A fiber management frame having a movable work platform and an interconnection closure including the fiber management frame are provided for supporting and securely retaining various sized optical fiber connection trays and test equipment adjacent the fiber management frame, while also permitting a technician to readily support and retain any one of the trays without damaging the optical connections housed by the trays. The work platform includes a generally planar shelf and a bias member positioned on the shelf opposite a pair of upwardly and inwardly extending first outer flanges. The bias member biases the tray in the direction of the first outer flanges so as to securely retain the tray between the bias member and the first outer flanges. Preferably, the work platform is hingedly mounted to the fiber management frame such that the work platform can be rotated between an operational position and a stowed position.

The present invention relates generally to interconnection closures and, more particularly, to interconnection closures including a fiber management frame having a movable work platform for supporting and securely retaining various sized optical fiber connection trays and test equipment adjacent the fiber management frame.
Fiber optic networks typically include interconnection closures at splice locations throughout the fiber optic network. Typically, these interconnection closures include splice closures, patch closures and the like. For example, splice closures commonly house the splices required to connect the optical fibers of one or more fiber optic feeder cables to respective ones of the optical fibers of one or more fiber optic drop cables. By housing the splices, a splice closure protects the spliced end portions of the optical fibers from strain, environmental degradation, and other deleterious forces, thereby increasing the reliability and quality of the splices.
While fiber optic networks have traditionally served as the backbone or trunkline of communication networks to transmit signals over relatively long distances, fiber optic networks are gradually being extended closer to the end points of the communications networks. In this regard, fiber optic networks have been developed that deliver fiber-to-the-curb, fiber-to-the-home, fiber-to-the-business, fiber-to-the-desk, and the like. In each of these different applications, a splice closure must be capable of splicing different types of cables to establish the proper interconnections. In this regard, the splice closure utilized in a fiber-to-the-home, fiber-to-the-business, or fiber-to-the-desk application is mounted upon a fiber optic feeder cable and one or more fiber optic drop cables to permit at least some of the optical fibers of the feeder cable to extend uninterrupted through the splice closure while splicing or otherwise connecting the other optical fibers of the fiber optic feeder cable with optical fibers of the drop cable(s). In contrast, a splice closure that is utilized in a fiber-to-the-curb application is mounted upon not just a fiber optic feeder cable and one or more drop cables, but also an electrical feeder cable. In this application, the splice closure must facilitate the splicing of one or more electrical conductors of the electrical feeder cable to corresponding electrical conductors of the drop cable(s), while permitting the remainder of the electrical conductors to extend uninterrupted through the closure. Additionally, the splice closure must facilitate the splicing of one or more of the optical fibers of the fiber optic feeder cable with respective optical fibers of the drop cable(s) while continuing to permit at least some of the optical fibers of the fiber optic feeder cable to extend uninterrupted through the closure.
In either type of splice closure, the closure must provide a mechanism for connecting optical fibers, such as splicing one or more optical fibers of a fiber optic feeder cable with respective optical fibers of a drop cable, and for testing the continuity of the optical fiber connections, both during initial configuration and subsequent reconfiguration of the splice closure. Typically, the splice closure includes one or more splice trays, coupler trays and/or connector panels that facilitate the splicing or other connection of respective pairs of the optical fibers. For ease of reference, splice trays, coupler trays, and connector panels will be hereinafter collectively referred to as xe2x80x9coptical fiber connection traysxe2x80x9d or simply xe2x80x9ctrays.xe2x80x9d Each such tray is designed to house a plurality of connections between respective pairs of optical fibers. Since many splice closures include a large number of connections between respective pairs of optical fibers, splice closures oftentimes include a plurality of trays, typically stacked one upon another and/or stored in separate compartments within the splice closure.
The trays are preferably secured within the splice closure such that they are fixed in position once the closure has been configured and is placed into service. As such, the trays should not shift or otherwise move once the splice closure has been placed into service since any shifting or other movement of the trays could harm the connections between respective pairs of optical fibers. Some splice closures include a strap, such as a hook and loop strap, that wraps about the trays to secure the trays in position. Alternatively, the trays may define an aperture and the splice closure may include a post upon which the trays are mounted such that the post extends through the corresponding apertures defined by the trays, thereby securing the trays in position. Other means for securing the trays within the closure are described in the co-pending U.S. Patent Application entitled Fiber Management Frame For Securely Retaining Optical Fiber Connection Trays filed by Jennifer Battey, et al. and assigned to the assignee of the present application, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
While the trays are desirably fixed in position once the splice closure has been configured and placed in service, the closure is also preferably designed such that the trays can be readily accessed by a technician both during the initial configuration of the closure in which connections are established between respective pairs of the optical fibers and during any subsequent reconfiguration of the closure in which at least some of the connections between respective pairs of the optical fibers are changed. For splice closures that include a strap for retaining stacked trays, the strap must be released and the appropriate tray removed from the stack. For splice closures that include a plurality of stacked trays mounted upon an upstanding post, the appropriate tray must be removed from the post and the stack. In either instance, the tray must then be supported and securely retained in a convenient work location where it can be opened to provide the technician with access to the optical fiber connections housed by the tray.
Reconfiguring an aerial splice closure is especially difficult, particularly in applications, such as previously discussed, when at least some of the optical fibers of the optical fiber feeder cable and/or at least some of the electrical conductors of the electrical feeder cable extend uninterrupted through the closure. In such applications, sometimes referred to as xe2x80x9ctaut sheathxe2x80x9d applications, the splice closure cannot be removed from the fiber optic feeder cable, the electrical feeder cable, and the drop cables. Accordingly, the aerial splice closure must be reconfigured from a ladder or an aerial bucket of a utility truck that is positioned in close proximity to the closure. It is known to provide a work platform on the ladder or the aerial bucket. However, the work platform provided on the ladder or aerial bucket cannot always be positioned sufficiently close to the fiber management frame of the splice closure, for example when the cover of the closure interferes with the ladder or aerial bucket in its open position. Furthermore, work platforms provided on ladders and aerial buckets typically are not adapted for securely retaining the various sized trays housed within different splice closures or the various sized test equipment utilized, for example, to verify the continuity of the optical connections.
Not only does positioning various sized trays and test equipment on the work platform of a ladder or aerial bucket create additional work for the technician reconfiguring the splice closure, but the additional movement of the trays increases the risk that the optical fiber connections housed by the trays will be damaged during the reconfiguration. As such, it would be desirable to provide a splice closure with a movable work platform for supporting any one of the trays without having to remove the tray from the closure and to support the tray on a work platform provided on a ladder or an aerial bucket. More particularly, it would be desirable to develop a splice closure including a fiber management frame having a movable work platform for supporting and securely retaining various sized trays and test equipment adjacent the fiber management frame during initial configuration and reconfiguration of the closure. Furthermore, it would be desirable to develop a splice closure having a movable work platform that permits a technician to more readily support and retain any one of the optical fiber connection trays without damaging the optical connections housed by the tray.
A fiber management frame having a movable work platform and an interconnection closure including the fiber management frame are provided for supporting and securely retaining various sized optical fiber connection trays and test equipment adjacent the fiber management frame during initial configuration and reconfiguration, while also permitting a technician to readily support and retain any one of the trays without damaging the optical connections housed by the tray.
According to one aspect of the present invention, an interconnection closure includes a fiber management frame and a work platform movably attached to the fiber management frame. The work platform includes means for supporting and securely retaining various sized optical fiber connection trays selected from the consisting of a splice tray, a coupler tray, and a connector panel. The means for supporting and securely retaining includes a shelf having an inner edge adjacent the fiber management frame and an outer edge opposite the inner edge, a bias member positioned on the shelf, and at least one first outer flange extending upwardly from the shelf and positioned opposite the bias member. The bias member engages a lengthwise edge of the trays and biases the tray in the direction of the first outer flange to securely retain the tray between the bias member and the first outer flange. The means for supporting and securely retaining further includes at least one first inner flange extending upwardly from the shelf adjacent the inner edge of the shelf. The first inner flange has an aperture therethrough for receiving a fastener for affixing the work platform to the fiber management frame. The means for supporting and securely retaining further includes at least one second inner flange extending upwardly from the shelf and the bias member is affixed to the second inner flange.
In another aspect of the present invention, the work platform is hingedly mounted to the fiber management frame and the means for supporting and securely retaining includes a hinge. The hinge has a first half affixed to the fiber management frame and a second half affixed to the work platform. More particularly, the second half of the hinge is affixed to the underside of the inner edge of the shelf adjacent the fiber management frame. As previously described, the means for supporting and securely retaining further includes a first inner flange extending upwardly from the shelf adjacent the inner edge. The first inner flange has an aperture therethrough for receiving a fastener for affixing the work platform to the fiber management frame in an operational position. The means for supporting and securely retaining further includes a second outer flange extending outwardly from the shelf. The second outer flange has an aperture therethrough for receiving a fastener for affixing the work platform to the fiber management frame in a stowed position.
In another aspect of the present invention, a fiber management frame having a movable work platform adjacent the fiber management frame is provided for supporting and securely retaining various sized optical fiber connection trays. The work platform includes a shelf having an inner edge adjacent the fiber management frame and an outer edge opposite the inner edge. The work platform further includes a bias member positioned on the shelf and a first outer flange extending upwardly from the shelf and opposite the bias member. The bias member engages a lengthwise edge of the trays and bias the tray in the direction of the first outer flange. The work platform further includes at least one first inner flange extending upwardly from the shelf adjacent the inner edge of the shelf. The first inner flange has an aperture therethrough for receiving a fastener for affixing the work platform to the fiber management frame. The work platform further includes at least one second inner flange extending upwardly from the shelf and the bias member is affixed to the second inner flange.
In another aspect of the present invention, the bias member of the work platform is a thin, elongate strip of elastic material having a first end affixed to the second inner flange, a second end opposite the first end and positioned adjacent and parallel to the second inner flange, and an outermost portion opposite the first outer flange. The outermost portion engages a lengthwise edge of the trays and biases the tray in the direction of the first outer flange. The bias member thereby exerts pressure on the lengthwise edge of the trays to securely retain the tray between the outermost portion of the bias member and the first outer flange. In a preferred embodiment, the bias member is formed of spring steel, the first end of the bias member is affixed to the second inner flange, and the second end of the bias member is free to slide parallel to the second inner flange beneath a guide flange. As previously described, the first inner flange extends upwardly from the shelf adjacent the inner edge of the shelf and has an aperture therethrough for receiving a fastener for affixing the work platform to the fiber management frame in an operational position. The second outer flange extends outwardly from the shelf and has an aperture therethrough for receiving a fastener for affixing the work platform to the fiber management frame in a stowed position. The work platform may further include a hinge having a first half affixed to the fiber management frame and a second half affixed to the shelf such that the shelf rotates about the hinge between the operational position and the stowed position.
In yet another aspect of the present invention, a method is provided for supporting and securely retaining various sized optical fiber connection trays on a movable work platform adjacent a fiber management frame housed within an interconnection closure. The work platform includes a shelf, a bias member positioned on the shelf, and a first outer flange extending upwardly from the shelf and positioned opposite the bias member. The method includes the first step of positioning the work platform in an operational position adjacent the fiber management frame. The method further includes the second step of removing one of the trays from the fiber management frame. The method further includes the third step of positioning the tray on the work platform between the bias member and the first outer flange such that the bias member biases the tray in the direction of the first outer flange. Preferably, the work platform further includes a first inner flange extending upwardly from the shelf adjacent the inner edge that has an aperture therethrough for receiving a fastener for affixing the work platform to the fiber management frame in an operational position, and a second outer flange extending outwardly from the shelf that has an aperture therethrough for receiving a fastener for affixing the work platform to the fiber management frame in a stowed position. As previously mentioned, the work platform is hingedly mounted to the fiber management frame and the work platform includes a hinge such that the shelf rotates about the hinge between the operational position and the stowed position.

