An image memory has a random access memory array capable of being randomly accessed; a serial access memory array partitioned into n power of 2 (n>1) divisional areas cyclically and serially accessed in asynchronism with the random access memory; data transfer unit for transferring data between the random access memory array and the serial access memory array; a determining unit for determining a row of data to be transferred from the random access memory array to each of the divisional areas; and a designating unit for designating at least one of a top serial access address and a last serial access address respectively of each divisional area, wherein the data transfer unit executes data transfer from the random access memory array to the serial access memory array in accordance with outputs from the determining unit and the designating unit.

This invention relates to an image memory.
As memories suitable for high speed data processing in engineering work stations (EWSs) or computer graphics (CG), etc. and display associated therewith, attention in recent years is being drawn to dual port video random access memories (hereinafter referred to as DPRAMs). Such DPRAMs are provided with a random access port (hereinafter referred to as a RAM port "RAM" standing for random access memory) including a memory array accessible at random (e.g., a dynamic random access memory (DRAM), and a serial access port (hereinafter referred to as a SAM port "SAM" standing for serial access memory) including a serial access memory cyclically and serially accessed asynchronously with the RAM port. In such DPRAMs, since transfer of data is made between the RAM port and the SAM port, it is necessary that the timing at the RAM port and the timing at the SAM port be made synchronous with each other only at the time of this transfer cycle. The timings in this transfer cycle will be described with reference to FIGS. 6A and 6B. In the case of data transfer of a certain row R of a memory array 1 of the RAM port to a serial access memory 2 of the SAM port which is incessantly making a serial access (see FIG. 6A), a procedure is taken to produce a first external signal DT for controlling transfer (see time T.sub.1 of FIG. 6B) fall. If the external signal DT is at "L" level at the time when the signal RAS falls, the operational mode enters the transfer cycle.
In this transfer cycle, in the same manner as that in an ordinary RAM cycle, a row address and a column address are given synchronously with falls of RAS and CAS (see times T.sub.2 and T.sub.3 of FIG. 6B), respectively. Unlike the ordinary RAM cycle, the row address indicates a row of the memory array 1 to be transferred, and the column address indicates a transfer address pointer (TAP) address serving as a position initiating a new serial cycle after completion of transfer. From the next serial cycle (see time T.sub.6 of FIG. 6B) when the external signal DT has risen, transferred data is outputted with the TAP address being a leading address. It is necessary that the rise timing (time T.sub.5) of the external signal DT be given for a time period from the rise (time t.sub.4) of the serial clock signal SC to the next rise thereof (time t.sub.6). Accordingly, there are restrictions in the time intervals t.sub.1 (=T.sub.5 -T.sub.4) and t.sub.2 (=T.sub.6 -T.sub.5). Furthermore, since the cycle time of the serial clock signal SC is 30 to 40 nsec, restrictions on the time intervals t.sub.1 and t.sub.2 are severe in application. To relax this, a split transfer system has been proposed.
This system is briefly described in NIKKEI ELECTRONICS No. 431, p. 126, Oct. 5, 1987.
This split transfer system will be described with reference to FIGS. 7A and 7B. The serial access memory 2 of the SAM port in which the split transfer system is used is split or divided into two sections of SAM (L) and SAM (U) as shown in FIG. 7A. These split SAM (L) and SAM (U) correspond to "0" and "1" of the most significant bit (hereinafter referred to as MSB) of the TAP address, respectively. Thus, independent data transfer can be made, respectively. The situation where a transfer cycle takes place when SAM (L) is subjected to serial access to carry out transfer of the row R of the memory array 1 of the RAM port will now be considered. In the same manner as in the case of FIG. 6A, the row address indicates the row R. The MSB of the TAP address is disregarded and is set to the MSB ("1" in this case) on the side where no serial access is conducted.
In this case, the SAM (U) on the side of the set MSB carries out the transfer operation. The transferred data is accessed from a TAP address where the MSB is newly set when serial access advances to shift from SAM (L) to SAM (U). In the case shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, when a transfer cycle takes place for a time period of the serial addresses 0 to 127, the serial addresses 128 to 255 are subjected to transferring operation from the portion corresponding to the row R. When the serial access advances to 127 to enter the next SC cycle, the TAP address is accessed. Serial access is therefore continued further. As stated above, the split serial access memory section where serial access is carried out and the split serial access memory section where transfer is carried out are different from each other, and an address of the preceding cycle where an access to the TAP address is made is predetermined. Accordingly, restriction on the timings as in the case of FIGS. 6A and 6B does not exist.
Consideration will now be made of the method of constituting a data buffer for implementing high speed processing to display picture data using such a split transfer system.
As a random access memory of the DPRAM, a DRAM is used. For this reason, by using the page mode of DRAM, it is possible to access data of the same row in a time one half to one third of the time in the case where the row address changes. Further, the data of one row corresponds to data serially outputted from the SAM section, and the serial data serves as pixel data of a picture displayed. Therefore, how these pixels are arranged as a picture is important for high speed picture processing. From a viewpoint of processing a picture, employment of the method capable of processing, at a high speed, pixels in areas close to a square as much as possible permits high speed processing for any image pattern processing. Namely, high speed picture processing can be made in any direction of the longitudinal, lateral, or oblique directions. Thus, how data of one row which can be accessed in the page mode are allocated in a longitudinal direction with respect to the scanning direction of a picture displayed becomes important.
The case where a picture is composed of an array including four DPRAMs in a scanning direction and four DPRAMs in a longitudinal direction, i.e., an array of 4.times.4 is employed as a tile, will now be considered.
FIGS. 8A and 8B show the case where there is employed a DPRAM of the split transfer system having data of one row of 256 bits and the depth of a serial access memory (SAM) of 256 bits. Further, the picture size is assumed to be 1536 pixels in a scanning direction for brevity of explanation. In FIG. 8A, R0, R1, R2, . . . represent rows of a random access memory (RAM), respectively. L of 0 to 127 and U of 128 to 255 in the column direction represent columns where data are transferred to bisected SAMs in the split transfer, respectively. Since the section in the scanning direction is composed of four devices M.sub.1, M.sub.2, M.sub.3, and M.sub.4, 1536 pixels in the scanning direction correspond to data corresponding to three split segmented SAMs (=1536/(4.times.128)). Accordingly, when L and U of the segmented SAMs are allocated to pixels in a longitudinal direction, it is possible to conduct picture processing of an area closer to a square by an access in a page mode of one row. Namely, data of the RAM section are subjected to a split transfer in the order of R0L, R1U, R2L, R0U, R1L, R2U, . . . Since data are serially outputted from the SAM section to scan pixels, the configuration of data as a picture is such that the area indicated by slanting lines of FIG. 8B is composed of data of the row R0. This area can be subjected to an access of any portion in the page mode. Accordingly, the picture is covered with tiles of slanting lines shown in FIG. 8B such that it can be accessed in the page mode. Thus, high speed picture processing can be conducted.
Further, more detailed consideration of the data configuration in the scanning direction will now be made. How pixels are constructed from serial data of four DPRAMs is shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B. Data from the SAM 2 of the devices M1 to M4 are subjected to parallel-to-serial conversion as shown in FIG. 9A, and are outputted as serial data to constitute pixels one by one. Thus, it is sufficient to make a serial access from SAM 2 at a speed one fourth that of the serial out for display of the picture, thus making it possible to lessen the load on the SAM 2. Pixel data when such a parallel-to-serial conversion is carried out, are repeated in sequence as data from the DPRAM of M1, M2, M3, and M4 in order (see FIG. 9B). The frame of R0L, etc. of the type which has been described with reference to FIG. 8B is of such a data structure.
Let us now consider the case where the picture size is different from that in the above-described case. The case where the number of pixels in a scanning direction is 1024 is shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B. When it is assumed that the size of a tile used is 4.times.4 in the same manner as that in the above-described case, 1024 pixels correspond to the two segmented SAM sections (=1024/(4.times.128)).
At this time, in order that L and U of split data of one row to correspond to the pixel arrangement in a longitudinal direction, it is necessary to carry out a split transfer in order as shown in FIG. 10A. Namely, when transfer is carried out in the order of R0L, R1U, R0U, R1L, . . . , the area indicated by slanting lines in FIG. 10B can be desirably accessed in the page mode. However, in the case of transfer at this time, L and U cross each other with respect to SAM. Accordingly, such a transfer cannot be carried out by a conventional DPRAM. Naturally, when the size of the tile is changed, a buffer can be constructed even for this picture size without cross transfer. However, the design of the buffer memory system must be changed for every picture size displayed. Further, since a cross transfer occurs unless the number of tiles in a scanning direction is necessarily odd as seen from the case of FIG. 8B, may not be possible to select an optimum tile size of a memory capacity which is not wasteful with respect to a picture size.

