A method includes performing operations as follows on a processor: defining a bearing map having an axis corresponding to a first metric, the first metric being based on system management performance for a first defined time interval, defining an object sketch map corresponding to a second metric, the second metric being based on system management performance for a second defined time interval, and combining the bearing map and the object sketch map so as to generate a cognitive map. The cognitive map includes a data object having a position on the axis based on a first value for the first metric and an appearance based on a second value for the second metric.

The present disclosure relates to computing systems, and, in particular, to performance management of computing systems.
Computer systems management data comprises fault, performance and utilization measurements. These data are commonly visualized as time-series style charts with multiple data sets plotted against time on the x-axis. A typical such polyline chart might display either a single systems management metric with a separate data set for each different resource/object, or a single object with a separate data set for each different systems management metric.
A time-series chart typically displays consecutive time intervals that show the transition of measurements from one point in time of interest to another. Each transitional time interval along the way is displayed with many data points. A time-series chart may then be combined with more than one y-axis scale and with optional time interval instrumentation. Together, combining all this information in this manner may deliver a lot of visual noise, which may obscure the presence of significant patterns of system activity.
The visual noise difficulty may be exacerbated by large numbers of resources or objects present in commercial-scale enterprise networks. Because of the time and logistical challenges with manually comparing large numbers of time-series charts, detailed performance or workload analysis reporting may be restricted to the key system objects only. Because an enterprise may depend on the performance analysis to identify what the key system objects are, they may be reduced to guessing which of perhaps tens of thousands of objects deserve special monitoring. The current volatility of enterprise systems and networks with the introduction of cloud and Software as a Service (SaaS) architectures may make system usage even more unpredictable.
For enterprise IT business requirements, such as application performance management, infrastructure management, and service delivery management, companies may need the ability to quickly isolate who the major system resource users are to diagnose and response to user problems and service level breaches in a timely manner. This may require retrieving and sorting appropriate metrics for all existing objects of a type, and displaying only a "Top N" by a suitable measure. Time-series charts with multiple data sets on a line chart may not be a practical way to display comparative "Top N" data. "Top N" data is generally presented in non-graphical tables or low quality ordered bar charts. A "Top N" bar chart may be restricted to displaying a single metric, which may require several "Top N" bar charts to be manually visually compared.
The approaches described in this section could be pursued, but are not necessarily approaches that have been previously conceived or pursued. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated herein, the approaches described in this section are not prior art to the claims in this application and are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.

Managing the performance of a data processing system through visualization of performance metrics data via a cognitive map


A surface treatment composition includes a solution having a pH within a range of above 4 to 8 that includes metal cations produced in situ from a metal-containing substance having a Ksp no greater than 1×10−6 in a reaction with an acid having a pKa in a range of −3.0 to +3.5. The composition further includes an agent mixed with the solution that is either a surface sizing agent or a coating agent used on a paper substrate. A print media includes the composition applied to a paper substrate. Preparation of the composition includes reacting the metal-containing substance with the acid, adjusting the pH to above 4 to 8, and mixing the metal cation-containing solution with either the surface sizing or coating agents.

Print media used in printing images usually undergo a surface treatment process, such as one or more of surface sizing and surface coatings during manufacture to improve print quality, print durability and reliability, and print finish. Regardless of the printing technology used, or regardless of the printing platform, the attributes of the printed image are important to end-users. Concomitantly, the materials used in the surface sizing and the surface coatings are important to the paper mills that produce the print media.
Certain examples have other features that are one of in addition to and in lieu of the features illustrated in the above-referenced figures. These and other features are detailed below with reference to the above-referenced figures.

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


A V-type 8-cylinder four cycle internal combustion engine has a bank angle of 90 deg. and employs a double link type piston-crank mechanism for transmitting the force of each piston to a crankshaft. The double link type piston-crank mechanism comprises an upper link that has one end pivotally connected to the piston, a lower link that is rotatably supported by a crank pin of the crankshaft and has one end pivotally connected to the other end of the upper link, and a control link that has one end pivotally connected to the other end of the lower link and the other end pivotally connected to a cylinder block. Preferably, the crankshaft is of a single plane type in which all of the four throws are in a common plane.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to V-type 8-cylinder four cycle internal combustion engines with a bank angle of 90 deg., and more particularly to the engines of a type that has a double link type piston-crank mechanism that employs a plurality of links for operatively connecting a crankshaft and each piston.
2. Description of the Related Art
Hitherto, as a means for providing the engine with a variable compression ratio, there has been proposed a type that practically uses a double link type piston-crank mechanism. The mechanism comprises an upper link that has one end pivotally connected to a piston through a piston pin, a lower link that is pivotally connected to the other end of the upper link and pivotally supported by a crankpin of a crankshaft, and a control link that has one end pivotally connected to the lower link for controlling the posture of the lower link. In accordance with an operation condition of the engine, the other end of the control link, that forms a swing fulcrum, is forced to change its position. With this, the posture of the lower link is varied and thus, a stroke characteristic of the piston is changed permitting the engine to have a variable compression ratio.
For controlling such engines, one operation method has been hitherto proposed wherein when the engine is under a low operation load, a higher compression ratio is set for improving the fuel consumption and when the engine is under a high operation load, a lower compression ratio is set for suppressing an excessive pressure generated in each cylinder. By practically using this method, a unique system has been thought out wherein the compression ratio is controlled to vary in accordance with the engine operation condition. In internal combustion engines employing such system, both reduction in fuel consumption and increase in engine power are achieved at the same time.
In the engines having the above-mentioned double link type piston-crank mechanism installed therein, it is known that a secondary vibration component of an inertia force produced by reciprocating movement of each piston is reduced, as is described in Japanese Laid Open Patent Application (Tokkai) 2001-227367. This advantageous effect is brought by a multi-articulation possessed by the double link type mechanism through which the piston and the crank pin are operatively connected. It has been revealed that a mechanism for moving the position of the swing fulcrum of the control link has substantially no influence on such advantageous vibration reduction effect.
For effective reduction of the secondary vibration component of the inertia force of the piston, various methods have been proposed and put into practical use, which are disclosed in, for example, the above-mentioned published Application 2001-227367, Japanese Laid-open Patent Application (Tokkai) 2002-227674 and Japanese Laid-open Patent Application (Tokkai) 2002-129995.


This invention relates to a method of making a steel cable reinforced conveyor belt while monitoring the tensions of all the cables.

When making steel cable reinforced conveyor belts, it is desirable to maintain the tensions on each cable at a predetermined level. This invention provides a method of making a steel cable reinforced conveyor belt while monitoring the tension of each of the cables going into the construction.
Methods and apparatuses for measuring the tension in wires and cables have been known for some time. Most are based on determining the natural frequency of vibration of a known length of cable between two fixed points and calculating the tension according to the following formula:
T=4L2F2M
where T is tension, L is the length between the two fixed points, F is the natural frequency of vibration and M is the mass per unit of length of the cable. See e.g. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,871,217; 3,540,271; 3,394,587; 2,618,970 and 3,889,525.

Method of making a steel cable reinforced conveyor belt


An in-vehicle navigation apparatus is equipped with (i) an HDD for recording map data for display and, further, (ii) an external memory, which is not an HDD and in which the map data recorded in the HDD can be copied. The navigation apparatus performs the following: when the main power is supplied to the map display device, the altitude of the position of the vehicle (startup altitude) is specified; when the specified startup altitude is equal to or higher than a reference altitude, the map data are read from the external memory and the corresponding map is thereby displayed on an image display device, with the HDD not activated; and when the specified startup altitude is lower than the reference altitude, the map data are read from the HDD and the corresponding map is thereby displayed on the image display device.