Fiber management frame having movable work platform


In a first aspect, polymers of the invention in general comprise a photoacid-labile unit that can generate multiple anions or acidic groups such as hydroxy (particularly phenolic) preferably from a single photoacid-induced polymer deprotection reaction. In a further aspect, polymers of the invention comprise a photoacid-labile unit that generate substantially or essentially no volatile species species during a photoacid-induced deprotection reaction of the polymer to thereby avoid undesired outgassing and/or shrinkage of a resist coating layer containing a polymer of the invention. In particularly preferred aspects of the invention, polymers are provided that combine both aspects, i.e. the polymers contain blocking groups that can generate multiple anions or acid groups preferably from a single photoacid-induced polymer deprotection reaction, and those blocking groups also generate substantially no volatile species during microlithographic processing. Polymers of the invention are particularly useful as components of photoresist compositions, particularly chemically-amplified positive resists.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to new polymers and use of such polymers as a resin component for photoresist compositions, particularly chemically-amplified positive-acting photoresist compositions. Polymers of the invention comprise groups that can generate multiple anions or acidic groups, and/or generate substantially no volatile species during lithographic processing.
2. Background
Photoresists are photosensitive films used for the transfer of images to a substrate. A coating layer of a photoresist is formed on a substrate and the photoresist layer is then exposed through a photomask to a source of activating radiation. The photomask has areas that are opaque to activating radiation and other areas that are transparent to activating radiation. Exposure to activating radiation provides a photoinduced chemical transformation of the photoresist coating to thereby transfer the pattern of the photomask to the photoresist-coated substrate. Following exposure, the photoresist is developed to provide a relief image that permits selective processing of a substrate.
A photoresist can be either positive-acting or negative-acting. For most negative-acting photoresists, those coating layer portions that are exposed to activating radiation polymerize or crosslink in a reaction between a photoactive compound and polymerizable reagents of the photoresist composition. Consequently, the exposed coating portions are rendered less soluble in a developer solution than unexposed portions. For a positive-acting photoresist, exposed portions are rendered more soluble in a developer solution while areas not exposed remain comparatively less developer soluble. In general, photoresist compositions comprise at least a resin binder component and a photoactive agent.
More recently, chemically-amplified-type resists have been increasingly employed, particularly for formation of sub-micron images and other high performance applications. Such photoresists may be negative-acting or positive-acting and generally include many crosslinking events (in the case of a negative-acting resist) or deprotection reactions (in the case of a positive-acting resist) per unit of photogenerated acid. In the case of positive chemically-amplified resists, certain cationic photoinitiators have been used to induce cleavage of certain xe2x80x9cblockingxe2x80x9d groups pendant from a photoresist binder, or cleavage of certain groups that comprise a photoresist binder backbone. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,075,199; 4,968,581; 4,883,740; 4,810,613; and 4,491,628, and Canadian Patent Application 2,001,384. Upon cleavage of the blocking group through exposure of a coating layer of such a resist, a polar functional group is formed, e.g., carboxyl or imide, which results in different solubility characteristics in exposed and unexposed areas of the resist coating layer. See also R. D. Allen et al., Proceedings of SPIE, 2724:334-343 (1996); and P. Trefonas et al. Proceedings of the 11th International Conference on Photopolymers (Soc. Of Plastics Engineers), pp 44-58 (Oct. 6, 1997).
While currently available photoresists are suitable for many applications, current resists also can exhibit significant shortcomings, particularly in high performance applications such as formation of highly resolved sub-half micron and sub-quarter micron features.
The present invention provides novel polymers and photoresist compositions that comprise a photoactive component and such polymers as a resin component.
In a first aspect, polymers of the invention in general comprise a photoacid-labile unit (sometimes referred to as a xe2x80x9cblocking groupxe2x80x9d) that can generate multiple anions or acidic groups such as hydroxy (particularly phenolic) preferably from a single photoacid-induced polymer deprotection reaction.
In a further aspect, polymers of the invention comprise a photoacid-labile unit (i.e. blocking group) generate substantially or essentially no volatile species (e.g. boiling point less than about 180xc2x0 C. or 200xc2x0 C.) species during a photoacid-induced deprotection reaction of the polymer to thereby avoid undesired outgassing and/or shrinkage of a resist coating layer containing a polymer of the invention.
In particularly preferred aspects of the invention, polymers are provided that combine both of the above aspects, i.e. the polymers contain blocking groups that can generate multiple anions or acid groups preferably from a single photoacid-induced polymer deprotection reaction, and those blocking groups also generate essentially no volatile species (e.g. boiling point less than about 180xc2x0 C. or 200xc2x0 C.) species during a photoacid-induced deprotection reaction of the polymer.
Particularly preferred polymers of the invention comprise one or more acetal, ketal and/or ortho esters photoacid-labile groups (blocking groups) that preferably can generate multiple anions. Unless otherwise specified, references herein to acetal groups are inclusive of both acetal, ketal and ortho ester groups.
A suitable acetal precursor compound or other suitable blocking group precursor may be grafted onto a preformed polymer to provide a polymer with photoacid labile acetal group. Upon exposure to photoacid, the acetal unit is cleaved or deblocked, which can provide an anion or acidic group on the polymer. Moreover, by appropriate selection of the acetal precursor compound, after deblocking, the cleavage product itself can generate a further anion or acidic group.
The generation of multiple anions or acid groups from a single deblocking reaction can provide photoresist relief images of enhanced contrast and resolution. The use of blocking groups that generate substantially or essentially no volatile species avoid undesired outgassing and shrinkage of a resist coating layer containing a polymer of the invention. Such outgassing and shrinkage can compromise resolution of an image patterned in the resist layer as well as damage or at least interfere with the performance of imaging equipment. For example, volatile products of a deblocking reaction can condense on lenses of a stepper or other imaging equipment.
Photoresists of the invention contain a photoactive component, typically a photoacid generator compound, and a resin component that comprises a polymer of the invention. Photoresists of the invention can be imaged with a variety of activating radiation, depending on the photoactive component that is employed. Generally preferred will be deep UV wavelengths (recognized as less than about 300 nm), including 248 nm, and sub-200 nm wavelengths such as 193 nm and 157 nm. Other useful exposure radiation includes E-beam, X-ray, EUV, and ion projection lithography (IPL).
The invention also provides methods for forming relief images, including methods for forming a highly resolved relief image such as a pattern of lines where each line has essentially vertical sidewalls and a line width of about 0.40 microns or less, or even about 0.25 microns or less. The invention further provides articles of manufacture comprising substrates such as a microelectronic wafer or a liquid crystal display or other flat panel display substrate having coated thereon the photoresists and relief images of the invention. Other aspects of the invention are disclosed infra.