Data transfer control of a video memory having a multi-divisional random access memory and a multi-divisional serial access

803, Heimat-Yokohama, 72-1, Sanya, Minami-Ku


A trailer coupler assembly includes a grid assembly having a plate and a channel formed on the plate. A kingpin is received in the channel and is positioned to extend below a bottom surface of the plate. The channel is galvanized. A method of making a coupler assembly comprises the steps of providing a grid assembly having a channel, galvanizing the channel, and covering the channel.

Trailer coupler assemblies are used to connect trailers to vehicles, such as semi-tractors, trucks, automobiles, or railway cars, for movement of the trailer. Such cargo vehicles may include for example semi-trailers, van-type trailers, flatbed or platform type trailers, container chassis and cargo containers. One or more components of trailer coupler assemblies may corrode and wear over time due in part to corrosive forces, including sand, gravel, gas, oil, rain and other liquid water, ice and snow, as well as the chemicals used to remove snow and ice. To protect from this corrosion, trailer upper coupler assemblies have been coated externally and internally with a variety of materials and methods. Some existing systems have various shortcomings relative to certain applications. For example, a hot-dip process may lead to hydrogen embrittlement or other material changes of the underlying steel. Accordingly, there remains a need for further contributions in this area of technology, including contributions that reduce complexity, cost and weight of applications.


A lightweight coherency control protocol ensures consistency of data containers, such as a file, and associated data buffers stored on one or more volumes served by a plurality of nodes, e.g., storage systems, connected as a cluster. Each data buffer is associated with a current cache sequence number comprising a load generation value and an update count value. The load generation value is incremented every time an inode of a file is loaded into a memory of the storage system. Once the inode is loaded and its load generation value is set, then the appropriate buffer of a buffer tree for the file is loaded into the memory. The update count value is incremented each time the buffer is updated with a write request/operation. Therefore, each buffer loaded into memory is tagged with the load generation value and an update count from the time that buffer is loaded.

A storage system typically comprises one or more storage devices into which information may be entered, and from which information may be obtained, as desired. The storage system includes a storage operating system that functionally organizes the system by, inter alia, invoking storage operations in support of a storage service implemented by the system. The storage system may be implemented in accordance with a variety of storage architectures including, but not limited to, a network-attached storage environment, a storage area network and a disk assembly directly attached to a client or host computer. The storage devices are typically disk drives organized as a disk array, wherein the term "disk" commonly describes a self-contained rotating magnetic media storage device. The term disk in this context is synonymous with hard disk drive (HDD) or direct access storage device (DASD).
The storage operating system of the storage system may implement a high-level module, such as a file system, to logically organize the information stored on volumes as a hierarchical structure of data containers, such as files and logical units. For example, each "on-disk" file may be implemented as set of data structures, i.e., disk blocks, configured to store information, such as the actual data for the file. These data blocks are organized within a volume block number (vbn) space that is maintained by the file system. The file system may also assign each data block in the file a corresponding "file offset" or file block number (fbn). The file system typically assigns sequences of fbns on a per-file basis, whereas vbns are assigned over a larger volume address space. The file system organizes the data blocks within the vbn space as a "logical volume"; each logical volume may be, although is not necessarily, associated with its own file system.
A known type of file system is a write-anywhere file system that does not over-write data on disks. If a data block is retrieved (read) from disk into a memory of the storage system and "dirtied" (i.e., updated or modified) with new data, the data block is thereafter stored (written) to a new location on disk to optimize write performance. A write-anywhere file system may initially assume an optimal layout such that the data is substantially contiguously arranged on disks. The optimal disk layout results in efficient access operations, particularly for sequential read operations, directed to the disks. An example of a write-anywhere file system that is configured to operate on a storage system is the Write Anywhere File Layout (WAFL™) file system available from Network Appliance, Inc., Sunnyvale, Calif.
The storage system may be further configured to operate according to a client/server model of information delivery to thereby allow many clients to access data containers stored on the system. In this model, the client may comprise an application, such as a database application, executing on a computer that "connects" to the storage system over a computer network, such as a point-to-point link, shared local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), or virtual private network (VPN) implemented over a public network such as the Internet. Each client may request the services of the storage system by issuing file-based and block-based protocol messages (in the form of packets) to the system over the network.
A plurality of storage systems may be interconnected to provide a storage system environment configured to service many clients. Each storage system may be configured to service one or more volumes, wherein each volume stores one or more data containers. Yet often a large number of data access requests issued by the clients may be directed to a small number of data containers serviced by a particular storage system of the environment. A solution to such a problem is to distribute the volumes serviced by the particular storage system among all of the storage systems of the environment. This, in turn, distributes the data access requests, along with the processing resources needed to service such requests, among all of the storage systems, thereby reducing the individual processing load on each storage system. However, a noted disadvantage arises when only a single data container, such as a file, is heavily accessed by clients of the storage system environment. As a result, the storage system attempting to service the requests directed to that file may exceed its processing resources and become overburdened, with a concomitant degradation of speed and performance.
One technique for overcoming the disadvantages of having a single file that is heavily utilized is to stripe the file across a plurality of volumes configured as a striped volume set (SVS), where each volume, such as a data volume (DV), is serviced by a different storage system, thereby distributing the load for the single file among a plurality of storage systems. A technique for data container (such as a file) striping is described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/119,278, entitled STORAGE SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE FOR STRIPING DATA CONTAINER CONTENT ACROSS VOLUMES OF A CLUSTER, which application is hereby incorporated by reference as though fully set forth herein. According to the data container striping arrangement, each storage system may service access requests (i.e., file operations) from clients directed to the same file. File operations, such as read and write operations, are forwarded directly to the storage systems that are responsible for their portions of the data for that file.
An exemplary distributed multi-storage system architecture may comprise a plurality of storage systems organized as a cluster, wherein each storage system includes a thin front-end element that performs protocol conversion of file access protocols into a common cluster protocol for communicating with a back-end element of a storage system. The front-end element includes a local cache memory for temporarily storing ("caching") data to serve client requests faster and more efficiently. Each back-end element serves one or more particular files or particular regions of files and, as such, maintains an authoritative version of the files or regions of files.
A front-end element of the cluster that receives a client request directed to a file initially attempts to serve that request from its local cache. However, the front-end element may not know whether its local cache is up-to-date because there may be another front-end element of the cluster that is also writing to that same file. Write requests are "pushed through" (forwarded) to the appropriate back-end element, whereas read requests are attempted to be serviced first from the local cache of the front-end element or, alternatively, at the appropriate back-end element. An issue with this clustered storage system architecture involves ensuring that a copy of a region of file data (i.e., a data buffer) stored in a local cache of a front-end element is up-to-date ("coherent") with respect to the authoritative copy of that data at the back-end element.
An approach to ensuring coherency of data in a clustered multi-storage system having front-end and back-end elements involves distributed locking using file locks, such as range locks and/or opportunistic locks (op-locks). A range lock is a hard lock that provides exclusive access to a specific byte range within a file. The range lock is established upon request by a caller (such as a front-end element) and is released only at the request of the lock's owner (such as a back-end element). The front-end element can request and be granted a range lock that enables exclusive access to the corresponding range of the file so that it performs write operations on cached data until the back-end element instructs it to release the lock.
An op-lock is an automatically revocable soft lock that allows the front-end element to operate on a file data until such time as a conflicting operation is attempted. The front-end element can cache the data and perform read and write operations on the cached data because it knows that no other access is allowed to that data as long as it has an op-lock on the file. As soon as a second front-end element attempts a conflicting operation on the file, the back-end element blocks the conflicting operation and revokes the op-lock. In particular, the back-end element instructs the front-end element to return ("flush") any write modifications to the back-end element and then discard the entire content of its local cache. The back-end element then unblocks the second front-end element and grants it an op-block to the file.
However, substantial overhead is required with respect to maintenance and utilization of such a distributed file system cache of file data in the clustered storage system using distributed locks. The present invention is directed to a system and method that reduces the overhead of maintaining data coherency in a clustered storage system.

Lightweight coherency control protocol for clustered storage system


A modular element for an electrical power distribution ducting has an elongated box section structure. Inside the box section structure conducting electrical power distribution bars are arranged. Lateral access can be gained to the bars through distribution openings in the box section structure. At least some of the openings are protected by a closing-off protective device in the absence of a tapping. The box section structure is composed of two beam members each having two longitudinal grooves into which the respective longitudinal edges of two pre-shaped strips having a U-shaped cross section engage elastically. The edges are fixedly retained inside the longitudinal grooves of the beam members. One of the beam members optionally carries bus bars for low current power distribution.

