An apparatus, and a corresponding method, are used for seeding differences in lock stepped processors, the apparatus implemented on two or more processors operating in a lock step mode. Each of the two or more processors comprise a processor-specific resource operable to seed the differences, a processor logic to execute a code sequence, in which an identical code sequence is executed by the processor logic of each of the two or more processors, and an output to provide a result of execution of the code sequence. The processor outputs, based on execution of the code sequence is provided to a lock step logic operable to read and compare the output of each of the two or more processors.

Advanced computer architectures may employ multiple processors. Some advanced computer architectures may employ multiple microprocessors on one silicon chip. In a typical application, two microprocessors may be implemented on a single silicon chip, and the implementation may be referred to as a dual core processor. Two or more of the multiple microprocessors may operate in a lock step mode, meaning that each of the lock stepped microprocessors process the same code sequences, and should, therefore, produce identical outputs. FIG. 1A illustrates a typical implementation of a dual core processor. A dual core processor 10 includes a silicon chip 11 having microprocessor core 12 (core 0) and microprocessor core 14 (core 1). The microprocessor cores 12 and 14 are coupled to an interface logic 16 that monitors external communications from the microprocessor cores 12 and 14. In the dual core processor 10, the microprocessor cores 12 and 14 operate as independent entities. While the dual core processor 10 has advantages in terms of size and processing speed, the reliability of the dual core processor 10 is no better than that of two single core processors.
To enhance reliability, the dual core processor, or other multiple microprocessor architected computer systems, may employ lock step features. FIG. 1B is a diagram of a prior art dual core processor that uses lock step techniques to improve overall reliability. In FIG. 1B, a computer system 18 includes a dual core processor 20 having a single silicon chip 21, on which are implemented microprocessor core 22 and microprocessor core 24. To employ lock step, each of the microprocessor cores 22 and 24 process the same code streams. To ensure reliable operation of the dual core processor 20, each of the microprocessors 22 and 24 may operate in "lock step." An event that causes a loss of lock step can occur on either or both of the microprocessor cores 22 and 24. An example of such an event is a data cache error. A loss of lock step, if not promptly corrected, may cause the computer system 18 to "crash." That is, a failure of one microprocessor core may halt processing of the dual core processor 20, and the computer system 18, even if the other microprocessor core does not encounter an error.
To detect a loss of lock step, a lock step logic 26, which may be external to the chip 21, compares outputs from the microprocessor cores 22 and 24. An error in processing may be detected by the lock step logic 26 and indicates a loss of lock step.
To ensure timely and accurate identification of lock step errors, and to ensure proper execution of lock step functions, a system (or test) designer may desire to test the dual core processor 20. However, the system designer must first accurately induce a difference between the microprocessor cores 22 and 24, and then let the difference propagate through the microprocessor cores 22 and 24 to the lock step logic 26, where the lock step error can be detected.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method and apparatus for seeding differences in lock-stepped processors

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


A structure for a vehicle, includes: one side structure made of steel and located on one of outer and inner sides of a vehicle body; and another side structure located on the other of the outer and inner sides of the vehicle body and joined to the one side structure. The another side structure includes: a top portion made of an aluminum alloy and protruding toward the other side; wall portions respectively extending from both end parts of the top portion to the one side, each wall portion being made of an aluminum alloy; and a tab portion attached to an end part of the wall portion, extending toward an outside of the another side structure, and joined to the one side structure, the tab portion being made of steel.

As is well known, many structures used in automobiles have been recently required to have a shock energy absorption property against collision of vehicle bodies, as well as stiffness and strength, which are basic properties.
JP 2006-248461 A discloses a structure for an automobile designed as a structure with excellent shock energy absorption property and in which an aluminum alloy hollow member for reinforcement is disposed between a steel outer structure and a steel inner structure.


A method, apparatus and computer program product are provided for electronic transactions based on a reply message. In the context of a computer executed method, the method includes receiving a message, from a sender device, including a reply to buy (RTB) identifier associated with a promotion and a RTB validation code. The method also includes authenticating, using a promotion and marketing service host, the RTB validation code, associating the message from the sender with a recipient identifier, and causing the transmission of a purchase order message to the recipient device based on the RTB identifier.

Each month it is estimated that there are 1.6 million monthly cart abandonments on electronic transactions. At least a portion of these cart abandonments may be attributable to the level of user interaction required to complete the transaction. In some electronic message transactions, a consumer may be required to select a link or other activation component to open a secondary application, such as a web browser, to complete the transaction. In such cases, the consumer may be required to input purchasing information, such as name, address, payment information, or the like. The purchase information then may be sent by the secondary application to a processor server to complete the transaction. These message based electronic transactions require significant user interaction to complete the transaction.

Method and apparatus for electronic transactions based on a reply message


An abrasive article including a bonded abrasive body having a bond material made of a vitrified material, abrasive particles comprising a first type of superabrasive material contained in the bond material, a porosity of at least about 50 vol % of the total volume of the bonded abrasive body, and a ΔCTE of not greater than about 5.5 ppm/° C., wherein ΔCTE is defined as a difference between a CTE of the bond material and a CTE of the abrasive particles.

1. Field of the Disclosure
The following is directed to abrasive articles, and more particularly bonded abrasive articles having a particularly high amount of porosity.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the production of electronic devices, the back surface of a semiconductor wafer having a plurality of circuits such as IC's and LSI's is ground to a predetermined thickness by a grinding machine before it is divided into individual chips. To grind the back surface of the semiconductor wafer efficiently, a grinding machine equipped with a rough grinding unit and a finish grinding unit is generally used. Generally, the article utilize to conduct the rough grinding process is a bonded abrasive body or bond grindstone, which is obtained by bonding together diamond abrasive grains having a relatively large size with a vitrified bond or metal bond material. A resin bond grindstone having diamond abrasive grains of a median particle size of 2 microns or more contained in a resin bond is typically used for finish grinding operations. Smaller sizes of diamonds generally cannot be utilized in resin bonded articles.
In some cases, the content of the inorganic bonding agent is made relatively high for increasing a grade of the vitrified grindstone and also a degree of strength with which the inorganic bonding agent holds the abrasive grains together. However, such grindstones are not completely satisfactory, having reduced porosity, which can result in difficult or insufficient fracturing and removal of used abrasive grains, leading to relatively easy glazing or clogging of the surface of the vitrified grindstone, chipping of the abrasive structure, poor dressability of the grindstone, and other drawbacks.
The formation of high-porosity grindstones has been disclosed. Generally, high-porosity grindstone bodies are accomplished by the use of foaming agents during forming, which create bubbles and thus porosity in the finally-formed abrasive product.
Still, the industry continues to demand improved grindstone materials, capable of achieving improved grinding performance.

Abrasive articles and method of forming same


A cover for an article of furniture such as an umbrella table assembly or a chaise lounge, provides improved drainage. A portion of the cover associated with an umbrella pole is releasably secured to the pole and maintained in elevated position by the pole to provide a tent-like structure, which includes an annular peripheral skirt depending below the table top. Releasable fasteners for securing a cover to an article secure the cover on the article after the cover has been positioned on the article. The cover extends from the elevated portion at a first angle towards the table top. The cover is manufactured to provide surfaces that are inclined at an angle greater than the first angle when the cover is installed, so that the cover better sheds water and other debris.

The present invention relates generally to furniture covers, and relates more particularly to improved in covers for covering casual or outdoor furniture.
The present invention is particularly concerned with improvements in covers and covering methods for porch and patio furniture, such as umbrella tables, chairs and chaise lounges. Such outdoor furniture is produced by a large number of manufactures in a wide variety of designs.
Ready-made covers for such furniture generally lack the adaptability required to enable satisfactory performance with a wide range of furniture designs. Consequently, covers have been developed that adapt to enable satisfactory performance with such range of furniture designs, such as the covers described and claimed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,582,115 entitled "Outdoor Furniture Covers and Covering Methods", which is expressly incorporated by reference herein. The disadvantages of previous ready-made covers are described in and overcome by covers and methods set forth in the above referenced patent, which also discusses the advantages provided by the novel covers and methods of the '115 patent.
When installed, the covers of the '115 patent extend from an elevated portion of the article or articles of furniture to be covered, such as from an umbrella pole of an umbrella table assembly or a raised, back portion of a chair, down towards a lower portion of the furniture, such as the periphery of an umbrella table or a seat or foot of a chair. The covers are designed so that, when peripheral portions of the cover are installed at specified mounting points on the article to be covered, the cover is tensioned over the article being covered. Since the fabric is light weight, a cover which has been fitted to and mounted in tension on the article extends generally in a straight line down from the elevated portion to the lower portion, and may not be inclined sufficiently to shed all water and other debris which comes to rest on the cover.
Where the cover is positioned over an article, the '115 patent also suggests a method for forming drainage troughs by pinching the covers between two chairs. However, the cover may be displayed relative to the article being covered if the cover is loaded, for example by wind, wet leaves, snow or other debris, and consequently the troughs are lost.
The present invention is concerned with the above-mentioned general problems. Accordingly, it is the general object of the present invention to provide an improved durable lightweight furniture cover which automatically forms drainage troughs when mounted on an article to be covered, and which avoids the problems discussed above.

