A process fluid pressure sensing system includes a process fluid pressure transmitter and a process manifold. The process fluid pressure transmitter has first and second pressure inlets and is configured to obtain a measurement relative to pressures applied at the first and second pressure inlets and provide a process variable output based on the measurement. The process manifold is operably coupled to a process fluid and has first and second pressure outlets. A first high-pressure coupling joins the first pressure outlet of the process manifold to the first pressure inlet of the process fluid pressure transmitter. A second high-pressure coupling joins the second pressure outlet of the process manifold to the second pressure inlet of the process fluid pressure transmitter. The first and second high-pressure fluid couplings are configured to accommodate misalignment between the respective pressure outlets and inlets.

Process pressure transmitters are used to monitor pressure of process fluids used in industrial processes. Process pressure transmitters include a pressure sensor that typically provides an electrical output in response to a change in process fluid pressure. Each process pressure transmitter includes transmitter electronics for receiving and processing the electrical output of the pressure sensor. The transmitter electronics are also typically configured to transmit a signal, digital, analog, or a combination thereof, over a control loop or network to a central monitoring location such as a control room.
Pressure sensors used in pressure transmitters generally include a flexible sensor element, such as an electrode plate or a piezo-resistor that deflects in response to a pressure change. The sensor element is fluidically coupled to the process fluid typically through an isolation system. The isolation system includes a metal diaphragm that is configured to contact the process fluid. The isolation system also includes a sealed passageway that extends from the isolator diaphragm to the pressure sensor. The sealed passageway is typically filled with a substantially incompressible fill fluid such as silicone oil. As the pressure of the process fluid changes, the position of the isolator diaphragm changes thereby transferring a pressure change through the isolation fluid to the pressure sensor element. When the pressure sensor element moves in response to the pressure change, a corresponding change in an electrical characteristic of the pressure sensor, such as capacitance or resistance, changes as well. The electrical characteristic of the pressure sensor element is measured by the pressure transmitter electronics and is used to compute the pressure of the process fluid.
Differential pressure transmitters are used in a variety of applications where a difference between two pressures must be measured. Examples of such applications include level measurement in a container and flow measurement across a differential pressure producer such as an orifice plate or venturi. Differential pressure sensors typically require two isolation systems to convey separate process pressures to opposite sides of a single differential pressure sensor element. Typically, a differential pressure transmitter is installed with an integral manifold/valve body that enables both zero calibration of the transmitter and removal/replacement of the transmitter without having to shut off pressure to the transmitter/manifold assembly. The interface between the transmitter and the manifold is defined by International Standard IEC 61518, entitled "Mating dimensions between differential pressure (type) measuring instruments and flanged-on shut-off devices up to 413 BAR (41.3 MPa)."
FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view of a process fluid differential pressure transmitter coupled to a manifold assembly in accordance with the International Standard set forth above. Transmitter 10 is coupled to manifold 12 by four bolts (not shown) that extend from surface 16 of manifold 12 into transmitter 10. By using the four bolts, no fittings or additional hardware are used or required to hold the assembly together. This arrangement provides for simple assembly by the end user.
It is sometimes desirable to connect differential pressure transmitters to processes having extremely high static pressures. For example, deeply penetrating oil wells require large line pressures to transport the oil to surface levels. In applications above 413 bar, the manifolds tend to be spaced from the differential pressure transmitter with impulse piping or lines coupling the manifold to the differential pressure transmitter. This is due, at least on part, to the stresses that would be placed on the four clamping bolts if the differential pressure transmitter were bolted directly to the manifold. Given that known isolator diaphragms can exceed 0.8 inches in diameter and that two such isolators are required for differential pressure measurement, a static pressure of 10,000 psi can generate a pressure on the bolts in excess of 5,000 pounds.
FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic view of a differential pressure transmitter coupled to a manifold that is suitable for applications that exceed line pressures of 413 bar. Differential pressure transmitter 20 is coupled to manifold 22 via a pair of impulse lines 24, 26. The fluidic couplings between manifold 22 and impulse lines 24, 26 and between the impulse lines 24, 26 and differential pressure transmitter 20 are generally configured to support high line pressure. For example, such couplings sometimes use tapered fittings of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,362,731. However, current high pressure coupling systems require the user to route the impulse piping between the manifold and the differential pressure transmitter and to employ fittings on each end of each impulse line. Providing a high-pressure fluidic coupling system that could better accommodate coupling short runs of impulse piping would facilitate installation of differential pressure transmitters in high line pressure applications.


A domain based tunneling scheme allows a Network Management System (NMS) to manage devices in a private network operating behind a NAT boundary. A device in the private network provides the NMS with information including a public NAT IP address, a private device IP address, and a unique device identifier. The NMS uses the public NAT IP address to set up and maintain a tunnel to the private network. The NMS stores the NAT information and a tunnel identifier in a table entry associated with the device. The NMS then uses the tunnel and the contents of the table entry to conduct management operations with the device operating in the private network.

This invention relates generally to network management and more particularly to managing devices across Network Address Translator (NAT) boundaries using tunnels.
A Network Management System (NMS) can manage many devices including computers and Internet Protocol (IP) telephones. Management can include network management, changing system settings, recording failures of network devices, discovering what hardware components are installed in network devices, discovering what software is installed on the device, etc.
FIG. 1A shows an NMS 3 used for managing computers 1 and 2. A table 5 stores the IP addresses of the devices managed by the NMS 3. The table 5 is shown in more detail in FIG. 1B and includes entries listing the IP addresses of the computers 1 and 2 managed by NMS 3. The NMS 3 communicates with the computers 1 and 2 using the public IP addresses X and Y, respectively. For example, the NMS uses IP address X in table 5 to communicate with computer 1.
Referring back to FIG. 1A, Network Address Translator (NAT) 20 and computers 16A and 16B reside within a private network 15. The NAT 20 has a public IP address 38 and assigns private IP addresses to computers 16A and 16B. The NAT 20 is designed for IP address simplification and conservation, by enabling the private IP network 15 to use non-registered (private) IP addresses. The NAT 20 operates as a router connecting the private network 15 together with the public network 14. The NAT 20 translates the private (not globally unique) addresses used in the private network 15 into public IP addresses. As part of this functionality, NAT 20 can be configured to advertise only one public address to the public network 14 that represents for the entire private network 15.
For example, computers 16A and 16B communicate over Internet network 14 using the public IP address 38 provided by the NAT 20. The NAT 20 receives a packet 7A from a device on private network 15, such as computer 16A. The packet 7A includes a private source address 8 and a destination IP address 9 for an endpoint such as IP phone 6, packet 7A also includes a payload 10. The NAT 20 reformats packet 7A into a packet 7B that replaces the private source address 8 with the NAT's public IP address 38 and a port number 40 that the NAT 20, associates with computer 16A. The NAT 20 then forwards the reformatted packet 7B to IP phone 6.
The IP phone 6 sends packets (not shown) back to the computer 16A that includes the public IP address 38 and port number 40 for the NAT 20. The NAT 20 receives and forwards the packet from IP phone 6 to computer 16A based on the port number 40.
The NMS 3 cannot manage computers 16A and 16B behind NAT 20 for several reasons. First, the table 5 in NMS 3 only includes public IP device addresses. The NMS 3 does not have the ability to obtain the private IP addresses and port numbers needed for communicating with computers 16A and 16B. Even if the NMS 3 could obtain the private IP addresses and port numbers associated with of computers 16A and 16B, these addresses are not routable from the NMS. Additionally, the private IP addresses may be dynamically reassigned whenever the NAT 20 is reset. Port numbers are also typically refreshed in unison with the private IP address reassignment.
Because of the foregoing limitations, network management servers are unable to manage devices operating in private networks behind NATs. The disclosure that follows solves this and other problems associated with the prior art.

Domain based routing for managing devices operating behind a network address translator


An optical disk that includes main information and write-once information recorded on the optical disk. The write-once information is recorded as information unique to the optical disk, and the write-once information stores at least watermark production parameters for producing a watermark.