Polymers and photoresist compositions comprising same


A method for measuring characteristics of a power line signal having a fundamental frequency is provided. The method includes estimating the fundamental frequency of the power line signal, and generating a sampling clock that is substantially synchronized to the estimated fundamental power line frequency. The power line signal is sampled with the substantially synchronized sampling clock to generate data samples that include one or more substantially complete cycles of the power line signal. The data samples are processed to detect zero crossings of the power line signal, and the detected zero crossings are used to calculate an r.m.s. voltage of the power line signal measured over one full cycle, commencing at a zero crossing, and refreshed each half-cycle. Other aspects are also provided.

This invention relates to apparatus and methods for power quality measurement. In particular, this invention relates to apparatus and methods for detecting and measuring characteristics of dips, swells and interruptions in AC power systems.
Voltage dips, swells, and interruptions are short-duration disturbances in AC power systems (referred to herein as "DSI Disturbances"). Voltage dips are brief reductions in voltage magnitude lasting anywhere from milliseconds to a few seconds. Voltage swells are brief increases in voltage magnitude lasting anywhere from milliseconds to a few seconds. Voltage interruptions are more severe decreases in voltage magnitude. The threshold for voltage interruptions is usually less than 10% of nominal voltage.
Various industry standards define characteristics of DSI Disturbances, and also specify methods to measure the duration and magnitude of DSI Disturbances. However, the power line frequency (e.g., 60 Hz in the US, and 50 Hz in Europe) may vary by ±15% of nominal, which makes it very difficult to accurately detect and measure characteristics of DSI Disturbances. Accordingly, improved systems and methods for detecting and measuring characteristics of DSI Disturbances are desirable.

Apparatus and methods for power quality measurement


Coupling of excitation to neurogenesis in proliferating post-natal NPCs is demonstrated in vitro and in vivo. Neurogenesis is potently enhanced by excitatory stimuli, and involves Cav1.2/1.3 channels and NMDA receptors. These Ca2+ influx pathways are located on the proliferating NPCs, allowing them to directly sense and process excitatory stimuli. Excitation increases the fraction of NPC progeny that are neurons, and increases total neuron number. Signaling in this pathway leads to rapid induction of a proneural gene expression pattern involving the bHLH genes HES1, Id2, and NeuroD, and the resulting cells become fully functional neurons defined by neuronal morphology, expression of neuronal structural proteins, expression of neuronal TTX-sensitive voltage gated Na+ channels, and synaptic incorporation into active neural circuits.

Neurogenesis occurs throughout life, particularly in the hippocampus, and the balance of neuronal loss and birth is essential in generating the plasticity necessary for new memory formation. In the adult mammalian hippocampus, production of new neurons is influenced by a variety of environmental and behavioral conditions. Factors that have been described as influencing neurogenesis, include, for example, exercise, diet, environmental stimulation, steroids, electroconvulsive therapy, and antidepressants. These findings have stimulated great interest in determining if hippocampal activity itself meaningfully guides neurogenesis, thereby implementing a novel form of network plasticity at the cellular level that would go beyond the well-known forms of plasticity that occur at the synaptic level. Insertion of new neurons could modulate the capability of the adult hippocampal network to handle storage of new memories or clearance of old memories. Furthermore, linking neurogenesis to neuronal activity might adapt the adult network both to physiological demands and to pathological insults.
The generation of new neurons within the hippocampus is mediated by proliferating neural stem/progenitor cells, which are highly sensitive to local signaling. Stem cells represent the most immature cell necessary for neurogenesis. These cells give rise to more restricted precursors or progenitor cells and ultimately these progenitors differentiate into new functional neurons. These cells produce neurons in response to signals received from surrounding cells as well as humoral signals from circulating hormones, cytokines, and growth factors. Gross alterations in local microenvironments may allow ectopic neurogenesis to occur, or even block essential neurogenesis, leading to deficits in neurogenesis-dependent functions, such as learning and memory.
There are numerous diseases associated with neurodegeneration. For example, Parkinson's disease is associated with a loss of dopaminergic neurons in certain brain regions. Alzheimer's Disease is characterized by the death of nerve cells in regions of the brain involved in language and memory. In addition, aging may be associated with a decrease in synaptic plasticity, which leads to a reduction in memory. Other neurodegenerative diseases include Huntington's chorea and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's disease). Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) that afflicts millions of Americans over the age of 45, unrelated to frank dementia or Alzherimer's disease, may also be related to neuronal loss.
Trauma is also a cause of neural damage. Traumatic brain injury (TBI) can significantly affect many cognitive, physical, and psychological skills. Physical deficit can include ambulation, balance, coordination, fine motor skills, strength, and endurance. Cognitive deficits of language and communication, information processing, memory, and perceptual skills are common. Brain injury can occur in many other ways, including accidents in which the head strikes an object, insufficient oxygen as occurs during strokes, poisoning, or infection.
Altered neuron number in the brain, in particular within the hippocampus, may also occur during mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, and autism. For example, the hippocampus tends to be smaller in humans suffering from depression, anxiety disorders such as PTSD, and schizophrenia, and neuron number may be increased in autism. Furthermore, many clinically efficacious anti-depressant medications enhance neurogenesis in the hippocampus.
There is a need to develop compounds and methods of treatment that prevent the onset, and/or ameliorate the symptoms, of diseases associated with damage, dysfunction, or degeneration of neurons. There is also a need to develop compounds and methods of treatment to improve the regeneration and repair of neurons in the brain. Preferably, the treatment will allow for controlled neurogenesis to replace damaged neurons, or to prevent the loss of neurons. Compounds that prevent or reduce neurodegeneration may be used to prevent a variety of diseases, or may be used to specifically target one disease or brain region.
Publications
Aspects of neurogenesis are disclosed, for example, in Deisseroth et al. (1996) Neuron 16, 89-101; Deisseroth et al. (1998) Nature 392, 198-202; Deisseroth et al. (2003) Curr Opin Neurobiol. 13, 354-65; Monje et al. (2002) Nat Med 5, 5; Palmer et al. (1999) J Neurosci 19, 8487-8497; Palmer et al. (1997) Mol Cell Neurosci 8, 389-404; and U.S. patent application 20020155173.

Coupling of excitation and neurogenesis in neural stem/progenitor cells

The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University


Aspects of the disclosure relate to a machine learning based identification and classification of database commands. A computing platform may retrieve, by a computing device and from a first database of a plurality of databases, a database command. Subsequently, the computing platform may identify, by the computing device and for the database command and based on a machine learning model, one or more database commands from the plurality of databases, wherein the one or more database commands perform operations similar to the database command. Then, the computing platform may determine, by the computing device and for the database command, a security score indicative of a level of vulnerability associated with the database command. Subsequently, the computing platform may provide, via an interactive graphical user interface, the database command and the security score.

Aspects of the disclosure relate to deploying digital data processing systems to create and/or manage data structures. In particular, one or more aspects of the disclosure relate to a machine learning based identification and classification of database commands.
Enterprise organizations may utilize various computing infrastructure to manage and/or store data and information related to a business of the enterprise organization. For example, one or more databases may be utilized. Generally, databases may include a large number of database commands that may facilitate interactions with the database. Also, different databases may include different database commands. In some instances, different databases may include different commands to perform similar operations. Generally, due to the complexities of various database structures, subject matter experts may have knowledge of a subset of the databases, and/or a subset of the database commands within a database. One or more attributes of a database may change over time. For example, a syntax of a database command may change, a new database structure may be added, an existing database structure may be modified, and so forth. Such changes may occur due to one or more factors, such as, for example, a change to a business need, a technology simplification, a performance based modification, and so forth. Also, databases may need to be monitored for security compliance, and changes to the one or more attributes of a database may impact functioning of a database, and/or impact its compliance with a security profile of the enterprise organization. Ensuring that such information on databases is available in a timely and searchable manner, and changes, updates, and/or monitoring activities are performed seamlessly, may be highly advantageous to providing an efficient and effective platform to users. In many instances, providing an updated, searchable database, while also optimizing the resource utilization, bandwidth utilization, and efficient operations of the computing infrastructure involved in maintaining, accessing, and/or manipulating the database, may be of may be of high significance to an enterprise organization.

