A method by a UE is provided to handle communication in a network, wherein the UE is capable of receiving a registration area configuration including area identifiers associated with different cells of different RATs. The UE receives, from a network node, a first mobile identifier and a second mobile identifier in a message during a transition of states of the UE, wherein the first mobile identifier is of a first length and the second mobile identifier is of a second length different than the first length. Furthermore, the UE uses the first mobile identifier to resume to a first network node of a first RAT in the registration area configuration of the UE, and the second mobile identifier to resume to a second network node of a second RAT in the registration area configuration of the UE.

In a typical wireless communication network, UEs, also known as wireless communication devices, mobile stations, stations (STA) and/or wireless devices, communicate via a Radio access Network (RAN) with one or more core networks (CN). The RAN covers a geographical area which is divided into service areas or cell areas, with each service area or cell area being served by radio network node such as an access node e.g. a Wi-Fi access point or a radio base station (RBS), which in some networks may also be called, for example, a "NodeB" or "eNodeB" or "gNodeB". The service area or cell area is a geographical area where radio coverage is provided by the radio network node. The radio network node operates on radio frequencies to communicate over an air interface with the UEs within range of the radio network node. The radio network node communicates over a downlink (DL) to the UE and the UE communicates over an uplink (UL) to the radio network node.
A Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) is a third generation telecommunication network, which evolved from the second generation (2G) Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM). The UMTS terrestrial radio access network (UTRAN) is essentially a RAN using wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) and/or High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA) for communication with user equipments. In a forum known as the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), telecommunications suppliers propose and agree upon standards for present and future generation networks and UTRAN specifically, and investigate enhanced data rate and radio capacity. In some RANs, e.g. as in UMTS, several radio network nodes may be connected, e.g., by landlines or microwave, to a controller node, such as a radio network controller (RNC) or a base station controller (BSC), which supervises and coordinates various activities of the plural radio network nodes connected thereto. The RNCs are typically connected to one or more core networks.
Specifications for the Evolved Packet System (EPS) have been completed within the 3rd 3GPP and this work continues in the coming 3GPP releases, such as 4G and 5G networks such as New Radio (NR). The EPS comprises the Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN), also known as the Long-Term Evolution (LTE) radio access network, and the Evolved Packet Core (EPC), also known as System Architecture Evolution (SAE) core network. E-UTRAN or LTE is a 3GPP radio access technology wherein the radio network nodes are directly connected to the EPC core network. As such, the Radio Access Network (RAN) of an EPS has an essentially "flat" architecture comprising radio network nodes connected directly to one or more core networks.
With the emerging 5G technologies such as new radio (NR), the use of very many transmit- and receive-antenna elements is of great interest as it makes it possible to utilize beamforming, such as transmit-side and receive-side beamforming. Transmit-side beamforming means that the transmitter can amplify the transmitted signals in a selected direction or directions, while suppressing the transmitted signals in other directions. Similarly, on the receive-side, a receiver can amplify signals from a selected direction or directions, while suppressing unwanted signals from other directions.
Beamforming allows the signal to be stronger for an individual connection. On the transmit-side this may be achieved by a concentration of the transmitted power in the desired direction(s), and on the receive-side this may be achieved by an increased receiver sensitivity in the desired direction(s). This beamforming enhances throughput and coverage of the connection. It also allows reducing the interference from unwanted signals, thereby enabling several simultaneous transmissions over multiple individual connections using the same resources in the time-frequency grid, so-called multi-user Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO).
Scheduled reference signals, called channel-state information reference signals (CSI-RS), are transmitted when needed for a particular connection. Channel-state information (CSI) comprises channel quality indicator (CQI), precoding matrix indicator (PMI), and rank indicator (RI). The CQI is reported by the UE to the radio network node. The UE indicates a modulation scheme and a coding scheme to the radio network node. To predict the downlink channel condition, CQI feedback by the UE may be used as an input. CQI reporting can be based on PMI and RI. PMI is indicated by the UE to the radio network node, which precoding matrix may be used for downlink transmission which is determined by the RI. The UE further indicates the RI to the radio network node, i.e. the RI indicates the number of layers that should be used for downlink transmission to the UE. The decision of when and how to transmit the CSI-RS is made by the radio network node and the decision is signalled to the involved UEs using a so-called measurement grant. When the UE receives a measurement grant it measures on a corresponding CSI-RS. The radio network node may choose to transmit the CSI-RSs to a UE only using beam(s) that are known to be strong for that UE, to allow the UE to report more detailed information about those beams. Alternatively, the radio network node may choose to transmit the CSI-RSs also using beam(s) that are not known to be strong for that UE, for instance to enable fast detection of new beam(s) in case the UE is moving.
The radio network nodes of a new radio (NR) network transmit other reference signals as well. For instance, the radio network nodes may transmit so-called demodulation reference signals (DMRS) when transmitting control information or data to a UE. Such transmissions are typically made using beam(s) that are known to be strong for that UE.
In the new 5G standard, the system and architecture for 5G and various state machines are described.
One "state machine" is the connection management state model or CM-state model, described in 3GPP TS 23.501.
Generally, connection management (CM) comprises of functions for establishing and releasing signalling connections between a UE and a core network node. For 5G this node is called an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) node.
FIG. 1A illustrates an example of a 5G system architecture, including nodes (e.g., AMF node, UE, (R)AN) and interface names. Connection management is about signalling connection over the N1 interface illustrated in FIG. 1A.
This signalling connection over N1 is used to enable Non-Access-Stratum (NAS) signalling exchange between the UE and the core network. It comprises both the Access Node (AN) signalling connection, between the UE and the AN, and the N2 connection, between the AN and the AMF node.
There are two CM-states defined, CM-IDLE and CM-CONNECTED.
A UE in CM-IDLE has no NAS signalling connection established over N1 to the AMF and in this CM-state, the UE performs cell selection and/or cell reselection and public land mobile network (PLMN) selection. In addition, there is no AN signalling connection or N2/N3 connections for a UE in CM-IDLE.
If the UE is registered to the network and in CM-IDLE; the UE may usually listen to and respond to paging messages from the network. This means that in CM-IDLE the UE is still reachable. If initiated by the UE, the UE shall also be able to perform a service request procedure.
A UE in CM-CONNECTED is a UE that has established an AN signalling connection between the UE and the AN, and it has entered the RRC_CONNECTED state over 3GPP access. Over this connection, the UE can transmit an initial NAS message (for example a service request) and this message initiates the transition from CM-IDLE to CM CONNECTED in the AMF node, see FIG. 1B. From FIG. 1C, it is also realized that the CM-CONNECTED state also requires an N2 connection between the AN and the AMF node. The reception of initial N2 message, e.g., N2 Initial UE message, initiates the transition for the AMF node from CM-IDLE to CM-CONNECTED state.
In the CM-CONNECTED state, the UE can transmit data, and it shall be ready to enter CM-IDLE, whenever the AN signalling connection is released. The AMF enters CM-IDLE whenever the logical N1 signalling connection and the N3 user plane connection are released.
In a similar way as in the AMF node, there is also a state model in the AN, the access network. Here from, we will use the term "gNB" for the access network node, but it may equally well be another node type, e.g., an ng-eNB, an eNB. The term "gNB" shall thus be considered as an example, rather than a limitation in the disclosure.
One state model in the gNB is the RRC State machine.
A UE can either be in the following RRC states: RRC_CONNECTED, RRC_INACTIVE or RRC_IDLE.
FIG. 1D is an illustration of how the intention is that the RRC State machine will work and the messages used to trigger/transition a UE between the states. The indications in parenthesis (SRB0, SRB1) indicate what signalling radio bearer that can be used to transition the UE between the states. The FIG. 1D shows the principles for transition, not necessarily all the messages will have the same names in a final standard.
The mapping between the different state machines, the one in the AN and the one in the AMF node, is such that CM-CONNECTED can map to either RRC_CONNECTED or RRC_INACTIVE—while CM-IDLE always map to RRC_IDLE.
A UE is either in RRC_CONNECTED state or in RRC_INACTIVE state when an RRC connection has been established. If this is not the case, i.e. no RRC connection is established, the UE is in RRC_IDLE state. These different states are further described in 3GPP TS 38.331 v. 15.0.0.
In RRC_IDLE, the UE is configured to listen to a paging channel at certain occasions and it performs cell (re)selection procedures and listen to system information.
In RRC_INACTIVE, the UE is also listening to paging channel and does cell (re)selection procedures, but in addition, it also maintains a configuration and the configuration is also kept on the network side, such that, when needed, e.g., when data arrives to the UE, it doesn't require a complete setup procedure to start transmitting data.
In RRC_CONNECTED, there is transfer of data to or from the UE and the network controls the mobility. This means that the network controls when the UE should handover to other cells. In connected state, the UE still monitors the paging channel and it monitors control channels that are associated with whether there is data for the UE or not. It provides channel quality and feedback information to the network and it performs neighbouring cell measurement and reports these measurements to the network.
When a UE is in CM-CONNECTED state and RRC_INACTIVE state the following applies:                UE reachability is managed by the RAN, with assistance information from core network;        UE paging is managed by the RAN.        UE monitors for paging with UE's CN, 5G System Architecture Evolution-Temporary Mobile Subscriber Identity (S-TMSI), and a RAN identifier e.g. Radio Network Temporary Identifier (RNTI).
The AMF node, based on network configuration may provide assistance information to the NG-RAN, to assist the NG-RAN's decision whether the UE can be sent to the RRC Inactive state.
The RRC Inactive assistance information may for example include:                UE specific discontinuous reception (DRX) values;        The Registration area configuration provided to the UE, sometimes referred to as tracking area identifier (TAI)-list below;        Periodic Registration Update timer;        If the AMF node has enabled Mobile Initiated Connection Only (MICO) mode for the UE, an indication that the UE is in MICO mode.        Information from the UE permanent identifier, as defined in TS 38.304 v.15.0.0, that allows the RAN to calculate the UE's RAN paging occasions.
The RRC Inactive assistance information mentioned above is provided by the AMF node during N2 activation with the (new) serving NG-RAN node, i.e. during Registration, Service Request, handover, to assist the NG RAN's decision whether the UE can be sent to the RRC Inactive state. The RRC Inactive state is part of the RRC state machine, and it is up to the RAN to determine the conditions to enter the RRC Inactive state. If any of the parameters included in the RRC Inactive Assistance Information changes as the result of NAS procedure, the AMF node may update the RRC Inactive Assistance Information to the NG-RAN node.
The state of the N2 and N3 reference points are not changed by the UE entering CM-CONNECTED with RRC Inactive state. A UE in RRC inactive state is aware of the RAN Notification area (RNA).
A UE in the RRC_INACTIVE state can be configured with a RAN-based Notification Area (RNA), where:                the RNA can cover a single or multiple cells, and may be smaller than a CN Registration area;        a RAN-based notification area update (RNAU) is periodically sent by the UE and is also sent when the cell reselection procedure of the UE selects a cell that does not belong to the configured RNA.
There are several different alternatives on how the RNA can be configured:                List of cells:        A UE provides an explicit list of cells (one or more) that constitute the RNA.        List of RAN areas:        A UE provides (at least one) RAN area ID, where a RAN area is a subset of a CN Tracking Area;        A cell broadcasts (at least one) RAN area ID in the system information so that a UE knows which area the cell belongs to.        List of Tracking Area Identifiers (TAI). In CM-IDLE, it is the core network that is in charge of UE reachability and the core network does this through configuring a CN registration area that is defined by a set of Tracking Areas (TAs). The UE is configured with the CN registration area through a list of TAI's and this CN Registration area is here from referred to as "TAI-list".
At transition into CM-CONNECTED with RRC Inactive state, the NG-RAN configures the UE with a periodic RAN Notification Area Update timer taking into account the value of a Periodic Registration Update timer value indicated in the RRC Inactive Assistance Information, and uses a guard timer with a value longer than the RAN Notification Area Update timer value provided to the UE.
If the periodic RAN Notification Area Update guard timer expires in RAN, the RAN can initiate a AN Release procedure as specified in TS 23.502 v.15.0.0.
When the UE is in CM-CONNECTED with RRC inactive state, the UE performs PLMN selection procedures as defined in TS 23.122 v. 15.0.0 for CM-IDLE.
When the UE is CM-CONNECTED with RRC Inactive state, the UE may resume the RRC connection due to:                Uplink data pending;        Mobile initiated NAS signalling procedure;        As a response to RAN paging;        Notifying the network that it has left the RAN Notification area;        Upon periodic RAN update timer expiration.
When Resuming, the UE will include an identifier to the network that will inform the radio network node about where the UE context describing the specifics of the UE, e.g., bearers, Tracking Area, slices, security credentials/keys etc.,) such that resuming will bring the UE to an RRC_CONNECTED configuration similar to when it was resumed. The Identifier pointing to the UE Context is called Inactive Radio Network Temporary Identifier (I-RNTI). In connection to when the UE is suspended, i.e., it is transitioned from RRC_CONNECTED to RRC_INACTIVE, the UE is provided with an I-RNTI from the network. The network allocates an I-RNTI when transitioning the UE to RRC_INACTIVE and the I-RNTI is used to identify the UE context, i.e., as an identifier of the details stored about the UE in the network while in RRC_INACTIVE.
From the I-RNTI, the radio network node may be able to retrieve the context and, if resuming is, e.g., due to data, possibly move the UE to RRC_CONNECTED state. The I-RNTI thus need to indicate both where the UE context is stored such that the serving radio network node (gNB, ng-eNB) knows where to request the UE context from, and there is also a need to be a unique part in the I-RNTI for separating contexts within the node it has stored.
As an example, the length of the I-RNTI in gNB is agreed to be 52 bits. This will allow for both a long node identifier part as well as a UE-unique context identifier part. It is not yet standardized exactly what parts of the I-RNTI that should represent, e.g., node address or similar, but this may also simply be configured in the network.
The radio network node in a 5G system can either be a gNB, which is a radio network node using NR radio, or it can be an ng-eNB, which is a radio network node using LTE radio, but connects to the same 5G core network as the gNB. The ng-eNB will be serving cells with LTE radio and much of the air-interface protocols will be exactly the same as for LTE connecting to the Evolved Packet Core (EPC) through an eNB.
In the resume procedure, illustrated in FIG. 1E, The I-RNTI is sent in the RRCResumeRequest message, i.e., already in the first message. For various reasons, the message the RRCResumeRequest is carried in is referred to as msg3, or "message3".
The intention is that the resume request sent in msg3 may be a very small message only including the most necessary information to resume the connection. One of the important pieces of information to include though is an identifier that can allow the network to retrieve the UE specific information stored, i.e., the UE context. For this purpose, the I-RNTI is then included in the resume request message.
In LTE, msg3 is bit constrained and it is impossible to include an I-RNTI of the agreed 52 bit length. This will create a problem in particular when the suspend procedure included storing a UE context and identifying it with a 52-bit I-RNTI, but the resume procedure occurs in an LTE cell that can only handle I-RNTIs that are smaller.
A similar resume message that already existed in earlier versions of LTE connecting to EPC, for a slightly different functionality, had a 40-bit length and it is likely that the 40-bit length is what is possible to use as I-RNTI for an ng-eNB using LTE and connecting to a 5G core network and system.
As described above, there is a problem in using different lengths of mobile identifiers such as I-RNTIs.
If a UE is suspended by a gNB, i.e., a radio network node using a 52-bit I-RNTI and then, when the same UE should resume, will do that in an ng-eNB, that got a ResumeRequest message only capable of a 40-bit I-RNTI, a) how will the UE handle the difference; and b) how will the network treat the received I-RNTI and be able to relate it to where the UE context is stored and can be retrieved from.
There are no existing solutions for how to manage an I-RNTI over both ng-eNB (that can only manage 40 bit I-RNTI) and gNB (that allocates a 52-bit I-RNTI), i.e. how radio network nodes use identifiers for retrieving UE context when being capable handling identifiers of different lengths.