In recent years, the speed with which electronic calculators and information processing systems can process ever greater amounts of information has increased sharply. Together with the digitalization of audio and video information, this gave rise to the rapid dissemination of low-cost, high-volume auxiliary storage devices and recording media therefor, especially optical disks, which can be accessed with high access speeds.
The basic configuration of conventional optical disks is as follows: A dielectric layer is formed on top of a disk substrate, and a recording layer is formed on top of the dielectric layer. On top of the recording layer, an intermediate dielectric layer and a reflecting layer are formed in that order. An overcoat layer is formed on top of the reflecting layer.
The following is an explanation of how an optical disk with the above configuration is operated.
In the case of an optical disk having, in its recording layer, a magneto-optical layer with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy, the recording and erasing of information is performed by locally (a) heating the recording layer with a laser beam to a temperature with small coercive force above the compensation temperature or to a temperature near or above the Curie temperature to decrease the coercive force of the recording layer in the irradiated portion, and (b) magnetizing the recording layer in the direction of an external magnetic field. (This is also called "thermomagnetic recording" of information.). Moreover, for the reproduction of the recording signal, a laser beam with less intensity than the laser beam for recording or erasing irradiates the recording layer. The recording state of the recording layer, that is, the rotation of the polarization plane of the light that is reflected or transmitted in accordance with the orientation of the magnetic field (this rotation occurs mainly due to two magneto-optical effects—the Kerr effect and the Faraday effect), is detected by a photodetector through the change in the intensity of the irradiated light. In order to decrease the interference between opposite magnetizations and allow high-density recordings, a magnetic material with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy is used for the recording layer of the optical disk.
Moreover, when the data is reproduced, the reproduction signal level during data reproduction can be raised to detect the reproduction signal by using a layered structure for the recording layer: Several magnetic thin films comprising an exchange coupling multilayer or a magneto-static coupling multilayer.
For the recording layer, a material is used that can record information by locally raising the temperature or inducing a chemical reaction due to absorption of the irradiated laser light. The local variations in the recording layer can be detected by irradiating laser light of a different intensity or wavelength than that used for the recording and detecting the reproduction signal using the reflected or the transmitted light.
Regarding such optical disks, there is a need for a way to protect the data on the disk with write-once information (identification data) that allows for copyright protection, for example copy protection and protection against unauthorized use of software.
With the above configuration, it is possible to record disk information in TOC (or control data) areas, but when disk data is recorded with pre-pits, the disk information has to be administered stamper by stamper and cannot be administered user by user.
Moreover, when information is recorded using a magnetic film or a film of a phase-reversible material, administrative information easily can be changed, which means that it easily can be rewritten (manipulated), so that the contents on the optical disk cannot be copyright protected.

Magneto-optical recording medium having watermark for preventing unauthorized copy

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


Use is made, for the manufacture of fire-resistant glazings of the G fire-resistance classes, comprising panes made of glass toughened by the thermal route by means of a conventional toughening plant and possessing safety glass properties, of glasses which exhibit a thermal expansion coefficient .alpha..sub.20-300 of between 6 and 8.5.times.10.sup.-6 K.sup.-1, a thermal stress factor .phi. of between 0.5 and 0.8N/(mm.sup.2.K), a softening point of between 750 and 830.degree. C. and a transformation point of at the very most 1190.degree. C.

The present invention relates to a fire-resistant glazing of the G fire-resistance classes comprising a pane made of silicate glass, which pane is toughened by the thermal route with air by means of a conventional toughening plant, and possessing safety glass properties.
Fire-resistant glazings of the G fire-resistance classes and their frames and their mountings must withstand, during a fire-resistance test in accordance with DIN Standard 4102 or with ISO/DIS Standard 834-1, exposure to fire and to smoke for a certain period of time. During this time, the panes may neither shatter under the effect of the stresses which appear as a result of the temperature gradients between the surface of the pane and the embedded edge nor exceed their softening point, because they would otherwise lose their stability and would thus free the opening. According to the tire in minutes during which they withstand fire, they are ranked in the G 30, G 60, G 90 or G 120 fire-resistance classes.
In general, fire-resistant panes are held in frames which protect, to a more or less large extent, the edges of the panes against the effect of heat. The temperature gradient which thus appears between the middle of the pane and the edge brings about considerable tensile stresses in the marginal region and results in destruction of the panes, if specific measures are not taken to compensate for these tensile stresses. These measures consist of a thermal toughening of the panes making it possible to induce strong initial compressive stresses in the marginal region. The thermal toughening makes it possible to confer additional safety glass properties on the pane when the toughening is carried out, so that, in the event of shattering, the pane fragments into tiny pieces,
It is in principle possible to measure the value of the initial stresses at the surface of the pane and in the marginal region by photoelasticimetry. This measurement by photoelasticimetry is, however, relatively expensive. In practice, success is consequently achieved in determining the state of initial stresses by means of the flexural/tensile strength obtained by the toughening, in accordance with DIN Standard 52303 or with EN Standard 12150. Experiments have, in this case, shown the necessity to provide a flexural/tensile strength of at least 120N/mm.sup.2 when the pane has to withstand tensile stresses generated by temperature gradients at the edge. In view of the fact that non-toughened panes exhibit a base flexural/tensile strength of approximately 50N/mm.sup.2, this means that it is necessary to increase this strength, via the toughening, by at least 70N/mm.sup.2. The value of this increase in the flexural/tensile strength corresponds directly to the value of the initial surface compressive stresses.
In addition, it is possible to increase the fire-resistance time by increasing the depth of insertion of the pane into the frame. In the case of a flexural/tensile strength of the pane of 120N/mm.sup.2 and of a depth of insertion of 10 mm, the glazing is, for example, in accordance with the G 30 fire-resistance class, whereas a depth of insertion of 20 mm makes it possible to achieve the G 90 fire-resistance class,
Panes made of ordinary float glass (silica glass based on soda and lime) can be appropriately toughened by means of conventional toughening plants, in view of the fact that these glass compositions exhibit relatively high thermal expansion coefficients of greater than 8.5.times.10.sup.-6 K.sup.-1. Ordinary float glass makes it possible to achieve flexural/tensile strengths which can range up to 200N/mm.sup.2. Under the effect of the tensile stresses brought about by the temperature gradients, the panes do not consequently shatter if the depth of insertion is approximately 10 mm but they lose their stability because of their relatively low softening temperature of approximately 730.degree. C. Toughened panes made of float glass are thus in accordance, under normal installation conditions, with at the very most the G 30 fire-resistance class.
However, monolithic panes of the G 60 fire-resistance class and of higher classes are also known. These panes are composed of compositions having a high softening temperature of greater than 815.degree. C. and exhibit, for this reason, a lengthy resistance time during a fire-resistance test. In this case, heat-resistant glasses based on borosilicate and on aluminosilicate prove to be particularly appropriate. However, these panes also have to be toughened by the thermal route in order to be able to withstand the high tensile stresses which appear in the marginal region during a fire-resistance test.
The use of thermal toughening for fire-barrier glazings made of heat-resistant glasses based on borosilicate or on aluminosilicate is known from the documents DE 23 13 442 B2 and DE 24 13 552 B2. According to these documents, only glasses for which the product of the thermal expansion a and of the modulus of elasticity E reaches 1 to 5 kp.cm.sup.-2..degree. C..sup.-1, that is to say glasses based on borosilicate or on aluminosilicate with a thermal expansion of .alpha..sub.20-300 =3 to 6.5.times.10.sup.-6 .degree. C..sup.1, are suitable for toughening. However, the toughening required at the edge of these panes cannot be achieved by means of ordinary air toughening plants but involves a specific process in which the panes are placed, during heating, between slightly smaller ceramic tiles, so that the edge of the pane sticks out from the ceramic tiles and is thus cooled more quickly, whereas the middle of the pane cools more slowly under the effect of the ceramic tiles. The toughening required at the edge can certainly be obtained in this way but the panes thus manufactured do not exhibit any safety glass properties.
It is known, from the document DE 43 25 656 C2, to use, for the manufacture of monolithic fire-barrier glazings, glasses which have a thermal expansion coefficient a of between 3 and 6.times.10.sup.-6 K.sup.-1, a specific thermal stress .phi. of between 0.3 and 0.5N/(mm.sup.2.K), a softening point (=temperature for a viscosity of 10.sup.7.6 dPa.multidot.s) of greater than 830.degree. C. and a transformation point (=temperature for a viscosity of 10.sup.4 dPa.multidot.s) of between 1190.degree. and 1260.degree. C. The specific thermal stress is the quantity specific to the glass calculated from the thermal expansion coefficient .alpha., from the modulus of elasticity E and from the Poisson coefficient m according to the formula .phi.=.alpha..E/(1-m). Panes exhibiting these physical properties can acquire, in a conventional air toughening plant, both the initial compressive stresses necessary at the edge and the toughening stresses exerted over the entire surface, which are necessary in order to obtain fragmentation in tiny pieces, so that no specific measure is necessary for the toughening and that the manufacturing process is thus greatly simplified thereby. Panes exhibiting these physical properties necessarily contain, however, B.sub.2 O.sub.3, Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 and ZrO.sub.2 in amounts which complicate the melting process and the transformation process. They cannot be manufactured according to the float-glass process, which has proved its exceptional profitability, given that their transformation point is too high and that the melting additionally requires specific measures.
Borosilicate-based glass compositions are known, from the document DE 28 18 804 B2, which are certainly designed for use in fire-barrier glazings and which, because of their relatively low transformation point, can melt according to the float-glass process and can also be toughened by means of ordinary toughening plants. These glasses contain, however, 11.5 to 14.5% B.sub.2 O.sub.3 and in addition exhibit physical properties similar to those of the glasses known from the document DE 43 25 656 C2. Even in the case of these glasses, the initial compressive stresses and the flexural/tensile strength which can be achieved with air toughening are limited to relatively low values and these glasses moreover exhibit the difficulties and disadvantages known during the melting of borosilicate-based glasses.