Machine learning based identification and classification of database commands


A toilet cleaner controller device for use in a toilet having a tank equipped with a fill device functioning after a flush to refill the tank with water to a selected level, with this toilet cleaner controller device having therein a reservoir adapted to receive a cleansing chemical able to be dissolved in water. The reservoir has an inlet connection enabling it to be connected to receive water from the water-supplying pipe of the fill device of the toilet tank during the procedure in which the toilet tank is being refilled after a flush. In this way a concentrated cleansing solution will be maintained in the reservoir. A valve is operably installed in the controller device, connected to receive concentrated solution from the reservoir. The valve has an outlet port, with the valve enabling the flow of concentrated solution from the outlet port to the toilet to be readily controlled. I prefer to use a multiposition valve positionable such that the strength of the cleansing solution can be readily modified, with this valve also enabling the cleansing fluid to be delivered only to the toilet bowl, or simultaneously to both the toilet bowl and the toilet tank.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to devices for sanitizing toilet tanks and bowls, and more particularly to a device for selectively controlling the rate of flow and volume of a sanitizing liquid to be discharged into a toilet tank and bowl.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Efforts to effect a sanitization of toilet bowls extend back almost to the time that toilets first became popularly accepted as a part of American life. Thus, in U.S. Pat. No. 685,020 issued to J. H. Venner on Oct. 22, 1901, a boxlike container was provided for a toilet tank, in the bottom of which was placed a disinfectant. Holes were provided both in the side of the container and in the top. As the water in the tank rose, some was admitted into the container to produce a saturated solution of the disinfectant. When the tank was flushed and the water level of the tank dropped below the holes in the side of the container, the solution ran out and into the toilet bowl for sanitization purposes.
This principle of operation has been utilized for numerous devices which have been patented since that of Venner, involving the use of plastic bags or pouches, or compressed tablets inserted into a toilet tank.
One problem with all of these prior art devices has been that they were orificed for only one volume of saturated solution and one rate of flow thereof into the tank and thence to the toilet bowl. This was true despite the fact that there are often considerable variations in conditions of the toilet and its use, which make it desirable for the person who maintains the cleanliness of the toilet to be able to vary the amount of sanitizer which is discharged into the tank and thus reach the bowl. Some cleansing solutions can be used full strength, whereas other cleansing solutions are so strong that they should always be utilized in a diluted condition.
For example, when first used, or if the bowl is subjected to frequent use, it may be desirable to provide for a substantial flow of the sanitizer solution from its container. The amount of concentration, and the amount of flow of the concentrated solution in each instance will of course depend upon the type of sanitizer selected for use. On the other hand, after a toilet has been well sanitized, and particularly where it is not subjected to heavy use, it may be possible to get by with a minimum sanitizer discharge. In addition, since the hardness of water varies in different locations, it may be desirable to vary the discharge of the sanitizer in accordance with the water hardness condition to prolong the life span of the sanitizer cake.
Prior art devices have quite unfortunately, offered no practical control of the solution discharge. Therefore, in order to insure that sufficient solution is provided for all conditions, commercial devices are orificed to provide maximum discharge at all times. This results in more rapid depletion of the chemical sanitizer material than is necessary, which of course is to the user's detriment.
Known prior art devices of non-complex construction have made no provision for limiting the amount of liquid dispensed per flushing operation, and if a flushing mechanism sticks or becomes otherwise inoperative during a flushing operation, the entire contents of a receptacle containing a concentrated solution could be dispensed into the flush tank. The amount of water contained within a flush tank is normally three gallons or more, and the amount within the toilet bowl is usually less than one half gallon. Therefore, another drawback of the prior art is that it dispenses concentrated liquid into the flush tank, where it becomes highly diluted. This results in very weak cleaning, disinfecting and deodorizing actions taking place in both the flush tank and the toilet bowl rather than the desirable relatively strong actions of this type taking place in the toilet bowl, where they are really needed. Also, since the dispensing of liquid commences at the beginning of the flush cycle, much of this liquid is wasted by being passed through the bowl.
Often a pellet or container of freshener is provided in the toilet tank. When the tank fills or empties with water, the freshener is released and diluted by the tank water and then discharged into the toilet bowl during each flush. Such conventional fresheners are less than completely satisfactory since they are rapidly consumed when wetted and dissolved by the full amount of fresh water used to flush the bowl.
Therefore, in view of the foregoing it is clear that a need exists for an improved chemical dispenser mechanism for use with toilet tank combinations which solves the problems of the prior art and eases the unpleasantries associated with the cleaning, disinfecting and deodorizing of toilet bowls.


Encoded pictures comprise one or more independently decodable frames, reference frames, and predicted frames. In the method an arrangement step is performed for arranging the pictures in an encoding order, and information on the presentation order is defined for the encoded pictures. Further in the method, a transmission step is performed for transmitting said encoded pictures to a decoder, a decoding step for decoding the encoded pictures for forming decoded pictures, and rearranging step for arranging the decoded pictures in presentation order. An expected increment value of the presentation order per picture is defined, and a parameter indicative of the difference between the expected increment value and the real increment value is calculated. The calculated parameter is VLC coded, and the VLC coded parameter is transmitted, wherein the VLC coded parameter is used in the decoder for arranging the decoded pictures in correct presentation order.