The invention relates to ducts for electrical power distribution.
It is well known to provide distribution of electrical power in industrial plant using ducting built up from prefabricated modular elements, which are usually located end-to-end as a function of requirements, for feeding power consuming equipment from a distribution panel connected to a source of power such as the public utility supply network.
It is also entirely conventional to provide for the distribution of relatively low power supplies, essentially concerning lighting to be separate from the distribution of what is commonly known as medium power and which concerns other items of electrical equipment having a fairly high power consumption, often involving high currents which can for example amount to something of the order of 100 to 500 Amperes. This leads to two separate power distribution circuits coexisting on the same premises, using separate ducting that follow at least partly the same route, with consequent disadvantages in the areas of cost, space taken up and actual running.

Modular element for an electrical power distribution duct


In the production of foamed plastic articles using a screw extruder, it is known to introduce a gaseous foaming agent into the plastic while the latter is passing through the extruder. It has been found that a foamed thermoplastic with pores or cells of uniform size and distribution can be produced by passing a gaseous foaming agent, e.g. nitrogen gas through a central passage extending substantially the entire length of the extruder screw, discharging the agent into the thermoplastic proximate the discharge end of the extruder, and mixing the foaming agent with the plastic immediately prior to discharge of the mixture into a mold.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an extruder screw for use in an extruder for molding foamed plastic articles.
2. Discussions of the Prior Art
When molding foamed, microcellular plastic articles it is important to produce uniform cell sizes. Both durability and strength of the molded articles are dependent upon cell size and uniformity. In the extrusion molding of foamed articles, the usual manner of controlling cell size and uniformity include altering the foaming agent, pressure and temperature of extrusion, and changes to the mixing portion of the extruder. In spite of the various efforts, a need still exists for foamed plastic articles containing pores or cells of uniform size and distribution.
The object of the present invention is to meet the above defined need by providing a relatively simple extruder screw for use in the molding of foamed plastic articles of uniform cell size.

Extruder screw for use in foam plastic extruder


A method and system are described for providing a streamlined method for using, for example, streaming media samples to promote and sell music, videos and related merchandise on the Internet in response to searches for entertainment related information. When a consumer enters an Internet search query that includes a Media Keyword, a corresponding media sample or sample set is identified for the consumer to select to receive as a stream or download onto the Consumer Device, along with search results pertaining to the requested information and purchasing options. The media sample or sample set is provided as a link in a web page containing search results generated for the consumer. The media sample link may be indicated on the web page as a preferred, personalized or sponsored search result.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to consumer-based online digital media services, and more particularly, to the performance of music and video samples over the Internet in response to media related Internet searches made by consumers.
2. Background of the Invention
As the Internet becomes an increasingly accessible interactive medium for entertainment and merchandising, Internet web sites have become available that enable consumers to shop for and purchase music, videos and video games (media) online. Particularly, consumers can access any of several popular web sites to perform searches for desired performing artists, albums, songs, movies or games and then purchase media for delivery via mail-order or download. To provide an interactive multimedia experience, some web sites also enable consumers to preview sample of media products before purchase. These samples may include song clips from an artist or album, trailers from a video, and clips from a playing session of a video game. In this manner, media samples have proven to be a useful tool to encourage and assist consumers in selecting media to purchase online.
As an example, Internet music retailers presently include links to a music server to provide music samples to consumers while browsing their respective web sites. After a consumer performs a search for an album or musical artist on a music retailer's web site, the consumer can click on a link to preview one or more music samples for the chosen product. The link connects the consumer's computer with the music server, which has a database of music samples. The music server then looks through the database to find the sample desired by the consumer. As the sample is retrieved, the consumer's web browser is notified to automatically open the consumer's media player to play the sample. If the music server is provided by a third party, the music server provider ultimately determines billing information for the service based on which retailer provided the link to the consumer to retrieve the sample.
The provision of music samples by Internet music retailers demonstrates an effort to simulate or improve upon an atmosphere that consumers may encounter at a traditional media store. There is typically music or video playing in the background of a conventional record or movie store to encourage consumers to purchase media that is "on-sale" or is otherwise a "featured selection." If a record store has separate rooms for different genres of music, different types of music may be playing throughout the store that is correlated to the respective sections. For example, a jazz selection may be playing in the jazz section of the record store, while a classical selection may be playing simultaneously in the classical section. Additionally or alternatively, some music stores feature kiosks or "preview stations" through which customers can individually preview music samples from albums that are "on-sale" or are "featured selections."
While playing music in the background in record stores and providing music samples in kiosks or through Internet retailer web sites can be useful to encourage consumers to purchase music, there are certain inherent limitations that are associated with these services. For example, a record store cannot personalize the selection of songs played in the background to the particular tastes of the customers who are in the store at any given time. If consumers dislike the featured selections being played in the background and find the music to be distracting, this may actually discourage sales from those consumers.
Although kiosks and Internet web sites enable individual consumers to select media samples to preview, this does not occur until after the consumers perform searches for an artist and a corresponding album by that artist, or has located a video. In this manner, the provision of media samples is not being "pushed out" to encourage the consumers to listen, but is provided only after consumers choose a media samples from a product that they are considering for purchase. This process of searching can involve several steps that must be repeated for every media item the consumer considers. This creates a laborious purchasing atmosphere for the consumer, and reduces the opportunity for add-on sales for the retailer.
Furthermore, whether media samples are provided in stores or on consumers' computers while accessing Internet retailer web sites, consumers must first enter a retailing environment before being offered the opportunity to preview and purchase the media. This precludes opportunities for using media samples to lead consumers into purchasing decisions.
Accordingly, there is a need for a method and system for providing media samples online, which streamlines the consumer's ability to preview and purchase media products.

System and method for providing media samples on-line in response to media related searches on the internet


A Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) system comprises N+1 shift registers. N+1 logic gates having first inputs communicate with outputs of corresponding ones of said N+1 shift registers. N+1 programmable registers store a corresponding CRC coefficient of a 3rd to Nth order CRC polynomial key word, wherein N is an integer greater than two. N+1 multiplexers communicate with outputs of corresponding ones of said N+1 logic gates. At least N of said N+1 multiplexers communicate with corresponding ones of at least N of said N+1 programmable registers.

A popular method for error detection for digital signals is the Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC). CRC works by treating the message string that is sent between a transmitter and a receiver as a single binary word. The single binary word is divided by a key word that is agreed upon by both the transmitter and the receiver ahead of time. The remainder that is left after dividing the single binary word by the key word is known as a check word. The transmitter sends both the message string and the check word to the receiver. The receiver then verifies the data by dividing the data by the key word. If the remainder, obtained by dividing the data by the key word, matches the check word, then the receiver can be sure that the data is indeed the correct message string from the transmitter.
In the context of CRC, key words are usually numbers and are presented in the form of polynomials whose coefficients are in the form of the binary bits of the key word. A popular key word is X16+X12+X5+1 known as the X25 standard. Key words will herein be referred to as polynomial key words.
CRC is often implemented in hardware that is specific to a given polynomial key word. A CRC that is implemented in hardware is herein referred to as a CRC generator. Thus, a system that has to verify data using various different polynomial key words will need a separate CRC generator that is dedicated to each distinct polynomial key word. For example, FIG. 1 is a block diagram that illustrates a CRC generator that employs a 3rd order polynomial key word, X3+X2+1.
In FIG. 1, exclusive-OR gates (XOR gates) 110, 112, and 116 are communicatively coupled to each other and to corresponding shift registers 102, 104 and 106. Input 101 is initially received at XOR gate 110. The output of the CRC generator in FIG. 1 is 118.
FIG. 2 is block diagram that illustrates a CRC generator that employs a 1st order polynomial key word, X1+1. In FIG. 2, XOR gates 210, and 212 are communicatively coupled to each other and to corresponding shift registers 202, and 204. Input 220 is initially received at XOR gate 210. The output of the CRC generator in FIG. 2 is 222. A system with multiple CRC generators can be unwieldy and inefficient.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

