Methods and systems are provided for reducing the generation and transmission of objectionable noise from an aspirator to a vehicle cabin during vacuum production. During selected conditions, motive flow through an intake aspirator may cause a hissing noise to be produced at the aspirator, and transmitted through an open check valve in a bypass path between the aspirator and a vacuum reservoir, into a vehicle cabin. During these conditions, an aspirator shut-off valve is closed to reduce motive flow through the aspirator, thereby reducing the hissing noise.

Vehicle systems may include various vacuum consumption devices that are actuated using vacuum. These may include, for example, a brake booster. Vacuum used by these devices may be provided by a dedicated vacuum pump. In still other embodiments, one or more aspirators (alternatively referred to as ejectors, venturi pumps, jet pumps, and eductors) may be coupled in the engine system that may harness engine airflow and use it to generate vacuum.
Since aspirators are passive devices, they provide low-cost vacuum generation when utilized in engine systems. An amount of vacuum generated at an aspirator can be controlled by controlling the motive air flow rate through the aspirator. For example, when incorporated in an engine intake system, aspirators may generate vacuum using energy that would otherwise be lost to throttling. While aspirators may generate vacuum at a lower cost and with improved efficiency as compared to electrically-driven or engine-driven vacuum pumps, their use in engine intake systems has traditionally been constrained by both available intake manifold vacuum and maximum throttle bypass flow. Some approaches for addressing this issue involve arranging a valve in series with an aspirator, or incorporating a valve into the structure of an aspirator. Such valves may be referred to as aspirator shut-off valves (ASOVs). An opening amount of the valve is controlled to control the motive air flow rate through the aspirator, and thereby control an amount of vacuum generated at the aspirator. By controlling the opening amount of the valve, the amount of air flowing through the aspirator and the suction air flow rate can be varied, thereby adjusting vacuum generation as engine operating conditions such as intake manifold pressure change.
Vacuum generation at an intake aspirator can also be enhanced by increasing the flow rate through the throat of the aspirator. In one example, this may be achieved by increasing a size (e.g., diameter) of a passage or tube directing airflow into (or out of) the aspirator. However, the inventors have recognized that such adjustments may lead to objectionable noise being transmitted to the vehicle cabin. For example, tubes leading into or out of the intake aspirator may cause a loud hissing noise to be conducted from the aspirator into the brake booster and thereon into the vehicle cabin. The noise is generated due to sonic flow of air in the aspirator throat becoming supersonic in the entrainment zone and diverging cone of the aspirator. When the supersonic flow collapses to a subsonic flow, a hissing noise is created. The noise may be objectionable to the vehicle operator and may degrade their drive experience.
The above issues may be addressed by a method of operating a valved intake aspirator that enhances vacuum generation while reducing objectionable noise production. One example method includes: closing a first valve coupled between a vacuum reservoir and an intake manifold, upstream of an aspirator, responsive to opening of a second valve coupled between the vacuum reservoir and the intake manifold. Herein, the first valve controls motive flow through the aspirator into a low pressure sink, in this case, the intake manifold. In this way, motive flow through the aspirator is disabled during conditions when hissing sound may be transmitted through the first valve when it is in the open position. In other words, the ASOV is commanded closed while conditions are such that the bypass valve is inferred to be open. The bypass valve is typically a check valve.
As an example, an engine system may be configured with an aspirator coupled across an intake throttle in a first intake bypass passage. The intake bypass passage may be configured to route a portion of intake air from upstream of an intake compressor to downstream of the intake throttle. A solenoid-operated aspirator shut-off valve (ASOV) may be coupled upstream of the aspirator in the intake bypass passage to vary a motive flow through the aspirator. An opening or closing of the vacuum solenoid may be adjusted by an engine controller based on various engine operating conditions such as manifold pressure, boost pressure, brake booster vacuum level, engine vacuum demand, etc. The aspirator throat may be coupled to a vacuum consumer, such as a brake booster, so that vacuum generated at the aspirator can be used for meeting brake vacuum demand. A further bypass passage may couple the brake booster to the intake manifold at a location downstream of the aspirator outlet. A check valve in the bypass passage may open during selected conditions, such as when intake manifold vacuum is deeper than brake booster vacuum, to substantially equalize brake booster vacuum with intake manifold vacuum.
The inventors have recognized that an objectionable hissing noise may be generated at the aspirator throat and transmitted downstream of the point when flow occurs (i.e. when the ASOV is open). This noise is transmitted through the open bypass check valve through a conduit to the brake booster. The noise cannot be transmitted upstream to the vehicle cabin through the aspirator throat due to sonic conditions at the throat. Therefore, during conditions when vacuum is demanded, ASOV opening is delayed until bypass check valve closure is inferred. An engine controller may infer an open or closed state of the bypass check valve based on an intake manifold vacuum (as estimated by a manifold pressure sensor) relative to a brake booster vacuum (as estimated by a brake booster pressure sensor). In response to the vacuum demand, the controller may first allow a vacuum to be drawn at the brake booster from the intake manifold via the bypass check valve with the ASOV closed. Upon inferring that the bypass check valve is closed, the ASOV may be opened, motive flow may be directed through the aspirator, and vacuum may be drawn into the brake booster from the aspirator throat.
In this way, by closing an ASOV during conditions when a bypass check valve is open, the transmission of the hissing noise associated with vacuum production at the aspirator during those conditions is reduced. By delaying motive flow through the aspirator until the bypass check valve is closed, generation and transmission of objectionable noise resulting from aspirator vacuum production is decreased. Overall, the aspirator is able to meet the brake vacuum demand at a lower cost and with improved efficiency without degrading the vehicle operator's drive experience.
It will be understood that the summary above is provided to introduce in simplified form a selection of concepts that are further described in the detailed description, which follows. It is not meant to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, the scope of which is defined by the claims that follow the detailed description. Further, the claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any disadvantages noted above or in any part of this disclosure.


The shielded area 3 which is shielded from radio waves is provided at the entrance to the protected area 1, for example, installed with medical equipment. The transmitter 6 in the shielded area 3 transmits the control signal 11 to the portable telephone 5, which returns the response signal 12 in response to the control signal 11. The receiver 7 receives the response signal 12 to notify the alarm 8 that the portable telephone 5 in operation. Thus, the alarm indicative of turning off the portable telephone 5 urges the holder 2 thereof not to carry the portable telephone 5 into the protected area 1.

The present invention relates to a utilization management system of portable telephone which raises an alarm requesting a person who brings a portable telephone into a forbidden area of potable telephone, to turn off the portable telephone.
The portable telephones have been commonly used as one of the principal communication means during moving. The portable telephones, however, appear to harmfully affect various electronic apparatus due to radiation of rather strong microwave. To avoid such a harm, some areas such as airplane, hospital, and public place installed with electronic equipment, are provided with devices for raising the alarm using a loudspeaker and a notice.
Incidentally, if the holders of the portable telephones bring the portable telephones into a forbidden area with the portable telephone turned on, the loudspeaker and the notice, which are capable of urging the holders not to use the portable telephones, cannot prevent the holders from receiving a call originated by a telephone subscriber outside. Among detecting methods of holding the portable telephones in the forbidden areas, there has been available a method of detecting transmission radio wave radiated from a portable telephone which originates a call. However, the method, which is able to give an alarm through detecting the transmission radio wave emitted from the portable telephone, cannot avoid occurrence of failure in the electronic equipment; that is to say, the electronic equipment have been already affected with the transmission radio wave. Alternatively, there has been used a method of detecting a leakage radio wave radiated from the portable telephone during waiting. However, to meet regulations relevant to leakage radio wave, the portable telephones are generally shielded with tight covering, namely, does not leak radio wave outwards, or allows few radio wave to leak outside. Therefore, the conventional method could not detect leakage radio wave from the portable telephones.

Utilization management system of portable telephone


A data processor computes an absolute difference between portions of first and second data elements. At least a part of the first and second data elements are compared to determine which data element is larger. A first comparison result value is produced if the first element is larger and a second comparison result value if the second element is larger. An absolute difference is computed between a portion of the first and second data elements. One of the portions is inverted and added to the other portion and to the comparison result to produce an intermediate result. An absolute difference is provided with improved speed either as the intermediate result or an inverted version of the intermediate result dependent on the comparison result.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a data processing apparatus and method for computing an absolute difference between first and second data elements, and in particular between a portion of the first and second data elements.
2. Description of the Prior Art
For two data elements, the absolute difference is the magnitude of the difference between the two data elements, expressed as a positive value. When performing a data processing operation on first and second data elements, there are many instances where as part of that data processing operation it is necessary to compute the absolute difference between a portion of the two data elements.
One known approach for performing such an absolute difference computation is to use an end around carry adder, followed by a ones complement operation if negation is required. If the two data element portions are A and B, data element portion B is inverted and added to data element portion A within the end around carry adder. If A is larger than B, then this will be indicated by a logic zero value in the most significant bit position of the output from the end around carry adder, and in such instances no negation is required. However, if A is less than B, then the output from the end around carry adder will be negative (as indicated by a logic one value in the most significant bit position), and the negation of the result is required in order to produce the absolute difference value.
One problem with using the end around carry adder approach is that an end around carry adder is relatively slow when compared with a normal adder. This speed problem is compounded by the fact that the selection of the adder's output or the inverted version of the output can only be made once the most significant bit of the output from the end around carry adder is known, which adds further time delay in the generation of the absolute difference value.
As there is a general desire to perform data processing operations more and more quickly, this tends to lead to reduction in the clock period (also referred to herein as cycle time) within the data processing apparatus. As the cycle time reduces, the time taken by an end around carry adder to compute an absolute difference value can become unacceptable.
An alternative approach for computing an absolute difference value is to determine which of the two data elements is the largest, and then to swap the ordering of the data element portions if required so that a normal adder can be used to compute the absolute difference value. The detection of which data element is the largest can often be performed in a clock cycle prior to the clock cycle in which the computation of the difference takes place within the adder. Nevertheless, as cycle times decrease, there may be insufficient time to perform any required swap, followed by the addition, within a single clock cycle.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide an improved technique for computing an absolute difference between portions of first and second data elements.