A map display control apparatus is mounted in a vehicle for displaying a map in an image display device. The apparatus sometimes uses a hard disk drive (henceforth HDD) as a device for storing map data for display. When used at a position of an altitude of 3000 m or higher, an HDD has a property to be breakable.
To that end, a technology is known which is equipped with an HDD along with a secondary storage other than an HDD, as a map data storage. In this technology, such a map data storage is switched from the HDD to the secondary storage when the subject vehicle advances into a high ground exceeding the altitude of 3000 m, thereby stopping the operation of the HDD.
For example, the map display control apparatus (specifically navigation apparatus) of Patent document 1 functions as follows. When the subject vehicle advances from a ground with an altitude of 3000 m or lower to an higher ground exceeding the altitude of 3000 m during the operation, the data in an HDD is copied to other memory (for example, flash memory as another rewritable memory) and the operation of the HDD is then stopped.
However, there is no description about the operation of the HDD immediately after the startup of the map display control apparatus in the Patent document 1. In general, immediately after being started, a conventional map display control apparatus having an HDD starts (i.e., activates) the HDD to thereby read data such as a program in the HDD. Therefore, in the technology like Patent document 1, when the map display control apparatus starts at a position or ground with an altitude of 3000 m or higher, the HDD may be automatically activated. In such a case, the risk of breakage of the HDD becomes high.
Patent document 1: JP-2004-317385 A

Map display control apparatus, program product therefor, and method for controlling an in-vehicle navigation apparatus


A capacitive ultrasonic transducer includes a flexible layer, a first conductive layer on the flexible layer, a support frame on the first conductive layer, the support frame including a flexible material, a membrane over the support frame being spaced apart from the first conductive layer by the support frame, the membrane including the flexible material, a cavity defined by the first conductive layer, the support frame and the membrane, and a second conductive layer on the membrane.

The present invention relates to an ultrasonic transducer and, more particularly, to a flexible capacitive ultrasonic transducer and a method of fabricating the same.
With the advantages of non-invasive evaluation, real-time response and portability, ultrasonic sensing devices have been widely used in medical, military and aerospace industries. For example, echographic systems or ultrasonic imaging systems are capable of obtaining information from surrounding means or from human body, based on the use of elastic waves at ultrasonic frequency. An ultrasonic transducer is often one of the important components in an ultrasonic sensing device. The majority of known ultrasonic transducers are realized by using piezoelectric ceramic. A piezoelectric transducer is generally used to obtain information from solid materials because the acoustic impedance of piezoelectric ceramic is of the same magnitude order as those of the solid materials. However, the piezoelectric transducer may not be ideal for obtaining information from fluids because of the significant impedance mismatch between piezoelectric ceramic and fluids, for example, tissues of the human body. The piezoelectric transducer may generally operate in a frequency band from 50 KHz to 200 KHz. Furthermore, the piezoelectric transducer may generally be fabricated in high-temperature processes and may not be ideal for integration with electronic circuits. In contrast, capacitive ultrasonic transducers may be manufactured in batch with standard integrated circuit ("IC") processes and therefore are integrable with IC devices. Furthermore, capacitive ultrasonic transducers are capable of operating at a higher frequency band, from 200 KHz to 5 MHz, than known piezoelectric transducers. Consequently, capacitive ultrasonic transducers have gradually taken the place of the piezoelectric transducers.
FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a capacitive ultrasonic transducer 10. Referring to FIG. 1, the capacitive ultrasonic transducer 10 includes a first electrode 11, a second electrode 12 formed on a membrane 13, an isolation layer 14 formed on the first electrode 11, and support sidewalls 15. A cavity 16 is defined by the first electrode 11, the membrane 13 and support sidewalls 15. When suitable AC or DC voltages are applied between the first electrode 11 and the second electrode 12, electrostatic forces cause the membrane 13 to oscillate and generate acoustic waves. The effective oscillating area of the conventional transducer 10 is the area defined by the first electrode 11 and second electrode 12. In this instance, the effective oscillating area may be determined by the length of the second electrode 12 because the second electrode 12 is shorter than the first electrode 11. Furthermore, the membrane 13 may generally be fabricated in a high-temperature process such as a conventional chemical vapor deposition ("CVD") or low pressure chemical vapor deposition ("LPCVD") process at a temperature ranging from approximately 400 to 800° C.
FIGS. 2A to 2D are cross-sectional diagrams illustrating a conventional method for fabricating a capacitive ultrasonic transducer. Referring to FIG. 2A, a silicon substrate 21 is provided, which may be heavily doped with impurities in order to serve as an electrode. Next, a first nitride layer 22 and an amorphous silicon layer 23 are successively formed over the silicon substrate 21. The first nitride layer 22 may function to protect the silicon substrate 21. The amorphous silicon layer 23 is used as a sacrificial layer and will be removed in subsequent processes.
Referring to FIG. 2B, a patterned amorphous silicon layer 23′ is formed by patterning and etching the amorphous silicon layer 23, exposing portions of the first nitride layer 22. A second nitride layer 24 is then formed over the patterned sacrificial layer 23′, filling the exposed portions.
Referring to FIG. 2C, a patterned second nitride layer 24′ with openings 25 is formed by patterning and etching the second nitride layer 24, exposing portions of the patterned amorphous silicon layer 23′ through the openings 25. The patterned amorphous silicon layer 23′ is then removed by a selective etch.
Referring to FIG. 2D, a silicon oxide layer is deposited through the openings 25 to form plugs 26. Chambers 27 are thereby defined by the plugs 26, the patterned second nitride layer 24′ and the first nitride layer 22. A metal layer 28 is then formed over the patterned second nitride layer 24′ to serve as a second electrode.
However, the conventional capacitive ultrasonic transducer is inflexible due to the utilization of a silicon-based substrate. The inflexibility restricts the conventional capacitive ultrasonic transducer to a limited application. It may therefore be desirable to have a flexible capacitive ultrasonic transducer and a method of fabricating the same.

Method for fabricating capacitive ultrasonic transducers

Industrial Technology Research Institute


Corrosion-resistant latex coatings comprising a diphenyl sulfonate surfactant and a salt of 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid.

This invention relates to improved corrosion-resistant waterborne paints. It further relates to the latex polymers and surfactant combinations which are useful in preparing such paints.
Previously, attempts to create waterborne corrosion-resistant latex paints have concentrated generally on the incorporation of specific corrosion-inhibiting ingredients into the binder system or the selection of particular binder components designed to maximize corrosion resistance. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,243,416 and 4,243,417 teach latex paints containing a water soluble complex of a polyvalent transition metal, a volatile complexing agent and a corrosion inhibiting anion. U.S. Pat. No. 3,586,519 teaches the use of a mixture of di-basic ammonium citrate and a neutralized acidic phosphate co-ester of an aliphatic alcohol and a non-ionic adduct of ethylene oxide and an organic compound containing reactive hydrogen atoms. U.S. Pat. No. 4,049,596 teaches the use of zinc borate and barium metaborate pigments to provide corrosion resistance. U.S. Pat. No. 4,108,811 teaches the use of a blend of resins along with a corrosion-inhibiting pigment or pigments. U.S. Pat. No. 4,173,665 teaches the use of polychloroprene polymer latexes and corrosion inhibitors to provide corrosion protection. U.S. Pat. No. 4,649,170 teaches elastic, breathable underbody coatings containing corrosion inhibiting agents. U.S. Pat. No. 4,999,250 teaches the use of a salt of a metal (magnesium, calcium, barium or zinc) of a hydroxycarboxylic acid which can be added to either a paint, oil or grease to improve corrosion resistance when use on metal surfaces. U.S. Pat. No. 5,028,489 teaches adding a sol or gel containing salt to a polymeric coating to improve the corrosion-inhibiting properties of the coating. U.S. Pat. No. 4,968,741 teaches latexes made with phosphate surfactants and vinyl aromatic monomers to achieve corrosion-inhibitive waterborne coatings. U.S. Pat. No. 5,082,895 teaches the use of high levels of styrene and large particle size to create higher solids waterborne coatings having corrosion resistance. U.S. Pat. No. 4,812,510 teaches the use of sodium 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonate to make stable small particle size latexes.


Devices and methods for sensing current are described herein. One device (100) includes a base member (102) having a first leg (104, 106) and a second leg (104, 106), the legs (104, 106) defining an angle (108) therebetween, a first magnetic current sensor (110, 112) coupled to the base member (102) and positioned at a first location in a plane bisecting the angle (108), and a second magnetic current sensor (110, 112) coupled to the base member (102) and positioned at a second location in the plane bisecting the angle (108).

