A system for automatically detecting the presence of contaminants in samples. The system includes a microscope, controllable stage positioner for holding slides under the microscope, a computer for controlling the stage positioner and a digital camera to capture images through the microscope. The system scans microscope views of regions of a slide sample and provides the digital images to the computer. Image processing routines stored in the computer analyze the digital images and determine whether these images may contain certain contaminants by comparing the characteristics of the objects in the image with the known characteristics of the contaminants. The system also contemplates a method for automatically determining the presence of contaminants in samples including the steps of providing a microscope slide containing a sample, obtaining a plurality of digital microscope images of the sample, storing the digital images in a computer, automatically comparing characteristics of each digital image to characteristics of known contaminants and storing the results of the comparison.

The presence of microscopic organisms in public drinking water is a threat to public health. Two particular pathogenic protozoa pose a significant threat, Giardia Lamblia and Cryptosporidium. Research conducted in 1991 showed the scope of the problem. This research revealed significant presence of these protozoa in the drinking water of several states and Canada. (Rose, J. B., C. P. Gerba and W. Jakubowski. 1991. Survey of Potable Water Supplies for Cryptosporidium and Giardia, Environmental Science and Technology. Vol. 225, no. 8, pp. 1393-1400; LeChevallier, M. W., W. D. Norton and R. G. Lee. 1991. Giardia and Cryptosporidium spp. in Filtered Drinking Water Supplies, Applied and Environmental Microbiology. Vol. 57, no. 9, pp. 2617-2621). In the spring of 1993, the presence of Cryptosporidium in Milwaukee's water supply caused over two dozen deaths. (Gurwitt, Rob. 1994. Something in the Water, Governing. Sept., 1994, pp. 32-38). 400,000 other people suffered from diarrhea, vomiting and intestinal cramps. During 1991 and 1992, 34 waterborne disease outbreaks were reported by the Center for Disease Control. Of these outbreaks, where a cause was found, 64% were associated with Giardia or Cryptosporidium. (Moore et al. 1994. Waterborne Disease in the United States, 1991 and 1992, Journal of the American Water Works Association. February pp. 87-99).
The Surface Water Treatment Rule (SWTR) specifies turbidity regulations for drinking water. The above-noted outbreaks recently caused the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to propose amendments to the SWTR. This enhanced rule (ESWTR) will provide additional protection against disease causing pathogens such as Cryptosporidium, Giardia and viruses. (EPA, Jul. 29, 1994. National Primary Drinking Water Regulations: Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Requirements; Proposed Rule, Federal Register, Vol. 59, No. 145). A proposed nation-wide monitoring program called the Information Collection Rule (ICR) will require microbial monitoring over a three year period. These requirements in the ICR are estimated to cost 1,725 water plants $11.8 million. (EPA, Feb. 10, 1994. Monitoring Requirements for Public Drinking Water Supplies; Proposed Rule, Federal Register, Vol. 59, No. 28). Results of the ICR will provide raw data for the determination of the improved regulations in the ESWTR. One regulation scenario projects an estimate of additional capital expenditures for domestic water utilities of $4.5 billion.
The occurrence of an outbreak from microbial pathogens might result from a malfunction of any water treatment system. The prevention of an outbreak could be accomplished through detection of microorganism presence in finished drinking water prior to distribution.
Under the current ICR, slide samples of drinking water are inspected using a microscope by an operator. Using current identification techniques, a microscope operator can process approximately 3-4 samples in a work week. Under EPA regulations, operators are restricted to four working hours at the microscope each work day. This limitation is enforced to prevent operator fatigue and bias in microorganism identification. Even under these limitations, the difficult nature of the required analysis subjects the inspection to human error and subjective bias.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to have an improved system and method for automatically detecting contaminants such as pathogenic protozoa in samples. Such a system and method would make inspection more efficient and accurate.

Automatic machine vision microscope slide inspection system and method

The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois


Information reproduced and output from an information reproduction device such as a CD player is recorded and thereby copied by an information recording device such as a cassette deck. Once a desired dubbing has been completed, the recording medium such as a CD accommodated in the information reproducing device is automatically discharged.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information recording/reproducing apparatus, and more particularly, to a dubbing apparatus for synchro-recording the information which is being reproduced with an information reproducing device such as a CD player, to make a copy of the information with an information recording device such as a cassette tape deck.
2. Description of the Prior Art:
It is a common practice to transfer the information recorded on a first recording medium onto a second recording medium. This is generally called a dubbing. Dubbing may be conducted by reproducing the music information recorded on the first recording medium, which may be a CD, with a CD player to generate a reproduction signal, and by recording this reproduction signal on the second recording medium, which may be a magnetic tape (hereinafter referred to as a cassette tape), through a tape deck. In that case, a synchro-recording method is adopted in order to synchronize the operation of the CD player, which is the information reproducing device, with that of the tape deck, which is the information recording device.
In conventional synchro-recording, when reproduction of the information on the CD, by means of the CD player, is ended, the operation of the tape deck is automatically suspended or is rendered to a state in which recording is at a pause.
The above described conventional recording method has an advantage in that, since the operation of the CD player, which is the information reproducing device, is synchronized with the operation of the tape deck, which is the information recording device, the information recorded on the CD can be copied without alteration (for example, with the same time intervals between the two music pieces or in the same order in which the music pieces are recorded).
However, in the above dubbing, the recording time of the CD is not always the same as that of the cassette tape: a user may use a cassette tape which has a longer recording time than the CD. In such a dubbing recording, a non-recorded portion of the cassette tape remains, so the information recorded on another CD may be recorded on that non-recorded portion of the cassette tape. At that time, the CD must be replaced with another one by pressing an open key of the CD player thereby causing a CD tray to protrude or open. This operation of opening the CD tray is troublesome and disturbs a series of recording operations.

Information dubbing apparatus with automatic ejecting of reproduced medium and restart of recording


Various embodiments provide a set top box enclosure having a chassis and a cover. The chassis also includes a mounting clip that facilitates the coupling of the cover to the chassis. The mounting clip includes an engagement structure on the cover that engages with a mating receiving structure located along an edge of the chassis. The mounting clip attaches a side of the cover with a side of the chassis of the set top box enclosure together and facilitates tool less engagement and disengagement of that side.

Technical Field
The present disclosure generally relates to mounting clips for set top box enclosures and, more particularly, to mounting clips for attaching a cover to a chassis of a set top box enclosure.
Description of the Related Art
The manufacture and repair of set top boxes, also called set top box enclosures or housings, includes using manual labor intervention for assembly. The manual labor may include mounting internal and external components of the set top box enclosure to the set top box enclosure chassis. For example, manual labor may be used to install the system board, power supply system, and audio and video input and outputs into or onto the chassis. Manual labor intervention may also be used to install or remove the cover from the chassis.
Flexible snap clips or even mechanical screws may be used to secure the cover onto the chassis. Installing a cover of a set top box enclosure using flexible snap clips or mechanical screws requires manual labor to precisely align the cover with the chassis and then to engage the flexible snap clips or install screws to attach the cover to the chassis.
Disassembly or removal of the cover from the chassis, for example, for repairs or maintenance, requires further manual labor intervention. A repair technician may use special tools to disengage the flexible snap clips and lift the cover off of the chassis or may use screwdrivers to remove any screws that may attach the cover to the chassis.
In addition to needing manual labor intervention to install or remove, screws are also unsightly and detract from the aesthetics of a set top box enclosure.
Some set top box enclosures include access holes in the cover or the chassis to provide access to screws or flexible snap clips. These holes are unsightly and care must be taken in the placement of the access holes in order to hide the holes or to place them in inconspicuous locations in the set top box enclosure. Thus, compromises are made in set top box enclosures in order to balance the appearance of the set top box enclosure with the security of the cover and chassis connection.

Mounting clip for set top box enclosures


A method and system is disclosed for utilizing an ephemeral encryption or decryption agent so as to preclude access by the ephemeral encryption agent or decryption agent, respectively, to the information being ephemerally encrypted or decrypted. To preclude access by the ephemeral encryption agent, a blinding function is applied to the information prior to forwarding such information to the encryption agent for encryption. To preclude access to the information by the ephemeral decryption agent, a blinding function is applied to the encrypted information prior to forwarding the encrypted information to the decryption agent for decryption. Once the information has been returned, the information is unblinded, leaving an encrypted or decrypted message respectively.