Data processing apparatus and method for computing an absolute difference between first and second data elements


An expandable and collapsible window covering is disclosed in which an unpleated facing fabric is attached to a pleated panel to provide a Roman shade type window covering. Transverse cells are formed by the attachment of the pleated panel and unpleated fabric which provide excellent insulation properties. A method for making such a shade is also disclosed.

Several publications show cellular shades, wherein a fabric material is formed to define parallel tubular cells extending horizontally across the width of the shade. Air within each of the cells only circulates minimally, such that when expanded the shade provides good thermal insulation.
It is, of course, desirable to make the physical appearance of the shade as attractive as possible. Similarly, it is desirable to make such shades as economically as possible, which requires both that a minimal amount of material be used to form each cell and that the manufacturing process be as expeditious as possible.
Various exemplary prior art disclosures include the following:
Netherlands patent application No. 6706563 to Landa discloses a screen wherein a plurality of strips of a fabric material are folded about fold lines extending longitudinally and bonded together, the two edges of each strip being bonded to the center of the next successive strip, to form a screen consisting of a plurality of tubular cells. The Landa screen is intended to be used such that the cells extend vertically.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,347,887 to Brown shows a "thermal shutter". A wide band of material is folded transversely to form a double column of adjacent cells, which may have rounded visible contours. The cells are adhesively bonded to one another. The Brown structure is symmetrical, so that both sides of the shade thus formed have essentially the same appearance.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,450,027 to Colson shows a method and apparatus for fabricating a multiple cell shade wherein a continuous relatively narrow strip of fabric is folded longitudinally in order to define pleats in the shade material and the edges folded over on the center portion to create a tubular cell. Successive cells are assembled by applying an adhesive to folded over edges of the cells, and adhering each cell to the preceding cell when wound on a stacking rack.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,631,217 to Anderson shows in FIG. 3 a shade of asymmetrical construction. A rear wall section of each cell is essentially straight or linear when the shade is in its expanded position. The width of these rear wall sections thus defines the spacing of the adjacent cells, while the front of each cell, containing more material, presents a pleated outward appearance.
The Anderson patent also discloses a method of forming an expandable and collapsible shade consisting of an assembly of horizontally parallel cells, in which the cell structure is formed from a material folded into a Z-shape rather than from a U-shape as shown in the Colson patent.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,846,243 to Schneider shows a foldable window covering formed of a wide material folded transversely, as in the Brown patent, to yield a collapsible shade. The front surface of the shade consists of a number of drooping loops formed by doubling the material back on itself. The successive cells are spaced in the expanded position of the shade by a relatively vertical rear wall section of each cell.
Roman shades are often preferred by consumers for their smooth and uncreased but drooping appearance to the room interior. While the disclosures cited above provide shades which may be commercially producible in relatively high volume, only Schneider shows a Roman shade type shade. However, the Schneider shade is formed of a wide strip of material folded transversely, which limits the width of the shade which can be formed to the width of the stock material available. Also, the application of adhesive lines in the transverse direction on fabrics is problematic in that straight lines are difficult to achieve. A significant drawback to traditional Roman shades is that they generally must be jobbed out to seamstresses and take significantly longer and often cost more to make than the various pleated shades disclosed above.

Expandable and collapsible window covering


Methods of assisting an emergency situation at a first User Equipment (UE) may comprise detecting the emergency situation; and sending an Emergency Services (ES) request comprising discovery information, wherein the ES request is sent by broadcast using a Long Term Evolution (LTE) Direct service, a WiFi Direct service, or a Peer-to-Peer (P2P) service. Disclosed embodiments also pertain to methods of assisting an emergency situation at a first UE, wherein the method is performed on a second UE and comprises receiving from the first UE an ES request comprising the discovery information for the first UE, wherein the ES request is received using an LTE Direct service; a WiFi Direct service or a P2P service. Disclosed embodiments further pertain to methods of communicating by first UE and/or second UE with a Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) in order to assist discovery of the second UE by the first UE.

It is often desirable to know the location of a terminal or User Equipment (UE) such as a cellular phone. For example, a location services (LCS) client may desire to know the location of a UE in the case of an emergency services (ES) call from the UE or to provide some service to the user of the UE such as navigation assistance or direction finding. The terms "location" and "position" are synonymous and are used interchangeably herein.
When a call to an ES number (e.g. 911 in North America) is placed, the ES call may be forwarded to a Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) of a governmental agency with jurisdiction over the presumed location of the caller. Typically, under government mandates, such as Enhanced 911 or E911, carriers are required to provide a PSAP with the telephone number of the originator of a wireless 911 call and a location of the caller. However, the location provided can often be less accurate than desired. For example, position estimate may identify a particular building from where the call was made, but may not be able to identify a specific floor or unit where the UE is located. As another example, a user may move (e.g. in reaction to the emergency such as a fire) during the call or shortly after placing the call. In the above situations, emergency responders may have difficulty locating the user. As a further example, potential responders (e.g. a doctor, nurse or police officer) in a location near the caller may be unaware of the emergency services call placed in their vicinity and may not be able to provide immediate assistance.
Accurate UE location determination during and after emergency call placement, increased awareness by potential responders of emergencies in the vicinity, and/or increased situational awareness of the emergencies can facilitate response time improvement and better coordination and utilization of available emergency resources.

Systems and methods to support distress signaling from a wireless device


Method and system tool for playback of content on a mobile device using location data, or composing complex content in real-time on a mobile device utilizing user settings and programming, using device location data as a primary input.

Playback of music and other audio content through a mobile device is traditionally controlled directly by the user. Selections of which content to play at any given time during device operation are actively chosen by the user, except in the case of functionality such as playing the next selection in a predefined sequential playlist, playing a shuffled, or random selection from a predefined sequential playlist, or playing content locally that is arriving via wireless or other means of data transmission from a third party streaming service.
Additionally, mobile devices utilize location data for various software functions based on multiple hardware sensors and software algorithms embedded within the device operating system and based on location content provided by the system vendor or third parties.
Therefore, a need exists for a novel tool ("the tool") to link playing media files, of any type, with location information for an enhanced user experience. Example combinations could be a child riding to school, an athlete using music as motivation when encountering challenges along a geographic route, a commuter wanting to experience a particular media file as he merges onto a highway, or even enhancing the romantic atmosphere of a date with media changing while approaching a restaurant.


An elevator speed measurement system includes a reflective sensing device that is supported within the hoistway. In one example, the reflective sensing device is a radar-type device that is supported for movement with the cab through the hoistway. Reflected signals off of a structural component within the hoistway provides information regarding speed of movement of the cab in the hoistway. The speed signals are then transmitted to a remotely located receiver that provides an indication to a technician of the speed of the elevator movement.

1. This invention generally relates to elevator systems. More particularly, this invention relates to a system for measuring elevator speed within a hoistway.
2. At various times it becomes necessary to measure the speed of an elevator cab moving through a hoistway. One particular need is during elevator installation or adjustment. Conventionally, an elevator technician or mechanic climbs on top of the cab and utilizes a hand-held tachometer to check the speed of the elevator during adjustment or testing. This technique typically requires the technician to hold the tachometer against one of the guide rails within the hoistway while simultaneously attempting to run the elevator using the top of car inspection box. While this technique does provide speed information, there are shortcomings.
3. Efficiency and accuracy of the measurement are sometimes compromised because of the technician""s capabilities for maintaining contact between the tachometer and the guide rail with one hand while operating the top of car inspection box with the other hand. Additionally, there are safety concerns any time that a technician is required to be on top of an elevator cab while it is moving through the hoistway.
4. This invention provides a significant improvement in the field of measuring elevator speeds. With this invention, the technician is no longer required to be on top of the elevator cab during movement.
5. In general terms, this invention is a system for measuring the speed of an elevator cab moving within a hoistway. A system designed according to this invention includes a reflective device that utilizes signal reflections from a structure within the hoistway and provides a signal that is indicative of a speed of the elevator cab. A transmitter associated with the reflective device transmits a signal indicative of the speed. A remotely located receiver receives the transmitted signal and provides an output indicative of the cab speed.
6. In the preferred embodiment, the reflective device is mounted onto the elevator cab and the speed-measuring signals are reflected from a guide rail in the hoistway. The currently preferred embodiment of the remotely located receiver is a handheld device that provides a visual display to a technician for analyzing the speed information.

