A silane film that can be used in a wide range of environments, on metals of engineering interest, as a standalone process or as a primer for a top-coating by common paint systems. The film generally comprises: a) at least one bis-silane; b) a water soluble or dispersible polymer; c) nanoparticles; and, d) a water soluble solvent. It is also within the scope of the present invention to include a leachable inhibitor into the silane film. In sum, the present invention teaches a silane composition that may be applied by dipping, wiping, spraying, brushing, or other conventional techniques, whereby the film composition provides a metal treatment that is water soluble and may provide the availability of the coating to “heal” by utilizing a leachable inhibitor whenever damage occurs from scrapes or scratches.

1. Field of the Invention
The present inventions relates to corrosion protection and increased adhesion between substrates and a subsequent bonded material. More specifically, the present invention is related to primers, manufactured from at least one organofunctional bis-silane, having increased film thickness, chemical and scratch resistance, as well as being substantially chromate-free and comprising little to no VOCs.
2. Background of the Invention
In recent years, organofunctional silanes have been shown to be powerful systems for protecting a wide range of metals against corrosion when applied as primers. The adhesion of paint is drastically improved when organofunctional silanes are applied as a primer pretreatment. Adhesion and adhesion durability of metals to rubber compounds and structural adhesives have also been objectives of prior art organofunctional silanes systems.
When used as a corrosion protection treatment without paint, prior art silane films have limitations in that the film thickness is not more than 0.3 μm. Such films provide remarkable protection so long as they are not scratched or otherwise damaged. Also, it has been very difficult to apply a thin silane film without pinholes or other defects appearing in the film. In addition, prior art silane films have been transparent and colorless, thereby providing little visual detection as to defects in the film. Consequently, prior art silane films applied alone provided only temporary protection of metals and, therefore, there is a need for metal treatment systems that meet or exceed the following criteria* which prior art silane films cannot meet entirely:                1. the film thickness should range from 1 to 20 μm;        2. the coating should cure in air or thermally at slightly elevated temperatures;        3. the coating should withstand deep drawing;        4. the coating should adhere very well to metals and should be paintable by all common paint systems such as epoxies, polyesters, acrylates, polyurethanes and the like;        5. the coating should have a high UV resistance so that it can be used externally without overcoating;        6. the compounds used in the coating should all be water soluble or dispersible; it should be a low VOC system (Volatile Organic Compound);        7. the coating should be applied by dipping, wiping, spraying, brushing, and other well known applications methods;        8. the coating should not be completely transparent but opaque and have a color, so that the metal can still be observed but the film can be detected visually; and        9. the coating should have a high thermal stability (it should be stable to at least 250° C. for one hour).It is to be understood that the above "criteria" do not constitute limitations upon the scope of the present invention. One of ordinary skill will surely understand that a silane compound may come within the scope of the present invention even though it fails to meet one or more of the above "criteria".


Embodiments of the invention are directed to systems, methods, and computer program products for automating the development and implementation of API protocols via a user-friendly user interface (UI) dashboard that allows users to create new API protocols without the need for intensive coding. The system is configured to provide automatic data discovery, customized documentation with UI based management, and support for all major database types. The system is designed to provide a seamless front-end creation dashboard which users can use to configure APIs by inputting a limited amount of information. The system includes inbuilt administration features, such as a separate user interface dashboard for system administrators to monitor the creation of and activity associated with active APIs across an entity system.

Existing systems require a user to navigate multiple systems, data stores, and procedural protocols in order to develop and integrate application programming interface (API) protocols for the integration of various system functions. In current systems, the development of a single API may require weeks of user-intensive programming and audit procedures in order to produce a workable final product. Furthermore, integration of API protocols within an entity system may be cumbersome in terms of inventorying cross functionality and actively deployed API protocols in order to provide secure and problem-free data access. As such, a need exists for an improved system for the development of APIs that provides a quick, user-friendly, and organized system for generating, accessing, and inventorying APIs across an entity system.


A magnetic resonance method is described for forming a dynamic image from a plurality of signals of an object moving relative to at least one RF′ receiving antenna. Imaging is acquired by at least two adjacent fields of view (FOV), which are reconstructed to an image over a region of interest which includes both FOVs. Prior to imaging a sensitivity map of the at least one RF receiving antenna at each position relative to the object is determined for each FOV. Thereafter data from the object to be imaged is sampled for each FOV with a reduced number of phase encoding steps with respect to the full set thereof at a fixed position relative to the main magnetic field. The image is then reconstructed from the subsampled signals, which are weighted with the sensitivity factor of the RF receiving antenna at the respective imaging position.

The invention relates to a magnetic resonance method for forming a fast dynamic image form a plurality of signals of an RF probe The invention further relates to a magnetic resonance imaging apparatus for obtaining a fast dynamic image and to a computer program product.
It is common practice to perform MR image acquisitions in which the patient position is physically moved through the magnet bore between a group of successive scans. At the end of this multi-station scanning, the resultant images are combined to a single large image. This approach is known e.g. from WO-A-02/04971, which allows to image a much larger FOV than the limits of the magnet homogeneity, gradient linearity and RF coil uniformity normally allow. In this document a MR imaging method is described which involves the acquisition of sets of MR signals form several scan-volumes of an object. Different spatial approaches are taken in the scanning of the respective scan-volumes. In particular respective scan-volumes include different numbers of scan-slices or scan slices of respective scan-volumes have a different slice thickness or scan-slices of respective scan-volumes have different FOV's (Fields Of View).
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,636,636 a magnetic resonance method and device is described in which an object to be examined is displaced at a defined speed relative to an examination zone and a plurality of sequences act on the examination zone in the presence of a steady, uniform magnetic filed. Each of the sequences includes at least one RF pulse and possibly a phase encoding gradient. An MR signal arising in the examination zone, after transposition to another frequency range by means of an oscillator signal, is used to produce an MR image. The method aims to enhance the quality of the MR image by preventing movement artefacts. This is achieved in that from one sequence to another, one or more of the frequency of the RF pulses, the frequency of the oscillator signal and the phase position of the oscillator signal is adjusted in conformity with the position of the object to be examined relative to the examination zone so that a part of the object which is imaged in the MR image moves relative to the examination zone in synchronism with the object.
In EP-A-1 024 371 a magnetic resonance imaging apparatus is described in which excitation pulses are applied to a restricted region of the bore of the MR imaging magnet in which the magnetic field is uniform. The data samples collected are Fourier transformed to form a volumetric image of the restricted region. A motor continuously moves a patient couch so that a region of interest passes through the region of the good field. The collected data samples are corrected to compensate for the motion so that a volumetric image is formed of greater length than that of the restricted region.
Since all the above-mentioned methods require a full scan within the restricted FOV imaging of the full object will take quite a long sampling time It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for forming an MR image from data sampled in an array of adjacent FOV's in shorter time. It is a further object of the invention to provide an adequate apparatus and a computer program product for exercising the method.
It is a main advantage of the present invention that images with suitable large FOV's are obtained with a short magnet in shorter time.
These and further advantages of the invention are disclosed in the dependent claims and in the following description in which an exemplified embodiment of the invention is described with respect to the accompanying drawings. It shows

Sub-sampled moving table MRI for at least two adjacent fields of view


A web adjuster and lock assembly for a child restraint seat has a buckle lock assembly which is operably coupled to a web adjuster. The child restraint seat includes a harness which includes a buckle tongue on one end which engages with a buckle lock of the buckle lock assembly, and includes adjacent its other end a tightening web which is received through the web adjuster. The buckle lock of the buckle lock assembly is movable between a rest position, a locked position, and a release position. The web adjuster includes a friction surface which engages the tightening web when the web adjuster is in its web engageable position but is movable to a free position wherein the friction surface is disengaged from the tightening web allowing the web to move in both directions with respect to the web adjuster assembly. The buckle lock assembly is coupled to the web adjuster assembly such that when the buckle lock moves from its locked position to its rest position, the web adjuster assembly moves from its web engageable position to its free position.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention is in the field of fasteners for securing webs and belts.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Recently enacted laws require seats within automobiles for restraining a child or infant. Typically, the seats include a harness which is releasably securable around the child with the harness passing over the shoulders and having a front end releasably locked to a buckle or similar fastening device. Such a seat with harness is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,660,889 issued to Indiana Mills & Manufacturing, Inc. The harness passing over the child's shoulders and through the seat has an opposite end frictionally engaged by a web adjuster mounted to the seat. The web adjuster has a pivotally mounted cam member which may be released to facilitate sizing of the harness relative to the child. Such web adjusters are also shown in U.S. Design Pat. Nos. 296,678 and 303,232 assigned to Indiana Mills & Manufacturing, Inc. Other web adjusters incorporating pivotally mounted cams with gripping surfaces for holding webs are shown in the U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,434,186 issued to Rennert and 3,872,550 issued to Yang.
The aforementioned web adjusters include an outwardly extending handle allowing the user to pivot the cam member for releasing the web relative to the adjuster. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,679,852 assigned to Indiana Mills & Manufacturing, Inc. a rotatable rod mounted to the child's seat extends through the web adjuster handle to allow the user to rotate the rod and thereby pivot the web adjuster handle. I have provided a web adjuster having a more compact means for operating the pivotally mounted cam member of the web adjuster. Disclosed herein is such a web adjuster having alternate designs. In one design, the cam member may be pushed for pivoting the cam member whereas in an alternate design, the control means may be pulled for pivoting and thereby releasing the cam member.
The web adjusters and buckle locks for child restraint seats of the prior art are operated independently of one another. In other words, the buckle and lock must be released by one actuator, while the web adjuster has a separate and independent actuator which allows the web passing through the web adjuster to be adjusted. What is needed is a buckle lock and web adjuster assembly whose actuating systems are coupled so that the process of placing and securing the child to the child restraint seat is accomplished more easily by allowing both ends of the harness to be loose relative to the seat whenever the buckle is unlocked. Thus, egress and ingress of the child relative to the seat and harness is facilitated. Once the child is positioned on the seat and the harness is extended over the child, the harness is buckled simultaneously locking the buckle and the web adjuster, and allowing the web to be pulled tight.