The present invention pertains to protecting data in computer networks and more particularly, to a method and system for protecting data such that the data is made unrecoverable after a predetermined finite period of time, or when desired.
In recent years, individuals and businesses have increasingly employed computer and telecommunications networks, such as the World Wide Web (WWW), to store and access data remotely and to send and receive messages via e-mail or instant messaging services. Typically when a user remotely accesses data or sends a message or data to another computer, the data or message is sent through one or more intermediate systems within the network where the data is temporarily written to memory or data storage devices associated with those intermediate systems. The memory and data storage devices of the intermediate systems and the communications lines within the network are susceptible to the malicious actions of a third party in which the messages or data may be intercepted or otherwise accessed. To prevent these messages or data from being improperly accessed, various data encryption methods have been developed to prevent a third party from being able to access the clear data or message even if the data or message is intercepted or otherwise accessed. Some encryption methods are also used for integrity checking and/or authentication of a message or data by allowing a user to determine whether the message or data has been altered, while authentication allows a a user to verify the source of a message.
While encryption protects encrypted data from being understood by someone not in possession of the decryption key, the longer such encrypted information is stored, the greater potential there may be for such a key to fall into the wrong hands. For example, key escrows are often maintained which keep records of keys. Such records may be stored for convenience in order to recover encrypted data when a key has been lost, for law enforcement purposes, to permit the police to eavesdrop on conversations regarding criminal activities, or for business management to monitor the contents of employee communications.
In existing systems, there are various events that may result in a message remaining stored beyond its usefulness to a receiving party. First, there is no guarantee that a receiver of an encrypted message will promptly delete it after it has been read. Additionally, electronic mail and other types of messages may automatically be "backed-up" to a secondary storage system, either at the destination system or within one or more of the intermediate systems through which the e-mail has passed. These back-up copies are stored for often indeterminate times, and are outside the control of the message originator. Thus, it is apparent that even under ordinary circumstances, a message may remain in existence well beyond its usefulness, and that, as discussed above, such longevity may result in the privacy of the message being compromised. There is no way to guarantee that all copies of the data are deleted. However, if the data is encrypted, all that is necessary to ensure that the data is unrecoverable is to ensure that the decryption key is destroyed.
Existing systems for secure communications, such as the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol, provide for authenticated, private, real-time communications. In the SSL protocol, a server system generates a short-term public/private key pair that is certified as authentic using a long-term private key belonging to the server. The client uses the short-term public key to encrypt a symmetric key for use during the session. The server periodically changes its short-term private key, discarding any previous versions. This renders any records of previous sessions established using the former short-term public key unrecoverable. Such a system is sometimes referred to as providing "perfect forward secrecy". These existing systems, however, provide no mechanism for setting or determining a finite "lifetime", in terms of decryptability, for stored encrypted data or messages independent of a real-time communications session.
Ephemeral encryption has been developed to ensure that ephemeral keys, i.e., encryption and decryption key pairs that have a predetermined lifetime, are securely created, maintained, and destroyed by ephemeral agents ("ephemerizers"). Ephemerizers create, manage, and destroy encryption keys in a secure manner that prevents the keys from existing beyond the predetermined lifetime. In general, an ephemerizer is able to provide ephemeral encryption and decryption services to many users so as to amortize the cost of managing the ephemeral key pairs over the many users.
Previous methods of ephemeral encryption require authentication of the client and the ephemerizer, which is computationally intensive. In addition, authentication requires that the ephemerizer see either the clear-text or the message encrypted with the long term key of the user. If another party than the intended user is able to obtain the message encrypted with the long term key of the user, then the other party can store this encrypted message and decrypt it at a later time when the long term key of the user may become available due to theft or coercion.
It would be desirable therefore to have a system in which data has a finite lifetime and in which during the finite lifetime only the authorized user can make use of the ephemerizer to obtain either a clear-text message or a message encrypted with the long term key of the user. The encrypted message should be effectively protected after the ephemeral key is destroyed, assuming the authorized user protected the long term key during the lifetime of the ephemeral key and kept no copies of the message except for copies encrypted with the ephemeral key.

Ephemeral decryption utilizing binding functions


A periodic signal is sampled. The sampling frequency is less than the Nyquist rate of the periodic signal. A period of the periodic signal is determined. A phase of the periodic signal is tracked to determine a sample's position on the period of the periodic signal. A replica of the periodic signal is reconstructed. A measurement of the periodic signal is determined based on a measurement of the replica of the periodic signal.

High-frequency analog and digital signals (in the bandwidth of 10 GHz and above) are typically analyzed using a real-time digital oscilloscope or a sampling oscilloscope. However, both types of oscilloscope are expensive. Also, a real-time oscilloscope can introduce interpolation errors because the oscilloscope cannot acquire enough samples compared to the frequency content of the signal to be analyzed to make an accurate measurement. In addition, these oscilloscopes can require an external clock, a recovered clock, knowledge of the signal frequency, or an external trigger signal synchronous with the analyzed signal in order to appropriately analyze a signal. It would be useful to be able to analyze these signals using a less expensive device without requiring knowledge of the signal frequency or having a synchronized trigger signal.

Sampling and measurement of periodic signals


A light control device is formed by ferroelectric material and N electrodes positioned adjacent thereto to define an N-sided regular polygonal region or circular region therebetween where N is a multiple of four.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to light control devices. More specifically, the invention is a solid-state light control device using ferroelectric material.
2. Description of the Related Art
Light control is conventionally achieved with one or more geometric optical components such as lenses, mirrors, polarizers, beamsplitters, and gratings. Frequently, some type of motorized control is coupled to the optical components in order to adjust light control attributes of the optical components). Such motorized control can include conventional motor/actuators and "micro-electro-mechanical systems" (MEMS). However, motorized light control devices are sensitive to vibration and acceleration effects. Further, the time required to adjust conventional optical components may be too slow for some applications.

The United States of America as represented by the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration


A screw extruder (10), including a barrel assembly (12) having a central bore (36) which defines an inner surface (37). An extruder screw (38) is positioned within the barrel assembly's (12) central bore (36). The barrel assembly (12) has an input end (20) which includes a feed housing portion (25), the feed housing portion (25) having an opening for introduction of material into the central bore (36). There is a shaping die (18) situated at the output end (16) of the barrel assembly (12) to shape the extruded material. The feed housing portion (25) also has one or more groove channels (44) opening into the inner surface (37) of the feed housing portion (25) with a key (48) disposed in each of these groove channels (44). Contacting each key (48) are one or more independently activated actuators (28) which can be used to adjust the radial depths of the keys (48) in the groove channels (44) thus controlling the depth of grooves (46) formed between the keys (48) and the central bore (36) of the barrel (12). A control loop may be established by monitoring a process parameter such as barrel assembly pressure by a sensor (32). This data is fed to a process controller (34), which then adjusts the actuators (28) independently to control the groove (46) depths and thus control the process parameter. Also disclosed is a method for controlling extrusion from a screw extruder (10).