Published video coding standards include ITU-T H.261, ITU-T H.263, ISO/IEC MPEG-1, ISO/IEC MPEG-2, and ISO/IEC MPEG-4 Part 2. These standards are herein referred to as conventional video coding standards.
Video Communication Systems
Video communication systems can be divided into conversational and non-conversational systems. Conversational systems include video conferencing and video telephony. Examples of such systems include ITU-T Recommendations H.320, H.323, and H.324 that specify a video conferencing/telephony system operating in ISDN, IP, and PSTN networks respectively. Conversational systems are characterized by the intent to minimize the end-to-end delay (from audio-video capture to the far-end audio-video presentation) in order to improve the user experience.
Non-conversational systems include playback of stored content, such as Digital Versatile Disks (DVDs) or video files stored in a mass memory of a playback device, digital TV, and streaming. A short review of the most important standards in these technology areas is given below.
A dominant standard in digital video consumer electronics today is MPEG-2, which includes specifications for video compression, audio compression, storage, and transport. The storage and transport of coded video is based on the concept of an elementary stream. An elementary stream consists of coded data from a single source (e.g. video) plus ancillary data needed for synchronization, identification and characterization of the source information. An elementary stream is packetized into either constant-length or variable-length packets to form a Packetized Elementary Stream (PES). Each PES packet consists of a header followed by stream data called the payload. PES packets from various elementary streams are combined to form either a Program Stream (PS) or a Transport Stream (TS). PS is aimed at applications having negligible transmission errors, such as store-and-play type of applications. TS is aimed at applications that are susceptible of transmission errors. However, TS assumes that the network throughput is guaranteed to be constant.
There is a standardization effort going on in a Joint Video Team (JVT) of ITU-T and ISO/IEC. The work of JVT is based on an earlier standardization project in ITU-T called H.26L. The goal of the JVT standardization is to release the same standard text as ITU-T Recommendation H.264 and ISO/IEC International Standard 14496-10 (MPEG-4 Part 10). The draft standard is referred to as the JVT coding standard in this application, and the codec according to the draft standard is referred to as the JVT codec.
In the following, some terms relating to video information are defined for clarity. A frame contains an array of luma samples and two corresponding arrays of chroma samples. A frame consists of two fields, a top field and a bottom field. A field is an assembly of alternate rows of a frame. A picture is either a frame or a field. A coded picture is either a coded field or a coded frame. In the JVT coding standard, a coded picture consists of one or more slices. A slice consists of an integer number of macroblocks, and a decoded macroblock corresponds a 16×16 block of luma samples and two corresponding blocks of chroma samples. In the JVT coding standard, a slice is coded according to one of the following coding types: I (intra), P (predicted), B (bi-predictive), SI (switching intra), SP (switching predicted). A coded picture is allowed to contain slices of different types. All types of pictures can be used as reference pictures for P, B, and SP slices. The instantaneous decoder refresh (IDR) picture is a particular type of a coded picture including only slices with I or SI slice types. No subsequent picture can refer to pictures that are earlier than the IDR picture in decoding order. In some video coding standards, a coded video sequence is an entity containing all pictures in the bitstream before the end of a sequence mark. In the JVT coding standard, a coded video sequence is an entity containing all coded pictures from an IDR picture (inclusive) to the next IDR picture (exclusive) in decoding order. In other words, a coded video sequence according to the JVT coding standard corresponds to a closed group of pictures (GOP) according to MPEG-2 video.
The codec specification itself distinguishes conceptually between a video coding layer (VCL), and a network abstraction layer (NAL). The VCL contains the signal processing functionality of the codec, things such as transform, quantization, motion search/compensation, and the loop filter. It follows the general concept of most of today's video codecs, a macroblock-based coder that utilizes inter picture prediction with motion compensation, and transform coding of the residual signal. The output of the VCL are slices: a bit string that contains the macroblock data of an integer number of macroblocks, and the information of the slice header (containing the spatial address of the first macroblock in the slice, the initial quantization parameter, and similar). Macroblocks in slices are ordered in scan order unless a different macroblock allocation is specified, using the so-called Flexible Macroblock Ordering syntax. In-picture prediction is used only within a slice.
The NAL encapsulates the slice output of the VCL into Network Abstraction Layer Units (NALUs), which are suitable for the transmission over packet networks or the use in packet oriented multiplex environments. JVT's Annex B defines an encapsulation process to transmit such NALUs over byte-stream oriented networks.
The optional reference picture selection mode of H.263 and the NEWPRED coding tool of MPEG-4 Part 2 enable selection of the reference frame for motion compensation per each picture segment, e.g., per each slice in H.263. Furthermore, the optional Enhanced Reference Picture Selection mode of H.263 and the JVT coding standard enable selection of the reference frame for each macroblock separately.
Parameter Set Concept
One very fundamental design concept of the JVT codec is to generate self-contained packets, to make mechanisms such as the header duplication unnecessary. The way how this was achieved is to decouple information that is relevant to more than one slice from the media stream. This higher layer meta information should be sent reliably, asynchronously and in advance from the RTP packet stream that contains the slice packets. This information can also be sent in-band in such applications that do not have an out-of-band transport channel appropriate for the purpose. The combination of the higher level parameters is called a Parameter Set. The Parameter Set contains information such as picture size, display window, optional coding modes employed, macroblock allocation map, and others.
In order to be able to change picture parameters (such as the picture size), without having the need to transmit Parameter Set updates synchronously to the slice packet stream, the encoder and decoder can maintain a list of more than one Parameter Set. Each slice header contains a codeword that indicates the Parameter Set to be used. According to the JVT coding standard, there exist two kinds of parameter sets: one for the sequence (sequence parameter set) and one for the pictures (picture parameter set).
This mechanism allows to decouple the transmission of the Parameter Sets from the packet stream, and transmit them by external means, e.g. as a side effect of the capability exchange, or through a (reliable or unreliable) control protocol. It may even be possible that they get never transmitted but are fixed by an application design specification.
Transmission Order
In conventional video coding standards, the decoding order of pictures is the same as the display order except for B pictures. A block in a conventional B picture can be bi-directionally temporally predicted from two reference pictures, where one reference picture is temporally preceding and the other reference picture is temporally succeeding in display order. Only the latest reference picture in decoding order can succeed the B picture in display order (exception: interlaced coding in H.263 where both field pictures of a temporally subsequent reference frame can precede a B picture in decoding order). A conventional B picture cannot be used as a reference picture for temporal prediction, and therefore a conventional B picture can be disposed without affecting the decoding of any other pictures.
The JVT coding standard includes the following novel technical features compared to earlier standards:                The decoding order of pictures is decoupled from the display order. The frame number indicates decoding order and the picture order count indicates the display order.        Reference pictures for a block in a B picture can either be before or after the B picture in display order. Consequently, a B picture stands for a bi-predictive picture instead of a bi-directional picture.        Pictures that are not used as reference pictures are marked explicitly. A picture of any type (intra, inter, B, etc.) can either be a reference picture or a non-reference picture. (Thus, a B picture can be used as a reference picture for temporal prediction of other pictures.)        A picture can contain slices that are coded with a different coding type. In other words, a coded picture may consist of an intra-coded slice and a B-coded slice, for example.
Decoupling of display order from decoding order can be beneficial from compression efficiency and error resiliency point of view.
An example of a prediction structure potentially improving compression efficiency is presented in FIG. 1. Boxes indicate pictures, capital letters within boxes indicate coding types, numbers within boxes are frame numbers according to the JVT coding standard, and arrows indicate prediction dependencies. Note that picture B17 is a reference picture for pictures B18. Compression efficiency is potentially improved compared to conventional coding, because the reference pictures for pictures B18 are temporally closer compared to conventional coding with PBBP or PBBBP coded picture patterns. Compression efficiency is potentially improved compared to conventional PBP coded picture pattern, because part of reference pictures are bi-directionally predicted.
FIG. 2 presents an example of the intra picture postponement method that can be used to improve error resiliency. Conventionally, an intra picture is coded immediately after a scene cut or as a response to an expired intra picture refresh period, for example. In the intra picture postponement method, an intra picture is not coded immediately after a need to code an intra picture arises, but rather a temporally subsequent picture is selected as an intra picture. Each picture between the coded intra picture and the conventional location of an intra picture is predicted from the next temporally subsequent picture. As FIG. 2 shows, the intra picture postponement method generates two independent inter picture prediction chains, whereas conventional coding algorithms produce a single inter picture chain. It is intuitively clear that the two-chain approach is more robust against erasure errors than the one-chain conventional approach. If one chain suffers from a packet loss, the other chain may still be correctly received. In conventional coding, a packet loss always causes error propagation to the rest of the inter picture prediction chain.
Two types of ordering and timing information have been conventionally associated with digital video: decoding and presentation order. A closer look at the related technology is taken below.
A decoding timestamp (DTS) indicates the time relative to a reference clock that a coded data unit is supposed to be decoded. If DTS is coded and transmitted, it serves for two purposes: First, if the decoding order of pictures differs from their output order, DTS indicates the decoding order explicitly. Second, DTS guarantees a certain pre-decoder buffering behavior provided that the reception rate is close to the transmission rate at any moment. In networks where the end-to-end latency varies, the second use of DTS plays no or little role. Instead, received data is decoded as fast as possible provided that there is room in the post-decoder buffer for uncompressed pictures.
Carriage of DTS depends on the communication system and video coding standard in use. In MPEG-2 Systems, DTS can optionally be transmitted as one item in the header of a PES packet. In the JVT coding standard, DTS can optionally be carried as a part of Supplemental Enhancement Information (SEI), and it is used in the operation of the optional Hypothetical Reference Decoder. In ISO Base Media File Format, DTS is dedicated its own box type, Decoding Time to Sample Box. In many systems, such as RTP-based streaming systems, DTS is not carried at all, because decoding order is assumed to be the same as transmission order and exact decoding time does not play an important role.
H.263 optional Annex U and Annex W.6.12 specify a picture number that is incremented by 1 relative to the previous reference picture in decoding order. In the JVT coding standard, the frame number coding element is specified similarly to the picture number of H.263. According to the JVT coding standard, frame number is reset to 0 at an IDR picture.
H.263 picture number can be used to recover the decoding order of reference pictures. Similarly, the JVT frame number can be used to recover the decoding order of frames between an IDR picture (inclusive) and the next IDR picture (exclusive) in decoding order. However, because the complementary reference field pairs (consecutive pictures coded as fields that are of different parity) share the same frame number, their decoding order cannot be reconstructed from the frame numbers.
The H.263 picture number or JVT frame number of a non-reference picture is specified to be equal to the picture or frame number of the previous reference picture in decoding order plus 1. If several non-reference pictures are consecutive in decoding order, they share the same picture or frame number. The picture or frame number of a non-reference picture is also the same as the picture or frame number of the following reference picture in decoding order. The decoding order of consecutive non-reference pictures can be recovered using the Temporal Reference (TR) coding element in H.263 or the Picture Order Count (POC) concept of the JVT coding standard.
The value of picture or frame number has a certain maximum. The next increment after the maximum value causes picture or frame number to be equal to 0. Typically, the value of picture or frame number is coded and transmitted as an N-bit unsigned integer, and consequently the maximum value of picture or frame number is equal to 2N−1.
A presentation timestamp (PTS) indicates the time relative to a reference clock when a picture is supposed to be displayed. A presentation timestamp is also called a display timestamp, output timestamp, and composition timestamp.
Carriage of PTS depends on the communication system and video coding standard in use. In MPEG-2 Systems, PTS can optionally be transmitted as one item in the header of a PES packet. In the JVT coding standard, PTS can optionally be carried as a part of Supplemental Enhancement Information (SEI), and it is used in the operation of the Hypothetical Reference Decoder. In ISO Base Media File Format, PTS is dedicated its own box type, Composition Time to Sample Box where the presentation timestamp is coded relative to the corresponding decoding timestamp. In RTP, the RTP timestamp in the RTP packet header corresponds to PTS.
Conventional video coding standards feature the Temporal Reference (TR) coding element that is similar to PTS in many aspects. The value of TR is formed by incrementing its value in the temporally-previous reference picture header by one plus the number of skipped or non-reference pictures at the picture clock frequency since the previously transmitted one. TR is typically coded as a fixed-length (N-bit) unsigned integer, and therefore modulo 2N arithmetic is used in calculations with TR. In some of the conventional coding standards, such as MPEG-2 video, TR is reset to zero at the beginning of a Group of Pictures (GOP).
In the JVT coding standard, there is no concept of time in the video coding layer. Picture order count is defined to be a variable having a value that increases with increasing picture position in output order relative to the previous IDR picture in decoding order or relative to the previous picture containing the memory management control operation that marks all reference pictures as "unused for reference". Picture order count is derived for each frame and field. In the JVT coding standard picture order counts are used to determine initial picture orderings for reference pictures in the decoding of B slices, to represent picture order differences between frames or fields for motion vector derivation in temporal direct mode, for implicit mode weighted prediction in B slices, and for decoder output order conformance checking. Many encoders set picture order count proportional to sampling time of pictures.
Transmission of Multimedia Streams
A multimedia streaming system consists of a streaming server and a number of players, which access the server via a network. The network is typically packet-oriented and provides little or no means to guaranteed quality of service. The players fetch either pre-stored or live multimedia content from the server and play it back in real-time while the content is being downloaded. The type of communication can be either point-to-point or multicast. In point-to-point streaming, the server provides a separate connection for each player. In multicast streaming, the server transmits a single data stream to a number of players, and network elements duplicate the stream only if it is necessary.
When a player has established a connection to a server and requested for a multimedia stream, the server begins to transmit the desired stream. The player does not start playing the stream back immediately, but rather it typically buffers the incoming data for a few seconds. Herein, this buffering is referred to as initial buffering. Initial buffering helps to maintain pauseless playback, because, in case of occasional increased transmission delays or network throughput drops, the player can decode and play buffered data.
Transmission Errors
There are two main types of transmission errors, namely bit errors and packet errors. Bit errors are typically associated with a circuit-switched channel, such as a radio access network connection in mobile communications, and they are caused by imperfections of physical channels, such as radio interference. Such imperfections may result into bit inversions, bit insertions and bit deletions in transmitted data. Packet errors are typically caused by elements in packet-switched networks. For example, a packet router may become congested; i.e. it may get too many packets as input and cannot output them at the same rate. In this situation, its buffers overflow, and some packets get lost. Packet duplication and packet delivery in different order than transmitted are also possible but they are typically considered to be less common than packet losses. Packet errors may also be caused by the implementation of the used transport protocol stack. For example, some protocols use checksums that are calculated in the transmitter and encapsulated with source-coded data. If there is a bit inversion error in the data, the receiver cannot end up into the same checksum, and it may have to discard the received packet.
Second (2G) and third generation (3G) mobile networks, including GPRS, UMTS, and CDMA-2000, provide two basic types of radio link connections, acknowledged and non-acknowledged. An acknowledged connection is such that the integrity of a radio link frame is checked by the recipient (either the Mobile Station, MS, or the Base Station Subsystem, BSS), and, in case of a transmission error, a retransmission request is given to the other end of the radio link. Due to link layer retransmission, the originator has to buffer a radio link frame until a positive acknowledgement for the frame is received. In harsh radio conditions, this buffer may overflow and cause data loss. Nevertheless, it has been shown that it is beneficial to use the acknowledged radio link protocol mode for streaming services. A non-acknowledged connection is such that erroneous radio link frames are typically discarded.
Most video compression algorithms generate temporally predicted INTER or P pictures. As a result, a data loss in one picture causes visible degradation in the consequent pictures that are temporally predicted from the corrupted one. Video communication systems can either conceal the loss in displayed images or freeze the latest correct picture onto the screen until a frame which is independent from the corrupted frame is received.
In conventional video coding standards, the decoding order is coupled with the output order. In other words, the decoding order of I and P pictures is the same as their output order, and the decoding order of a B picture immediately follows the decoding order of the latter reference picture of the B picture in output order. Consequently, it is possible to recover the decoding order based on known output order. The output order is typically conveyed in the elementary video bitstream in the Temporal Reference (TR) field and also in the system multiplex layer, such as in the RTP header. Thus, in conventional video coding standards, the presented problem did not exist.
Buffering
Streaming clients typically have a receiver buffer that is capable of storing a relatively large amount of data. Initially, when a streaming session is established, a client does not start playing the stream back immediately, but rather it typically buffers the incoming data for a few seconds. This buffering helps to maintain continuous playback, because, in case of occasional increased transmission delays or network throughput drops, the client can decode and play buffered data. Otherwise, without initial buffering, the client has to freeze the display, stop decoding, and wait for incoming data. The buffering is also necessary for either automatic or selective retransmission in any protocol level. If any part of a picture is lost, a retransmission mechanism may be used to resend the lost data. If the retransmitted data is received before its scheduled decoding or playback time, the loss is perfectly recovered.