Fitted furniture covers having built-in drainage troughs


A toilet that does not require water but suctioned air for use. Which may preferably be operated by two 12 VDC batteries which may be used at home or which may be used at campers, parks, rental facilities, civilian or military vehicles on land, sea or air, etc. Having an air suction device and biodegradable bags for catching such human waste and a method for disposing of said bags. Such toilet has an air suction device that can be attached or detached from body of toilet.

1. Technical Field
This application relates to a toilet that does not require water, but suctioned air for use; which may be fixed to replace existing toilets at home, or which may be portable such as those used in industrial or recreation sites or those used by rental industries. This application further relates to a toilet that uses an air suction device for waste removal and waste bags made of biodegradable materials to catch and to dispose of such human waste bags. It also relates to a toilet that operates by a solar energy system composed of a solar panel, and two 12 VDC batteries.
2. Background of Invention
Water conservation has become a mayor environmental issue in the past few decades. Everyday, humans use millions of gallons of water, a good deal of which is flushed down toilets. Human beings are therefore needlessly wasting one of our planet's most precious resources. Water is necessary to sustain all life on the planet, yet we use so much of it to dispose of our own waste.
Further, many countries in this world do not have access to running water. People in these countries are forced to dispose of their waste in the same areas that they must also live. Most of the world's rural population has no piped water supply and must rely upon pit latrines for sewage disposal. Pit latrines are holes in the ground which are sited, usually at some distance, away from a residence. When a latrine's capacity has been reached, it is abandoned and a new pit is dug at another site. Latrines provide no sewage treatment and rely upon soakage into the earth for the dispersal of liquids. As the population generally relies on shallow wells or surface water for drinking purposes, there is the ever present risk of disease spreading from contaminated water throughout the community.
In addition to the above, there are some instances where running water simply isn't available. For instance, water is typically not available at a campground or a portable toilet, which are set up at various locations, such as at construction sites or public parks. It would therefore be advantageous for all of the above situations to have a toilet that does not require the use of running water, and which is easily and conveniently maintained and is also friendly to the environment.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,052,218, entitled "Waterless toilet", teaches a waterless toilet that ensures operation with no need for the user to seal a used container, remove it, and insert a new one. The invention is intended to operate automatically by means of appropriate drive mechanisms and components and to provide each user with a ready-to-use and hygienic toilet. It is therefore not meant to be portable.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,887,290, entitled "Waterless toilet system", teaches a waterless toilet that uses a motor-driven crushing and separating machine designed to cut bags and waste matter into pieces, and separate solid matter from water.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,177,819, entitled "Waterless toilet with containers with lids for waste" also teaches a waterless toilet, but offers no methods of disposal of used waste bags.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,285,719, entitled "Organic material recycling method and device" teaches a method and device for disposing of human waste or other types of refuse. Once disposed of into a tank, the waste is then broken down by several means including the use of bacteria and warms.


A sorter includes a sheet processing device, a plurality of bin trays arranged in a vertical direction, each bin tray having a specified width and length and adapted for bearing a sheet, shifting means for shifting the plurality of bin trays in the vertical direction, and moving means for moving the bin tray in a predetermined position in a lengthwise direction of the bin tray so that the sheet on the bin tray is processed by the sheet processing device. The bin tray can be moved to a position where sheet processing is to be applied by the sheet processing device.

This invention relates to a sorter in which pins secured to and projecting horizontally outwards from opposite sides of bin trays are engaged in spiral guide surfaces defined in upstanding cylinders and a stack of bin trays are shifted upwards and downwards by drivingly rotating the cylinders.
Conventionally, there have been known sorters having the following construction. A spiral groove is defined on the surface of each of two upstanding cylinders arranged sideways. Pins secured to opposite sides of a plurality of bin trays disposed between the two cylinders are respectively engaged with these grooves. The cylinders are rotated by means of a motor, and thereby the bin trays are shifted upwards or downwards by causing the pins to slide relatively along guide surfaces formed by the grooves.
There have also known sorters provided with a sheet processing device including a stapler and a punch. In the sorters provided with the sheet processing device, a notch is formed in each rear end portion of a plurality of bin trays, and processing is applied to sheets placed on a given bin tray by moving the sheet processing device up to the notch of this bin tray.
In the sorter provided with the movable sheet processing device, it is required that the sheet processing device be moved to the bin tray bearing the sheets to be processed. However, since the sheet processing device is relatively heavy, it is required to improve rigidity of a mechanism for moving the sheet processing device and to increase power of a motor for driving the moving mechanism. These requirements have resulted in a complicated construction of the sheet processing device.
In order to solve the above problem, it is preferable to move the relatively light-weighted bin tray toward the sheet processing device. However, there has existed no such sorter provided with a mechanism for moving the bin tray, and accordingly it is necessary to consider a specific construction for the bin moving mechanism.
This bin moving mechanism necessitates a construction for disengaging pins of the bin tray bearing sheets to be processed from the grooves of the cylinders and moving the same toward the sheet processing device along guide members. In this case, it is necessary to smoothly transfer the pins of the bin tray from the grooves of the cylinders to the guide members. Unless otherwise, problems will occur such as misalignment of sheets placed on the bin tray.
On the other hand, the inertial force is acting on the cylinders and a rotatable shaft of a motor for rotating the cylinders. Accordingly, even if the braking force is applied to the rotating cylinders, the cylinders still rotate to some degree. Further, a rotating amount of the cylinders after application of the braking force due to the inertial force varies according to the weight of copy sheets placed on the bin trays. A drive transmission mechanism including gears and a timing belt for transmitting the torque of the motor to the cylinders are invariably associated with backlash. In order to accurately stop rotation of the cylinders in a predetermined position where, for example, the pins of the bin tray are smoothly transferable to the guide members, it is necessary to eliminate influence of the inertial force and backlash of the drive transmission mechanism.
Moreover, in the above sorter, the frictional resistance acts between the pins and grooves and between the pins and guide members. The frictional resistance particularly increases in the case where the bin trays are shifted upwards or the weight of the copy sheets on the bin trays are heavy. Such increased frictional resistance becomes a hindrance to smooth sliding of the bin tray and also produces frictional sounds. Further, the frictional resistance gives an increased burden on the motor for driving the cylinders, and abrades the pins and grooves. Accordingly, it is necessary to reduce the frictional resistance.

Sorter with rotary spirals and guide rails


A foot-activated toilet flushing system is a device that can be retrofitted to an existing toilet to transform the flush valve from a hand operated flush valve to a foot operated flush valve to allow hands-free flushing for limiting the spread of pathogens.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of toilet flush devices and more specifically relates to a foot-activated toilet flushing system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Urinals and toilets are in use in most of the modem world in homes and public rest rooms. A flush toilet is a toilet that disposes of human liquid and solid waste, by using water to flush it through a drainpipe to another location for disposal. The nature of these modern water using devices is that most have a hand actuated flush lever, button, or switch. Hand flush devices have been in limited use since the 1880's in the United States, but by the 1890's, there was a much greater awareness of disease and the flush toilet started becoming more common. Since that time, the design of toilets have changed somewhat, but the hand flushing mechanism still remains virtually the same.
Public rest rooms and residential bathrooms are the number one source for bacteria, viruses, and fungus, and also the most likely place for an individual to come into contact with them. These pathogens can be of a nearly unlimited variety and can originate from nearly anywhere in the world due to modern travel availability. The awareness of disease began the upward trend in the use of toilets, or "water closets" post 1890, but that is where the remedy for the problem seems to have halted. The hands are the medium in which restroom originated diseases are spread, but the awareness of this fact has not caught traction with the investors, manufacturers, and engineers. The redesigning and manufacturing of a new innovative toilet could be very expensive, and the increase in cost may not catch on with the general public. The public is slow to accept major changes that include price hikes, and this could be a problem for investors. A solution that would safely and inexpensively allow an individual to flush hands-free would go a considerable distance toward reducing the spread of bathroom bacteria, viruses, and fungus, and would be a welcome innovation.
Various attempts have been made to solve the above-mentioned problems such as those found in U.S. Pub. No. 7,975,322 to Allison Heller, U.S. Pat. No. 5,068,925 to S. Kamal Salibi, U.S. Pat. No. D529579 to Arturo Villalobos Lopez, U.S. Pat. No. 8,266,730 to Tom L. Ricca, U.S. Pat. No. 5,421,552 to Fang-Hsiung Chang, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,536,294 to Rodriguez Jose Pelaez. This art is representative of foot operated flushing devices. None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the invention as claimed.
Ideally, a foot operated flushing device should provide low cost and convenience of installation, and yet, would operate reliably and be manufactured at a modest expense. Thus, a need exists for a reliable foot-activated toilet flushing system to avoid the above-mentioned problems.


In a lithium ion secondary battery having a positive electrode, a negative electrode, a non-aqueous electrolyte, and a container sealing the electrodes and electrolyte therein, the positive electrode is formed of a positive electrode active material which is produced by electrochemically intercalating a lithium ion into a lithium manganese-metal complex oxide in the container to give a positive electrode active material precursor comprising a lithium manganese-metal complex oxide of which lithium ion content is increased, and then releasing a lithium ion from the positive electrode active material precursor in the container, and the negative electrode is formed of a negative electrode active material which is produced by intercalating the released lithium ion into a negative electrode active material precursor of a metal oxide in the container.