In a screw extruder, material, usually some form of plastic, is forced under pressure to flow through an contoured orifice in order to shape the material. Screw extruders are generally composed of a housing, which is usually a cylindrical barrel section, surrounding a central motor-driven screw. At a first end of the barrel is a feed housing containing a feed opening through which new material, usually plastic particles, is introduced into the barrel. The material is then conveyed by the screw toward the second end of the barrel through a melting zone where it is heated under carefully controlled conditions to melt the material. It is then conveyed through a melt-conveying zone, also called a pumping zone because it acts as a pump for the melted material. The melted plastic is finally pressed through a shaped opening or die to form the extrudate.
A common problem in this process is fluctuations due to variations in feeding and conveying of the plastic particles in the barrel of the extruder. The driving force for the forward conveyance of the material is the frictional force between the plastic particles and the barrel surface in the feed section. Plastics such as polypropylene have low coefficients of friction against steel. With a smooth barrel surface, the frictional force can be too low to ensure consistent forward conveyance, resulting in erratic performance and poor efficiency of material conveying.
A common solution to feeding problems due to insufficient barrel friction is to machine grooves into the throat of the barrel in the feed section of the extruder. This has the advantage of providing high extruder output with more stable extruder performance. Additionally, it may provide the ability to process plastics with very high molecular weights.
The disadvantages of using grooves include the generation of high pressures, which can lead to high motor loads, high melt temperatures and rapid wear of the screw and barrel. Permanent grooves also require a higher start-up torque than a smooth barrel, necessitating a more powerful electric motor for start-up than will be required in subsequent operation, as well as stronger screw and barrel parts.
It is important that the feed section be thermally insulated from the melting section. Due to heat generated by friction, the feed section may additionally require cooling to make sure the plastic particles do not melt in the grooved section of the extruder. Thus, it may be necessary to provide cooling systems for barrels with grooved throats. This provides yet another disadvantage because a great amount of energy is lost through the intensive cooling of the grooved barrel section. Experimental studies have shown that as much as 30-40% of the mechanical energy may be lost through the cooling water.
The form and size of the pellets also affect the frictional characteristics of the material. For instance, in a grooved throat designed to operate with essentially round pellets, cubic pellets may be conveyed with a much higher efficiency. This may require that barrels with non-adjustable grooves be designed for specific materials.
Another disadvantage of grooved barrels is that material can accumulate in the grooves. This can cause problems when changing from one product to another as mixing in this residue can affect the purity of the subsequent material.
Poor performance and rapid wear of the equipment may also result when there is a mismatch of efficiencies between the screw in conveying the material and the heating zones in melting the material. If the screw conveys the solid material too efficiently, it may deliver it faster than the melting and melt conveying zones can process the material. This can result in erratic operation as the machine drives unmelted and unplasticated material through the melting zone. This may, in extreme cases, result in very high pressures in the barrel that can lead to risk of barrel rupture. It is thus advantageous to have a method of controlling the conveying efficiency in the feed zone so that it may be matched with that of the melting and melt-conveying zones.
The efficiency of conveying of material by the screw may be controlled by several factors. One way to adjust this conveying efficiency is to change the temperature of the barrel in the feed section. This is often done, but has the disadvantage that temperature adjustment has only a weak effect on conveying efficiency. Similarly, the temperature of the screw in the feed section may be adjusted. However, this method also has a weak effect and is additionally more complicated to control than barrel temperature.
As discussed above, the amount of frictional force at the barrel is a factor in the conveying efficiency. The presence and the specific geometry of grooves in the barrel can be used to directly change this efficiency. The number of grooves, the length of grooves, and the groove depth determine the frictional effect. A continuous adjustment of the number of grooves is not likely. Adjustment of the length of the grooves is possible, but generally will be mechanically complex due to the large change in groove length that is likely to be required. The typical axial length of the grooves is two to five barrel diameters. Thus the adjustment length would have to be in the range of two to five barrel diameters as well. This may be an impractical length to adjust. Therefore, the most convenient method of controlling the frictional effect and thus the conveying efficiency would appear to be to adjust the depth of the grooves. The groove depth is typically from 0-0.12 inches (0-3 mm). The range of adjustment would thus be only about 0.12 inches, which is typically about half the size of the plastic pellets usually used. This method has the advantage of being immediately effective with no time lag involved, in contrast with temperature control methods.
If the groove depth is adjustable to zero, the difficulties previously mentioned concerning start-up torque and necessary over-design of the motor may be avoided. This results in cost savings since the motor, screw and barrel parts may be designed for smaller stresses. Once operating speed has been achieved, the grooves may be continuously adjusted to obtain optimal conveying efficiency.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,678,339 by Peiffer et al. describes a mechanism for adjusting the depth of grooves in the feed housing of a screw extruder. Adapters in grooves in the inner surface of the barrel are biased radially outward by helical springs surrounding the adapter's attachment bolts that are grouped in circumferential sets. The heads of these bolts are attached to rollers that contact the inner surface of a cam ring. Rotation of the cam ring relative to the bolt heads allow the bolts to be moved radially inward or outward, and thus to raise or lower the adapters in the grooves. Rotation of the ring does not allow for movement of individual bolts in a circumferential set, as all move in unison. As a consequence, the adapters are not capable of such fine adjustment as would a screw extruder with individually adjustable adapters and therefore operating parameters and objectives may not be as precisely controlled.
The cam ring mechanism of Peiffer '339 is comparatively bulky and complex. It can also interfere with incorporation of a cooling system into the feed zone of the barrel. As discussed earlier, good cooling is important to avoid melting of the plastic, which will have an effect on frictional properties and conveying efficiency.
For the foregoing reasons, there is a need for a screw extruder with individually adjustable groove depths and whose adjustment mechanisms are less complex, bulky and expensive to use and maintain.

Screw extruder with independently adjustable groove depth


The invention provides a fixing method including conveying a recording medium on which a toner image has been formed using a fixing belt, in a state in which the fixing belt contacts with a surface of the recording medium on which the toner image is formed, at least from a fixing portion in which the toner image is fixed by heating and pressing the recording medium to a cooling portion in which the recording medium after fixing is cooled, wherein the ten-point average roughness (Rz) of a surface of the fixing belt contacting with the recording medium is 0.7 μm or less or the filtered maximum waviness in every convex portion present on a surface of the fixing belt contacting with the recording medium is 50 μm or less. The invention also provides a fixing apparatus using the method and an image forming apparatus using the method.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a method of fixing a toner image onto a recording medium such as paper when forming an image by using electrophotography, a fixing apparatus using the same, and an image forming apparatus using the same.
2. Related Art
Use of a fixing apparatus having a fixing belt stretched between a heat roller and a release roller has been proposed in an image-forming apparatus for forming a glossy image, such as a copying machine. In the fixing apparatus, paper onto which a toner image has been transferred is heated and pressed in a state where the surface on which the toner image is formed is contacted with the fixing belt, and the paper is conveyed on the fixing belt and simultaneously cooled, and separated from the fixing belt at the position of a release roller, whereby a glossy image is formed on the paper.
Heat-resistant fluorine resin, fluorine rubber, fluorine-based elastomer or silicone rubber is used as a surface material forming the outer periphery of the fixing belt utilized in the fixing apparatus.
A substrate of the fixing belt may be made of a metal such as stainless steel, nickel steel or the like, however, a fixing belt thus constituted has the problem that an operator can be hurt by the edge of the fixing belt upon generation of jams or during production, thus making handling inconvenient. In addition, the heat capacity of the fixing belt as a whole is high, so there is a problem of increasing the electric power consumed.
To solve these problems, a heat-resistant resin belt having a substrate of heat-resistant resin and a surface layer of a heat-resistant elastic body arranged on the outer periphery of the substrate has been proposed.

Fixing method, fixing apparatus using the same, and image forming apparatus


A manual feed machine for the application of tabs to sheet stock has a strip feeder for feeding a foil strip into the path of a sheet which is manually insertable beneath the cutter for the file strip to entrain a previously cut segment into the heating jaws. A die cutter downstream of the foil application can cut the tab after the jaw opens and the sheet is transported to the cutter. Only after the perimeter of the sheet has cleared the blade, is the previously advanced foil strip cut to form the next segment.

It is known to apply a synthetic resin foil to an edge of a sheet of sheet stock, i.e. paper, paperboard, cardboard or other precut web-like material utilizing a thermal-bonding process and automatic feed of the sheets through the machine. Reference may be had, for example, to the commonly-owned U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,925,144, 3,926,713, and 4,698,114 which describe principles of the feeding of synthetic resin foil strip material, principles of the feeding of the sheets to which the foil strips are to be applied, principles of thermally bonding the foil strips to the sheets and principles of the die-cutting or punching of tabs or the like on such sheets which may be used in the present invention and which represent prior art to the present invention.
There has developed a need for a manually operated, simple and reliable machine which is capable of providing sheets having foil-strip segments straddling an edge of the sheet and bonded to opposite faces thereof only over a portion of that length, the sheet being optionally die-cut so that the portion bearing the foil strip segment defines a projecting tab of the sheet.