Web adjuster and lock assembly for a child restraint seat


A two-dimensional light-modulating fine aperture array apparatus includes a spatial light-modulating unit for adjusting quantity of incident light by using a plurality of light amount adjusting cells (liquid crystal cells or micromirrors) arrayed in matrix form, a two-dimensional microlens array having microlenses which focus light beams passing through the light quantity adjusting cells, and a highly efficient two-dimensional fine aperture array. The light is emitted through the fine apertures by connecting the two-dimensional light-modulating fine aperture array apparatus with a light source unit. A scanning unit moves in the x and y directions to perform a scanning process on a surface of a recording medium by using the light emitted from the apertures.

In general, a lithography technique used to manufacture a semiconductor device includes a masking process and an exposure process. That is, the lithography technique includes steps for preparing a photomask on which a pattern is recorded by using a high precision optical system and transferring the pattern on the photomask to a silicon wafer by-using the exposure process.
Such lithography technique is an essential technique for obtaining a mask pattern in a semiconductor device manufacturing process. As the integration degree of the semiconductor device becomes higher, the line width of the mask pattern formed on the silicon wafer becomes narrower. The resolution corresponding to the line width implemented with an optical system is represented by the following Equation 1.Resolution=k1·λ/(NA)  [Equation 1]
In Equation 1, k1 is a lithography process variable, λ is a wavelength of a light source, and NA is a numerical aperture of an optical system.
Since the line width of a pattern becomes narrower as the resolution of the optical system is higher, many approaches for improving the resolution have been developed. As shown in Equation 1, the resolution can be improved by reducing the process variable k1, increasing the numerical aperture NA, or using a short-wavelength light source.
In the current lithography technique used in a semiconductor device manufacturing process, the process variable k1 can be reduced down to 0.4˜0.3, and the numerical aperture NA of about 0.8 can be obtained by an optical system. Under these conditions, when a krypton fluoride (KrF) excimer laser having a wavelength of 248 nm is used as a light source, the resolution determining the line width in the lithography is in a range of 90 to 120 nm.
When an argon fluoride (AgF) laser having a wavelength of 193 nm would be used as a light source, the resolution determining the line width in the lithography will be improved to a range of 70 to 100 nm.
However, in order to improve the resolution by using the ultraviolet light source having a shorter wavelength, a highly-qualified fused silica used as an optical member of a conventional high precision optical system must be replaced with calcium fluoride (CaF) and a photoresist sensitive to the ultraviolet light must be used. In addition, if an exposure process is performed by using a mask pattern, light is refracted at an aperture, so that the result of the exposure process may be deteriorated.
When light passes through a hole having a diameter of several nanometers which is relatively small in compare with the wavelength of the light, the intensity of light transmitting the hole is proportional to the fourth power of the diameter of hole. Therefore, as the diameter of the aperture is reduced, the intensity of light is rapidly decreased in inverse proportion to the fourth power of the diameter of aperture. Therefore, when the diameter of the aperture through which the light source passes is reduced to form a nano pattern (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as "fine pattern"), the intensity of the light is reduced, so that the time period for the exposure process and the scanning process to form the nano pattern are lengthened.
In consideration of the developing speed in the integration degree of semiconductor devices, the resolution of the lithography technique is expected to reach about 55 nm in a few years. Lithography techniques using an ultraviolet light or electron beams are actively researched and developed, but these techniques still remains at a laboratory level. For the last decade, the lithography technique has imposed limitation on the integration degree of semiconductor devices. Therefore, a novel fine patterning technique is urgently demanded.
An object of the present invention is, therefore, to overcome a technical limitation on the resolution by providing a novel fine patterning technique of directly recording a fine pattern on a photoresist without using a photomask.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus using a laser source suitable for a sensitive wavelength of conventional photoresists.
In order to achieve the aforementioned objects, a two-dimensional light-modulating fine aperture array apparatus utilizes two well-known approaches for transmitting a large amount of light through apertures having a size of tens of nanometers. The first approach is disclosed in an article by X. Shi and L. Hesselink, titled "Mechanism for enhancing power throughput from planar nano-apertures for near-field optical data storage" in Japan Journal of Applied Physics Vol. 41, pp. 1632-1635 (2002). According to the first approach, the transmittance can be greatly improved by using a metal optical waveguide aperture.
The second approach is disclosed in an article by Y. J. Kim, K. S. Suzuki, and K. Goto, titled "Parallel recording array head of nano-aperture flat-tip probes for high-density near-field optical data storage" in Japan Journal of Applied Physics. Vol. 40, pp 1783-1789 (2001) and another article by K. Goto, Y. J. Kim, S. Mitsugi, K. Suzuki, K. Kurihara and T. Horibe, titled "Micro-optical two-dimensional devices for the optical memory head of an ultrahigh data transfer rate and density system using a vertical cavity surface emitting laser array" in Japan Journal of Applied Physics. Vol. 41, pp. 4835-4840 (2002). According to the second approach, focal point size of a light can be greatly reduced by coupling a lens having a large numerical aperture NA with a medium having a high index of refraction.

Two-dimensional light-modulating nano/micro aperture array and high-speed nano pattern recording system utilized with the array


A coating for weatherstrips, windshield wipers, door seals, trunk seals, sunroof seals, windshield seals and the like. The coating comprises a water-based formula that provides high abrasion resistance and, optimally, also provides excellent weathering resistance. The abrasion resistance property is achieved via a combination of boron nitride and a high molecular weight silicone resin. Flexibility and weathering resistance are achieved via the addition of an acrylic/polyurethane/fluoropolymer resin binder blend and high UV-stabilizers and absorbers. Also provided is a method of manufacturing such coatings that comprises the steps of pre-dispersing the boron nitride in water and then combining the pre-dispersed boron nitride with the silicone resin and other ingredients.

Solvent based weather strip materials have been constructed with silicone resin for many years. Various ingredients, including boron nitride, have been added to these materials to produce the desired result of a long-lasting, quiet and abrasion-resistant coating. Many of these coatings have been manufactured using solvents that contain a high percentage of volatile organic compounds (VOC). The VOC content of coatings is strictly monitored and controlled in the United States by the Environmental Protection Agency and is also a concern in many other countries. Health hazards are also a concern of manufacturers and users of coatings containing solvent in that the coatings are often used in open spray booths that could easily contaminate workers. Accordingly, manufacturers have sometimes restricted the use of isocyanate-based two component coatings. Such restrictions, however, provide a great deal of difficulty to the industry in that there is no existing method of manufacturing a stable water-based coating containing boron nitride.
It would be advantageous to develop a water-based coating for use in weatherstrips, windshield wipers and the like that would perform as well as existing solvent-based coatings. Such a coating must provide high abrasion resistance, high weather resistance, good ice release characteristics and low noise. The coating must be capable of application on thermoplastic olefin compounds (TPO), thermoplastic vulcanate compounds (TPV) and ethylene-propylene-diene-terpolymers (EPDM) via spray, brush or dip and drag processes. It would also be advantageous to develop a method of manufacturing such a water-based coating.

Waterbased high abrasion resistant coating

National Starch and Chemical Investment Holding Corporation


Mucosal administration of OspA and compositions therefor are disclosed and claimed. More particularly, oral administration of OspA and compositions therefor for eliciting an immunological response against Borrelia burgdorferi, such as a protective response preventive of Lyme disease are disclosed and claimed. Thus, oral Lyme disease vaccines or immunological compositions and methods of use are disclosed and claimed.