Elevator speed measurement system including reflective signal technology for making speed determinations


A plastic bottle and bottle holder for mounting on bicycles. The holder has an enclosure section with pincer arms which encircle the bottle and cooperate with grooves in the bottle to releasably retain the bottle on the bicycle.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates generally to specialized holders and bottles adapted for mounting on bicycle frames. More specifically, the present invention includes an improvement from conventional bottle holders to protect the bottle and securely hold a bottle in place.
2. Background of Invention
Recreational and competitive cycling has grown in popularity in the last decade. Along with this explosive growth, a demand for bicycle accessories has also risen. One desirable accessory for cycling long distances is a water bottle allowing a cycler to carry cooling liquids such as water to replenish fluids lost through long periods of riding. In order to meet this need, designers have produced mounting structures for the easy removal and storage of water bottles on the bicycle frame itself. The requirements for such bottles and corresponding holders are that they be light, easily accessible to the rider, and able to withstand a certain amount of shock due to riding. These holders also may be used to hold other accessories such as tool kits or small storage devices.
One common type of water bottle holder consists of a metal cage which may be mounted directly to the bicycle frame. The cage is bent around the shape of a cylindrical bottle and holds the bottle in place by friction. This design suffers from the disadvantage of scratching the bottle since holding the bottle in place requires pressure contact with the metal cage. Designers attempted to solve this problem by constructing the frame out of resilient plastic. However, prior plastic bottle holders still require the bottle to be pulled in a direction parallel to the tubular frame member on which the unit is mounted, which may be cumbersome and distracting to the rider.

Accessory holder and associated bottle for bicycles


An arrangement for protecting against incorrect plugging of plug-in modules on the front side and rear side of a backplane comprises pairs of guide pin elements with guide pins pointing in opposite directions that extent along a common longitudinal axis perpendicular to the backplane. The guide pin elements engage positively in corresponding guide receptacles of the plug-in modules when they are plugged on in the correct orientation relative to the guide pins. The arrangement comprises means for non-rotatably mounting the guide pin elements on the front side and rear side of the backplane in a predetermined angular position. The two guide pin elements are identical. Arranged between the guide pin elements is a central connecting member that can be inserted in a non-rotatable manner into an attachment hole of the backplane. The connecting member has two molded sections that point in opposite directions and engage positively in commensurately embodied recesses, thus establishing the angular position of the guide pins relative to the backplane.

The invention relates to an arrangement for protecting against the incorrect plugging of plug-in modules on the front and rear side of a backplane, comprising at least one pair of guide pin elements with guide pins pointing in opposite directions which extend along a common longitudinal axis perpendicularly to the backplane and engage positively in corresponding guide receptacles of the plug-in modules when they are plugged on the correct way around, and means for non-rotatably mounting the guide pin elements on the front and rear side of the backplane in a predetermined angular position.
Such arrangements are used, among other things, in 19″ rack mount systems and in AIR Transition Racks (ATR) and ensure, for example, that electrical plug-in assemblies can only be plugged in the correct position onto slots on the backplane.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,945,810 B1 describes an arrangement with guide pins that are embodied as one-piece elements. Between the two ends, the guide pins have a mounting area that is bounded on one side by an offset. The attachment area enables the non-rotatable attachment of the guide pin on the backplane. For this purpose, the guide pin is plugged in a positive manner into a through hole in the backplane. While the offset lies against one side of the backplane, a nut is screwed onto the guide pin on the opposite side of the backplane in order to attach the guide pin to the backplane. Both ends of the guide pin have coding surfaces that engage into corresponding receptacles on the plug-in modules or plug-in assemblies. The position of the coding surfaces relative to each other cannot be changed, which represents a limitation.
EP 1 753 281 B1 describes a multipart guide pin comprising a first and a second guide pin element which are plugged into a through hole in a backplane from mutually opposing sides. The first guide pin element has a through hole through which an attachment element engages into a threaded hole in the second guide pin element, thus fixing the two guide pin elements to the backplane. At the opposing ends, the guide pin elements each have a rib that engages into a radial recess in the hole of the backplane. Both ribs can engage either in a common radial recess or in two separate recesses. Each of the two guide pin elements has a coding surface that engages into corresponding receptacles of the plug-in modules when they are plugged onto the guide pin elements. If the ribs engage into a single recess in the hole of the backplane, the coding surfaces are aligned parallel in relation to each other. If the ribs are arranged in radially different recesses, the coding surfaces are rotated in relation to each other. The manufacture of such a guide pin arrangement, particularly of the guide pin elements, is elaborate, and assembly is laborious.

Arrangement for protecting against incorrect plugging of plug-in modules


A process to produce a sulfur-free hydrocarbon product stream from a liquid hydrocarbon disulfide product, e.g., of the Merox Process, includes subjecting the hydrocarbon disulfide to a catalytic oxidation step to produce SO2 which is separated from the remaining desulfurized hydrocarbons that form the clean sulfur-free hydrocarbon product stream; the SO2 is introduced into a Claus processing unit with the required stoichiometric amount of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) gas to produce elemental sulfur.

Mercaptans are undesirable because of their unpleasant odor and corrosivity and also because they degrade the stability of end-product fuels. The liquid disulfides created by conversion of the mercaptans do not have these undesirable characteristics and can be retained in the Merox treated fuels or removed and used elsewhere in the petroleum refinery. The Merox process is generally more economical than a catalytic hydrodesulfurization process and achieves much the same result. Economic and practical drawbacks associated with hydrodesulfurization processes include additional dedicated facilities to which the disulfide compounds must be transferred, use of expensive and sensitive catalysts and the treatment and disposal of the by-product sulfur-containing compounds.
Processes in oil refineries and natural gas processing plants that remove mercaptans and/or hydrogen sulfide (H2S) are commonly referred to as sweetening processes because they result in products which no longer have the sour, foul odors of mercaptans and hydrogen sulfide. The liquid hydrocarbon disulfides can remain in the sweetened end products; or they can be used as part of the petroleum refinery or natural gas processing plant fuel; or they may be subjected to further downstream processing.
One proprietary catalytic mercaptan oxidation process widely used in petroleum refineries and natural gas processing plants to remove mercaptans contained in end-products such as LPG, propane, butanes, light naphthas, kerosene and jet fuel by converting them into liquid hydrocarbon disulfides is known as the Merox process. It is an integrated process comprising the mercaptan extraction step in which mercaptans react with an aqueous caustic solution in the presence of a catalyst, to form sodium alkylthiolate, which is then oxidized in a wet air oxidation step to produce disulfides and a regenerated caustic solution which is recycled back to the extraction step. The Merox process requires an alkaline environment which, in some versions of the process, is provided by an aqueous solution of sodium hydroxide (NaOH), a strong base, commonly referred to as caustic. In other versions of the process, the alkalinity is provided by ammonia, which is a relatively weaker base than sodium hydroxide and must be handled with special care due to its irritant and toxicity properties.
The stepwise reaction schemes for the Merox process beginning with the treatment of the mercaptan is as follows:2RSH+2NaOH→2NaSR+2H2O  (1)
In the above reaction, RSH is a mercaptan and R is an organic group such as a methyl, ethyl, propyl or other hydrocarbon group. For example, the ethyl mercaptan (ethanethiol) has the formula C2H5SH.
The catalyst used in some versions of the Merox process is a water-soluble liquid and in other versions, the catalyst is impregnated onto charcoal granules.
The second step is referred to as regeneration and it involves heating and oxidizing the caustic solution leaving the extractor. The oxidation results in converting the extracted mercaptans to organic disulfides (RSSR). These disulfides are water-insoluble liquids that are separated and decanted from the aqueous caustic solution. The regeneration reaction scheme is as follows:4NaSR+O2+2H2O→2RSSR+4NaOH  (2)
On a global basis, Merox mercaptan oxidation units are commonly found in refineries and the disulfides generated are blended with the fuel oil and are typically burned as fuel to produce stream or provide other utilities. This use can raise environmental concerns where the combustion gases with sulfur-containing constituents are emitted in the refinery. In some cases, the disulfides are added to an automotive fuel, or retained as part of the fuel blend; however with increasingly stringent fuel sulfur specifications, it is foreseeable that this use may be eliminated entirely.
The Claus process is a well-established commercial process for recovering elemental sulfur from gaseous hydrogen sulfide found in oil refineries, natural gas processing plants and other industrial facilities. The Claus process includes a thermal and a catalytic step. In the controlled thermal step, one third of the H2S is oxidized to SO2 in a furnace operating at a temperature of about 1000° C. This ensures a stoichiometric reaction for the subsequent catalytic step in which a 2:1 mix of H2S and SO2 passes through a fixed bed of activated alumina or titania-based catalysts maintained at a temperature in the range of from 200°-350° C. to produce elemental sulfur and water.2H2S+SO2→3S+2H2O  (3)
The problem addressed by the present invention is the need for an economical and effective method for the recovery of a clean, sulfur-free hydrocarbon fuel from liquid disulfides, and particularly the hydrocarbon disulfides produced in the caustic processing of mercaptan-containing hydrocarbon product streams, and specifically the Merox process.