A current through a circuit conductor (e.g., a wire) may be determined (e.g., sensed, acquired, and/or measured) based on a magnetic field generated by the circuit conductor as the current passes through the circuit conductor. Determining current based on a magnetic field may allow the current to be measured without physically contacting the circuit conductor, for example.
Some previous approaches for determining current based on a magnetic field may use a magnetic core to concentrate the magnetic flux produced by the current. Such approaches may, for example, place a single magnetic current sensor in a gap of the magnetic core.
Approaches for determining current that use a magnetic core, however, may use a large amount of space (e.g., volume) and/or power. Additionally, such approaches may be expensive to produce because, for example, they may have a complicated structure and/or many components. Additionally, such approaches may be prone to measurement errors due to, for example, residual magnetization associated with the magnetic core.


A backlight LED drive circuit 20 includes a step-up DC/DC converter 22 for stepping up a DC power voltage based on a PWM signal and supplying the voltage to the anode of an LED device 12c, a voltage detector 24 for detecting a feedback voltage FBV based on a voltage at a terminal 22b coupled to the cathode of the LED device, a PWM control circuit 26 for outputting a PWM signal to the step-up DC/DC converter 22 so that the feedback voltage FBV may become a predetermined voltage, and a PWM stop circuit 28 for stopping the PWM signal when the feedback voltage FBV is below a second predetermined voltage set smaller than the predetermined voltage. Thereby, such backlight LED drive circuit causes no troubles even when terminal to which the LED device is connected is rendered open.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a backlight LED drive circuit for driving LED (Light Emitting Diode) used for a backlight of a liquid crystal panel.
2. Description of the Related Art
A backlight LED drive circuit for driving LED used for a backlight of a liquid crystal panel is well known. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a conventional backlight LED drive circuit. Referring to FIG. 5, a backlight LED drive circuit 1 includes a step-up DC/DC converter 2, voltage detector 3, and PWM control circuit 4. The drive circuit 1 steps up a DC supply voltage based on a PWM signal output from the PWM control circuit 4 and supplies the stepped up voltage to an LED device 5 formed of a plurality of LEDs connected in series. At this time, a feedback voltage (FB voltage) based on the voltage on the cathode side of the LED device 5 is detected and the PWM signal is controlled so that the feedback voltage may become a predetermined voltage. For example, when the feedback voltage becomes higher than the predetermined voltage, the duty ratio of the PWM signal is decreased so that the stepped up voltage is lowered, and when the feedback voltage becomes lower than the predetermined voltage, the duty ratio of the PWM signal is increased so that the stepped up voltage is raised.
There are proposed various drive circuits for driving an LED device suitably. For example, there is disclosed, in JP-A 2007-96296 (hereinafter called Patent Document 1), a display apparatus capable of preventing continuous increase in its standby power when a light source is turned off, thereby improving its display characteristic. In JP-A 2007-13183 (hereinafter called Patent Document 2), there is disclosed a backlight LED drive circuit having a PWM control unit for ON/OFF controlling a switch with a switching pulse having a duty ratio determined in accordance with a predetermined internal reference voltage and a detected voltage detected by a voltage detecting resistor. Further, in JP-A H03-255684 (hereinafter called Patent Document 3), there is disclosed a drive circuit of a light emitting device having its oscillator circuit provided with a switch as a control means for controlling oscillation to be made and stopped, and thereby deterioration or breakage of the light emitting device is prevented and the current flowing through the light emitting device is switched at a high speed.
Now, in the backlight LED drive circuit 1 shown in FIG. 5, if for example the LED device 5 becomes unconnected with the connection terminals 2a, 2b or the LED device 5 becomes broken so as to render the connection terminals 2a, 2b open, then a voltage will not be applied to the connection terminal 2b. Hence the feedback voltage will become lower than the predetermined voltage to increase the duty ratio of the PWM signal, and thereby the stepped up voltage output from the connection terminal 2a may be increased. At this time, even if the stepped up voltage rises, the feedback voltage remains lower than the predetermined voltage. Therefore, there arises a possibility for example that the duty ratio of the PWM signal is kept at its maximum value and the stepped up voltage at the connection terminal 2a continues to rise until it reaches the maximum voltage that the step-up DC/DC converter 2 can output.
The circuit elements constituting a step-up DC/DC converter 2, in general, are designed to have some margin to sustain normal operations. However, in view of the balance between the margin and such a factor as an increase in cost and installation space, it is considered desirable not to use such circuit elements that can stand the above mentioned maximum voltage. Hence, when the connection terminals 2a, 2b have been rendered open during the operation of the backlight LED drive circuit 1, there has been a possibility of troubles occurring in the circuit elements making up the step-up DC/DC converter 2.
Further, when the LED device 5 has been connected between the connection terminals 2a, 2b under the condition where the stepped up voltage at the connection terminal 2a is high, there has been a possibility of troubles occurring in the LED device 5.
While the arts disclosed in the above mentioned patent documents are not such that prevent occurrence of those troubles, there has not yet been proposed any art to prevent occurrence of troubles when the connection terminals 2a, 2b are rendered open.


The present invention relates to a mobile communication device having a keyboard and a method for controlling the operation of the keyboard of such a mobile communication device. The keyboard provides a QWERTY styled layout including a keypad similar to a ITU-T keypad.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a mobile communication device having an alphanumeric keyboard and more specifically a mobile communication device having an alphanumeric keyboard including a keypad having a layout similar to a mobile communication device keypad.
2. Discussion of Related ArtA broad number of different keyboards is known in the art and widely used. Keyboards allow users to input alphanumeric and numeric symbols in a device, such as typewriters and today mostly personal computers and laptops. Therefore, QWERTY keyboards and national variants like the german QWERTZ keyboards have at least three staggered rows of keys primarily assigned to character signs and punctuation marks and a single row of keys arranged above which is assigned to numeric signs. An extended keyboard version includes an additional calculator style keypad assigned to numeric and mathematical signs.
The number of device applications and device functions provided by mobile communication devices to the users increase rapidly with each generation. The increasing number of device applications and device functions result from the increasing capabilities of the hardware implemented in the mobile communication devices and the demands of the user. Of course, an increasing number of device applications and device functions result in parallel in a more complex and more sophisticated handling of the total mobile communication device.
An appropriate design of the mobile communication device is a great challenge to the mobile communication device manufacturer, since partial contradictory requirements have to be fulfilled. On the one hand, the device applications and device functions should be accessed quickly and in an easily understandable fashion. On the other hand, the number of input means, especially the number of keys, is limited in order to realize a mobile communication device design of small size and low weight as well as not to confuse users due to a too high number of keys.
The double and triple assignment of keys of the keyboard to reduce the total number of keys and to minimize the total size of the keyboard is also well known. Further, especially handheld communication devices are known which have QWERTY like keyboards with integrated keypads corresponding to the conventional telephone style ITU-T keypads provided in conventional mobile phones for entering telephone numbers. Such an ITU-T keypad comprises the numbers 0 to 9 and the symbols "*" and "#" in a pre-determined standardized configuration.

Mobile communication device having a keyboard including a keypad

Abstract: Applications executed on the mobile communication device are adapted to switch an operation mode of the keyboard such that in accordance with a certain expected information input, different assignments of the keys of the keyboard are active. The keyboard operation modes improve the usability of the keyboard and allow the number of total keys for operating the mobile communication device to be reduced resulting in lowered cost of manufacture.


The invention provides an improved process for the synthesis of compounds carrying at least one phosphate group, especially polyalkylene glycol phosphate compounds, said process comprising the steps of: (a) reacting a compound containing at least one primary alcohol moiety with a diaryl- or diaralkyl-halophosphate whereby to form the corresponding diaryl- or diaralkyl-phosphate ester; (b) reductively cleaving the resulting product; and (c) if desired, repeating steps (a) and (b) with the product of step (b) whereby to produce a compound carrying two or more phosphate groups. Advantages of the process in accordance with the invention are that this avoids the production of by-products and results in products which are low in impurities. Also provided are novel diaryl- and diaralkyl-phosphate ester compounds, in particular polyethylene glycol diphenylphosphate ester and derivatives thereof.