Lyme disease is a multisystem illness, transmitted by ticks of the Ixodes ricinus complex. The spirochaete Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato is the aetiologic agent of Lyme disease, which is now the most common arthropodborne disease in the United States, and is endemic in Central Europe (1). Although curable by antibiotic therapy in its early stages, if Lyme disease is allowed to progress, cardiac, neurological and joint abnormalities can arise. Investigations into the development of a human vaccine for Lyme disease are under way. The outer surface lipoprotein OspA of Borrelia burgdorferi is the current major candidate molecule for development of such a vaccine. Recombinant OspA lipoprotein (rOspA) is known to elicit a protective immune response in mice against challenge by infectious B. burgdorferi (2,3). OspA is currently undergoing human field trials as a subcutaneously administered vaccine in the United States (4).
Above-cited application Ser. No. 08/373,455 and PCT/US92/08697 relate to rOspA vaccines, especially lipidated rOspA, and methods for expressing DNA encoding OspA or fragments thereof. Above-cited application Ser. No. 08/320,416 and WO 90/04411 relate to DNA encoding OspA, the amino acid sequence of OspA, synthetic OspA, compositions containing OspA or synthetic OspA, and methods of using such compositions. And, the other above-cited applications relate to DNA encoding other Borrelia antigens or other Osps, or to DNA encoding useful fragments of OspA or of other Osps or of other Borrelia antigens, amino acid sequences thereof, compositions containing such fragments or other Osps, and methods for using such compositions; and, such DNA can be used in the methods of Ser. No. 08/373,455 or PCT/US92/08697 to produce OspA, other Borrelia antigens or Osps, or fragments thereof, for use in this invention.
Alternative vaccination strategies are desirable as such provide alternative routes to administration, thereby allowing administration to humans who may be sensitive to injections, e.g., young children or infants, or to other hosts with whom there is difficulty giving injections, e.g., wild animals, and even domestic animals.
OspA administered orally in an Escherichia coli was capable of stimulating a mucosal immune response that protected mice against challenge with infectious B. burgdorferi (5). More recently, Dunne et al. reported oral immunization of mice with an attenuated strain of Salmonella typhimurium expressing OspA, which appeared to protect 80% of the mice from challenge by infectious B. burgdorferi (6). Mucosal immunity was also demonstrated following intra-nasal administration of recombinant BCG expressing OspA (7). However, rOspA in E. coli, Salmonella expressing OspA, and, BCG expressing OspA, are not viable products for usefully administering rOspA to humans or animals—domestic or wild—as E. coli, Salmonella and BCG are not safe or approved for administration to humans or animals (and even if attenuated, there is nonetheless a chance of reversion); and, one cannot be certain if any immunological response in these prior publications was not an effect of an adjuvanting or immunological stimulating effect of E. coli, Salmonella or BCG (note, for instance, how LPS is known to have an adjuvanting effect).
Thus, heretofore the art has not taught or suggested mucosal, preferably oral, administration to a mammalian host—domesticated or wild animal or human—susceptible to Lyme disease, of Borrelia antigen or immunological fragment thereof, e.g., OspA, preferably rOspA, more preferably lipidated OspA or rOspA, preferably substantially free of other bacterial proteins and substantially free of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), in a suitable carrier or diluent in an amount sufficient to induce an immunological response preferably a protective immunological response, in the host, preferably without any necessity of using any immunogenicity-enhancing adjuvant; or compositions therefor; and, the protection by such administration herein demonstrated has not been heretofore taught or suggested. Further, heretofore the advantages of such oral administration, e.g., ease of administration to domestic animals and young children or infants by merely droppering into the mouth, ease of administration to wild animals by dropping bait containing the OspA or rOspA, has not been taught or suggested.

Compositions and methods for administering


The present invention provides a virtual machine system and a method of accessing a graphics card. The virtual machine system includes a VMM, an SOS and at least one GOS, and further includes a resource converting module for performing IO address converting on graphics card framebuffer accessing data from GOS(s) or mapping MMIO(s) to physical MMIO(s) of a graphics card based on a resource converting table, and sending the processed data to the graphics card; and a framebuffer allocating module for dividing a framebuffer resource of the graphics card into multiple blocks and allocating them respectively to corresponding GOS(s). The resource converting table(s) records correspondences between a resource allocation for the graphics card by SOS and a resource allocation for the graphics card by GOS(s). The framebuffer MMIO resource(s) allocated to the graphics card by GOS(s) is/are the framebuffer allocated to GOS(s) by the framebuffer allocating module.

Virtualization technologies have wide applications in the computer field with the development of computer systems. Modern computers are capable of supporting a plurality of virtual machines by means of virtualization technologies and running a separate operating system respectively on each virtual machine.
In a virtual machine system, the respective operating systems need to access the hardware. Among others, the access to a graphics card is relatively complex. The different ways in which the graphics card is used are important factors which influence users' experiences. At present, primary virtualization technologies, such as VMW, Virtual PC and the like, adopt substantially the same solutions, that is, providing a virtualized graphics card for a Guest Operating System (GOS). The virtualized graphics card is a general graphics card, which can only achieve basic display functions and is rather different from a real graphics card.
FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing a prior art virtual machine system. The virtual machine system comprises a Virtual Machine Monitor (VMM) 140, a Service Operating System (SOS) 110, and at least one GOS 120. Upon starting, the SOS 110 scans a PCI bus to find a real graphics card 130 and acquire information on the real graphics card 130, so as to allocate resources, such as interrupt requests (IRCs), input/outputs (IOs), and memory-mapped IOs (MMIOs), for the real graphics card 130. The SOS 110 accesses the graphics card 130 by a real graphics card drive 112.
The SOS 110 comprises a Device Module (DM) 111 which provides a virtual graphics card for each GOS 120. Upon starting, the GOS(s) 120 scans a virtual PCI bus to find the virtual graphics card(s) and acquire information on the virtual graphics card(s), so as to allocate resources (IRQs, IOs, and MMIOs) for the virtual graphics card(s). When the GOS(s) 120 is accessing the virtual graphics card(s) through a virtual graphics card drive 126, the accessing data are sent, through the VMM 140, to the DM 111, which in turn converts the accessing data and send it to the real graphics card drive 112. The real graphics card drive 112 processes the received data, and then send it to the graphics card 130.
The virtual machine system comprises at least one GOS 120. When there are several GOSs, the respective GOS operating systems use the graphics card 130 through the SOS 110. Therefore, only the SOS 110 may see the real graphics card 130 and access the graphics card 130 by means of the real graphics card drive 112, while each GOS 120 sees the virtual graphics card provided by the DM 111 and accesses the graphics card by means of the virtual graphics card drive 126. Thus, the hardware accelerating properties of the graphics card 130 may not be used by the users and even the function of 3D animation is not supported. As a result, the displaying performance is deteriorated, and the users' experiences on the graphics card are compromised.

Method, apparatus and system for seamlessly sharing a graphics card amongst virtual machines


A suspension system including a Chebyshev-Lambda (CL) mechanism, at least one linear motion mechanism and a spring-damper assembly, the CL mechanism including a suspension-arm, a support-arm and a first rotating-arm, an end of the rotating-arm being configured to be coupled with a reference frame at an anchoring-node, an operational-end of the suspension-arm being configured to be coupled with a suspended-mount at a first node, an end of the support-arm being configured to be coupled with the reference frame at a support-anchoring-node, the linear motion mechanism configured to be coupled with the reference frame via at least one anchoring node, an end of the linear motion mechanism being configured to be coupled with the suspended-mount at a second node, and the spring-damper assembly including at least one spring and at least one damper, wherein respective first and second ends of the spring and the damper are coupled between two points.

Suspension systems for vehicles are in known the art. In wheeled vehicles, such systems connect a vehicle chassis with a wheel or wheels, but also enable relative motion between the wheel and the chassis at least in the vertical axis of the vehicle. A suspension system aims to maintain contact with the road and to reduce shocks and impacts transferred to the chassis from the wheel. Known in the art suspension systems includes springs (e.g., leaf springs, coil springs, torsion bars) and shock absorbers, which are coupled with linkages between the wheel and the chassis of the vehicle.
Transverse suspension systems are widely used in vehicles. Some current transverse suspension systems may provide independent suspension for each of the wheels of the vehicle. One example of a known in the art transverse suspension system is a double wishbone suspension system. The double wishbone suspension system includes two wishbone arms, each pivotally coupled at one end thereof to a reference frame of a vehicle, employing two pivoting connections. The other end of each wishbone arm is coupled with wheel interface using one pivoting connection. Another example of known in the art transverse suspension system is a MacPherson strut suspension system. The MacPherson strut suspension system includes a single wishbone arm and a telescopic shock absorber which is also used as a steering pivot.