Integrated hydrocarbon desulfurization with oxidation of disulfides and conversion of SO


Disclosed is an in-line mode network intrusion detecting and preventing system coupled between a protection network and an external network, for detecting intrusion states between the networks and preventing the intrusion. The system comprises a first network processor unit for monitoring the packets communicated between the networks to collect various statistical data, and performing a packet filtering process according to a packet preventing rule and a packet sensing process according to a sensing rule; and a second network processor unit for checking payloads of the packets with reference to attack signatures to detect the attack states to one of the networks.

(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system and method for detecting and preventing network intrusion. More specifically, the present invention relates to an in-line mode system and method for detecting network intrusion and hacking and preventing the same.
(b) Description of the Related Art
Recently, as computers and Internet usage have become popularized, network intrusion and hacking patterns have also quickly progressed, and these kinds of hacking that have benumbed the networks have generated serious economical loss such as suspension of electronic commerce services, as well as social disorders caused by suspension of Internet services.
An IDS (intrusion detection system) is accordingly required that copes with steep increase of network bandwidths and attacks by hackers and that has a more advanced hardware and software configuration.
Conventional IDSs are classified as host IDS products and network IDS products.
The host IDS products use an auditing system or event logs to protect a terminal system such as a server and a personal computer, and network applications.
The network IDS products monitor network traffic to detect attacks and intrusion and prevent hackers' attacks. Nowadays, the network IDS products are developed by concentrating on one of following three categories: signature detection, anomaly detection, and denial of service detection.
The hackers attack the networks by using attacking methods that were successfully utilized in the past. These attacks are analyzed by producers of network security products, and detailed profiles or attack signatures are generated through the analysis.
The attack signature detecting technique checks attack fingerprints within the network traffic, and compares them with known signatures to thereby detect network attacks or intrusions. When the attack signatures are checked within the input traffic, a security system generates an alarm signal or a warning signal so that a network manager may recognize the attack signatures.
The frequently used firewalls check specific fields such as an IP address or a port address within a packet head so as to determine whether to prevent input packets or allow them to pass. Therefore, it is impossible to detect the signatures within the traffic.
In addition, products by Snort are network IDS products that use a lipcap to detect the signatures located at random positions within the packets.
However, the products by Snort are only realized as software, and hence it is impossible to keep up with the network bandwidths increased by the network rates which gradually become faster. That is, it is impossible for the products by Snort to catch up with gigabit Internet interface rates in consideration of technical developments of general-purpose processors or connections of subsystems such as memories.
Therefore, some network IDS products have attempted improvements of performance by using an ASIC (application specific integrated circuit) type hardwired accelerator for exclusive use in order to cover the further increased bandwidths.
These attempts solve the performance problem, but have a difficulty in fluently meeting protocol modifications or diverse variations of attack patterns. In other words, the ASIC development cycles have many difficulties in appropriately coping with the fast changes of network intrusion.
Accordingly, it is required to provide a system and method for detecting network intrusions that change quickly.

In-line mode network intrusion detect and prevent system and method thereof

Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute


A security device includes an optically variable device (OVD) having diffraction-based micro-optics including at least one moiré magnified visual representation of a micro-object. A diffractive structure provides micro-objects with unique optical effects when the OVD is viewed through the micro-object structure from a predetermined relative observation point. In addition to magnifying the micro-objects, the diffractive structure can impart optical effects such as change in observed color, enhanced contrast, animation of the observed visual representation, and change in size or shape of the observed visual representation. The micro-objects and the diffractive structure can be disposed on the same or different portions of a substrate. A method of making OVDs, and an article employing such OVDs are also disclosed.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to optically variable devices (OVDs) and, more particularly, to OVDs with diffraction-based micro-optics, such as, for example, magnified images of micro-objects, which change in appearance depending upon the relative location from which the OVD is observed. The invention also relates to a method of making OVDs having diffraction-based micro-optics, and to articles which employ OVDs with diffraction-based micro-optics, as a security device.
2. Description of the Related Art
An optically variable device (OVD) is a security device which creates a change or shift in appearance, such as, for example and without limitation, a change in color, when observed from different observation points. The evolution of the OVD stems largely from the search for a mechanism to resist counterfeiting of certain articles and products, or alternatively to render such copying obvious. For example, bank notes, certificates, security labels, drivers' licenses, and credit cards frequently employ one or more OVDs to resist counterfeiting.
A counterfeiting deterrent employed in some OVDs involves the use of one or more images that exhibit optical effects which cannot be reproduced using traditional printing and/or photocopying processes. In some instances, the images comprise holograms wherein when the OVD is viewed from a predetermined location, an optical effect results, such as, for example and without limitation, movement of the image. However, additional unique effects are continually needed to stay ahead of the counterfeiter's ability to access or develop new imaging technologies. Accordingly, other security mechanisms having image-related optical effects have evolved over time. One such optical effect is to exhibit at least one magnified version of an object or objects based upon the concept of moiré magnification, which is typically accomplished by employing an array of refractive lenses.
Typically, known OVD image magnification methods involve the steps of generating a plurality of micro-objects, selectively arranging the micro-objects, and providing a layer of overlying correspondingly arranged lenses. The lenses are usually spherical, or cylindrical. Thus, such OVDs generally comprise a top lens layer, an intermediate substrate, and a bottom print or object layer which contains the micro-object(s) that are to be magnified or otherwise altered when viewed through the lenses. The micro-object layer typically comprises printed artwork, Existing print technology limits the size of individual printed elements, which means that lens apertures of between about 50-250 μm are the limit to this configuration. Using the lens types mentioned above at these apertures requires focal lengths of similar magnitudes (e.g., about 50-250 μm) in order to achieve adequate optical performance. Accordingly, the lens parameters required to produce the desired optical effect are disadvantageous because, for example, they necessitate the overall thickness of the resultant security article to be much greater than desired. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,712,731 (disclosing the lenses as having a thickness of 50-250 μm with a typical focal length of 200 μm). Such total thickness (e.g., about 250-450 μm or more) is not conducive for use with certain articles such as, for example and without limitation, bank notes, checks, security labels, and certificates.
Accordingly, attempts have been made to provide effective micro-optic security devices which are thinner (e.g., about 50 μm or less) and thus, are suitable for such applications. For example, U.S. Patent App. Pub, No. 2005/0180020 (Steenblik et al.) discloses a micro-optic security and image presentation system which utilizes a two-dimensional (2D) array of non-cylindrical lenses. Specifically, hexagonal base, multi-zonal lenses are employed instead. However, the unique design of the disclosed security device and lenses thereof necessitates the implementation of a new process and new equipment for making the devices.
In addition to the foregoing, there are other limitations associated with known micro-object and object magnification OVDs. Among them is the fact that they generally rely on principles of refraction. Specifically, although the refractive lenses which are employed are generally suitable for providing the desired magnification optical effect, they are rather limited in their ability to independently provide other additional unique optical effects when combined with printed micro-object arrays (e.g., without limitation, a positive to negative switch wherein the image and background change with respect to one another (i.e., dark to light or vice-versa); holographic effects; color changes and rates of color change; animation of the image). Such effects can be quite useful and effective as they exhibit easy to see visual effects that add to the magnified or virtual image and are, therefore, often desirable in verifying anti-counterfeit solutions. Moreover, because of the top lens layer, middle substrate, and bottom image layer construction of the aforementioned known OVDs, any attempt to achieve such additional optical effects essentially requires an entirely new OVD to be made in order to incorporate a different lens structure, additional structures for producing the desired optical effects, such as holograms, or both.
A further disadvantage is that it is extremely difficult to mass produce and/or reproduce refractive lens array structures and small object arrays using the primary manufacturing processes (e.g., without limitation, conventional embossing technology) employed in the industry.
A still further disadvantage is associated with the fact that conventional lens structures typically require a suitable refractive index difference at the lens boundaries, such as an air-to-lens interface. Where an air-to-lens interface is present, the lenses are susceptible to damage. This is particularly disadvantageous for articles which must be durable, such as, for example and without limitation, drivers' licenses and credit cards, which are frequently removed and inserted from a carrier, such as a purse or wallet.
There is, therefore, room for improvement in OVDs, such as, for example, OVDs which provide magnified visual representations of micro-objects, and in methods of making the same.