Radio network node, UE and methods performed therein for handling communication in a wireless communication network


A gaming device having an accumulation game with changing selections. The gaming device generates or picks, one at a time, a plurality of selections. Each generated selection is accumulated or marked and then changed to another selection. The gaming device continues generating selections, accumulating the generated selections and changing the generated selections until at least one selection is generated and accumulated a designated number of times. When at least one selection is generated and accumulated the designated number of times, an award is provided to the player wherein the award is based on the selection which was generated and accumulated the designated number of times.

Gaming device manufacturers strive to make gaming devices that provide as much enjoyment and excitement as possible. Providing a secondary or bonus game in which a player has an opportunity to win potentially large awards or credits in addition to the awards associated with the primary or base game of the gaming device is one way to enhance player enjoyment and excitement.
Gaming devices having bonus games generally employ a triggering event that occurs during the base game. The triggering event temporarily stalls or halts the base game play and enables a player to enter a second, different game, which is the bonus game. The player plays the bonus game, likely receives an award and returns to the base game.
In the game disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,224,483, a player spins a wheel including several awards. The number of spins of the wheel provided to the player is based on the number of paylines that the player played in the primary game, the number of credits wagered on the paylines or a specific symbol or symbol combination is generated on the reels in the primary game. In this game, the player spins the wheel and obtains a single award, such as between twenty-five and one-thousand credits in each spin. The bonus game ends when the player has no spins remaining and the player receives the total accumulated award from the bonus game.
Gaming devices that increase the opportunities to obtain awards and increase the size of the awards are desirable. Players are attracted to games that provide several larger awards and the opportunity to obtain a large award. Therefore, to increase player enjoyment and excitement, it is desirable to provide new games for gaming devices.