The present invention relates to an improved process for the preparation of compounds carrying one or more phosphate groups and to intermediates therefor. In particular, the invention relates to a process for the preparation of polyalkylene glycol phosphates.
Surface active compositions comprising phosphate esters of alkoxylated alcohols are known and described, for example in U.S. Pat. No. 3,462,520. Bis-diphenyl phosphate derivatives of certain alkylene glycols for use in producing flame retardant rayon are described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,556,825. U.S. Pat. No. 3,294,873 discloses phosphorylated polyether polyols and flame-retardant polyurethane compositions derived therefrom.
Recently it has been suggested that the blood residence time of parenterally administered magnetic particles for use in MR imaging may be prolonged by chemical binding of a stabiliser substance to the magnetic particle surface (see e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 5,160,725 and WO-A-94/21240).
Examples of materials which may be used as stabilisers include carbohydrates such as oligo- and polysaccharides, polyamino acids, oligo- and polynucleotides and polyalkylene oxides. Such substances must have at least one chemically reactive functional group, such as a carboxyl, phosphate or phosphonate group, by means of which they are able to bond chemically or adsorb to the surface of the magnetic particles. In this regard, functionalised polymers, such as functionalised polyalkylene oxides, have proved particularly useful.
Organic mono- and di-phosphates are one group of compounds which are capable of forming chemical bonds with the surface of magnetic particles and which have thus been proposed for use as stabiliser substances (see e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 5,160,725). One compound which has been widely suggested for use as a stabiliser substance is a phosphorus oxide terminal polyethylene glycol, in particular, methoxy-polyethylene glycol phosphate (hereinafter referred to as methoxy-PEG-phosphate or MPP).
In the industrial manufacture of polyethylene glycol phosphate, it is important to reduce the production of undesirable by-products and to optimise the yield and purity of the final product. This in turn can lead to a substantial reduction in production costs.
We have now developed an improved process for the synthesis of compounds carrying one or more phosphate groups, especially polyalkylene glycol phosphate compounds, which process avoids the production of by-products and so greatly increases the yield. The products produced by such a process are also low in impurities.
Thus, viewed from one aspect the invention provides a process for the preparation of a compound carrying a phosphate group, said process comprising the steps of:
(a) reacting a compound containing at least one primary alcohol moiety with a diaryl- or diaralkyl-halophosphate whereby to form the corresponding diaryl- or diaralkyl-phosphate ester;
(b) reductively cleaving the resulting product; and
(c) if desired, repeating steps (a) and (b) with the product of step (b) whereby to produce a compound carrying two or more phosphate groups.
The process in accordance with the invention is conveniently a two-step process comprising steps (a) and (b) as defined above in which high yields are obtained by conducting the first reaction step under especially mild conditions.
By repeating steps (a) and (b) with the product of step (b), compounds carrying two, three or more phosphate moieties can, however, be prepared. In this way, the process of the invention can be used to prepare polymers of phosphates such as diphosphate, triphosphate and polyphosphates. Such oligo- and polyphosphates are particularly preferred for use as stabiliser substances since these are capable of binding more strongly to magnetic particles due to the presence of multiple binding sites.
Compounds containing at least one primary alcohol moiety for use in the process of the invention include alcohols having a molecular weight of at least 50, especially preferably of at least 100. Hydrophilic alcohols are particularly preferred.
Particularly preferred compounds containing at least one primary alcohol moiety include long chain polymers, such as polyalkylene oxide compounds having a molecular weight (weight average) in the range of from 100 to 200,000, preferably from 250 to 100,000, more preferably from 250 to 20,000, e.g. from 500 to 3,000.
Polyalkylene oxides suitable for use in the process of the invention may be linear or branched, preferably linear. Preferred polyalkylene oxides include polyethylene oxides, polypropylene oxides, polybutylene oxides and derivatives thereof. Particularly preferred polyalkylene oxides include polyethylene oxides, polypropylene oxides and random and block copolymers thereof. Conveniently, the number of polyethylene oxide and polypropylene oxide groups in such compounds may be from 1 to 300, preferably from 2 to 100.
Preferred derivatives of polyalkylene oxides for use in the process of the invention include the C1-8 straight-chain or branched alkoxy, preferably C1-6 alkoxy, e.g. methoxy substituted compounds.
Particularly preferably, the compound containing at least one primary alcohol moiety for use in the process of the invention is methoxy polyethylene glycol (hereinafter referred to as methoxy-PEG).
The compound carrying at least one primary alcohol moiety is preferably reacted with an equivalent molar concentration of a diaryl- or diaralkyl-halophosphate compound, particularly preferably with an equivalent molar concentration of a diaryl halophosphate compound. Whilst the diaryl- or diaralkyl-halophosphate compound for use in the process of the invention is preferably a diaryl- or diaralkyl-chlorophosphate, other diaryl- or diaralkyl-halophosphates may be used, e.g. diaryl- or diaralkyl-iodophosphates and bromophosphates.
As used herein, xe2x80x9caralkylxe2x80x9d is intended to include alkyl groups substituted by at least one aryl group, preferably an alkyl group substituted by a single aryl group.
As used herein, xe2x80x9carylxe2x80x9d is intended to include aromatic groups containing from 5 to 12, preferably those containing 5 or 6 ring atoms, optionally substituted by one or more halogen atoms and/or nitro groups, or by one or more groups selected from R, OR, SR, NHR, NR2, CO2R and CONHR in which each R independently represents a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group.
In the compounds for use in the process of the invention, any alkyl moiety, unless otherwise specified, may be straight-chained or branched and preferably contains from 1 to 8, more preferably from 1 to 6, especially preferably from 1 to 4 carbon atoms.
Aryl groups suitable for use in the invention include heterocyclic aryl groups having one or more heteroatoms selected from oxygen, nitrogen and sulphur.
Preferred aryl groups include phenyl and naphthyl.
Particularly preferred diaryl halophosphate compounds for use in step (a) include diphenyl iodophosphate, diphenyl bromophosphate and diphenyl chlorophosphate. Diphenyl chlorophosphate is especially preferred.
Preferred diaralkyl halophosphates for use in step (a) include dibenzyl halophosphates, e.g. dibenzyl iodophosphate, dibenzyl bromophosphate and dibenzyl chlorophosphate. Particularly preferred is dibenzyl chlorophosphate. Other diaralkyl halophosphates which may be used in step (a) include di-4-nitrobenzyl halophosphates, e.g. di-4-nitrobenzyl chlorophosphate.
Conveniently step (a) may be carried out in a solvent or mixture of solvents selected from methylene chloride, methanol, ethanol, acetone, diethylether, methylformamide, dimethylformamide, dimethylsulphoxide, benzene, chlorobenzene, tetrahydrofuran and dioxane. It is particularly advantageous to carry out step (a) in the presence of methylene chloride. The reaction may, however, be carried out without a solvent.
Preferably, step (a) is also carried out in the presence of an organic base, or mixture of organic bases, which may simultaneously act as a solvent. Examples of organic bases suitable for use in the process of the invention include triethylamine, N,N-diisopropylethylamine, pyridine and dimethyl-aminopyridine or mixtures thereof. A particularly preferred mixture of organic bases for use in step (a) is a mixture of triethylamine and dimethylaminopyridine.
Step (a) may be conducted at temperatures in the range of from 0 to 35xc2x0 C., preferably at temperatures from 20 to 25xc2x0 C. In general, ambient temperature is preferred.
Step (b) involves reductive cleavage of the aryl or aralkyl groups from the diaryl- or diaralkyl-phosphate ester compound produced in step (a). This is conveniently carried out hydrogenolytically at temperatures of from 25 to 50xc2x0 C., preferably from 38 to 45xc2x0 C., e.g. from 40 to 42xc2x0 C., preferably at a pressure of from 200 to 450 kPa, e.g. from 300 to 350 kPa.
Hydrogenation is preferably carried out using platinum oxide (Adam""s catalyst) at a temperature of 40xc2x0 C. and a pressure of 350 kPa. Other hydrogenation catalysts suitable for use in step (b) include palladium or platinum on charcoal.
Step (b) is preferably carried out in the presence of at least one protic solvent. Suitable protic solvents for use in step (b) are those which result in the minimal production of by-products and include organic acids, such as acetic acid, isopropanol and methanol. Acetic acid is particularly preferred. Alternatively, step (b) may be carried out in the absence of any solvent.
In carrying out steps (a) and (b) any reactive groups present, especially on the compound carrying the primary alcohol moiety, may be protected during the reaction using conventional protecting groups which may be cleaved by conventional procedures, e.g. hydrolysis, at the end of the reaction.
Conveniently, the compounds produced in accordance with the process of the invention are isolated by conventional work-up procedures and, optionally, further purified using procedures well known in the art, such as for example re-crystallisation from a solvent mixture, e.g. from tetrahydrofuran/hexanes. Other solvents which may be used in this regard include acetone, ethanol/hexanes and ethyl acetate/hexanes.
Step (a) results in the formation of a diaryl- or diaralkyl-phosphate ester compound, e.g. a diphenyl phosphate ester, which may be isolated and, if desired, further purified using conventional purification procedures. Such compounds form a further aspect of the invention.
Viewed from a further aspect the invention thus provides diaryl- and diaralkyl-phosphate ester compounds. Preferred compounds in accordance with the invention include those of formula I:
R1Oxe2x80x94PO(OR2)2xe2x80x83xe2x80x83(I)
(wherein R1 is the residue of a polyalkylene oxide having a weight average molecular weight in the range of from 100 to 200,000, preferably from 250 to 100,000, more preferably from 250 to 20,000, e.g. from 500 to 3,000; and R2 is an aralkyl, or more preferably an aryl moiety as hereinbefore defined).
Preferably, R2 is phenyl or naphthyl, particularly preferably phenyl.
Particularly preferred compounds in accordance with the invention include polyethylene glycol diphenylphosphate ester and derivatives thereof, e.g. methoxy polyethylene glycol diphenylphosphate ester.
Viewed from a yet further aspect, the invention provides a product, e.g. a compound carrying one or more phosphate groups prepared by the process hereinbefore described, and a magnetic particle, particularly preferably a superparamagnetic particle, linked to one or more of such products.
Particularly preferred compounds prepared in accordance with the process of the invention include polyethylene glycol derivatives, such as mono- and di-PEG-phosphate and alkoxy-PEG phosphates, e.g. methoxy-PEG-phosphate, methoxy-PEG-diphosphate and methoxy-PEG-triphosphate.
The process in accordance with the invention results in minimal production of undesirable by-products and a yield of the desired product in the range of from 90 to 95% by weight. Conveniently, the product produced in accordance with the process of the invention has a purity in excess of 95% by weight, preferably greater than 98% by weight.
The invention will now be further described with reference to the following non-limiting Examples and the accompanying Figures in which:

