This invention relates to a silicone resin composition which exhibits high heat resistance, high transparency and high dimensional stability and thus can be suitably used for optical applications such as a lens, an optical disc, an optical fiber, a substrate for a plat panel display, a window material for an automobile, and the like. A silicone resin composition, which comprises a silicone resin comprising, as a primary component, a polyorganosilsesquioxane being represented by the formula: [RSiO3/2]n, wherein R represents an organic functional group having a (meth)acryloyl group, and n is 8, 10 or 12, and having a cage type structure in its structural unit, and an unsaturated compound having, in its molecule, at least one unsaturated group represented by —R3—CR4═CH2 or —CR4═CH2, wherein R3 represents an alkylene group, an alkylidene group or a —OCO— group and R4 represents a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group, and being capable of radically copolymerizing with the above silicone resin, in a weight proportion of 1:99 to 99:1.

Inorganic glasses are highly transparent, heat-resistant and dimensions stability and, on account of these properties, they have been used from old days in a wide variety of industrial sectors as structures which divide the space while transmitting visible light without obstructing the visibility. In spite of such excellent properties, inorganic glasses have two grave shortcomings; first, they are heavy with the specific gravity amounting to 2.5 or more and, second, they have poor impact resistance and fracture easily. In recent years, as a result of the continuing drive toward downsizing such as reduction in weight and thickness of the products in all kinds of industries, there is an increasingly stronger demand from the users for improvements to remedy the aforementioned shortcomings.
Transparent thermoplastics and thermosets are being counted on as materials to meet such a demand from the industries. Transparent thermoplastics are exemplified by polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) and polycarbonate (PC). Of these transparent thermoplastics, PMMA is otherwise called organic glass and it is highly transparent and drawing attention as a material which has overcome the two shortcomings of glasses. However, these transparent plastics are markedly inferior to inorganic glasses in heat resistance and coefficient of linear thermal expansion and face a problem of limited usage.
On the other hand, transparent thermosets are exemplified by epoxy resins, curable (meth)acrylic resins and silicone resins and they generally show higher heat resistance than the aforementioned thermoplastics. Of the transparent thermosets, epoxy resins show small curing shrinkage and excellent moldability, but have a shortcoming of low impact resistance and brittleness. Curable (meth)acrylic resins are well balanced in heat resistance, moldability and properties of molded articles, but have shortcomings of large changes in dimension by water absorption and in coefficient of linear expansion by heat.
Silicone resins are superior to other thermosets in heat resistance, weatherability and water resistance and provide materials with high potentialities of solving the aforementioned problems associated with plastics and serving as substitutes for inorganic glasses. In particular, polyorganosilsesquioxanes of a ladder structure are known to show heat resistance comparable to that of polyimides.
One example of such polyorganosilsesquioxanes is prepared as follows according to methods disclosed in JP40-15989, JP50-139900A and J. Polymer Sci., Part C, No. 1, pp. 83-97 (1963): phenyltrichlorosilane is hydrolyzed in an organic solvent to phenyltrihydroxysilane, the hydrolysis product is heated in a water-free solvent in the presence of an alkaline rearrangement and condensation catalyst to give cage type octaphenylsilsesquioxane and the cage type octaphenylsilsesquioxane is separated and heated again in the presence of an alkaline rearrangement and condensation catalyst to give a phenylsiloxane prepolymer of low intrinsic viscosity; or the prepolymer is further heated in the presence of an alkaline rearrangement and condensation catalyst to give a phenylsilsesquioxane polymer of high intrinsic viscosity.
Now, the siloxane linkage in silicone resins including the polyorganosilsesquioxanes prepared in the aforementioned manner is highly flexible and it is necessary to increase the crosslinking density in order to develop modulus required for structures. However, increasing the crosslinking density is undesirable as it markedly increases the curing shrinkage thereby rendering molded particles brittle. Furthermore, the curing shrinkage increases the residual stress and this makes it extremely difficult to obtain thick-walled molded articles. For this reason, silicone resins with a high crosslinking density are limited in use to coating applications and, at the present time, only silicone rubbers with a low crosslinking density are used in molding applications. A method for copolymerizing silicone resins with acrylic resins of good moldability is disclosed in the Journal of the Chemical Society of Japan, 571-580 (1998); according to this method, an acrylic polymer having alkoxysilyl side chains is used as a nonladder type silicone resin and it is copolymerized with an alkoxysilane to form a hybrid consisting of an acrylic polymer as organic ingredient and a polysiloxane as inorganic ingredient. However, silicone resins intrinsically show poor compatibility with acrylic resins and, in many cases, the optical properties, particularly light transmission, are damaged even when there is no problem with mechanical strength.
A molded article of a silanol-free silicone resin disclosed in JP10-251407A shows excellent heat resistance and optical properties. However, a silicone resin prepared from a cage type polyorganosilsesquioxane and a disiloxane containing a reactive functional group by equilibration reaction in the presence of an alkaline rearrangement and condensation catalyst has a small number of reactive functional groups, 1.1 on the average, in the molecule and is assumed to participate little in the three-dimensional crosslinked structure in the molded article. That is, increasing the proportion of silicone resin which contributes to characteristics such as heat resistance, weatherability and water resistance decreases the absolute number of reactive functional groups in the molded article and this in turn decreases the crosslinking density and hinders satisfactory construction of a three-dimensional crosslinked structure. As a result, the molded article shows deterioration in heat resistance and mechanical properties.

Silicone resin compositions and molded articles thereof


A method for regulating traffic of a Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) flow includes: deciding, based on a ratio of current bucket level to bucket size, a value of an Explicit Congestion Notification (ECN) bit of a packet; setting a field of a meter tag of the packet based on a packet length of the packet, the value of the ECN bit, and a current bucket level; updating the current bucket level based on the field of the meter tag; calculating an actual transmission rate; and determining an adjustment value based on a difference between the actual transmission rate and a target rate, and adjusting a rate of change of bucket level based on the adjustment value.

An application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) of a switch includes a meter that is utilized to regulate traffic of a Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) flow in network communication. Conventionally, the meter may drop data packets when network congestion occurs. When a sending terminal receives duplicate acknowledgement (ACK) signals from a receiving terminal or when a timeout event occurs meaning that a certain period has elapsed waiting in vain for an ACK signal from the receiving terminal, the sending terminal determines that network congestion has occurred or that data packets sent thereby were lost, and then reduces the sending rate of data packets. However, the aforesaid congestion control scheme may severely reduce efficiency of transmission of data packets, possibly causing an actual transmission rate to be a mere 10% of an ideal transmission rate, which is specified by a network service contract.

Method for regulating traffic of TCP flow


Systems and methods for measuring the performance of a provider of communications service are described. A plurality of mobile communications devices measure average power received, signal to noise ratio, voice quality, blocked and dropped calls, or any combinations of such measurements. The device may also receive a set of data identifying the location of the device. The device may transmit one or more communications signals to a server computer system with such measurements and location data. The measurements and location data may be stored in a database, and new data may be created and transmitted illustrating a subset of the measurements and location data.

There are many options in choosing a carrier for wireless voice communications. Specifically, the competition for customers among wireless carriers operating cellular networks can be intense. Maintaining high quality service can be an important consideration in attracting and maintaining customers. Poor network performance can lead to customer losses and increase churn, factors which can be costly.
Drive-test systems are a primary tool used by providers to measure performance from a subscriber perspective. Drive-test systems, as the name implies, are tools that characterize the performance of a system by driving around and making measurements. Such systems may rely on a technician or other professional to drive to different coverage areas and make service-quality measurements. Such systems may employ a receiver to measure performance based on a variety of quality metrics. The receiver may be as simple as a phone or as complex as a digital receiver specifically created to measure such metrics as pilot pollution, missing neighbors and base-station timing errors.
A limitation of this approach is that it generally requires a technician or other professional to drive around and make the measurements. This often entails the use of expensive electronic equipment, costs associated with the vehicle, and personnel costs for the measurement technician. There are some drive test solutions where the measurement is done automatically, requiring less administration by a technician. Such systems are often dubbed "unattended" systems, while systems requiring professional, ongoing measurement are often referred to as "attended" systems. Unattended systems may also be associated with a permanent location.
Nonetheless, there are certain inherent limitations associated with "drive test" solutions. Because of costs, measurement is often geographically limited to major markets and roads, and measurements are only taken at certain times. Also, drive test solutions are typically directed at a single carrier, making competitive benchmarking of multiple carriers a challenge. Thus, there exists a need in the art to create solutions that address the inherent limitations associated with drive testing, while continuing to measure the performance of a wireless service from the subscriber perspective at a variety of locations.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Systems and methods for measuring the performance of a provider of communications services


A mechanism for facilitating improved refresh schemes for memory devices is described. In one embodiment, an apparatus includes a memory device having refresh logic and memory cells, the memory cells including data cells and supplemental cells, the supplemental cells to be observed. The supplemental cells emulate a decay characteristic of the data cells performing regular refresh operations according to an existing refresh policy. The apparatus may further include the refresh logic to receive, from the supplemental cells, observation data relating to decaying of the supplemental cells, and correlate the observation data to data cell performance. The refresh logic to generate a policy recommendation based on the observation data collected by the supplemental cells.