Encoding picture arrangement parameter in picture bitstream


To achieve fast positioning of a head by determining an initial value dynamically from state variables of a system at a switching time of control modes. In a recording device having a head, a recording media including a plurality of tracks accessed by the head, and a motor for moving the head, in order to position the head to a target track by switching control modes and outputting a control signal value u(n) to drive the motor in response to an input signal value y(n) representing a difference between a current position of the head and the target track, the gain of a control system having the input and control signal values as state variables is changed only at a mode switching time.

In positioning a head of a disk device to a target track by a seek operation, control inputs to a voice coil motor (VCM) for driving the head are provided in velocity control mode, settling mode, and track following mode. The settling mode, together with the track following mode is often called position control mode. Because each of these modes controls differently, an overshoot would occur to result in a longer time for positioning the head to the target track unless initialization is adequate when the velocity control mode is switched to the settling mode or when the settling mode is switched to the track following mode. In the conventional positioning systems, there is generally nothing special to be done in mode switching from velocity control to settling, and a value which is stored when the head rests on the target track is used as an initial output value of an integrator when the settling mode is switched to the track following mode. However, such a method does not guarantee fast positioning.
Japanese Published Unexamined Patent Application (PUPA) No. 2-244467 discloses a control method for positioning in a magnetic disk device which performs seek control for moving a head to a target track and following control for positioning a head at the center of the target track, wherein a part of calculation of a digital filter used in the following control is processed in parallel with the seek control during a predetermined period immediately before the mode switching time. According to the method, the most suitable initial value of a state variable is provided when the seek control is switched to the following control, so that an overshoot of a head is prevented. However, this control method needs parallel calculations and is complex in comparison with the present invention which uses only state variables at the mode switching time.
Japanese PUPA No. 2-304782 discloses a control method in a magnetic disk device which uses velocity control for moving a head to a target track and position control for positioning the head to the target track, wherein an initial manipulated variable and cut-off frequency in the position control are adjusted depending on an initial position and initial velocity at the switching time from the velocity control to the position control so that an overshoot is prevented. However, it is undesirable in terms of accuracy to make use of velocity. Besides, even the cut-off frequency must be adjusted in this method, which becomes complicated in comparison with the present invention.
As described above, the conventional methods for preventing an overshoot of a head need extra calculations and operations. Therefore, it is desired to initialize more simply at the mode switching time.
An object of the present invention is to enable fast positioning of the head by determining an initial value dynamically from state variables of a system at the mode switching time.
A further object of the present invention is to enable fast positioning of the head by adding a feedforward value which is determined by state variables at the time when the velocity control mode is switched to the settling mode.
A still further object of the present invention is to enable fast positioning of the head by using, as an initial value of an integrator, a value which is determined by state variables at the time when the settling mode is switched to the track following mode.

Method and apparatus for fast positioning a head of a recording device

International Business Machines Corporation


The present subject mater relates to testing software application configurations and, more particularly, to a test engine. The various embodiments described and illustrated herein provide systems, methods, and software that maintain a configuration database in a memory, wherein the configuration database includes a representation of configuration settings of an application. Some such embodiments may further store a test engine module in the memory, wherein the test engine module includes a set of test cases, which when processed, test functionality of the application, wherein a test case is selected for execution as a function of one or more application configuration setting representations from the configuration database.

Testing computer applications is an important task for many reasons. Typical testing of computer applications may be performed by an organization developing a computer application. This testing has traditionally been performed by users that test various items of functionality according to defined manual testing test cases. Testing of computer applications has evolved into automated testing processes. Test cases may be defined that are then automatically executed to test the various functions of a computer application. However, this is still performed on the applications by the developers.
However, some applications, such as enterprise resource planning ("ERP") applications include vast quantities of functionality. Each instance of such an application may be configured differently and utilize only a subset of the functionality provided. In such instances, when configuration settings are modified by an organization utilizing the application, the configuration may need to be tested. This testing is still being performed in a manual fashion.
Testing such applications following configuration modifications may be a large task depending on the scope of such changes. The testing can be time consuming and the quality of the testing is only as good as the adherence to test cases by one or more individuals.


The invention is directed to a hydraulic tensioning and suspension system having a main drive wheel located above and between two idlers that are mounted to pivot arms that are coupled to a rigid frame. In addition, two track rollers are mounted to the rigid frame by an intermediate arm and a third track roller is mounted to the front pivot arm by an additional pivot arm. Four hydraulic suspension cylinders are hydraulically coupled to one another for biassing the idlers and track rollers downwardly to provide a suspension system. The rear pivot arm is a telescoping arm having a hydraulic tensioning cylinder. A two position control valve supplies hydraulic fluid to the hydraulic tensioning cylinder in response to a speed ratio selected by the operator. With higher tension being applied to the track when the vehicle transmission is in low gear and lower tension is being applied to the track when the vehicle transmission is in higher gears.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention is directed to a hydraulic tensioning and suspension system for a tracked vehicle.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Tracks provide vehicles with high floatation in soft field conditions. Steel tracks are by far the most common tracks and comprise an endless chain on which track shoes are mounted. The endless chain engages a main drive wheel sprocket which drives the chain and propels the tracks and vehicle. Belted tracks are also available. One belted track system uses highly tensioned belted tracks. In another belted track system, the tracks are provided with apertures. The apertures engage a main drive sprocket wheel for driving the tracks and propelling the vehicle. A third belted track system uses a specialized main drive wheel to engage centering guide lugs for driving the track.
Tracks must be tensioned so they remain on the drive wheels and idlers. Screw jacks (See U.S. Pat. No. 2,926,969), grease cylinders (See U.S. Pat. No. 2,887,342), and hydraulic tensioning cylinders (See U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,998,998, 3,901,563 and 4,227,748) have been used to tension tracks.
Various suspension systems for crawlers have also been developed. Track rollers help distribute the load of the vehicle on the track. In a rigid suspension system, the track rollers are directly mounted to the track frame. Loads imparted to the track rollers are directly transferred to the track frame. In an active suspension system, the track frame is provided with a means for dampening the loads imparted to the track rollers (See U.S. Pat. No. 4,373,758 and 4,519,654).
High drive crawlers having an elevated main drive wheel are well known (See U.S. Pat. No. 4,373,758). In addition track technology has been applied to all sorts of agricultural vehicles. For example tractors, grain carts and agricultural combines. It is common for combines used in harvesting rice to use half tracks to provide better floatation.

Tensioning and suspension system for a tracked vehicle


An internal combustion engine for a motor vehicle with a cylinder head, an intake manifold, and a fuel distributor rail. The downstream end of the intake manifold is connected by a flange to intake channels in the cylinder head of the internal combustion engine. The fuel distributor rail is located at the downstream end of the intake manifold and is connected to fuel injection valves. The internal combustion engine is installed in the motor vehicle in such a way that the intake manifold is located on the side of the cylinder head on which the external crash force will act during a crash. A protective strap, which extends at least over the entire width of the flange, is attached to the cylinder head. The protective strap is located so that, based on direction of the crash force, it is a certain distance in front of the fuel distributor rail and, based on the direction in which the intake manifold will be deformed upstream of the flange during a crash, this direction being at an angle to the direction of the crash force, a certain distance behind the intake manifold.