Optically variable device with diffraction-based micro-optics, method of creating the same, and article employing the same


Provided is a switching apparatus connecting a transmission line designated among transmission lines, between input and output terminals, and preventing a signal at the terminal from leaking to a control wiring, becoming a noise, and being superposed onto a signal at the other end. The switching apparatus includes: a plurality of input series switches switching the connection state between one end of the transmission lines and the input terminal according to a control signal; a plurality of output series switches switching the connection state between the other end of the transmission lines and the output terminal according to a control signal; a plurality of control wirings that supply a control signal to the input series switch and the output series switch; and a noise removal section that is provided between the input series switch and the output series switch and that reduces a noise propagated via a control wiring.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a switching apparatus and a test apparatus. In particular, the present invention relates to a switching apparatus, and a test apparatus, connecting a transmission line designated from among a plurality of transmission lines provided between an input terminal and an output terminal.
2. Related Art
A switching apparatus including a plurality of transmission lines provided between an input terminal and an output terminal, and transmitting a signal by selecting one transmission line designated from among the plurality of transmission lines by means of a control signal is known. Such a known switching apparatus connects the selected transmission line between the input terminal and the output terminal. For example, the plurality of transmission lines may be a plurality of transmission lines having different attenuation quantity of signals from each other. According to this, the switching apparatus is able to select between outputting an input signal after attenuation, and/or selecting the attenuation quantity by which the input signal is to be attenuated. For example in a test apparatus for testing the characteristics of a device under test, such a switching apparatus is usable for outputting a test signal to be supplied to a device under test after switching between attenuating the test signal to a predetermined amplitude and not attenuating the test signal, and the like.
In connecting one transmission line selected from among a plurality of transmission lines, between the input terminal and the output terminal, the switching apparatus cuts off the other transmission lines, from the input terminal and the output terminal. When pursuing this, there are cases where, for example in the switching apparatus, a signal applied to the switch having been cut off is propagated along a control wiring as a noise by being conveyed to the control wiring by means of the capacitance coupling or the like. Moreover, such a noise may reach the switch at the output side by being propagated on the control wiring, and be superposed on an output signal by means of the capacitive coupling again. In such a case, it becomes difficult to transmit the test signal with accuracy, and further to test a device under test with accuracy or to measure the characteristics of a device under test with accuracy.


A ground fault current interrupter circuit includes a plurality of comparators, threshold generation circuitry, and a plurality of timer circuits. Each of the comparators is configured to compare a threshold voltage to a signal representative of a difference of current flow to a load and current flow from the load. The threshold generation circuitry is configured to generate a plurality of different threshold voltages. Each of the different threshold voltages is provided as the threshold voltage for one of the comparators. Each of the comparators is coupled to one of the timer circuits, and the one of the timer circuits is configured to activate a fault signal responsive to activation of an output of the comparator for a time that is related to the threshold voltage provided to the comparator. The time increases with lower values of the threshold voltage.

Electrical power distribution typically includes multiple conductor wires to transmit electrical energy and provide a ground path for safety. A shock hazard exists in the event of an unintended path from the conductor wires or surfaces (such as a chassis of electrical equipment), which carry electric current, and the ground path. The conductors, such as a line conductor (also referred to as "hot") and a neutral, or common, conductor, may leak electrical current to each other, to ground, and/or to a person or object as an intermediate path to ground.
Ground fault current interrupters (GFCIs) may minimize and/or eliminate the risk of electrical shock by monitoring an imbalance of electrical current between the hot and neutral lines. If an imbalance is detected, the GFCI may physically isolate the hot and the neutral conductors from the load.

Ground fault current interrupter circuit


A knitted tulle is disclosed, the tulle comprising a plurality of wales, each with a pillar stitch and at least two pairs of weft threads, each pair of weft threads interconnecting and tying-in at least four wales. Also disclosed is a method of knitting the tulle, preferably using a Raschel machine and an embroidered fabric comprising the tulle. The tulle according to the invention is robust and even and has properties similar to bobbinet tulle.

The present invention relates to knitted tulles and methods of knitting tulles.
Tulle is a type of fine netting which has applications in embroidery, lingerie, bridal wear and haute couture as well as in technical areas where the durability and flexibility of netting are of particular importance. Such technical applications include military (e.g. radar reflective netting and parachute netting) and medical applications and as light diffusion fabrics in film and theatre applications.
Bobbinet tulle is a particular type of tulle which was first produced in the early 19th Century following the invention of the bobbinet machine in 1806 by John Heathcoat. The structure of bobbinet tulle provides advantageous properties of uniformity, strength and flexibility. One particularly advantageous property of bobbinet tulle in relation to embroidery is that it is flexible at the scale of the holes in the net structure which reduces the likelihood of yarn breakage when an embroidery needle (especially in machine embroidery) passes through the hole.
Unfortunately, the production of bobbinet tulle, which still uses the mechanisms devised by John Heathcoat, is slow. Bobbinet tulle is thus expensive and so is not, in practice, used in applications where its properties would otherwise make it suitable.
There have been attempts to devise faster production methods for nets or openwork fabrics using knitting machines, in particular, warp knitting machines. GB-A-1,275,448 relates to a method of producing patterned net fabrics on a Raschel warp knitting machine. GB-A-2,325,674 relates to an openwork knitted fabric that has a high capacity for absorption of size and so can be made harder and stiffer than previous fabrics.
There have also been attempts to produce knitted tulles or tulle-like materials. GB-A-1,230,232 relates to tulle having hexagonal openings produced on a Raschel knitting machine.
Unfortunately, the tulle described in GB-A-1,230,232 has a pattern which is very sensitive to differences in tension in the inlay threads. Unless the tension in each inlay thread is the same, the tulle is extremely distorted. It is, in practise, very difficult to control the tension of the inlay threads to the required degree because even a relatively narrow warp knitting machine may have over 5,000 separate inlay threads.


Described herein are processes for preparing an alcohol-free aqueous liquid toothpaste composition which is usable as a mouthwash, the liquid toothpaste being an oil-in-water emulsion with a clear appearance.

It has been observed that the majority of conventional mouthwash formulations (approximately 95% of conventional formulations) contain a high percentage of ethanol, with concentrations ranging from about 10% to 30%. The ethanol is used not only as a disinfectant, but also as a solvent to dissolve additives (such as flavour oils) which are insoluble in water.
However, making a clear oil-in-water emulsion without alcohol but which contains high levels of a water-insoluble flavouring agent is a challenging task, with the dispersion of a high concentration of water-insoluble flavouring agent in a water-based system being difficult to achieve.
A need still exists for an alcohol-free aqueous oral care composition which contains a high level of water-insoluble flavouring agent, but which has a uniform homogenous clear appearance.
It would also be desirable for such a composition to provide the benefits of both a mouthwash and a toothpaste.

Oral care composition and processes for preparing same


There is disclosed an information device and an information processing method which determine whether a control code constituting a document information is processable or not, transfer the document information to the other information processing device connected with the information processing device when the control code was determined to be unprocessable, and has the other information processing device executed as proxy for the original information processing device to produce an output information from the document information.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing device and an information processing method which has a suitable information processing device executed as proxy for itself to create an output information from a document information in accordance with a control code constituting the document information in a network to which plural kinds of devices are connected.
2. Related Background Art
There has been conventionally no method for using a network scanner with which scanning operations are performed by a remote host device connected to a network.
Accordingly, the host device requesting a scanning operation must have fed a video image signal from a scanner connected to the host device.
Alternatively, the video image signal was transferred to the host device through the network.
When the video image fed by the scanner is printed out together with the other information, such as characters, drawings, etc., the scanned video image and the other information are usually synthesized in the host device requesting the printing operation and output to a printer connected to the network.
There have been the following kinds of data processing methods in a conventional server device.
(1) The video image data is expanded into a bit image format in the host transferred from the host to the printer through an exclusive use interface. The host takes care of all the interface operations with the network. This methods has been mainly utilized in an intelligent host, such as a work station.
(2) The host transmits only a page description language. The printer incorporating an interpreter function converts it into a bit image format, which is so called as a network printer.
(3) The device, which converts a page description language transmitted from the host into an exclusive use bit image, further transmits the image data to a printer through an exclusive use interface.
In the case that the video image information is transferred between the host and the terminal devices by controlling the printer in accordance with a video image output request or a video image input request issued from the host in the network, the host cannot have been accurately informed of any kind of facts, which may cause malfunctions of the terminal device, that the power switch of the terminal device is off; that there occur some errors in the terminal device itself (i.e. a cover is opened); the terminal device (mainly a scanner) does not adequately set papers at the predetermined position and papers from a paper feeding device are jammed at a feeding path.
Further, colour terminals utilized in these kinds of server devices are relatively expensive in price in comparison with monocolour terminals and interface devices utilized to make an interface with the host are extremely expensive in price in comparison with the monocolour terminals.
In addition, data must be abstracted in transmission of a colour video image.
This means that video image data requires a encoding procedure; character data requires a coding procedure and graphic data requires a vectorizing procedure. These procedures can realize the data to be described in a form independent on the output terminal device by abstracting a document and video image data as much as possible thereby eliminating the data amount.
In the receiving side which receives the data described above, the interface device utilized for converting the above described data into a bit image data most suitable for each receiving device will become complicated and expensive in price.
However, under the circumstance that the colour terminal devices are utilized, since each of the devices has been very expensive, one set of the colour interface device and the colour terminal device has been employed in correspondence with each host computer so that a switching device could not be commonly utilized.
Moreover, in the video image terminal devices, since a printed state information at the time when the error occurs has not been administrated in case that a print job is temporarily interrupted due to a print error, the interrupted print job could not be normally restarted after the other printing procedure was performed and the error was recovered.
Therefor, in the case that the print job would be restarted after the error is recovered, the already printed information must have been reprinted, thereby delaying the print processing time and causing wasteful paper consumption.
In the server device, which controls a plurality of video image terminals, when one video image terminal interrupts the printing operation at the time when an error occurs and stays in a waiting mode until the time when the error would be recovered, the other video image terminal would be impossible to be utilized so that the printing operation itself cannot be interrupted, which causes a problem that the video image terminal device cannot be efficiently utilized.
The conventional video image terminal into which a communication function is incorporated executes the scanning and printing functions in accordance with an access input order from the host to each video image terminal devices.
Accordingly, when the printing operation which requires, for example, long time to proceed is conducted, then it must be necessary to wait for a long time even though a quick video image input were required, thereby impairing an efficiency of the video image terminal device.
In general, a shorter time is required for the video image inputting than that for the printing.
Nevertheless, if the preceding job, i.e., print job, were executed at the time when a user inputs instructions of request for video image input and the host computer sends the above instructions to the server device through a communication line, then such the instructions must be waited until when the proceding print job would be completed, which impairs an efficient operation of the terminal device.
An abnormal condition of each terminal devices cannot be adequately informed to the host so that an operator of the terminal devices cannot respond for a long period after the request for video image input was issued and cannot even be aware of the occurrence of troubles.
Further, since a printer connected to the server device of the type described above incorporates a special purpose bit image converter, it cannot be well operated if a printer which is not dedicated for the server device would be connected thereto.
In this case, there have been widely utilized as the dedicated special language for the printer the post script made by Adobe Inc. and PCL language made by Hulet-Packard Inc.
If a printing operation were executed under the circumstance that the print language received from the host and the control language of the printer connected to the server device are inconsistent with each other, the print job will wait until the time when the troubles are released or will lapse without being executed, which may compel the users to wait for long time who don't care whichever printer is used and desire to obtain the printing output earlier or to do a complicated operation for another output request to the other printers.
Further, if some kinds of errors, for example, paper jam occur during the print job period under the control of the terminal device which executes scanning and printing functions activated in accordance with a paper read instruction or a document video image output instruction from each hosts connected to the prescribed network, the errors have been notified to the host computers or the print job has been terminated so that the print job must have been restarted after the recovery of the printer in which such the errors were caused even though the other printers in which the similar print job can be executed are available in the system.
As described above, the conventional error treatment cannot, flexibly respond error by error so that the requested print job or scan job cannot be efficiently processed.