A storage system in which a plurality of storage devices are connected by a pair of loops, disconnects a faulty storage device. The faulty storage device is disconnected from said loops by using, in conjunction, a first disconnect mode, in which a disconnect instruction is issued to a device control unit via a first path which connects controllers and device control units, and a second disconnect mode, in which a disconnect instruction is issued to a device control unit via a second path which connects loops connecting the plurality of storage devices, storage devices, and device control units. Even when a pair of connection ports of a storage device is abnormal, and even when the first path is abnormal, the faulty storage device can be disconnected reliably.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a storage system connected in a loop to a plurality of magnetic disks or other physical disks, and a disconnecting method of faulty storage device. In particular, this invention relates to a storage system and faulty storage device disconnecting method in which a faulty storage device in a loop is disconnected and bypassed.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a storage device that uses magnetic disks, magneto-optical disks, optical disks, or other storage media, the storage media is actually accessed at the request of a data processing device. When the data processing device uses a large volume of data, a storage system having a plurality of storage devices and control devices is employed.
In such a storage system, a redundant configuration is adopted in order to improve the reliability of stored data and device reliability, and a FC_AL (Fiber Channel Arbitrated Loop) interface is used for rapid data transfer. Numerous storage devices are connected to this FC_AL loop. Because of this, when a malfunction occurs in a storage device in the loop, the entire loop is affected. Consequently, technology to disconnect a malfunctioning storage device from the loop, and to eliminate the effect on the loop as a whole, is necessary.
In the prior art, two methods of disconnecting a malfunctioning storage device (magnetic disk device) from an FC_AL loop are known. FIG. 19 is a drawing that explains the first of these conventional technologies.
As shown in FIG. 19, each of the plurality of magnetic disk devices 160, 162, 164 is connected by fiber switches 130 to 134 and 140 to 144 to the pair of fiber channel loops 106 and 108. The fiber channel loop 106 is connected to the controller device adapter 102 by the fiber channel connector 114; the fiber channel loop 108 is connected to the controller device adapter 104 by the fiber channel connector 116.
Both device adapters 102, 104 are connected to the central control module 100 of the controller. Hence the central control module 100 can access each of the magnetic disk devices 160, 162, 164, using both one route (route a) via the device adapter 102 and fiber channel loop 106, and another route (route b) via the device adapter 104 and fiber channel loop 108.
A disconnecting control portion 150 and 152 are provided in each of the fiber channel loops 106, 108. The disconnect control portion 150 controls disconnect (bypassing) of each of the fiber switches 130, 132 and 134 of the fiber channel loop 106; the disconnect control portion 152 controls disconnect (bypassing) of each of the fiber switches 140, 142 and 144 of the fiber channel loop 108.
For example, as shown in FIG. 19, when the magnetic disk device 162 cannot be accessed via port a on the side of the fiber channel loop 106, a disconnect command is transmitted to the disconnect control portion 150 from port b on the side of the fiber channel loop 108, via the magnetic disk device 162.
By this means, the disconnect control portion 150 switches the fiber switch 132 on the side of port a of the magnetic disk device 162 to the bypass state as shown in FIG. 19, and disconnects the magnetic disk device 162 from the fiber channel loop 106. Thus the fiber channel loop 106 functions normally, and the magnetic disk device 162 can be accessed from port b on the side of the fiber channel loop 108.
FIG. 20 is a drawing which explains the second conventional technology. Similarly to FIG. 19, the central control module 100 accesses each of the magnetic disk devices 160, 162 and 164 by both one route (route a) via the device adapter 102 and the device channel loop 106, and by another route (route b) via the device adapter 104 and the fiber channel loop 108.
Switch control lines 118 and 120 are built on each of the fiber channel loops 106, 108, from each device adapter 102, 104, and each of the fiber switches 130 to 134 and 140 to 144 of the fiber channel loops 106 and 108 is controlled from the device adapters 102, 104 (for example, Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2001-306292).
For example, as shown in FIG. 20, when port a on the side of the fiber channel loop 106 of the magnetic disk device 162 cannot be accessed, the fiber switch 132 on the port a side of the magnetic disk device 162 is switched to the bypass state as shown in FIG. 20 from the device adapter 102 via the switch control line 118, so that the magnetic disk device 162 is disconnected from the fiber channel loop 106. By this means, the fiber channel loop 106 functions normally, and the magnetic disk device 162 can be accessed from port b on the side of the fiber channel loop 108.
In case of the first conventional technology, when only one of the ports (for example, port a) is faulty as in FIG. 19, the one port (port a) of the magnetic disk device can be disconnected; but when both ports (port a and port b) are faulty, both ports cannot be disconnected, and so both fiber channel loops 106 and 108 can no longer operate, so that a system shutdown occurs.
In the case of the second conventional technology, so long as the switch control lines 118 and 120 are functioning normally, as shown in FIG. 20, any arbitrary faulty port can be disconnected; but if there is an abnormality (for example, a line break) in the switch connection lines 118, 120, none of the ports can be disconnected, the fiber channel loops 106, 108 can no longer operate, and a system shutdown may occur. Further, when the switch control lines 118, 120 are also being used as low-speed buses or for other uses, disconnect control requires time.

Storage system and disconnecting method of a faulty storage device


A modular void form is described. Embodiments of the modular void form can include a panel and at least one reinforcement member. The panel can include one or more scoring lines which the panel can be folded about. When the panel is folded, a tubular structure having a flange can be formed. The panel can include a plurality of slits that form slots when the panel is folded. The reinforcement members can be adapted to be removably inserted into the slots of the panel and engage the flange of the folded panel.

In one application, void forms can be used as space filling members when preparing concrete formations. Void forms generally reduce concrete requirements on construction jobs and allow concrete formations to be built on unstable soil. Void forms are required to be sufficiently strong to withstand the initial weight of poured concrete. In some instances, the void form needs to be degradable to leave a void space. In other instances, the void form needs to be able to withstand degradation.
Currently, most void forms are prefabricated remotely from a building site in predetermined shapes and sizes. Thus, in instances where the job requires a non-standard sized void form, the builder must manually alter the prefabricated void form. Manually altering prefabricated void forms usually increases time and money spent.
To cut down on costs, most void forms are fabricated from corrugated fiberboard. As such, the corrugated fiberboard must have sufficient structural integrity to support wet concrete for a prescribed period of time. Most corrugated fiberboard forms will then weaken through moisture absorption. However, if there is insufficient moisture, the corrugated fiberboard can be preserved and not degrade. Problems arise when the corrugated fiberboard does not degrade and leave a void where a non-structural void is needed.
In another application, void forms can be implemented as dunnage in the shipping industry. Typically, a packaging material is placed in a shipping container to fill any voids and/or to cushion items during shipping. Some commonly used packaging materials include plastic foam peanuts and plastic bubble pack. While these conventional plastic materials seem to perform adequately as cushioning products, they are not without disadvantages. Specifically, plastic bubble wrap and/or plastic foam peanuts are not biodegradable. The non-biodegradability of these packaging materials has become increasingly important in light of many industries adopting more progressive policies in terms of environmental responsibility.
Regardless of application, a void form being durable, adjustable, biodegradable, modular, and cost effective is needed.


The subject disclosure pertains to interaction with one or more collections of data. Queries and domains are presented as separate entities. A number of compositional operators are provided to manipulate a generic collection of data at a low level. Query comprehensions can specify interactions with one or more collections at a higher or more intuitive level. The query comprehensions can be translated or mapped to operators that can be employed to interact with one or more data collections and return results where applicable.

A database is a collection of data or facts organized in a systematic manner and persisted to a storage device by a database management system. The data can be structured according to a variety of methods or models. For example, a hierarchical data model associates each piece of knowledge with a record and places the records in a tree data structure such that each record is owned by only one entity. An extension of the hierarchical model is the network model that arranges the records in a graph data structure allowing for a record to have multiple parents and children. A database can also be represented using a simple flat-file model. In such a model, the information is stored in a plain text file with one record per line. At present, XML is a popular format for storing data or text hierarchically. However, the most common model employed today is still the relational database model wherein mathematical relations based on set theory and predicate logic represent the data.
The organized nature of database data enables computer programs to retrieve answers to questions easily and efficiently. In particular, computer programs can create, manipulate and retrieve data from a database utilizing a query. For a relational database management system, the query can be formatted utilizing the structured query language (SQL). For example, to extract the complete customer records for all customers with the last name "Smith," the SQL query expression could be formatted like SELECT*FROM customers WHERE lastname='Smith'. In this example, the keyword SELECT indicates the query is a retrieval query, the keyword FROM specifies which table of the database the data is to be found, in this case customers, and the keyword WHERE designates that only the rows with columns matching the given parameters should be returned.
In the event that XML is utilized to store data hierarchically, a different query language is employed to interact with XML. XML Path Language (XPath) is a language recommended by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) for addressing portions of an XML document. In XPath, the previous SQL example would be formatted as xmlDoc.selectNodes("//customer[lastname=Smith]"). In this example, the query returns all customer element nodes that have a lastname child node with the value "Smith." The W3C is presently developing a language called XQuery that is built on XPath. XQuery is designed to query XML data to retrieve and manipulate data from XML documents or a data source capable of being viewed as XML data.