Memory devices are typically used for storing data and are essential for any computing system. With the rise in mobile computing devices (e.g., smartphones, Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), pocket computers, tablet computers, etc.), it is preferred to have small memory devices that can hold large amounts of data. Several techniques have been introduced to make memory devices smaller with increased storing capability. One such memory device is a Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM) device.
A DRAM device (or simply "DRAM") is often employed for its architectural simplicity; for example, DRAMs employ extremely small capacitors such that billions of them can fit on a single memory chip. DRAM is volatile memory, meaning that it quickly loses its data when power is removed. Also, since a DRAM stores each bit of data in a separate capacitor within an integrated circuit, each capacitor can be charged or discharged. These two steps of charging and discharging represent the two values of a bit, which are typically known as 0 and 1. Since capacitors are known for leaking charge, the stored data eventually fades unless the capacitor charge is refreshed periodically. It is this periodic refresh requirement for DRAMs that the word "dynamic" of DRAM refers to as opposed to the word "static" in Static RAM (SRAM).
Current DRAM devices use refresh operations to maintain the state of each cell of memory over time. A DRAM cell programmed to "1" will decay over time and eventually be unable to distinguish between a one and a zero. In order to ensure that cells maintain their value, the frequency of refresh operations needs to be higher than the decay time. For example, the frequency of refresh operations need be high enough to ensure that any cell has a probability of error of less than 10−18. Complicating matters, cell decay is temperature-dependent and for each 10 degrees Celcius of temperature increase, the average decay time for a cell reduces by half. Even worse, future memory devices may be placed directly above a System-on-a-Chip (SoC), which can result in different parts of the DRAM device being exposed to different temperatures. A conventional system for determining decay uses a single temperature sensor that may be inaccurate and/or far from the 'hot spot' on the DRAM device. Using this single temperature sensor requires a highly conservative policy that takes the worst-case temperature into account and causes the DRAM to be refreshed at the worst-case rate. This results in higher power consumption, less available bandwidth, and remains far from the optimal refresh rate.
According to one conventional technique, as illustrated in prior art FIG. 2D, a temperature sensor is placed on a memory array of a DRAM device and a temperature sensor readout is then used to determine the refresh policy for the entire array. There are severe limtiations with this approach. For example, the temperature sensor readout can be inaccurate due to process variation, placement of the sensor within the array, or limitations of the temperature sensor design (e.g., quantization, etc.). In addition, a DRAM takes the worst case (temperature) scenario in account when determining a refresh policy. Thus, with a temperature sensor with an accuracy of +/−5 degrees Celsius and a maximum temperature gradient of 5 degrees Celsius across the memory array, the refresh policy must take into account the possibility of a total of 10 degrees Celsius difference between the temperature readout and any given cell in the memory array. This results in an overly conservative approach for refresh operations and also, increases the amount of power that the system consumes to perform the refresh policy, and limits the available system bandwidth because the memory array is unavailable during refresh periods. Additionally, heating caused by excessive refresh operations exacerbates the problem.
Furthermore, an increase in the density of a DRAM device causes an increase in the number of refresh operations for that device. Consequently, using conventional refresh schemes, future DRAMs may require up to 25% of the DRAM bandwidth to be dedicated to refresh operations due to density and temperature increases. According to certain data reports, with the increase in DRAM density and temperature, the bandwidth utilization of refresh operations can grow from the best case scenario of 3% to the worst case senario of 86%.

Mechanism for facilitating fine-grained self-refresh control for dynamic memory devices