Process for the preparation of polyether phosphates


A coin rolled from a first end of a surface to a second end of a surface is detected by a sensing device. The sensing device causes a video screen to display a coin generated video object in response to the detection of the coin near the second end of the surface. The video screen may also display at least one target video object. The coin generated object may be displayed by the video screen in a manner so that it appears that the coin generated object moves on the video screen in a direction related to the direction of the physically rolling coin. The target video object may change from a first state to a second state on the video screen when the coin generated object is within a specified range of the target video object.

Various coin rolling games are provided in the prior art in which a coin is rolled and physically comes into contact with a physical object. For example, a coin rolling bowling game is known in which a coin is rolled and the coin hits one or more physical bowling pins.

Coin roll type coin operated redemption game where rolling coin turns into image on video screen


There is provided a laser machining apparatus, and a laser machining method using the same. The laser machining apparatus has a body portion having a plurality of laser irradiating sections and work mounting sections, a supplying stocker for supplying workpieces, and a discharging stocker for discharging the workpieces. The apparatus further comprises a supply-side transfer unit having work retaining tables capable of attracting/releasing the workpieces and being of the same number as the laser irradiating sections, and moving in vertical and horizontal directions, and a discharge-side transfer unit having work retaining tables capable of attracting/releasing the workpieces and being of the same number as the laser irradiating sections, and moving in vertical and horizontal directions. The supply-side transfer unit causes the supply-side work retaining tables to attract the workpieces from the supplying stocker one after another and moves these supply-side work retaining tables to the work mounting sections to place the workpieces thereon. The discharge-side transfer unit causes the discharge-side work retaining tables to attract the work pieces which have been machined at work mounting sections, and to move and discharge these workpieces to the discharging stocker.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a laser machining apparatus comprising a plurality of laser irradiating sections and work mounting tables disposed so as to face the laser irradiating sections, and to a laser machining method using the laser machining apparatus.
2. Description of Related Art
As a prior art laser machining apparatus, there is known a laser machining apparatus having a plate-like work supplying unit, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2001-139170 for example, comprising work transferring means for transferring plate-like workpieces from a first work mounting section to a second work mounting section, workpiece thickness detecting means for detecting whether or not one workpiece is mounted on the second work mounting section, and work transfer control means for controlling, when the workpiece thickness detecting means detects that a plurality of workpieces is mounted on the second work mounting section, the work transferring means to return extra workpieces to the first work mounting section until one workpiece is left on the second work mounting section.
However, in case of a laser machining apparatus comprising a plurality of work mounting sections, it takes time to transfer workpieces, and machining efficiency drops if the workpieces are to be transferred one by one.
Additionally, although a transfer time may be shortened by providing the same number of second work mounting sections as first work mounting sections, and by removing workpieces from a plurality of work mounting sections at the same time, this is not practical because it requires a large installation area for the laser machining apparatus.

Laser machining apparatus and laser machining method


A pet seat for comparatively small pets which pet seat may be detachably mounted on the console structure of a vehicle.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to seats for pets and more specifically to an improved pet seat or bed for holding a small pet in a secure position in a vehicle on the console thereof and which may also be utilized as a pet bed in locations other than a vehicle and also may be utilized for carrying a pet.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many seats for pets which may be utilized in vehicles for transporting the pets have heretofore been described and/or offered for sale. Many such devices were the same as or similar to booster seats for children. Some of the prior art pet seats were specifically designed for pets rather than children and which recognized the needs of the pet rather than the child. In many of the prior art pet seats for vehicles the seat itself was not attached to the seat or back of the vehicle seat in a secure fashion or else required modification to the vehicle seat/back for securing the pet seat. Such modifications were often expensive and difficult to install in a vehicle. Still other vehicle pet seats did not provide for or allow the pet, when positioned in the seat, to have the visibility of the surroundings that many pets, such as dogs, desire when in a vehicle. Still other prior art pet seats have had mechanical or rigid structures incorporated therein which increases the cost and complexity of such pet seats. Further, some prior art pet seats did not provide for adequately and safely securing the pet into the seat as well as securing the seat in the vehicle.
It is desirable to have the pet seat incorporate structure for securing the pet in the pet seat by utilizing an attachment to the conventional collar/harness of the pet. In some of the prior art pet seats the vehicle seat belt structure was utilized to restrain the pet seat but at least some portions of the vehicle seat belt structure were in regions accessible to the pet. In such prior art pet seats, the pet could chew on the securing vehicle seat belt structure thereby weakening the seat belt and thus impairing its safety function.
In the case of any motion of the vehicle inducing rapid changes in acceleration such as sudden stops, accidents and the like, it is desired that the pet seat provide a cushioning effect in the sides, front, back as well as a cushioned seat upon which the pet may sit and or lie down.
Since many pets desire to look in the direction of travel, it is desirable to have the pet seat designed so that the forward vision of the pet while in the pet seat is minimally obscured and yet the forward portion of the pet seat still providing cushioning for the pet.
Console structures are often provided in vehicles, for example, between the driver and passenger seat in the front seat of the vehicle and often between the seats in the second and/or third row of seats in a vehicle such as sport utility vehicles, vans, cabin pickup trucks and the like. Many of the consoles heretofore utilized in the vehicles are of the "clam shell" type structure in which a lid to the console is hinged to the rear of the body of the console and open from the front thereof.
The structure of the pet seat should be complimentary to and inter-engaging with the design of some secure structures in vehicles. The consoles of the vehicles can provide such secure structure for the attachment of a pet seat thereto.
In some of the prior art pet seats, complicated, and costly rigid mechanical arrangements or other rigid structures have been incorporated into the seat design. Such rigid structures could injure the pet and/or add cost to the manufacture of the pet seat. It is desirable that the pet seat be free of the rigid mechanical structures or components so that the cost of the pet seat and safety of the pet are provided. Further, the complicated structural attachments often utilized for securing the prior art pet seats to the vehicle structures often deterred consumers from the use of the pet seat or resulted in the pet seat not being securely attached with the resultant danger of injury to the pet.
Thus, it has long been desired to provide a pet seat, particularly adapted to accommodate small pets and which pet seat may be securely attached to the console of a vehicle with a minimum of complicated attachment methods.
The prior art pet seats have not been able to provide these desiderata.