Gaming device having accumulation game with changing selections


A testing device for testing one more characteristics of an electronic display. The testing device includes a main body and a receiving cavity defined within the main body configured to receive at least a portion of the electronic display. The testing device also includes a plurality of sensors positioned on a first surface of the testing device and configured to be in optical communication with at least a portion of the electronic display received within the cavity. The plurality of sensors is configured to detect at least one type of non-uniformity of the electronic display by detecting light emitted from the electronic display.

Electronic displays, such as those used with or incorporated into electronic devices, have a variety of different optical parameters that may determine or affect the quality and/or appearance of images displayed on these displays. For example, the contrast, white luminance, uniformity of light, gamma, and/or color gamut of a display may alter the appearance of images on these displays. Also, electronic displays may be subject to visual artifacts, such as light leakage, flicker, ripple, dot or line defects, and so on. These artifacts may impact the quality of a user's experience while viewing electronic displays. Generally, artifacts may be parameter-based and thus generally static (such as light leakage), or artifact-based and thus generally dynamic (such as flicker).
In some instances it may be beneficial to test electronic displays during manufacturing in order to correct the parameters, reduce or eliminate artifacts, and/or to prevent defective displays from being shipped or otherwise provided to consumers. However, current testing equipment and methods typically provide either parameter-based testing or artifact-based testing. Both artifact testing and parameter testing typically must be used so that both types of defects may be tested for, thereby requiring two separate sets of test for each display panel.
Further, some current tests for optical parameters and/or artifacts may be very accurate, but may be labor intensive, require expensive equipment, or may only test a particular pixel or group of pixels at a time. Such tests may not be scalable to test manufacturing lines of electronic displays in a time or cost efficient manner.


Processes for the serotype specific detection and identification of one or more Salmonella serotypes are provided. A family of specific primers and probes are provided that allow screening of biological or environmental samples for robust, rapid, and reproducible detection and identification of one or more Salmonella serotypes in the sample.

Detecting and serotyping Salmonella is essential to protecting the food supply and for understanding the epidemiology of this important food-borne pathogen. Determining the presence and serotype of the dangerous Salmonella ser. Enteritidis is of particular importance to the poultry and egg industries.
The genus Salmonella is divided into two species, S. enterica and S. bongori (33). S. enterica is further divided into seven subspecies that can be abbreviated by Roman numerals, I, II, Ma, Mb, IV, VI and VII. Subsp. VII was described by Multilocus Enzyme Electrophoresis (MLEE) and by phylogenetic analysis of housekeeping genes (2, 9 22). Subspecies V is now recognized as the separate species, S. bongori (28).
Serotyping further divides the Salmonellae subspecies into subtypes, or serovars (ser.), by immunologic characterization of two surface structures, O-polysaccharide (O-antigen) and flagellin protein (H-antigen) (25, 27). The current standard for Salmonella serotyping is the Kauffmann-White serotyping scheme. This method currently includes the recognized 2,587 serotypes (4, 8, 9). A serotype is represented by an antigenic formula (e.g. I 4,5,12:i:1,2) indicating the subspecies; and O, Phase 1 H, and Phase 2 H antigens. Serotypes in subspecies I are also given a name (e.g. Typhimurium).
Over 30,000 culture confirmed cases of Salmonella are identified in the United States each year. The production and quality control of the greater than 250 antisera required to generate the >2,500 serotypes using current methods is difficult and time consuming. Many isolates require three to five days or more to fully determine the serotype, which delays serotype submission to the public health data information systems. Improving the rate and accuracy of detecting and serotyping Salmonella in samples is essential to improving product safety. Thus, there is a need for compositions and methods useful to improve detection of and serotyping of Salmonella, especially within food.

The United States of America, as represented by the Secretary, Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention


Provided are a rinsing agent to produce a hard disk substrate free from remaining abrasive grains as well as a pit defect on the surface thereof and a method for production of a hard disk substrate using such a rinsing agent. A rinsing agent of the present invention is rinsing solution containing colloidal silica as abrasive grains. Letting that the colloidal silica abrasive grains have a concentration C and an average grain size R (C and R are represented in weight % and nm, respectively), the concentration C and the average grain size R of the colloidal silica abrasive grains have a relation matching the following Expression (1):12.2C+18.2  (1).

Hard disks to be incorporated into magnetic disk storage devices such as a computer have been steadily made more compact and increased in capacity, and so hard disk substrates are required to be of extremely high-precision quality. To this end, the surface of a hard disk substrate is conventionally polished for smoothing, and the process therefor includes rough polishing using alumina abrasive grains and final polishing using colloidal silica abrasive grains.
When such alumina abrasive grains used during the rough polishing are unfortunately left on the substrate surface and they are not removed even after the final polishing, characteristics of the hard disk substrate as a medium may be degraded.
To cope with this, in a known method, rinsing is provided between the rough polishing and the final polishing to rinse a hard disk substrate with rinsing solution containing colloidal silica abrasive grains, thus reducing the remaining alumina on the substrate surface. See JP Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 62-208869 A (1987).
Patent Document 1: JP Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 62-208869 A (1987)

Rinsing agent, and method for production of hard disk substrate


Provided is a method for interfacing with storage units, including a backplane, at least one slot in the storage enclosure for receiving one storage unit, and two physical interfaces on the backplane for at least one slot. The storage unit is capable of being positioned in the slot to mate with one of the two physical interfaces for the slot, wherein each physical interface supports different storage interconnect architectures.

1. Field
The present embodiments relate to a method, system, and program for supporting multiple interfaces in a storage enclosure.
2. Description of the Related Art
An adaptor or multi-channel protocol controller enables a device coupled to the adaptor to communicate with one or more connected end devices according to a storage interconnect architecture, also known as a hardware interface, where a storage interconnect architecture defines a standard way to communicate and recognize such communications, such as Serial Attached Small Computer System Interface (SCSI) (SAS), Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA), Fibre Channel, etc. These storage interconnect architectures allow a device to maintain one or more connections to another end device via a point-to-point connection, an arbitrated loop of devices, an expander providing a connection to further end devices, or a fabric comprising interconnected switches providing connections to multiple end devices. In the SAS/SATA architecture, a SAS port is comprised of one or more SAS PHYs, where each SAS PHY interfaces a physical layer, i.e., the physical interface or connection, and a SAS link layer having multiple protocol link layer. Communications from the SAS PHYs in a port are processed by the transport layers for that port. There is one transport layer for each SAS port to interface with each type of application layer supported by the port. A "PHY" as defined in the SAS protocol is a device object that is used to interface to other devices and a physical interface. Further details on the SAS architecture for devices and expanders is described in the technology specification "Information Technology—Serial Attached SCSI (SAS)", reference no. ISO/IEC 14776-150:200x and ANSI INCITS.***:200×PHY layer (Jul. 9, 2003), published by ANSI; details on the Fibre Channel architecture are described in the technology specification "Fibre Channel Framing and Signaling Interface", document no. ISO/IEC AWI 14165-25; details on the SATA architecture are described in the technology specification "Serial ATA: High Speed Serialized AT Attachment" Rev. 1.0A (January 2003).
Within an adaptor, the PHY layer performs the serial to parallel conversion of data, so that parallel data is transmitted to layers above the PHY layer, and serial data is transmitted from the PHY layer through the physical interface to the PHY layer of a receiving device. In the SAS specification, there is one set of link layers for each SAS PHY layer, so that effectively each link layer protocol engine is coupled to a parallel-to-serial converter in the PHY layer. A connection path connects to a port coupled to each PHY layer in the adaptor and terminate in a physical interface within another device or on an expander device, where the connection path may comprise a cable or etched paths on a printed circuit board.
An expander is a device that facilitates communication and provides for routing among multiple SAS devices, where multiple SAS devices and additional expanders connect to the ports on the expander, where each port has one or more SAS PHYs and corresponding physical interfaces. The expander also extends the distance of the connection between SAS devices. The expander may route information from a device connecting to a SAS PHY on the expander to another SAS device connecting to the expander PHYs. In SAS, using the expander requires additional serial to parallel conversions in the PHY layers of the expander ports. Upon receiving a frame, a serial-to-parallel converter, which may be part of the PHY, converts the received data from serial to parallel to route internally to an output SAS PHY, which converts the frame from parallel to serial to the target device. The SAS PHY may convert parallel data to serial data through one or more encoders and convert serial data to parallel data through a parallel data builder and one or more decoders. A phased lock loop (PLL) may be used to track incoming serial data and lock into the frequency and phase of the signal. This tracking of the signal may introduce noise and error into the signal.