Manually fed machine for the formation of tabs on sheet stock


Methods and apparatus for assigning an IP address to a mobile node during registration are disclosed. According to one aspect, a registration request is sent by a mobile node. A mobile node ID associated with the mobile node is obtained. A registration request packet is then composed. The registration request packet stores at least a portion of the mobile node ID in the registration request packet. The registration request packet is sent to a Home Agent associated with the mobile node. According to another aspect, a registration request packet is processed by a Home Agent. The Home Agent receives the registration request packet and ascertains whether the mobile node designated by the registration request packet needs an IP address. An IP address is assigned to the mobile node if it is ascertained that the mobile node needs an IP address. A registration reply specifying the IP address assigned to the mobile node is then composed. According to another aspect, a registration reply packet received by a Foreign Agent is processed. The registration reply packet is received from a Home Agent. The registration reply packet specifies a portion of a mobile node ID and an IP address associated with a mobile node. The portion of the mobile node ID and the IP address are obtained from the registration reply packet. A visitor table is updated with a mapping of the mobile node ID to the IP address. The registration reply packet is sent to the mobile node.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to Mobile IP network technology. More particularly, the present invention relates to Mobile IP dynamic home address assignment.
2. Description of the Related Art
Mobile IP is a protocol which allows laptop computers or other mobile computer units (referred to as xe2x80x9cMobile Nodesxe2x80x9d herein) to roam between various sub-networks at various locationsxe2x80x94while maintaining internet and/or WAN connectivity. Without Mobile IP or related protocol, a Mobile Node would be unable to stay connected while roaming through various sub-networks. This is because the IP address required for any node to communicate over the internet is location specific. Each IP address has a field that specifies the particular sub-network on which the node resides. If a user desires to take a computer which is normally attached to one node and roam with it so that it passes through different sub-networks, it cannot use its home base IP address. As a result, a business person traveling across the country cannot merely roam with his or her computer across geographically disparate network segments or wireless nodes while remaining connected over the internet. This is not an acceptable state-of-affairs in the age of portable computational devices.
To address this problem, the Mobile IP protocol has been developed and implemented. An implementation of Mobile IP is described in RFC 2002 of the Network Working Group, C. Perkins, Ed., October 1996. Mobile IP is also described in the text xe2x80x9cMobile IP Unpluggedxe2x80x9d by J. Solomon, Prentice Hall. Both of these references are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties and for all purposes.
The Mobile IP process and environment are illustrated in FIG. 1. As shown there, a Mobile IP environment 2 includes the internet (or a WAN) 4 over which a Mobile Node 6 can communicate remotely via mediation by a Home Agent 8 and a Foreign Agent 10. Typically, the Home Agent and Foreign Agent are routers or other network connection devices performing appropriate Mobile IP functions as implemented by software, hardware, and/or firmware. A particular Mobile Node (e.g., a laptop computer) plugged into its home network segment connects with the internet through its designated Home Agent. When the Mobile Node roams, it communicates via the internet through an available Foreign Agent. Presumably, there are many Foreign Agents available at geographically disparate locations to allow wide spread internet connection via the Mobile IP protocol. Note that it is also possible for the Mobile Node to register directly with its Home Agent.
As shown in FIG. 1, Mobile Node 6 normally resides on (or is xe2x80x9cbased atxe2x80x9d) a network segment 12 which allows its network entities to communicate over the internet 4 through Home Agent 8 (an appropriately configured router denoted R2). Note that Home Agent 8 need not directly connect to the internet. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, it may be connected through another router (a router R1 in this case). Router R1 may, in turn, connect one or more other routers (e.g., a router R3) with the internet.
Now, suppose that Mobile Node 6 is removed from its home base network segment 12 and roams to a remote network segment 14. Network segment 14 may include various other nodes such as a PC 16. The nodes on network segment 14 communicate with the internet through a router which doubles as Foreign Agent 10.
Mobile Node 6 may identify Foreign Agent 10 through various solicitations and advertisements which form part of the Mobile IP protocol. When Mobile Node 6 engages with network segment 14, Foreign Agent 10 relays a registration request to Home Agent 8 (as indicated by the dotted line xe2x80x9cRegistrationxe2x80x9d). The Home and Foreign Agents may then negotiate the conditions of the Mobile Node""s attachment to Foreign Agent 10. For example, the attachment may be limited to a period of time, such as two hours. When the negotiation is successfully completed, Home Agent 8 updates an internal xe2x80x9cmobility binding tablexe2x80x9d which specifies the care-of address (e.g., a collocated care-of address or the Foreign Agent""s IP address) in association with the identity of Mobile Node 6. Further, the Foreign Agent 10 updates an internal xe2x80x9cvisitor tablexe2x80x9d which specifies the Mobile Node address, Home Agent address, etc. In effect, the Mobile Node""s home base IP address (associated with segment 12) has been shifted to the Foreign Agent""s IP address (associated with segment 14).
Now, suppose that Mobile Node 6 wishes to send a message to a corresponding node 18 from its new location. An output message from the Mobile Node is then packetized and forwarded through Foreign Agent 10 over the internet 4 and to corresponding node 18 (as indicated by the dotted line xe2x80x9cpacket from MNxe2x80x9d) according to a standard internet protocol. If corresponding node 18 wishes to send a message to Mobile Nodexe2x80x94whether in reply to a message from the Mobile Node or for any other reasonxe2x80x94it addresses that message to the IP address of Mobile Node 6 on sub-network 12. The packets of that message are then forwarded over the internet 4 and to router R1 and ultimately to Home Agent 8 as indicated by the dotted line (xe2x80x9cpacket to MN(1)xe2x80x9d). From its mobility binding table, Home Agent 8 recognizes that Mobile Node 6 is no longer attached to network segment 12. It then encapsulates the packets from corresponding node 18 (which are addressed to Mobile Node 6 on network segment 12) according to a Mobile IP protocol and forwards these encapsulated packets to a xe2x80x9ccare ofxe2x80x9d address for Mobile Node 6 as shown by the dotted line (xe2x80x9cpacket to MN(2)xe2x80x9d). The care-of address may be, for example, the IP address of Foreign Agent 10. Foreign Agent 10 then strips the encapsulation and forwards the message to Mobile Node 6 on sub-network 14. The packet forwarding mechanism implemented by the Home and Foreign Agents is often referred to as xe2x80x9ctunneling.xe2x80x9d
In today""s rapidly expanding economy, many businesses are increasing their work force considerably. With this expansion, these businesses may wish to provide most or all of these employees with access to the internet. At the same time, such businesses typically have a limited number of IP addresses for use by these employees. Therefore, it may be impossible to permanently assign an IP address to some or all of the mobile nodes used by these employees.
Although a business may not be able to permanently assign a unique IP address to each mobile node, each mobile node roaming to a Foreign Agent must be able to receive packets from corresponding nodes. As described above, the mobile node""s IP address (i.e., Home Address) is typically used to identify the mobile node. Thus, when messages are sent to a mobile node, they are sent to that mobile node""s IP address. In view of the above, it would be desirable if an IP address could be assigned temporarily to a mobile node on an as-needed basis.
The present invention provides methods and apparatus for assigning an IP address to a mobile node during registration. This may be accomplished by mapping a mobile node ID associated with the mobile node to the assigned IP address. In this manner, the mobile node may be properly identified during registration and the mobile node may use the assigned IP address upon completion of registration.
According to one aspect of the invention, a method of sending a registration request in a mobile node is provided. A mobile node ID associated with the mobile node is obtained. A registration request packet is then composed. The registration request packet stores at least a portion of the mobile node ID in the registration request packet. The registration request packet is then sent to a Home Agent associated with the mobile node.
According to another aspect of the invention, a method of processing a registration request packet received by a Home Agent from a mobile node is provided. The registration request packet is received from a mobile node. It is then ascertained whether the mobile node designated by the registration request packet needs an IP address. An IP address is then assigned to the mobile node if it is ascertained that the mobile node needs an IP address. A registration reply specifying the IP address assigned to the mobile node is then composed.
According to yet another aspect of the invention, a method of processing a registration reply packet received by a Foreign Agent from a Home Agent is disclosed. The registration reply packet is received from the Home Agent. The registration reply packet specifies at least a portion of a mobile node ID and an IP address associated with a mobile node. The portion of the mobile node ID and the IP address are then obtained from the registration reply packet. A visitor table is then updated with a mapping of the mobile node ID to the IP address associated with the mobile node. The registration reply packet is then sent to the mobile node.
The present invention may be used to temporarily assign an IP address to a mobile node on an as-needed basis. In this manner, a pool of IP addresses may be advantageously distributed to preserve the pool of IP addresses. Accordingly, the present invention permits an entity to economically utilize a limited number of IP addresses.

Mobile IP dynamic home address resolution


The present disclosure generally relates to methods of protecting the genomic integrity and/or biological activity of AAV viral particles in a sample containing both AAV particles and helper virus particles during heat inactivation. The methods include heating, to a temperature greater than or equal to 45° C., a sample containing helper virus particles, AAV particles, and a buffer. The buffer includes a concentration of 10 mM or greater kosmotropic salts and/or a concentration of 10 mM or greater of divalent or trivalent cations.

Adeno-associated virus (AAV) is a non-pathogenic, replication-defective parvovirus. AAV vectors have many unique features that make them attractive as vectors for gene therapy. In particular, AAV vectors can deliver therapeutic genes to dividing and non-dividing cells, and these genes can persist for extended periods without integrating into the genome of the targeted cell. However, in order to produce AAV vectors, helper virus functions must be provided, sometimes in the form of an active infectious virus such as adenovirus (AV). During the AAV vector purification process to isolate the therapeutic AAV vectors, helper virus particles must be inactivated. However, common methods of helper virus inactivation, for example, heat inactivation, can also result in the destruction or degradation of the AAV vector genome, decreasing the quality and quantity of AAV vector that can be recovered from the inactivation process. This is particularly true for larger AAV vector genomes. There is therefore a need in the art to develop methods of protecting the integrity of AAV vectors during the heat inactivation of helper virus.