This invention relates to a stereoscopic image display apparatus comprises a display for combining and displaying, in an alternate array in a predetermined direction, plural stripe images divided from each of two parallax image for the left and right eyes; a polarizing member in which stripe-shaped polarizing parts with mutually different polarizing axes are alternately arranged respectively corresponding to the divided stripe images, wherein the divided stripe images are emitted by the polarizing member with different polarization characteristics for the left and right eyes, and the left and right eyes of an observer observing said display unit are respectively given the corresponding parts of the divided plural stripe images by the difference of the polarization characteristics whereby the observer can recognize a stereoscopic image; and an optical member provided with stripe-shaped apertures arranged in a predetermined direction, respectively corresponding to the divided stripe images.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a stereoscopic image display apparatus, and more particularly to such apparatus adapted for stereoscopic display of image information by a display device such as a television, a video display, a computer monitor, a game machine or the like and for stereoscopic observation of the image information from a predetermined observation area.
2. Related Background Art
For observing a stereoscopic image, there have been proposed, for example, a method of utilizing polarization spectacles for observing images of a parallax based on mutually different polarized states and a method of utilizing a lenticular lens for guiding images of a predetermined parallax, among the images of plural parallaxes (plural viewing points), to the eyes of the observer.
Among such systems, in the stereoscopic image display apparatus (stereoscopic display) utilizing the polarization spectacles, the polarized state of light is made different from the image for the left eye and that for the right eye and the left and right images are separated by the polarization spectacles. For obtaining different polarized states of light, a liquid crystal shutter is provided on the display to switch the polarizing state in synchronization with the field signal of the displayed image, while the observer utilizes the polarization spectacles whereby the left and right images are separated to the respective eyes on time-shared basis to enable stereoscopic observation.
In this method, the field frequency has to be selected as about 90 to 120 Hz in order to avoid flickering phenomenon. For this reason there is required a display with a high scanning frequency, and the display currently applicable for this purpose is limited to the CRT or the projection display utilizing the CRT.
On the other hand, there is also known a method of placing, on the surface of the display, a polarization control plate in which two polarizing plates with mutually orthogonal polarizing directions are alternately arranged in horizontal stripes and displaying, on the image display area of the display, an image for the left eye and another image for the right eye in alternate horizontal stripes corresponding to the pitch of the horizontally striped polarizing plates, while the observer achieves stereoscopic observation utilizing polarization spectacles with the polarizing plates of mutually orthogonal polarizing direction respectively for the left and right eyes.
In this method, since the left-eye image and the right-eye image are simultaneously displayed in horizontal stripes, the stereoscopic observation without flickering is possible even with a low scanning frequency such as in the liquid crystal display. Such method is disclosed, for example, in the U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,264,964 and 5,327,285.
In the following there will be given a further explanation on the above-explained method of stereoscopic observation, with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. In FIG. 1, there are shown a notebook-shaped personal computer 101 serving as a stereoscopic image display apparatus, and a stereoscopic display 102 composed of a liquid crystal display provided, on the image display surface thereof, with a polarization control plate 4 in which two polarizing plates 4L, 4R with mutually perpendicular polarizing states are arranged in horizontal stripes.
In observing a two-dimensional image, the polarization spectacles 103 are not used, and each of the left and right eyes of the observer observes all the pixels of the liquid display 102 without recognizing the difference in the polarized state, so that the observer can observe the image as in the ordinary two-dimensional display.
In observing a three-dimensional image, the observer uses the polarization spectacles 103 in which the polarizing directions of the left and right eyes are mutually perpendicular, so that the left and right eyes respectively observe the pixels of different polarizing directions. Thus the stereoscopic observation is made possible by displaying, on the liquid crystal display 102, left and right parallax images corresponding to the polarizing directions of the polarizing plates 4L, 4R in the horizontal stripes of the polarization control plate 4.
In the following there will be explained, with reference to FIGS. 2A, 2B, 3 and 4, the principle of stereoscopic observation in the stereoscopic image display apparatus shown in FIG. 1. FIGS. 2A and 2B are schematic perspective views showing the configuration of a conventional stereoscopic display, wherein a liquid crystal display 1 is composed of glass substrates 2 (2a, 2b) and a pixel display unit 3 provided therebetween and consisting of liquid crystal, electrodes etc. In this drawing there are omitted two polarizing plates having mutually orthogonal polarizing directions and positioned respective in front of the front glass substrate 2a and behind the rear glass substrate 2b, and a rear light source positioned behind the glass substrates.
On the surface of the glass substrate 2a of the observation side, there is provided a polarization control plate 4, in which polarizing plates 4L, 4R, having the polarizing directions indicated by arrows, are arranged in horizontal stripes. Such plate can be fabricated for example by mechanical cutting or by photolithography.
Now, reference is made to FIG. 2B for explaining the relationship of the polarizing directions between the polarizing plates of the liquid crystal display 1 and the polarization control plate 4.
In the ordinary liquid crystal display, the polarizing plates 111, 112 positioned respectively in front of and behind the glass substrates sandwiching the pixel display unit 3 with the liquid crystal, are so provided as to have polarizing directions which are inclined by 45.degree. and are mutually perpendicular, in so-called Cross Nicole state. In the TN normally white mode, white and black are respectively displayed when a voltage is applied and not applied to the liquid crystal.
Since the light transmitted by the liquid crystal display is polarized in a direction of 45.degree. while the polarizing plates constituting the polarization control plate 4 have the horizontal and vertical polarizing directions as shown in FIG. 2B, there are only transmitted polarized components in such directions. If all the pixels of the pixel display unit 3 display white, the amounts of light transmitted by the respective polarizing plates are mutually same and, without the polarizion spectacles, all the pixels can be observed as a two-dimensional image, as in the ordinary liquid crystal display.
The pitch of the horizontal stripes constituted by the polarizing plates 4L, 4R of the polarization control plate 4 is selected equal to or slightly smaller than the width of a pixel row (L, R) corresponding to a scanning line of the pixel display unit 3 of the liquid crystal display 1.
In case of displaying a stereoscopic image, the pixel display unit 3 displays the left-eye image L and the right-eye image R alternately in every scanning line, in such a manner that the left-eye image L corresponds to a stripe of the polarizing plate 4L with the vertical polarizing direction and the right-eye image R corresponds to a stripe of the polarizing plate 4R with the horizontal polarizing direction.
The observer uses the polarization spectacles in which the left eye has a polarizing plate 4L with the vertical polarizing direction and the right eye has a polarizing plate 4R with the horizontal polarizing direction. Since each polarizing plate intercepts the polarized light of the perpendicular polarized direction, the left-eye image L and the right-eye image R are separated and observed respectively by the left and right eyes.
FIG. 3 is a lateral cross-sectional view of the stereoscopic display shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B. The pixel display unit 3 of the liquid crystal display 1 is composed of a black matrix 10, separating the pixels in the vertical direction, and pixel apertures 11, which are so provided that the polarizing plates 4L, 4R in the horizontal stripes of the polarization control plate 4 are positioned on the line between the eye 12 of the observer wearing the polarization spectacles 13 and each pixel aperture 11.
If the polarization control plate 4 can be positioned directly on the pixel display unit 3 of the liquid crystal display 1, there will not occur mutual aberration between the displayed pixels and the polarizing plates 4L, 4R regardless of the position of the observer. In practice, however, the glass substrate of the liquid crystal display has a certain thickness and the polarization control plate 4 cannot be positioned closer thereto. For this reason, depending on the height of the eyes 12 of the observer, the pixel display unit 3 becomes displaced with respect to the polarizing plates 4L, 4R so that the left and right images L, R cannot be satisfactorily separated and the stereoscopic observation cannot be obtained at a certain height of the eyes 12 of the observer.
More specifically, when the eyes 12 of the observer are at a position a1 in the vertical direction V, the polarizing plates 4L, 4R appear completely superposed with the pixel apertures 11, so that the left-eye image L and the right-eye image R are completely separated and a normal stereoscopic image can be observed.
However, if the eyes 12 of the observer move in the vertical direction to a position a4, the line connecting the pixel aperture 11 and the eyes 12 rides on the vertically adjacent polarizing plates of horizontal stripe shape on the polarization control plate 4, so that the light emerging from a same pixel aperture 11 contains mutually perpendicular polarized components.
Also when the eyes of the observer further move to a position a2, the light emerging from the same pixel aperture 11 completely passes through the adjacent polarized plate and horizontal stripe shape of the perpendicular polarizing direction, whereby the left eye only receives the right-eye image R while the right eye only receives the left-eye image L to realize a state of inverse stereoscopic observation.
A graph at the left-hand side of FIG. 3 indicates the change in the amount of polarized component, wherein the abscissa indicates the proportion of the polarized light component entering either eye, or the amount of crosstalk. When the eyes of the observer are at the position a1 where the left and right images are completely separated without crosstalk, there is only received the normal polarized component and the proportion of the polarized component is defined as 1. On the other hand, when there is only received the polarized component which is perpendicular to the normal component, there is reached a state of inverse stereoscopic observation and the proportion of the polarized component is defined as zero.
When the polarized components are mixed half and half, the proportion is defined as 0.5 or a state of half crosstalk. With the movement of the eye position from a1, the proportion of the polarized component gradually decreases with the corresponding increase of crosstalk, and reaches 0 at the position a2 or a3 where the state of completely inverse stereoscopic observation is reached.
FIG. 4 shows the stereoscopic observation areas at the optimum observation distance for the stereoscopic display 201 of the above-explained configuration, wherein 202 indicates areas (represented by solid lines) allowing normal stereoscopic observation while 203 indicates areas (represented by broken lines) providing inverse stereoscopic observation, and these areas appear periodically in the vertical direction V. As will be apparent from this drawing, the eye height allowing stereoscopic observation without crosstalk is limited to the line a1, and the stereoscopic observation area is practically limited in the vertical direction because of the generation of the crosstalk.
In case of three-dimensional display in the conventional stereoscopic display utilizing the polarization control plate as shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, there is generated an optimum observation height, allowing stereoscopic observation, in the vertical direction of the displayed image. Observation from a higher or lower position involves a gradually increasing amount of crosstalk, eventually reaching a state of inverse stereoscopic image, whereby the stereoscopic display performance is significantly deteriorated. Also for obtaining the stereoscopic image, the observer is required to maintain the eyes at the optimum observation height, whereby the observer is constantly subjected to a burden, leading to fatigue.
Also the limitation in the observation height limits the viewing position, thereby rendering the observation with plural persons quite difficult.


The present invention provides a method and apparatus for providing real-time, two-way transactional capabilities on the Web. Specifically, one embodiment of the present invention discloses a configurable value-added network switch for enabling real-time transactions on the World Wide Web. The configurable value added network switch comprises a system for switching to a transactional application in response to a user specification from a World Wide Web application, a system means for transmitting a transaction request from the transactional application, and a system for processing the transaction request. Additionally, a method for enabling object routing is disclosed, comprising the steps of creating a virtual information store containing information entries and attributes associating each of the information entries and the attributes with an object identity, and assigning a unique network address to each of the object identities. Finally, a method is disclosed for enabling service management of the value-added network service, to perform OAM&P functions on the services network.

With the Internet and the World Wide Web ("the Web") evolving rapidly as a viable consumer medium for electronic commerce, new on-line services are emerging to fill the needs of on-line users. An Internet user today can browse on the Web via the use of a Web browser. Web browsers are software interfaces that run on Web clients to allow access to Web servers via a simple user interface. A Web user's capabilities today from a Web browser are, however, extremely limited. The user can perform one-way, browse-only interactions. Additionally, the user has limited "deferred" transactional capabilities, namely electronic mail (e-mail) capabilities. E-mail capabilities are referred to as "deferred transactions" because the consumer's request is not processed until the e-mail is received, read, and the person or system reading the e-mail executes the transaction. This transaction is thus not performed in real-time.
FIG. 1A illustrates typical user interactions on the Web today. User 100 sends out a request from Web browser 102 in the form of a universal resource locator (URL) 101 in the following manner: http://www.car.com. URL 101 is processed by Web browser 102 that determines the URL corresponds to car dealer Web page 105, on car dealer Web server 104. Web browser 102 then establishes browse link 103 to car dealer Web page 105. User 100 can browse Web page 105 and select "hot links" to jump to other locations in Web page 105, or to move to other Web pages on the Web. This interaction is typically a browse-only interaction. Under limited circumstances, the user may be able to fill out a form on car dealer Web page 105, and e-mail the form to car dealer Web server 104. This interaction is still strictly a one-way browse mode communications link, with the e-mail providing limited, deferred transactional capabilities.
Under limited circumstances, a user may have access to two-way services on the Web via Common Gateway Interface (CGI) applications. CGI is a standard interface for running external programs on a Web server. It allows Web servers to create documents dynamically when the server receives a request from the Web browser. When the Web server receives a request for a document, the Web server dynamically executes the appropriate CGI script and transmits the output of the execution back to the requesting Web browser. This interaction can thus be termed a "two-way" transaction. It is a severely limited transaction, however, because each CGI application is customized for a particular type of application or service.
For example, as illustrated in FIG. 1B, user 100 may access bank 150's Web server and attempt to perform transactions on checking account 152 and to make a payment on loan account 154. In order for user 100 to access checking account 152 and loan account 154 on the Web, CGI application scripts must be created for each account, as illustrated in FIG. 1B. The bank thus has to create individual scripts for each of its services to offer users access to these services. User 100 can then interact in a limited fashion with these individual applications. Creating and managing individual CGI scripts for each service is not a viable solution for merchants with a large number of services.
As the Web expands and electronic commerce becomes more desirable, the need increases for robust, real-time, bi-directional transactional capabilities on the Web. A true real-time, bi-directional transaction would allow a user to connect to a variety of services on the Web, and perform real-time transactions on those services. For example, although user 100 can browse car dealer Web page 105 today, the user cannot purchase the car, negotiate a car loan or perform other types of real-time, two-way transactions that he can perform with a live salesperson at the car dealership. Ideally, user 100 in FIG. 1A would be able to access car dealer Web page 105, select specific transactions that he desires to perform, such as purchase a car, and perform the purchase in real-time, with two-way interaction capabilities. CGI applications provide user 100 with a limited ability for two-way interaction with car dealer Web page 105, but due to the lack of interaction and management between the car dealer and the bank, he will not be able to obtain a loan and complete the purchase of the car via a CGI application. The ability to complete robust real-time, two-way transactions is thus not truly available on the Web today.