A motor with a gear reducer includes a housing, a stator secured to the housing and having an inner periphery thereof defining a central space therein, and a rotor formed of a magnet material and rotatably fitted in the central space of the stator. The rotor has an axial through hole formed therein in coaxial relation to an axis of rotation of the rotor. An output shaft is connected through a gear reducer to the rotor to be rotatively driven thereby, for outputting a rotating output from the rotor through the gear reducer. The output shaft extends through the axial through hole of the rotor and is rotatably supported by opposite ends of the housing. The rotor has a gear forming part of the gear reducer formed thereon at one end thereof, and a hook formed thereon at another end thereof and engageable with a moving device such as an assembly jig in an axial direction of the output shaft.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a motor with a gear reducer, which is suitable for use as a wheel motor for vehicles, etc., and an assembly method and a maintenance method for the same.
2. Prior Art
Conventionally, there are known wheel motors for use as power sources of industrial vehicles including materials handling equipment, etc. These wheel motors for vehicles include an electric motor, a gear reducer for reducing a rotative driving force from the electric motor, and a housing accommodating the electric motor and the gear reducer.
Wheel motors of this kind, which are equipped with a gear reducer, especially require that the electric motor and the gear reducer should be mounted so as not to interfere with the body of a vehicle on which the wheel motor is mounted, when wheels of the vehicle move upward and downward or when the vehicle is turning. This raises a problem of a limited space within the vehicle in which the electric motor and the gear reducer are to be mounted. That is, the electric motor and the gear reducer have to be designed as compact in size as possible to enable them to be mounted in a limited space within the vehicle.
Further, to obtain a relatively high output from the motor for the weight of the vehicle body, the electric motor has to be designed to produce high output torque, though it should be designed compact in size and light in weight.
To meet these requirements, attempts have been made to arrange the rotor of the electric motor and the stator of the same such that the gap between them is reduced, and form the rotor of a high-performance permanent magnet material.
In assembling the conventional wheel motor with a gear reducer, however, when the rotor is put into a housing of the motor, the rotor can collide with the stator due to a large magnetic attraction force generated between the rotor and the stator, which can give damage to the surface of the permanent magnet forming the rotor or even break the same. To solve this problem, a wheel motor with a gear reducer has been proposed by Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 4-185532, which is easy to mount a rotor into a housing thereof. This proposed wheel motor is, however, still complicate in construction and requires rather complicated assembly steps.

Motor with gear reducer, and assembly method and maintenance method for same


Provided herein are pharmaceutical compositions comprising deuterated derivatives of psilocybin. The provided compositions may be useful for treating and/or preventing various diseases and conditions, such as mood or psychiatric disorders.

Psilocybin is a tryptamine alkaloid, which may be isolated from various genera of fungi including the genus Psilocybe. Psilocybin is known to have hallucinogenic, anxiolytic, and psychoactive activities. In vivo, psilocybin is rapidly dephosphorylated into the active compound psilocin, which activates serotonin 2A (5-HT2A) receptors in the central nervous system (CNS), mimicking the effects of serotonin.
Psilocybin has been investigated as a potential treatment for anxiety and depression in life-threatening diseases, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, alcoholism and nicotine addiction, cluster headaches and autism. However, psilocybin is considered an illegal drug in most countries and is currently a "Schedule I" substance in the United States, like heroin and LSD.
There is a long felt need for safe and effective pharmacotherapies, especially for severe depression, treatment resistant depression, and psychological distress related with life-threatening diseases. It has been surprisingly discovered that the compositions and methods described herein are superior to existing psilocybin-based therapies that have been investigated or are in development to address this long felt need. In addition, it has been surprisingly discovered that deuteration is particularly advantageous for controlled substances, such as psilocybin, as the labeled nature of the substance will allow healthcare providers and law enforcement to distinguish (e.g. by analytical methods) use of a regulated drug product containing the substance from illegal uses, e.g., the consumption of mushrooms containing psilocybin.

Deuterated derivatives of psilocybin and uses thereof


A vehicle seat includes a seat backrest, bottom, and frame. The seat frame operatively supports the seat bottom and further has a seat backrest rotating assembly that is adapted to allow the seat backrest to move between an upright position and a folded position in which the seat backrest is folded down upon the seat bottom. A hinge mechanism allows the rear of the seat frame to be rotatively lifted upward and forward to move the seat frame to a tumbled position. A first latching mechanism is adapted to latch the seat backrest in the upright position. A second latching mechanism is adapted to latch the seat bottom to the vehicle floor. A release assembly is adapted to cause the first and the second latching mechanisms to be selectively released and has a release member and a pulley assembly to provide a mechanical advantage for operating the release assembly.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, generally, to a vehicle seat having a release assembly and, more specifically, to a fold and tumble vehicle seat having a release pulley system to operate the latch assemblies of the seat.
2. Description of the Related Art
To satisfy the demands of the modern driving public, manufacturers are called upon to provide vehicles that are multi-functional and, in addition to having normal passenger carrying capacity, also provide expandable or additional cargo carrying capability. One way to accomplish this goal and increase the vehicle's cargo space to accommodate large or bulky items that need to be transported is to flatten, fold, and/or collapse one or more of the rear seat assemblies. A conventional approach of collapsing rear vehicle seat assemblies to provide additional storage space is one in which the seat backrest portion folds down onto the seat cushion and then the rear of the seat support assembly is released from the vehicle floor so that the entire seat pivots, or tumbles, forward about the front floor mounting. These seats generally, and their support assemblies more specifically, are referred to as "fold and tumble."
Fold and tumble seat designs vary greatly and are used in different ways in different vehicle types. Fold and tumble seats often appear in 3 and 5 door vehicles in which the rear, or secondary seating is folded and tumbled to open up a rear cargo area when desired. Fold and tumble seats are also employed in mini-vans and SUVs where the secondary seats may fold and tumble to provide ingress and egress to third row seating or to provide additional cargo space if the third row is folded down or removed. Regardless of their specific application, the current fold and tumble seat designs and the manner in which the folded seat tumbles have proven to be problematic.
While the various second row fold and tumble seat approaches have been generally worked for their intended purpose, they tend to be either heavy and difficult to operatively stow or too lightweight to provide the proper support and comfort. Second row seating in a van or SUV type vehicle must typically function as a second family seating area similar to the more robust permanent backseat of a sedan. Second row seating is also often required to hold child and/or booster seats. Thus, if a fold and tumble seat is designed to be very easy for one person to fold and tumble to the stowed position, they tend to be lightweight and more in the realm of a jump seat. The lightweight fold and tumble seats sometimes do not stand up well to continued second row regular use.
If a fold and tumble seat is designed as a more rigorous second row seat that is capable of properly supporting child seats and withstanding constant usage, the resultant seat is sturdier and usually but much heavier. This, by itself, does not make the seat undesirable. However, it tends to make the seat difficult to fold and tumble to the stowed position as originally intended. More specifically, a fold and tumble seat includes hinge mechanisms at the front of the seat, a floor latching mechanism to secure the rear of the seat to the floor, and a seat back latching mechanism to lock the seat back in the upright position. When it is desired to fold and tumble the seat to the stowed position, the seat back and floor latch mechanisms must be physically released by an operator. In operation, the seatback latching mechanism must be first released, and then the seat back is folded forward onto the seat bottom. The operator must then release the floor latching mechanism while attempting to lift the rear of the seat and rotate it forward. Considering the weight and structure of the more substantial types of fold and tumble seats, the release of the seatback and floor latching mechanisms can be difficult for a great many individuals.
Additionally, fold and tumbling stowage is often performed through an open side door or sliding door with the operator standing outside and leaning in. In the case of a van type vehicle with a sliding door installed on only one side, the far side fold and tumble seat must be stowed with the operator in the vehicle compartment kneeling behind or to the side of the seat. Further, depending upon the configuration of the vehicle, some second row fold and tumble seating must be stowed by a third row occupant to make room for the third row occupant to egress the rear of the vehicle. In any case, the operator attempting the fold and tumble operation generally does not have a good position for balance and leverage while releasing the latching mechanisms and performing the stow. This disadvantage to fold and tumble seating is compounded when a smaller individual or one with lower upper body strength attempts to release the latching mechanisms to perform the stowing operation. Some attempts have been made to simplify the release operation by combining the seatback latch release with the floor latch release. However, while this provides the advantage of a single release operation instead of two separate release actions, it requires an even greater physical effort to simultaneously overcome the load placed on both the release mechanisms. Thus, there remains a need in the art for a fold and tumble vehicle seat having a release assembly that provides a mechanical advantage to the operator so that the release of the latching mechanisms may be performed with minimal operator input.


A binding member removal apparatus includes a removal unit that removes a binding member that binds a bound medium from the bound medium, an image capturing unit that captures an image in which a portion of the bound medium appears, a driving unit that moves the removal unit, and a control unit that controls the driving unit such that the removal unit is disposed at a predetermined position with respect to the binding member, on the basis of the image.

A plurality of paper documents bound with a binder are often computerized by a scanner device. The paper documents bound with the binder may include a bound medium that is bound with a staple or a clip. If such a bound medium is inserted as it is in the scanner device, the bound medium may be damaged or the scanner device may be broken. Therefore, it is determined whether the documents to be inserted in the scanner device are bound with a staple, and if the staple is detected, the staple is removed and thereafter the documents are inserted in the scanner device. Some devices that automatically detect a position of a staple and automatically remove the staple have been known (see Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 06-186650, Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2000-159449, and Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2012-210986).
However, the devices as described above capture an image of the entire bound medium. Therefore, it is necessary to use a relatively large image capturing unit or ensure a large distance between the image capturing unit and a sheet, so that a size of the apparatus is increased.


