The conventional spark plug of a gasoline engine is removed and replaced with a high-power spark plug capable of delivering very high power (e.g., one megawatt) over a relatively-narrow time interval (e.g., 20 nanoseconds). Next, the gasoline is replaced with a readily-available non-volatile fuel (e.g., JP-8). The gasoline—and its transportation, storage, handling and/or use—is eliminated altogether, thereby removing a strategic and tactical threat from enemy and terrorist forces who otherwise would be targeting the gasoline tanks. Additionally, or alternatively, the fuel in the line (or the fuel injector) may be heated to start a cold engine or under cold ambient temperatures.

I am the (joint) inventor of a number of U.S. patents disclosing the method and composition of an emergency fuel in the event a motorist runs out of gas on the road. Various compositions were disclosed including, for example, a blend of aromatic and aliphatic mineral spirits (akin to paint thinners) and the resulting product was sold under the trademark "SPARE TANK". The applicable patents are as follows—
No.Issue Date5,681,358Oct. 27, 19975,853,433Dec. 29, 19985,938,799Aug. 17, 19996,110,237Aug. 29, 20006,113,660Sep. 5, 2000
—and their disclosures and teachings are incorporated by reference herein.
Since then, I have learned of an interesting development in the automotive industry, namely, a high-power spark plug marketed by Enerpulse, Incorporated of Albuquerque, N. Mex. under the trademark "PULSTAR". This product has been disclosed in the following published patent applications—
US 2007/0262721Published 15 Nov. 2007US 2008/0018216Published 24 Jan. 2008
—the respective disclosures and teachings of which are incorporated by reference herein.
This "PULSTAR" spark plug is intended for automobiles and other vehicles and its purpose is to improve engine efficiency, acceleration power, and gas mileage in standard cars. Their marketing focus is the automobile aftermarket and, eventually, the O.E.M. market. All of their published research and development has been directed to gas-guzzling cars, and there has been no hint or suggestion that this product could be used—not with gasoline—but with non-volatile fuels for an entirely different purpose.
In a completely different "orbit", for many years the military has been concerned with the transport, storage, handling and use of gasoline for powering certain vehicles and other peripheral equipment using gasoline engines. It is a huge strategic and tactical problem.
For example, at the present time the United States Army brings in gasoline in tanker trucks from Kuwait to Baghdad in large convoys guarded by troops. These convoys of tanker trucks are very inviting targets for terrorists, insurgents and enemy forces. The Navy, on the other hand, uses certain types of equipment (powered by gasoline engines) in Naval shipyards and on the ships at sea, including carriers. To power this equipment, the carrier has a large tank or tanks to store the gasoline, and a direct hit on those tanks by a cruise missile or torpedo could completely disable the ship.
Although there is extensive research and development conducted by the military, including research and development on fuel cells, I am not aware of any instance where the military has found a way to completely eliminate the gasoline altogether, and to power typical gasoline engines with a substantially non-volatile fuel and, especially, a fuel that is readily available. Typical of such fuels are JP-4, JP-8 and Jet A1; presently, JP-8 is very heavily used.
Thus, to remove the strategic and tactical threat while simultaneously greatly simplifying the logistics, it would be very desirable to power the existing gasoline-driven engines by using a standard widely-used non-volatile fuel, such as JP-8, and to provide a relatively simple retrofit kit that can be implemented out in the field.

Method and apparatus for operating standard gasoline-driven engines with a readily-available non-volatile fuel, thereby obviating the use of gasoline


A method and a mobile terminal for communicating with a mobile network element (IWF) comprising communicating with a mobile network element (IWF) using a bearer that is modifiable by a negotiation between the mobile terminal (MS) and the mobile network element (IWF). The data is divided into data units (60) that comprise at least one user data element (61) and at least one status data element (62), said status data element (62) optionally comprising a status indication (63) from the mobile network element (IWF) to the mobile terminal (MS). A need for bearer modification is detected from received status indications (63) in at least two consecutive data units; and a negotiation for bearer modification is initiated, as a response to the detected need for bearer modification.