Information processing device and information processing method


Efficient routing of a message over a data network. A first communication device sends a message to a telemetry gateway or short message arbitrator. The telemetry gateway or short message arbitrator determines the communication protocol of the first communication device and the communication protocol of a second communication device. The telemetry gateway or short message arbitrator converts the message to a data format compatible with the second communication device, wherein the message is converted to one of at least three different communication protocols. The telemetry gateway or short message arbitrator then forwards the message for receipt by the second communication device. The telemetry gateway or short message arbitrator can convert and forward the message without completing a store and forward process.

Short Message Service (SMS) is an inherent capability of most digital wireless telecommunications systems. The radio technologies associated with each of the digital wireless telecommunications systems are technically incompatible at the radio signal layer, but most are compatible at the intersystem SS7 transport layer. Currently, the differing RF technologies, e.g., time division multiple access (TDMA), code division multiple access (CDMA), and global system for mobile telecommunications (GSM), have at least partial technical compatibility over the telephone industry's SS7 inter-networking system. The partial compatibility of these RF technologies is possible because the basic transport format is specified in the SS7 standard; however, many of the messaging details are implementation specific.
Even though it is possible for current short message service center platforms (SMSC) to support all of these multiple protocols, typically, an installed SMSC only supports the protocol of the cellular telecommunication system into which it is installed. For example, if the SMSC is installed into an IS136 type TDMA system, the SMSC supports only the TDMA protocol. Similarly, if the SMSC is installed into a GSM system, then the SMSC supports only the GSM protocol. In other words, although most current SMSC's can interface with any of the currently popular digital cellular systems, the SMSC's do so on an individual basis, not all simultaneously.
For example, in one network, the nodes communicate using different data formatting standards, such as integrated services digital network (ISDN) and the Japanese X.50 standard. Each of the nodes is connected to a format converter. The format converter acts as a bi-directional converter for converting between two data formats and thus allows communication between the two nodes.
The format converter reformats the data formatted in the X.50 standard into the ISDN format. The format converter accomplishes the conversion by storing the incoming X.50 data in an aligned data RAM with offsets, to provide an appropriate alignment among the frames of the data. Then, a format conversion module reformats the data into the ISDN format one byte at a time.
In another network, a subscriber in an electronic messaging network can access messages in a variety of formats. A subscriber may receive messages through a variety of types of equipment, such as a voice mail system, an e-mail system, a facsimile machine and a telephone, all connected to a wireline network. The subscriber may access these messages through a pager, a cellular telephone, or a personal digital assistant, each connected to a different wireless network. The subscriber selects the wireline or wireless network and media format to be used for delivering messages or notifying a subscriber that a message has been received.
For example, the subscriber may elect to have notification of a voice mail or facsimile receipt directed to the personal digital assistant (PDA) in the form of an e-mail message. In accordance with the method of the network, the subscriber's selection is implemented through the personal intercommunications inter-networking system, which performs the appropriate data conversion from one protocol to another and delivers the e-mail message.
In yet another network, an intelligent signaling transfer point (ISTP) is included in a telephone network with a database for storing call processing control information. Calls from one station on the network to another are either passed through or intercepted at the ISTP and screened in accordance with criteria stored in the database, such as time of day, a certain originating area or caller, or a specified call count value.
In still another network, a data collection device is provided for use with any one of the following: TDMA; CDMA; frequency division multiple access (FDMA); GSM; and personal access communications systems (PACS) technologies. But, the data collection device does not use multiple such technologies in a single system. These systems and methods only teach conversion between two specific formats.
A further limitation with conventional SMS systems is that the SMS data transmissions are handled by the SMSC. The SMSCs use the address information contained within the data transmission to communicate with Home Location Registers ("HLRs") and route the data to the correct recipient. The SMS text messages can originate and terminate at cellular mobile radiotelephones or at other external messaging entities coupled to the cellular network such as email, voicemail, and web-based messaging systems.
SMS data transmissions are routed from the SMSC to the recipient via one or more switches. Once an SMS data packet arrives at the receiving device, the message is extracted from its packet and formatted for delivery. For example, if the receiving unit is a cellular mobile radiotelephone, the unit formats the message for display on the unit's display screen. Alternatively, if the receiving unit is an external messaging system, an SMSC can format the message for transmission within an email message for delivery to a user external to the cellular telephone system.
The SMSCs are deployed by cellular carriers and serve the customers within the carrier's private network. For example, FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate conventional SMS systems 500 and 600 using SMSCs operated by a local and regional carrier, respectively. In each of the conventional systems illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6, the SMSCs 525 and 625 receive and store messages from radios 505 and 605. The SMSCs determine the destinations for the messages through a set of queries. Once there is available bandwith, the SMSC can deliver the messages to the appropriate destination. SMSCs 525 and 625 can also receive messages from external systems, such as an email system, that are destined for radios 505 and 605. The SMSCs 525 and 625 query the HLRs 520 and 620 to determine the locations of the destination radios 505 and 605. Once there is available bandwith, the SMSCs 525 and 625 can deliver the messages to radios 505 and 605. Significantly, all messages transmitted within each of systems 500 and 600 must use the same communication protocol. Conventional SMSCs 525 and 625 generally are not equipped to convert messages having different communication protocols.
FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrate conventional systems 700 and 800 for communicating roaming messages between different networks. FIG. 7 illustrates a home SMSC 730 coupled to HLR 735 that transmits messages to and receives messages from switch 715. FIG. 8 illustrates system 800 where a local SMSC 825 and an SMS clearinghouse 830 are used to communicate with a home SMSC 835. In each of systems 700 and 800, the switch or the SMSCs send a set of queries to the destination network in order to transmit messages. Furthermore, although the roaming messages are transmitted between different networks, the format of the messages is the same.
The SMSC of the conventional networks illustrated in FIGS. 5, 6, 7, and 8 acts as a "store and forward" system for the SMS data transmissions. The SMSC determines the routing for the data transmission and places the data in a queue for delivery to a cellular mobile radiotelephone or other messaging device. One shortcoming of conventional SMS systems is the delay in delivering the data transmissions queued at the SMSC. Typical delays for delivering messages can last minutes or hours.
One of the causes for the delay is that SMS messages are often assigned a lower delivery priority as compared to data transmissions containing voice communications. The low priority assigned to SMS messages stored in a queue at the SMSC causes a delay in their delivery. This delay is particularly noticeable when a carrier lacks sufficient bandwidth on its network. A further cause for delay are the inefficient steps an SMSC takes to route and deliver a data transmission. For example, the SMSC queries the HLR each time it is delivering a message to a mobile communication device. The HLR is a database of profiles for subscribers comprising account and service information.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a system that can efficiently route SMS messages from originators to recipients. Specifically, there is a need in the art to communicate more efficiently with serving switches and avoid the delays caused by an SMSC. A communication platform is needed that delivers messages promptly instead of storing them for later delivery when there is available bandwidth. The needed communication platform should also eliminate unnecessary steps as part of the communication process. There is a further need for a communication platform that can communicate with remote stations that use different digital cellular or personal communication formats.