The invention pertains to an internal combustion engine for a motor vehicle with a cylinder head, an intake manifold, and a fuel distributor rail,                where the downstream end of the intake manifold is connected by a flange to the intake channels in the cylinder head of the internal combustion engine,        where the fuel distributor rail is located at the downstream end of the intake manifold and is connected to fuel injection valves, and        where the internal combustion engine is installed in the motor vehicle in such a way that the intake manifold is located on the side of the cylinder head on which the external crash force will act during a crash.
EP 0732 495 B1 describes an intake manifold for an internal combustion engine of a motor vehicle which has at least one intake manifold channel, where at least one of the intake manifold channels has a predetermined break zone, which is essentially parallel to the longitudinal direction of the channel. This gives the intake manifold better behavior in a crash. When a crash occurs, the intake manifold breaks along the predetermined break zone on the longitudinal axis and thus absorbs some of the energy of the crash.
A protective device for a fuel rail is known from U.S. Pat. No. 6,77,132 B2. This device is located underneath the intake manifold and is attached to the fuel rail. When a crash occurs, the protective device wraps itself plastically around the fuel rail and thus protects the fuel line from damage which might otherwise have been caused by the deformation of the intake manifold. The intake manifold absorbs some of the impact energy, and the fuel line remains undamaged. Thus, no fuel is able to leak out.

Internal combustion engine for a motor vehicle


A polling is executed periodically among each of nodes connected by a transmission path mutually. The node recognizes that a defect occurred in a connection state of the transmission path, when it detects a lack of a periodic polling from an adjacent node three times. Then, the node registers that all of permanent connections which are set up so as to pass through the transmission path are invalid in its Permanent Virtual Circuit (PVC) management table, and notifies the invalidity of the permanent connection to the node of the next step in the permanent connection. The node of the next step which received the notification registers that the notified permanent connection is invalid in its PVC table and notifies the invalidity of the notified permanent connection to the node of the further next step.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a management system for maintaining and managing a permanent connection in an exchange network which is composed of a plurality of nodes connected mutually through a transmission path.
2. Description of the Prior Art
For instance, in a exchange network like a frame relay, a service of PVC (Permanent Virtual Circuit) in which a virtual path is set up by registering parties of communication in the exchange network previously so that transmission path can be used as though it were a common carrier leased line has been executed. The exchange network has assigned all of the nodes through which the virtual path by one PVC passes, and has made the assigned nodes register a discrimination information of the PVC and a discrimination information of input/output channels in the node for the PVC, so as to put the PVC service into operation. The discrimination information thus registered, so that a frame transmitted from the transmission terminal will be transferred to each node in which the PVC is set up one after another and will be transmitted to the other party of the communication without installing a center which controls each node intensively within the exchange network.
By the way, if a trouble occurs in one of the nodes in which one PVC is set up or in a transmission path, frames transmitted by the PVC will be abandoned at the trouble portion. Therefore, the communication through this will be inexecutable. However, other node in which the PVC is set up and terminals which transmit frames through the PVC are not capable of recognizing the trouble occurrence. Accordingly, the nodes and the transmission terminal will continue transmitting or transferring frames as before even after the trouble occurs. The fact will cause a loss of communication contents, and will cause a waste of exchange network resources.
For this reason, in a traditional exchange network, a management by SNMP (Simple Network Monitoring Protocol) has been executed. In the SNMP, a monitoring node which monitors a PVC state in all nodes composing the network is provided, and PVC state monitoring informations from each node are accumulated into the monitoring node. The monitoring node executes an intensive monitoring of the PVC state within the network with the accumulated PVC state monitoring information, and executes such controls as making the PVC invalid as occasion demands. An outline of the intensive monitoring in the traditional exchange network will be described on the basis of FIG. 14.
In FIG. 14, each node 21 detects whether or not a link (a transmission path, an interface) L between the node 21 and the adjacent nodes 21 is down by mechanical means, and holds the detected information (a state notifying information). Hereupon, the down of the link means that the transferring of the frame becomes inexecutable due to the disconnection of the transmission path, the trouble of the adjacent node 21 and so on. The monitoring node 20 executes a polling for all of the nodes 21-1-21-6, periodically or according to circumstances, to command them to transmit the state notifying information. Then, the monitoring node 20 receives the state notifying information that each node 21 transmitted corresponding to the command, and recognizes the down of the link by analyzing each of the received information. Besides, the monitoring node 20 distributes the information concerning the link down to all of the nodes 21, and directs the nodes 21 to do such processes as invalidating the PVC whose frame transmission would become impossible by the down of the link 21.
However, the monitoring node 20 is not connected to each of the nodes 21 directly. For this reason, the information exchanged between the monitoring node 20 and the distant nodes (21-2-21-6 in FIG. 14) which are not connected directly to the monitoring node 20 is relayed by the nodes that were existing between them. For instance, the information exchanged between the node 20 and node 21-1 is relayed by the node 21-1 and passed through the transmission path L1 and L2. Besides, the information exchanged between the node 20 and the node 21-3 is relayed by the node 21-1 and passed through the transmission paths L1, L2 and L7. Accordingly, the capacity of the transmission paths has been occupied to a large extent, since the information concerning the plurality of nodes were transmitted simultaneously in the transmission paths L1 and L2. As mentioned hereinbefore, the transmission path has not been used effectively in the traditional intensive monitoring system.
Besides, in the traditional intensive monitoring system, the monitoring node 20 does not recognize the information concerning the PVC which is set up in each of the nodes 21. Thus, the monitoring node 20 could not assign the nodes to be distributed, so that it had to distribute the down information to all of the nodes, even though the information is needed only by the nodes in which the PVC passing through the downed link is set up. Accordingly, the transmission path has been given further excessive load, since the down information was also distributed to the nodes which did not need the information.

Permanent connection management method in exchange network


A positive-displacement pump, in particular for use in machines or dispensing fluids, including two elements that are with respect to one another and which mesh with one another (20, 30), each of them being rotatably mounted in the pump with centered coupling without interference with a corresponding centering body (18, 11a). At least one of the two above-mentioned ratable elements has a plurality of undercut regions (26, 34, 35)) at the location of the centering walls. The undercut regions (26, 34, 35) comprise a wall portion which is spaced with respect to the facing wall of the respective centering body.

The present invention relates to improvements to a rotary positive-displacement pump for fluid products.
The invention has been developed with particular but not exclusive regard to a pump for use in machines for dispensing colouring agents for the production of paints, varnishes, inks and the like.
Positive-displacement pumps of the rotary type having internal gears are known. One of these pumps is illustrated in FIG. 1 appended to the present description and is the subject of patent IT-1292625 belonging to the same applicant, the content of which is regarded as incorporated by reference in the present description. The known pump illustrated comprises a rotor 13 mounted on the end of a main shaft 12. The rotor 13 has peripheral teeth 15 that can mesh with teeth 16 of an idle sprocket 17 which is supported in rotation by a pin 18 of a conveying body 19.
Despite the generally satisfactory operation of the above-mentioned known positive-displacement pump, in a few particular cases some malfunctions have been encountered which have led to the jamming of the idle sprocket 17 on the pin 18 and of the rotor 13 inside the cylindrical cavity 11a of the body 11 of the pump (illustrated diagrammatically in FIG. 1). In particular, the above-mentioned malfunctions have occurred when the positive-displacement pump has been used with some types of colouring product that, owing to the particular chemical composition, promote the creation of a sticky film. It has been found that this sticky film can penetrate and become wedged between the idle sprocket 17 and its support pin 18, and also between the outer curved surface of the rotor 13 and the associated cylindrical housing 11a in the body 11 of the pump, until it causes the complete jamming of the rotating elements.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Internal gear pump with recesses on the gear bearing surfaces

CPS Color Equipment S.p.A. Con Unica Socio


A signal sequence of a traffic signal is notified for a driver of a vehicle that is heading for an intersection by using a signal sequence notification apparatus. If the apparatus determines, based on received signal sequence information, that the information indicates that the traffic signal is currently allowing an entrance into the intersection having the next signal sequence indicating that entrance is not allowed with no right turning permission, the driver receives warning about the entrance into the intersection. The warning thus decreases the possibility of the vehicle to be brought to a standstill in the intersection due to the traffic signal that has a signal sequence of no right/left turn by the right/left turn light after a signal change from GO to STOP regarding the straight traffic.

Conventionally, a technique for displaying signal sequence information of a subject traffic signal beyond a scope of a current signal sequence that can be viewed by a driver who is heading for an intersection having the subject traffic signal is disclosed, for example, in Japanese patent documents JP-A-2006-155319 and JP-A-H11-272992.
In the disclosure of the above patent documents, a technique addresses a problem regarding a right turn at an intersection in the left-side traffic system (a right-left relationship may be reversed for the right-side traffic system). The addressed problem is that, when a driver of a vehicle is waiting for a right turn at a center portion of the intersection, he/she in wait fails to notice a change of traffic signal from allowing the entrance into the intersection to not allowing for an on-coming traffic. In other words, when the driver fails to notice a transition of the traffic signal changing from Green to Red through Yellow, he/she may be left to a standstill at the center of the intersection, due to a loss of an appropriate right-turning timing.
The inventor of the present disclosure has noticed that, at some intersection, a right turn light disposed in a certain traffic signal for permitting right turning at the intersection (e.g., a right arrow shape light) is not lighted (i.e., is not turned on) after a change of the traffic signal from GO (i.e., Green light) to STOP (i.e., Red light) for a straight traffic that passes straight through the intersection. That is, in this case, an expected signal sequence is different from the actual sequence.
In the above intersection, the possibility of a vehicle to enter the intersection having an expectation and a hasty conclusion of the driver that the traffic signal sequence currently changing from GO to STOP for the straight traffic is followed by the right turn light being turned on in the next signal sequence for allowing/permitting the right-turning of the vehicle is increased, with the vehicle brought to a standstill at the center of the intersection while attempting the right turning in vain.