A lithium ion secondary battery is known as an advantageous secondary battery which is able to give a high voltage of about 4 volts and a high discharge capacity. As the positive electrode active material of the lithium ion secondary battery, LiMn.sub.2 O.sub.4 having a spinel crystal structure, as well as LiMnO.sub.2, LiCoO.sub.2, LiCo.sub.1-x Ni.sub.x O.sub.2 or LiNiO.sub.2 which has a rock salt crystal structure have been generally employed. The LiCoO.sub.2 having the rock salt crystal structure shows higher voltage and higher discharge capacity than other oxides and therefore is advantageous. However, the LiCoO.sub.2 has such drawbacks that cobalt is high in its cost and less available than other metals, and moreover may cause environmental pollution if battery wastes containing the lithium cobalt oxide are left outside.
Japanese Patent Provisional Publication H3(1991)-147276 proposes a lithium ion secondary battery using LiMn.sub.2 O.sub.4 of the spinel crystal structure as the material for its positive electrode, that is, cathode. Manganese is less expensive and easily available, and moreover scarcely causes environmental pollution. However, LiMn.sub.2 O.sub.4 gives a charge capacity (corresponding to amount of releasable lithium ions) per unit volume less than LiCoO.sub.2 by 10 to 20%. This means that if the LiMn.sub.2 O.sub.4 is combined with a negative electrode active material of high capacity to prepare a secondary battery, the volume of the LiMn.sub.2 O.sub.4 (namely, positive electrode active material) to be used should be increased so as to balance its capacity with the high capacity of the negative electrode active material. As a result, the amount of the negative electrode active material encased in a container of a battery should be reduced, and then the battery capacity lowers.
Japanese Patent Provisional Publication H4(1992)-147573 describes a lithium ion secondary battery using Li.sub.1+x Mn.sub.2 O.sub.4 (x>0) as the positive electrode active material precursor in combination of a negative electrode active material precursor such as carbonaceous material. Such positive electrode active material precursor-negative electrode active material precursor combination in a container of a battery is electrochemically converted into a positive electrode active material-negative electrode active material combination by electrically charging thus prepared battery so as to release a lithium ion from the positive electrode active material precursor and intercalate the released lithium ion into the negative electrode active material precursor in the container.
The Li.sub.1+x Mn.sub.2 O.sub.4 having a lithium ion in an amount of higher than LiMn.sub.2 O.sub.4 is advantageous because it gives a charge capacity higher than LiMn.sub.2 O.sub.4. In the lithium ion secondary battery disclosed in the last Publication, the positive electrode active material of Li.sub.1+x Mn.sub.2 O.sub.4 is prepared electrochemically in an electrochemical cell and collected as a bulk product outside the cell, or it is prepared chemically in a known process outside the cell. The product is then incorporated into an elecrode composition in a container of a final battery form. Li.sub.1+x Mn.sub.2 O.sub.4 is known to be extremely unstable and easily oxidized. Therefore, this process and the secondary battery prepared by this process may cause problems in industrial preparation and use.


Methods, systems, and data structures are provided for assigning categories to electronic mail (email). An email includes a category identification field, a sender category identification field, and a receiver category identification field. When the email is transmitted any sender assigned category identification being made by the sender is placed in the sender category identification field, and any previous value contained in the sender category identification field is moved to the category identification field and the receiver category identification field. In some embodiments, the sender category identification field and the receiver category identification field can include distribution lists associated with multiple senders and multiple receivers of the email. When the email is received any value included in the category identification field is presented with the email.

Email is rapidly becoming the preferred form of communication for businesses, governments, and personal communications of individuals. As a result, a variety of tools have been provided by email systems to filter, customize, process, and present emails within the email systems in order to improve an end-user's experience and productivity within the email systems. Further, email systems have become collaborative with a variety of other applications that the end-user may use while accessing an email within the email systems. For example, emails are often integrated with calendar applications, word processing applications, image viewing applications, World Wide Web (WWW) browser applications, spreadsheet applications, database applications, and others.
Moreover, email systems typically are packaged with macro coding languages that permit the end-user to define rules that execute upon the receipt of an email to perform some processing against the received email. For example, rules can send a response to a sender of the received email indicating that the recipient of the email is unavailable, rules can forward the email to a second email address, and rules can automatically move the received email to end-user defined email folders.
Also, email systems present emails included within an end-user's email inbox in a variety of formats. Some formats can be configured based on the preferences of the end-user, and a number of the formats come predefined with the email system. For example, often emails presented within an end-user's email inbox are displayed in a summary format, where metadata information associated with each email is listed horizontally across a window for the end-user to easily view. Some of this metadata information can include an indication as to whether the email has any electronic attachments, an indication as to whether any priority is associated with the email, an indication as to a date the email was received, an indication of an email address that sent the email, and a textual description of a subject associated with the email.
However, even with the variety of applications and tools provided with conventional email systems, many end-users still find the ability to customize email communications according to their own individual preferences difficult. Also, many end-users find it difficult to globally customize email communications. For example, some end-users can receive large volumes of emails on any given day, and since it is difficult to customize the email communications the end-users become frustrated and often ignore email communications that are of importance to the end-users because of the end-users inability to rapidly and efficiently distinguish between the important emails and insignificant emails.
Furthermore, a single email can be communicated from and to a particular end-user on multiple occasions. For example, an end-user can originate an email and then later receive the same email back, such as when a recipient of the end-user's original email replies to the original email. As is readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art, the transfer of the original email from and to the end-user can potentially have an infinite number of iterations involving a plurality of recipients. In order for the end-user and each of the recipients of the email to efficiently process iterations of the transferred email, the end-user and the recipients need the capability to independently customize the way in which the end-user and each of the recipients prefer to identify and process the transferred email, or the ability to globally coordinate identification and processing of the transferred email.
One conventional technique permits customized categories to be assigned by conventional email systems for each recipient of the email. However, the customized categories are not consistently maintained with the email itself, and as a result when one recipient receives the same email transferred back from a sender, the recipient must manually identify the email and manually assign the same customized category to the email that the recipient original assigned to the email. This can be frustrating to the recipient, and defeats the purpose of being able to automatically assign a category to a single email with the assurance that the email system will maintain that association irrespective of the number of iterations that each recipient receives the email.
As is now apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art, conventional email systems do not permit a customized assignment of categories to an email, such that the categories can be tailored to each recipient of the email. Furthermore, conventional email systems do not maintain consistent categories with transferred iterations of a single email.
Therefore, there exists a need for improved techniques that customize category assignments for each recipient of an email. Moreover, there exists a need for techniques that maintain the customized category assignment for all transferred iterations of the email.

Methods, systems and data structures for assigning categories to electronic mail


There is provided an electric device including a base member, a beam elastically deformable to bend upward and having an outline partially defined by a slit formed in the base member, a conductive pattern provided on a top surface of the beam, a contact electrode provided above the conductive pattern, the contact electrode coming into contact with the conductive pattern, and a bridge electrode elastically deformable, the bridge electrode connecting the conductive pattern and a portion of the base member outside the outline.

In an electric apparatus such as a mobile phone, use of the MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical System) technology is growing to further miniaturize electric devices mounted thereon. Electric devices made by using the MEMS technology include, for example, a MEMS switch, a micromirror element, an acceleration sensor, and the like.
Among them, the MEMS switch has the following advantageous characteristics over a semiconductor switch: achieving a smaller loss of a signal; having a better insulating characteristic; and being less likely to cause signal distortion. It is preferable to further improve these characteristics of such a MEMS switch.
Technologies relating to the background arts are disclosed in Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2004-281412, and Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2007-188866.

Electric device and method of manufacturing the same


A printing system includes a maintenance device that is configured to correspond to different configurations of a scalable printhead array. The printing system includes a first printhead array having a plurality of printheads and a pair of frames disposed in parallel and on opposite ends of the first printhead array. A first maintenance platform is mounted between the pair of frames and configured move from a first position at a first side of the first printhead array to a second position opposite faces of the printheads in the first printhead array. The first maintenance platform is configured to perform a maintenance operation on the plurality of printheads of the first printhead array when the platform is at the second position, and a first actuator is configured to move the first maintenance platform between the first position at the first side of the printhead array and the second position.

Inkjet printing is a process of producing an image on a substrate, such as a sheet of paper. Inkjet printing is an additive process in which one or more printheads eject drops of ink onto the substrate to form the image on the substrate. The printheads are operated with reference to digital image data that represents the image to be printed. Printing a multicolored image generally requires at least one printhead for each color. Additionally, printing high resolution images often requires multiple printheads of the same color that are interlaced to provide the increased resolution. Accordingly, many inkjet printing systems comprise arrays of several printheads arranged in rows and columns.
FIG. 8 shows a prior art architecture for a scalable printhead array 800. The printhead array 800 includes a plurality of printhead assemblies 804. The printhead array 800 is configured to include a variable number of printhead assemblies 804 arranged into rows and columns in a variety of possible arrangements. As shown, the printhead array 800 is scalable up to 50″ in width and includes up to fourteen printhead assemblies 804. Each printhead assembly 804 is configured to receive a printhead module 808 and to mount to frame 812 of the printhead array 800. FIG. 9 shows a more detailed view of one of the printhead assemblies 804 with a printhead module 808.
To ensure optimal performance of an inkjet printhead, the printheads must be well-maintained. Typically maintenance operations include purging, capping, and wiping. Prior art mechanisms for printhead maintenance are not easily adapted for scalable printhead arrays. Being able to configure a printhead maintenance system so it is easily scalable for use with a scalable printhead array would be beneficial.