A side airbag device capable of preventing interference between a harness and an airbag is provided between a vehicle body and a seat. The side airbag device includes an airbag module including an inflatable airbag and an inflator supplying a gas into the airbag, a base member including an airbag storage portion having a concave shape and storing the airbag module and is attached between a vehicle body door and the seat, and a retainer member holding the airbag storage portion from the rear side of the vehicle body. The base member includes a first through hole through which a harness of the inflator is inserted and a flange which is formed in the periphery of the first through hole. The retainer member includes a second through hole through which the harness of the inflator is inserted and which is provided at a position facing the first through hole.

Conventionally, as a side airbag device which is disposed between a vehicle body door and a seat in a vehicle body width direction, one including an inflator which injects a gas into an airbag, a box-shaped storage casing which stores the airbag and the inflator, and a resinous base cover which covers the storage casing from the front side of a vehicle body is known (for example, see Patent Literatures 1 and 2).
Here, in the side airbag device described in Patent Literature 1, when the airbag stored in the storage casing is inflated by the inflator, the airbag breaks a thin portion of the base cover on the front side of the vehicle body and is inflated and deployed.
Specifically, the inflator is connected to a vehicle battery provided on the vehicle body via a harness. When a predetermined amount or more of impact is applied from the side of the vehicle body, igniting electric power is supplied from the vehicle battery to the inflator via the harness and the airbag is inflated and deployed on the lateral side of the occupant.
With the above-described configuration, according to the side airbag device, it is possible to alleviate an impact applied to an occupant sitting on the seat.


A battery for powering a wearable device comprises a first cell, a second cell interconnected with the first cell, and a connection electrically coupled between the first cell and the second cell. The connection extends from the first cell to the second cell along a first direction. A length of the connection along the first direction is greater than a distance between the first cell and the second cell. In some embodiments, the connection comprises a folded structure configured to accommodate a dimensional change of the battery when bending the wearable device.

With the development of science and technology, various electronic products emerge and are almost indispensable in daily life. With advantages of high energy density, long cycle life, environmental friendliness and reproductively, lithium ion batteries have been widely used in various electronic products.
Batteries for wearable electronic devices require certain flexibility to fit the shape of the wearable devices and to accommodate shape and/or volume change when using the wearable device. Conventional batteries with liquid electrolyte do not have sufficient flexibility to meet the requirement of a wearable device. Batteries with gel or solid electrolyte suffer from low energy density and poor ion mobility. Accordingly, it would be desirable to have batteries with high flexibility while maintain high energy and power density to accommodate the need from the portable and wearable electronic devices.


A new Calibrachoa plant named ‘CBRZ0006’ particularly distinguished by the medium to large sized, apricot color flowers with a distinct orange-red ‘eye’, medium green foliage, good branching, and a semi-upright, later semi-trailing plant habit. It is day-length neutral with regard to the induction of flowering.

The present invention comprises a new Calibrachoa, botanically known as Calibrachoa hybrida, and hereinafter referred to by the variety name 'CBRZ0006'.
'CBRZ0006' is a product of a planned breeding program. The new cultivar has medium-to large sized, apricot color flowers with a distinct orange-red 'eye', medium green foliage, good branching, and a semi-upright, later semi-trailing plant habit. It is day-length neutral with regard to the induction of flowering.
'CBRZ0006' originated from a hybridization made in December 2010 in a greenhouse in Gilroy, Calif., USA. The female parent was the unpatented proprietary plant designated '(1613A-3/1)-1', having orange flowers with a red eye, somewhat less floriferous and requiring longer day length for the inductions of flowering than 'CBRZ0006'.
The male parent of 'CBRZ0006' was an unpatented proprietary plant identified as '(1611-2/3)-1' with apricot flowers with a red eye, and requiring a day length of more than 10 hours for the induction of flowering, while 'CBRZ0006' is less day-length sensitive.
The resulting seeds were sown in March 2011, and 'CBRZ0006' was selected as one flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross in June 2011 in a controlled environment in Gilroy, Calif.
The first act of asexual reproduction of 'CBRZ0006' was accomplished when vegetative cuttings were propagated from the initial selection in the fall of 2011 in a controlled environment in Gilroy, Calif.


An electro-optical device includes a substrate, a pixel, a transistor, an inter-bedded insulation film, a storage capacitor, an underlying surface, a spacer insulation film, and a first dummy pattern. The spacer insulation film extends across a boundary between the main portion and an extension portion of the lower capacitor electrode of the capacitor and is in a non-overlapping condition with a part of the main portion in a plan view. The first dummy pattern is formed in the open region over the substrate, and is made of the same film as that of the spacer insulation film.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an electro-optical device such as a liquid crystal device and a method for producing the electro-optical device. In addition, the invention further relates to an electronic apparatus such as a liquid crystal projector.
2. Related Art
In the typical configuration of an electro-optical device of the related art, an electro-optical material such as liquid crystal is sealed between a pair of substrates. A lamination structure that is made up of a plurality of pixel electrodes, a plurality of scanning lines for selectively driving the pixel electrodes, a plurality of data lines, and a plurality of thin film transistors (TFT) each of which functions as a pixel-switching element is formed over the display region of an element substrate, which constitutes one of the above-mentioned pair of substrates. In such a lamination structure, an inter-bedded insulation film is formed between one layer and another for providing isolation therebetween. An electro-optical device of the related art having such a configuration is capable of operating in an active-matrix driving scheme. In addition, various kinds of circuits such as a scanning line driving circuit, a data line driving circuit, and the like as well as various kinds of wirings/lines such as an image signal line and the like are also provided on the peripheral region that surrounds the display region of the element substrate so as to constitute a peripheral lamination structure. In the typical configuration of the related-art electro-optical device, a storage capacitor is provided between a TFT and a pixel electrode in order to enhance contrast. A storage capacitor is formed in the non-open region of each of a plurality of pixels in addition to a scanning line, a data line, a TFT, and the like.
In connection with the configuration of a storage capacitor, for example, JP-A-2006-276118 discloses a technique for preventing the occurrence of unwanted electric current leakage between an upper capacitor electrode and a lower capacitor electrode thereof. The related art described in the above-identified patent publications achieves the prevention of unwanted electric current leakage by increasing the inter-bedded distance (i.e., layer-to-layer distance) between an end surface of the upper capacitor electrode and an end surface of the lower capacitor electrode by means of a spacer insulation film. In the following description, the above-mentioned unwanted electric current leakage between the end surface of the upper capacitor electrode and the end surface of the lower capacitor electrode is simply referred to as "end surface electric current leakage" as long as the context allows.
In order to reduce the adverse possibility of disarrangement in the orientation state (i.e., alignment state) of an electro-optical material because of unevenness in the surface the above-mentioned lamination structure formed over the element substrate, planarization processing such as chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) is applied thereto in many of the related-art electro-optical devices.
However, if the above-mentioned spacer insulation film is formed for a storage capacitor that is formed in the non-open region whereas it is not formed in the open region, the surface level difference between the non-open region and the open region increases by the film thickness of the spacer insulation film. This poses a problem that has not been addressed by the related art in that the increased surface level difference between the non-open region and the open region makes it practically impossible, or at least difficult, to smoothen the lamination surface of the element substrate.

Electro-optical device, method for production of electro-optical device, and electronic apparatus


The present invention relates to a floating media moving bed portable biofilter and degasser and methods of using same useful for the biological treatment of aqueous nitrogenous waste. Provided herein are enhanced biofilter systems and methods for removing nitrogenous wastes from bodies of water. The portable biofilters described herein remedy the deficiencies of existing biofilters described above due to their enhanced nitrogen removing efficiency coupled with their simple and robust design, relative inexpensiveness, portability, ease of cleaning and maintenance, minimized trapping of aqueous solids, minimization of off-flavors in aquacultured fish, and immediate functionality when transferred to different sources of water. These advantages render the portable biofilters of the present invention suitable for commercial applications for aqueous nitrogenous waste removal.

