical reference numerals have been used, where possible, to designate identical elements that are common to the figures. It is contemplated that elements disclosed in one embodiment may be beneficially utilized in other embodiments without specific recitation. Moreover, the description of an element in the context of one drawing is applicable to other drawings illustrating that element.

HAMR head with near-field transducer (NFT) with trailing bevel


A pixel structure electrically connected to a scan line, a data line and a power line is provided. The pixel structure includes a current control unit, a pixel electrode and a redundant active device. The current control unit is electrically connected to the scan line, the data line and the power line. The pixel electrode is electrically connected to the current control unit. The redundant active device is electrically connected to the pixel electrode and the current control unit, and the redundant active device is electrically insulated from the power line. Moreover, an organic electro-luminescence displaying unit and a repairing method thereof are further provided.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a pixel structure and a repairing method thereof. More particularly, the present invention relates to an organic electro-luminescence displaying unit and a repairing method thereof.
2. Description of Related Art
The rapid progress of the multiple media industry mostly benefits from the rapid development of semiconductors or display devices. For the display devices, as the flat panel display has advanced features such as high image quality, high space utilization efficiency, low power consumption, and no radiation, etc., it has become the main stream in the market. The flat panel display in the current market includes liquid crystal display (LCD), organic electro-luminescence display, and plasma display panel (PDP), etc. As the organic electro-luminescence display has advantages such as no viewing angle limit, low fabrication cost, high response speed (about hundreds times of an LCD), power saving, direct current drive, wide range of working temperature, and small volume, etc., it has great developing potential.
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a circuit of a conventional organic electro-luminescence display. Referring to FIG. 1, the conventional organic electro-luminescence display 100 includes a substrate 110, a plurality of scan lines 120, a plurality of data lines 130, a plurality of power lines 140 and a plurality of display units 150. The scan lines 120 and the data lines 130 are disposed upon the substrate 110, so as to drive the corresponding display units 150, and the display units 150 are electrically connected to a power P through the power lines 140.
As shown in FIG. 1, the display unit 150 includes a switching thin film transistor (switching TFT) 152, a driving TFT 154, an organic electro-luminescence device 156 and a capacitor 158. In FIG. 1, the scan line 150 is electrically connected to a gate 152a of the switching TFT 152, and the data line 130 is electrically connected to a source 152b of the switching TFT 152, and a drain 152c of the switching TFT 152 is electrically connected to the gate 154a of the driving TFT 154. Moreover, the source 154b of the driving TFT 154 is electrically connected to the power line 140, and the drain 154c of the driving TFT 154 is electrically connected to the organic electro-luminescence device 156. In addition, the capacitor 158 is electrically connected between the gate 154a of the driving TFT 154 and the power line 140.
In detail, after the switching TFT 152 is turned on by the output voltage of the scan line 120, the data line 130 can transmit the voltage signal to the gate 154a of the driving TFT 154, so as to activate the driving TFT 154. Accordingly, the power can be provided to the organic electro-luminescence device 156 through the power line 140 and the driving TFT 154, so that the organic electro-luminescence device 156 can display. Moreover, the voltage signal transmitted through the data line 130 can control the channel (not shown) of the driving TFT 154, so as to further control the amount of the current passing through the driving TFT 154. Accordingly, the luminescence intensity of the organic electro-luminescence device 156 is controlled appropriately, so that the organic electro-luminescence display 100 can display correct images.
In FIG. 1, the driving TFT 154 is an important role in the display unit 150. When the fabrication of the driving TFT 154 fails due to the neglect in fabricating process, the display quality of the entire organic electro-luminescence display 100 will be deteriorated significantly.

Pixel structure for an OLED provided with a redundant active device connected to a pixel electrode and a current control unit


A broadcast control method includes validating a time and location of an end user device by verifying the identity and location of a device on the intermediary network; sending a nonce from a intermediary network to an end user device at a first time; sending the nonce from the end user to the network at a second time; sending an encrypted request for content from the network to a broadcast system; decrypting the request to verify the identities of the devices and the time and location data; and sending content from the broadcast system to the end user device if the identities are verified and the time interval between the first and second times is less than the predetermined time interval.

Advances in mobile telecommunications technology are providing the potential to deliver new services to subscribers, including interactive multimedia services to mobile end user devices instantly, wherever they are. The delivery of such services, using encrypted digital multimedia content, raises problems about digital rights management (DRM), in other words, the ability of the content provider to prevent unauthorised copying of the content. There is currently interest in the development of DRM languages and DRM system architectures.
Successful DRM architectures must be trusted by the content provider. This requires trust in the computing platform that supports the system, and trust in any external data sources that determine the conditions under which the content may be used. The ability to manipulate these usage conditions represents a threat to any DRM system.
One specific case where this threat may defeat a DRM system is the implementation of broadcast blackouts. Broadcasters are often required by content providers to restrict broadcasts of certain content to specific geographical regions, or specific dates and times. The reasons for doing so could be to meet local regulations, or to meet commercial terms agreed with the content provider.
For example coverage of a sporting event may be forbidden in areas immediately surrounding the stadium while the event is taking place. Subscribers in other regions may pay a premium rate to view the live event. Immediately after the event the content may be available in all regions at a reduced cost.
Currently, broadcasters use conditional access systems that scramble the service in a manner that can only be unscrambled by receivers with specific regional codes embedded in them. The assumption is that these receivers remain relatively static.
Although in theory it may be possible to track the location of mobile receivers, using for example satellite ranging or GPS, this is not practical for low cost mobile devices, such as mobile phones, with no satellite receiver or GPS capability. Also, receivers may have the ability to store and forward the content.
This redefines the problem of broadcast blackouts: current solutions ensure that the point of reception is outside the blackout region. What is required now is proof that the end user is outside the blackout region.
Therefore the current time and location of each device capable of rendering content must be made available to the DRM application in a trustworthy manner. The difficulty in attaining this trust is compounded by the fact that it is the user who is most likely to try to deceive the application; it is not the user who needs to trust the time/location information but the content provider.
Work has been done on determining the location of a device with respect to a fixed local transmitter, but this is not applicable on a national scale, and the issue of trust is not relevant. The recently-proposed Echo protocol (by Sastry, Shankar and Wagner in WISE03, Assoc. Computing Machinery, September 2003) addresses the problem of trustworthy location data. However, as it is designed for physical access control, and uses ultrasonics and fixed transmitters, it is not suitable for controlling transmission of broadcast content.

Controlling transmission of broadcast content