Printhead maintenance station for scalable printhead arrays


The present invention relates to a catalyst for synthesizing a polypropylene with a wide molecular weight distribution and use of the same. The catalyst comprises magnesium halide, titanium-containing compound, and an organic phosphate type electron donor compound. By the catalyst according to the present invention, a propylene polymer with a wide molecular weight distribution, easily controllable isotacticity and good processing properties can be synthesized.

It is well known that, for isotactic polypropylene, the higher its isotacticity, the higher the crystallinity of the corresponding products. As a result, the mechanical properties such as hardness, rigidity, modulus, break strength and yield strength or the like are relatively good, and accordingly, the melting point, the thermal stability, aging resistance of the polymer are also relatively outstanding, however, the properties such as toughness, impact resistance, extension at break or the like will somewhat drop. The higher the isotacticity of the polypropylene, the narrower the molecular weight distribution and less benefitting the processing application and more difficult for injection molding and orientative film forming.
The methods for improving the processing properties of polypropylene include adjusting the isotacticity of polypropylene (e.g. Chinese Patent CN85101997) and widening the molecular weight distribution of polypropylene. As to product with wide molecular weight distribution, its fractions with high molecular weight provide good impact strength, modulus, melt strength and thermal property; and its fractions with low molecular weight provide processing flowability. Therefore, for polypropylene resins with the same grade number, polypropylene with wide molecular weight distribution has better rigidity, toughness and processing behavior, and has outstanding advantage in producing extrusion or injection molding article. Chinese Patent Application CN1156999A and Chinese Patent CN1137156C employed the method of mixing electron donor to adjust the molecular weight distribution of the polymers, while widened the molecular weight distribution, it increased the processing complexity, and accordingly, also increased production costs.

Catalysts for synthesizing a polypropylene with a wide molecular weight distribution and use of the same

Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry Chinese Academy of Sciences


A virtual directory server (VDS) provided according to an aspect of the present disclosure maintains attribute data identifying a corresponding set of stored attributes associated with each data source, with each data source storing values for associated set of stored attributes. Upon receiving a first request based on query attributes, the VDS identifies a set of data sources based on the stored attribute data, with each data source storing values for at least one of the query attributes. The VDS then forms constituent requests, with each constituent request having a corresponding pruned filter suitable for the respective data source. The constituent requests are sent to the respective data sources. The VDS forms a final response from the constituent responses received from the corresponding data sources by joining the constituent entries, and sends the final response to a client system from which the first request is received.

Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to virtual directory servers, and more specifically to processing directory requests when information on an object is split across multiple data sources.
Related Art
A directory server refers to a server system, which processes directory requests and provides corresponding responses. A directory server commonly stores mapping from name to value for various objects. The names are defined by standards such as X.500 (with LDAP representing a simpler adaptation suited for TCP/IP networking environments), as is well known in the relevant arts. Thus, when a directory request specifies criteria according to the convention used for names, the response indicates the matching values.
A virtual directory server (VDS) is a type of directory server in the sense that client systems can send various directory requests to the VDS, but VDS relies on other (source) data servers (SDSs) such as Directory Servers, RDBMS servers, Web services, etc., for storing and providing the attributes specified in each directory request. Specifically, when a directory request is received, a VDS communicates with a SDS for retrieving the relevant attributes, and provides the retrieved attributes as a response to the directory request.
The information on an object (type) is often split across multiple data sources due to, for example, applications deployed in siloed environments. In one scenario, electronic identity information (e.g., for accessing various enterprise electronic resources) may be managed on a LDAP server, while the human resources (HR) information (e.g., the job title and present salary) may be maintained on a HR management system.
There has been a general need to process directory requests when information on an object is split across multiple data sources. A VDS provided according to aspects of the present disclosure processes such directory requests, as described below with examples.
In the drawings, like reference numbers generally indicate identical, functionally similar, and/or structurally similar elements. The drawing in which an element first appears is indicated by the leftmost digit(s) in the corresponding reference number.

Virtual directory server to process directory requests when information on an object is split across multiple data sources


To facilitate the commissioning of network identifiers (network IDs), an ordered list comprising network ID's associated with devices of an industrial automation process may be generated and stored. Based at least on the ordered list, a network ID may be identified. A prompt may be generated and displayed, the prompt comprising a notification to power-off one or more devices. Another prompt may be generated and displayed, the prompt comprising a notification to power-on a single device of the industrial automation process. In response to receiving a network-identifier request from the single device, a device identifier may be identified for the single device and stored in a list. A response comprising the network ID and a command to change the assignment mode of the device is autonomously generated and transmitted to the single device, which subsequently stores the network ID changes its mode.

Industrial automation environments utilize networked machines and/or systems during the industrial manufacturing process. The machines and/or systems may include any number of devices such as drives, pumps, motors, sensors, robots, etc. These devices may have various moving parts and other components that are driven by communications sent and received between disparate components of the machines and/or systems.
Devices capable of connecting to a network (e.g., Ethernet network) are typically assigned a unique machine identifier (e.g., tag, label, Media Access Control ("MAC") address) at the time the device is manufactured. This address is a unique set of characters (e.g. 9C-35-5B-5F-4C-D7) used to identify the device on the network. The MAC address is available electronically by sending a message to a device and is traditionally listed on a physical label on a device.
Industrial automation machines and systems are often designed (e.g., control logic for devices may be written, etc.) before the components of the machines and/or systems are manufactured. As a result, the components of the machines and/or systems are typically designed to direct their communications to a network identifier (e.g., Internet Protocol ("IP") addresses, etc.) of a specific device.
Existing techniques for associating network identifiers with their specific devices include manually applying a network address (e.g., Ethernet IP address) to a device via physical switches and/or via a boot/DHCP protocol that can assign a specific network address to the device based on a specific port to which the device is connected or from a server computer connected to the same network as the device. Using existing techniques to connect devices of a large machine or system to a network tend to be error prone and often require a large amount of human capital (e.g., numerous man hours to manually associate network addresses with their respective devices) and computing resources (e.g., maintenance of numerous ports through which the devices may connect to the network).
Recording the assignment of network identifiers and/or addresses to devices can also be tedious and error prone. For example, some solutions require manual construction of a table that includes machine identifiers and various machine descriptions. Additionally, machine identifiers are often obtained manually (e.g., one or more people may physically visit each device of a system to obtain machine identifiers, machine descriptions, device names, etc. for each device/component of the system). Similarly, network identifiers and/or addresses may also be manually correlated to each device of the system.
The above-described deficiencies are merely intended to provide an overview of some of the problems of conventional systems, and are not intended to be exhaustive. Other problems with conventional systems and corresponding benefits of the various non-limiting embodiments described herein may become further apparent upon review of the following description.

Streamlining the commission of network identifiers


The invention relates to methods of preparing cannabinoids in substantially pure form starting from plant material. Also described are substantially pure preparations of various cannabinoids and cannabinoid acids, and also extracts enriched in cannabinoids and cannabinoid acids.