In a tennis racket having a racket frame composed of a fiber reinforced resin, the moment of inertia Ic of the tennis racket in a center direction thereof is set to not less than 13000 g·cm2 nor more than 17000 g·cm2, the moment of inertia Ig around a center of gravity thereof is set to not less than 80000 g·cm2 nor more than 200000 g·cm2, and the moments of inertia Ic and Ig are so set as to satisfy a relationship expressed by [30×(Ic)−(Ig)]/10000≧31.

The present invention relates to a tennis racket. More particularly, the present invention relates to a tennis racket having three functions in a favorable balance. That is, the present invention relates to a tennis racket which can be swung easily, has a high stability in its ball-hitting face owing to a low extent of deviation of the ball-hitting face, and has a high rebound performance.
The performance demanded for the tennis racket is a high operability (swinging motion), a high rebound performance, and a high stability in the ball-hitting face owing to a low extent of deviation of the ball-hitting face. To enhance these performances, a large number of proposals relating to the tennis racket designed by giving attention to the moment of inertia has been made.
For example, the present applicant proposed a tennis racket disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-175134 (patent document 1). The racket frame is lightweight. The racket frame has a weight not less than 100 g nor more than 280 g. The rigidity value of the racket frame is set to a required range. The range of the moment of inertia thereof in the swing direction and the center direction thereof and the ratio therebetween are specified to thereby improve the operability and the ball-hitting face stability of the tennis racket.
More specifically, as shown in FIG. 8A, the moment of inertia (Is) of the racket frame in the swing direction around the grip end is set to not less than 440,000 g·cm2 nor more than 520,000 g·cm2. As shown in FIG. 8A, the moment of inertia Ic of the racket frame in the center direction thereof around the major axis thereof is set to not less than 13500 g·cm2 nor more than 17000 g·cm2. The ratio of the moment of inertia (Is) of the racket frame in the swing direction to the moment of inertia Ic thereof in the center direction thereof is set to not less than 28 nor more than 36.
However, in the racket frame shown in the patent document 1, optimization of the moment of inertia in conformity with the motion of the tennis racket is not made. Therefore the racket frame is incapable of making a dramatic improvement in its operability and has room for improvement.
In the racket frame disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-328333 (patent document 2), the emphasis is put on the operability thereof by allowing it to be swung easily. The racket frame is characterized in that the density of the fiber reinforced synthetic resin disposed in the vicinity of its center of gravity is set higher than the densities thereof disposed at other portions. This is to make the weight of the portion of the racket frame in the vicinity of its center of gravity heavy and its top portion lightweight so that the tennis racket can be swung easily and thus operated favorably.
In addition, the moment of inertia of the racket frame in the swing direction around the position (balance point) spaced by 50 mm from its grip end is set to a small value, namely, not less than 360 to 400 g·cm2 S2 to enhance its operability.
In the racket frame of the patent document 2, it is possible to make the top portion thereof lightweight by increasing the density of the portion in the vicinity of its center of gravity. But the amount of fiber and resin distributed to the head part surrounding the ball-hitting face is small. Thereby the head part has a low strength. Consequently the racket frame has a low rebound performance, and in addition a low stability in the ball-hitting face thereof. Therefore the racket frame is inferior in the balance among the rebound performance, operability, and controllability.
In the racket frame disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-145711 (patent document 3), the portion of the racket frame at the head part surrounding the ball-hitting face is charged with the foamed material to increase the moment of inertia of the racket frame in the swing direction so that the rebound performance can be improved without increasing the weight of the racket frame too much.
The moment of inertia in the swing direction around the grip end is set to the range of 36×103 to 41×103 kg·m2 (360000 to 410000 kg·m2).
In the racket frame of the patent document 3, the weight concentrates on the head part surrounding the ball-hitting face. Consequently the moment of inertia of the racket frame in the swing direction is so large that it has a low operability.
The racket frame disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 3369543 (patent document 4) has a weight of 150 to 200 g which is very lightweight and is so designed that the moment of inertia Ix in the swing direction around the position spaced by 80 mm from the grip end is set to the range of 0.018 kg·m2 to 0.0218 kg·m2 (180000 to 230000 g·m2) and that the moment of inertia Iy around the longitudinal axis of the tennis racket is set to not less than 0.032 times and less than 0.040 times the moment of inertia Ix in the swing direction. That is, the moment of inertia Iy is set to the range of 6300 to 10350 g·m2.
The moment of inertia of the racket frame in the swing and center directions thereof and the ratio therebetween are set to a specific range respectively to improve the operability and stability in the ball-hitting face of the racket frame.
The racket frame of the patent document 4 has a weight of 150 g to 200 g. According to the law of energy conservation, as the weight of the racket frame becomes lighter, the racket frame has an increasingly low coefficient of restitution in a collision between the racket frame and a ball and has a low rebound performance.
Patent document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-175134
Patent document 2: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-328333
Patent document 3: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-145711
Patent document 4: Patent 3369543
The above-described conventional tennis rackets designed by paying attention to the moment of inertia can be swung easily or has a high rebound performance. But a tennis racket capable of performing all of the three functions in a favorable balance has not been provided. More specifically, a tennis racket that can be swung easily, has a high rebound performance, and has a high stability in its ball-hitting face in a favorable balance has not been provided.


Apparatus and method for dispensing lids, such as plastic lids for soft-drink cups, one-by-one from a stack of such lids supported initially underneath by resting on the lower of two pairs of members adapted to grip and ungrip individual lids, the upper pair being in ungripping configuration and the lower pair being in ungripping but supporting configuration. Operating the method, as by depressing a handle, causes the member pairs first to grip, respectively, the bottommost lid and the next overlying lid, and then to lower the bottommost lid while gripped, as the next overlying lid remains at its original level gripping and thereby supporting the stack of overlying lids. Further operation causes the bottommost lid to be ungripped by the lower pair of members to fall unsupported, whereupon that pair of members returns empty to its original level in ungripping but supporting configuration, then the upper pair of members ungrips the next lid whereupon the stack settles the thickness of a lid onto the lower pair of gripping-ungripping members in ungripping supporting configuration, completing a cycle of lid dispensing.

Beverages are commonly dispensed into paper or plastic drinking cups having a beaded or rolled top edge adapted to fit disengageably into the downturned peripheral skirtlike flange of a cover or lid, which may be flared slightly outward to facilitate such engagement. A lid is especially useful when a dispensed beverage is to be consumed elsewhere and risks contamination or spillage in transit.
Dispensing machines have been devised to apply lids to drinking cups into which beverages have been dispensed, such as by yon Sydow and McCoy in U.S. Pat. No. 1,994,736; by West in U.S. Pat. No. 3,864,898; or Credle in U.S. Pat. No. 4,319,441. However, doing so is a complex operation, which may malfunction-or tend to increase the beverage price.
Consequently, beverages are more often dispensed into uncovered cups, and lids are applied--or are supplied to be applied--by hand. Such lids are usually supplied in nested stack form, convenient for shipping but not convenient for dispensing. Frequently the lids are spread out on a counter, as in a shallow container, whereupon customers can choose and remove one or more lids. Such an increase in customer convenience favors a corresponding increase in wastage, as some customers (or their children) will toy with the lids, spilling and dirtying them, and others will take more lids than they do cups.
There is a need for even better dispensing of such cup lids for manual capping use and maintaining their as-supplied sanitary state. My invention addresses that need and meets it successfully.