Value-added network system for enabling real-time, by-directional transactions on a network


Techniques described herein determine a center of mass state vector based on a body model. The body model may be formed by analyzing a depth image of a user who is performing some motion. The center of mass state vector may include, for example, center-of-mass position, center-of-mass velocity, center-of-mass acceleration, orientation, angular velocity, angular acceleration, inertia tensor, and angular momentum. A center of mass state vector may be determined for an individual body part or for the body as a whole. The center of mass state vector(s) may be used to analyze the user's motion.

Computer vision has been used to analyze images from the real world for a variety of purposes. One example is to provide a natural user interface ("NUI") for electronic devices. In one NUI technique 3D images of a user are captured and analyzed to recognize certain poses or gestures. Therefore, the user may make a gesture to provide input to control an application such as a computer game or multimedia applications. In one technique, the system models the user as a skeleton having joints that are connected by "bones" and looks for certain angles between the joints, bone positions, etc. to detect a gesture.
Such techniques work well as a NUI. However, some applications require more precise understanding and analysis of the user's motion.

Center of mass state vector for analyzing user motion in 3D images


The contamination of foodstuffs, additives, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and the like by undesirable micro-organisms is threat to public health. On occasion, the level of bacteria that conventional testing techniques are designed to look for is so low that the test result for the bacterium is “negative”. However, the bacterium although present in un-detectably small amounts may multiply under the right conditions and given the shelf life of the product, may be able to recover to an extent whereby public health is threatened. This problem is alleviated by the provision of micro-organism testing apparatus comprising (a) an incubator, and (b) a multi-compartment resealable container provided with or adapted to receive a growth medium in one compartment and having a growth medium additive in another compartment, the compartments being separated by a barrier whose removal or puncture will expose the medium to the additive.

It is known to measure the levels of bacteria in fluids such as drinking water by placing a sample of the fluid in a test cell with a dye or indicator such as Resazurin or methylene blue with optionally a nutrient medium and incubating the sample at a set temperature for a minimum time. A change in dye or indicator colour indicates the presence of bacteria as the growth reduces or otherwise reacts with the indicator chemical. It is also known to add suppressants to the sample to suppress the growth of other micro-organisms than that being tested for.
Typically the colour change is monitored by eye and the incubation process takes from 14 to 48 hours. Some bacterial strains have a relatively high temperature sensitivity compared to others and the temperature may need to be maintained very close to a specific temperature in order to promote the relative growth of the species required to be detected. Thus, for instance, in some media, if it is desired to culture for the presence or absence of e. coli the required temperature of incubation may be 45° C., while if all coliform bacteria are being monitored the temperature is best set at 37° C.
The colour change is therefore a value judgement by eye, and may take considerable incubation time before it can be done.
These dye reduction tests are not considered to be reliable indicators of the type of microorganism or the quantity present. They provide a rough guide to indicate the presence or absence of bacteria.
The contamination of water, foodstuffs, additives, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and the like by undesirable micro-organisms represents a significant threat to public health. In the past, a number of methods to monitor the presence of such micro-organisms in foodstuffs, water supplies and on food preparation surfaces have been developed.
Generally such methods rely on conventional microbiological techniques, typically including the growth of micro-organisms on selective nutrient solid support media or alternatively in selective nutrient media. Subsequent morphological and biochemical analyses are then carried out under laboratory conditions by skilled personnel.
One such technique currently carried out by the Applicant involves the use of a growth medium already stored in an evacuated UV light penetrative, clear plastics container that is sealed with a rubber septum.
The liquid sample to be tested is introduced into the container through the septum via a needle or some other form of cannulas, the pressure difference ensuring that the sample is "sucked" into the container. The sample is then incubated and tested for specific or broad types of micro-organisms using visual techniques.
By necessity, some of these testing techniques tend to be carried out on products just before they are to be sent into the marketplace and these products cannot enter the market place until the results are back from the testing laboratories.
In respect of products for human consumption, some of the methods employed to remove any residual harmful bacteria have usually just taken place and thus, not too surprisingly, the level of bacteria that the testing techniques are designed to look for is so low that the test result for this bacteria is "negative". As such, the product is passed fit for human consumption.
However, the bacteria although present in un-detectably small quantities are nevertheless still present and multiply and under the right conditions, given the shelf life of the product, may be able to recover to the extent that the bacteria are suddenly present in sufficient quantity to cause harm once the product is consumed.
This problem of "shelf life recovery" is a serious one in many types of industry and very few solutions to this problem apart from limiting the shelf life of the product to a very small time frame have been proposed.
Furthermore, the micro-organism testing kits (of the type described above) have relatively low shelf lives "out in the field" as UV light tends to kill the growth medium contained therein. In addition, the material once tested may or may not be a bio-hazard and disposal of such materials is expensive and legislation in this area is only ever going to increase the cost of disposal of such materials.
The present invention provides a solution to these and other problems which offers advantages over the prior art or which will at least provide the public with a useful choice.