Cannabis has been used medicinally for many years, and in Victorian times was a widely used component of prescription medicines. It was used as a hypnotic sedative for the treatment of "hysteria, delirium, epilepsy, nervous insomnia, migraine, pain and dysmenorrhoea". Historically, cannabis was regarded by many physicians as unique; having the ability to counteract pain resistant to opioid analgesics, in conditions such as spinal cord injury, and other forms of neuropathic pain including pain and spasm in multiple sclerosis.
The use of cannabis continued until the middle of the twentieth century, when the recreational use of cannabis prompted legislation which resulted in the prohibition of its use. The utility of cannabis as a prescription medicine is now being re-evaluated. The discovery of specific cannabinoid receptors and new methods of administration have made it possible to extend the use of cannabis-based medicines to historic and novel indications.
The principle cannabinoid components present in herbal cannabis are the cannabinoid acids Δ9 tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (Δ9 THCA) and cannabidiolic acid (CBDA), with small amounts of the corresponding neutral cannabinoids, respectively Δ9 tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9 THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). Cannabidiol was formerly regarded as an inactive constituent, however there is emerging evidence that it has pharmacological activity, which is different from that of Δ9 THC in several respects.
In addition to these major cannabinoids, herbal cannabis may contain lower levels of other minor cannabinoids. These may be intermediates in the biosynthesis of the major cannabinoids and hence exist at only low levels in the plant as they are constantly undergoing further biotransformation once they are formed. An example of such a cannabinoid is cannabigerol (CBG). Other minor cannabinoids may represent the end point of an alternative biosynthetic pathway to that leading to the formation of the major cannabinoids Δ9 THC and CBD. These cannabinoids are frequently relatively more abundant in the plant, an example being cannabichromene (CBC).
A special example of a minor cannabinoid that is the end point of a biosynthetic pathway is Δ9 Tetrahydrocannabivarin (Δ9 THCV). This compound is closely related to Δ9 THC, with the only difference in structure being the presence of a propyl (C3H7) side chain rather than a pentyl (C5H11) side chain on the aromatic ring. This compound usually accompanies Δ9 THC at a level of 1-2% of THC present. However in certain selectively bred varieties of cannabis Δ9 THCV can account for greater than 70% of total cannabinoids, with Δ9 THC being reduced to the level of a minor constituent.
Purified forms of certain of the cannabinoids present in herbal cannabis are useful as active pharmaceutical agents. For example, Δ9 THC (also known as dronabinol) has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the control of nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy, and also shows potential pharmacological activity in the treatment of glaucoma, migraine headaches, anxiety, and as an analgesic. Cannabidiol, formerly regarded as an inactive constituent of cannabis, has, as aforesaid, itself shown promising pharmacological activity.
In the case of the minor cannabinoids, the difficulties in isolating the minor cannabinoids in a pure state and the absence of commercially available standards have restricted the investigation of the pharmacology of these compounds and their true therapeutic potential is unknown. Consequently it is of great interest to isolate sufficiently pure samples of these cannabinoids in the quantities required to permit pharmacological studies to be performed.
Purified forms of the cannabinoids and cannabinoid acids are also potentially useful as analytical standards, particularly in the characterisation of cannabis-derived medicines based on botanical drug substances prepared from herbal cannabis.
Thus, there remains a need for purified forms of all of the cannabinoid acids and cannabinoids present in cannabis herb, including the major cannabinoids Δ9 THC and CBD and the minor cannabinoids.
Synthetic forms of certain of the cannabinoids, particularly Δ9 THC, CBD and CBN, are commercially available. However, synthetic cannabinoids are extremely expensive. Attention has therefore focussed on the purification of cannabinoids from plant material.
WO 02/32420 discloses a process for preparing, for example, Δ9-THC from plant material. It utilises CO2 extraction and ethanol precipitation to obtain "primary extracts" containing Δ9-THC and CBD, with reduced amounts of, for example, monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes, hydrocarbons, alkaloids, flavonoids and chlorophylls. The CBD is then converted to Δ9-THC by a catalysing reaction. The cannabinoids make up only approximately two-thirds of the composition and are therefore not substantially pure.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,403,126 discloses a process in which THC is removed from a cannabis extract using chromatography.
JP 3153625 discloses a method of producing an anti-allergic agent. In one example, dry seeds of cannabis are subjected to multiple extraction steps and multiple chromatographic steps.
Biochemical Medicine (1973, vol. 8, P. 341-344) discloses a multi-step extraction and purification process for producing Δ9-THC of unspecified purity.
ODCCP Bulletin on Narcotics (1976, Issue 4) discloses a method of isolating CBD, THC and CBN using preparative gas chromatography.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,365,416 describes a method of preparing Δ9 THC from plant material which involves extracting the plant material with a non-polar organic solvent, optionally subjecting the extract to a column chromatography step to produce a residue eluate, subjecting the extract or the residue eluate to a low pressure flash distillation to produce a distillate, optionally subjecting the distillate to a second flash distillation step, and subjecting the distillate to column chromatography, normal HPLC or reverse-phase HPLC. The process provides a product containing Δ9 THC in an amount greater than 90% by weight.
There remains a need for alternative purification processes which may be used to prepare purified forms of all cannabinoid and cannabinoid acid constituents of cannabis herb, including the cannabinoid acids Δ9 THCA and CBDA, the corresponding free cannabinoids Δ9 THC and CBD, and the minor cannabinoids. The present invention relates to such a purification process based on a simple combination of solvent extraction, chromatography and re-crystallisation steps. The process is simple, efficient and economic, and is capable of producing cannabinoids of high purity, whilst avoiding the need for preparatory HPLC.

Methods of purifying cannabinoids from plant material


An apparatus is disclosed for comparing a first input signal with a second input signal and generating an output signal representative of that comparison in response to a system clock signal. The apparatus comprises a plurality of amplifying circuits. A first amplifying circuit generates a pair of first amplifier signals representative of the input signals applied to the apparatus. A second amplifying circuit receives the pair of first amplifier signals and generates a pair of second amplifier signals representative of the pair of first amplifier signals. A delay circuit receives the system clock signal and generates a delayed clock signal which follows the system clock signal by predetermined interval. A first switching circuit is operatively connected across the first amplifier outputs and responds to the system clock signal. A second switching circuit is operatively connected across the second amplifier outputs and is responsive to the delayed clock signal. The predetermined interval between the system clock signal and the delayed clock signal is preferably appropriate to facilitate substantial decay of noise introduced into the pair of first amplifier signals by the opening of the first switching circuit.

Comparator circuits are well known in the electronics industry. Such circuits are used in a variety of situations for comparing a first signal with a second signal and generating an output representative of that comparison for use in numerous ways by other circuitry. For example, the output of a comparator may be used in making a decision in a circuit implementing an algorithm, checking limits in an algorithm, or generally for making any decision based upon the outcome of a comparison of two signals.
In today's environment, speed of operation of a computer is a concern to computer designers, and applies to computers of all sizes, from large mainframe computers to microprocessors employed in circuits as diverse as home appliances and automobiles.
In addition to being fast, a comparator circuit should be responsive to an acceptably wide swing of signals in order that it may be used in a wide variety of applications. Having to specifically design a given comparator circuit for a given application, as is the case with such "tailoring" of most components, adds to cost of design and construction of circuits employing those components.
Another criterion of design for any electronic circuit, including comparator circuits, is that the circuit accurately perform the function for which it is designed. Specifically, a comparator circuit must accurately produce an output representative of the true difference between signals received as inputs. The comparator circuit should not itself introduce anomalies, noise, or other sources of inaccuracy which can cause it to generate internal inaccuracies during its operation and, thus, to produce spurious outputs. Reducing noise enables the comparator circuit to be responsive to small differences between input signals and to low value signals.
All of the design criteria: wide range of applicability in accepting input signals, speed of operation, responsiveness to small signal differences and to low value signals, and accuracy of response are not necessarily compatible or mutually supportive in their effects upon the design of a comparator circuit. It is, for example, important that a comparator in its non-comparative mode not be allowed to have too wide a range of signals internally present in its comparison circuitry. Too wide a diversity of such signals slows operation in the comparison mode because a significant swing in signal value is required in order to effect an appropriate comparison. Such significant swings in value take time and may be a source of noise or other inaccuracy.
It is also desirable that components employed in any electronic circuit, including comparator circuits, be employed in their optimal operating range in order that truest response of the various components may be advantageously employed.
Certain prior art solutions to the problem of internal introduction of inaccuracies in comparator circuits have involved multiple amplifier stages which are controlled in their active-inactive periods. By such controlling, circuitry may be pre-conditioned to a stable state at the optimal operating point of the various electronic components involved before comparison is effected between the two signals to be compared. Such an approach is taken by Heller et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 4,028,558, "High Accuracy MOS Comparator"; by Hosotani et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 4,900,952, "Voltage Comparison Apparatus"; and by Fattaruso in U.S. Pat. No. 4,883,987, "Comparator Circuit Having a Fast Recovery Time". However, such solutions are relatively slow in their response and require a large number of components.
The present invention provides a stable, accurate comparator circuit which quickly reacts to changes in inputs without introduction of disruptive noise to the output.


A light-emitting element mounting package including a first wiring forming a first light-emitting element mounting portion, which is provided on one surface of a substrate to mount a light-emitting element, and a first through wiring having one end and another end, the one end being electrically connected to the first light-emitting element mounting portion so as to be thermally transferable, and the other end protruding from another surface of the substrate.

In recent years, there is proposed a light-emitting element package having a light emitting diode (hereinafter, referred to as a "LED") as a light-emitting element installed on the light-emitting element package. For example, the proposed light-emitting element package or the like is formed by plural groups of LEDs, each of which is made of three LEDs that are mounted on a wiring pattern on an upper surface of a flexible substrate, and plural radiator plates are provided by a bond so as to cover a portion corresponding to a mounting position of the plural groups of LEDs, as disclosed in Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2003-92011.
However, the above light-emitting element package is to radiate heat emitted by the groups of LEDs by providing the radiator plate at a portion corresponding to the position of mounting the groups of LEDs. Because a heat radiation route from the groups of LEDs to the radiation plate is insufficient, heat emitted by the groups of LEDs cannot be efficiently transferred to the radiator plate.

Light-emitting element mounting package having protruded wiring and recessed wiring, and light-emitting element package


A process and apparatus are provided for transferring material cut in transverse strips and located on an exit zone of an apparatus for the cutting of stacked sheet-like material, to an entry zone of the apparatus for the purpose of cutting such material into longitudinal strips. The apparatus has a cutting table with a table surface possessing a work zone, above which a cutting knife and a press bar are located. An advance device located in the entry zone is provided for the material to be cut. The material present in transverse strips is brought from the exit in zone onto a thin-walled, plate-shaped transport base. The transport base, together with the material, is fed, via at least one table which is arranged laterally of the apparatus and the table surface of which can be arranged level with that of the cutting table of the apparatus, to the entry zone of the apparatus and there, aligned with the entry zone, is removed from the transport base. The material to be cut is rotated out of the transverse direction into the longitudinal direction while being brought onto the transport base or together with the transport base or after removal from the transport base. The material to be cut is thus guided past the actual cutting device, and in the apparatus according to the invention, this purpose is served by arranging at least one table laterally of the cutting device.