Many existing digital wireless or mobile telephone networks make use of time division multiple access (TDMA) to share out radio resources between a number of mobile stations and between a number of channels. For example, in the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) GSM standard, a given frequency band is divided in the time domain into a succession of frames, known as TDMA (Time Division Multiplexed Access) frames. The length of a TDMA frame is 4.615 ms. Each TDMA frame is in turn divided into eight consecutive slots of equal duration. In the conventional circuit switched transmission mode, when a call is initiated, a full rate bidirectional traffic channel (TCH/F) is defined for that call by reserving two time slots (1 to 8), in each of a succession of TDMA frames, for the duration of the call. One of these slots provides the downlink from the base station (BS) to the mobile station (MS) whilst the other provides the uplink. The circuit switched transmission mode in GSM provides for a data transmission rate of 9.6 kbps. However, due to the demand for higher transmission rates, a set of GSM enhancements known as GSM Phase 2+ have been specified by ETSI. One of the main features of GSM Phase 2+ is known as High Speed Circuit Switched Data (HSCSD—specified in GSM 02.34 and GSM 03.34) which achieves an increased data transmission rate by using more than one TCH/F for a single connection (i.e. effectively reserving two or more consecutive time slots in each TDMA frame).
In GSM HSCSD non-transparent connection mode the user can (if the MS supports this feature) request service level up- or downgrading, i.e. request more or less time slots to be allocated for a connection. Provided that the feature is requested in the set-up of a call, service level up- and downgrading is possible during an ongoing call. For example, when setting up a connection to an Internet Service Provider (ISP), the login and authorisation procedures do not require a lot of transmission capacity and could therefore be managed with one time slot connection. When the connection is established and a large file or a www-page (World Wide Web) containing graphics is being downloaded, more transmission capacity is needed. When the file or the www-page are downloaded and the user is reading the information, the need for capacity is not that big anymore, and a small number of time slots are needed.
The advantage of using a correct amount of capacity, i.e. correct number of time slots at each time draws from the fact that the user pays for the connection depending on the amount of time slots used. The less capacity is used, i.e. the less time slots are wasted, and the less the user has to pay. In addition, this approach is advantageous also with respect to the network, since the same resources can be used to facilitate services for a remarkably larger number of users.
However, until now the initiative of radio resource modification (e.g. capacity) is left to the user, which means that in order to be able to properly utilise said radio resource modification, the user should be able to perform relatively complicated call control procedures. On the other hand, the protocols between a mobile station and network entities have been quite definitely specified in the standards, and any new solutions for easier assessment of radio resource modification that require changes to existing standards and/or to existing mobile network elements are not very satisfactory.
Furthermore, to facilitate such up- or downgrading of service level, also the application running in the MS must be adapted to support this feature. This means that for example, a www-browser or an email application in the MS must be adapted to recognise that the connection used is a GSM connection employing multiple time slots, and that service level up- and downgrading is supported by the mobile. So far no such applications exist, and even if some such applications were created, mobile subscribers would always be limited to those few adapted applications available.

Method and apparatus for dynamic radio resource controlling


Techniques for providing an improved user interface in which a computer system usage type is configured are disclosed. In some embodiments, a computer-implemented method comprises: displaying a first plurality of selectable UI elements indicating distinct system types based on a request to create a new computer system; receiving a first user selection of one of the first plurality of selectable UI elements; displaying a second plurality of selectable UI elements indicating distinct system usage types in response to a determination that the distinct system type indicated by the first user selection comprises a predetermined system type; receiving a second user selection of one of the second plurality of UI elements; creating the new computer system; and storing the distinct system usage type indicated by the second user selection in association with the new computer system in a database.

In a cloud software solution provided within a cloud computing system architecture, users may use multiple computer systems. These different computer systems can be dedicated for different uses and purposes. However, in creating and managing such a computer system, there is currently no accurate, efficient, and user-friendly way of configuring usage types for these computer systems during their creation. As a result, users and components of the cloud computing system architecture cannot conveniently, quickly, and reliably determine for what use or purpose a computer system is dedicated.

User interface for computer system usage types


Described herein are systems and methods for determination of rolling resistance from a sensor or sensors in a tire or tires for application in smart cars to provide feedback to interested parties, such as Departments of Transportation or tire manufacturers.