Micro-organism test apparatus and methods of using the same


A virtual machine monitor (VMM) is included in a computer system that has a protected host operating system (HOS). A virtual machine running at least one application via a virtual operating system is connected to the VMM. Both the HOS and the VMM have separate operating contexts and disjoint address spaces, but are both co-resident at system level. A driver that is downloadable into the HOS at system level forms a total context switch between the VMM and HOS contexts. A user-level emulator accepts commands from the VMM via the system-level driver and processes these commands as remote procedure calls. The emulator is able to issue host operating system calls and thereby access the physical system devices via the host operating system. The host operating system itself thus handles execution of certain VMM instructions, such as accessing physical devices.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a computer architecture, including a virtual machine monitor, and a related operating method that allow virtualization of the resources of a modern computer system.
2. Description of the Related Art
The operating system plays a special role in today""s personal computers and engineering work stations. Indeed, it is the only piece of software that is typically ordered at the same time the hardware itself is purchased. Of course, the customer can later change operating systems, upgrade to a newer version of the operating system, or even re-partition the hard drive to support multiple boots. In all cases, however, a single operating system runs at any given time on the computer. As a result, applications written for different operating systems cannot run concurrently on the system.
Various solutions have been proposed to solve this problem and eliminate this restriction. These include virtual machine monitors, machine simulators, application emulators, operating system emulators, embedded operating systems, legacy virtual machine monitors, and boot managers. Each of these systems is described briefly below.
One solution that was the subject of intense research in the late 1960""s and 1970""s came to be known as the xe2x80x9cvirtual machine monitorxe2x80x9d (VMM). See, for example, R. P. Goldberg, xe2x80x9cSurvey of virtual machine research,xe2x80x9d IEEE Computer, Vol. 7, No. 6, 1974. During that time, moreover, IBM Corp. adopted a virtual machine monitor for use in its VM/370 system.
A virtual machine monitor is a thin piece of software that runs directly on top of the hardware and virtualizes all the resources of the machine. Since the exported interface is the same as the hardware interface of the machine, the operating system cannot determine the presence of the VMM. Consequently, when the hardware interface is compatible with the underlying hardware, the same operating system can run either on top of the virtual machine monitor or on top of the raw hardware.
Virtual machine monitors were popular at a time where hardware was scarce and operating systems were primitive. By virtualizing all the resources of the system, multiple independent operating systems could coexist on the same machine. For example, each user could have her own virtual machine running a single-user operating system.
The research in virtual machine monitors also led to the design of processor architectures that were particularly suitable for virtualization. It allowed virtual machine monitors to use a technique known as xe2x80x9cdirect execution,xe2x80x9d which simplifies the implementation of the monitor and improves performance. With direct execution, the VMM sets up the processor in a mode with reduced privileges so that the operating system cannot directly execute its privileged instructions. The execution with reduced privileges generates traps, for example when the operating system attempts to issue a privileged instruction. The VMM thus needs only to correctly emulate the traps to allow the correct execution of the operating system in the virtual machine.
As hardware became cheaper and operating systems more sophisticated, VMMs based on direct execution began to lose their appeal. Recently, however, they have been proposed to solve specific problems. For example, the Hypervisor system provides fault-tolerance, as is described by T. C. Bressoud and F. B. Schneider, in xe2x80x9cHypervisor-based fault tolerance,xe2x80x9d ACM Transactions on Computer Systems (TOCS), Vol. 14. (1), February 1996; and in U.S. Pat. No. 5,488,716 xe2x80x9cFault tolerant computer system with shadow virtual processor,xe2x80x9d (Schneider, et al.). As another example, the Disco system runs commodity operating systems on scalable multiprocessors. See xe2x80x9cDisco: Running Commodity Operating Systems on Scalable Multiprocessors,xe2x80x9d E. Bugnion, S. Devine, K. Govil and M. Rosenblum, ACM Transactions on Computer Systems (TOCS), Vol. 15, No. 4, November 1997, pp. 412-447.
Virtual machine monitors can also provide architectural compatibility between different processor architectures by using a technique known as either xe2x80x9cbinary emulationxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cbinary translation.xe2x80x9d In these systems, the VMM cannot use direct execution since the virtual and underlying architectures mismatch; rather, they must emulate the virtual architecture on top of the underlying one. This allows entire virtual machines (operating systems and applications) written for a particular processor architecture to run on top of one another. For example, the IBM DAISY system has recently been proposed to run PowerPC and x86 systems on top of a VLIW architecture. See, for example, K. Ebcioglu and E. R. Altman, xe2x80x9cDAISY: Compilation for 100% Architectural Compatibility,xe2x80x9d Proceedings of the 24th International Symposium on Computer Architecture, 1997.
Machine simulators, also known as machine-emulators, run as application programs on top of an existing operating system. They emulate all the components of a given computer system with enough accuracy to run an operating system and its applications. Machine simulators are often used in research to study the performance of multiprocessors. See, for example, M. Rosenblum, et al., xe2x80x9cUsing the SimOS machine simulator to study complex computer systems,xe2x80x9d ACM Transactions on Modeling and Computer Simulation, Vol. 7, No. 1, January 1997. They have also been used to simulate an Intel x86 machine as the xe2x80x9cVirtualPCxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cRealPCxe2x80x9d products on a PowerPC-based Apple Macintosh system.
Machine simulators share binary emulation techniques with some VMMs such as DAISY. They differentiate themselves from VMMs, however, in that they run on top of a host operating system. This has a number of advantages as they can use the services provided by the operating system. On the other hand, these systems can also be somewhat constrained by the host operating system. For example, an operating system that provides protection never allows application programs to issue privileged instructions or to change its address space directly. These constraints typically lead to significant overheads, especially when running on top of operating systems that are protected from applications.
Like machine simulators, application emulators also run as an application program in order to provide compatibility across different processor architectures. Unlike machine simulators, however, they emulate application-level software and convert the application""s system calls into direct calls into the host operating system. These systems have been used in research for architectural studies, as well as to run legacy binaries written for the 68000 architecture on newer PowerPC-based Macintosh systems. They have also been also been used to run x86 applications written for Microsoft NT on Alpha workstations running Microsoft NT. In all cases, the expected operating system matches the underlying one, which simplifies the implementation. Other systems such as the known Insigna""s SoftWindows use binary emulation to run Windows applications and a modified version of the Windows operating system on platforms other than PCs. At least two known systems allow Macintosh applications to run on other systems: the Executer runs them on Intel processors running Linux or Next and MAE runs them on top of the Unix operating system.
Operating system (OS) emulators allow applications written for one given operating system application binary interface (ABI) to run on another operating system. They translate all system calls made by the application for the original operating system into a sequence, of system calls to the underlying operating system. ABI emulators are currently used to allow Unix applications to run on Window NT (the Softway OpenNT emulator) and to run applications written for Microsoft""s operating systems on public-domain operating systems (the Linux WINE project).
Unlike virtual machine monitors and machine simulators, which are essentially independent of the operating system, ABI emulators are intimately tied with the operating system that they are emulating. Operating system emulators differ from application emulators in that the applications are already compiled for the instruction set architecture of the target processor. The OS emulator does not need to worry about the execution of the applications, but rather only of the calls that it makes to the underlying operating system.
Emulating an ABI at the user level is not an option if the goal is to provide additional guarantees to the applications that are not provided by the host operating system. For example, the VenturCom RTX Real-Time subsystem embeds a real-time kernel within the Micrcsoft NT operating system. This effectively allows real-time processes to co-exist with traditional NT processes within the same system.
This co-existence requires the modification of the lowest levels of the operating system, that is, its Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL). This allows the RTX system to first handle all I/O interrupts. This solution is tightly coupled with WindowsNT, since both environments share the same address space and interrupts entry points.
Certain processors, most notably those with the Intel architecture, contain special execution modes that are specifically designed to virtualize a given legacy architecture. This mode is designed to support the strict virtualization of the legacy architecture, but not of the existing architecture.
A legacy virtual machine monitor consists of the appropriate software support that allows running the legacy operating system using the special mode of the processor. Specifically, Microsoft""s DOS virtual machine runs DOS in a virtual machine on top of Microsoft Windows and NT. As another example, the freeware DOSEMU system runs DOS on top of Linux.
Although these systems are commonly referred to as a form of virtual machine monitor, they run either on top of an existing operating system, such as DOSEMU, or as part of an existing operating system such as Microsoft Windows and Microsoft NT. In this respect, they are quite different from the true virtual machine monitors described above, and from the definition of the term xe2x80x9cvirtual machine monitorxe2x80x9d applied to the invention described below.
Finally, boot managers such as the public-domain LILO and the commercial System Commander facilitate changing operating systems by managing multiple partitions on the hard drive. The user must, however, reboot the computer to change operating systems. Boot managers therefore do not allow applications written for different operating systems to coexist. Rather, they simply allow the user to reboot another operating system without having to reinstall it, that is, without having to remove the previous operating system.
All of these known systems fail to meet one or more of the following goals:
1) to provide the advantages offered by traditional virtual machine monitors, such as the ability to run multiple arbitrary operating systems concurrently.
2) to provide portability of the virtual machine monitor across a wide range of platforms; and
3) to maximize performance by using the underlying hardware as much as possible.
This invention provides a system that achieves these goals, as well as a related operating method.
The invention virtualizes a computer that includes a host processor, memory, and physical system devices. A conventional operating system (referred to below as the xe2x80x9chost operating systemxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cHOSxe2x80x9d) is installed on the hardware. The computer is operationally divided into a system level and a user level and the computer accepts and carries out a pre-determined set of privileged instruction calls only from sub-systems at the system level. The invention provides at least one virtual machine monitor (VMM) that is installed to be co-resident with the host operating system at the system level.
In the preferred embodiment of the invention, a driver is downloaded into and is resident in the host operating system. A host operating system (HOS) context is then saved in the driver. A corresponding virtual machine monitor (VMM) context is saved in the virtual machine monitor. Switching from the HOS context to the VMM context is then carried out in the driver, whereas switching from the VMM context to the HOS context is done in the virtual machine monitor. The driver issues, in the HOS context, commands previously specified by the VMM.
A predetermined physical address space is assigned to the system memory, and virtual addresses are converted into physical addresses of the memory""s physical address space in a memory management unit (MMU). HOS context parameters are stored in a first virtual address space in the host operating system and VMM context parameters are stored in the virtual machine monitor in a second address space, which is disjoint from the first address space. The HOS and VMM context parameters also represent different interrupt and exception entry points for the host operating system and the virtual machine monitor, respectively. Switching between the HOS and VMM contexts is then carried out by selectively setting internal registers of the host processor to correspond to the HOS and VMM context parameters, respectively.
As a further feature of the invention, a device emulator is preferably installed to be operatively connected to the host operating system. The device emulator accepts commands stored in memory by the VMM via the driver and processing these commands. The emulator also issues host operating system calls and thereby accessing the physical system devices via the host operating system.
At least one virtual machine is preferably installed at user level. The virtual machine includes at least one associated application and a virtual operating system, and is operatively connected to the virtual machine monitor. An entire programmable virtual address space of the computer is thereby made available to both the virtual machine and the virtual machine monitor.
The emulator is preferably operatively connected as an application to the host operating system. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the driver passes first instruction calls from the virtual machine monitor directly to the host operating system, the system devices, and the processor, and passes second instruction calls from the virtual machine monitor, via the emulator, to the host operating system. The driver also passes data to the virtual machine monitor in response to the first and second instruction calls received both via the emulator and directly from the system devices, the processor and the host operating system. The second instruction calls are thereby executed directly in the host operating system.
In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the commands processed in the driver in the HOS context are processed as remote procedure calls. Similarly, the commands processed in the device emulator, via the driver, are also preferably processed as remote procedure calls.