The invention relates first to a process for transferring material cut in transverse strips and located on an exit zone of an apparatus for the cutting of stacked sheet-like material to an entry zone of the apparatus for the purpose of cutting this material into longitudinal strips, the apparatus having a cutting table with a table surface possessing a work zone, above which a cutting knife and a press bar are located, behind which is the entry zone for receiving the material to be cut and in front of which is the exit zone for receiving the cut material, and an advance device assigned to the entry zone being provided for the material to be cut.
It is known, for the subsequent longitudinal cutting of material cut in transverse strips, to rotate this through 90.degree. on the exit zone, so that the cut transverse strips are now longitudinally orientated, and thereafter to press the material back over the work zone, that is to say through under the cutting knife and press bar and onto the entry zone, in order subsequently to instigate once again the mechanical cutting operation, in which, for the purpose of the next item cuts, the advance device advances the material located on the entry zone into the region of the work zone where the cuts are made by means of the cutting knife at specific item intervals. Apart from the fact that the stack of cutting material conventionally present in cuboid form has hitherto been pushed back manually and a considerable expenditure of force is required for this, the attendant is additionally endangered because he has to work constantly in the region of the cutting knife and of the press bar. Quite apart from this, the attendant has to align the material to be cut with the entry zone from the exit zone, and therefore the aligning operation becomes extremely complicated.
The object of the present invention is first to provide a process which allows a work flow during the longitudinal cutting of stacked sheet-like material after it has been cut transversally.

Process and apparatus for cutting stacked sheet-like material in more than one direction with a single cutting knife


An avian perch for mounting in a bird cage having a plurality of bars comprises a length of natural fiber non-cotton rope and mounting hardware usable with any rope perch. The mounting hardware comprises a first and second end cap with a bolt extending therefrom, a pair of washers and a wing nut for attaching each end of the perch to the bars of a bird cage.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to articles of manufacture for the use and entertainment of birds in general and in particular to a natural fiber rope perch for use by birds of all kinds.
2. Description of the Related Art
Currently most perches found in bird cages are manufactured from processed wood rods, natural wood limbs, plastic or cotton rope. Birds, particularly larger birds such as parrots, macaws, etc., are well known for their destructive nature and routinely destroy the typical perch described above.
While each of the above-described perches lack one or more of the advantages of a natural fiber rope, such as sisal as discussed below, cotton rope perches can be particularly troublesome. It has been found that the strands in a cotton rope are typically quite long and difficult to break. As a result birds, particularly those that enjoy preening the cotton fibers, are known to have become tangled in the frayed masses of the cotton fibers, have become frightened and in a frenzy have broken a leg or a wing. Accordingly, such perches must be replaced periodically for health reasons and perch structural integrity.


A resin composition includes a resin component including an ethylene-(meth)acrylate copolymer and at least either an ethylene-propylene-diene terpolymer or ethylene acrylate rubber. A content of the ethylene-(meth)acrylate copolymer with respect to a total content of the ethylene-(meth)acrylate copolymer and at least either the ethylene-propylene-diene terpolymer or the ethylene acrylate rubber is 35% by mass or greater and 90% by mass or less. A tensile stress at 19% strain of the resin composition is 2.0 MPa or less, and a tensile stress at break of the resin composition is 10.3 MPa or greater.

The demand for an increase in battery capacity has grown so as to increase traveling distances of electric vehicles. To avoid an increase in charging time in association with the increase in the battery capacity, a diameter of a conductor of a cable as a component of a wire harness needs to be increased. Since a volume of the battery is increased as the battery capacity is increased, the space occupied by a battery pack in the vehicle tends to be increased. The cable thus should be designed so as to be flexibly bent and routed in a narrow and short path.
A silicone rubber cable including a conductor that is insulated and covered with flexible silicone rubber is typically used in a narrow and short path. The silicone rubber is relatively expensive as compared with typically-used insulating material such as polyvinyl chloride, polypropylene, and polyethylene. In addition, a specific device needs to be additionally used to manufacture the silicone rubber cable, such as a hot air device for vulcanization after covering the conductor with the silicone rubber by extrusion molding, as compared with a method of manufacturing the insulating material typically used. Actual practical usage situations do not always need to use a component, such as the silicone rubber cable, that is required to have a high heat-resistance level (200° C.×10,000 hours). Instead, various kinds of cables other than the silicone rubber cable are disclosed.
JP 2008-84833A discloses a flexible non-halogen cable in which a conductor including a plurality of wires twisted is covered with an insulator. The wires have a diameter of 0.12 mm to 0.31 mm. The insulator is obtained such that resin component material and metal hydroxide are mixed to form a sheath material, and the conductor is covered with the sheath material and then cross-linked to form a cross-linked resin composition. The resin composition material is obtained such that an ethylene copolymer as a main component containing oxygen in a molecular structure and including 25% to 40% by weight of a vinyl monomer other than vinyl acetate is mixed together with an elastomer as a subcomponent.
JP2016-173991 A discloses an electric cable including a conductor composed of a plurality of wires having a diameter of 0.15 mm or greater and 0.5 mm or smaller, the conductor being covered at the circumference with insulating resin containing a flame retardant. The insulating resin includes a copolymer A of olefin and a comonomer having a polarity, or includes a mixture of the copolymer A and copolymer B of olefin and an α-olefin. A ratio of the diameter of the electric cable to the diameter of the conductor is 1.15 or greater and 1.40 or less, and a secant modulus thereof in which the insulating resin is cross-linked is 10 MPa or greater and 50 MPa or less.

Resin composition, sheath cable, and wire harness


A directional lamp comprises a light source, a beam forming optical system configured to form light from the light source into a light beam, and a light mixing diffuser arranged to diffuse the light beam. The light source, beam forming optical system, and light mixing diffuser are secured together as a unitary lamp. The beam forming optical system includes: a collecting reflector having an entrance aperture receiving light from the light source and an exit aperture that is larger than the entrance aperture, and a lens disposed at the exit aperture of the collecting reflector, the light source being positioned along an optical axis of the beam forming optical system at a distance from the lens that is within plus or minus ten percent of a focal length of the lens.

The following relates to the illumination arts, lighting arts, solid state lighting arts, and related arts.
Incandescent and halogen lamps are conventionally used as both omni-directional and directional light sources. A directional lamp is defined by the US Department of Energy in its Energy Star Eligibility Criteria for Integral LED Lamps, draft 3, as a lamp having at least 80% of its light output within a cone angle of 120 degrees (full-width at half-maximum of intensity, FWHM). They may have either broad beam patterns (flood lamps) or narrow beam patterns (e.g., spot lamps), for example having a beam intensity distribution characterized by a FWHM<20°, with some lamp standards specified for angles as small as 6-10° FWHM. Incandescent and halogen lamps combine these desirable beam characteristics with high color rendering index (CRI) to provide good light sources for the display of retail merchandise, residential and hospitality lighting, art work, etc. For commercial applications in North America, these lamps are designed to fit into a standard MR-x, PAR-x, or R-x lamp fixture, where "x" denotes the outer diameter of the fixture, in eighths of an inch (e.g. PAR38 has 4.75″ lamp diameter˜120 mm). There is equivalent labeling nomenclature in other markets. These lamps have fast response time, output high light intensity, and have good CRI characteristics, especially for saturated red (e.g., the R9 CRI parameter), but suffer from poor efficacy and relatively short lamp life. For still higher intensities, high intensity discharge (HID) lamps are used, at the cost of reduced response time due to the need to heat the liquid and solid dose during the warm-up phase after turning on the lamp, and typically also reduced color quality, higher cost, and moderate lamp life ˜10 k-20 k hours.
Although these existing MR/PAR/R spotlight technologies provide generally acceptable performance, further enhancement in performance and/or color quality, and/or reduction in manufacturing cost, and/or increased wall plug energy efficiency, and/or increased lamp life and reliability would be desirable. Toward this end, efforts have been directed toward developing solid-state lighting technologies such as light emitting diode (LED) device technologies. The desirable characteristics of incandescent and halogen spot lamps include: color quality; color uniformity; beam control; and low acquisition cost. The undesirable characteristics include: poor efficacy; short life; excessive heat generation; and high life-cycle operating cost.
For MR/PAR/R spot light applications, LED device technologies have been less than satisfactory in replacing incandescent and halogen lamps. It has been difficult using LED device technologies to simultaneously achieve a combination of both good color and good beam control for spot lamps. LED-based narrow-beam spot lighting has been achieved using white LEDs as point light sources coupled with suitable lenses or other collimating optics. This type of LED device can be made with narrow FWHM in a lamp envelope comporting with MR/PAR/R fixture specifications. However, these lamps have CRI characteristics corresponding to that of the white LEDs, which is unsatisfactory in some applications. For example, such LED devices typically produce R9 values of less than 30, and CRI˜80-85 (where a value of 100 is ideal) which is unacceptable for spot light applications such as product displays, theater and museum lighting, restaurant and residential lighting, and so forth.
On the other hand, LED based lighting applications other than spot lighting have successfully achieved high CRI by combining white LED devices with red LED devices that compensate for the red deficient spectrum of typical white LED devices. See, e.g., Van De Ven et al., U.S. Pat. No. 7,213,940. To ensure mixing of light from the white and red LED devices, a large area diffuser is employed that encompasses the array of red and white LED devices. Lamps based on this technology have provided good CRI characteristics, but have not produced spot lighting due to large beam FWHM values, typically of order 100° or higher.
A combination of good color quality, good beam control and uniform illuminance and color in the beam has also been achieved by using a deep (or long) color-mixing cavity that provides multiple reflections of the light, or a long distance between the LED array and the diffuser plate, albeit at the cost of increased light losses due to cavity absorption, and increased lamp size.
It has also been proposed to combine these technologies. For example, Harbers et al., U.S. Publ. Appl. No. 2009/0103296 A1 discloses combining a color-mixing cavity consisting of an array of LED devices mounted on an extended planar substrate that is mounted at the small aperture end of a compound parabolic concentrator. Such designs are calculated to theoretically provide arbitrarily small beam FWHM by using a color-mixing cavity of sufficiently small aperture. For example, in the case of a PAR 38 lamp having a lamp diameter of 120 mm, it is theoretically predicted that a color-mixing cavity of 32 mm diameter coupled with a compound parabolic concentrator could provide a beam FWHM of 30°.
However, as noted in Harbers et al. the compound parabolic concentrator design tends to be tall. This could be problematic for an MR or PAR lamp which has a specified maximum length imposed by the MR/PAR/R regulatory standard to ensure compatibility with existing MR/PAR/R lamp sockets. Harbers et al. also proposed using a truncated compound parabolic concentrator having a truncated length in place of the simulated compound parabolic reflector. However, Harbers et al. indicate that truncation is expected to increase the beam angle. Another approach proposed in Harbers et al. is to design the color-mixing cavity to be partially forward-collimating through the use of a pyramidal or dome-shaped central reflector. However, this approach can compromise color-mixing and hence the CRI characteristics, and also may adversely affect optical coupling with the compound parabolic concentrator, since the number of times that each light ray bounces on the side wall and becomes mixed in color and in spatial distribution is greatly reduced.