System and method for generating a cyclic redundancy check


A toner having high mechanical strength and being capable of exhibiting a sufficient fixing property in a wide temperature range, and a method for manufacturing such a toner are provided. Further, a fixing device and an image forming apparatus in which such a toner can be suitably used are also provided. The method for manufacturing a toner comprises a step of spreading a dispersion liquid, in which a dispersoid containing polyester-based resin is dispersed in a dispersion medium, into a laminar flow by pressing it against a smooth surface using a gas flow and then jetting the dispersion liquid in the form of fine particles and a step of solidifying the fine particles of the dispersion liquid while they are being conveyed in a solidifying section. The polyester-based resin includes block polyester mainly composed of a block copolymer, and amorphous polyester having crystallinity lower than that of the block polyester. The block polyester has a crystalline block obtained by condensation of a diol component with a dicarboxylic acid component, and an amorphous block having crystallinity lower than that of the crystalline block.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method for manufacturing a toner, a toner, a fixing device, and an image forming apparatus.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are known various electrophotographic methods. In general, such electrophotographic methods include a step for forming an electrostatic latent image on a photoreceptor by any means utilizing a photoconductive material (that is, an exposure step), a step for developing the latent image by the use of a toner to form a toner image, a step for transferring the toner image onto a transfer material (recording medium) such as paper, and a step for fixing the toner image by, for example, heating using a fixing roller.
The toner for use in such electrophotographic methods is generally composed of a material containing a resin as a main component (hereinafter, also simply referred to as a "resin") and a coloring agent.
As for the resin constituting the toner, polyester resin is widely used, because polyester resin has a feature in that it facilitates the control of various properties of a resultant toner (that is, a toner finally obtained), such as elastic modulus, chargeability, and the like.
Further, such polyester resin is composed of a diol component. As for the diol component, aromatic diol such as bisphenol A has been commonly used (see Japanese Patent Laid-open No. Sho 57-109825 (page 1, lines 1 to 27), for example).
However, since polyester composed of such a diol component has a relatively large coefficient of friction and poor mechanical strength (that is, poor resistance to mechanical stress), obtained toner particles are liable to be fractured in a developing device, thus resulting in a case that problems such as poor electrification, contamination of the device, lowering in a fixing property, and the like occur.
Also, there is known a toner which is manufactured using polyester composed of aliphatic diol instead of aromatic diol such as bisphenol A (see Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2001-324832 (page 2, lines 1 to 13), for example). In such a toner, a polyester block copolymer, which contains in its molecule a block obtained by condensation of aliphatic diol with carboxylic acids and a polyester block obtained by condensation of alicyclic diol with carboxylic acids, is used as polyester resin. However, a problem exists with such a toner in that a temperature range in which a sufficient fixing property (fixing strength) is ensured is narrow.
Further, as for a method for manufacturing a toner, a grinding method, a polymerization method, or the like is commonly employed.
In a grinding method, a material containing a resin as a main component (hereinafter, also simply referred to as a "resin") and a coloring agent is kneaded at a temperature higher than the softening point of the resin to obtain a kneaded material, and the kneaded material is then cooled and ground. Such a grinding method has an advantage in that various materials can be selectively used and a toner can be manufactured with relative ease. However, a toner obtained by the grinding method has a disadvantage in that there are large variations in shapes of individual particles of the toner and the particle size distribution of the toner also tends to be wide. As a result, variations in charging properties, fixing property and the like among the toner particles also become large, thus resulting in reduced reliability of the toner as a whole.
In a polymerization method, a polymerization reaction is carried out in a liquid phase using a monomer which is a constituent component of a target resin to obtain a raw resin, by which toner particles are manufactured. Such a polymerization method has an advantage in that toner particles having a shape with relatively high sphericity (that is a shape close to a perfect geometrical sphere) can be obtained. However, in a case where the polymerization method is employed, there is a case where a variation in particle size among individual toner particles can not be made sufficiently small. Further, in the polymerization method, the range of choices of resin materials is narrow so that there is a case where it is difficult to obtain a toner having target properties.

Method for manufacturing toner, toner, fixing device, and image forming apparatus


A multi-layer entry field is disclosed comprising a number of layers including a base plane, a field prompt layer, a Help Prompt layer, a layer displaying the data entered, and an error message layer. The layers are displayed superimposed on one another to reduce the screen area required to display the entry-field and its associated information, making the invention especially useful for Palmtop computers.

The present invention relates to a multi-layer entry field component.
In general terms, entry fields expose methods which allow their properties to be queried, set and modified, for example, getText, setText. Entry fields may also have a default text prompting a user to input text in the correct format. Entry fields also generate events, for example, keypressed or textValueCompleted.
In commercial applications, entry fields are usually surrounded by other text, placing the entry field in context within an application. Thus, the name of the entry field may need to be placed beside the field when displayed on a screen. This helps to distinguish fields which may have similar contents, for example, phone number and fax number or positions associated with names such as Manager, Director etc. It is also common for applications to provide hover help with any screen controls. Thus, if a user places a mouse pointer over a control for longer than a pre-determined time, a piece of explanatory text appears beside the field. Also, if a user enters text incorrectly, then an error message may need to be displayed beside the entry field or on an application status bar, prompting the user to correct their entry.
All of this information requires screen space to be allocated to an entry field. This is not normally a problem for standard desktop or even laptop computers, but with the advent of small screen palmtop computers, screen xe2x80x9creal estatexe2x80x9d is at a premium, and for one control""s associated text to occlude anothers may be very confusing for a user.
Another problem is the contrasting style of platform supplied controls with the style adopted by web sites trying to project a brand image. Whilst sites have been able to create xe2x80x9cbuttonsxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cmenusxe2x80x9d which exhibit the required style, so far entry fields have not.
The present invention operates by adapting an entry field to allow for additional properties, extend the standard behaviour in response to events and implement support for additional events.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a multi-layer entry field component for a graphic user interface, said component being instantiable to occupy an area of a screen display and having: a characteristic adapted to store text entered by the user; a characteristic adapted to store pre-set help text; a characteristic adapted to store a pre-set condition for determining when said help text is displayed; a characteristic adapted to store a pre-set prompt text; and means adapted to display said user entered text, said pre-set prompt text and said help text within said screen area.

International Business Machines Corporation


A portable content player, a content storage device, and a method of synchronizing content between the portable content player and the content storage device, the method including: generating a first content state list for content stored in the content storage device and a second content state list for content stored in the portable content player; generating an execution list based on the first content state list and the second content state list; and matching the first content state list with the second content state list by executing a synchronization command included in the execution list on content selected to be synchronized. Accordingly, a user can automatically match the content state lists of the portable content player and the content storage device.

1. Field of the Invention
Aspects of the present invention relate to a portable content player, a content storage device, and a method of synchronizing content between a portable content player and a content storage device, and more particular, to a method and apparatus for editing a content state list of content stored in each of a portable content player and a content storage device and synchronizing the content state lists between the portable content player and the content storage device with respect to content that is selected to be synchronized.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, users directly manage all files in portable content players, such as a portable multimedia player (PMP) and a mobile phone. To manage the files, the users search for desired files from a personal computer (PC) that is a mass media storage device. Thereafter, in order to store the found files in a portable content player, the user may connect the portable content player and the PC to each other in a wired/wireless manner, execute a transmission program, and store desired multimedia files in the portable content player. As a result, in order to view a movie using the portable content player, most users must repeatedly perform the above-described procedures.
In addition, in order to continue to view multimedia data (e.g., a movie) that was interrupted during a reproduction in a content storage device (e.g., a PC), using a portable content player, the entire movie file must be downloaded from the content storage device to the portable content player, and after the interrupted point of the downloaded movie file is found, a portion subsequent to the interrupted point must be played.

Portable content player, content storage device, and method of synchronizing content state lists between portable content player and content storage device


A versatile frame assembly includes a lower frame assembly and an upper frame assembly. The lower frame assembly includes a base assembly having primary rails and cross rails that are coupled together, an intermediate assembly having primary rails and cross rails that are coupled together and lower support risers coupled between the base assembly primary rails and the intermediate assembly primary rails. The upper frame assembly includes the intermediate frame assembly, an upper assembly having primary rails and cross rails that are coupled together and upper support risers coupled between the intermediate assembly primary rails and the upper assembly primary rails. A platform assembly including a launch platform, a landing platform and a safety pit positioned therebetween is disposed generally within the lower frame assembly. At least one obstacle assembly is disposed generally within the upper frame assembly over the safety pit.

It is well known that regular exercise and physical activity provide significant health benefits, regardless of age, sex or physical ability. For example, exercise can help stimulate weight loss, promote muscle growth, combat health conditions and diseases, improve mood, boosts energy and enhance sleep. In addition, exercise can be a fun activity that gives the participants a chance to unwind, enjoy the outdoors or engage with family or friends in a social setting.
In recent years, a variety of competitions such as mudder races and cross fit games have focused attention on functional fitness training and have popularized gyms offering such training. Some of the benefits of functional fitness training including improving strength and cardiovascular fitness as well as improving endurance, stamina, flexibility, power, speed, coordination, agility, balance, accuracy and obstacle course performance. In general, the benefits of functional fitness training arise from utilizing the body's natural ability to move in multiple degrees of freedom as compared to conventional training using weight machines that may restrict movements to a single, unnatural plane of motion potentially resulting in faulty movement patterns.
Other competitions such as Sasuke in Japan and American Ninja Warrior in the United States have showcased elite athletes competing on a multistage obstacle course. During these competitions, obstacles such as the jump hang, the devil steps, the monkey pegs, the unstable bridge and the salmon ladder not only require the athletes to traverse a unique and complicated apparatus, but also to accomplish these tasks at a significant distance above the ground. To ensure the safety of the competitors, many of these obstacles are typically positioned above a water pit that catches competitors unable to complete the entire obstacle. It has been found, however, that due to factors including the complexity of the obstacle, the space required to build an obstacle course and the safety requirements associated with an obstacle course, obstacle training and obstacle course competitions are generally not available in local gyms, parks or other recreational facilities.