Method and system for efficiently routing messages


A fiber optic communication signal link apparatus for performing fiber optic link communication including a transmitter apparatus and a receiver apparatus coupled by a fiber optic cable. The transmitter is capable of detecting and modulating data that includes at least one of position, light and audio data. An analog voltage signal representing the data is transmitted to the transmitter apparatus wherein the signal is detected, converted to a frequency signal and modulated through the fiber optic cable to the receiver apparatus. Subsequently, the frequency signal is detected, demodulated and converted back to a voltage analog signal in the receiver apparatus.

Fiber optic communication has been hailed as the superior method of transmitting video, audio, data and various analog signals. Optical fibers offer many well known advantages over twisted pair and coaxial cable, including immunity to electrical interference and superior bandwidth. For these reasons, fiber optic transmission systems have been increasingly integrated into a wide range of applications across many industries.
While fiber optic transmission has dramatically improved the stability and accuracy of conventional copper based transmission mediums, fiber optic technology has continued to use the same, traditional, analog based signaling techniques. A new generation of products employing pure digital signaling to transmit analog information brings fiber optic transmission to a new, improved level.
Fiber optic transmission systems are sold in both amplitude modulation and frequency modulation versions. In both systems, an optical transmitter receives an analog data signal and converts it to an optical signal.
In existing amplitude modulation systems, various distortions occur to the transmitted signal. For example, there is a degradation in the signal to noise ratio as the length of the fiber optic cable is increased. Also, there are non-linear differential gain and phase errors of video signals and poor dynamic range of audio signals, etc.
In existing frequency modulation systems, the need to transmit electrical signals over fiber optic cables from sources in high electromagnetic fields or anechoic chambers to monitoring equipment in low field areas exist. Additionally, there is the need to reduce electromagnetic interference of the transmitted signal without compromising signal integrity.
Therefore, it is apparent that a need exists for techniques to eliminate the various distortions in amplitude modulation fiber optic transmission systems. Furthermore, it is apparent that a need exists within frequency modulation systems to be able to transmit electrical signals over fiber optic cables from sources in high electromagnetic fields or anechoic chambers to monitoring equipment in low field areas. Furthermore, in frequency modulation systems there is a need to reduce electromagnetic interference of the transmitted signal without compromising signal integrity.

Fiber optic communication signal link apparatus


The present invention provides a flexible fuel compensation system for determining the percent alcohol content of fuel in a flexible fueled vehicle at the instance of fueling and in an open loop operating mode. According to the invention, two estimated percent alcohol content values are calculated based on the old fuel mixture's alcohol content and two fueling possibilities. A first value is calculated for the possibility that E85 fuel was added to the tank and a second value is calculated for the possibility that E0 fuel was added to the tank. If the inferred ethanol content increases above a positive threshold during closed loop operation, the system assumes that E85 fuel has been added to the tank. Conversely, if the inferred ethanol content decreases below a negative threshold, the system assumes that E0 fuel was added to the tank. Accordingly, if the vehicle is shut down before a more accurate ethanol content determination is complete, the inferred ethanol content follows either the first or second estimated alcohol content value until the system reaches a closed loop operating condition.

1. Technical Field
This invention generally relates to fuel control systems and, more particularly, to a method of determining the percent alcohol content of a fuel used in a motor vehicle capable of operating on more than one type of fuel.
2. Discussion
Environmental and energy independence concerns have stimulated the development of alternative transportation fuels, such as alcohol fuels, for use in automobiles. Alcohol fuels include methanol and ethanol. A flexible fueled vehicle capable of operating on gasoline, or alcohol fuel, or any mixture of the two fuels, is therefore in demand. Modifications to the engine are necessary when operating on different fuels because of the different characteristics of each fuel. For example, an engine operating on ethanol or E85 (a blend of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline) requires approximately 1.4 times the amount of fuel relative to gasoline at stoichiometry due to a lower energy content of the ethanol.
Air/fuel ratio in internal combustion engine design is typically considered to be the ratio of mass flow rate of air to mass flow rate of fuel inducted by an internal combustion engine to achieve conversion of the fuel into completely oxidized products. The chemically correct ratio corresponding to complete oxidation of the products is called stoichiometric. If the air/fuel ratio is less than stoichiometric, an engine is said to be operating rich, i.e., too much fuel is being burned in proportion to the amount of air to achieve perfect combustion. Likewise, if the air/fuel ratio is greater than stoichiometric, an engine is said to be operating lean, i.e., too much air is being burned in proportion to the amount of fuel to achieve perfect combustion. Alcohol fuels have a lower air/fuel ratio than gasoline at stoichiometric, so that the engine must be compensated for in the rich direction as the percentage of alcohol in the fuel increases.
In a returnless fuel system, once the fuel enters the fuel line, the only exit is through the fuel injectors into the engine. Two particular characteristics of interest related to this one way-in, one way-out system are that there is a delay from the time fuel is added to the tank to the time the new fuel mixture reaches the engine and that the fuel tends to mix in the fuel system such that there is no step change from the old fuel mixture to the new fuel mixture. These characteristics affect how the fuel compensation is controlled in a flexible fueled vehicle after a fueling event. That is, these characteristics must be accounted for regardless of whether the ethanol content of the fuel is being determined by a fuel composition sensor or inferred by an oxygen feedback system.

Method of determining the composition of fuel in a flexible fueled vehicle after fuel blending