Multiple interfaces in a storage enclosure


A variable displacement pump includes a control valve formed with a high-pressure chamber for introducing therein high-pressure fluid on the upstream side of a metering orifice, a pressure chamber for introducing therein pressure fluid on the downstream side of the metering orifice, a low-pressure chamber arranged between the high-pressure and pressure chambers for introducing therein low-pressure fluid, and a communication passage for providing fluid communication between one of the high-pressure and low-pressure chambers and a first fluid-pressure chamber of the pump. First and second recessed grooves are formed in the outer-peripheral surface of a spool of the control valve to provide fluid communication between the low-pressure and high-pressure chambers through the communication passage of the control valve when the spool carries out selective switching between the high-pressure and low-pressure chambers to supply fluid to the communication passage, thus restraining abrupt pressure rise in the first fluid-pressure chamber.

The present invention relates to a variable displacement pump which serves as a source for supplying the hydraulic pressure to a hydraulic device such as an automotive power steering apparatus.
Typically, the variable displacement pump comprises a housing, a cam ring arranged swingably in the housing, first and second fluid-pressure chambers arranged in one and another swing directions of the cam ring, respectively, and a spring arranged in the second fluid-pressure chamber and for biasing the cam ring to the first fluid-pressure chamber.
Arranged rotatably in the cam ring is a vane rotor having an axis offset with respect to the center of the cam ring. The vane rotor comprises slots formed radially in the outer periphery and vanes held therein to be movable with respect to the inner-peripheral surface of the cam ring.
A metering orifice is provided to a discharge passage for supplying to a hydraulic device pressurized fluid discharged from a pump chamber formed between the cam ring and each vane to a discharge port. A control valve comprises a spool arranged slidably in a valve hole by the pressure difference between the upstream and downstream sides of the metering orifice. The fluid pressure within the first fluid-pressure chamber is controlled in accordance with the slide position of the spool.
Specifically, the control valve comprises a high-pressure chamber formed at one end of the spool and for introducing pressurized fluid on the upstream side of the metering orifice, a pressure chamber formed at another end of the spool and for introducing pressurized fluid on the suction side of the pump, and a low-pressure chamber comprising an annular groove formed substantially in the center of the outer-peripheral surface of the spool and for introducing pressurized fluid in a tank. The control valve controls internal pressure such that, in accordance with slide motion of the spool to the pressure chamber, a cylindrical valve element formed on the outer periphery of the spool carries out selective switching from the low-pressure chamber to the high-pressure chamber so as to supply fluid in the high-pressure chamber to the first fluid-pressure chamber.
The second fluid-pressure chamber is isolated from the control valve to always introduce therein pressure from the suction side of the pump.
Therefore, during low rotation of the pump, the control valve is not operated due to small pressure difference between the upstream and downstream sides of the metering orifice, so that the first fluid-pressure chamber is supplied with low-pressure (atmospheric-pressure) fluid in the tank. Thus, the cam ring is biased to the first fluid-pressure chamber by a biasing force of the spring arranged in the second fluid-pressure chamber, having center offset with respect to the center of the vane rotor. This increases volume of the pump chambers formed between the vanes and the cam ring and on the side of the second fluid-pressure chamber, allowing the power steering apparatus to be supplied with sufficient flow rate of pressurized fluid through the discharge port and the discharge passage.
As the pump is in high rotation, the spool of the control valve is operated to the pressure chamber due to great pressure difference between the upstream and downstream sides of the metering orifice, so that the valve element of the control valve is moved to carry out switching from the low-pressure (tank-pressure) chamber to the high-pressure chamber. Thus, highly pressurized fluid discharged to the discharge port is supplied to the first fluid-pressure chamber so as to swing the cam ring to the second fluid-pressure chamber against a biasing force of the spring, controlling the volume of the pump chambers at a small value. With this, the power steering apparatus is supplied with a predetermined flow rate of pressurized fluid, ensuring constant flow rate thereof.
During low rotation of the pump where it is desirable to ensure the pump discharge, only the fluid pressure within the low-pressure chamber operates on the second fluid-pressure chamber as described above, so that leakage of pressurized fluid from the second fluid-pressure chamber to the outside is prevented from occurring, allowing the pump discharge to be ensured sufficiently.


The invention relates to macroporous, hydrophobic and isotropic polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membranes having improved properties and to a new method for preparing the same.

In particular the method according to the invention is characterised by the use of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) as a solvent for PVDF, in combination with a vapour induced phase separation (VIPS) stage, for the preparation of macroporous hydrophobic membranes.
The method according to the invention makes it possible to obtain macroporous hydrophobic PVDF membranes having improved characteristics in comparison with the membranes currently available in the art. This method also has the advantage of using a non-toxic solvent to dissolve the PVDF and of requiring very short processing times.
PVDF membranes are used in various applications such as for example filtration or ultrafiltration, in particular of corrosive chemicals, or in biomedical field. High membrane porosity is greatly desired because it allows a high flow velocity for liquids and gases per unit area.
PVDF membranes are generally formed from PVDF dissolved in a solvent; the solutions obtained by dissolving PVDF are poured (cast) as films (moulded films or cast films) in a mould or on a support, then the cast films undergo phase separation to form a porous membrane. Various methods are available for the phase separation stage, such as for example thermally induced phase separation (TIPS), non-solvent induced phase separation (NIPS), vapour induced phase separation (VIPS) or evaporation induced phase separation (EIPS). Different membrane morphologies are obtained depending upon the phase separation method used; for example, isotropic membranes and anisotropic membranes having a porous or dense upper layer may be prepared using the abovementioned methods.
In the VIPS method the cast film is exposed to an atmosphere of a non-solvent vapour which gives rise to phase separation by penetrating the cast film. Using this method PVDF membranes having a porous morphology and having adjustable barrier pore sizes can be obtained in a fast production process that can easily be converted to an industrial scale.
In the preparation of membranes through NIPS or VIPS methods, solvents, such as dimethyl formamide (DMF), dimethyl acetamide (DMAc), N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP), hexamethyl phosphoramide, tetramethylurea, triethyl phosphate, trimethyl phosphate, acetone and tetrahydrofuran, are generally used to dissolve the polymer. Most of said solvents are toxic according to the GHS classification (Z. Cui et al., Prog. Polym. Sci., 2014). The present invention advantageously uses DMSO as a solvent for PVDF; DMSO is a non-toxic solvent which is not classified as toxic by the GHS.
In the state-of-the-art non-toxic solvents have already been used to prepare membranes (Figoli A. et al. Green Chem., 2014), but not in combination with the VIPS method for forming porous PVDF membranes. For example, the most common use of DMSO as solvent in the preparation of PVDF membranes is in association with a phase of the NIPS type, which has the consequence of forming an anisotropic membrane with pores having a finger-like structure and a dense upper layer (A. Bottino et al., J. Memb. Sci., 1991). Another hydrophilic polymer which results in delayed separation during phase separation and produces more spongy structures with a dense upper layer is very often also added to the solution (D. Lin et al., Eur. Polym. J., 2006; Q. Wang et al., Desalination, 2012), or a mixture of solvent and non-solvent is used as a coagulation bath (D. Lin et al., Eur. Polym. J., 2006; F. Liu et al., J. Memb. Sci., 2011; C. Kuo, et al., Desalination, 2008).
DMSO has also been used as a solvent for PVDF in association with the freezing method, a variant of the TIPS method, in which phase separation is brought about by cooling the cast film below the freezing temperature of DMSO and the frozen DMSO is exchanged with water. This gives rise to the formation of porous membranes having a dense upper layer (C. Mu et al., J. Memb. Sci., 2010; B. Wang et al., Nat. Commun., 2016).
It will be noted that the type of solvent used has a very strong influence on membrane formation. Where a number of polymers and/or solvents associated for example with the NIPS method form a functional membrane, the same group of reagents may not be effective when associated with the VIPS method.
The use of DMSO followed by a stage of the VIPS type for membrane formation is described by Cardoso et al. (V. Cardoso et al. Soft Matter, 2015), in which however a poly(vinylidine fluoride-co-trifluoroethylene) copolymer, comprising PVDF together with trifluoroethylene, is dissolved in DMSO. Also, in the Cardoso method, after the film has been cast, the membranes are exposed to the air for 15 minutes without any control of relative humidity; low porosity membranes with a dense upper and lower layer are thus obtained.
Another example is the work of Li et al. (B. Li et al., J. Memb. Sci., 2016) where polyvinylidene fluoride/sodium allyl sulfonate (PVDF/SAS) in DMSO was used. Again, in this case the authors did not investigate the use of pure PVDF in combination with DMSO as solvent; furthermore, as a method for membrane preparation, Li et al. used the EIPS process in which a cast film is exposed to ambient air for between 30 minutes and 9 hours at 40° C., 60° C. or 80° C. without any control of humidity, followed by immersion in a coagulation bath in water. Membranes having a nodular structure and a dense upper layer are obtained as a consequence.
EP 1839730 cites the possibility of using DMSO to dissolve PVDF, but only in combination with a non-solvent compound, followed by a NIPS stage to form the porous membrane. In addition to this, no working examples showing the characteristics of the membranes obtained after dissolution in DMSO are provided.
The preparation of PVDF membranes by the VIPS method is disclosed by Li et al. (J. Memb. Sci., 2010): in this work a number of solvents (NMP, DMAc and DMF) and their influence on the VIPS process and membrane morphology was studied. The authors did not however examine DMSO as a solvent.
It should be noted that, according to the well-established concept of Hansen solubility parameters (Charles M. Hansen, Hansen solubility parameters: a user's handbook, 2a ed., CRC Press, 2007), a good solvent for PVDF will have a difference of less than one in Hansen solubility parameters. As shown in Table 1 below, the solvents commonly used to dissolve PVDF are DMAc, NMP and DMF, which show differences of up to 2.5 in Hansen solubility parameters. DMSO, with a value of 4.2, is generally considered a poor solvent for PVDF and would not therefore be the first choice of solvent for preparing PVDF membranes.
TABLE 1Differences in Hansensolubility parameters(solvent-polymer)Solventcalculated for PVDFDMAc1.47NMP2.16DMF2.43DMSO4.20