Methods of heat inactivation of adenovirus


An optical network includes a fiber optic link and one or more distributed block filter pairs. A given block filter pair includes a first block filter and a second block filter disposed at disparate locations along the fiber optic link. The first block filter of a respective pair is a bi-directional device that redirects optical carriers within a particular block wavelength range onto or off of the fiber optic link depending on a direction of the optical signals. The second block filter of a respective pair also is a bi-directional device that redirects carriers within the particular block wavelength range onto or off of the fiber optic link depending on a direction of the optical signal. The block filter pairs enable bi-directional communications over the fiber optic link between corresponding nodes disposed at different locations along the fiber optic link. Since the wavelength range in a block includes multiple carriers in both directions, the wavelength range in its entirety can be connected to a single subtended fiber and transmitted a significant distance before the carriers are separated and provided individual ports for connection to equipment. This feature thus provides multi-wavelength fiber conservation not only in the main fiber line as in conventional multi-wavelength systems, but in the subtended fiber lines as well.

Early cable networks supported one-way broadcasting of television programs to subscribers. This was sufficient in the early days of television. Eventually, however, because the Internet has become so popular, subscribers now desire the ability to transmit as well as receive data over their network connections.
To accommodate subscribers' needs, conventional cable networks have evolved to enable subscribers to transmit more and more data in a reverse or upstream direction to a network. For example, via a device such as a cable modem, in addition to receiving data such as requested content for playback, a subscriber is now able to transmit data to remote locations over a network.
Because of inherent high bandwidth capability, fiber optic links are commonly used to convey data in both upstream and downstream directions. Expansion of fiber optic links and efficient use of such links can be challenging. In certain instances, bandwidth on installed conventional fiber optic links may be under-utilized.

Distributed optical block multiplexer topologies


To protect a password from leakage, it is necessary to change it frequently, which is troublesome and difficult to be done realistically. According to the present invention, an encrypted access code is stored in a transportable and nonvolatile memory on the part of a computer to be remotely accessed. When a user actually carries the nonvolatile memory to plug it into a computer remotely accessing, remote access is established between the computer to be remotely accessed and the computer remotely accessing.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a remote access system in a network using radio transmission, a remote access method, and a medium containing a remote access program
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, computers at remote sites have been accessed over networks. Because a computer is connected to a network, it is necessary to discourage unauthorized persons from accessing the computer. Conventionally, an access code (a password) is registered in advance with a remote computer. When the access code is inputted through a computer to be operated, the access code is sent to the remote computer, which determines whether or not to allow the access.
The disadvantage of a password is that it can leak out. A password as information that a person can memorize may leak out. Once it leaks out, unauthorized access can easily be made.
In order to prevent the risk of leakage, it is necessary to change the password frequently. However, it is troublesome and difficult to be done realistically.

Remote access system, remote access method, and medium containing remote access program


A method and system for generating multi-modal callback messages for a user of a wireless terminal connected to an access network. A multi-modal response is generated in response to a request for information with a multi-modal callback server. The multi-modal response is transmitted to the wireless terminal using the access network. A text-based response is included in the multi-modal response that includes a means for allowing a predetermined portion of the multi-modal response to be read aloud to the user of the wireless terminal or another message may be read aloud to the user.

Wireless communication devices have recently evolved from a technology used by an elite segment of the population to a technology that is used by the masses. Worldwide, the number of wireless communication device users has reached a staggering number and is growing all of the time. In the near future, it is envisioned that almost everyone will own or use some sort of wireless communication device that is capable of performing a variety of functions. In addition to traditional wireless communication devices, many different types of portable electronic devices are in use today. In particular, notebook computers, palm-top computers, and personal digital assistants (PDA) are commonplace.
Users of wireless telephones and other wireless devices have recently been able to place a phone call to an automated system to request information by speaking to a basic automated speech recognition system. The basic automated speech recognition system typically responds to the caller using text-to-speech and/or recorded speech prompts. This method of information delivery is cumbersome and challenging for the caller as well as very time consuming, thereby causing callers unnecessary frustration. In some cases, the system returns too much information and the caller must listen to the entire response in order to get the information they want. In other systems the caller must verbally navigate through a deep hierarchy of prompts to get to the specific piece of information they seek.
Wireless terminal users may receive services through their respective wireless terminals by calling an automated or operator-assisted service. These services may respond to the caller by allowing the user to navigate through a menu of items that are presented by the automated operator. With the advent of multi-modal messaging, users can now receive messages in a multiple variety of formats. However, some of these formats can more easily/effectively be comprehended in the form of human speech rather than text.
As such, a need exists for a method of enabling the caller to reply via text to the text message sent by the system in order to initiate a phone call to the wireless terminal during which the information in the message, or additional information, is read aloud to the caller.


A method for producing a layered structure in a multi-component process includes the steps of: generating a basic substrate composed of a transparent plastic, in particular of polycarbonate, in a first manufacturing step, and coating the basic substrate with a transparent resin layer, in particular composed of polyurethane, in a second manufacturing step.