An electronic system comprises an initiator module and a target module addressable by the initiator module. The initiator module is activated by edges of an activation signal generated from a first clock signal having a frequency. A control module is activated by edges of a second clock signal having a frequency, which is at least twice as large as the frequency of the first clock signal. The control module is constructed so as, in response to an request for access to the target module, initiated by the initiator module on an active edge of the activation signal, to set a signal for blocking the activation signal before the next edge of the latter, and to reinitialize the blocking signal on the first active edge of the first clock signal which follows the indication by the target module that the processing of the request is terminated at the target module.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains in a general manner to the field of integrated-circuit digital electronic systems, called "Systems on a Chip" or SoC.
2. Description of the Related Art
More particularly, the invention relates to the management of the freezing of a functional module with the aim, for example, of waiting for the end of the execution of an operation by another functional module.
In a system on a chip, resources are conventionally shared between functional modules that have access thereto. A functional module such as this is sometimes called a virtual component or "Intellectual Property" block, or else IP block in the jargon of the person skilled in the art. It is designed to undertake a determined function, or is for general use (it may possibly be a microprocessor or a microcontroller). It can be embodied in the form of hardware elements and/or of software elements.
A distinction is made between modules of master type (hereinafter initiator modules), which take the initiative in exchanging data with one or more other modules, and modules of slave type (hereinafter target modules), whose role is to respond to the requests received from the initiator module which is in charge. Should there be a plurality of initiator modules, an arbitration unit (or arbiter) is responsible for arbitrating in respect of conflicting requests for access to a common resource originating from distinct initiator modules, so as to grant an exclusive right of access to the resource, to a determined one of the said initiator modules.
Conventionally, the functional modules communicate via at least one communication bus comprising a data bus, an address bus and a control bus. The processing of the request may begin with the implementation of a link setup procedure with mutual acknowledgements (otherwise known as "handshake"). The expression link setup procedure is understood to mean a procedure in the course of which the initiator module and the target module exchange control signals, until they are ready for the mutual transmission of data.
Nevertheless, there exist functional modules, in particular of initiator type, which make no provision for such a link setup procedure. To ensure high speed operation, certain initiator modules may in fact be designed to collect the response information from the target module by reading the data bus after a determined duration following the sending of an access request. This determined duration may be as brief as the duration of a clock cycle of the initiator module.
For example, the ST7 microcontroller from STMicroelectronics is designed to send a data read request by depositing on the address bus the address of the register targeted on an active edge of its activation signal (clock signal of the ST7), and to read the data present on the data bus (which are always assumed to be the data present) on the next active edge of the said activation signal, with no synchronization with the operation of the target module.
Such a protocol obviously operates only if the target module is fast enough to process the request within the duration of a cycle of the clock signal of the ST7. Such is not always the case in practice.
Moreover, if the target module provides for the execution of a link setup procedure before processing the request, then an interface and control module must be provided so as to effect the interface between the initiator module and the target module. The implementation of the link setup procedure between the interface module and the target module may take more time than the standby duration for which the initiator module waits (for example, for the ST7 microcontroller, the duration of a cycle of its clock signal).
In order to circumvent these difficulties, consideration may be given to "freezing" (that is to say disabling) the initiator module until the processing of the request by the target module is terminated, by including an instruction provided for this purpose in the microcode executed by the initiator module, subsequent to the instruction corresponding to the request. Such a freeze instruction exists in the instruction set of most microcontrollers and microprocessors. It is provided and used, in general, for placing the component in a standby mode or "frozen" mode, so as to reduce its energy consumption. For the ST7 microcontroller, these are for example the "WAIT" or "HALT" modes.
The execution of the freeze instruction may conventionally cause the blocking of the clock signal of the initiator module at the level of a module for generating clock signals of the system.
Nevertheless, the execution of the freeze instruction may itself take several clock cycles. In particular, the freezing of the microcontrollers and of the microprocessors requires the saving of their execution context, which must thereafter be restored during the "wakeup" (that is to say the re-enabling) of the component.
This implementation by software is therefore time and energy consuming, both in respect of the freezing and the waking up of the initiator module. It also follows that the actual freezing of the initiator module may occur too late, that is to say after the initiator module has read the data present on the data bus, wrongly believing it to be response data originating from the target module. The system is thereafter exposed to a risk of malfunctions.

Management of the freezing of a functional module in a system on a chip


A method is disclosed that includes propagating data via a first data path of a sequential circuit element in response to a clock signal received at a single clocked transistor of the sequential circuit element. The method also includes retaining information related to the data propagated via the first path at a retention circuit element of a second data path, where the first data path includes a first transistor that is responsive to an output of the single clocked transistor. The first transistor has a higher current flow capacity than a second transistor associated with the second data path.

I. Field
The present disclosure is generally related to a sequential circuit element including a singled clocked transistor.
II. Description of Related Art
Advances in technology have resulted in smaller and more powerful personal computing devices. For example, there currently exist a variety of portable personal computing devices, including wireless computing devices, such as portable wireless telephones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and paging devices that are small, lightweight, and easily carried by users. More specifically, portable wireless telephones, such as cellular telephones and IP telephones, can communicate voice and data packets over wireless networks. Further, many such wireless telephones include other types of devices that are incorporated therein. For example, a wireless telephone can also include a digital still camera, a digital video camera, a digital recorder, and an audio file player. Also, such wireless telephones can process executable instructions, including software applications, such as a web browser application, that can be used to access the Internet. As such, these wireless telephones can include significant computing capabilities.
Generally, digital integrated circuits used for portable personal computing devices, such as wireless telephone devices, utilize clock signals for data processing. Dissipation of a clock signal from a clock source as it propagates through an integrated circuit can account for a large portion of the overall dynamic power consumption of the integrated circuit. In circuits that include sequential elements, such as flip-flop circuits and latch circuits, the clock power consumed by the sequential element may be determined, in part, by the capacitance of the transistors that switch when the clock switches. These clocked devices may be directly connected to the primary clock input. Alternatively, these clocked devices may use internal clocks derived from the primary clock input to control transistor operation an timing.
In general, switching transistors associated with the sequential circuit element results in power dissipation through the charging and discharging of transistor capacitances as well as wire capacitances associated with the wiring interconnects. Hence, there is a need for improved sequential circuit element devices and methods of reducing power consumption.

Sequential circuit element including a single clocked transistor


A distributed key management system includes a first SCP subsystem coupled to second SCP subsystems via a network. The first SCP subsystem establishes secure communication channels with the second SCP subsystems, and a first key management subsystem in the first SCP subsystem retrieves enabling key(s) for communicating via the secure communication channels from a second key management subsystem in one of the second SCP subsystems, and stores the enabling key(s). The first key management subsystem then receives a first enabling key request from the first SCP subsystem and determines whether the first SCP subsystem is trusted. If the first SCP subsystem is trusted, the first key management subsystem provides the first SCP subsystem access to the at least one enabling key. If the first SCP subsystem is not trusted, the first key management subsystem prevents the first SCP subsystem from accessing the at least one enabling key stored.

The present disclosure relates generally to information handling systems, and more particularly to providing key management for information handling systems in a distributed manner.
As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option available to users is information handling systems. An information handling system generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, information handling systems may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in information handling systems allow for information handling systems to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, information handling systems may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
Information handling systems such as server devices and/or other computing systems known in the art may be configured to communicate with and/or access each other via the use of keys (e.g., public/private key pairs). In conventional systems, those keys may be managed by a centralized key management system that provides a secure key store/database that each server device must access in order to retrieve the keys needed for secure communications, and such conventional key management systems typically include multiple redundant key management subsystems in order to provide high availability of the keys stored therein. However, the centralized configuration of such conventional key management systems introduces a target for attacks to gain unauthorized access to the keys, and requires purely redundant key management subsystems that perform no functions other than to take over key management functionality in the event the primary key management subsystem becomes unavailable.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a key management system that addresses the issues discussed above.