System and method for virtualizing computer systems


The present invention provides solvent- and water-based primer compositions that include at least one chlorinated carboxylated polyolefin that has been modified with one or more polyfunctional alcohols. The chlorinated carboxylated polyolefins are obtained by the reaction of polyolefins with at least one of unsaturated carboxylic esters, unsaturated carboxylic acids, unsaturated carboxylic anhydrides, acrylic monomers, and mixtures thereof then chlorinated. The chlorinated carboxylated polyolefins are then further modified by reaction with one or more polyfunctional alcohols. These polyfunctional alcohol-modified chlorinated carboxylated polyolefins may also contain pendant carboxyl groups, which have the propensity to form hydrophilic salts with amines or inorganic bases, thereby rendering the polyfunctional alcohol-modified chlorinated carboxylated polyolefins water-dispersible. These primer compositions are useful for significantly improving the adhesion of paints, adhesives, and inks to various plastic and metal substrates.

Molded plastic parts are widely used in automobiles, trucks, household appliances, graphic arts, and the like. Frequently these plastic parts are made from polyolefins such as polyethylene, ethylene copolymers, polypropylene, propylene copolymers, and polyolefin blends with other polymers. One such blend is a thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO), which is a rubber-modified polypropylene. Frequently, these plastic parts must be painted to match the color of painted metal parts that are also present in the automobile, appliance, or other item. Typical paints do not adhere well to these plastic parts. Thus, adhesion-promoting primers are needed to improve the adhesion of the paints to the polyolefin materials.
Although chlorinated polyolefins, particularly chlorinated, maleated crystalline polypropylene polymers, are effective for this purpose, they have very limited solubility in anything other than aromatic or chlorinated solvents. It is possible to improve the solubility of chlorinated polyolefins in various solvent by increasing the chlorine content of the chlorinated polyolefin. However increasing the chlorine content of chlorinated polyolefins often results in poor coating adhesion, especially after exposure to humidity and gasoline. In general, a chlorine content of greater than 24 wt.-% can result in poor adhesion after exposure to humidity and gasoline.
Attempts have been made to provide water-based paints and primers for the automotive and appliance industries, but these systems generally are not thought to be as effective as solvent-based systems. There have been several patents issued pertaining to the modification of polyolefins to provide an adhesion-promoting primer composition for paint topcoats onto polyolefin surfaces.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,146,590 describes reacting crystalline polyolefins in the molten state with an alicyclic carboxylic acid having a cis form non-conjugated double bond in the ring, such as cis-4-cyclohexene-1,2-dicarboxylic acid or endobicyclo [2,2,1]-5-heptene-2,3-dicarboxylic acid, or the anhydride of either; or an unsaturated carboxylic acid or anhydride, such as maleic anhydride or acrylic acid, resulting in a modified crystalline polyolefin having residual carboxylic acid monomer present. The polyolefin is thereafter reacted with a polyhydric alcohol or a polyamine, to thereby fix the residual monomer into the polymer. The crystalline nature of these modified polyolefins makes them practically insoluble in solvents used for liquid coatings, and therefore unsuitable for liquid coating compositions. These polymers are instead used as coatings in the solid state, requiring further heating, melting, and molding of the polymer. The fixing of the residual monomer to the polymer is taught to decrease the odor that would otherwise result from release of the monomer during the subsequent heating, melting, and molding of the polymer.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,299,754 describes a method for producing a modified propylene-ethylene copolymer, by graft copolymerization with maleic acid or anhydride. The propylene ethylene copolymer has a propylene content of 50 to 75 mole percent and a crystallinity, determined by an X-ray diffraction method, of 2 to 20%. The amount of maleic acid or maleic anhydride grafted is 0.5 to 15% by weight. The modified polymer has an intrinsic viscosity of at least 0.3, and is dissolved in the organic solvent in a concentration of 10 to 100 kg/m3 of solvent. The resulting treating agent is suitable as an undercoat of the polyolefin articles and permits coating of a paint with markedly improved adhesion.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,461,809 describes a surface-treating agent used as an undercoat on the surface of a polyolefin shaped article to be coated with paint. This surface-treating agent is composed of a solution of a modified polymer in organic solvent. The modified polymer is prepared by graft copolymerization of a propylene-ethylene copolymer with an alkyl ester of a monolefinic dicarboxylic acid. The alkyl moiety of the alkyl ester is described by the general formula CnH2n+1, such as methyl, ethyl, n-propyl, n-butyl, isopropyl, octyl, or 2-ethylhexyl.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,632,962 describes a method for graft modifying a polyolefin with hydroxyl functional groups through an imide linkage. These modified polyolefins are made by grafting an anhydride functional group to a polyolefin chain and then reacting the anhydride group with an amine substituted organic alcohol to produce an imide. The resulting imide group on the polyolefin contains hydroxyl groups for crosslinking with various topcoats. The polyolefins are taught to be useful to produce a thermoplastic molding composition.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,966,947 describes a method for graft modifying a chlorinated polyolefin with hydroxyl functional groups through an imide linkage. These modified polyolefins are made by grafting an anhydride functional group to a chlorinated polyolefin, and then reacting the anhydride group with an amine-substituted organic alcohol to produce an imide. The resulting imide group on the chlorinated polyolefin contains hydroxyl groups for crosslinking with various topcoats.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,997,882 describes an acid- or anhydride-grafted chlorinated polyolefin that has been reacted with a monoalcohol and a polyepoxide. The composition described in this patent is prepared by grafting an unsaturated acid or anhydride onto a chlorinated polyolefin to form an acid- or anhydride-modified chlorinated polyolefin resin. This resin is then reacted with an organic monohydric alcohol to form an esterified product containing acid functionality. The resulting esterified product is then further reacted with a polyepoxide to form the ungelled modified chlorinated polyolefin resin. The resulting product is then formulated into a coating composition for a thermoplastic polyolefin substrate.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,030,681 discloses a coating resin composition obtained by graft-polymerizing an unsaturated carboxylic acid to a chlorinated polyolefin in a solvent, esterifying all unsaturated carboxylic acid present in the reaction system, and mixing the obtained composition with a urethane prepolymer.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,135,984 describes a method for modifying a chlorinated polyolefin with maleic anhydride and an acrylic-modified hydrogenated polybutadiene. This method involves the graft copolymerization of the chlorinated polyolefin with the maleic acid anhydride and acrylate modified hydrogenated polybutadiene by heating the mixture in the presence of a peroxide initiator. This results in an acrylic- and maleic anhydride-modified chlorinated polyolefin.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,143,976 describes a resin composition containing graft copolymers of acrylic monomers (A) and polydiene (B) grafted onto a chlorinated polyolefin (C). The polyolefin resin compositions composed of the acrylic oligomers contain hydroxyl or carboxyl groups and/or certain acrylic oligomers.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,523,358 describes the grafting of various unsaturated monomers to polyolefins in which an organic solvent is used to swell the polyolefin during the grafting step.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,587,418 describes a method for producing a graft copolymer for use as a primeness colored basecoat on polyolefin surfaces. The graft copolymer is obtained by copolymerizing acrylic monomers, unsaturated carboxylic acids, and acrylic monomers containing hydroxyl groups, with certain chlorinated polyolefins.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,811,489 describes a method for producing a coating resin composition based on a graft-copolymerized resin. This coating resin composition comprises a graft copolymerized resin prepared by graft copolymerizing a monomer containing an ethylenic unsaturated bond, and a monomer containing both an ethylenic unsaturated bond and a hydroxyl group, onto a mixed resin of (1) a carboxyl group-containing chlorinated polyplefin resin obtained by graft copolymerizing an unsaturated carboxylic acid or anhydride onto a polyolefin followed by chlorination and (2) a chlorinated polyolefin resin obtained by simultaneously oxidizing and chlorinating a polyolefin using at least one oxidizing agent selected from air, oxygen and ozone, an isocyanate compound or an alkyl-etherified amino resin as a curing agent.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,863,646 describes a liquid coating composition comprising a mixture of a substantially saturated polyhydroxylated polydiene polymer, having terminal hydroxyl groups, with a chlorinated polyolefin, a film forming polymer, and a carrier material. The coating can be applied to plastic substrates to improve the adhesion of subsequently applied coatings.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,001,469 describes a composition similar to that described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,863,646, and describes its use as an adhesion promoting coating that can be applied directly onto thermoplastic and thermosetting plastic substrates.
European patent application 1036817 A1 discloses a polyamide-modified polyolefin composition, which is obtained by reacting an unsaturated carboxylic acid anhydride modified polyolefin, having a specified molecular weight range, with a polyamide, having a specified molecular weight range. The resulting composition is described as having excellent adherence to polyolefin substrates without tack.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,310,134, describes solvent-based primer compositions containing 0.5 to 40 weight percent of a modified polyolefin and a solvent selected from the group consisting of ester solvents, ketone solvents, aliphatic solvents, aromatic solvents, and mixtures thereof. The polyolefins described in this report have been graft-modified with unsaturated acids, anhydrides, or esters. These modified polyolefins are reported to have good utility as primers for polyolefins substrates when topcoated with melamine based and 2-part polyurethane paints. Although these modified polyolefins provide good initial crosshatch adhesion of melamine based topcoats and good solvent resistance after application, they are deficient in water resistance, especially under high temperature and humidity conditions.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,262,182 describes a solution process for the modification of certain polyolefins with an unsaturated anhydride, unsaturated acid or unsaturated ester.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,593,423 describes a graft copolymer formed from the reaction of a halogenated polyolefin polymer with a hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene.
U.S. Patent App. No. 20020151656 describes the modification of non-chlorinated carboxylated polyolelfins with polyfunctional alcohols and their use as primers for improving the adhesion of a coating to a plastic substrate.