A differential pressure indicator is of the type which uses a magentically attracted spring loaded pop-up button to indicate when the pressure difference between two fluids reaches a predetermined difference. In order to reduce or eliminate false readings caused by fretting between the button and a housing passage in which it slides the button and the passage have a square cross-section to prevent rotation.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to indicators and more particularly to those indicators in which a member, normally in an inoperative position, moves in a linear path to an operative position when the input representative of a parameter of a system reaches a predetermined level, and produces an output indicative of the predetermined level.
2. Brief Review of the Prior Art
One example of such an indicator is a differential pressure indicator in which the member moves from the inoperative to an operative position when a difference in pressure between fluid from two sources reaches a predetermined level. In such movement, the member can produce a visual/electrical output. An example of a previous proposal for such a differential pressure indicator is shown in FIG. 1 which is a cross-sectional view of a differential pressure indicator.
Referring to FIG. 1, the differential pressure indicator comprises a diaphragm housing 10, a switch housing 11 and an inner support 12 held between the housings 10,11.
The inner support 12 is provided with an annular wall 13 which defines a recess 14 closed at one end and open at the other. A generally cylindrical magnet 15 is received in the recess 14 and is carried by a mounting 16. An end of the mounting 16 adjacent the open end of the recess 14 is connected to a retainer 17 by a screw 18 with an inner edge of an annular diaphragm 19 being clamped between the mounting 16 and the retainer 17. The outer edge of the diaphragm 19 is clamped between an end of a sleeve 20 extending around the open end of the wall 13 and a radially extending disc 21 clamped between the end of the wall 13 and the sleeve 20.
The diaphragm 19 divides the recess 14 into first and second chambers 22,23. The first chamber is connected to a first inlet and a second chamber 23 is connected to a asecond inlet.
A coil spring 24 is arranged around the mounting 16 between a flange 25 at an end of the mounting 16 adjacent the closed end of the recess 14, and the disc 21. In the position shown in FIG. 1, the coil spring 24 is under compression.
The inner support 12 is provided with an annular projection 26 coaxial with the axes of the recess 14 and the magnet 15 but extending in an opposite direction into the switch housing 11. An indicator button 27 having a cylindrical outer surface 28 is mounted for sliding movement in a cylindrical passage 29 in the switch housing 11 and carries at its inner end a generally cylindrical magnet 30 whose end, in the position of the button 27 shown in FIG. 1, extends into the projection of the inner support 12. Also in this position, an open end 31 of the button 27 extends over the projection 26 with a coil spring 32 held under compression between the end of the button 27 and the inner support 12. The button 27 is retained in this position by magnetic attraction between the two magnets 15,30 which are arranged with opposite poles adjacent. Also in this position, the outer end 33 of the button is generally level with the outer end of the Passage 29 in the switch housing. This open outer end 33 of the passage 29 is covered by a flexible cover 34.
The switch housing 11 also carries a switch 35 extending generally parallel to spaced from the button 27. The switch 35 is connected via cables 36 to a connector 37.
In use, the first and second chambers 22,23 are connected via their inlets to respective sources of fluid under pressure and thus the fluids are passed to the respective chambers, 22,23. When the difference between the two pressures reaches a predetermined level, set by the characteristics of the magnets 15,30, coil spring 24 and the diaphragm 19, the pressure difference on the diaphragm 19 moves the mounting 16 from the position shown in Figure 1 outwardly of the recess 14. An overtravel stop is provided when the container 17 abuts the diaphragm housing 10. This movement moves the magnet 15 away from the closed end of the recess 14 and so breaks the magnetic attraction between that magnet 15 and the magnet 30 in the switch housing 11. Accordingly, the coil spring 32 associated with the button 27 moves the button 27 outwardly of the passage 29 so that the end 33 of the button 27 projects from the passage 29 into the cover 34. This provides a visual indication that the predetermined pressure difference has been exceeded.
This movement also actuates the switch 35 to pass an electrical signal through the cable 36 to the connector 37 from which it can be taken to an electrical indicator.
The switch housing 11 and the button 27 are commonly made out of aluminium or aluminium alloys. These parts are permanently in contact where the button 27 passes through the passage 29. In general, these materials give adequate performance and reliability characteristics except in a severe environment such as encountered on an aircraft or other mechanism which can induce damaging vibration forces. Under the influence of such forces, the button 27 can be moved in all three planes and can also spin on its axis giving frictional movement on its cylindrical outer surface and on its circular end face. This fretting can cause the formation of debris containing, for example, iron, aluminum and aluminium oxides. The vibration encountered after significant debris has been generated is often increasingly damaging as the debris acts as a grinding grit-type medium.
It has been found that, in such severe environments, the button 27 can be caused to jam on release of the force of the first magnet 15 and so fail to give a proper indication.


A rivet assembly for securing a wire in electrical communication with a substrate having a hollow cylindrical body with a first opening at a proximal end and a second opening at a distal end. The rivet assembly further includes a wire with a portion in electrical communication with the cylindrical body. The rivet assembly yet further includes a compression mechanism configured for use selectively compressing the cylindrical body along an axial direction. Compression of the cylindrical body can cause diametric expansion of an outer diameter of the cylindrical body to retain the cylindrical body within a substrate. The rivet assembly additionally includes wire retention structure configured for holding the wire in electrical contact with the compressed cylindrical body.

Conventionally, electrically connecting a wire to a conductive substrate can be an arduous and complicated process. A surface of the substrate needs to be abraded to remove surface oxide layers, contamination, coating layers, and the like to establish a proper electrical connection between the wire and the substrate. Attaching the wire to the substrate then involves a complicated assembly process requiring thread tapping, threaded studs, bolts, nuts, washers, two-hand access, soldering, brazing, or the like to secure the wire to the substrate.

National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC


An embodiment of the invention includes an RF fob with an embedded identifier. The fob transmits a signal that is received by one of a plurality of games which recognizes the identifier and thus identifies the player who holds the fob. Several discrete remote gaming locations are connected to a central location where player information is stored and maintained. When a player scans his fob at a game at any remote location connected to the central location, the identifier is transmitted to the central location and player information is transmitted to the game. The player can begin play, accumulating points on his/her account reflective of his or her gaming activity. The player can also redeem points for cash at the game itself without third-party assistance.

Casinos frequently implement player tracking systems to track the wagering history of players, to award points or "comps," (e.g., coupons for discounted meals, drinks, shows, rooms, etc.) based on the level of wagering, and to generally promote the casino by enticing players to return to the casino in order to accumulate more points and comps. Presently it is typical for a player to be issued a plastic card that has an embedded magnetic stripe on which a player identification number is encoded. The player inserts the card into a magnetic reading device located on slot machines or other games in the casino in order to identify the player during the time that the card is inserted in the reader. Some systems require the player to enter a PIN to identify themselves through a keypad. The readers are generally linked to a local computer system that records the gaming activity for each player that uses a card. Some systems link local systems so that information can be available at different locations, although these systems generally do not centralize the information, but instead maintain the information in a distributed fashion at each location.
Despite the widespread use of magnetic card systems for player tracking, these systems have several drawbacks. Card readers tend to require considerable maintenance because of the mechanical parts used in receiving and expelling cards. Cards also tend to get lost, primarily because players forget to take them when they leave a game. Finally, a player that just wants to quickly play a game is discouraged from using his or her magnetic card in that it takes time to use the card: the player has to take the card out of his/her wallet, insert the card, wait for the card to be accepted, enter a PIN, and finally begin play. Accordingly, an improved system is desirable.


A method for controlling Aurelia spp. blooms in harbors includes: designing different sites at equal intervals in an area in spring, collecting ephyrae of Aurelia spp. with an I-type trawl net for zooplankton from bottom to surface, determining whether polyps of Aurelia spp. inhabit in the vicinity of the sites; seeking large floating substrates that the polyps attach to using scuba diving in the determined habitats of the polyps; dragging the substrates to a shore base and scraping off all organisms attached to bottom surfaces of the substrates in a physical manner, then air drying the substrates for 7 days or more; and applying an antifouling paint on the bottom surfaces of the dried substrates followed by drying, then returning the substrates back to their original sites in the sea to control the bloom of Aurelia spp. in the area.

Aurelia spp. ephyrae, nicknamed "moon jellyfish", is a widely distributed species of Aurelia, Ulmaridae, Semaeostomeae, Scyphozoa, Cnidaria, usually 10-30 cm in diameter for adults. In recent decades, Aurelia spp. ephyrae frequently blooms in many coastal harbors and bays around the globe, including Japan, Korea, America and so on, which has posed severe damages to some coastal infrastructures and caused threats to human social security and normal life. For example, high-density aggregations of Aurelia coerulea near a power plant (Qingdao, China) caused the power failure in local areas due to clogging of cooling water intakes in July 2009. Blooms of A. coerulea near Hongyanhe nuclear power plant (China) resulted in the unit shutdowns for a week, thus bringing direct financial loss of up to hundreds of millions of yuan in July 2014. Besides, Aurelia spp. ephyrae competes with fish for the same baits, and even may prey on a lot of fish eggs and larvae, thus mass occurrence of Aurelia spp. ephyrae would threaten the neritic fishery resource, reduce the recruitments of fishery resources, and cause the exhaustion of fish stock. Therefore, in order to protect the health of marine ecosystem and development of economy near the shore, there is an urgent need to control the Aurelia spp. ephyrae blooms.

Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences


OLT is provided with a field for storing the number of effective bits for searching ONU serial numbers, a field for storing a search start serial number and a field for storing a search end serial number, and ONU serial numbers are searched from the search start serial number to the search end serial number within the number of effective bits to automatically perform acquisition of the ONU serial number and ONU connection. An ONU automatic connection method for an ATM-PON system is provided by which an ONU serial number is searched efficiently without registering the ONU serial number from OpS to OLT.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an automatic connection method for an optical network unit (ONU) or an optical network termination (ONT) in an asynchronous transfer mode—passive optical network (ATM-PON) system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Introducing an ATM-PON system is progressing nowadays as one method of realizing a high speed broadband of an access network. The ATM-PON system is a network system in which a plurality of user side apparatus (ONU: optical network unit) and one station side apparatus (OLT: optical line termination) are connected by optical fibers including a splitter in a star type and communications are performed in a connection section by an ATM communication scheme. In the ATM-PON system, optical signals transmitted from ONU to OLT are subjected to time division multiplexing (TDM). Namely, each ONU is assigned a cell slot permitting transmission of an optical signal, and each ONU transmits an optical signal of its own apparatus in accordance with the assigned cell slot to prevent collision with optical signals of other ONUs.
ITU-T Recommendations G.983.1 "Broadband optical access systems based on Passive Optical Network (PON) describes a series of processes called a ranging flow for establishing communications between OLT and ONU and installing ONU. The ranging process provides a function of determining the cell slot of each ONU by measuring a distance between OLT and ONU and calculating a transmission time of an optical signal. When the distance is measured in the ranging process, it is necessary to make one ONU after another respond in order to avoid collision of ONU responses during measurements. To this end, OLT utilizes a unique serial number assigned to each ONU. Namely, in the ranging process, OLT stores the unique serial number of ONU in a signal to be transmitted to ONU, and ONU received this signal responds if the serial number is its own serial number. ONU whose serial number is recognized by OLT and whose distance can be measured in the ranging process is assigned an identification number called a PON-ID, and thereafter messages are exchanged between OLT and ONU by identifying ONU by PON-ID.
This unique serial number of ONU is defined by 64-bit information and defines that upper 32 bits indicate a vendor ID (a fixed value for each vendor) representative of a vendor, and the lower 32 bits are a vendor definition field which the vendor can define arbitrarily. For example, a manufacture year, month and day and a serial number are assigned in the 32-bit vendor definition field, and the serial number is assigned in all 32 bits, etc., in such a manner that each ONU has a different serial number to allow ONU to be identified.
As described above, the ranging process is required for communications between OLT and ONU, and OLT is required to recognize the serial number of each ONU to execute the ranging process. As a method of making OLT recognize the serial number of each ONU, two methods (Method A, Method B) are disclosed, for example, in 184.108.40.206 of ITU-T Recommendations G.983.1.
Method A registers the serial number of each ONU from an operation apparatus (OpS) to OLT. A conventional ATM-PON system uses actually this Method A for ONT connection. Although ITU-T Recommendations G.983.1 does not show an actual concrete operation procedure, the operation procedure is, for example, as follows when Method A is used. First, in order to register an ONU serial number from OpS to OLT, an ONU work person on duty confirms an ONU serial number on an ONU label when ONU is installed, and notifies an OpS person on duty of the ONU serial number by a phone or the like. Next, the OpS person on duty received this notice registers the ONU serial number from OpS to OLT to establish connection between OLT and ONU. In order to avoid complicatedness of the Method A operation procedure, JP-A-2004-214928 proposes a method of reading a bar code displaying an ONU serial number and installing an external apparatus for automatically setting the read ONU serial number to OpS, between ONU and OpS.
Method B searches an ONU serial number on the side of OLT. ITU-T Recommendations G.983.1 introduces an ONU serial number search method by which various bit patterns are simply tried among 64-bit patterns of ONU serial numbers and a bit pattern of a connected ONU is found on the basis of whether there is a response from ONU.
As described above, the operation procedure of ONU connection of Method A of ITU-T Recommendations G.983.1 is complicated and manually executed so that there is a possibility of erroneous operation and erroneous registration. Although the method of JP-A-2004-214928 can prevent erroneous operation and erroneous registration, it requires au automatic connection apparatus as a new external apparatus.
As the ONU serial number search method of Method B, ITU-T Recommendations G.983.1 presents a method by which ONU serial number search from OLT is made distinguishable between a state of "ONU output collision" and a state of "no ONU and no ONU response" and an ONU serial number is searched by increasing or decreasing the search target bit of the ONU serial number by using a binary tree mechanism. The state of "ONU output collision" is intended to be a state that a plurality of ONUs respond and responses are superposed on a transmission line, whereas the state of "no ONU and no ONU response" is intended to be a state that ONU having an ONU serial address designated by OLT does not exist under the control of OLT.
However, in practice, if a plurality of ONUs respond to an inquiry from OLT and the state enters the state of "ONU output collision", a plurality of ONU responses are superposed on the transmission line and even a timing frame cannot be derived so that OLT cannot receive a response signal. In this case, OLT simply recognizes as the state of "no ONU response" erroneously so that both the states cannot be distinguished and ONU connection through ONU search by the binary tree mechanism is impossible as opposed to expectations.
If all ONU serial number patterns are searched simply by Method B, it is necessary to search patterns of 2 raised to power of 64 (≈18×1018 patterns) because the ONU serial number is defined by 64 bits, and this is not realistic. Even if the vendor ID field (upper 32 bits) of an ONU serial bit is fixed and only the vender definition field (lower 32 bits) is searched, it is necessary to search patterns of 2 raised to power of 32 (≈0.42 billion patterns), and this is also not realistic.

ATM-PON system and ONU automatic connection method


According to one embodiment of the invention, an apparatus comprises a data storage unit and a data processing unit. The data storage unit is adapted to store a plurality of advertisements. Coupled to the data storage unit, the data processing unit is adapted to detect an operation that alters playback of an advertisement being part of downloaded digital content, and in response to detecting the operation, to select one of the stored advertisements. The selection is based on heuristic information that is maintained for each of the plurality of stored advertisements.

Currently, television is widely used as a source of both information and entertainment. Cable and satellite systems broadcast tens or even hundreds of channels of programming. Given the large number of programs that are available to a viewer and are broadcast at prescribed times, in some situations, a viewer may be unable to watch all of the programs that he or she wishes to see. Consequently, over the last few decades, a number of electronic devices have been developed to record broadcast television signals.
For instance, video cassette recorders (VCRs) provide viewers with an ability to record incoming audiovisual programs on a magnetic tape and to subsequently view such programs. A timer in the VCR allows the user to record these audiovisual programs at their prescribed broadcasting time. Consequently, the recorded programs are available for playback at the user's convenience.
Thereafter, the basic concept of VCRs has been extended to a hard-drive or semiconductor based recording devices that is commonly referred to as Personal Video (or Versatile) Recorders (PVRs). Normally, a PVR is connected between a viewer's television and that viewer's cable box, satellite receiver or antenna. The PVR can control the channel tuned on the television, provide an interactive electronic program guide and record programs on a manual or timer-controlled basis.
The PVR can buffer incoming audiovisual programs so that the viewer can pause a "live" television program or replay a portion of a live television program without missing any subsequent segment of the program, as long as the pause or replay does not exceed the storage capacity of the PVR. Additionally, the PVR can be programmed to regularly record a user's favorite programs. Consequently, the PVR provides greater flexibility in recording and capturing incoming audiovisual signals than is available with a VCR.
Within broadcast television programs, advertisements (e.g. television commercials) are interspersed between segments of the audiovisual program and are broadcast as part of the television signal. These advertisements are an important source of revenue for the broadcaster and are an important source in reaching current and potential customers with information related to products and services featured in the advertisement.
However, viewers often consider advertising as a nuisance since they normally want to watch a television program without interruption. Consequently, when a viewer has recorded the program using a PVR, the viewer will tend to fast-forward through the program during commercials or skip ahead. Usually there is no audio playback during a "fast-forward" or "skip" operation. Hence, while the audio is muted, the playback of images is accelerated to minimize the interruption in viewing the recorded program.
While such "fast-forwarding" and "skip" operations focus the viewing experience on the audiovisual (television) program, they are detrimental to both the advertiser who is trying to reach potential customers and the broadcaster who depends upon advertising for revenue. As a result, there is a need for a system and method that allows advertisements to reach their intended viewer and protects the broadcaster's source of revenue.

Apparatus and method for replacing a broadcasted advertisement based on both heuristic information and attempts in altering the playback of the advertisement


In one embodiment, a method can include: (i) receiving a new contact in a contact center, where the new contact includes an expressed need; (ii) forming a resource set in response to the expressed need of the new contact, where the resource set includes one or more prospective resources; and (iii) sending a broadcast message to each of the prospective resources in the resource set.