In response to the ever increasing demand for improved fish growth rates and increased profitability, aquaculture farmers have turned to the use of high-protein fish feeds in large quantities. The use of high-protein feeds, however, leads to the generation of significantly increased amounts of nitrogenous waste (e.g., ammonia) due to the enhanced production of fish excretions (e.g., urea, uric acid, amino acids), organic debris from dead and dying organisms, and uneaten feed. Fish expel the increased nitrogenous waste products through gill diffusion, gill cation exchange, urine, and feces, which must therefore be removed from the aquaculture system. The decomposition of these nitrogenous compounds is particularly important in intensive recirculating aquaculture systems because of toxic effects of ammonia, nitrite, and, to a lesser extent, nitrate.
The process of ammonia removal by a biological filter is called nitrification, which consists of the successive oxidation of ammonia to nitrite (NO2−) and finally to nitrate (NO3−). This process is usually actuated by autotrophic bacteria via an aerobic biofilter process. There are many types of biofilters commonly used in aquaculture systems, such as submerged biofilters, trickling biofilters, rotating biological contactors, floating bead biofilters, dynamic bead biofilters, and fluidized-bed biofilters (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,370,234; 4,620,924; 4,880,549; 5,445,740; 5,593,574; 5,770,080; 6,110,389; 6,617,155; 7,008,539; and 7,082,893; each incorporated herein in its entirety by this reference). However, each such filter is limited to specific applications, such as locations having fixed-position wastewater treatment facilities or having proximity to high-intensity industrial power and pressure sources, because of one or more of the following deficiencies: ineffective removal of ammonia; overproduction of nitrite; large spatial footprints; use of large amounts of power and/or pressure; high cost of operation and/or maintenance; lack of portability; capturing and/or trapping of solids (e.g., particulate matter or debris); enhancement of off-flavors in aquacultured fish; requirement for backwashing; ineffective reduction of supersaturated gas levels in the water; and lack of immediate functionality when transferred across different sources of water.
A biofilter that meets all or even most of these requirements does not currently exist. For example, biofilters using polyethylene moving bed media are commonly used in recirculating aquaculture systems, yet they are susceptible to forming sediment in undisturbed areas within the filter container. This contributes to unwanted off-flavor in fish and other organisms reared in recirculating aquaculture systems. Another disadvantage of existing moving bed biofilters is that they are not portable such that their use is limited to a single body of water. Another disadvantage of existing moving bed biofilters is that they are only effective after aerobic bacterial populations have become established, which is a time-consuming process that can require up to several weeks of bacterial growth.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for enhanced biofilter systems and methods for removing nitrogenous wastes from bodies of water.


A safety syringe includes a barrel having a front neck, a needle holder mounted in the front neck of the barrel to hold a needle unit outside the front neck of the barrel, the needle holder having a rear coupling hole, a plunger reciprocated in the barrel, and a coupling member connected to the plunger, the coupling member having a conical split head, which is forced into engagement with the rear coupling hole of the needle holder for enabling the needle holder and the needle unit to be carried backwards with the plunger and received inside the barrel after the use of the syringe.

The present invention relates to syringes, and more particularly to a safety syringe which enables the needle to be received inside the barrel after the use of the syringe.
A safety syringe allows the user (the nurse or surgeon) to pull the needle backwards to the inside of the barrel after the use of the syringe. If the needle of a syringe is kept on the outside of the barrel after its use, the needle of the syringe may injure the person who handles waste medical instruments accidentally. Such safety syringes are disclosed in Taiwan Pat. No. 253192 and No. 332433. However, these safety syringes are still not satisfactory in function. During injection, when the plunger is pushed forwards into engagement with the needle, vibration will be caused and a patient will feel pain. In addition, the needle can not be disassembled. Therefore, it is necessary to have a improved design for a safety syringe which can reduce the vibration during the engagement of a needle and a plunger.


A cathode of a crossed field device includes a first electrode and a second electrode disposed about and dielectrically spaced from the first electrode. In a preferred embodiment the electrode comprises a pair of electrodes, a first one of the pair being a masking electrode disposed about and dielectrically spaced from the first electrode and a second one of the pair being an emitter electrode disposed about and dielectrically spaced from the masking electrode.

This invention relates generally to RF energy sources and more particularly to cross-field type RF energy sources.
As is known in the art, magnetron devices, such as magnetron oscillators, cross-field amplifiers, and the like, are used in radio frequency systems such as radar systems to provide a source of RF energy in the microwave/millimeter wave frequency range. Magnetron based devices convert DC power into relatively high power RF signals with relatively high conversion efficiency.
As is also known, a magnetron includes an evacuated enclosure and an electrode, commonly referred to as a cathode, which is heated to provide thermionically emitted electrons having sufficient mobility to provide a current flow between the heated cathode and at least one additional electrode generally referred to as the anode. The magnetron converts DC power by the interaction of electrons with the electric field of a circuit element in crossed DC electric and magnetic fields. During the interaction process, electron potential energy is converted into the RF energy of the electromagnetic fields resulting in high power signals at microwave and millimeter wave frequencies.
As is also known in the art, there exists a trend toward providing lower noise levels in microwave and millimeter wave radar systems. One problem with magnetron devices used in such systems is that these devices convert DC power to RF power having relatively high noise levels which degrade the sensitivity of radar systems using such devices.
As is also known in the art, a magnetron oscillator is provided by combining a cavity resonator with a magnetron. One example of a magnetron oscillator is the so-called coaxial magnetron oscillator. The coaxial magnetron oscillator includes an anode and a cathode. The anode is provided as a cylindrical resonant cavity of a conductive material such as copper. A portion of the anode provides a resonant circuit which in combination with the resonant cavity determines the frequency of operation of the oscillator. The resonant circuit may be provided by a plurality of electrically conductive rectangular blocks, often referred to as vanes, with each vane having one end terminated at the cylindrical resonant cavity and having a second end extending inward toward the center of the cavity. The vanes function as resonant circuits and serve a purpose similar to that of the lumped constant LC resonant circuits used at lower frequencies. The cathode may be provided as a cylinder of oxide-coated material disposed at the center of the anode.
The region between the anode and the cathode is called the interaction space. The interaction space is the region in which electrons from the cathode interact with DC electric and magnetic fields and the RF electric field in such a manner that the electrons impart their energy to the RF field provided in the interaction space.
Another type of coaxial magnetron is the so-called inverted coaxial magnetron. In this magnetron, the cathode surrounds the anode. A stabilizing TE.sub.011 cavity is in the center of the magnetron with the so-called vane type resonator system, previously described, arranged on the outside of the cavity. The cathode is provided as a ring surrounding the anode. Power is coupled from the end of the central stabilizing cavity by a waveguide.
Another device which uses the general magnetron concept is a cross-field amplifier (CFA). The CFA includes input and output ports, an anode slow-wave circuit and a cathode. An RF drive signal is provided at the input of the anode slow-wave circuit and a relatively high power RF output signal is provided at the output of the anode slow-wave circuit.
In one embodiment, electrons originate from a cylindrical cathode which is coaxial to the slow-wave circuit that acts as the anode. As in the magnetron oscillator, the region between the anode and the cathode is called the interaction space.
One technique which has been suggested to provide a low noise CFA is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,928,070 by MacMaster et al. and assigned to the assignee of the present invention.
In the above mentioned patent low noise operation of a cross-field amplifier is provided by feeding an input RF signal to both a cathode slow-wave circuit and an anode slow-wave circuit. The relative amplitude and phase of each signal applied to the slow-wave circuits of the anode and the cathode are controlled, and the outputs of the anode and the cathode slow-wave circuits are terminated in matched characteristic impedances. This approach provides cross-field amplifiers with improved signal to noise ratios.
In both the magnetron oscillator and the cross-field amplifier, the electron and RF signal interactions which take place in the interaction space is similar. In the interaction space, primary electrons emitted from the cathode which are out of phase with the RF electric field interact with the RF electric field as well as the DC electric and magnetic fields in such a manner that the electrons give up their energy to the RF field. The magnetic field, which is axially aligned with the cathode, passes through the interaction space parallel to the cathode and perpendicular to the DC electric field.
The RF electric field and the crossed electric and magnetic fields cause the electrons to be completely bunched almost as soon as they are emitted from the cathode. After becoming bunched, the electrons move along in a traveling-wave RF electric field. This traveling-wave field moves at almost the same speed as the electrons, causing RF power to be delivered to the travelling wave.
Electrons emitted from the cathode in phase with the RF electric field are accelerated by the RF field. This acceleration causes the electrons to return to the cathode and strike the cathode. Such electron interaction is called back-bombardment. Back-bombardment increases the cathode temperature. An increase in the cathode temperature causes an increase in thermionic electron emission. Back-bombarding electrons also cause secondary electron emissions to be emitted from the cathode. Temperature increases due to back-bombardment are generally seen as reducing the operational lifetime of the cathode.
The secondary emission of the magnetron cathode surface may be reduced through the addition of slots provided in the cathode. Thus, cut away cathode surfaces have been used to reduce the number of secondary electron emissions from the cathode.
Nevertheless, in general, relatively high noise levels are characteristic of most magnetron type devices. For the reasons mentioned above, this is undesirable. It would be desirable to develop a technique applicable to both cross-field amplifiers and magnetron oscillators to reduce their noise levels to more acceptable levels.

Electrodes with primary and secondary emitters for use in cross-field tubes


The invention converts information input from either a charge line or a non-charge line to data form and then stores it in a memory device along with identification data specifying the type of line on which the information was received. It also reads information from the memory device in response to information read requests received by way either of a charge line or of a non-charge line and, when called upon to output said information either to a charge line or to a non-charge line, it inhibits the output of the information to a non-charge line in cases where the line indicated by the aforementioned identification data and the line on which the information read request is received are both non-charge lines. This enables either the sending party or the receiving party of a service, but not both, to be charged for the service while at the same time ensuring that, if the sending party and the receiving party of the service both use a non-charge line, the output of the information will be inhibited in order to preserve the integrity of the charging function. Moreover, if the line indicated by the identification data and the line on which the read request is received are both charge lines, a message is sent to the issuer of the read request to indicate the availability of a non-charge line. This prevents the sending party and the receiving party of the same service from both being charged for the service.