Modified chlorinated carboxylated polyolefins and their use as adhesion promoters


A locking system for mechanically joining a plurality of panels or components of an article of construction without the need for glue or other adhesive is provided. The panels are preferably solid hardwood flooring panels. Each panel includes first and second locking members spaced beneath its outer surface. The first locking member is at one side edge of the panel and has two spaced-apart flexible arm portions, at least one arm portion including a first latching member. Preferably, the first latching member is a rib extending outward from the arm portion. The second locking member is at another side edge and includes a channel recessed within the side edge. The channel is sized to receive the arm portions without them having to contact the channel unless deflected within the channel. The second locking member also includes a second latching member positioned and adapted to engage the first latching member. The second latching member is preferably a slot abutting the channel. At least one of the locking members is provided with a positioning member so that upon inserting the first locking member on one panel into the second locking member on another panel for joining them together, the positioning member deflects an arm portion to securely engage the first latching member with the second latching member. The positioning member is preferably a wedge mounted to the back wall of the channel.

Hardwood flooring is a $2.4 billion dollar a year industry that has been growing at a rate of more than 10% a year. Hardwood floors represent an excellent value in comparison to other flooring options since they never have to be replaced and have been shown to enhance and even increase the value of the homes in which they are installed.
The current hardwood market consists of two types of products: solid and engineered. Solid flooring is generally ¾″ thick, and, as the name implies, it is made of solid hardwood. This type of product currently represents about 60% of the market or 550,000,000 square feet per year. Solid flooring includes a thick top layer that can be sanded and refinished new again several times. As a result, solid wood floors have been known to last well over 100 years. In addition, solid flooring with its ¾″ thickness adds structural strength to any floor system.
All types of solid flooring react, however, to the presence of moisture. In the dry winter months, moisture leaves the wood causing the floor panels or boards to contract slightly in size, leaving unsightly gaps between each board. In the more humid summer months, the wood expands and with too much moisture, the boards may even cup or buckle. For this reason, solid flooring is not recommended for installation below ground level or directly over a concrete slab.
Solid wood floors are therefore intended for nail-down installation only, leaving a proper expansion area around the perimeter of each board given the instability of the wood. Gluing solid flooring directly to any surface including a sub-floor is not desirable because the adhesive does not allow the wood to move or breathe normally, causing the flooring to distort.
Engineered flooring is made of plywood that has been configured in a cross-ply pattern to make the product more stable by decreasing the amount of expansion and contraction the flooring experiences during changes in humidity from one season to another. This type of hardwood is roughly 40% of the market.
Engineered hardwood has been growing faster than solid hardwood for the last couple of years for several reasons. Recent new home construction has been strongest in the South and West. These markets are predominantly "slab" markets where the houses are built on concrete slabs without a basement underneath. This trend toward slab construction is expected to continue for at least the next decade as the number of retired affluent households moving to these regions of the country increases. Since engineered flooring is thinner and more stable, engineered boards can be glued-down directly to the concrete.
Engineered flooring can also be floated over the concrete or any other type of sub-floor. With this manner of installation, the engineered boards rest on top of the sub-floor and are never secured or fastened to the substrate beneath them. Since the individual boards are glued or otherwise secured to each other and not to the sub-floor, the floor expands and contracts as a whole, leaving no gaps or spaces between pieces. Given the increase in slab construction, engineered hardwood floating systems have grown in popularity. With a floating installation, a moisture barrier can also be placed between the concrete slab and the engineered boards. Not only do such systems offer excellent stability but their high speed of installation represent lower costs to the homeowner.
The move in the industry now is toward glueless floating systems. Specially designed tongue-and-groove interlocking systems allow the boards to be snapped together by compressing one coupling part so that it engages the other. High pressure laminate floors have been converted almost entirely to glueless floating systems over the last 6 years.
Engineered hardwood flooring, like laminate flooring, is, however, not easily repaired. Engineered boards have a thin hardwood surface layer no more than one-eighth of an inch thick. Once this layer goes, so does the floor. Unlike engineered flooring, any wood present above the level plane with solid hardwood floors can be sanded-down to allow the floor to span slight imperfections in the sub-floor. Engineered boards are more expensive than comparable solid flooring and are unavailable in the longer lengths in which solid hardwood boards are made, adding to the time and cost of installation of engineered wood floors. A glueless floating system for solid hardwood flooring, therefore, would be highly desirable in the large and growing hardwood flooring industry.
The dominant system currently in use to float solid flooring uses metal clips fastened to the back of the boards to hold the boards together in groups of three or more. This system is time-consuming and creates gaps between the boards during the heating/low humidity season. In addition, the technicians who install ¾″ solid flooring prefer to work from a standing position. Installers therefore resist using the clip system because it requires a different installation technique than the one to which they are accustomed. Since most installers are paid by the foot, they will naturally embrace that technique at which they are the fastest and most effective.
Moreover, solid hardwood flooring is unable to utilize the interlocking technology found on engineered and laminate flooring for a number of reasons. The ¾″ solid flooring boards are not straight enough to engage the entire edge at one time. This is required with certain tongue-and-groove systems where one coupling element must be engaged by the other at an angle and then rotated into position. Solid hardwood has what is referred to as a "crook" or warp. Thus, the flooring must be engaged at one end of the edge first, the remaining portion of the board being engaged as the installer moves along the length of the board. Any locking system for achieving a floating installation of solid hardwood floors must therefore be capable of being engaged in a direct, i.e., horizontal, manner where the engagement is by one section of a given edge at a time.
The present interlocking systems also create waste on both the tongue and groove sides of the board. Milling the profile of the individual coupling elements can consume over 10% of the panel itself. In addition, there is loss of the full face of each floor board, requiring an overlap of the boards and a reduction of the amount of usable product. This is not critical when the substrate is inexpensive plywood or fiberboard. When expensive hardwood is being used, however, the financial ramifications are significant. It is very important when making alterations to or otherwise working with an expensive material such as hardwood so as to create an interlocking structure that as little of the material be used as possible.
As explained above, solid hardwood flooring is also far less dimensionally stable than plywood or fiberboard. Even slight dimensional changes in the profile of the interlocking structures presently found in the prior art that arise due to such factors as a change in humidity has the potential of rendering the intended system of securing one board with another entirely useless.
Moreover, some current interlocking systems developed for the laminate industry have profiles where a tongue with protrusions is forced into a groove that is narrower than the height of these protrusions. These systems will not work with solid hardwood flooring because the shoulders of the groove become fractured as the tongue is forced into position. These fractures can be seen on the finished flooring since the fracture is telegraphed to the exposed upper surface. In fact, even with the high pressure laminate flooring, most of these systems where the groove is forced to open wider in order to accept the tongue have been found to fail in actual practice.
There is a significant need, therefore, for an improved locking system for mechanically joining panels that would allow solid hardwood flooring to be installed in a floating manner over a wide variety of sub-floor surfaces including concrete slabs. A locking system that accomplishes this without the need for fasteners such as nails or glue and other adhesives to hold the boards together would be even more highly desirable. This invention meets those needs and overcomes the above problems and shortcomings in the present art in a simple and inexpensive manner.


A published event from a first content element executing within a framework may be detected. In response, a registry may be searched for one or more registered events that match the published event, and if a matching registered event is found, a second content element that registered said matching registered event may be instantiated to start executing within the framework. The second content element is dynamically aggregated into the framework based on the published event without the first content element needing to have previous knowledge of the second content element, and without the second content element needing to have previous knowledge of the first content element. The framework also does not need to be designed initially to deploy the second content element. Which one or more content elements to aggregate into the framework may be determined at run time rather than at design time.