Macroporous polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membranes


An oscillating rotary electric power tool, in which a spindle with a distal end tool attached thereto is projected downward from a front end portion of a housing accommodating a motor, and the housing also accommodates a coupling member rotatable integrally with an output shaft of the motor, a crankshaft fitted with the coupling member in a depression and projection fitting structure, and a link member to which the spindle is fixed and power is transmitted from the crankshaft to rotate clockwise and counterclockwise in an oscillating manner so that the link member will be driven by the motor to rotate the spindle clockwise and counterclockwise in the oscillating manner, wherein an elastic body is interposed between the coupling member and the crankshaft in the same axial direction as the output shaft.

This application claims the benefit of Japanese Patent Application Number 2012-038864 filed on Feb. 24, 2012, the entirety of which is incorporated by reference.
1. Technical Field
This invention relates to an oscillating rotary electric power tool in which a spindle with a distal end tool attached thereto is projected downward from a front end portion of a housing accommodating a motor so that the spindle will be driven by the motor to rotate clockwise and counterclockwise in an oscillating manner.
2. Background Art
As shown in FIG. 4, there is known a conventional oscillating rotary electric power tool 50, where a motor M is accommodated in a housing 51 extending in a longitudinal direction (horizontal direction of FIG. 4) of the oscillating rotary electric power tool 50, and a spindle 53 to which various kinds of distal end tools 52 are able to be attached is projected downward from a front end portion (right side in FIG. 4) of the housing 51 in an orthogonal direction with respect to the longitudinal axis of the housing 51. In this oscillating rotary electric power tool 50, a coupling member 55 is coupled in front of an output shaft 54 of the motor M in such a manner that a projected portion 58 of a crankshaft 57 is fitted in a depressed portion 56 provided on a front end face of this coupling member 55 to integrate the coupling member 55 and the crankshaft 57 in the rotational direction. Then, a link member 59 to which the spindle 53 is fixed is supported in front of the crankshaft 57 within the housing 51. As viewed from the front side of the oscillating rotary electric power tool 50, this link member 59 rotates clockwise and counterclockwise in an oscillating manner by the transmission of power from the crankshaft 57.
In the above oscillating rotary electric power tool 50, when the output shaft 54 of the motor M rotates, the link member 59 rotates clockwise and counterclockwise in a oscillating manner as a result of the transmission of the torque of the motor M to the link member 59 through the coupling member 55 and the crankshaft 57. Along with this, the spindle 53 fixed to the link member 59 and a distal end tool 52 rotate clockwise and counterclockwise in the oscillating manner. However, since the projected portion 58 is fitted in the depressed portion 56 with an allowance in the rotational direction, the depressed portion 56 and the projected portion 58 hit each other when the coupling member 55 and the crankshaft 57 rotate integrally along with the rotation of the output shaft 54, suffering from the disadvantage of generating abnormal noise in a hitting portion.
As a technique for preventing the generation of such abnormal noise, Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 49-111654 describes that projected portions and depressed portions are formed alternately in a circumferential direction on the end face of a cylindrical driving body and the end face of a cylindrical driven body facing each other, respectively. The projected portions of the driving body are fit into the depressed portions of the driven body and the projected portions of the driven body are fit into the depressed portions of the driving body, and an elastic body is inserted into a clearance gap between each projected portion and each depressed portion in the circumferential direction.


A bridge connection is made between the interfaces on physically distinct telecommunication servers such that the two ends of the bridge can be used to connect existing calls that are terminated on each of the servers. To provide the bridge connection, a call using a standard outgoing PRI trunk on one of the servers is made through the public switched telephone network (PSTN) to an incoming PRI trunk on the other server. When a bridge connection is required one of the servers is queried for its directory number, which is any number that the PSTN has assigned to equipment in that server. The other server is then instructed to make a call to that number. When the called server recognizes the incoming call as bridge connection, its answers the call. The calling server then associates the bridge connection with the pending action, using information encoded in the out-of-band signal with which the call between the servers was established. In this manner, calls terminating on distinct servers can be connected without the need for additional hardware.

The invention relates, generally, to Advanced Intelligent Network (AIN) systems and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for connecting calls on physically distinct telecommunications servers in such systems.
AIN systems are generally known for providing enhanced voice and data network services. A typical AIN architecture distributes service logic, data and service assistance functions throughout the telecommunications network. AIN networks provide enhanced services such as, without limitation, voice mail, single number reach, speech recognition, call screening and the like. Typically, a call requiring enhanced services provided by the AIN activates a trigger in a central office switching system. Such triggers can be initiated when a caller goes off-hook, or according to dialing plans such as office dialing plans, individualized dialing plans, dialed feature codes or the like. Many other trigger types are available such as those used on trunk facilities or the feature buttons based on ISDN-telephone sets. Once a trigger has been set, the call setting that tigger is connected to the AIN system where appropriate call processing occurs based on the trigger and possible additional information provided by the calling party. Typically, the call is connected to a service control unit that consists of a control computer, a fault tolerant switch fabric unit and a plurality of service circuits connected to the switch fabric. The service circuits provide the AIN service capabilities such as voice announcements, dual-tone multifrequency (DTMF) receivers, text-to-speech conversion, speech recognition, mail boxes and the like. The switch fabric unit physically connects a calling party to one of the service circuits or to another party, as necessary to provide the appropriate AIN service.
In a conventional AIN architecture, a call is routed to the service control unit from a switching system as a result of the activation of a trigger (for example, the dialed directory number, call forward on busy, or the like). The control information for the call is sent to the control computer which determines the service to be performed and instructs the switch fabric unit to sequentially connect the call to one or more service circuits as appropriate for the applicable service. After the requested service has been performed the call is either completed or returned to the originating switching system.
The switch fabric units typically consist of a digital switch fabric with fully duplicated time slot interchangers such as a switch fabric using 5ESS(copyright) switching systems manufactured and sold by Lucent Technologies Inc. While such switch fabrics are extremely robust, they are also relatively expensive. Moreover, because such switch fabrics are designed to handle the traffic of a network switching system, they are not scaleable to meet the varying traffic demands of an AIN.
As a result, another conventional AIN has been developed that replaces the switch fabric unit with a plurality of physically distinct telecommunication servers consisting of personal computers having standard computer telephony hardware and interfaces. The telecommunication servers perform the routing function of the switch fabric units but are less expensive, scaleable and ultimately provide greater capacity than the switch fabric units. One problem with such distributed systems is that calls terminating at different servers cannot be connected when the need arises because the servers operate relatively independently in providing AIN service. Alternatively, hardware resources must be prereserved in order to permit inter-server connections. To eliminate these problems, the prior art uses a separate switch fabric located in front of the servers or dedicated physical interfaces between the servers to handle interserver connections. In either of these scenarios additional hardware is required, resulting in wasted resources, higher costs, lower reliability, and lower capacity.
Thus, an improved system for connecting calls on physically distinct servers in an AIN is desired.
The system of the invention makes a bridge connection between respective interfaces on physically distinct telecommunication servers such that the two ends of the bridge can be used to. connect existing calls that are terminated on each of the servers. To provide the bridge connection, a call using a standard outgoing primary rate interface (PRI) trunk on one of the servers is made through the public switched telephone network (PSTN) to an incoming PRI trunk on the other server. The servers each designate a directory number for such calls from any of the directory numbers that the PSTN associates with any of the lines terminated on that server. When a bridge connection is required, one of the servers is queried for its designated special directory number. The other server is then instructed to make a call to that number, the call carrying an encoded element on an out-of-band signal that carries information specific to the call. When the called server recognizes the incoming call by the presence of the encoded element, it answers the call. The called server then uses the encoded element to associate the bridge connection with the pending action. In this manner, calls terminating on distinct servers can be connected without the need for additional hardware.