1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to an information I/O (input/output) controller for telephone lines which controls the input and output of information by way both of a charge line, which incorporates a charging function, and also of a non-charge line, which does not incorporate a charging function.
2. DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
Message services which make use of charge lines incorporating charging functions are already known. A system of this kind calls for the installation of a recording device at a service center which is connected to the telephone exchange by way of a charge line, said telephone exchange also being equipped with a counter to meter the connection time of said charge line. In other words, when a person who wants to send a message calls the service center and records his message on the recording device, a counter meters the sending party's connection time and he is then charged in accordance with the length of his connection time by the addition of a special line-use charge to his regular telephone bill. Similarly, when a person who wants to receive a message calls the service center and listens to a message stored in the recording device, a counter meters the receiving party's connection time and he is also charged in accordance with the length of his connection time.
Although, in the sort of conventional system outlined above, the service provided has normally consisted of a message of some sort, the system can in fact be used for the transfer of many other kinds of data. In other words, if the recording device in the service center is replaced with a memory device, the sending party can use a charge line for the input of information in data form to said memory device while the receiving party can similarly read said information data out of the memory device and download it by way of a charge line.
However, if the information is provided free of charge for the benefit of others by the sending party, for example, then it is not appropriate that the sending party be charged. Similarly, in the case of information such as job advertisements, it is equally inappropriate to charge the receiving party. In this sort of case, the need arises for a charge to be applied either to the sending party or to the receiving party but not to both. One solution to this problem would, of course, be to set up a line which does not incorporate a charging function between the telephone exchange and the service center in addition to the existing charge line. Calls from either the sending party or the receiving party could then be routed via the non-charge line as appropriate.
However, if the calls of the sending party and the receiving party are both routed via the non-charge line, no charge will arise on the service which will consequently fail to meet one of the basic requirements of a functioning business.

Information input/output controller for telephone lines


A mobile phone with a stepless motion function is provided and includes a mobile phone body, an upper cover which can be movably provided outside the mobile phone body, and a pushing device including a first end part and a second end part, wherein the first end part is fixedly provided at the upper cover, and the second end part is fixedly provided at the mobile phone body, whereby the upper cover can move at a constant velocity from a first position to a second position relatively to the mobile phone body. Therefore, the mobile phone with a stepless motion function of the invention enables the upper cover to move at a constant velocity at the mobile phone body to increase the tactile sensation of the mobile phone.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to slidable and flip-type mobile phones and, more particularly, to a mobile phone with a stepless motion function.
2. Description of the Related Art
Along with the development of the science and technology, a mobile phone has gradually been a needful electronic product in the daily life of people. However, along with the increment of the demand for mobile phones, more and more manufacturers begin to produce mobile phones, so that the mobile phones with a plurality of additional functions as their features are gradually changed to be more and more various and have shapes with a tactile sensation in the manufacture. The slidable mobile phone, the flip-type mobile phone and the bar-type mobile phone are works of big mobile phone manufacturers.
Making a comprehensive view of mobile phones of each big mobile phone manufacturer on the market, the mobile phones not only have a plurality of additional functions, but also have light, slim, short and small shapes, so that people not only use the mobile phones in their daily life, but also collect the mobile phones in their home to decorate.
However, shapes of the mobile phones of each manufacturer on the market have their own features, but tactile sensations of the mobile phones are rough. The upper cover with a two-stage spring structure of the slidable mobile phone is most obvious, and not only external force is needed to push the upper cover to make the elastic force of the spring cause the upper cover to slide relatively to the mobile phone body to be separated, but also the two-stage structure is damaged after the mobile phone is operated by the external force for long time. Therefore, the slidable mobile phone having the above problem can cause the desire of collecting the mobile phone of the people to be reduced.
Therefore, the inventor provides a mobile phone with a stepless motion function to solve the above problem based on the spirit of active creation, and the invention are achieved after research and experiments.

Mobile phone with stepless motion function


In a chemical analysis apparatus for extracting a specific substance, such as nucleic acid, from a sample containing a plurality of chemical substances, solutions remaining in valves are prevented so that a reagent in an earlier step does not contaminate the subsequent steps. Predetermined quantities of solutions are carried and supplied by centrifugal force without providing valves for controlling the flow of the solutions. After perforating the lids of ventilation holes 272, 273, 274 communicated with a detection container 450 and disposal containers 460 and 470 in an analysis disc 2, the analysis disc 2 is rotated to supply and carry a predetermined quantity of the sample.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a chemical analysis apparatus for extracting a specific chemical substance, such as nucleic acid, from a biological sample, such as blood or urine. An extracted chemical substance such as nucleic acid is mixed with a reagent for detection, and the mixture is analyzed. The invention also relates to a genetic diagnostic apparatus equipped with the chemical analysis apparatus.
2. Background Art
As an example of a chemical analysis apparatus for extracting and analyzing a specific chemical substance, such as nucleic acid, from a sample including a plurality of chemical substances, JP Patent Publication (PCT Translation) No. 2001-527220 (WO99/33559) discloses an integrated fluid manipulation cartridge. This device includes a reagent such as a solvent, a washing solution, or an eluent, and a capturing component for capturing nucleic acids. A sample including nucleic acid is injected into the cartridge and mixed with the eluent, and the mixture is passed through the capturing component. Further, the washing solution is passed through the capturing component, and then the eluent is passed through the capturing component. The eluent is brought into contact with a PCR reagent after passing through the capturing component and caused to flow toward a reaction chamber.
As an example of the method of extracting nucleic acids that is employed in the above-mentioned first prior art, JP Patent Publication (PCT Translation) No. 8-501321 (WO95/01359) discloses a method of purifying and separating a nucleic acid mixture by chromatography. In this method, the nucleic acid mixture is adsorbed on a mineral substrate of silica gel, for example, from an aqueous adsorption solution containing a high concentration of salts. The substrate is washed by a washing solution, and nucleic acids are eluted with a solution having a low concentration of salts. The silica gel is fixed inside a hollow cylindrical column, into which a solution of the nucleic acid mixture to be separated is poured and passed through the mineral substrate by suction or centrifugation.
WO00/78455 further discloses a microstructure and a method for examinations based on amplification. The disclosed apparatus, using the nucleic-acid mixture purification and separation method according to the above-mentioned JP Patent Publication (PCT Translation) No. 8-501321 (WO95/01359), passes a DNA mixture through a glass filter as a mineral substrate, and then passes it through a washing solution and an eluent, thereby collecting only DNA. The glass filter is provided on a rotatable structure, and reagents, such as the washing solution and eluent, are stored in individual reagent reservoirs inside the same structure. Each reagent is moved by the centrifugal force created by rotation of the structure, and the reagents are passed through the glass filter by opening a valve provided on a micropath connecting each reagent reservoir and the glass filter.
JP Patent Publication (PCT Application) No. 2001-502793 (WO98/13684) discloses an apparatus and method for chemical analysis. The apparatus comprises a disc-shaped member which has a chamber, paths, a reservoir, and analysis cells. A blood sample is introduced into the centrifugal chamber and centrifuged to separate blood cells from serum. Only the serum is caused to flow into a reaction chamber having beads, the surface of which has been coated with a reagent. Then, a washing solution flows into the reaction chamber, to which an eluting solution further flows. Thereafter, the eluting solution is moved from the reaction chamber to the analysis cells.
In the first prior art, namely that regarding the integrated fluid manipulation cartridge according to JP Patent Publication (PCT Translation) No. 2001-527220 (WO99/33559), when the individual reagents are delivered by pump, the valve or the like provided on the micropath connecting each reagent chamber and the capturing component is opened, thereby passing the reagent through the capturing component. Of the reagents that have passed through the capturing assembly, the washing solution is caused to flow to a waste chamber while the eluent is caused to flow to the reaction chamber by controlling the valve or the like provided on the path between the capturing component and each chamber. When a plurality of reagents are delivered by pump, the reagents remain on the walls of the paths, particularly when there is an obstacle such as a valve. Once such liquids are left, they never move, and it is possible for one reagent to cause contamination at the connecting point. Further, when the washing solution and the elution fluid that have passed through the capturing component are caused to flow to separate chambers by switching the valve or the like, the washing solution that has first flowed to the waste chamber can contaminate the path upstream of the value or the like used for switching to the reaction chamber, possibly resulting in the washing solution mixing with the elution liquid.
According to the second prior art, namely that regarding the purification and separation method disclosed in JP Patent Publication (PCT Translation) No. 8-501321 (WO95/01359), the nucleic acid mixture is introduced into the hollow cylindrical column in which silica gel is fixed. After passing the nucleic acid mixture through the silica gel by centrifugal force, a plurality of reagents are passed through, thereby collecting only nucleic acids. This publication, however, does not disclose the method of introducing the individual reagents into the hollow column or the method of collecting the washing solution and the elution fluid that have been passed through the silica gel.
According to the third prior art, namely that regarding the structure disclosed in WO00/78455, the individual reagents pass through the glass filter when moved by centrifugal force as the valve provided on a micropath connecting each reagent reservoir and the glass filter is opened. While the valve is made of wax that melts when heated, there is a possibility that a reagent that has passed through could remain at the valve and contaminate the collected DNA. Specifically, the DNA mixture or the washing solution may remain in the valve, and it is possible for the remaining DNA mixture or the washing solution to flow into the glass filter as the elution liquid is passed through the glass filter by centrifugal force.
According to the fourth prior art, namely that regarding the apparatus known from JP Patent Publication (PCT Translation) No. 2001-502793 (WO98/13684), when the blood serum is separated, the disc-shaped member revolves around a central axis outside of the disc-shaped member (revolution), and when the serum is guided to the reaction chamber, the disc-shaped member rotates about a central axis within itself (rotation). Thus, individual rotating mechanisms are required for the revolution and the rotation, which complicates the apparatus. Further, when the washing solution and the elution liquid are guided to the reaction chamber, a piston in a cylinder provided inside the disc-shaped member is driven, which further complicates the apparatus.