Rolling resistance is force or energy that resists the movement of a rolling body. Decreasing rolling resistance improves overall vehicle efficiency, increases vehicle range, and decreases emissions. According to the Alternative Fuels Data Center, "an estimated 5% to 15% of passenger car fuel consumption is used just to overcome rolling resistance." https://www.tirebuyer.com/education/rolling-resistance-and-fuel-economy
Rolling resistance is caused by: (1) deformation in a tire as it rolls; and (2) road surface. Rolling resistance includes mechanical energy losses due to aerodynamic drag associated with rolling, friction between the tire and road and between the tire and rim, and energy losses taking place within the structure of the tire. Due to the weight of the vehicle, the bottom part of a tire flattens as it rolls, the part of the tire that flattens changes. This constant changing of shape leads to increased resistance. Further, different pavement materials and surface textures lead to different rolling resistances. Smoother roads create less rolling resistance than rougher roads.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present disclosure to provide systems and methods for comparing how tires react over range and weather conditions in order to provide rolling resistance data for the life of a tire.
Citation or identification of any document in this application is not an admission that such a document is available as prior art to the present disclosure.


A golf bag includes a club carrier and a ball pouch, the bottom edge of which is hingedly attached to the carrier for movement between an open configuration, wherein a storage pouch is exposed, and a closed configuration. A divider in the ball pouch bisects the pouch. Also, a panel on the carrier establishes a sundry chamber, and shelves are slidably disposed in the sundry chamber. Moreover, the top of the club carrier defines an open end that is reinforced by a stiff collar, and a horizontal tube is positioned next to the collar. A strap of a golf cart can be threaded through the tube to secure the golf bag to the golf cart without crushing items in the golf bag.

Golf bags have been provided for carrying golf clubs, golf balls, and other golf equipment. Golf bags are either carried by the golfer or are strapped to a golf cart, if the golfer uses one. Perhaps not surprisingly, owing to the number and diversity of the various items that are typically held in a golf bag, and owing to various modes by which golf bags are transported around a golf course, many considerations in making golf bags convenient to use have heretofore been overlooked.
Among such considerations, as recognized by the present invention, is that a golfer might want to use two classes of golf balls during a round. Specifically, a golfer might in general want to hit "good" balls but might occasionally opt to use worn balls for, e.g., drives over water hazards or other shots that raise the risk of losing a ball. Unfortunately, ball pouches in existing golf bags do not provide for separating "good" balls from "worn", requiring the golfer to sort through the balls in the pouch to find the desired ball. Or, the golfer might store the good balls in one pouch and the worn balls in another, but if the golfer forgets which pouch is which, the golfer must search through both pouches, which consumes time and becomes annoying.
Furthermore, the present invention understands that, in addition to relatively rugged golf clubs and balls, less rugged sundry items such as hats, visors, and glasses might also be stored in a golf bag. Unfortunately, existing bags do not provide, as well as might be hoped, for storing such sundry items in a golf bag such that the items are both conveniently accessible and safe from being damaged by heavier, more rugged equipment. Moreover, the present invention recognizes that the risk of damaging relatively fragile items in a golf bag is heightened if the golf bag is to be strapped to a golf cart, because as the strap is cinched tight around the bag, it can compress the bag and thereby potentially damage fragile items in the bag.
Fortunately, the present invention realizes solutions to the above-noted problems.

Golf bag with divided ball pouch, sliding shelves, and cart strap securing system


An information processing apparatus includes: an information storage that stores information; a request accepting section that accepts a predetermined request for the information; a setting section that, for each of the information, sets whether the predetermined request is allowed; a setting storage that stores a setting by the setting section; a determining section that, with respect to the information corresponding to a request accepted by the request accepting section, reads out a corresponding setting from the setting storage, and that determines allowance/non-allowance of the predetermined request; and a process executing section that, in a case where the determining section determines allowance of the predetermined request, executes a process corresponding to the predetermined request on the information.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, an information processing system, an image forming apparatus, an image forming system, and a computer readable medium.
2. Related Art
In an information processing apparatus such as a server or a personal computer, or an image forming apparatus such as a printer having a network function, various information is stored in a storage section such as a memory or a hard disk drive.
In such information, it is often that information which is allowed for all users to perform browsing, various settings, and the like, and that which is allowed only for a part of users or the administrator to perform browsing, various settings, and the like mixedly exist.
Therefore, many techniques for restricting processes such as browsing of information, various settings, and the like have been proposed.