System for connecting calls on physically distinct servers on an advanced intelligent network


Ceramics having principal phases of aluminum iron titanate and mullite corresponding to the overall chemical composition:. 50 to 62% by weight Al.sub.2 O.sub.3, PA0 36 to 49.5% by weight titanium oxide, expressed as TiO.sub.2, PA0 0.5 to 10% by weight SiO.sub.2, and PA0 0.2 to 15% by weight iron oxide, expressed as Fe.sub.2 O.sub.3, PA0 up to 1% by weight impurities, PA0 with the sum of Al.sub.2 O.sub.3, TiO.sub.2 and SiO.sub.2 being 100%,. wherein the sum of the crystalline phases Al.sub.2 O.sub.3, TiO.sub.2, SiO.sub.2 (other than the principal phases) is less than 6% by weight, based on the sintered body, are useful where a ceramic having a high thermal-shock-resistance is required, such as exhaust port liner internal combustion engines, for example.

There is a need in practice for thermal-shock-resistant materials which are suitable for use at temperatures of .gtoreq.1000.degree. C. and which, at the same time, have a strength level of .gtoreq.40 MPa which provides for engineering constructions, such as: in melt metallurgy, for example, for throughflow controllers, in machine construction, for example hot gas fans, in engine construction, for example thermal insulations of the exhaust gas port (port liners), in chemical engineering, for example as filters or catalyst supports.
Although ceramics based on pure aluminum titanate, or tialite, show interesting properties, such as a low thermal expansion coefficient (TEC) and a low Young's modulus, they are of only limited technological value on account of their very poor strength and their tendency to decompose at temperatures in the range from about 900.degree. to about 1300.degree. C. At temperatures in this range, tialite decomposes into the starting oxides Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 and TiO.sub.2, accompanied by a marked increase in the TEC.
Numerous proposals have been made for the production of ceramics based on aluminum titanate. Thus, U.S. Pat. No. 2,776,896 relates to a non-decomposing, thermal-shock-resistant aluminum titanate ceramic of which the improved properties are achieved by additions of iron, magnesium and silicon.
According to U.S. Pat. No. 2,776,896, the addition of 1 to 2 mol-% Fe.sub.2 TiO.sub.5 to Al.sub.2 TiO.sub.5 is sufficient to produce substantial resistance to decomposition and up to 50 mol-% Fe.sub.2 TiO.sub.5 may be added without the low TEC being significantly affected. For a ceramic of 90 mol-% Al.sub.2 TiO.sub.5 and 10 mol-% Fe.sub.2 TiO.sub.5, a TEC (RT-400.degree. C.) of -2.35.times.10.sup.-6 l/K is measured after sintering.
In addition to iron, silica may be added to the composition. If silicon dioxide is added, it should be added in the form of clay for practical reasons. The silica content of the mass should not exceed 10% by weight. The formula is preferably calculated in such a way that one additional mol TiO.sub.2 is added for 2 mol SiO.sub.2 (column 7, line 21). This means an excess of free TiO.sub.2 which results in inadequate strength. Thus, all the Examples disclosed show relatively high contents of free oxidic components.
EP-B 133 021 describes an aluminum titanate/mullite ceramic consisting of 60 to 75% by weight Al.sub.2 O.sub.3, 15 to 35% by weight TiO.sub.2 and 1 to 16.5% by weight SiO.sub.2. In another embodiment, 0.5 to 5% by weight Fe.sub.2 O.sub.3 and/or 0.5 to 5% by weight rare earth oxides are also added. The quoted Examples described compositions of the sintered ceramic comprise mullite contents of 20 to 40% by weight, Al.sub.2 TiO.sub.5 contents of 50 to 70% by weight and Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 contents of 10 to 12% by weight. In addition, oxides of iron, lanthanum and neodymium are added. Adequate strength values of >40 MPa are only obtained at sintering temperatures of or above 1500.degree. C. and by addition of expensive rare earth oxides.
EP-A 210 813 describes an aluminum titanate/mullite ceramic, in the production of which at least one of the two components aluminum titanate or mullite is presynthesized and then sintered at temperatures in the range from 1500.degree. to 1700.degree. C. The overall composition is 53-74% by weight Al.sub.2 O.sub.3, 14-33% by weight TiO.sub.2, 6-20% by weight SiO.sub.2 and 1.2-5% by weight Fe.sub.2 O.sub.3. Due to the necessary presynthesis, this process is relatively expensive. In addition, the ceramics produced by this process show inadequate strength values.
De-PS 2 741 434 describes an aluminum titanate ceramic which, in addition to 2 to 13% by weight SiO.sub.2, contains 0.5 to 10% by weight rare earth oxides and 1.5 to 20% by weight of SnO.sub.2. This ceramic shows inadequate strength values.
According to DD-B 29 794, high thermal-shock-resistance is produced by a very low, preferably negative, linear thermal expansion coefficient. For the production of a highly refractory oxidic material showing high thermal-shock-resistance, this publication proposes compositions of MgO-Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 -TiO.sub.2 or of MgO-Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 -TiO.sub.2 -SiO.sub.2, the TiO.sub.2 content being said to amount to between 15 and 75% by weight, the Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 content to between 70 and 25% by weight and the contents of SiO.sub.2 and MgO up to 40 and 20%, respectively. The obtainable coefficient of linear thermal expansion is said to be <4.times.10.sup.-6 l/K in the range from 10.degree. to 700.degree. C., preferably being negative or differing only slightly from zero. The mixing ratios of Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 to TiO.sub.2 shown in the Examples encompass the broad range from 1:0.7 to 1:1.7, the latter range applying to a silicate-free composition containing 8% by weight MgO.
Corresponding materials are of little value on account of their poor strength.
The safe use of the ceramic in practice presupposes a number of properties which the material is required to show in a reproducible form. For many applications, as for example in melt metallurgy, thermal-shock-resistance is an important criterion. Not only a low TEC, but also a low Young's modulus and high strength are crucially important to thermal-shock-resistance. The shrink in behavior of the ceramic is another crucial property in cases where a metal jacket is to be cast around a ceramic tube insert, as for example the exhaust port liners in cylinder heads. The ceramic has to yield to the solidifying and shrinking metal sleeve without breaking. This requires a ceramic material showing high fracture strain in combination with small shrinkage backstresses, i.e. a low Young's modulus and high strength. In addition, the use of the ceramic, for example as a hot gas fan, requires excellent decomposition resistance above 900.degree. C.