Chemical analysis apparatus and genetic diagnostic apparatus


A tubular skylight is supported in a building between the ceiling and the roof of the building by a support ring that is connected to the ceiling joists or to the ceiling dry wall. Specifically, a tube ring is engaged with the tube of the skylight to in turn engage the support ring and thereby support the tube. Also, the skylight includes a cover seal that establishes a seal between the roof dome of the skylight and the tube, and that also spaces the flashing of the skylight from the tube to prevent galvanic corrosion and to inhibit heat transfer between the flashing and the tube. The tube includes an upper segment that receives a lower segment, and an expansion seal is positioned between the segments such that the segments can move relative to each other to absorb thermal stresses, with the expansion seal maintaining a seal between the segments.

Tubular skylights have been provided for illuminating rooms inside buildings with natural light. Not only do tubular skylights thus save electricity and, concomitantly, are environmentally benign, but they illuminate rooms in a pleasing way using natural sunlight instead of 60 cycle electric light. An example of a commercially successful tubular skylight is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,099,622, assigned to the same assignee as the present invention and incorporated herein by reference.
A tubular skylight includes a roof-mounted, dome-like transparent cover. The cover is mounted on the roof of a building by means of a flashing. An internally reflective tube depends downwardly from the roof to the ceiling of the room sought to be illuminated, and the bottom of the tube is covered with a light diffuser that is positioned at the ceiling.
In most existing tubular skylights, the ceiling dry wall supports the diffuser and the tube. This is so in part because existing tubular skylights are not designed to be installed during construction of the building, but rather are retrofitted into the building after construction, when the ceiling dry wall has been attached to the ceiling joists and, hence, when access to the void between the roof and ceiling may not be possible. In other words, the only practical way to mount the diffuser and lower end of the tube in many circumstances is to attach the tube to the ceiling dry wall, instead of to relatively sturdier but inaccessible ceiling joists above the dry wall. Accordingly, to install a tubular skylight, a hole must be cut in the existing ceiling dry wall and in the roof, and then the skylight positioned and mounted as described above.
While effective for retrofitting skylights into existing homes, the above-described installation technique is unacceptable in the context of new home construction. This is because many municipal codes require inspection of structures between the roof and ceiling. As intimated above, however, once the ceiling dry wall is attached to the ceiling joists, such inspection might be impractical to undertake. The present invention, however, recognizes that it is possible to provide a skylight that conveniently can be installed during new home construction to permit inspection of the skylight before the ceiling dry wall is installed.
Additionally, the present invention recognizes and addresses several other considerations in tubular skylight design. One such consideration is that both the diffuser and the cover be effectively sealed to the tube. Otherwise, water vapor can enter the tube and condense, thereby reducing the illuminating capability of the skylight. As recognized by the present invention, however, many existing cover seals are rendered ineffective because the tube tends to warp over time, thereby spacing the seal from either the tube or the cover.
Furthermore, it is desirable not only to provide an effective seal between the cover and the upper end of the tube, but it is also desirable to maintain a predetermined space between the flashing and the tube. This is because the flashing can be made from a metal that is different from the metal of the tube, and if the two dissimilar metals come into contact with each other, galvanic corrosion undesirably can be induced. In addition, providing a thermal barrier between the flashing and the tube is desirable to reduce heat transfer between the flashing and tube and, thus, to reduce the amount of energy required to heat or cool the building. As recognized by the present invention, both an effective seal and a spacer can be provided using a single component.
Still further, the present invention recognizes that thermal stress can cause the tube to move relative to the building, and that such movement can further reduce the integrity of the skylight assembly. And, the present invention understands that it might be desirable that a tube of a skylight be vertically adjustable relative to the building to facilitate installation of the skylight.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a tubular skylight that can be installed in a building during construction of the building. Another object of the present invention is to provide a tubular skylight that incorporates an effective seal between the roof cover and the tube, and that maintains a space between a roof flashing and the tube to reduce galvanic corrosion. Still another object of the present invention is to provide a tubular skylight that absorbs thermal stress. Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a tubular skylight that can be vertically adjusted relative to a building after the tube of the skylight has been attached to the building, to facilitate installation of the skylight. Another object of the present invention is to provide a tubular skylight that is easy to use and cost-effective to manufacture.

Tubular skylight with vertically adjustable tube and improved roof cover seal


The present invention provides a fast optical shutter function by use of the fast movement of the micromirrors. In a micromirror array lens (MMAL), all the micromirrors reflect the incident light to form an image on the image plane. If the micromirrors reflect the incident light out of the optical sensor area, then the optical sensor can not have any optical signal just like the incident light blocked. By just changing the beam path by MMAL motion, the micromirror array lens has a function for optical shutter.

In optics fields, optical shutter plays an important role for getting high quality image, and controlling the light. For having shutter function for the optical devices, many methods and apparatuses are invented and currently used.
Mechanical shutter is most widely used for the optical systems. Light reflecting plate or light absorbing plate is used for blocking the input light and is controlled by the mechanical structure. One of the examples of mechanical shutter can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,762,866. Fast moving metal blade blocks the laser light or unblocks the laser light. The blade is controlled by the solenoids or AC or DC motors that can be rapidly operated by the shaped electrical pulses. Diaphragm structure is also introduced for having better quality and speed.
Liquid crystal can also be used for building the optical shutter which is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,455,083. Nematic liquid crystal is applied for the optical shutter function. The liquid crystal cluster can be aligned for blocking the light and also can be aligned for transmitting the light. To enhance the performance of the optical shutter function, additional polarizing optics can be applied to the system. Liquid crystal optical shutter has low contrast ratio and slow shutter speed.
For fast controlling of the light especially laser light, satiable absorber can be applied to the optical shutter system. The schematics of the optical shutter using satiable absorber are described in the U.S. Pat. No. 6,757,094. A photon absorbing layer is applied to the system and when light is passing the layer, the light is absorbed up to a certain level. Beyond this level, the material becomes transparent and the layer does not block the light any more. The saturation process is very fast and the optical shutting time also can be very fast. Since the process is only controlled by the absorbing process of the light, extra light control system is required for the system and the speed is only determined by the satiable absorbing material properties. For fast shuttering the optical signal, a Pockel's cell is also used. Electro-optics effect is used and the polarization change makes the optical shutter work.
Optical shutter function using interference effect is another method for optical shutter, which is described in the U.S. Pat. No. 6,965,477. A movable filter is applied to the system to control the light transmission or reflection. The gap between the fixed layer and the movable layer is determined by the incident light wavelength to make constructive or destructive interference of the incident light. Since the structure should be controlled within wavelength of the incident light, the optical shutter is difficult to control and gives undesired error due to the motion control error.
For a small beam size, micro electro mechanical system (MEMS) is applied to get a optical shutter function. A block translated by the micro-electric actuator to block the incident beam or unblock the beam even to control the amounts of the incident beam. Those kinds of micro-mechanical shutter systems are described in the U.S. Pat. No. 6,901,204 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,972,899. Since the MEMS device is small and fast for the optical shutter, MEMS device can be used as a good fast working optical shutter only if it can be made for optical shutter.

Fast optical shutter using micromirror motion


An output stage includes a system input and a system output, a first transistor having a first control input and a first controlled path, and a second transistor having a second control input and a second controlled path. The second controlled path is in series with the first controlled path and the system output. A first current-controlled voltage source has an input that is electrically connected to the system input. The first current-controlled voltage source has an output that is electrically connected to the first control input of the first transistor. A second current-controlled voltage source has an input that is electrically connected to the system input. The second current-controlled voltage source has an output that is electrically connected to the second control input of the second transistor.