Information processing apparatus, information processing system, image forming apparatus, image forming system, and computer readable medium


A polyamide resin composition and a molded article manufactured using the same. The polyamide resin composition includes: about 40 wt % to about 60 wt % of a polyamide resin including a repeat unit represented by Formula 1 and a repeat unit represented by Formula 2 as defined in the specification; about 1 wt % to about 10 wt % of a maleic anhydride-modified olefin-based copolymer; about 5 wt % to about 20 wt % of calcium carbonate subjected to surface treatment with a silane compound; and about 20 wt % to about 40 wt % of glass fibers, wherein the silane compound includes a functional group comprising an amino group, an epoxy group, and/or a (meth)acryloxy group. The polyamide resin composition and the molded article produced using the same can have good properties in terms of plating adhesion, impact resistance, thermal resistance, and/or appearance, and the like.

An aromatic polyamide resin, such as a polyphthalamide resin, has a lower specific gravity than glass or metal and exhibits good properties in terms of thermal resistance, wear resistance, and chemical resistance. With such advantages, the polyamide resin is used for housings of electric/electronic products, internal/external materials for automobiles and buildings, and the like. In particular, with a recent trend toward weight reduction and compactness of products, plastic products manufactured using thermoplastic resins are rapidly replacing glass or metal products.
In addition, in order to realize such advantages of a polyamide resin while maintaining an aesthetically pleasing appearance by providing metallic appearance, a technique for plating the polyamide resin has been developed. Plating of the polyamide resin is performed for the purpose of decoration and corrosion resistance, and secures good properties in terms of plating appearance and adhesion (plating adhesion and wettability) between a plating layer and a resin.
To this end, there is developed a method of adding an inorganic material or an epoxy group-containing polyolefin to a polyamide resin composition in order to improve wettability. However, this method can deteriorate impact resistance of the resin composition and thus allows a limited range of application thereof. In addition, although a method of alloying a polyamide resin with an acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) resin or a polycarbonate resin has been suggested in order to improve wettability of the resin composition, this method can deteriorate thermal resistance of the resin composition.
Therefore, there is a need for a polyamide resin composition that can secure good properties in terms of plating adhesion (wettability), impact resistance, thermal resistance, and/or appearance, and the like.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Polyamide resin composition and molded article comprising the same


A solid state imaging apparatus having a plurality of unit pixels, each pixel including a photodiode and a first readout transistor connected to the photodiode, a monitor including a monitor resistor, configured to measure a depletion potential of the monitor resistor, and a readout voltage generator configured to generate a readout voltage to be applied to a first control electrode of the first readout transistor based on the depletion potential. The monitor resistor has the same impurity concentration distribution as that of the photodiode.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a solid state imaging apparatus, in particular, to a CMOS image sensor, which varies a readout voltage of signal charges in accordance with potential levels related to a photodiode.
2. Description of Related Art
Solid state photoelectrical converters, that is, semiconductor light image sensors, are roughly classified into two categories; CCD image sensors and CMOS image sensors. The CCD image sensors are actually widely put into practical use. However, a photoelectrical conversion section (pixel section) of the CCD image sensor and a peripheral circuit section thereof are fabricated using different procedures. On the other hand, a pixel section and a peripheral circuit section of the CMOS image sensor can be fabricated using almost the same procedure as that of a normal CMOS process, and can be incorporated into the same substrate when manufacturing the CMOS image sensor.
The pixel section of the CMOS image sensor includes a plurality of unit pixels arranged in the form of a matrix. Each of the unit pixels includes, as shown in FIG. 1A, a photodiode 64 and a readout transistor 65 configured to read out signal charges accumulated in the photodiode 64. A gate voltage generator 76 is connected to a gate electrode of the readout transistor 65. A select switch 74 switches a voltage applied to the gate electrode so as to turn on and off the readout transistor 65. A power supply 90 generating a constant power supply voltage Vd is configured to be connected to the ON (High) side of the select switch 74, whereas a ground potential is applied to the OFF (Low) side of the select switch 74.
As shown in FIG. 1B, a gate electrode 92 is placed on a silicon substrate 77 with a gate insulating film 91 therebetween. A buried photodiode 64 is placed at left side of the gate electrode 92. As shown in FIG. 1C, when a ground potential is applied to the gate electrode 92, a potential under the gate electrode 92 decreases to a channel potential (Low) cpa. In FIGS. 1C and 1D, the potential is measured in a downward direction. Signal charges 75a generated by the photodiode 64 are confined above a depletion potential dp of the photodiode 64 by a potential barrier having a barrier height of cpa-dp. When the power supply voltage Vd is applied to the gate electrode 92, a potential under the gate electrode 92 increases to a channel potential (High) cpb. As a result, the potential barrier is eliminated, and therefore, the confined signal charges 75a pass through the channel under the gate electrode 92 to be read out selectively.
By maintaining the relation of dp<cpb in the readout operation of the signal charges, all the signal charges can be read out. Accordingly, an after-image phenomenon due to the remaining signal charges after readout does not occur. If a channel potential (High) cpb′ becomes lower than the depletion potential dp, the potential barrier remains in the channel under the gate electrode 92 as shown in FIG. 1D. Therefore, a part of signal charge 75b remains in the photodiode 64 after readout, resulting in deterioration of after-image characteristics of the CMOS image sensor.
Therefore, the power supply voltage Vd is set higher than actually needed with respect to the depletion potential dp so that the relation of dp<cpb is always maintained, even if variation in fabrication occurs in the depletion potential dp.
However, when the power supply voltage Vd to be applied to the gate electrode 92 is set high, the breakdown voltage of the gate insulating film 91 is deteriorated. Therefore, DC failures are likely to occur. More specifically, since the power supply voltage Vd applied to the gate electrode 92 of the transistor 65 is set higher than necessary in order to prevent the deterioration of the after-image characteristics, the probability of occurrence of DC failures increases.