The present invention relates to a method for producing a layered structure in a multi-component process.
In contemporary vehicle construction, efforts have been made for some time now to realize self-driven vehicles. In order to sense objects that are located in the vehicle surroundings, radar-based systems are used. Current radomes (coverings in front of the front radar of the vehicle) consist of a multi-shell construction, which is generally composed of at least two injection-molded parts that have to be joined together. The two individual parts are then joined (for example by adhesive bonding) to form an assembly which, in the final state, has to be of tight design with respect to the influence of media. In the case of these components, a heating device is attached to the rear side in the non-visible region and must then heat the front side of the component through two plastics shells and the air gap, which leads to increased energy consumption and/or poorer heating performance.
With regard to radar function, the current design of the radomes with a double-shell construction and an air gap between the two shells has dependencies on temperature, moisture, etc., for the detection of objects.
EP 2 640 609 B1 shows a radome of the generic type for vehicles.
Proceeding from this prior art, the invention has the object of providing a method for producing a layered structure that is particularly suitable for the use as a radome.
In order to achieve this object, the invention teaches a method for producing a layered structure in a multi-component process, having the steps of:                generating a basic substrate composed of a transparent plastic, in particular of polycarbonate, in a first manufacturing step, and        coating the basic substrate with a transparent resin layer, in particular composed of polyurethane, in a second manufacturing step. The transparent resin layer can in this case have self-healing properties. The resin layer preferably constitutes an outer side of the layered structure.
In the context of this application, a self-healing layer is a resin system which, in the case of scratches or spots, has a self-healing effect as a result of the action of heat or time, by way of which self-healing effect the scratches are closed again or spots disappear. This effect is produced, for example, by way of physical bonds (for example hydrogen bonds) in the resin layer, which are separated in the event of damage (for example scratches) and subsequently form back again as long as no material-removing damage takes place. This affords the advantage of increased scratch resistance, by way of which a consistently unrestricted function of the radar system is maintained, even in the event of stone chipping or similar loadings.
The wall thickness of the basic substrate in conjunction with the transparent resin layer can in this case be selected such that the wall thickness constitutes a multiple of the wavelength in the material for the radar-relevant frequency range. It is thus possible to generate an attenuation minimum for radar waves of a specific frequency. The resin layer can have a similar or identical radar transparency as the basic substrate in order to minimize reflections in the boundary layer. The resin layer can have a layer thickness in the range from 0.5 mm to 2.0 mm. The layer thickness of the resin layer preferably lies in a range from 0.5 mm to 1.0 mm for realization of a shorter cycle time and reduction of possible surface waviness. Compared with a double-shell design, the multi-layered component produced according to the method, in the use as a radome, provides an increased design freedom, a more favorable tolerance situation and improved radar and heating performance.
After the basic substrate has been generated, the basic substrate can remain in the production tool, with the coating of the basic substrate taking place while the basic substrate is located in the production tool. In this way, additional handling steps are omitted, which has a positive effect on quality, in particular in terms of tolerances, contaminants, damage.
A transparent heating film can be integrated between the basic substrate and the resin layer. The heating film can preferably be composed of the same basic material as the basic substrate which is generated in the first production step. This heating film has a predefined wire layout, the wires being deposited on the film surface and being at least partially sunk into the film, for example by means of vibration methods. If these wires, which have a defined electrical resistance, are energized, the heat required for heating the radome is generated. In this case, the wires are arranged such that the component surface is heated homogeneously over its entire area.
The heating film can be applied to a surface of the basic substrate prior to the coating operation of the basic substrate and can subsequently be covered over its entire area with the resin layer in a flooding process, the heating film being located so as to be completely embedded between the resin layer and the basic substrate after the coating operation. The resin layer in this case forms a front side of the layered component. As a result, optimized heating performance of the front component side is ensured and visible effects of the heating film on the visible component side are avoided.
Furthermore, a lacquer layer can be applied directly to a surface of the basic substrate, said surface facing away from the resin layer. The lacquer layer can have a defined radar transparency, which is preferably identical to the radar transparency of the basic substrate and/or of the resin layer, and is applied in layer thicknesses of 5 μm to 50 μm.
According to a first variant of the method, the lacquer layer can initially be applied over the entire area of that surface of the basic substrate which faces away from the resin layer, and can subsequently be removed at least in certain portions by means of laser ablation. The ablation of the lacquer layer can be effected both in portions in which the finished component has wall thickness variations and in portions with a constant wall thickness. The former is the case in particular in the regions in which a three-dimensional pattern is intended to be generated.
According to a second variant of the method, before a lacquer layer is applied, a mask can be applied to certain portions of a surface of the basic substrate, said surface facing away from the resin layer, the lacquer layer being applied to the mask in masked regions and being applied directly to the surface of the basic substrate in non-masked regions. Masked regions are provided in particular in the regions in which a two-dimensional or three-dimensional pattern is intended to be generated.
According to a third variant of the method, a lacquer layer can be applied at least to one of the sides of the basic substrate, said sides facing away from the resin layer, by means of a printing method, in particular by means of inkjet printing, digital printing, screen printing, the lacquer layer being applied to only certain portions of the surface of the basic substrate and regions with lacquer layer and regions without lacquer layer thereby being produced on this surface. As a result, the rear side of the basic substrate is selectively coated, and a desired pattern is generated directly during the application of the first color. As a result, selective layer ablation by means of laser is no longer necessary. Regions without lacquer layer are provided in particular at points where a two-dimensional or three-dimensional pattern is intended to be generated.
According to a fourth variant, for generation of the first color layer, the lacquer layer can be generated by application of a hot-stamping film. It is necessary for the layer thickness and the material selection of the hot-stamping film to be selected so as to be optimized for the radar performance of the entire component.
According to a fifth variant, for generation of the first color layer, a printed or coated film can be back-molded, directly during the production of the basic substrate, onto the component surface lying opposite the additional resin layer. Here, prior to the generation of the basic substrate, the printed or coated color layer is introduced into the production tool in which the basic substrate is generated. Thereafter, the printed or coated film is back-molded with the basic substrate material. In this way, it is likewise possible for a two-dimensional or three-dimensional pattern to be generated.
Furthermore, after the lacquer layer has been generated, a transparent adhesion-promoter layer can be applied to the lacquer layer, in particular in a layer thickness of 5 μm to 50 μm. The adhesion-promoter layer serves to improve the adhesion of the subsequent decorative layer, and can be implemented either with or without matting agents in order to influence the visual effect of the subsequent decorative layer, for example high gloss or silk-matt effect. The composition and layer thickness of the transparent adhesion-promoter layer are also optimized with regard to radar transparency.
A decorative layer composed of a semiconductor or composed of a semiconductor in combination with a conductor can be applied to the transparent adhesion-promoter layer by means of physical vapor deposition, in particular by means of sputtering. A coating by means of chemical vapor deposition is also possible. This decorative layer provides a metallic appearance of the second color and is at the same time radar-transparent. The layer thickness of this decorative layer is between 10 nm and 300 nm, preferably between 15 nm and 80 nm, for a cost-effective representation of the target colors. The layer is generated from silicon, germanium, boron, selenium, tellurium, arsenic, antimony or from mixtures of these elements. Furthermore, for representation of a desired color of the decorative layer, a small amount of a metal, in particular chromium, can be added to the sputtered-on semiconductor material. In order to guarantee radar transparency, this proportion should not exceed a proportion of 10% by volume.
A non-transparent topcoat can be applied to the decorative layer by means of spraying methods. The topcoat can have a layer thickness of 5 μm to 150 μm and can be radar-transparent in such a way that its layer thickness is likewise optimized for the radar performance. This topcoat is a final layer and is at the same used to seal the rear side of the component. The topcoat protects the rest of the layers against environmental influences, and also protects against undesired shining through/illumination of the component from the rear side. If such shining through or illumination is desired, this topcoat can correspondingly be of transparent design.
Furthermore, the end-side surfaces of the basic substrate which is provided with one or more layers can be sealed with a resin.
Instead of the coating of the adhesion-promotor layer in combination with the decorative sputter layer and the final topcoat, a further decorative lacquer layer or a print in the second color can be applied in order to generate the second color. It is to be ensured in this case that the second color is radar-transparent and adheres sufficiently to the layer lying beneath it.
With suitable selection of the second color layer, it is potentially possible for the adhesion-promoter layer and/or a final topcoat to be dispensed with.
In a further aspect, the invention relates to a layered structure having a basic substrate composed of a transparent plastic, in particular of polycarbonate, and a coating composed of a transparent resin layer, in particular of polyurethane, on the basic substrate.
A transparent heating film can be integrated between the basic substrate and the resin layer.
Furthermore, the heating film can be covered over its entire area with the resin layer, the heating film being completely embedded between the resin layer and the basic substrate.
Furthermore, a lacquer layer can be provided directly on a surface of the basic substrate, said surface facing away from the resin layer.
A transparent adhesion-promoter layer can be provided on the lacquer layer, in particular in a layer thickness of 5 μm to 50 μm.
A decorative layer composed of a semiconductor can be applied to the transparent adhesion-promoter layer by means of physical vapor deposition, in particular by means of sputtering.
A non-transparent topcoat can be applied to the decorative layer by means of spraying methods.
The end-side surfaces of the basic substrate, which is provided with one or more layers, including the basic substrate, are sealed with a resin.
The advantages of the invention will be summarized below. Advantages that are mentioned with respect to the method also apply for the layered structure, and vice versa.
The production of a layered structure in a multi-component process makes it possible to generate a multi-layered component which is used as a front kidney grille or a front grille with an integrated radome function. As a result of this design, the component can be used to ensure a significantly better radar functionality with simultaneous optimization of the heating function. In addition thereto, a separate component is saved, a unique 3D effect is generated, and a particular design with a depth effect is made possible. A variation of the patterns, and also a customization, is made possible by the selective ablation of the first lacquer layer. With this method, a radome can be integrated in a complete front grille/a front kidney grille of a vehicle, and thus a seamless visual appearance can be represented. A reduction of joins on the outer skin of the vehicle also improves the aerodynamic properties of the vehicle and also reduces the fuel consumption. All of the layers are in each case optimized with respect to layer thickness for the best radar transparency and generate, in the overall assembly, a sufficient adhesion over the entire service life of the vehicle. The production method of the basic substrate is in this case selected such that it is not possible to identify the component separation of the film, with the size of the integrated film being smaller than the complete component. In the region of the radar viewing field, the finished blank (basic substrate, resin layer and heating device) has a constant wall thickness. Outside of the radar viewing field, this design can be used to vary the rear-side wall thickness of the plastics component such that patterns with a 3D depth effect are produced which, on account of the plastics technology-related design and the resin layer on the outer side, do not lead to impairment of the class A surface of the component. The wall thickness of the basic substrate can be varied in dependence on the starting wall thickness, for example a wall thickness variation of up to 3.0 mm in the case of a starting wall thickness of 5.2 mm. The wall thickness of the resin layer on the front side of the component must in this case be selected such that it is at least 0.5 mm. As a result of this wall thickness, on the one hand, it is possible for shrinkage effects to be concealed, and, on the other hand, the resin layer is selected such that, in the case of scratches or spots, it has a self-healing effect as a result of the action of heat or time.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of one or more preferred embodiments when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawing.