Directional lamp with beam forming optical system including a lens and collecting reflector


A cutter including a base, a holder, a cutter blade portion, and a laser generator. The holder is supported on the base portion in an upright posture. The cutter blade portion supports a moving blade. The cutter blade portion is supported on the holder movable between an upper position and a lower position. The cutter blade portion is moved into the lower position to cut a workpiece supported on the base using the moving blade. The laser generator is attached to the holder or the cutter blade portion in an orientation to direct at least a portion of the laser light onto a position on the workpiece that is directly beneath the cutter blade portion when the cutter blade portion is in the upper position. Alternatively, a holder has a shaft support portion, and a slide shaft is axially slidably supported by the shaft support portion. A front end of the slide shaft has a hinge holder which pivotally supports the cutting blade portion. A laser generator is fixed to a front side of the hinge holder.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cutter, such as a tabletop circular saw for cutting wooden boards.
2. Description of the Related Art
There has been known a cutter with a circular blade and a laser generator. The laser generator irradiates the workpiece with a laser light to indicate the position where the cutting is to be performed. The operator then uses the circular blade to cut the workpiece material at the position indicated by the laser light.
Japanese Utility-Model-Application Publication No. SHO-62-150019 discloses a cutter with a blade positioned above a workpiece and a laser generator fixed on the blade support at a position above the blade. Before cutting the workpiece, the user draws a mark on the workpiece to indicate the position on the workpiece to be cut. The user then aligns the laser light emitted from the laser generator with the mark on the workpiece, and lowers the blade to cut the workpiece.
The laser generator disclosed in Japanese Utility-Model-Application Publication No. SHO-62-150019 is fixed at the blade support. Therefore, if the laser light is not actually in alignment with the location that the blade cuts, the user must attempt to compensate for this positional difference by intentionally shifting the laser light out of alignment with the cutting position mark on the workpiece before cutting the workpiece. This increases the possibility that the workpiece will not be cut in the desired cutting position.
West German Patent Publication No. 3406904 discloses a cutter provided with a laser generator mounted on a slide bar. The laser generator can be freely slid horizontally along the slide bar to adjust position where the laser light irradiates the workpiece. However, minute adjustment of where the laser light irradiates the workpiece is difficult with this configuration.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,285,708 and 5,375,495 disclose cutters, each having a cutting portion that is disposed above the workpiece, and a laser generator that is disposed above and ahead of the cutting blade. A rail is suspended above the cutting blade so as to extend in a widthwise direction of the cutting blade. A groove is formed in the laser generator to fit in the rail. The laser generator is guided by along the rail so can easily moved in the horizontal direction. However, if the groove in the laser generator and the rail have a poor fit with gaps therebetween, then horizontal movement of the laser generator will be unstable so that the cutting position cannot be accurately indicated using the laser.
Next, a conventional mechanism for adjusting alignment of a laser light with a vertical reference line Y and with a horizontal reference line X will be explained with reference to FIGS. 1(a) to 3. A cylindrical laser generator 70 is supported in a support member 71 by a fixing screw 72. The fixing screw 72 presses the laser generator 70 downward in the support member 71. The support member 71 is fixed to a base by two bolts 74, 74. One bolt 74 passes through a circular hole 76 and the other bolt 74 passes an elongated hole 77.
As shown in FIGS. 1(a) and 1(b), when laser light L1 from the cylindrical laser generator 70 is to be aligned with a vertical reference line Y, the fixing screw 72 is loosened and the cylindrical laser generator 70 is rotated within the support member 71 until the laser light L1 is aligned with the vertical reference line Y. Once alignment is achieved, the fixing screw 72 is retightened to fix the cylindrical laser generator 70 in place in the support member 71.
As shown in FIG. 2, when the laser light L1 is to be aligned with a horizontal reference line X, the bolts 74, 74 are loosened and the support member 71 is pivoted around the circular hole 76 within the horizontal plane. When the laser light L1 is aligned with the horizontal reference line X, then the bolts 74, 74 are tightened to fix the support member 71 in place.
However, because the tip of the fixing screw 72 is not completely flat, the cylindrical laser generator 70 might be moved out of alignment when the fixing screw 72 is tightened. When this happens, the operator must repeat the adjustment process until the laser light L1 is accurately aligned with the vertical reference line Y.
Also, when the bolt 74 is tightened, the support member 71 might move because the contacting surface of the support member 71 or the bolts 74 are slanted. In this case also, the operator must repeat the adjustment process until the laser light L1 is accurately aligned with the horizontal reference line X.

Cutter with laser generator that irradiates cutting position on workpiece to facilitate alignment of blade with cutting position


An agricultural vehicle is disclosed having ancillary equipment that may be raised and lowered relative to the ground with consequential changing of the position of the center of gravity of the vehicle and having a hydraulic braking system comprising a master cylinder and a slave cylinder. The braking system further includes a pressure relief valve for limiting the hydraulic pressure applied to the slave cylinder only when the vehicle is in road mode. This ensures that the braking force does not exceed a safe limit below which the vehicle does not risk toppling forwards when braking.

On combines and forage harvesters, as well as on other agricultural vehicles, brakes are used to turn the vehicle within a smaller turning circle than would be achievable by the use of the steering wheels. The brakes are also the preferred method of steering in difficult field conditions.
In order to achieve this, two separate braking circuits are provided which have separate brake pedals for braking the left and right sides of the vehicle. The brakes are designed to be very powerful so that steering using the brakes can be achieved with minimal effort.
Furthermore, in combine and forage harvesters the hydrostatic drive system is often used for braking. During field operation, the hydrostatic drive system serves as the primary means for stopping the vehicle while the friction brakes acting on the wheels are used primarily for steering.
Of course, the same braking systems must be capable of being used when the vehicle is being driven on roads. Under such driving conditions, the two brake pedals are physically connected to one another, so that they cannot be depressed separately, and symmetrical braking is achieved by hydraulically interconnecting the two braking systems so that the same braking pressure is applied to the slave cylinders on both sides of the vehicle.
As a result, for driving on normal roads, more braking capacity is available to the driver than is needed and in some countries there is a legal requirement for simultaneous braking using the hydrostatic drive system which increases the maximum braking force still further.
The availability of an excessively high braking force presents a particular problem in the case of harvesters that are being driven on a road in that they risk toppling forwards. This problem is aggravated by the fact that, when driven on a road, the header of a harvester, that is to say the attachment on the front of the vehicle which is operable to cut and collect the crop, has to be raised and therefore changes the position of the centre of gravity of the whole vehicle.

Braking system for an agricultural vehicle


Described herein is a reading circuit for a nonvolatile memory device, wherein the currents flowing through an array memory cell to be read, and a reference memory cell with known contents, are converted into an array voltage and, respectively, into a reference voltage, which are compared to determine the contents of the array memory cell. The method envisages reducing the electrical stress to which the reference memory cell is subjected during reading, by generating and holding a sample of the reference voltage, then deselecting the reference memory cell, and then continuing reading using the sample of the reference voltage.