Versatile frame assembly for fixed and mobile obstacle courses


The invention is directed to sublingual spray formulations containing ondansetron or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof and water. The invention is further directed to methods for treating or preventing nausea and emesis associated with cancer treatments by administering sublingual spray formulations containing ondansetron or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof to a patient in need thereof.

Ondansetron is a serotonin 5-HT3 receptor antagonist with the following structure:

Ondansetron's primary use is as an antiemetic (to treat nausea and vomiting) following cancer treatments such as chemotherapy, surgery and/or radiation. Ondansetron works by reducing the activity of the vagus nerve which then deactivates the vomiting center in the medulla oblongata. Ondansetron also blocks serotonin receptors in the chemoreceptor trigger zone.
Ondansetron is currently available from GlaxoSmithKline as a film coated tablet, an oral solution, as an injection (Zofran®), and an orally disintegrating tablet (Zofran ODT®). Ondansetron is also available as an oral soluble film (Zuplenz®) from Vestiq Pharmaceuticals.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,998,110 discloses a method for administering a composition, such as ondansetron, to a mammal through the oral mucosa. This patent teaches that a polar solvent and a propellant are required. Although U.S. Pat. No. 6,676,931 teaches a propellant free ondansetron composition, this patent requires the use of a pharmacologically acceptable polar solvent in an amount of 19 to 90 weight percent and flavoring agent in an amount of 0.1 to 10 weight percent of the total composition.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,854,270 is directed to a liquid ondansetron formulation that includes a sorbitol-containing sweetener and has a pH of from 2 to 5. U.S. Pat. No. 6,555,546 discloses a formulation which may contain ondansetron and polyethylene glycol (PEG)-electrolyte solution for use in treating constipation or for accelerating intestinal lavage. However, these formulations fail to provide a sublingual formulation that has quick-onset and is storage stable.
"Sublingual" means "under the tongue" and refers to administration of a substance via the mouth in such a way that the substance is rapidly absorbed via the blood vessels under the tongue. A sublingual formulation is desirable because it bypasses hepatic first pass metabolic processes which provide better bioavailability, rapid onset of action, and higher patient compliance. Dysphagia (difficulty in swallowing) is common among in all ages of people and more in pediatric, geriatric, and psychiatric patients. In terms of permeability, the sublingual area of oral cavity is more permeable than buccal area. Sublingual drug administration is applied in field of cardiovascular drugs, steroids, enzymes and barbiturates.
While there are various ondansetron formulations currently available, there is still a need in the art for a quick-onset sublingual spray formulation containing ondansetron, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.

Ondansetron sublingual spray formulation


Some embodiments facilitate creation of an industrial asset item via an additive manufacturing process wherein motion is provided between a build plate and a print arm. A correction engine may receive, from an industrial asset item definition data store containing at least one electronic record defining the industrial asset item, the data defining the industrial asset item. A correction engine computer processor may then correct the motion provided between the build plate and the print arm such that the motion deviates from a path indicated by the data defining the industrial asset item. The three-dimension printer may be a rotary printer such that the build plate rotates about a vertical axis and moves along the vertical axis during printing. In these cases, a pre-compensation algorithm may be applied to correct the motion provided between the build plate and the print arm before transmitting data to the three-dimensional additive manufacturing printer.

Some embodiments disclosed herein relate to industrial assets and, more particularly, to systems and methods associated with scan path correction for an additive manufacturing machine.
An additive manufacturing machine, such as a three-dimensional printer, may utilize motion between a build plate (e.g., a platform on which the item being printed is formed) and a print arm (e.g., including a laser that provides energy to transform a powder or other substance into the item). By ways of example, either the build plate or print arm, or both, might be moved with respect to each other. The positions of the build plate over time with respect to the print arm, or "scan path," may be defined or create from a digital representation (e.g., a three-dimensional model) of the item.
In some cases, however, the motion associated with the manufacturing process may introduce errors into the position of a build plate relative to a print arm. For example, a "rotary" additive manufacturing machine may rotate a build plate as a print arm moves over the build plate in a two-dimensional pattern. Note that the rotation will cause locations near the center of the build plate to move more slowly as compared to locations near the outer perimeter of the build plate (e.g., away from the center). A scan path that does not take this factor into account may introduce errors into the creation of the item. Note that such errors may be associated with the dimensions and/or shape of the item (e.g., large errors) or can change the velocity of the of a laser spot with respect to the powder bed and thereby change the energy delivered to the powder bed (thus altering the material properties and introducing small errors). It would therefore be desirable to efficiently and accurately facilitate creation of an item via an additive manufacturing process by correcting motion between a build plate and a print arm.

Scan path correction for movements associated with an additive manufacturing machine


A die unit fastened to an upper part of a stamping tool has a pressure plate, a stamping die, and a die-holding plate. In order to reduce the production cost, the pressure plate is arranged between the stamping die and the die-holding plate, wherein the pressure plate acts on a shoulder of the stamping die during a stamping stroke.

Die units of this type have hitherto been set up, without exception, by a fully profiled forming die being produced over its entire length with its stamping cross section being cut out from a solid hardened block over its entire length by wire erosion. In a conventional method for fastening the die in the die-holding plate, an embossing die is produced in the form of the die, with the peripheral chamfer which is desired. The upper end of the forming die is subsequently heated and the chamfer is upset on the die by means of a press in the embossing mould. The chamfer of the upset head also serves for withdrawing the stamping die, the heating described bringing about the additional effect that the hardness of the die is reduced in the head region due to the annealing effect.
After the forming die has been pushed into the die receptacle, the latter is ground over on the head side and then screwed to a pressure plate made from hardened steel. During a stamping stroke, the stamping forces then act via the pressure plate upon the die head which forms the rear end of the forming die.
This solution makes it necessary for a dedicated die unit to have to be kept ready for every stamping-die cross section required, wherein the die-holding plate has to be manufactured individually for each individual forming die.
A die unit produced in this way is fastened to an upper part of a stamping tool, for example by means of two screws, this mostly being a column-guided standard frame. A plurality of individual die units may be installed in a tool if a plurality of desired perforations are to be made.

Die unit and system for constructing die units


A portable collapsible livestock feeder comprising a rear panel hingedly attached to a lower container, and a restrainer fibrous feed attached to the rear panel. At least one hinge attaches the rear panel to the lower container. The rear panel is adjacent the lower container in a closed position, and is angularly related to the lower container in an open position. The feeder may be maintained in the open position. The feeder is maintained in the closed position by two L-shaped brackets which are rotatably mounted to the rear panel and which have a locking and a hanging position. In the locking position, the L-shaped brackets engage the lower container when the feeder is in the closed position. In the hanging position, the L-shaped brackets provide for hanging the feeder when the feeder is in the open position. In the preferred embodiment, the rear panel comprises an upper container.

1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to feeders for livestock. Specifically, this invention relates to livestock feeders for use in feeding various types of grains and fibrous feeds to livestock. The invention is easily transported (with or without the feeds therein) and is erected and disassembled by one person with minimal effort in minimal time.
Feeders have long been used in the care of livestock and are especially useful since they provide a method to monitor and regulate the amount of feed supplied and consumed by an animal. Control of the food supply during any period of time can be substantially beneficial to animals, especially horses. Horses have been known to consume great quantities of food in a short time period resulting in a life-threatening condition known as colic.
The types of food commonly consumed by livestock are grains and fibrous feeds. Feeders which have the capability of retaining both grain and fibrous feeds reduce the need for separate grain and fibrous feed feeders. Furthermore, the use of separate feeders for each animal prevents the transmission of illness at common feeding areas.
Feeders also prevent waste, spoilage, and contamination of food. Feed which falls to the ground can become contaminated by contacting animal waste or dirt. If unrestrained, livestock such as horses will compound the danger by scattering the feed across the ground. The ingestion by the animals of ground particles, including dirt and animal waste, can lead to severe illness or death. Thus, it is advantageous to include a means for restraining the feed within the feeder. Means of restraining fibrous feeds include grills or soft meshes through which the livestock can consume hay in limited amounts. Means of restraining grains include containers and pouches.
Feeders are usually permanently mounted in an animal's stall, barn, or corral. However, permanent feeders have several obvious drawbacks. Permanent feeders are difficult to clean, since the feeder must be cleaned where it is mounted. It is also difficult to relocate a permanent feeder when an animal's location is changed, or when additional animals are introduced into the area.
Additionally, some livestock are regularly transported to various locations, including horse shows, rodeos, and livestock shows or sales. These animals must be provided with suitable feeding facilities regardless of location. To quickly dispense feed, these feeding facilities must be rapidly erected. Assembly of the feeder wherever the animal is located must require few steps, have no loose parts that may be lost, and be completed in minimal time.
Collapsible feeders have been developed to provide both grain and fibrous feeds to animals. These feeders typically require cumbersome assembly and disassembly. Additionally, these feeders usually are permanently mounted and collapse when not in use. While trailer-mounted feeders are somewhat portable, such devices are useless if the animal is boarded in a stall or small corral where the trailer-mounted feeder cannot be located.
2. Related Art
Portable feeders are known to the prior art. Illustrative of such devices are U.S. Pat. No. 1,553,834, U.S. Pat. No. 3,362,382, U.S. Pat. No. 4,457,264, U.S. Pat. No. 4,976,222, U.S. Pat. No. 5,189,985, U.S. Pat. No. 5,375,559,and U.S. Pat. No. 5,509,377. None of these devices, however, provide a truly portable, collapsible feeder for grains and fibrous feeds which can be quickly and easily erected in any location.