Method for producing a layered structure in a multi-component process

Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft


A fishing line guide mechanism for a spinning reel includes a bail arm that has a bail, a first bail arm support member and a line roller. The line roller has a guide portion and a flange portion that extends radially outward from an end of the guide portion. The first bail arm support member includes an annular first projecting portion that projects from the first bail support member. The flange portion covers an outer periphery of the annular first projecting portion. The fishing line guide mechanism prevents fishing line from falling between the line roller and the first bail support member to prevent the fishing line from being damaged or cut.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a mechanism for guiding fishing line. More specifically, the present invention relates to a mechanism for guiding fishing line onto a spool which is mounted to ends of a first and a second rotor arm and is pivoted between a line-guiding position and a line-release position.
2. Background Information
A spinning reel is provided with a fishing line guide mechanism that guides fishing line onto a spool. The fishing line guide mechanism is mounted to the front ends of first and second rotor arms. The fishing line guide mechanism rotates together with the rotor and is pivotably arranged between a line-releasing posture and a line-guiding posture. The fishing line guide mechanism includes first and second bail support members, a fixed shaft, a fixed shaft cover, a bail and a line roller. An end of the fixed shaft is fastened to a front end of the first bail support member. The fixed shaft cover is fastened to another end of the fixed shaft. The fixed shaft supports the line roller. One end of the bail is inserted into the fixed shaft cover and non-rotatably fastened to the fixed shaft. The other end of the bail is attached to a front end of the second bail support member.
When winding fishing line onto a spool with a spinning reel having the above fishing line guide mechanism, the bail is pivoted into the line-guiding posture and the handle is rotated. When this occurs, the fishing line is led by the bail and guided to contact the outer peripheral surface of the line roller. Then, guided by the line roller, the direction of the fishing line is changed, and the fishing line is wound around an outer periphery of the spool.
With this type of fishing line guide mechanism, in order to prevent the line from falling between the end of the line roller and the first bail support member, it is known to provide a projecting portion that annularly projects on the side facing the fixed shaft cover of the first bail support member. The projecting portion covers the end of the line roller by the inner peripheral portion of the projecting portion. (See, for example, Japanese Publication No. H8-308444.)
With the conventional fishing line guide mechanism described above, the end of the line roller is covered by the projecting portion of the first bail support member, and thus the fishing line can be prevented from entering into the gap between the end of the line roller and the first bail support member. However, when the drag is applied and the fishing line is pulled with a strong force, the fishing line, while being released, will come into contact with the projecting portion via the line roller. Thus, when the fishing line comes into contact with the projecting portion while being released, the fishing line will rub against the projecting portion and the fishing line may be damaged or cut.
In view of the above, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure that there exists a need for an improved fishing line guide mechanism that prevents fishing line from being damaged or cut. This invention addresses this need in the art as well as other needs, which will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure.

Fishing line guide mechanism for a spinning reel


In one embodiment of the present invention, data, such as video signal data, for example, for a next desired frame is first modulated or varied to facilitate a transition from a current frame to a next desired frame. A modulation processing section can be used, for example, to thus produce a corrected video signal to facilitate the current-to-next desired grayscale level transition. Thereafter, spatial filtering is then carried on the corrected video signal, using a spatial filtering section for example. As such, high frequency components in a spatial domain may be reduced, even after the spatial frequencies of an ordinary video signal and potentially those of noise have been scaled up. Therefore, undesirable noise-caused display quality degradation can be reduced or even prevented, while pixel response speed as a result of the facilitation of grayscale level transition is increased.

Liquid crystal displays with relatively low operating power are in widespread use not only in mobile devices but also in stationary types. In comparison to the CRT (Cathode-Ray Tube) and the like, the liquid crystal display is slow to respond and may fail to completely respond within a rewrite time (16.7 msec) which corresponds to a typical frame frequency (60 Hz) depending on grayscale level. The issue is addressed in, for example, Japanese published unexamined patent application 2002-116743 (Tokukai 2002-116743; published Apr. 19, 2002) by driving the LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) with a drive signal modulated for a quick transition from a current to a desired grayscale level.
For example, supposing that a grayscale level transition from a current frame FR(k−1) to a next or desired frame FR(k) requires a "rise" drive, a voltage is applied to a pixel in such a manner to facilitate a transition from the current grayscale level to a desired grayscale level. Specifically, a voltage applied to the pixel is higher than that represented by video data D(i,j,k) for the next frame FR(k).
In the grayscale level transition, the application of the voltage increases the brightness level of the pixel more quickly and takes less time to raise it to proximity to the brightness level indicated in the video data D(i,j,k) for the next frame FR(k) than the faithful application of an exact voltage represented by the video data D(i,j,k) for the next frame FR(k). Thus, the liquid crystal display will have an improved response speed despite the use of slow-responding liquid crystal.
In conventional arrangements, however, noise in a video signal may enhance a grayscale level transition and produce an undesirable video output. Meanwhile, if grayscale level transition facilitation is restrained to prevent display quality from being degraded due to the noise, the response speed of the pixel may slow down.

Display drive method, display, and program therefor


A mobile shredder comprises a truck having a truck body defining an enclosure and including a partition in the enclosure that divides a storage volume from the remainder of the enclosure for storage of shredded material in the storage volume, a single-shaft rotary shredder mounted in the enclosure outside the storage volume, the rotary shredder comprising a rotor having cutters rigidly mounted thereon, a bin lift and dump mechanism operable to transport material to be shredded from outside to inside the enclosure so as to deliver material to the rotary shredder, and a discharge conveyor operable to transport shredded material from the rotary shredder through the partition to the storage volume. The floor of the storage volume can comprise a walking floor, and the enclosure can have rear doors that are openable to allow shredded material to be discharged through the open rear doors when the walking floor is operated.

The present invention relates to mobile shredders for shredding documents and other materials at customer sites.
With the increasing incidence of identity theft and other misuse of private or proprietary information, the desirability and necessity of protecting such information is becoming increasingly important. In recent years, laws have been passed in various jurisdictions regulating the use and protection by businesses, health care providers, and other entities, of sensitive or private information on customers, patients, and the like. At the federal level in the United States, the HIPAA and Gramm-Leach-Bliley laws require specific measures, such as document shredding, in order to comply with the laws' provisions for protecting certain designated types of information.
Discarding of sensitive documents in an unshredded state is risky because identity thieves, investigative journalists, and other unscrupulous individuals often engage in "dumpster diving" to retrieve documents from trash dumpsters or garbage cans. Accordingly, the demand for document shredding has surged. For entities having a small amount of documents requiring shredding, personal-sized shredders that are purchased or leased may be adequate. However, for many businesses and other organizations, the large volume of documents and other materials to be shredded makes such an approach impractical. Accordingly, document-shredding service providers have arisen to meet the increasing demand for large-volume shredding.
In the early history of document-shredding services, typically the documents to be shredded were picked up by the service provider and transported to a central facility for shredding. This form of shredding service still represents the prevalent one today. Central document shredding certainly can accomplish its intended purpose, if carried out properly. The drawbacks to central shredding include the necessity of strictly safeguarding the documents against theft or unauthorized access throughout the entire chain of custody from the time the documents are picked up from the customer to the time they are shredded, the necessity of properly documenting the chain of custody and the measures taken to safeguard the documents, and the fact that the users cannot independently verify that the documents were in fact shredded. This latter factor can give rise to a general sense of unease among some users of central shredding services.
Consequently, there is now a trend toward on-site document shredding using mobile shredders. A mobile shredder generally consists of a truck having a shredder mounted therein, and a storage volume for storing the shredded material. Typically, the users place the materials to be shredded in bins or "toters" that usually have wheels for rolling the bins to a location for pickup, such as a curbside location on a street. Mobile shredders typically have some type of bin lift and dump mechanism, such as those commonly employed on garbage collection trucks, for lifting the bins and emptying them into the shredder.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


An isolation housing is used to isolate a sensor, such as a hydrophone, f pressure fluctuations or other adverse conditions caused by fluid flow in a fluid environment. The isolation housing includes a cap portion that receives the sensor and fluid from the fluid environment. The isolation housing further includes a mounting portion that mounts the housing to a structure disposed in the fluid environment. When the sensor is a hydrophone, the cap portion is made from a material having an acoustic impedance that matches the surrounding fluid environment. The cap portion further includes one or more apertures allowing gas bubbles to escape from within the cap portion. The isolation housing further includes a retaining device, such as a resilient member, that retains the sensor centrally within the cap portion and isolates the sensor from structural vibrations or other adverse effects caused by the structure.

(1). Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an isolated sensing device and in particular, to a flow noise isolation housing for isolating flow noise from a hydrophone.
(2). Description of the Prior Art
The measurement of underwater sound is of increasing interest, particularly in underwater direction and range finding equipment (e.g., sonar). Sound is created in a water environment by a source of acoustic energy that generates an acoustic pressure field in the water. The sound pressure level is typically measured with pressure measuring or sensing devices, such as underwater microphones or hydrophones.
One difficulty with underwater measurements of a sound pressure level is the adverse affect of fluid flow noise on the sound measurement by a hydrophone. When fluid flows over the hydrophone, pressure fluctuations caused by the flow are sensed in addition to the acoustic pressures generated by the acoustic energy source. The resulting sound pressure level measurements are distorted and unclear as a result of the affect of the non-acoustic pressure fluctuations or "flow noise" caused by the flowing fluid, similar to the effect created by blowing over a microphone. Existing hydrophones do not accurately measure acoustic pressure or sound in an underwater environment because this flow noise is not effectively isolated from the hydrophone.