A magnetic head of either CIP or CPP configuration is disclosed, having a read sensor with a strongly pinned ferromagnetic layer due to increased electronic exchange with the AFM layer. The read sensor includes a lower seed layer whose material is chosen from a group consisting of Ta, NiFeCr, NiFeCoCr, NiFe, Cu, Ta/NiFeCr, Ta/NiFeCr/NiFe, Ta/Ru and Ta/NiFeCoCr, and an upper seed layer where the upper seed layer material is chosen from a group consisting of Ru, Cu, NiFe, Cu(x)Au(1−x)(x=0.22-0.5) alloys, Ru(x)Cr(1−x)(x=0.1-0.5) alloys, NiFeCr and NiFeCoCr. An AFM layer is formed on the upper seed layer and a ferromagnetic pinned layer is formed on the AFM layer. The exchange coupling energy Jk between the AFM layer and pinned layers exceeds 1.3 erg/cm2. Also disclosed is a method of fabrication of a magnetic head including a read head sensor with a strongly pinned ferromagnetic layer due to increased electronic exchange.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to magnetic heads for reading data written to storage media, and more particularly to magnetic read heads for disk drives.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A computer disk drive stores and retrieves data by positioning a magnetic read/write head over a rotating magnetic data storage disk. The head, or heads, which are typically arranged in stacks, read from or write data to concentric data tracks defined on surface of the disks which are also typically arranged in stacks. The heads are included in structures called "sliders" onto which the read/write sensors of the magnetic head are fabricated. The slider flies above the surface of the disks on a thin cushion of air, and the surface of the slider which faces the disks is called an Air Bearing Surface (ABS).
The goal in recent years is to increase the amount of data that can be stored on each hard disk. If data tracks can be made narrower, more tracks will fit on a disk surface, and more data can be stored on a given disk. The width of the tracks depends on the width of the read/write head used, and in recent years, track widths have decreased as the size of read/write heads has become progressively smaller. This decrease in track width has allowed for dramatic increases in the recording density of data stored on disks.
A magnetic recording head reads back the information stored as magnetic data bits in the recording medium based on the mechanism that the read sensor's resistance changes with the magnetic field of the data bits. A recording head typically consists of, among other structures, a pinned magnetic layer and a free magnetic layer. The magnetic moment of free layer rotates freely in response to the external magnetic field, e.g., the magnetic field from the recording medium. The magnetic orientation of the pinned layer, by contrast, should be fixed firmly. The magnitude of the read sensor's resistance change is determined by the relative angle between the magnetic moments of the free layer and the pinned layer.
The magnetic moment of the pinned layer is typically fixed by fabricating the pinned layer on an antiferromagnetic (AFM) pinning layer which fixes the magnetic moment of the pinned layer at an angle of 90 degrees to the air bearing surface (ABS).
The free layer material is very soft material, magnetically speaking, with very low coercivity, which is a measure of the minimum field strength necessary to make changes in the orientation of the magnetic domains. The magnetic moment of the free layer is free to rotate laterally within the layer with respect to the ABS from a quiescent or zero bias point position in response to magnetic field signals from data bits located on the rotating magnetic disk. The sensitivity of the sensor is quantified as the magnetoresistive coefficient dr/R where dr is the change in resistance of the sensor from minimum resistance to maximum resistance and R is the resistance of the sensor at minimum resistance.
As referred to above, it is common practice in the art to pin the pinned layer by using a layer of anti-ferromagnetic (AFM) material, which is referred to as the pinning layer. The orientation of the magnetic domains of the AFM pinning layer of the read sensors, and thus the orientation of the pinned layer, is set during the wafer fabrication, typically when the sensor layers are still in the form of continuous thin films. The sensor thin film layers are then processed to their final dimensions.
Magnetization in materials is produced by the alignment of dipoles in the material. Materials in which adjacent dipoles are aligned in the same direction are called ferromagnetic, and are found at room temperature in elements such as iron, nickel, cobalt and gadolinium. The alignment of dipoles results in a net macroscopic moment in the material. In contrast, anti-ferromagnetic (AFM) material has magnetic dipoles which point in opposite directions thus producing no net magnetic moment in the material.
The tendency for neighboring atomic dipoles to line up parallel or antiparallel to each other is called exchange coupling, which results from the overlap of orbiting electrons on adjacent atoms. AFM material when fabricated in contact with ferromagnetic material will tend to lock the orientation of dipoles in the ferromagnetic material by this exchange coupling, as is well known to those skilled in the art. The strength of the exchange coupling is measured by the exchange energy coupling constant Jk, which is measured in erg/cm2. The value of Jk for AFM materials is typically in the range of approximately 0.3-0.4. erg/cm2. The layer of AFM material is typically the thickest layer in the read sensor stack, since a minimum volume of AFM material with Jk in this typical range is required to effectively pin the material in the pinned ferromagnetic layer. Assuming that a minimum value of exchange energy coupling Jk is necessary to securely pin the material in the ferromagnetic layer, then if the Jk value could be increased, i.e. higher erg/cm2, then a smaller volume of AFM material could be used to achieve this required minimum value. The volume, and therefore the thickness of the AFM material layer could be decreased thus allowing for the dimensions of the read sensor and the magnetic head as a whole to be decreased
In fabricating the central sensor stack of a read head, the left and right sides of the sensor stack are defined by ion milling, which thus defines the track width of the sensor. The rear side of the sensor is also defined by ion milling. The front face of the sensor, which faces the recording medium and which will be part of the Air Bearing Surface (ABS), is typically reduced to the operational dimension by a mechanical lapping process. The dimension of the front face to the rear side is known as the stripe height. Both the track width and stripe height are very important to the operating characteristics of the read head and are very tightly controlled during fabrication.
It has been discovered while the pinned layers are well aligned when they are still in the full-film stage on the wafer, they are often mis-aligned when the sensors are reduced to the final dimensions. This misalignment may be caused by damage generated during the ion-milling and lapping process, or be fundamentally due to a re-definition of the boundary conditions of the small volume of magnetic material within the sensor. It is generally true that the smaller the sensor, the more serious is the misalignment. As the recording density becomes increasingly higher, all the dimensions of the read sensor, stripe-height, width and thickness are shrinking, and consequently the misalignment of the pinned layer becomes a more serious problem. An AFM material with a larger value of Jk would pin the ferromagnetic material more securely, and thus would be less vulnerable to damage from ion-milling and lapping.
A paper entitled Giant Exchange Anisotropy Observed in MnIr/CoFe Bilayers Containing Ordered Mn3Ir Phase by Imakita et al, Tohoku University, APL 85,3812 (2004) discloses the production of a Jk value of 1.3 erg/cm2. However, the conditions used therein to produce the depositions are considered not practical for implementation in a fabrication process. Specifically, an ultra high vacuum deposition (10−11 torr) device was used with ultra high purity argon in a DC magnetron sputtering system. The temperature ramp was very rapid, around 250 degrees C. in 10 min with a post annealing temperature of 320 degrees C. The highest Jk values were produced when an L12 ordered phase crystal lattice in the AFM material was formed during repeated annealings. A very thick Cu seedlayer was used, which is considered not practical for magnetic head manufacturing processes.
Thus there is need for a method and structure which increases the exchange energy coupling Jk of AFM material in a manufacturing process, thus pinning the ferromagnetic pinned material more securely and allowing for thinner layers of AFM material to be used, and allowing for the overall volume of the sensor to be reduced.

Magnetic read head having increased electron exchange

Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands B.V.


A rear vehicle seat having a seat part and a backrest is provided. The vehicle seat has a control device in connection with an adjusting device which have the purpose of implementing that, during a folding of the rear seat backrest, the seat part is displaced forward in the driving direction and lowered, and the backrest is then part of a loading surface which is constructed at the same level as the remaining loading surface of the vehicle.

This application claims the priority of German Application No. 103 49 911.3-16 filed Oct. 25, 2003, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
The invention relates to a vehicle rear seat assembly having a seat part and a swivellable backrest which can be selectively deposited on the seat part in a storage position.
From German Patent Document DE 101 23 776 A1, a vehicle seat is know which has folding kinematics and in which case the seat comprises a seat part and a backrest part which can be folded down onto this seat part and, when the seat is changed from the usage position into its folded-together non-usage position, the seat part can be folded forward and downward by means of a linkage arranged on both sides of the seat and disposed in the seat console.
It is an object of the invention to provide an improved vehicle seat of the above-mentioned type which, while it is easy to handle, can be adjusted from a seat position into a folded-down depositing position and in which case, in this depositing position, an additional loading surface can be obtained in the vehicle.
According to the invention, this object is achieved by providing a rear seat for a motor vehicle including a seat part and a swivellable seat backrest, the seat backrest being adjustable from an upright seat position into a deposited depositing position on a top side of the seat part, wherein at least one control device is arranged between the backrest and the seat part, which control device comprises a first control lever which is connected with the backrest and is hinged to a second control lever which engages with the seat part by way of an adjusting device.
Other advantageous features and characteristics of preferred embodiments of the invention are described herein in the claims.
An important advantage achieved by means of certain preferred embodiments of the invention relates to the fact that, by folding the backrest onto the seat part of a rear seat bench system, an additional loading surface is created in a simple manner on the rearward side of the backrest, which loading surface is constructed approximately at the same level as the remaining loading surface of the vehicle. This is achieved in that at least one control device is arranged between the backrest and the seat part, which control device comprises a first control lever which is connected with the backrest and is hinged to a second control lever which engages with the seat part by way of an adjusting device.
According to certain preferred embodiments of the present invention, so that the seat part can be adjusted in the direction of the driving direction of the vehicle during a folding of the rear set backrest, it is provided that the second control lever comprises two control arms and is stationarily held in a swivel bearing, and a sliding block of the adjusting device is provided at its one free end, and a connecting joint to the first control lever is provided on its facing-away other free end. Furthermore, according to certain preferred embodiments of the present invention, it is provided that the seat part has a guide link as an adjusting device on the underside, in which guide link the sliding block of the second control lever of the adjusting device is displaceably arranged such that, in the depositing position, the seat part can assume a pushed-forward position. Instead of the link, according to certain preferred embodiments of the present invention, the second control lever according to the invention can also be connected with a driving element which engages in a corresponding guide rail.
For achieving a displacing movement of the seat part in the driving direction, according to certain preferred embodiments of the present invention, the first control arm is connected at a distance below the swiveling axis with the seat backrest such that, by means of the first control arm, a pulling movement is carried out against the driving direction, and the sliding block on the connected second control lever causes a pressing movement in the driving direction. Preferably, at least one control device is arranged between the backrest and the seat part, the first control lever extending n the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and the second control lever extending in the transverse direction of vehicle in the seat position. As a result, a simple control device is created which requires little space, and an adjusting device is created which comprises few components and is easy to mount.
According to certain preferred embodiments of the present invention, the seat part is adjustably by way of rollers or sliding devices arranged in stationary guide rails and, viewed in the driving direction, swiveling levers are arranged on the forward side or in the forward area of the seat part on the underside of the seat part, which swiveling levers, during the forward-sliding, lower the seat part to such an extent that an approximately plane, additional loading surface is obtained with respect to the existing loading surface of the vehicle.
According to certain preferred embodiments of the present invention, these swiveling levers are mutually connected in a spaced manner by way of a crossbar and, by means of one end are in each case swivellably about an axis linked to the seat underframe or to the vehicle body, and the upright free ends of the swiveling levers, which face away, are held on the seat part. As a result, it is achieved that, when the backrest is folded into the driving direction, the seat part can be continuously lowered when being pushed forward.
According to certain preferred embodiments of the present invention, for achieving a simplified pushing-back into the seat position, a spring element is provided in an applied manner on the swiveling lever or in the swiveling axis of the backrest, which spring element, according to the invention, is arranged on at least one of the swiveling levers and has an initial tension against the lowering position of the seat part.
According to certain preferred embodiments of the present invention, for folding the backrest locked in the seat position, an unlocking handle of the backrest is operated and the backrest is folded forward by way of the latter, so that the backrest can be swiveled by means of the unlocking handle about the swiveling axis during adjusting movements of the first and second control lever of the control device into the depositing position onto the seat part, in which case, by way of the second control lever, the seat part can be displaced in the driving direction and can be adjusted into the lowered depositing position by means of the swiveling lever. As a result of this folding of the backrest, a subsequent movement of the seat part is triggered by way of the control levers, which also takes place when the backrest is folded back.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Dr. Ing. h.c.F. Porsche Aktiengesellschaft