Apparatus, program and storage medium for notifying intersection information


The present invention relates to compounds useful as inhibitors of protein kinase. The invention also provides pharmaceutically acceptable compositions comprising said compounds and methods of using the compositions in the treatment of various disease, conditions, or disorders. The invention also provides processes for preparing compounds of the inventions.

The search for new therapeutic agents has been greatly aided in recent years by a better understanding of the structure of enzymes and other biomolecules associated with diseases. One important class of enzymes that has been the subject of extensive study is protein kinases.
Protein kinases constitute a large family of structurally related enzymes that are responsible for the control of a variety of signal transduction processes within the cell. (See, Hardie, G. and Hanks, S., The Protein Kinase Facts Book, I and II, Academic Press, San Diego, Calif.: 1995). Protein kinases are thought to have evolved from a common ancestral gene due to the conservation of their structure and catalytic function. Almost all kinases contain a similar 250-300 amino acid catalytic domain. The kinases may be categorized into families by the substrates they phosphorylate (e.g., protein-tyrosine, protein-serine/threonine, lipids, etc.). Sequence motifs have been identified that generally correspond to each of these kinase families (See, for example, Hanks, S. K., Hunter, T., FASEB J. 1995, 9, 576-596; Knighton et al., Science 1991, 253, 407-414; Hiles et al., Cell 1992, 70, 419-429; Kunz et al., Cell 1993, 73, 585-596; Garcia-Bustos et al., EMBO J. 1994, 13, 2352-2361).
In general, protein kinases mediate intracellular signaling by effecting a phosphoryl transfer from a nucleoside triphosphate to a protein acceptor that is involved in a signaling pathway. These phosphorylation events act as molecular on/off switches that can modulate or regulate the target protein biological function. These phosphorylation events are ultimately triggered in response to a variety of extracellular and other stimuli. Examples of such stimuli include environmental and chemical stress signals (e.g., osmotic shock, heat shock, ultraviolet radiation, bacterial endotoxin, and H2O2), cytokines (e.g., interleukin-1 (IL-1) and tumor necrosis factor a (TNF-a)), and growth factors (e.g., granulocyte macrophage-colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), and fibroblast growth factor (FGF)). An extracellular stimulus may affect one or more cellular responses related to cell growth, migration, differentiation, secretion of hormones, activation of transcription factors, muscle contraction, glucose metabolism, control of protein synthesis, and regulation of the cell cycle.
Many diseases are associated with abnormal cellular responses triggered by protein kinase-mediated events as described above. These diseases include, but are not limited to, autoimmune diseases, inflammatory diseases, bone diseases, metabolic diseases, neurological and neurodegenerative diseases, cancer, cardiovascular diseases, allergies and asthma, Alzheimer's disease, and hormone-related diseases. Accordingly, there has been a substantial effort in medicinal chemistry to find protein kinase inhibitors that are effective as therapeutic agents.
One kinase family of particular interest is the Src family of kinases. These kinases are implicated in cancer, immune system dysfunction and bone remodeling diseases. For general reviews, see Thomas and Brugge, Annu. Rev. Cell Dev. Biol. 1997, 13, 513; Lawrence and Niu, Pharmacol. Ther. 1998, 77, 81; Tatosyan and Mizenina, Biochemistry (Moscow) 2000, 65, 49-58; Boschelli et al., Drugs of the Future 2000, 25(7), 717.
Members of the Src family include the following eight kinases in mammals: Src, Fyn, Yes, Fgr, Lyn, Hck, Lck, and Blk. These are nonreceptor protein kinases that range in molecular mass from 52 to 62 kD. All are characterized by a common structural organization that is comprised of six distinct functional domains: Src homology domain 4 (SH4), a unique domain, SH3 domain, SH2 domain, a catalytic domain (SH1), and a C-terminal regulatory region. Tatosyan et al. Biochemistry (Moscow) 2000, 65, 49-58.
Based on published studies, Src kinases are considered as potential therapeutic targets for various human diseases. Mice that are deficient in Src develop osteoporosis, or bone build-up, because of depressed bone resorption by osteoclasts. This suggests that osteoporosis resulting from abnormally high bone resorption can be treated by inhibiting Src. Soriano et al., Cell 1992, 69, 551 and Soriano et al., Cell 1991, 64, 693.
Suppression of arthritic bone destruction has been achieved by the overexpression of CSK in rheumatoid synoviocytes and osteoclasts. Takayanagi et al., J. Clin. Invest. 1999, 104, 137. CSK, or C-terminal Src kinase, phosphorylates and thereby inhibits Src catalytic activity. This implies that Src inhibition may prevent joint destruction that is characteristic in patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis. Boschelli et al., Drugs of the Future 2000, 25(7), 717.
Src also plays a role in the replication of hepatitis B virus. The virally encoded transcription factor HBx activates Src in a step required for propagation of the virus. Klein et al., EMBO J. 1999, 18, 5019, and Klein et al., Mol. Cell. Biol. 1997, 17, 6427.
A number of studies have linked Src expression to cancers such as colon, breast, hepatic and pancreatic cancer, certain B-cell leukemias and lymphomas. Talamonti et al., J. Clin. Invest. 1993, 91, 53; Lutz et al., Biochem. Biophys. Res. 1998 243, 503; Rosen et al., J. Biol. Chem. 1986, 261, 13754; Bolen et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 1987, 84, 2251; Masaki et al., Hepatology 1998, 27, 1257; Biscardi et al., Adv. Cancer Res. 1999, 76, 61; Lynch et al., Leukemia 1993, 7, 1416. Furthermore, antisense Src expressed in ovarian and colon tumor cells has been shown to inhibit tumor growth. Wiener et al., Clin. Cancer Res., 1999, 5, 2164; Staley et al., Cell Growth Diff. 1997, 8, 269.
Other Src family kinases are also potential therapeutic targets. Lck plays a role in T-cell signaling. Mice that lack the Lck gene have a poor ability to develop thymocytes. T-cells lacking Lck are shown to be severely impaired in TCR tyrosine phosphorylation and subsequent activation via the TCR. Straus et al., Cell 1992, 70, 585; Chan et al., Ann. Rev. Immunol. 1994, 12, 555; Weiss et al., Cell 1994, 76, 263; Hanke et al., J. Biol. Chem. 1996, 271, 695; Van Oers at al., Immunity 1996, 5, 429. The function of Lck as a positive activator of T-cell signaling suggests that Lck inhibitors may be useful for treating of T cell mediated disorders such as autoimmune and inflammatory diseases and in the prevention of solid organ transplant rejection. Molina et al., Nature, 1992, 357, 161; Hanke et al., Inflammation Res. 1995, 44, 357. Hck, Fgr and Lyn have been identified as important mediators of integrin signaling in myeloid leukocytes. Lowell et al., J. Leukoc. Biol., 1999, 65, 313. Inhibition of these kinase mediators may therefore be useful for treating inflammation. Boschelli et al., Drugs of the Future 2000, 25(7), 717.
There is therefore a need for inhibitors of Src family protein kinases.

Pyrrolo [3,2-C] pyridines useful as inhibitors of protein kinases


The invention provides a projection apparatus having an image source, a projection lens, and a beam-splitting module. The image source provides an image beam, and the image beam includes a first sub image beam and at least one second sub image beam. The projection lens is disposed on a transmission path of the image beam. The beam-splitting module projects the first sub image beam passing through the beam-splitting module onto a first imaging plane, and projects the second sub image beam reflected by the beam-splitting module onto at least one second imaging plane. The first imaging plane is not coplanar with the at least one second imaging plane. The projection lens is disposed on the transmission path of the image beam between the beam-splitting module and the image source.

1.Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a display apparatus, and more particularly to a projection apparatus.
2.Description of Related Art
A large-sized image would be displayed by utilizing a plurality of displays or a plurality of projection apparatuses in the market nowadays. For instance, the large-sized image is displayed together by a large-sized image apparatus assembled by a plurality of displays in an array, or projected by a plurality of projection apparatuses as to project a non-paralleled consecutive image in conventional art.
The projection apparatus is a relatively smaller apparatus capable of projecting a large-sized image having a size significantly larger than one displayed by an ordinary flat display. The large-sized image would be projected for a group viewing as to facilitate in conference meetings, report presentations, and lectures. Therefore, a major reason why the projection apparatus has been irreplaceable in the display field. Further, in recent years, the projection apparatus has also become an indispensable part of the home theater.
In order to generate the large-sized image such as an expansive larger-sized image stitched by M×N images, M×N projection apparatuses at different locations are utilized in conventional art to respectively project the M×N images, so as to display a plurality of non-coplanar images. However, utilizing the M×N projection apparatuses means that an overall size thereof is increased by more than M×N times while the costs are increased by at least M×N times.
In addition, the invention is related to conventional technologies as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,798,652, U.S. Patent Publication No. 2012/0206697 and Taiwan Patent Publication No. 201219850.Accordingly, how to effectively lower the cost for providing a plurality of images which are not coplanar has become an important issue to be solved for the manufacturers.