As is known, a nonvolatile memory device comprises a memory array formed by memory cells arranged in rows and columns, wherein wordlines connect gate terminals of memory cells on the same row, and bitlines connect drain terminals of memory cells on the same column.
Individual rows of the memory array are addressed by a row decoder receiving an encoded address and biasing the wordline of the row each time addressed at a stable and precise voltage, the value of which depends upon the type of operation to be carried out (reading, programming, verifying, erasing), whilst individual columns of the memory array are addressed by a column decoder receiving the same encoded address and biasing the bitline of the column each time addressed at a voltage such as to guarantee that on the drain terminal of the addressed memory cell there is a pre-set electrical potential, which often must be precise, stable, and controlled.
It is also known that in a floating-gate nonvolatile memory cell, storage of a logic value is performed by programming the threshold voltage of the memory cell through the injection of an appropriate amount of electrical charge in the floating-gate region.
According to the information stored, the memory cells are distinguished into erased memory cells (logic value stored "1"), in the floating-gate region of which no electrical charge is stored, and written or programmed memory cells (logic value stored "0"), in the floating-gate region of which an electrical charge is stored that is sufficient to cause an increase in the threshold voltage of the memory cells, the increase being large enough to be sensed.
The most widely used method for reading nonvolatile memory cells envisages comparing a quantity correlated to the current flowing through the array memory cell with a similar quantity correlated to the current flowing through a reference memory cell with known contents.
In particular, to carry out reading of an array memory cell, a read voltage having a value between the threshold voltage of an erased memory cell and that of a written memory cell is supplied to the gate terminal of the memory cell, in such a way that, if the array memory cell is written, the read voltage is lower than its threshold voltage, and hence current does not flow in the array memory cell, whilst, if the memory cell is erased, the read voltage is higher than its threshold voltage, and hence a current flows in the array memory cell.
The reading of an array memory cell is performed by a reading circuit generally known as sense amplifier, which is connected to the bitlines and, in addition to recognition of the logic value stored in the array memory cell to be read, also provides for the correct biasing of the drain terminal of the array memory cell.
A general circuit architecture of a nonvolatile memory device of the type described above is schematically shown in FIG. 1, wherein 1 designates the memory device as a whole, 2 designates the memory array, 3 designates the row decoder, 4 designates the column decoder, 5 designates the reading circuit, and 6 designates a supply stage connected to the row and column decoders 3, 4 and supplying biasing voltages for the wordlines and bitlines of the memory array 2, which are necessary during the various operating steps of the memory device (reading, writing, and erasing).
A common drawback in the memory devices of the type described above is represented by the fact that biasing of a memory cell during reading induces in the memory cell an electrical stress that takes the form of a loss and/or a gain of electrical charge stored in the floating-gate region, with the risk of altering the logic value stored therein.
This danger is particularly felt in the reference memory cell, which is in fact addressed at each reading of the memory array, and consequently an alteration of the electrical charge stored therein could have catastrophic consequences on the reading of the memory array.
The solution currently adopted for overcoming this drawback consists of using a number of reference memory cells, each of which is used during reading of a corresponding portion of the memory array. In this way, the electrical stress induced by biasing is uniformly distributed over the various reference memory cells, and hence each reference memory cell is subjected to an electrical stress reduced by a factor equal to the number of reference memory cells.
As compared to the solution with a single reference memory cell, the solution with a number of reference memory cells involves, on the one hand, a noticeable increase in the occupation of area on the silicon, and, on the other hand, an increase in the programming times of the reference memory cells.
This drawback is then further accentuated in that in actual fact, each reference is not constituted by a single memory cell, but rather by a bank of memory cells arranged in rows and columns, in which just one of the memory cells actually performs the task of reference element during reading, whilst the other memory cells that surround it have only the purpose of reproducing the same environment that surrounds the array memory cell to be read so that its physical structure will become as much as possible similar to that of the array memory cell, thus reducing behavioral differences that can be attributed to lithographic aspects of the process.

Reading circuit and method for a nonvolatile memory device


A novel product for mold prevention and treatment is disclosed herein. The product comprises water, one or more anti-mold agents, one or more water-soluble fluoropolymers or other water-soluble polymers with similar properties, and one or more emulsifiers. In some embodiments, the product may further comprise one or more preservatives, one or more stabilizers, one or more binders, one or more fining agents, one or more firming agents, one or more thickeners, and/or one or more clarifying agents. The product may be non-toxic, biodegradable, effective for a long-period of time and against a wide variety of molds, and may also provide other features which render it safe for the environment as compared to other commonly used products in mold prevention and treatment.

Field of the Invention
The present disclosure describes a novel product for mold prevention and treatment.
Description of the Related Art
Molds play an important role in the recycling of natural resources by breaking down dead organic matter. The presence of molds in the natural environment is thus extremely important. However, if molds are present indoors or grow on or inside structures, they can create various problems including a detrimental effect on health and structural integrity. Thus prevention of mold growth is an important challenge.
Molds reproduce by means of spores. These spores are invisible to the naked eye and readily disperse through outdoor and indoor air. Molds may begin growing indoors when mold spores land on wet surfaces. There are many types of molds, but all require moisture to grow.
Mold growth in homes and other buildings often causes suffering for individuals using the affected properties. Mold damage may also create large economic losses, as remediation of mold-affected structures often requires extensive effort. In some cases, it is impracticable to treat a structure and thus demolition is the only realistic option to resolve a mold problem.
For example, cleanup after a flood may involve thorough washing and disinfecting of the flooded area, including walls, floors, closets, shelves, and contents of the house or other affected structure. Common household cleaning products and disinfectants are often used for this task. Moreover, disinfectants and sanitizers may be applied to the ductwork for flooded heating and air conditioning systems. Commonly used disinfectants and sanitizers are often toxic to varying degrees, and use of such products for mold remediation may require extensive post-use ventilation to reduce the concentration of toxic substances in indoor air to safe and comfortable levels. Moreover, these toxic substances may be environmental pollutants. Many of the commonly used disinfectants and sanitizers also have a short effective lifespan for mold prevention or treatment, and therefore a new application may be required if mold or mold growth conditions reappear. This exacerbates the environmental harm caused.
Thus it is highly desirable to take preventative measures to inhibit mold growth under conditions that are otherwise highly suitable for mold growth. An ideal mold prevention agent will have at least the following properties: (1) it will not be toxic to humans, animals, and plants; (2) it will work quickly and efficiently; (3) it will remain effective for a long period of time; (4) it will be easy to use; (5) it will be biodegradable or at least not harmful to the environment; (6) it will not cause the release of toxic or corrosive substances if heated by fire or another source of heat, exposed to moisture or water from flooding, or otherwise affected under common types of natural or artificial disaster situations; (7) it will not migrate from the materials to which it is applied via evaporation or other forms of release; (8) it will not negatively affect the recyclability of materials to which it is applied; and (9) its production, processing, application, and disposal or recycling will not cause significant environmental harms. It may also be desirable to use a mold prevention agent with some or all of these properties for active mold control.
Recent efforts in the development of environmentally-friendly mold prevention and remediation agents have led to the development of various products including Foster Full Defense, MoldSTAT, Boral-20, and Vital Oxide. However, these products have varying degrees of environmental friendliness and non-toxicity, and are not known to be effective over a long period of time.
In addition, U.S. Patent Appl. Publ. Nos. 2007/0275101, 2004/0219128, and 2002/0119207, and PCT Patent Appl. Publ. No. WO 2008/074015 disclose various anti-mold compositions with varying degrees of environmental friendliness, non-toxicity, and long-term stability. However, these products are limited in their scope of use of particular types of applications.
Thus there remains a need for a safe, non-toxic agent for mold prevention and treatment That is effective over a long period of time and can be used in a wide variety of applications.

Product for mold prevention and treatment


An execution-target program is executed, via a program-execution control program, by converting a byte code in the execution-target program into a native code based on a predetermined condition. Upon activating the execution-target program, it is determined whether the execution-target program is an optimization-completed program having a past record of having been converted into an optimized state of the execution-target program, based on a profile including information identifying the optimization-completed program and optimized-code information indicating an optimized code for the optimization-completed program, where the profile is updated at a timing of executing the program-execution control program or another program-execution control program, and the optimized code is generated by converting a byte code into a native code. When the execution-target program is the optimization-completed program, upon activating the execution-target program, a byte code corresponding to the optimized-code information from among byte codes of the execution-target program is converted into a native code.

As a representative technology for a virtual machine that executes programs without being dependent upon a specific platform, there is a technology that uses the Java (registered trademark) language. To be specific, the Java Virtual Machine (Java VM; program execution control program) that interprets and executes Java byte code is an example of such a technology.
However, byte code has a large overhead and a poor execution time compared to native code that is able to be directly interpreted by a processor. Therefore, for example, dynamic compilation from byte code to native code is performed by a just-in-time (JIT) compiler when a program is executed. Thus, byte code is converted into native code, and the speed of processing is increased (for example, Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 11-237989, and Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2004-355277).
For example, compilation from byte code to native code in a Java VM is performed when the execution count of a program has exceeded a set value. At such time, the Java VM waits for the completion of compilation, and executes the generated native code when the compilation is completed. Alternatively, for example, in the Java VM, compilation to native code is performed parallel with the execution of processing by byte code. In this case, the Java VM executes byte code until the compilation is completed, and executes native code as soon as the compilation is completed.

Method for controlling program execution