A system and method are disclosed for combining physically separate subnets of an Infiniband (IB) network into virtual subnets. In the virtual subnets, all of the end node in one subnet may be allowed to access all of the end nodes in another subnet, or the access may be limited to only a selected subset of another subnet. In addition to processing of globally-routed IB packets, the router also communicates (alone or in cooperation with another router) locally-routed IB packets traveling between a designated end nodes in different subnets. The routers may encapsulate the packets into raw datagrams for transport across intervening subnets. The described system and method may advantageously allow remote end nodes to act as a part of a given subnet, and may advantageously allow routers to provide both switch and routing functionality.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to systems and methods for implementing storage area networks. More specifically, this invention relates to a method and apparatus that provides fast and efficient routing between subnets in an Infiniband network. Further, this invention relates to a method and apparatus that couples disjoint subnets into a single logical subnet, and that may provide aliasing of IB ports to facilitate the creation of virtual subnets.
2. Description of Related Art
Internetworking of high-performance computers has become the focus of much attention in the data communications industry. Performance improvements in processors and peripherals, along with the move to distributed architectures such as client/server configurations, have spawned increasingly data-intensive and high-speed networking applications, such as medical imaging, multimedia, and scientific visualization. Various protocols have been developed to provide the necessary communications capacity.
A protocol known as Infiniband can carry data over a given link at rates exceeding 2.5 Gbps in each direction. The Infiniband standard provides a point-to-point, switched architecture that allows many devices to concurrently communicate with high-bandwidth and low latency in a protected, remotely managed environment. An end node can communicate over multiple ports, and multiple communications paths may be used between end nodes. Properly exploited, the multiplicity of ports and paths provide both fault tolerance and increased data transfer bandwidth.
An Infiniband (IB) network interconnects end nodes. Each end node may be a processor node, an I/O unit, and/or a router to another network. The IB network is subdivided into subnets that are interconnected by routers. The subnets comprise subnet managers, switches, and the end nodes linked to the switches. (Technically, a single link between two end nodes is also considered a subnet, with one of the end nodes functioning as a subnet manager for that link. However, this degenerate case is neglected herein.) Multiple links may exist between any two of the devices.
Packets are directed through the IB network using either path-based ("directed route") or destination-based addressing. Directed-route addressing is reserved for subnet management communications, and may be used before the forwarding tables have been initialized in the switches and routers. Directed-route packets include two lists of port numbers that define a path through the subnet. Each list specifies, in order, the output port of each switch along the path. One list specifies the forward route, and the other specifies the reverse route. The packets also include a direction bit to indicate which list is being followed, and a pointer to indicate the current position in the list. The reverse route list is built by the switches as the packet traverses them.
In destination-based addressing, the packets include either a unicast identifier of a single destination end node, or a multicast identifier of a set of destination end nodes. A multicast set can be defined by an end node and used thereafter. The subnet manager configures the switches with routing information to specify all of the ports where a multicast packet needs to travel. Switches receiving a multicast packet will replicate the packet and send it out to each of the designated ports except the arrival port.
In an Infiniband network, communication occurs at two levels: local (intra-subnet) and global (inter-subnet). Each end node has a global identifier (GID) and a shorter, local identifier (LID). For local communications within a given subnet, LIDs are sufficient to identify the source and destination nodes. For communications that pass between subnets, however, GIDs are required. End nodes in a subnet are interconnected by switches that receive and forward packets based on the LIDs. In turn, subnets are interconnected by routers that receive packets and forward the packets based on GIDs.
Unlike switches, the routers must process the packets to replace the source and destination LIDs in the packet with those appropriate for the current subnet. Such processing must occur at astonishing speeds to prevent the router from becoming a bottleneck in the network. Yet, such performance commonly requires unduly expensive hardware. Consumers would benefit from an architecture that provides such performance at an affordable price. Consumers would further benefit if such a router architecture provided additional features such as connecting disjoint subnets into a single virtual subnet, thereby eliminating the need for closely-related end nodes in separate subnets to communicate at the global level. Consumers would yet further benefit from simplification and centralization of network management that the virtual subnet creation would make possible. Such benefits of virtual subnets would be facilitated if routers provided LID aliasing for end nodes in separate subnets.

Combining separate infiniband subnets into virtual subnets


A vehicle includes an electric power steering (EPS) system coupled to a steering wheel of a vehicle. A current sensor senses EPS current drawn by the EPS system. A engine control module controls operation of an engine of the vehicle and includes an auto start/stop module to selective y start and stop the engine independent from user input to start and stop the engine. The auto start/stop module selectively delays an auto engine stop based on the EPS current.

The background description provided here is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent it is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure.
Some automobiles include an engine controller that automatically shuts down and restarts the engine without driver action to reduce the amount of time that the engine spends idling, which reduces fuel consumption and emissions. Typically, the engine controller enables auto start/stop when the vehicle comes to a stop and the brake pedal is depressed. When these conditions are present, the engine controller shuts down the engine without requiring driver action. When the driver releases the brake pedal, the engine controller automatically restarts the engine. During parking maneuvers, however, the engine controller may turn off the engine contrary to the intentions of the driver.
FIG. 1 shows an example of a vehicle 10 including an engine 14. An engine control module 18 controls operation of the engine and includes an auto start/stop module 20 that controls engine auto start/stop. A position of a brake pedal 22 is monitored by a brake pedal sensor 24 and output to the engine control module 18. A position of an accelerator 32 is monitored by an accelerator pedal sensor 34 and output to the engine control module 18. A vehicle speed sensor 38 monitors vehicle speed and outputs the vehicle speed to the engine control module 18. A steering wheel 40 is connected to an electric power steering (EPS) system 42, which reduces steering effort. The EPS system includes a steering angle sensor 46 that senses an angle of the steering wheel 40.
Some manufacturers may use the steering angle sensor that is integrated with the EPS system 42 to identify parking maneuvers and to prevent the auto start/stop system from shutting down the engine during the parking maneuver. In addition to monitoring the brake pedal and vehicle speed, these systems also monitor changes in the angle of the steering wheel to detect the parking maneuver.

Selective auto start/stop delay during low speed maneuvers based on electric power steering current


A sodium phosphate bowel cleansing composition which has improved taste over conventional sodium phosphate compositions. The composition comprising free flowing monobasic sodium phosphate and dibasic sodium phosphate powders or crystals which have been coated with at least one edible grade film forming polymer such as hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose or polyethylene glycol.

The movement of nutrients, wastes, electrolytes, and water through the human intestines depends on the proper balance of absorption and secretion of water and electrolytes by the intestinal epithelium. Various pathogens, physical conditions and drugs can affect this balance or affect intestinal motility which can result in constipation. Laxatives can be used to treat constipation by promoting defecation. In addition, laxatives are useful for bowel clearance before radiological examination, colonoscopy, endoscopic examination, surgery or childbirth.
There are three basic mechanisms of laxative action. The first mechanism is the retention of fluid in colonic contents by the hydrophilic or osmotic properties of the laxative compositions. The second mechanism is a decrease in the absorption of water and NaCl by acting directly or indirectly on the colonic mucosa. The third mechanism of action is an increase in the intestinal motility, which causes decreased absorption of water and salt due to the increased transit time.
There are several different types of laxatives including dietary fiber and bulk-forming laxatives, stimulant laxatives, and saline and osmotic laxatives. Commonly used laxative products include castor oil, magnesium citrate, bisacodyl, PEG-electrolyte lavage and sodium phosphate. PEG-Lavage and sodium phosphate are the most commonly used products for colon cleansing prior to endoscopic examination.
The present sodium phosphate composition is an oral saline laxative and bowel cleanser. Saline laxatives are poorly and slowly absorbed and act by their osmotic properties in the luminal fluid. A commonly used oral saline laxative is "FLEET PHOSPHO-SODA" (21.6 g monobasic sodium phosphate and 8.1 g dibasic sodium phosphate in 45 ml of a stable buffered aqueous solution). This product has been found by most patients to have an unpleasant taste despite the addition of flavorings. In addition, some patients become nauseated and are affected by the slight electrolyte imbalance from using this product. In view of these problems, the object of the present invention is to provide a sodium phosphate bowel cleansing composition which has a pleasant taste and preferably binds ions to reduce the amount of electrolyte shift caused by the absorption of ions from the composition.
Though powdered pharmaceuticals may have been coated to mask taste in the past, the coating of sodium phosphate powders or crystals presents unique difficulties in that these compounds are highly ionic inorganic salts which are administered in larger amounts than most pharmaceuticals and require prolonged contact with water in a suspension. In view of this, the coatings which are used must have pores which are small enough to prevent the migration of ions through the coating and the coatings must be usable in amounts sufficient to coat large quantities of powder without adversely affecting the desired pharmacological effect. The present invention solves these problems allowing the production of a sodium phosphate bowel cleansing composition which has improved taste and retains the desired pharmacological effect.