In large scale integrated circuits it is often desirable to be able to output by means of an output stage an output voltage whose voltage swing exceeds the actual supply voltage of the respective semiconductor circuit technology and/or the rated voltage of the transistors respectively provided. Modern CMOS, complementary metal oxide semiconductor, circuit technologies, for example, have supply voltages of 3.6 V or less.
The constantly decreasing thickness of the gate oxide in CMOS circuits with the aim of utilizing the silicon area in a highly efficient manner leads to ever further reduced supply voltages. On the other hand, output voltages 3.6V or less often do not suffice for driving sensors or actuators directly with an output stage of the integrated circuit.
A common possibility for solving this problem is provided by means of so-called open-drain or open-collector outputs to which external pull-up resistors or on-chip pull-up resistors are connected in order to form an output stage.
In n-channel MOS structures, open-drain outputs can be realized via so-called NMOSH (High Voltage n-Type Metal Oxide Semiconductor) components, which are distinguished by suitability for comparatively high voltages. For this purpose, NMOSH components normally have weakly doped n-type well regions used as drain regions and are provided with an additional field oxide region for enlarging the gate oxide at the drain edge of the channel.
Since, in the conventional MOS circuit technologies, separate p-type wells in n-type well regions are not available for creating a corresponding p-type drain region, a complementary solution to NMOSH components is not available for p-channel components. In p-channel components with connected source and n-type well terminals which are produced in integrated circuit technology by means of a typical 3.3V fabrication process, the following maximum permissible voltages accordingly hold true: the source voltage with respect to gate voltage max. 3.6V, gate voltage with respect to drain voltage max. 3.6V, source voltage with respect to drain voltage max. 3.6V, source and n-type well voltage with respect to p-type substrate maximum 15V.
The passive pull-up components described have the disadvantage that a comparatively large amount of current is wasted if the resistance values of the pull-up resistors are low. On the other hand, the edge steepness of the rising edge is greatly limited in the case of larger resistances.
A similar problem area arises for analog outputs, where an external driver stage in a different fabrication technology has to be used to obtain the desired voltage swing at the output. In order for example to drive a high-voltage NMOS switch that can switch a voltage of up to 600V, a gate voltage of 10V is typically necessary in order to ensure a good switch-on state.
External driver stages are used for providing an analog output voltage having a voltage swing that is to say a dynamic amplitude, of 7V, as is provided in modern so-called power line modem applications. In this case, the integrated circuit has a differential output stage connected to the actual output via an external current mirror formed in bipolar circuit technology.
The document EP 1 326 337 A1 shows a push-pull driver for high voltages that is realized in standard CMOS. An upper, a middle and a lower transistor form a series circuit. In this case, diodes are provided which, together with a clamping voltage effect a clamping of the gates of the middle and lower transistors.


A high strength, thermally resistant, fire retardant, composition of matter is provided comprising (A) about 99.5 to about 75 weight percent of unmodified polymethylpentene where the weight percent of polymethylpentene is based on the total weight of A and B; and (B) about 0.5 to about 25 weight percent of polyphenylene sulfide where the weight percent of polyphenylene sulfide is based on the total weight of A, and B; (C) about 10 to about 67 weight percent of a reinforcer where the weight percent of the reinforcer is based on the total weight of A, B, C, and D; (D) optionally about 5 to about 45 weight percent of a flame retardant where the weight percent of the flame retardant is based on the total weight A, B, C and D.

This invention relates to high strength, thermally resistant, fire retardant, polymethylpentene compositions.
Polymethylpentene, also known as PMP, has long been known in the art. Although many methods are known in the art for improving the performance characteristics of compositions like polyethylene and polypropylene, these same methods tend not to work in the higher alpha olefins, like PMP. Recently, great emphasis has been placed upon modifying the PMP polymer structure in order to improve the performance characteristics of this polymer. Most of these methods deal with creating a more interactive surface between the PMP polymer structure and the other constituents in the composition. It has been noted though, that the majority of these methods of improving PMP performance characteristics tend to be time consuming and somewhat expensive. Therefore, a method of producing a high strength, thermally resistant, fire retardant, PMP composition, in which the PMP polymer matrix does not have to be substantially altered, would be of great scientific and economic value.


A data processing system normalizes data sets (such as low-resolution transaction data) into high-resolution data sets by mapping generic information into attribute-based specific information that is stored in a database. By establishing a shared domain model for representing items in the recommendation context, catalog and quote history with common terms and concepts, a recommendation engine operating in the shared domain may process the attribute-based representations to make specific and relevant recommendations to the customer. In addition, when certain attribute values are normalized over time, recommendations derived from past order history can be intelligently applied to current orders. The normalized representation of elements in the shared domain may also be used to generate compelling selling point text for each recommendation that is specific to the marketing objectives of the seller and identifies the objectives of the buyer.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to the field of database analysis. In one aspect, the present invention relates to a system and method for generating purchase recommendations based on historical transaction data.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional sales practices often use sales or service representatives to assist in the customer's purchasing decisions by recommending particular products or features to the customer. An experienced sales or service representative will be able to recommend specific purchases by first taking into consideration the customer's stated preferences.
In addition, a vendor who sells computer systems to a variety of customers (e.g., individual home users interested in personal computers, businesses interested in client/server systems, etc.) must recommend an optimal configuration of computer features and/or related products to meet the customer's particular needs, where a "configuration" is a collection of constituent parts that comprise an end product or service, and a "product" may comprise one or more physical objects or one or more services or any combination of products and services. In this case, the recommendation of a particular system configuration may depend on the external needs of the customer, such that a recommended configuration has a certain amount of disk space storage, a certain number of disk drives, choice of monitor, and the like to meet the desired level of functionality or price/performance desired by the customer.
An experienced sales or service representative will also be able to recommend specific purchases by taking into consideration the historical purchasing patterns of other customers, such that a recommendation is based on historical transaction data indicating that, when other customers have purchased product or feature X, they also purchased product or feature Y (which would be recommended to the customer). Now that modern computers can assemble, record and analyze enormous amounts of data, historical transaction data can be collected and analyzed using data mining techniques to discover association relationships in a database by identifying frequently occurring patterns in the database. These association relationships or rules may be applied to extract useful information from large databases in a variety of fields, including selective marketing, market analysis and management applications (such as target marketing, customer relation management, market basket analysis, cross selling, market segmentation), risk analysis and management applications (such as forecasting, customer retention, improved underwriting, quality control, competitive analysis), fraud detection and management applications and other applications (such as text mining (news group, email, documents), stream data mining, web mining, DNA data analysis, etc.). Association rules have been applied to model and emulate consumer purchasing activities by describing how often items are purchased together. Typically, a rule consists of two conditions (e.g., antecedent and consequent) and is denoted as AC where A is the antecedent and C is the consequent. For example, an association rule, "laptopspeaker (80%)," states that four out of five customers that bought a laptop computer also bought speakers.
Conventional data mining approaches use generic item descriptions, such as the SKU (stockable unit number) when identifying items or products in a transaction database. When these generic descriptions are used to identify frequent sets, the frequent sets are not large and power-set/rule generation is tractable. However, conventional data mining techniques using item data at the SKU (stockable unit number) level do not provide sufficient information to develop meaningful association rules for complex products. For example, if there are three transactions involving the purchase of a computer identified as "Desktop-SKU" with one of the transactions also involving the purchase of DVD disks, the product level of description used to identify the computer does not reveal that two of the computers did not include DVD drives, while the third computer (which was purchased with the DVD disks) did include a DVD drive. As this example demonstrates, this lack of granularity in the item description diminishes the quality of association rules that can be generated, resulting in limited pattern correlation.
The difficulty of making recommendations increases as the number and complexity of mined association rules increases, which in turn is caused by an increase in the number of services and/or products, where each service or product may itself comprise a number of constituent services and products. The complexity of recommending a suitable configuration grows further with the number of constituent parts, the external needs of the customer, and the internal needs of the parts when considered as a whole. To assist with managing this complexity, configuration systems have been developed to help automate the process of choosing a particular configuration for the customer. A typical configuration system is a software process that captures the nature of the product by specifying the constituent components of the product and the available choices to be made when selecting a suitable set of the components. Conventional configuration systems require substantial programming input to capture the domain of a vendor's end products which refers to the information required to create a useful model of the end product that is usually expressed in terms of the generic part descriptions, such as the SKU (stockable unit number), of the (constituent) parts, the relationships among these parts, the resources of the parts, user needs, and the like. There are a number of drawbacks associated with conventional configuration systems, including the expense of creating and maintaining such systems, the programming complexity of creating and updating such systems, the time required to create the system and to train employees, the inflexibility of such systems in terms of accommodating new parts or descriptions, and the incompatibility with other configuration systems.
As seen from the conventional approaches, a need exists for methods and/or apparatuses for improving the use of data mining techniques in generating recommendations. There is also a need for finer granularity in the generation of frequent sets to better discover meaningful patterns without imposing the cost of a combinatorial explosion of the data that must be examined. In addition, there is a need for methods and/or apparatuses for generating flexible association rules without requiring unwieldy candidate set generation, without requiring multiple database passes and without requiring additional time to generate association rules as the frequent set grows. Moreover, there is a need for an improved method and system for efficiently generating retail recommendations which reduces programming complexity and expense, which may be readily adapted to new parts or part descriptions, and/or which is compatible with different configuration systems. Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional systems will become apparent to one of skill in the art after reviewing the remainder of the present application with reference to the drawings and detailed description which follow.