A technique permitting an X.509 certificate to simultaneously support more than one cryptographic algorithm. An alternative public key and alternative signature are provided as extensions in the body of the certificate. These extensions define a second (or more) cryptographic algorithm which may be utilized to verify the certificate. These are not authenticated by the primary signature and signature algorithm in the primary cryptographic algorithm. These newly defined extensions are reviewed by a receiving entity if the entity does not support the cryptographic algorithm of the primary signature.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technique for permitting X.509 certificates to utilize more than a single encryption algorithm. More particularly, the present invention relates to a technique by which a certificate may be extended to support a second encryption algorithm while not requiring a new certificate hierarchy and while maintaining backward compatibility.
2. Description of the Related Art
Security for transactions and documents transmitted over networks such as the Internet have been a stumbling block to having true end-to-end e-commerce. Security flaws in existing systems are well documented, and security which is transparent to the public has been difficult to implement. Thus, many people feel less than secure about sending credit card numbers and the like to merchants via the Internet.
More recently, to address this problem, the companies which produce the VISA and MasterCard credit cards jointly came up with an end-to-end specification for securely transmitting credit card numbers and information as part of electronic transactions over the Internet. This specification, known as SET (Secure Electronic Transactions), was first introduced in 1997 (SET is a trademark of SET Secure Electronic Transaction LLC).
The SET specification relies on the concept of certificates, which are issued to merchants, credit card holders, credit card issuers, etc. Certificates are subject to verification based on their 'signature', and are encrypted. The standard certificate type which is used in known as the X.509 certificate.
One drawback to X.509 certificates is that they support only a single encryption algorithm at a time. Also, some encryption algorithms perform better in some environments. Recent highly publicized events have shown that some encryption algorithms can be broken if enough resources are thrown at them. This is not well received by the public. However, it has been demonstrated that most unscrupulous parties have only limited resources. And if the effort to decrypt a certificate outweighs the potential reward, no attempt will be made to break the encryption. In this regard, SET certificates are somewhat vulnerable. The certificates support only a single encryption algorithm, and most certificates use only a single, known standard algorithm. So, while it is not easy, a party bent on decrypting a certificate can intercept a certificate on the Internet and have a pretty good idea of which algorithm is employed. By employing the extensive resources required to decrypt the certificate, the party can then succeed in decrypting the certificate.
Accordingly, a need exists for making X.509 certificates support additional cryptographic algorithms.

Extension of X.509 certificates to simultaneously support multiple cryptographic algorithms

International Business Machines Corporation


The present invention relates to a lock cylinder including an outer cylindric block, an inner cylindric block, which defines a key hole, locking function members arranged inside the inner cylindric block, which are intended to cooperate with a key insertable in the key hole, as well as an activating member connected to the inner cylindric block. The inner cylindric block has such dimensions that it is displaceable inside the outer cylindric block, that members are arranged adjacent to the opening of the key hole to fix the inner cylindric block and the outer cylindric block in relation to each other in the axial direction, and a force-exerting member is provided, which applies an axial force to the inner cylindric block in a direction away from the opening of the key hole.

The present invention relates to a lock cylinder including an outer cylindric block, an inner cylindric block, which defines a key hole, locking function members arranged inside the inner cylindric block, which members are intended to co-operate with a key insertable in the key hole, as well as an activating member going out from the inner cylindric block.
Lock cylinders of the above-mentioned type are previously well-known and existing on the market, one of the most well-known trademarks for such lock cylinders being ABLOY(copyright).
A disadvantage with the known lock cylinders in question is that they relatively simply may be exposed to violence with the purpose of neutralising the locking function of the lock cylinder. As examples of such violence, boring by means of a boring machine and/or cutting by means of a cross-cutting saw should be mentioned. When, for instance, boring into the key hole of the lock cylinder, the so called locking function washers in the inner cylindric block are drilled in pieces, after which these may be picked out from the inner cylindric block, which then may be turned. In that connection, also the so called activating member will be activated, the lock cylinder being possible to open.
A primary object of the present invention is to define a lock cylinder of the kind defined by way of introduction which, at in principle all outer damage, should guarantee that the locking device, in which the lock cylinder is included, will not lose the locking function thereof.
Another object of the lock cylinder according to the present invention is that the same should be relatively simple in the construction thereof.
A further object of the lock cylinder according to the present invention is that it should be possible to include it in locking devices of different types, for instance such which are activated purely mechanically or such which are activated electrically.


A system and method for controlling the unintended rolling of a rolling stock, the rolling stock having a driver park brake, and an in-vehicle network for signals transmission, the method comprises the steps of selecting among the signals transmitted over the in-vehicle network, a set of predefined signals, then analyzing the status of the selected signals to determine a regulation process to be applied to the rolling stock, and monitoring the regulation process.

It is known in the art that blocking rolling material against unplanned movement is the basic function of a parking brake. Beyond this basic function it is also desirable that the release phase of the parking brake should operate properly.
Actual driver information systems are planned to be apprehended by the human sense resources that lead the parking brake position to be usually reported by different alarm indicators such as:                1—Fix or/and blinking light with various form factor, size, color and frequency,        2—Fugitive sound effects to warn the driver that the system has not been unlocked before running, and        3—A voice system.
Existing systems present several drawbacks, some of which are listed hereinafter:                No prompt and dynamic actions are performed based on light or sound indicators;        Depending on the indicator reliability the driver may or may not be warned by a visual light or a sound system indicating that the brake is or is not in a safe position. The message is delivered by the alarm's indicators and is checked by the driver in order to manually release the vehicle's parking brake.
Operating the rolling stock with unreleased parking brake can irreversibly damage the entire brake system by burning the brake shoes, brake drum, tablets, wheel tread, disc, cable and additional components.
As mentioned above, prior art solutions are not fully appropriated with the newer trends of automotive and cockpit development. Simple indicators, such as blinking lights and sound systems are not efficient enough. The basic vehicle's indicator reporting can be seriously hampered due to some undesirable reasons such as the implementation of music features that leads the cockpit to be both a noisy environment and in a stressed situation. The generation of decibel overflow and the usage of the CD headphones, mobile phone conversation or the equivalent considerably impacts the sound effect alarm reporting. Moreover, the wearing of sunglasses considerably reduces and/or inhibits the feedback given by a visual alarm indicator.
The present invention offers a solution to solve the aforementioned problems.

System and method for monitoring parking brake release


Among the methods provided are methods of treating a subterranean formation comprising placing a solid treatment chemical and a tacky polymer onto a solid substrate to create a coated solid substrate; placing the coated solid substrate into a portion of a subterranean formation; and, allowing the tacky polymer to degrade and allowing the solid treatment chemical to be released into the portion of the subterranean formation. Also provided are methods of creating a particulate pack comprising a treatment chemical in a subterranean formation comprising placing a solid treatment chemical and a tacky polymer onto a particulate to create a coated particulate; creating a slurry comprising the coated particulates slurried into a treatment fluid; placing the slurry into a portion of a subterranean formation so as to create a particulate pack; and, allowing the tacky polymer to degrade and allowing the solid treatment chemical to be released into the portion of the subterranean formation.