Contact centers are typically used to send a call (e.g., a single voice media) to a particular agent or resource. In most contact centers, a call may be sent to a single agent, and that agent must either answer the call, or "time out" (e.g., when that agent is not available). For a time out situation, the call may be re-queued, and then sent to a next available agent.
When applying such a conventional contact center approach to "knowledge" workers, such as those who may not be required to rigorously answer calls like typical agents, this approach can lead to long wait times. Worse yet, when using technologies, such as presence from instant messaging (IM) clients to report a state of potential resources to the contact center, input data may be flawed or stale, thus creating an undesirable user experience.

Use of intelligent directed broadcast in contact center solutions


This video graphics display system includes an apparatus that allows any portion of the complete image to be displayed independently. Focusing on a specific area of an image, or panning, results in a significant change in the relationship between the data stored in the video memory and the arrangement of the pixels on the monitor. This display system recalculates the timing and location of the multiple data transfers necessary to display any portion of the graphics data held in memory. The required data transfers are performed through a handshake between the SMT02 and the BSR03. This handshake allows data transfers to occur during the monitor blanking period and in spite of restrictions imposed by the video memory specifications.

A video graphics system typically includes a display monitor, a controller circuit, and video memory combined with a shift register. Typical monitors have a screen which comprises an array of pixels that are illuminated by an electron beam. The video memory contains the data necessary to instruct the beam relative to the illumination of each pixel.
Each pixel is defined by some number of memory bits; a single bit can be used for monochromatic displays, or multiple bits can be used to improve the resolution and provide the control required for gray scale and color displays. Image quality improves with the number of bits used to define each pixel. This image quality ratio is commonly referred to as bits-per-pixel (bpp). Image quality also increases with the number of pixels per inch that the screen can display, i.e., the pixel density.
In order for a display to illuminate, or "draw" an image, information defining each pixel on that display must be transferred from the video memory to the controller circuit and then to the display. The display information for each pixel has a unique address in the video memory, which is selected by the control circuitry. The information stored at that address is then sent to the display.
There are a variety of standard video displays. Each type of display has an array comprised of specific number of rows and columns of pixels. The electron beam sweeps across each line of the screen one line at a time from left to right within the display. The beam illuminates each line of pixels, according to the information transferred from the video memory. Upon reaching the right side of the display, the beam is temporarily deactivated and withdrawn to the left hand side, in preparation for the illumination of the next line. The period of time during which the beam returns to the left of the screen is referred to as the monitor's blanking time. By scanning the display at a higher rate (i.e., more pixels per unit time), and shortening the blanking time, higher resolution images are possible.
The image that is displayed on a video monitor or display does not always represent the entire image that is stored in the video memory. The display being viewed is often a section or percentage of the complete image, the area being displayed having been selected by the video system controller. This section and display of specific areas of an image is referred to as "panning". Panning is used when working with small-screen displays and when displaying a portion of a large or complex image (also called a "virtual desktop"). In other words, the entire bit map stored in memory contains more information than can actually be displayed on a monitor at any given moment. Thus, the display is panned throughout the virtual desktop, according to the operator's needs.
Having selected a specific area of an image for display, it is often desirable to be able to change the size of the image. Many graphics systems offer this capability--commonly referred to as "zoom". Zoom allows portions of a complex image to be magnified so that it may be edited, or reduced so that it may be viewed in relation to the complete image. The mechanics of the zoom feature will not be discussed here. Zoom is mentioned because its use is often dependent upon the system's ability to pan.
The methods currently available to provide panning are not equally efficient with all displays. The variation in the number and arrangement of the pixels on each display type results in a corresponding variation in the way the data defining those pixels is moved from memory to the display. With some display types, this results in areas of the image that cannot be specifically displayed in a certain place on the display without loss of resolution. The system's ability to apply the zoom function to a specific portion of the display is obviously affected, because the system must be able to pan to the desired pixels before it can magnify or reduce them.

Method and apparatus for partial display and magnification of a graphical video display


An improved sliding clip for a standing seam roof, the clip having a clip base supporting a clip tab adapted to connect to a standing seam, the clip tab slidably supported by the clip base along a slide track on the clip base, the clip tab permitted to travel a selected range along substantially the full length of the clip base so that the length of the travel path can exceed or be less than the length of the clip base. Stop members on the clip base and clip tab are positioned to abut when the clip tab is moved in either direction along the slide track. Alternate tab stops can be provided to selectively determine the extent of travel of the clip tab along the travel path.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of metal buildings, and more particularly but not by way of limitation, to sliding clips of expanded travel range to accommodate environmental temperature variations on standing seam metal roof assemblies.
2. Discussion
Standing seam metal roofs are formed from interconnected panels supported by underlying support structures, which are usually purlins or joists that are supported by column members extending upwardly from the building foundation. Standing seams are formed at the interconnected edges of the roof panels.
The established practice in the metal building industry has been to provide hold-down clips that connect to the roof panels at the standing seams and are affixed to the underlying purlins or joists. The standing seams of the panels are usually sealed to eliminate or minimize the invasion of moisture from the environment through the standing seams into the protected building interior. Such sealing is difficult to achieve, and is made even more difficult by the expansion and contraction of the roof panels with environmental temperature variations to which the roof is subjected.
In anticipation of the movement of the roof panels with temperature variations, floating clips, also referred to as sliding clips, are utilized to provide a sliding connection between a hold-down clip portion, referred to as the clip tab, and a base portion of the clips, with the clip tabs connected to the standing seams and the base portions secured to the underlying support structure.
Even with the use of floating or sliding clips, the problem of roof panel creep with temperature variations has not been totally solved, largely because prior art sliding clips have not provided sufficient clip travel to accommodate the full range of panel expansion and contraction experienced over the large temperature ranges encountered by large standing seam roof assemblies. For one thing, the more that panel travel is allowed for in a clip design, the greater must be the length of either the clip tab or the supporting clip base, and greater length clip design results in higher costs.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,575,983 teaches proportioning the travel distance of a roof assembly by means of a sliding clip such that a greater amount of panel travel in one direction is permitted, while accommodating less panel travel movement in the opposite direction. However, this patent does not deal with accommodating a greater total panel travel for a given clip.
Generally, floating clips in the past have allowed equal amounts of movement for expansion and contraction, the movement of the hold-down portion relative to the clip base portion being limited by stops on the clip base. Such stops are necessary to keep the upper clip tabs and the lower clip bases together. Responsive to ambient or internal temperature changes, the interconnected metal panels expand and contract, and the floating clips allow for such dimensional changes and for panel travel. However, the range of clip travel (the travel of the sliding clip tab) is contained within the total length of the clip base or of the clip tab.
Although obvious to the most casual observer, one thing is generally overlooked, and that is: the frame, purlins and panels of a pre-engineered building are generally erected at substantially the same temperature. This occurs because the building components are erected before the heating and cooling equipment is installed. Normally, a layer of insulation is placed between the purlins and the panels, and it is only following this installation that substantial differential expansion and contraction occurs between the roof or wall panels and the underlying support structure.
Certain information is required to accurately predict the relative movement that a sliding clip will encounter in service. These include, 1) the temperature to which the building components will be subjected during erection of the building; 2) the maximum and minimum temperatures to which the building interior will be subjected during the life of the building; and 3) the maximum and minimum temperatures to be encountered by the building components during the life of the building. It will be appreciated that these information items are extremely difficult, if not impossible, to foreknow, and it behooves the clips to accommodate maximum clip movement from a neutral point.
Therefore, in selecting a clip for a particular building to be constructed, it is clear that, not only must the selected clip and its attachments to the panel and to the underlying support structure be adequate, the clip tab must also be capable of sliding at a force less than that required to slide the clip tab in the panel seam. If the force to effect movement of the clip tabs relative to their bases is greater than the force to cause the clip tabs to slide in the panel seams, the resultant movement of the clip tabs in the seams will degrade the seam sealant and increase the probability that the panel seams will leak.
It is clear that there is a need for floating clips for standing seam roof assemblies that will permit the maximum amount of expansion and contraction travel of the panels with temperature changes, while also minimizing the clip dimensions and reducing costs.


A karaoke network system is composed of a central station for serving a plurality of song data pieces, and a karaoke terminal connected to the central station through a communication network having multiple channels for selectively receiving therefrom one song data piece so as to locally present a desired karaoke song in response to a request, command. The central station includes a transmitter for sorting the plurality of song data pieces into a multiple of groups corresponding to the multiple channels to thereby transmit each group of the song data pieces successively to the corresponding channel in an endless manner. The karaoke terminal includes a receiver for selecting one of the channels designated by the request command and for picking up one song data piece specified by the same request command from the selected channel so that the karaoke terminal can present the desired karaoke song according to the picked up song data piece.