An apparatus and a method for transmitting and receiving a signal based on a mobility coverage class are provided. The method includes the operations of receiving, from a base station, information for estimating mobility and information for determining whether to return to a first mode, determining whether the terminal has mobility based on the information for estimating mobility, entering a second mode in which a predetermined coverage class is switched to the mobility coverage class when it is determined that the terminal has mobility, transmitting, to the base station, a second mode indicator indicating entry into the second mode, selecting one of coverage classes of the base station as the mobility coverage class, and transmitting and receiving a signal using a resource allocated to the selected mobility coverage class.

The Internet is evolving from a human-oriented connection network, in which humans generate and consume information, to the internet of things (IoT), in which distributed elements, such as objects and the like, exchange and process information. internet-of-everything (IoE) technology may be an example in which the IoT technology is combined with big-data processing technology through a connection with a cloud server or the like.
In order to implement IoT, technical factors such as a sensing technique, wired/wireless communication and network infrastructure, service interface technology, and security technology are required, and thus research is being conducted on a sensor network, machine to machine (M2M), machine type communication (MTC), and the like for connection between objects.
In the IoT environment, through collection and analysis of data generated from connected objects, an intelligent internet technology (IT) service capable of creating new value in peoples' lives may be provided. IoT may be applied to fields such as a smart home, a smart building, a smart city, a smart car or connected car, a smart grid, health care, smart home appliances, or high-tech medical service, through the convergence of the conventional information technology (IT) with various industries.
Cellular IoT (CIoT) technology, in which IoT technology is applied to a cellular communication system, may be used for a smart city, a smart farm, a smart factory, and the like. In this instance, generated CIOT traffic may have the following features. That is, CIoT traffic mainly includes traffic associated with an uplink report that reports the monitoring result to a base station, and most CIoT traffic may correspond to small packets having a size less than or equal to 200 bytes. Also, CIoT traffic is reported to a base station hourly, as a short interval, or daily, as a long interval. Therefore, CIoT traffic may have a traffic interval that is relatively longer than other traffic.
However, with growing interest in a smart city, a smart farm, a smart factory, or the like, the performance that users require from CIoT technology is also increasing. In other words, users require CIoT terminals that consume a small amount of power such that the CIoT terminals have extended lifetimes, and also demand long-distance services and/or underground services of CIoT traffic. Also, users require large numbers of connections so that CIoT technology can be provided to a number of CIoT terminals ranging from tens of thousands thereof to millions thereof in each cell.
Therefore, there is demand for a method for satisfying the performance that users require from the CIoT technology.
The above information is presented as background information only to assist with an understanding of the present disclosure. No determination has been made, and no assertion is made, as to whether any of the above might be applicable as prior art with regard to the present disclosure.

Method and apparatus for transmitting and receiving signals on basis of coverage class in communication system