The present invention relates to methods for placing treatment chemicals into a portion of a subterranean formation. More particularly the present invention relates to methods of using tacky polymers to transport treatment chemicals to a portion of a subterranean formation.
Subterranean operations often use particulates coated with tackifying agents or resins. One example of a production stimulation operation using coated particulates is hydraulic fracturing, wherein a formation is treated to increase its permeability by hydraulically fracturing the formation to create or enhance one or more cracks or "fractures." In most cases, a hydraulic fracturing treatment involves pumping a proppant-free, viscous fluid (known as a pad fluid) into a subterranean formation faster than the fluid can escape into the formation so that the pressure in the formation rises and the formation breaks, creating an artificial fracture or enlarging a natural fracture. Then a proppant is generally added to the fluid to form a slurry that is pumped into the fracture to prevent the fracture from closing when the pumping pressure is released. A portion of the proppant may be coated with a tackifying agent, among other things, to control fines from migrating into the proppant pack. A portion of the proppant may also be coated with curable resin so that, once cured, the placed proppant forms a consolidated mass and prevents the proppant from flowing back during production of the well.
An example of a well completion operation using a treating fluid containing coated particulates is gravel packing. Gravel packing treatments are used, among other things, to reduce the migration of unconsolidated formation particulates into the well bore. In gravel packing operations, particles known in the art as gravel are carried to a well bore by a treatment fluid. That is, the particulates are suspended in a treatment fluid, which may be viscosified, and the treatment fluid is pumped into a well bore in which the gravel pack is to be placed. The treatment fluid leaks off into the subterranean zone and/or is returned to the surface while the particulates are left in the zone. The resultant gravel pack acts as a filter to separate formation sands from produced fluids while permitting the produced fluids to flow into the well bore. A portion of the gravel may be coated with resin or tackifying agent, among other things, to further help control the migration of formation fines. Typically, gravel pack operations involve placing a gravel pack screen in the well bore and packing the surrounding annulus between the screen and the well bore with gravel designed to prevent the passage of formation sands through the pack. The gravel pack screen is generally a type of filter assembly used to support and retain the gravel placed during the gravel pack operation. A wide range of sizes and screen configurations are available to suit the characteristics of a particular well bore, the production fluid, and the subterranean formation sands. When installing the gravel pack, the gravel is carried to the formation in the form of a slurry by mixing the gravel with a viscosified carrier fluid. Once the gravel is placed in the well bore, the viscosity of the carrier fluid is reduced, and it is returned to the surface. Such gravel packs may be used to stabilize the formation while causing minimal impairment to well productivity. The gravel, among other things, acts to prevent formation sands from occluding the screen or migrating with the produced fluids, and the screen, among other things, acts to prevent the gravel from entering the well bore.
In some situations the processes of hydraulic fracturing and gravel packing are combined into a single treatment to provide stimulated production and an annular gravel pack to reduce formation sand production. Such treatments are often referred to as "frac pack" operations. In some cases, the treatments are completed with a gravel pack screen assembly in place, and the hydraulic fracturing treatment being pumped through the annular space between the casing and screen. In such a situation, the hydraulic fracturing treatment usually ends in a screen out condition creating an annular gravel pack between the screen and casing. This allows both the hydraulic fracturing treatment and gravel pack to be placed in a single operation.
In subterranean operations, a variety of treatment chemicals may be used to facilitate the production of fluids such as water and hydrocarbons. These include gel breakers, dispersing agents, and defoamers, among others. One of the challenges faced when using such treatment chemicals is placing them where they will be most effective to avoid over-use, waste, and/or potentially deleterious effects brought about by an incorrect placement. By way of example, a solid treatment chemical may be used in combination with a fracturing operation wherein proppant particulates are being placed into the formation. In that instance, if the solid treatment chemical is an agent meant to help remove a filter cake, it will be desirable for the treatment chemical to be placed not only abutting the filter cake but also as uniformly as possible. However, in such solid treatment chemicals are often of a differing size, shape, or density to the proppant particulates being placed and so they have a tendency, while suspended in the fracturing fluid, to segregate away from the proppant particulates. Such segregation often leads to non-uniform placement that, in this example, could cause incomplete removal of the filter cake. Thus, it is desirable to be able to place treatment chemicals more reliably within a portion of a subterranean formation.
In addition to coating particulates with a resin or tackifier, in some subterranean operations it may be desirable to coat other solid substrates (such as gravel packing screens and well bore tools). For example, in some gravel packing operations it may be beneficial to place a treatment chemical directly onto the screen. Moreover, many subterranean operations use various tools that may themselves benefit from being coated with a treatment chemical. Unfortunately, many treatment chemicals, particularly solid treatment chemicals are not able to be easily placed onto such solid substrates. While tacky substances such as aqueous tackifiers, non-aqueous tackifiers, and resins have been used to attach solid treatment chemicals to solid substrates such as proppant particulates, many operations and substrates would suffer negative effects from being in contact with such a relatively permanently tacky substance. Thus, it would be of great benefit to be able to place treatment chemicals onto solid substrates with a tacky substance that would substantially degrade once down hole.


An MRI technique in which the similarity of samples from different portions of a body is determined and displayed. In one embodiment, the method can be used to track the spread of a known primary tumor to other portions of a patient's body. The MRI apparatus is used to produce a training set comprising one or more training samples. The training set is formed from a plurality of congruent first images of a training region of the body. Each first image is produced using an MRI pulse sequence different from the pulse sequences used to produce the other first images. Each first image comprise an array of pixels, and each training sample comprises a spatially aligned set of pixels from each first image. The same technique is used to produce a plurality of test samples corresponding to a test region of the same body. The test samples are produced using the same pulse sequences as the training samples. The training and test samples are then compared, to produce similarity data indicating, for each test sample, the degree of similarity between the test sample and the training samples. A display is then generated based upon the similarity data.

In a typical medical application of MRI, a patient is placed within the bore of a large, donut-shaped magnet. The magnet creates a static magnetic field that extends along the long (head-to-toe) axis of the patient's body. An antenna (e.g., a coil of wire) is also positioned within the bore of the large magnet, and is used to create an oscillating radiofrequency field that selectively excites hydrogen atoms (protons) in the patient's body into oscillation. The oscillating field is then turned off, and the antenna is used as a receiving element, to detect the proton oscillations as a function of position within the body. Typically, the intensity of the oscillations is measured throughout a two-dimensional plane. When the intensities are displayed as a function of position in this plane, the result is an image that often bears a striking resemblance to the actual anatomic features in that plane.
The intensity of proton oscillations detected at a given point in the patient's body is proportional to the proton density at that point. Because different types of tissues have different proton densities, different tissue types usually have different image intensities, and therefore appear as distinct structures in the MR image. However, the signal intensity also depends on physical and chemical properties of the tissues being imaged. In a simplified model of MRI, the detected signal intensity, as a function of position coordinates x and y in the plane being imaged, is proportional to EQU (1-e.sup.-TR/T.sub.1)e.sup.-TE/T.sub.2 ( 1)
The parameters TR (recovery time) and TE (echo delay time) are under the control of the operator of the MR imaging system, and are constants for any given image. However, T.sub.1 and T.sub.2 are functions of the tissue under examination, and therefore vary with position in the x-y plane. By suitable selection of parameters TR and TE, either the T.sub.1 or the T.sub.2 term in Equation 1 can be made to dominate, thereby producing so-called "T.sub.1 -weighted" and "T.sub.2 -weighted" images, respectively.
One of the more important medical uses to which MRI has been put to date is to noninvasively scan a portion of a patient's body, in an attempt to identify benign or malignant tumors. When MRI is used in this fashion, it is necessary to have some methodology for concluding that a given portion of an MR image represents tumor, as opposed to other tissue types such as fat, cyst, etc. One known approach to identifying tissue type has been to acquire multiple MR images of the same region of the patient's body, using different imaging parameters, e.g., using different values of the TR and TE parameters. To take a simplified example, if it were known that a given tumor produced a high image intensity at a first parameter setting, a low image intensity at a second parameter setting, and a high image intensity at a third parameter setting, then a portion of a patient's body that produced that pattern of intensities (high, low, high) could be tentatively identified as tumor.
Pattern recognition approaches of this type are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,003,979. This patent describes a system for the detection and display of lesions in breast tissue, using MRI techniques. In one described example, three different types of images are obtained for a given region, and the pixels of the image are then classified by comparing their intensity patterns to known patterns for pure tissue types, such as fat, cyst or cancer. The patent indicates that three specific types of images are adequate for statistically separating MR images of breast fat, cyst, carcinoma and fibroadenoma.
Applicants have found that in many cases, comparison of the pattern of intensities of a patient's tissue to "standard" patterns for different tissue types does not produce results of sufficient accuracy. The basic problem appears to be that there is too much variability from one patient to the next, as well as from one MRI machine to the next. For this reason, the use of standard patterns does not result in the high degree of confidence that one must have in order to forego a more certain diagnostic technique, such as biopsy. For this reason, cancer diagnosis based on MRI has not yet achieved widespread acceptance. A problem that occurs frequently in cancer treatment is detecting when a primary tumor has spread to other sites in the patient's body, to produce so-called secondary tumors, known as metastases, at those sites. Detection and correct identification of metastases, using MRI or other imaging techniques, is often complicated by the fact that a remote lesion discovered during staging could represent either a metastasis or a benign incidental finding. A number of benign lesions (such as hepatic hemangiomas and nonfunctioning adrenal adenomas) occur as frequently in patients with a known primary tumor as they do in the general population.
Resolving this dilemma requires additional imaging or biopsy, but often significant uncertainty persists. Biopsy may expose the patient to substantial risk when the lesion is in the brain or mediastinum, or when the patient has impaired hemostasis. Even when biopsy does not present a significant risk to the patient, it may be technically challenging, such as sampling focal lesions in vertebral marrow.