The present invention relates to a karaoke network system constructed for serving a song data from a central station to a karaoke terminal through a communication line.
A conventional karaoke apparatus is constructed to sound an instrumental accompaniment of a requested song, which is mixed with a live vocal performance of a singer, while lyric characters of the requested song are displayed on a monitor. The conventional karaoke apparatus is classified into either of a stand-alone type and a terminal type. The stand-alone type of the karaoke apparatus is most widely spread out in the commercial market. The stand-alone type is equipped with a closed data source for storing a complete set of numerous song data required for karaoke performance in a self-support basis. However, the stand-alone type of the karaoke apparatus suffers from drawbacks such as the heavy cost of data storage and the difficulty of timely updating of song data.
On the other hand, the terminal type of the karaoke apparatus is connectable to a central station through a communication line to receive song data therefrom. This type can eliminate a closed data source which contribute to simplification of the karaoke apparatus.
A karaoke network system having the central station and the local karaoke terminals is classified into either a two-way communication type or a one-way broadcast type. In the communication type of the karaoke network system, the karaoke terminal transmits a request command to the central station through a telephone line, while the central station responds to the request command to thereby instantly transmit back requested song data to the requesting karaoke terminal. However, this communication type suffers from drawbacks such as heavy communication cost since a commercial telephone line must be called upon every request.
On the other hand, in the broadcast type of the karaoke network system, the central station successively broadcasts numerous pieces of song data in endless manner to all members of the karaoke terminals through a communication network composed of a cable line or a wireless line, while each karaoke terminal can pick up a desired one of the broadcasted song data pieces. Therefore, the karaoke terminal are free from a communication cost for two-way exchange of a request command and a corresponding song data. However, the broadcast type of the karaoke network system suffers in that the local karaoke terminal may occasionally wait for a long time until a desired song data piece is served. For example, the central station may successively broadcast a chain of 5000 song data pieces in an endless manner. In the worst case, the karaoke terminal must wait for an almost entire time length of the one complete chain if the karaoke terminal has just missed a desired song data piece in a preceding chain.

Karaoke network system with endless broadcasting of song data through multiple channels


The present invention relates to methods for the delivery of biologically active polypeptides to a subject by colonizing non-pathogenic Gram negative bacteria. Also provided by this invention are methods of treating or preventing diseases by administering colonizing Gram negative bacteria that express one or more biologically active polypeptides. The colonizing non-pathogenic Gram negative bacteria may be administered in pharmaceutical formulations.

The delivery of gene products, such as proteins and RNA, to animals or animal cells is desirable for a variety of applications. Such applications include treatment of infectious diseases, therapy of acquired or inherited diseases or conditions, induction of an immune response to a protein antigen, the study of various cellular functions, etc. A range of bacteria have therefore been developed and used for the delivery of therapeutic molecules.
For example, live, attenuated, pathogenic Gram negative bacteria have been developed as vaccines (Garmory et al., 2003). Furthermore, strategies have been developed to use live, attenuated, pathogenic Gram negative bacterial vaccine strains as vectors to deliver a variety of protective vaccine antigens via the mucosal route (Medina, 2001; Roland et al., 2005). Such strains are generally non-colonising.
Gram positive, non-pathogenic lactic acid bacteria are also currently being developed as oral live vaccines (Bermudez-Humaran et al., 2003). In contrast to the attenuated, pathogenic Gram negative bacterial strains, Gram positive bacteria, such as Lactococcus lactis, are non-pathogenic. Furthermore, the Gram positive bacterial vectors often have a limited ability to colonise. In addition to delivering vaccine antigens, L. lactis is also being developed for the delivery of a number of cytokines such as IL-10 (Steidler, 2002; Steidler et al., 2003; Huybhebaert et al., 2005), IL-12 (Bermudez-Humaran et al., 2003; Kimoto et al., 2004) and IL-2 (Steidler, 2002). Methods for the delivery of surface anchored proteins by Gram positive bacteria are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,737,521, and methods for the delivery of cytokines in L. lactis are described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,605,286.
Live bacterial vectors are also potentially useful in the treatment of infectious diseases. For example, live bacterial vectors are potentially useful in the treatment of infectious diseases such as necrotic enteritis. Necrotic enteritis is an enterotoxemic disease caused by Clostridium perfringens which leads to the development of necrotic lesions in the gut wall resulting in morbidity and mortality of poultry. It is also a multifactorial disease with complex and partly unknown epidemiology and pathogenesis (Kaldhusdal, 1999). The bacterium, C. perfringens is commonly found in the gastrointestinal tract of poultry (Tschirdewahn et al. 1991), the occurrence of necrotic enteritis, however, is sporadic (Cowen et al., 1987). Nevertheless, feed contaminated with C. perfringens has been implicated in outbreaks of necrotic enteritis in chickens (Kaldhusdal, 1999). Studies have also shown that healthy chickens have a relatively low number of C. perfringens in their gastrointestinal tracts, while an increase in the concentration of the bacteria can result in a necrotic enteritis condition (Craven et al., 1999).
Bacitracin, linocomycin and other antibiotics have been commonly used to treat poultry suffering from necrotic enteritis (Craven et al., 1999). However, due to the isolation of antibiotic-resistant strains of C. perfringens from chickens and turkeys (Devriese et al., 1993; Kondo, 1988; Watkins et al., 1997) and the general desire to reduce antibiotic use because of the potential link to antibiotic resistance in human pathogens, poultry health authorities and producers are increasingly interested in the development and application of new products to replace traditional antibiotics. To date, however, there have been no reports of the treatment of necrotic enteritis using live rationally designed bacterial vectors delivering therapeutic products. However, there have been reports of the use of probiotic strains of bacteria and the use of largely uncharacterised single isolates and mixed populations of bacteria for competitive exclusion treatments.
Despite having great potential, the live bacterial vectors used to date, in other systems, have substantial limitations. For example, when given orally, bacterial cells are exposed to harsh gastrointestinal conditions, resulting in short survival time and requiring that a large dose be given (Prakash and Jones, 2005). A consequence of clearance of the bacteria from a subject is that delivery of the biologically active protein is of limited duration. An additional problem associated with the use of attenuated Gram negative bacterial vectors has been the difficulty in obtaining a balance between residual virulence of invasive and/or reactogenic vectors (Tacket et al., 1992) and the effective delivery of the bioactive polypeptide, such as a immunogenic construct (Zhu et al., 2006).
Accordingly, there is a need for improved bacterial vectors that are not hindered by these limitations.

Bacterial delivery of biologically active polypeptides

Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation


Methods and devices performing the method for wireless communications are disclosed, where the method includes retrieving historical communications information for a plurality of receive chains for receiving communications from a wireless node; determining a number of receive chains from the plurality of receive chains to enable in a discontinuous reception mode based on the historical communications information; and enabling the number of receive chains to receive a communication from the wireless node in a communications cycle. Other aspects, embodiments, and features are also claimed and described.

Wireless communications systems are widely deployed to provide various types of communication content such as voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcast, and so on. These systems may be accessed by wireless devices of multiple users sharing the available system resources (e.g., time, frequency, and power). Examples of such wireless communications systems include code-division multiple access (CDMA) systems, time-division multiple access (TDMA) systems, frequency-division multiple access (FDMA) systems, 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems, and orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (OFDMA) systems.
Generally, a wireless device may be used to receive voice and/or data communications through the wireless communication systems. When receiving data communications, it is generally desirable to have relatively high data rates for communications to and from the wireless devices in order to enhance user experience. One commonly used technique to increase data rates uses multiple receive and/or transmit chains to receive and/or send data communications on multiple wireless communications channels simultaneously. Often, data is sent from a wireless device using a single transmit chain using a primary antenna that operates in duplex with a receive chain that uses the primary antenna, and a second receive chain, commonly referred to as a diversity receive chain, that uses a secondary antenna.
The use of multiple transmit and/or receive chains is effective in enhancing user experience through higher data transmission rates. However, the use of multiple transmit and/or receive chains may also adversely impact power consumption in the wireless device. Such wireless devices are generally battery operated, and it is desirable to increase the amount of time a wireless device can operate using only battery power.

Method and apparatus for adaptive receive diversity control for power reduction


A mold assembly includes a mold mounted for rotation within a vacuum chamber. The mold includes a central drum having a hollow interior into which resin is poured. A plurality of hollow blade molds is radially disposed about the central drum. A plurality of radially disposed struts is secured to the central drum and each strut is received within an associated blade mold. Openings are formed in the central drum and in the struts. Elongate bundles of woven fiberglass are weaved in and out of the openings, beginning in the drum and extending to the respective ends of each strut. A motor spins the mold assembly and resin in the central drum is urged by centrifugal force to flow along the length of the woven fiberglass bundles until each blade mold is filled with resin. The resulting product is a monolithic structure having plural blades radiating from a central hub.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to vacuum assisted molding. More particularly, it relates to fabrication of large composite elements using an infusion system supplemented by centrifugal force in a vacuum.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The manufacturing of large molded objects, such as boat hulls, large blades for an electricity-generating wind farm windmill, and the like, is problematic. Such large objects are typically molded by a time-consuming manual process. This drives up the cost of the individual products. Items made by manual labor are also more likely to be of inconsistent quality as no two products will be exactly alike.
What is needed, then, is a new manufacturing process for making large molded monolithic products. More particularly, there is a need for a manufacturing process that reduces the amount of manual labor needed to produce such objects. The needed process would reduce the cost of such objects. There is also a need for a new process that provides products having consistently high quality.
However, in view of the art considered as a whole at the time the present invention was made, it was not obvious to those of ordinary skill in this art how the identified needs could be met.