Isolated sensing device having an isolation housing

The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy


A construction method for installing underground pipes for high-tension cables uses a trough. The method includes the steps of forming an excavation trench by excavating the ground, installing the trough on the bottom of the excavation trench, pouring sand into the space section, placing the underground pipes on the sand, pouring again the sand onto the underground pipes, filling a gap formed between the trough and the excavation trench using sand and gravel, forming an upper protecting member on the trough, and performing surface treatment by using road pavement materials.

(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a construction method for installing underground pipes for high-tension cables by using a trough, capable of installing high-tension cables by excavating the ground. More particularly, the present invention relates to a construction method for installing underground pipe for high-tension cables by using a trough, which can reduce the construction cost by omitting installation work for temporal structures, can improve working efficiency by shortening the period of construction, can facilitate repair and maintenance work while preventing the underground pipes used for installing the high-tension cables from being broken, and can enable stable construction work for other facilities.
(b) Description of the Related Art
In general, a sand placing scheme is mainly used to install underground pipes.
FIGS. 1 and 2 are views showing underground pipes 1 installed through the sand placing scheme. Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, an excavation trench is formed by performing excavation work such that inclined surfaces are formed at left and light sides of the excavation trench at a predetermined angle and a predetermined depth. Then, H beams 3a are installed at a predetermined interval to prevent an accident caused by the landslide occurring at both sides of the excavation trench and to protect the underground pipes 1 used for installing high-tension cables therein. In addition, transverse plates 3b are provided between the H beams 3a, thereby establishing a temporal structure 3.
Then, the underground pipes 1, which are used for installing the high-tension cable, are installed on the bottom of the excavation trench by alternately placing the underground pipes 1 and sand s. After that, concrete 130 is casted onto the underground pipes 1 and then the temporal structure 3 is removed.
If the underground pipes are installed through the sand placing scheme, the construction cost can be reduced. However, since the concrete is casted onto the underground pipes after pure sand is placed together with the underground pipes, strength of the construction may be remarkably lowered. In addition, when other facilities are installed in the vicinity of the underground pipes, sand is collapsed at the side of the excavation trench, so that the underground pipes are easily damaged.
In order to overcome the above problem, a concrete casting scheme is recently used to install the underground pipes. According to the concrete casting scheme, after forming the excavation trench using an excavator and installing the temporal structures, a form is installed in the excavation trench, a cable is installed in the form, and concrete is casted into the form.
However, although the concrete casting scheme can improve strength of construction as compared with the sand placing scheme, the construction cost may be increased. In addition, since the temporal structures must be uniformly installed over the whole construction area due to the concrete casting, the cost for installing the temporal structures may be increased and labor force is wasted, so that working efficiency is lowered.
In addition, it takes much time to cure the concrete in the form, so the working efficiency is remarkably lowered and repair work is very difficult.
Further, the construction cost is also increased due to concrete casting work.

Construction method for installing underground pipes for high-tension cables by using trough


Various systems to achieve data resiliency in a shared memory pool are presented. Multiple memory modules are associated with multiple data interfaces, one or multiple erasure-coding interfaces are communicatively connected with the multiple data interfaces, and multiple compute elements are communicatively connected with one or multiple erasure-coding interfaces. Data sets are erasure-coded, and the resulting fragments are stored in random access memory modules distributed throughout the system. Storage in RAM allows real-time fetching of fragments using random-access read cycles and streaming of fragments using random-access write cycles, in which read operations include reconstruction of data sets from fetched data fragments, and write operations allow conversion of data sets into fragments which are then streamed and distributively stored. Distributed memory creates data resiliency to reconstruct original data sets in cases such as data corruption, failure of a memory module, failure of a data interface, or failure of a compute element.

In a data processing system with multiple compute elements, one of the keys to high-quality performance is the provision of data resiliency in events such as loss or corruption of data, malfunction or destruction of software components, and malfunction or destruction of compute elements, data interfaces, memory modules, servers, and other physical elements of the system. However, constraints of speed and cost have impacted negatively on the provision of data resiliency. Needed are systems that maximize data resiliency without compromising speed and latency of memory transactions.


A navigation device for brachytherapy is provided. The navigation device has a 3D imaging facility which can be moved relative to an operating table, and which is designed to obtain a 3D image dataset intraoperatively for a region of the body of a patient positioned on the operating table which is to be irradiated radioactively using at least one applicator. The navigation device has a control facility which is linked to the imaging facility and is designed to generate a volume model of the region of the body, in which volume model the at least one applicator is emulated in the position indicated by the position data, from the 3D image dataset and from position data for a spatial position of the at least one applicator.

Brachytherapy is a minimally invasive method of irradiating a tumor (e.g. a prostate carcinoma, a cervical carcinoma, a breast carcinoma or a laryngeal carcinoma) using internal radiotherapy, i.e. introducing a radioactive material into the immediate vicinity of the tumor or into the tumor in order to destroy it by radioactive irradiation. To do this, what are known as "applicators" are introduced into the body near to or directly into the tumor. Such an applicator can for example comprise a puncture needle which can for example be 20 cm long and 5 mm in diameter. Using such an applicator the radioactive material, the actual radioactive radiation source, can be introduced in the form of a "seed". The radiation sources introduced can remain in the body temporarily or for a longer time.
To be able to determine the precise position of an applicator for brachytherapy, computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance tomography (MRT) of the region of the body to be irradiated has until now been performed before the intervention. Using a 3D image dataset obtained in this way the precise dose distribution in the target region is calculated on an irradiation planning system. A 3D image dataset can for example indicate a property of the tissue for individual volume elements of a region of the body, such as penetrability for X-rays in the case of computed tomography. Based on the ideal dose distribution on/in the tumor the number and positions of the applicators to be introduced is then determined.
This dose planning and the acquisition of the necessary radioactive material is followed by the brachytherapy itself. To this end the patient is sedated in the sterile environment of an operating room and is put into the right position for the operation. This procedure is referred to below as positioning. The applicators are then inserted. To monitor the change in position of the applicators during the operation when they are introduced into the region of the body to be radioactively irradiated, conventional 2D fluoroscopy is performed during the operation using an X-ray unit. However, because the X-ray images to be obtained only convey a two-dimensional impression and have a relatively poor soft-tissue contrast, it is not possible to determine the precise position of the applicators in this way. Following the implantation of the applicators the patient is taken out of the sterile operating room into a computed tomography system and moved into another bed there, and the position of applicators in the region of the body is checked using computed tomography. If the applicators are not at the target position calculated using dose planning, the patient is returned to the operating room and the position of the applicators is corrected. This procedure must be repeated until the position of the applicators is correct, i.e. corresponds to the desired target position.
This repositioning may cause the applicators to be displaced, which represents a source of risk for the health of the patient, as he may suffer internal injuries. In addition, a change of location from a sterile to a non-sterile environment and back entails a large risk of infection. Time and cost are also important factors during the multiple repositioning, transportation and sterilization in whether brachytherapy can be provided cost-effectively in a hospital. Furthermore, the patient is exposed less radiation dose because of the correct position of the radiation source.
Once the position of the applicators has been successfully validated, the internal irradiation can proceed with the help of the seeds. For this the patient is taken into an irradiation room, also called the afterloading room. A check on the dose administered can generally not be measured, but it is calculated via the radiation intensity of the seed and its dwell time in the applicator. The afterloading device is likewise fed the patient's irradiation data using the dose planning system. The seed or seeds are introduced in motor-driven fashion via tubes into the applicators and remain there as long as was previously calculated in the planning. This data has until now been entered manually. The radiation source can then be moved to a different position in an applicator and remain there or else be introduced into another applicator.
In brachytherapy a very precise way of working and precise position determination play a crucial role. Otherwise the soft tissue surrounding the tumor may be damaged by the radioactive irradiation. On the other hand, it is not possible to check the position of the applicators frequently during the implantation. The risk of infection during repositioning for the recordings in the computed tomography system and the increasing X-ray dose with every examination in the operating room by an X-ray unit are undesirable.

Navigation device for brachytherapy and method for operating the navigation device