Magnetic resonance imaging using pattern recognition

Board of Regents of the University of Washington


Systems and methods providing radio frequency identification (RFID) of individuals, as may be implemented with respect to a controlled environment facility, using RFID transducer technology deployed in association with a user terminal, such as telephone or multimedia kiosk, are shown. Embodiments operate to identify residents of a controlled environment facility and control one or more transactions associated with the residents and/or actions of the residents using a RFID system in which a user presents a RFID transponder in proximity to a RFID transducer for identification. RFID tags of embodiments comprise data which identifies an individual, data which may be used to identify an individual, or a combination of both. RFID systems of embodiments are adapted to utilize existing communication links for identification of individuals using RFID and/or for controlling transactions, such as calls, using RFID.

Controlled environment facilities, such as prison facilities, hospitals, nursing homes, and camps, often implement a certain amount of control with respect to various activities involving residents thereof. For example, communications in or out of such controlled environment facilities may be allowed, restricted, interrupted, redirected, monitored, and/or recorded for some or all residents for security reasons. Access to specific areas of controlled environment facilities may also be tightly controlled for some or all residents. Often, controlled environment facilities may place different limitations on residents associated therewith with respect to a plurality of activities. Accordingly, controlled environment facilities must be operable to identify the residents in order to effectively control such activities.
In a prison facility, for example, phone calls to and from inmates are typically tightly controlled. Accordingly, various call processing systems have been implemented through which inmate calls into and out of a prison facility are allowed, restricted, interrupted, redirected, monitored, and/or recorded. Such call processing systems generally comprise a number of ports through which telephone trunks of the public switched telephone network (PSTN) are coupled to analog telephone lines associated with telephone terminals disposed in inmate accessible areas of the prison facility. Before one of the telephone terminals disposed in inmate accessible areas of the prison facility are placed in communication with the PSTN, logic of the call processing system will make a validation determination with respect to whether the call should be connected, such as to determine if an inmate making or accepting a call is allowed phone privileges, if calls are allowed at the time of the call, if calls are allowed to or from the particular telephone terminal, etcetera.
Most prison facilities employ call validation methods which rely on the use of a personal identification number (PIN) to identify an individual, such as an inmate, and determine if a call is allowed or not. A call processing system in association with a prison facility prompts an inmate attempting a call to enter his PIN number, either before or after the telephone number is dialed. The PIN number allows the call processing system to identify the inmate and determine if the desired telephone call should be connected. A problem with utilizing a PIN number to identify an inmate for call validation purposes is that a PIN number may be easily traded, sold or stolen within a prison facility. In this way, an inmate may evade calling restrictions placed on him by the prison facility by utilizing another inmate's PIN number. Accordingly, there is a potential for harassment with calls being made to restricted numbers (e.g., victims, witnesses, judges, etcetera), the coordination of external/internal illegal business operations from within the facility, gang activity being coordinated from within facilities, riots or other activities being coordinated within and between facilities, and/or the general loss of command and control by facility leadership. In addition to posing a serious security risk, calls placed by inmates utilizing PIN numbers other than their own reduce the effectiveness of a facility's investigatory process. For example, even when a call posing a security risk is monitored or recorded by the facility, the inmate responsible for the security violation might escape identification and punishment by placing the call using another inmate's PIN number. Furthermore, a wrong inmate could be identified as the guilty party and penalized.

Systems and methods for radio frequency identification


In some embodiments, described herein is a method of tumor treatment or tumor vaccination. The method generally comprises applying to a human being in need thereof a tumor therapeutic composition or tumor vaccine defined herein. The tumor therapeutic composition or tumor vaccine can be produced by protein transfer of glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored immunostimulatory or costimulatory molecules.

Provenge™ is a recently FDA-approved autologous cellular immunotherapy treatment. Peripheral blood leukocytes of a subject are harvested via leukapheresis. These enriched monocytes are incubated with prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP) conjugated to cytokine granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF). GM-CSF is thought to direct the target antigen to receptors on DC precursors, which then present PAP on their cell surface in a context sufficient to activate T cells for the cells that express PAP. Activated, PAP presenting DCs are administered to the subject to elicit an immune response retarding cancer growth. This strategy requires isolation and expansion of cells of the subject, and typically treatment does not entirely clear the subject of cancer or tumors. Thus, there is a need to identify improved methods.
B7-1 (also known as CD80) is a T cell costimulatory molecule that can be anchored in to autologous cancer cells to stimulate immune responses. McHugh et al., report the construction, purification and functional reconstitution of a glycolipid anchored form of B7-1 (CD80) on tumor cell membranes. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 1995; 92:8059-8063. See also U.S. Pat. No. 6,491,925. Glycosyl phosphatidylinositol anchored B7-1 (GPI-B7-1) molecules have been incorporated onto tumor cells and isolated tumor cell membranes to provide costimulation for allogenic T cell proliferation. See Nagarajan & Selvaraj, Vaccine, 2006, 24(13):2264-74, U.S. Published Patent Application No. US 2007/0243159, Bozeman et al., Front Biosci. 2010; 15:309-320. Bumgarner et al., report surface engineering of microparticles by novel protein transfer for targeted antigen/drug delivery. J Control Release. 2009; 137:90-97.
Cubas et al., report virus-like particle (VLP) lymphatic trafficking and immune response generation after immunization by different routes. J Immunotherapy, 2009, 32(2):118-128. Kueng et al., report a general strategy for decoration of envelope viruses with functionally active lipid-modified cytokines, J Virology, 2007, 81, 8666-8676.

Immunostimulatory compositions, particles, and uses related thereto


Organohalosilanes are prepared by charging a reactor with a contact mass of metallic silicon and a catalyst and feeding an organohalide-containing gas to the reactor. Tin or a tin compound is used as the catalyst. Then organohalosilanes can be produced quite efficiently at a high reaction rate while maintaining a low T/D ratio and minimizing the deposition of by-products and carbon.

With respect to the synthesis of organohalosilanes, E. G. Rochow first disclosed direct reaction between metallic silicon and organohalide in the presence of a copper catalyst. See U.S. Pat. No. 2,380,995 and J. Am. Chem. Soc., 67, 963 (1945), "The direct synthesis of organosilicon compounds." Further, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 67, 1772 (1945), "The direct synthesis of phenylchlorosilanes" reports that the contact mass is useful in the synthesis of phenylsilanes. After these reports, copper catalysts are acknowledged as prevailing catalysts in the organohalosilane synthesis by direct reaction of metallic silicon with organohalide. Since then, there have been reported a number of research works relating to various co-catalysts used together with copper catalysts, copper catalysts themselves and their treatment, reactors, additives used during reaction, and the like. All prior art investigations relate to copper catalyzed reactions.
On the other hand, tin serves as a catalyst in the contact mass for organohalosilane direct synthesis reaction, but in fact, tin is used solely as a co-catalyst for promoting reaction when copper is used as the main catalyst. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 4,500,724 and JP-B 1-40035 disclose use of tin for methylhalosilane synthesis, JP-B 33-1370 discloses tin or tin alloys for phenylsilane synthesis, and JP-B 32-4570 discloses tin tetrahalides. No reference has been made to the contact masses in which the copper catalyst is absent or the copper catalyst is present in minor amounts, but not used as the main catalyst.
No substantial problems have arisen as long as the reaction deals with only methylhalosilanes. As silicone resins become diversified, there is an increasing demand for organohalosilanes having other organic groups such as phenyl. Synthesis of such organohalosilanes is carried out, as a matter of course, by direct reaction of metallic silicon with chlorobenzene in the presence of copper catalysts. The reaction with such organohalides having low reactivity suffers from the problems that the reaction temperature must be elevated (to about 400 to 600° C.), large amounts of by-products such as biphenyls and carbon form to complicate post-treatment, and the percent conversion of silicon to silane is very low despite a very large amount of the catalyst used.