Ceramics based on aluminum titanate, process for their production and their use


An underreamer with pressurized water activated lateral cutters pivotally mounted thereon and being spring biased to urge them in longitudinal alignment with the underreamer. A removable constrictor socket is cooperatively mounted adjacent to the distal end of the piston rod so that a user can select one of several designs depending on the magnitude of drill fluid pressure to be applied on the bottom of the well. The lower end of the underreamer is provided with several contiguous cutting teeth arranged in a circle with a relatively small separation inbetween so that it may continue to work even if the well collapses. The cutting teeth enhance the turbulence of the drill fluid. The underreamer is lubricated with drilling fluid applied up to a predetermined pressure without opening the lateral cutters. After a given predetermined amount of pressure, the lateral cutters open perpendicularly.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to underreamers used in the perforation of wells, and more particularly, oil wells.
2. Description of the Related Art
Underreamers are tools used to expand drilled wells, such as oil wells, and many times these wells extend for several thousands of feet below the surface. To achieve this, sections are added as the drilling process progresses. However, when a well collapses, the entire apparatus needs to be taken out and different tools installed to meet the requirements.
The present invention overcomes the shortcomings of other underreamers because it also includes cutting teeth, mounted at the lower end of the underreamer apparatus, that are designed to continue operating even when the drilling well has collapsed. Also, sometimes a section of the well needs to be enlarged, requiring a different tool. Thus, the apparatus does not have to be removed from the drilling well when this happens avoiding having to pull out the tools and consequently representing considerable savings in operating costs. The teeth, being aligned and spaced apart, permit the underreamer to continue removing dirt from the bottom.
Also, the present invention discloses blade assemblies mounted to the lateral of the body that have double functionality, namely, enlarging a well section and cutting a pipe casing previously installed inside the well.
One of the first U.S. patents for underreamers is U.S. Pat. No. 1,478,306 issued to Sweetman in 1920. It provides for the use of lateral cutters which are raised through the application of pressurized water to a spring-loaded piston head. No cutting teeth at the lower end of the underreamer or removable water constricting socket member, however, are disclosed.
Another related reference is U.S. Pat. No. 4,461,361 issued in 1984 to Fuchs. The end cutters 16, however, would be obstructed if the well collapses since they will be trap the mud making it impossible to move.
Another related patent reference corresponds to U.S. Pat. No. 5,139,098 issued to Blake in 1992. This patent discloses a Combined Drill and Underreamer Tool that includes an underreamer tool with a drill bit assembly at the end. The cutting arms of the underreamer tool are actuated (expanded) against their retracted spring biased position. A fluid by pass is provided to clean the drill bit assembly which is routed from a distribution chamber 35, through coaxial lateral ports 42, through bypass conduit 54 along elongated channels 47, and into internal chamber 70. The fluid is them directed towards drill bit 24. With a spool-valve like device 110, up to 30% of the fluid is diverted to the underreamer to actuate it and lubricate it. Thus, the drill fluid is divided in two independent paths. More important, the circuitous path of bypass conduit 54 loses its cleaning pressure by the time it reaches internal chamber 70. Also, having a body of water (to make it worse is variable or bypassable) at the periphery of the tool introduces an additional load to the rotation motor. Finally, having bypass conduit 54 flush with the peripheral wall exposes the device to being punctured and causing leads. The present invention, on the other hand, directs the pressurized drilling fluid towards the cutting teeth, at an angle, and the latter act as a water impeller to create a turbulence that dislodges any debris and pushes it upwardly. Depending on the soil characteristics, constricting sockets of different dimensions can be selected to prevent overflow, while still being sufficient, after a predetermined magnitude of pressure, to overcome the spring bias.
Other patents describing the closest subject matter provide for a number of more or less complicated features that fail to solve the problem in an efficient and economical way. None of these patents suggest the novel features of the present invention.


An electronic apparatus includes a touch-control socket device and a display device. The touch-control socket device includes a socket and a touch-control glass. The socket has a seat, a frame extended from the seat, and a connecting module disposed in the seat. The seat has a first insertable opening and a second insertable opening respectively facing two different directions. The touch-control glass is fixed on the frame and electrically connected to the connecting module. The touch-control glass has a first surface and an opposite second surface. When an electrical connector of the display device inserts into the connecting module through the first insertable opening, the first surface is used as a touch-control interface. When the electrical connector of the display device inserts into the connecting module through the second insertable opening, the second surface is served as a touch interface.

1. Field of the Disclosure
The instant disclosure relates to an electronic apparatus; more particular, to an electronic apparatus capable of touch-control adjustments according to users' demand.
2. Description of Related Art
The conventional touch-control glass is adhered to the display device to form the well-known tablet PC such that the user can operate the tablet PC by touching the outer surface of the adhered touch-control glass. However, the adhered structure of the touch-control glass and the display device has limited the application of the touch-control glass and generated inconvenient problems. For example, when a lot of text is inputted into the tablet PC, the tablet PC must connect with an extra keyboard. Alternatively, when the tablet PC is set at a specific viewing angle, the tablet PC usually requires a foldable casing to maintain the tablet PC at the specific viewing angle by supporting and folding the foldable casing.
To achieve the abovementioned improvement, the inventors strive through industrial experience and academic research to present the instant disclosure, which can provide additional improvement as mentioned above.


An Estimated Wait Time (EWT) service for a Web page provider has an internet-connected facility for monitoring communication status with a communication center having communication equipment hosting agents of the web page provider, and an interactive link in a web page hosted by the Web page provider. The interactive link is presented to a user accessing the Web page, and when selected, connects the user to the facility for monitoring communication status. In a preferred embodiment the facility provides a Web page display for the user, displaying parameters regarding the communication status, such as estimated wait time (EWT). In some cases there are options in a user interface for placing an Internet Phone (IP) call, for sending a message, and e-mail, and so forth, or for requesting a call back. In the case of a cal back the user may, in some embodiments, provide alternative numbers or addresses and times for call back.

Telephones are one of the most widely-used communication tools in the world. At early stages in development, telephones were merely a convenient tool to allow people to communicate while they are physically separated. At the present time, however, many organizations use telephones to market products and services, provide technical support to customers, allow customers to access their own financial data, and much, much more. Thus, telephone systems have become a widely used major business and marketing tool.
Telephony call centers have been developed in order to bring about effective use of the telephone system for business and marketing purposes. In a call center, typically a relatively large number of agents handle telephone communication with clients. A typical call center has at least a telephone switching apparatus, such as a PBX, which has a trunk for incoming calls and station-side ports for connecting to agent's telephones. The switching apparatus may be an Automatic Call Distributor (ACD), distributing calls to agents as they become available, or the switching apparatus may be controlled by a connected processor in what is known in the art as a Computer Telephony Integration (CTI) system. The matching of calls between clients and agents is typically performed by software.
A simple example is used here to describe a few of the many advantages of call centers. When a call is made to a call center, the telephone number of the calling line is made available to the call center by a telephone carrier. Based on this data, software in the call center can access a database server to obtain information about the client placing the call. The software can now route the call to an agent who can best handle the call based on predefined criteria (e.g., language skill, knowledge of products the customer bought, etc.). Such a system uses a method known to the inventor as skill-based routing. In some cases the software may immediately transfer relevant information about the client to a computer screen used by the agent (screen pop). Thus, the agent can gain valuable information about the client prior to receiving the actual call. As a result, the agent can more effectively handle the telephone transaction.
In recent years, advances in computer technology, telephony equipment, and infrastructure have provided many opportunities for improving telephone service in publicly switched and private telephone intelligent networks. Similarly, development of separate information and data network known as the Internet, together with advances in computer hardware and software have led to a new multi-media telephone system known in the art as Internet Protocol Network Telephony (IPNT). In IPNT calls are handled directly between computers over a digital network, and voice data is packaged as data packets.
Under ideal circumstances IPNT telephony has all the quality of conventional public and private telephone intelligent networks, and many advantages accruing from the aspect of direct computer-to-computer linking. Circumstances re: the Internet are, however, often less than ideal, and bandwidth limitations typically lead to delay and interruption of voice communications. Video calls using such as the Internet rather than conventional telephony networks with dedicated bandwidth are even less efficient because higher bandwidth is required. Still, even given these realities, In IPNT as well as in the older intelligent and CTI-enhanced telephony systems, both privately and publicly switched, it is desirable to handle more calls faster and to provide improved service to customers in every way.
As Computer Telephony Integration (CTI) systems become more sophisticated, and multimedia communication becomes more pervasive, increasingly sophisticated call centers are being developed wherein multimedia communication of many sorts is used by agents in addition to conventional telephony techniques. Companies are developing multimedia communication methods and are beginning to integrate these methods within the call center environment. These developments have produced a new breed of multimedia agent to handle communication with the aid of advanced software-communications programs. Agents within call centers who once handled only telephone communications are now required to handle a variety of communications such as, but not limited to E-mail, Video mail, Video calls, and data network calls such as Internet protocol telephony (IPT) calls.
It can be appreciated then, that a multimedia agent for purposes of this specification is an agent in a call center charged with handling various communications transactions, and who has access to multi-communication mediums, hence, the term multimedia. A multimedia agent may work in a call center set up for technical service, sales, management, or for any other purpose for which call centers are used.
As described above, many of the newer mediums of communication that may be employed by a multimedia agent involve some type of computer integration. The term communication center, rather than the term call center more accurately reflects the added computer hardware and software capabilities available to today's call-in center. Therefore, the term communication center will be used to replace the term call center hereinafter in this specification.
In such communication centers, agents are typically provided with computerized workstations, including a computer, which may be a personal computer, and a video display unit, hereinafter termed a PC/VDU. In communication centers known to the present inventor, the agents' PC/VDUs are interconnected on a local area network (LAN), which may also connect to one or more processors in turn connected to a telephony switch to which the agent's telephones are connected. Through sophisticated computer techniques integrated with the requisite hardware, multimedia capability for the agents is achieved.
A multimedia agent working in a communication center such as described above is assigned to a workstation as described, and the workstation, together with software accessible on the LAN presents graphic user interfaces (GUIs) for displaying information relating to each communication transaction handled by that particular agent. For example, along with normal phone capabilities, the agent may be capable of sending and receiving E-mail, Video mail, and the like. Video conferencing may also be a part of an agent's transaction protocol. Similarly, a caller to such an agent may have a PC connected on-line, or to a network accessible to the agents, and thus be enabled to send and receive E-mail, video calls, or any other multimedia communication that the agent may host. As well, callers may be accessing the agent from a normal analog telephone where only voice mail capabilities and conventional telephony audio services are utilized.
Call routing to and within communication centers involves computerized platforms and software dedicated to directing a caller to an appropriate agent for the purpose of fulfilling the purpose of the caller. This type of call routing is known to the present inventors as agent-level call routing. Routing of calls, then, may be on several levels. Pre-routing may be done at Service Control Points (SCPs) and further routing may be, and typically is, accomplished at individual call centers.
As described above, multimedia communication methods are emerging as applicable methods of communication within communication centers. For example, E-mail programs, video calls, IPT calls, and the like can be utilized by agents in addition to voice mail and more conventional telephony connections. In many cases, agents are continually connected to such as the Internet for the purpose of contacting or responding to many Internet-sourced inquiries that come in from customers looking at Web-based advertisements hosted by the communication center or associated enterprise.
Aside from V-mails and e-mails, customers may wish to connect to a specific live agent via IPNT conventions. However, due to the nature of the connection (shared bandwidth), a customer cannot wait for a connection. If the agent called is not available at the time of the incoming IPNT call, then the customer must typically send an e-mail or the like requesting a response. If an IPNT queue shared by several agents is in effect at the communication center, the chance for a real-time connection increases, however, it is not guaranteed. Keeping many IPNT users in a queue is a drain on precious bandwidth resources. Moreover, most IPNT applications impose a connection time-out wherein if no agent is immediately available, then a simple busy notification is transmitted back to the calling party. In current art, the customer has no way of knowing when the agent may be available to respond.
What is clearly needed is a method and apparatus for informing IPNT callers calling into a communication center as to an accurate time estimate that a responding agent will call back. Such a method and apparatus may be provided to interface with callers either at the time of a call attempt, or even before a call attempt has been made. Moreover, much unnecessary use of bandwidth resulting from many IPNT callers held in a queue or otherwise attempting to forge a connection may be prevented.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method and apparatus for providing estimated response-wait-time displays for data network-based inquiries to a communication center

Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories, Inc.


An electronic postage meter control system having a printer for printing mixed graphic and alphanumeric information. The control system includes a programmable microprocessor in bus communication with the printer for controlling the printer and with a plurality of memory units for accounting for postage printed by the printer. The memory units include at least a first memory unit having a write access time shorter than the write access time of a second one of said memory unit, a program memory in bus communication with the programmable microprocessor having an operating program stored therein. The programmable microprocessor is able to access the operating program, an integrated circuit, the program memory, and said first and second units. The integrated circuit has an address decoding module for generating one of a plurality control signals in a unique combination in response to a respective request by the programmable microprocessor. Respective ones of the control signals are the memory write enable signals for write enabling the first or second units where write enable signals are directed to the respective memory unit. The control system further maintains the respective write enable control signals active for at least the write access time of the first memory unit in response to generation of a respective one of the write enable control signals by the address decoder. The control system further maintains the respective write enable control signal active for an additional second period such that sum period of the first period of time in combination with the second period of time is at generally equal to the write access time required by the second memory unit.

The present invention relates to a address decoding system for a microcontroller system and, more particularly, to an address decoding system particularly suited for postage metering applications.
In electronic postage metering machines, and like devices, it is customary to develop a specific microcontroller system for each model of postage meters to accommodate the unique control requirements of each meter model. Conventionally, a microcontroller system, of the type customarily used in postage metering applications, is comprised of a programmable microprocessor in bus communication with a read-only memory (ROM) or program memory, random access memory (RAM), non-volatile memories (NVMs) and an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC). Conventionally, the ASIC chip generates the chip select signals and write enable signal in order to write to the NVMs pursuant to address instructions from the microprocessor. One of the factors which have predicated customization of the ASIC is that the microprocessor bus cycle is matched to the write time required by the nonvolatile memories.

Address decoder with memory wait state circuit


An absorbent article comprising at least one topsheet; a liquid impervious backsheet joined with the topsheet; an absorbent core interposed between the topsheet and backsheet; and a slow recovery elastomer. The slow recovery elastomer exhibits a normalized unload force at 37° C. of greater than about 0.04N and at least about 20% post elongation strain at 22° C. after 15 seconds of recovery.

Elastomeric compositions are well known in the art. Further, it has long been known in the field of disposable absorbent articles that it is desirable to construct absorptive devices, such as disposable diapers with fasteners, pull-on diapers, training pants, sanitary napkins, pantiliners, incontinence briefs, and the like, with elastic elements to improve the ease of motion and maintenance of a sustained fit. Furthermore, elastic elements allow the diaper to accommodate a range of different sized wearers. A diaper may have elastic elements in a number of its structures including the waist band, leg cuffs, side panels, elasticized topsheets, and backsheet. Diapers and other absorbent articles fitted with elastic elements, such as elasticized leg cuffs or elasticized waist bands, providing comfortable fit and leakage control are known in the art.
Many elastomeric compositions used to form elastic elements within current diapers are variants of synthetic rubber compositions. However, these elastomeric compositions tend to retract relatively rapidly when released from a stretched state. This complicates application of the absorbent article onto the wearer.
During application, a diaper generally may be stretched and elongated longitudinally and/or laterally from its initial substantially compacted and untensioned state. Upon release of the elongating tension, the diaper often contracts, constricts, and/or folds before it can be successfully applied to or adjusted on a wearer. In traditional taped diapers, the diaper generally is stretched longitudinally prior to application onto a wearer. However, if a continuous force is not maintained, the diaper will quickly retract. Generally, a caregiver needs to apply a continuous elongating force to the diaper while at the same time positioning the diaper onto the wearer and tending to the wearer who may uncooperative (e.g., crying, fussing, moving, resisting, etc.) in the diapering process. These multiple simultaneous requirements may lead to frustration for the caregiver. The multiple simultaneous requirements may result in the diaper being positioned improperly on the wearer.
Similarly, in pant-type articles, the waist region generally must be stretched and elongated to enlarge the waist opening from an initial substantially constricted and untensioned state. The waist often requires a continuous force to be applied during the application process, generally by a caregiver or wearer, to counteract the rapid retraction of the waist opening that would be experienced without a continuous application of the force. Leg openings in pants-type articles also tend to retract quickly and/or constrict the leg with force during application, increasing the difficulty of pulling the article up to the desired location on the wearer's upper thigh. Applying a continuous force to maintain an enlarged waist opening may be difficult for young children who lack the hand strength and dexterity to apply the continuous force while simultaneously pulling on the pant.
Recent diaper advancements have focused on the acceptance and storage of feces. In conventional diaper designs, feces remain between the diaper's topsheet and the wearer's skin. As a result, the wearer experiences excessive soiling, irritation, and the potential of leakage generally around the leg cuff. Advances in diaper design include the use of an apertured elasticized topsheet to isolate feces away from the wearer's skin thus preventing leakage and irritation. The apertured elasticized topsheet forms a void between the elasticized topsheet and the underlying diaper structure. The elastic within the elasticized topsheet aids in keeping the elasticized topsheet substantially in contact with the wearer's skin. Furthermore, the elastic aids in keeping the aperture positioned so as to receive fecal insult.
While elasticized topsheets are conceptually advantageous, diapers with elasticized topsheets comprising conventional elastomers are often difficult to apply. Application of the diaper requires a caregiver to stretch the diaper so that it is in a substantially planar position. Upon release, the elastic within elasticized topsheet contracts at a rate that makes it difficult for the caregiver to position the diaper correctly onto the wearer. This "snap-back" of the elasticized topsheet may increase the difficulty of applying the diaper to the wearer. If the diaper is difficult to apply, there may be a tendency for mispositioning the aperture. A mispositioned aperture may result in fecal deposit on the elasticized topsheet rather than through the aperture within the elasticized topsheet. Mispositioning of the aperture can destroy the benefit of isolating feces from the wearer's skin. Examples of diapers comprising an elasticized topsheet having an aperture have been disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,892,536, issued to Des Marais et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 4,990,147 issued to Freeland.
Thus, there is a need for an absorbent product comprising elastomeric compositions that retract slowly upon being released from a stretched state, thus facilitating application and positioning of the product correctly onto the wearer.

Absorbent articles comprising a slow recovery elastomer