Web applications can be composed of independent content such as portals which provide access points to information in the World Wide Web (web) or the like global network, mashups which are web pages or applications that have combined elements such as functionality and data from multiple sources to create new services. These web applications traditionally have statically defined page contents or can explicitly add dynamic content to a page. That is, the pages are predefined and content on each page could explicitly add a specific new portlet or widget in response to various actions. Briefly, a portlet is a pluggable user interface software component that is managed and displayed in a web portal. A widget is a small application that can be installed and executed within a web page. In an environment composed of independently developed content, standardized eventing frameworks can be used to pass data between portlets or widgets on the same page. Operating systems essentially behave the same way; users can explicitly load applications, and applications can explicitly load other applications in response to various actions. This is analogous to loading portlets on a portal page and having those portlets launch additional portlets. Operating systems generally behave like single-page portals.
In the Web Application or Operating System field of technology, there currently exists no ability to dynamically load content or applications, and pass data based on events, unless the new content or application is previously known and explicitly coded into the originating content or application.
For example, current Web applications either explicitly launch specific content by hard-coding the desired new contents, in which flexibility or mashup capabilities may be reduced, or construct pages with all content already present to enable eventing between the separate content, complicating layout and usability issues. Similarly, operating system applications either explicitly launch specific applications by hard-coding the new application, or have all relevant applications already loaded and listening for events, perhaps as just a widget or plugin that launches the full application, but nevertheless running constantly in the background.

Dynamic user interface aggregation through smart eventing with non-instantiated content

International Business Machines Corporation


A concentration detector is adapted to detect the concentration of a liquid fuel in a container. The concentration detector comprises a rotating mechanism positioned underneath the level of the liquid fuel and having a rotational center. A first float having a specific gravity less than the specific gravity of the liquid fuel, a volume equivalent to “V” and a mass equivalent to “M”. The distance between the mass center of the first float and the rotational center is “L”. A second float connected with the first float and having a specific gravity less than the specific gravity of the liquid fuel, a volume equivalent to “V” and a mass equivalent to “r*M”. The distance between the mass center of the second float and the rotational center is “L. The mass center of the second float, the rotational center and the mass center of the first float constitute an included angle of 120°. A third float connected to the first float and the second float and having a specific gravity less than the specific gravity of the liquid fuel, a volume equivalent to “V” and a mass equivalent to “r2*M”. The distance between the mass center of the third float and the rotational center is “L. The mass center of the third float, the rotational center and the mass center of the second float constitute an included angle of 120°. Thereby the variation in the concentration of the liquid fuel is acquired by inspecting the change in the rotational direction of the rotating mechanism.

A fuel cell is a power generator, which converts chemical energy stored within fuels and oxidants directly into electrical energy through reactions of its electrodes. The types of fuel cells are diverse and their classifications vary. According to the properties of their electrolytes, fuel cells can be divided into five types including alkaline fuel cells, phosphoric acid fuel cells, proton exchange membrane fuel cells, fused carbonate fuel cells, and solid oxide fuel cells. Wherein, a proton exchange membrane fuel cell includes a so-called direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC), which directly uses methanol as fuels without modifying the same into hydrogen gas. This is also at present a technique that can generate relatively high power. Such fuel cells may be applied to large power plants, vehicular power generators, portable power supplies, and so forth.
It is essential to control the concentration of liquid fuels while commercializing such types of fuel cells as DMFC. Theoretically, fuels with lower concentrations produce less electricity, and fuels with higher concentrations produce more electricity. Accordingly, to maintain the concentration at a predetermined level, a concentration detector is needed to monitor the concentration of liquid fuels in real-time. As such, the electrical output of fuel cells can be regulated, and electronic products using the cells will not be damaged due to unsteady power supplied by the fuel cells.


A ferroelectric memory includes a memory cell array having a plurality of memory cells with ferroelectric capacitors arranged therein, a plurality of word lines, a plurality of plate lines, and a plurality of plate line selection circuits. An L-th plate line selection circuit among the plurality of plate line selection circuits includes a first transistor that is provided between an L-th plate line and a supply node for supplying an I-th plate line selection signal and turns on when a K-th word line is set to a selection voltage to thereby supply the I-th plate line selection signal to the L-th plate line, and a second transistor that is provided between the L-th plate line and a first power supply and turns on when the K-th word line is set to a non-selection voltage to thereby set the L-th plate line to a voltage level of the first power supply.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to ferroelectric memories.
2. Related Art
In recent years, ferroelectric memories (FeRAMs: Ferroelectric Random Access Memories) that use ferroelectric capacitors as data storage capacitors have been in the limelight. These ferroelectric memories are widely used as memories that are mounted on transponders of RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) systems.
Large parasitic capacitance is present on word lines and plate lines of ferroelectric memories, and in particular, larger capacitance is parasitic on the plate lines. For this reason, a technology to have plate lines corresponding to each single word line hierarchized into a plurality of local plate lines by using plate line selection signals is known.
However, such a technology entails a problem in that the circuit size becomes larger as the plate lines are hierarchized by using NAND circuits and inverter circuits.
Also, a variety of technologies concerning drive circuits for driving word lines and plate lines of ferroelectric memories is known.
However, the aforementioned technologies entail a problem in that a voltage to be supplied to the word lines may become lower than the power supply voltage VCC due to the influence of the threshold voltage of transistors. As the selection voltage of word lines becomes less than VCC, a failure occurs in writing a logical value "1" in a memory cell, and this leads to a larger problem, particularly when the power supply voltage is designed to supply a low voltage. JP-A-10-229171 and JP-A-2001-283583 are examples of related art.


A privacy processing system may use privacy rules to filter sensitive personal information from web session data. The privacy processing system may generate privacy profiles or privacy metadata that identifies how often the privacy rules are called, how often the privacy rules successfully complete actions, and the processing time required to execute the privacy rules. The privacy profiles may be used to detect irregularities in the privacy filtering process that may be associated with a variety of privacy filtering and web session problems.

Monitoring and replay systems may capture web session data, such as web pages sent from a web application server to a client computer and user interface events entered into the web pages at the client computer. The captured web session data may be used to replay and analyze user experiences during the web sessions. For example, the replayed web sessions may be used to identify problems users may be have while navigating through web pages during the web session.
Sensitive personal information may be entered into the web pages during the web sessions. For example, the web sessions may involve on-line purchases of products and/or services. In order to complete the on-line transactions, users may need to enter social security numbers, passwords, credit card numbers, bank account numbers, health information, stock information, home addresses, or the like, or any combination thereof.
Government privacy regulations may prohibit the retention of certain personal information or limit the retention of the personal information to certified entities. These privacy regulations may require monitoring and replay systems to filter sensitive personal information before storing the captured web session data in a database for subsequent replay analysis.
Current monitoring and replay systems attempt to remove sensitive personal information. However, some personal information may not be successfully filtered from the captured web session data. For example, a web application may change the name of a web page or the name of a field in the web page that was previously used for triggering the privacy rules that filter the sensitive personal information. If the sensitive personal information is not filtered, some or all of the captured web session data may need to be destroyed.

Method and apparatus for generating privacy profiles


A wireless headset and a system and method for controlling or managing a wireless headset are provided. In one embodiment, a wireless headset includes a World Wide Web (Web) server for providing a Web page to control or manage a headset, and a module operably coupled to the Web server for performing a control function or a management function on the headset. A communication device including a keypad, a display, and a Web browser can then exchange information between the Web page and the Web server to control or manage the wireless headset.

Wireless VoIP headsets, using for example IEEE 802.11 protocols, are currently under development by various companies. A way to enter a telephone number or management information, such as IP addresses, sub-net masks, Universal Resource Locators (URLs), etc., is a typical problem with such headsets.
Previous solutions have included configuring the wireless headset to always call a voice input proxy, using a voice recognition engine, either embedded into the headset or available somewhere on the network, thus allowing the user to speak commands and provide information (e.g., telephone numbers) to the proxy for voice input call management. However, voice interaction has usually been a slow user interface and becomes unreliable in high ambient noise environments. Another previous solution has been to use a cable, such as a universal serial bus (USB) or RS-232 cable, from the headset to a small keypad and display or even a personal computer. However, this requires extra hardware, set up, and the headset is otherwise no longer "wireless". Another previous solution has been to install a small display and keypad directly onto the wireless headset. However, any display that is large enough to be legible and keypad that is large enough to be typable are too large to wear on a user's ear.
Thus, an improved solution for managing a wireless VoIP headset is highly desirable.

Control and management of a wired or wireless headset


An edge computing system is deployed at a physical location and receives an input from one or more image/video sensing mechanisms. The edge computing system executes artificial intelligence image/video processing modules on the received image/video streams and generates metrics by performing spatial analysis on the images/video stream. The metrics are provided to a multi-tenant service computing system where additional artificial intelligence (AI) modules are executed on the metrics to execute perception analytics. Client applications can then be run on the output of the AI modules in the multi-tenant service computing system.

Computing systems are currently in wide use. Some computing systems host services, such as multi-tenant services that are accessed by tenant users. In these types of systems, tenants often correspond to organizations that have applications or solutions deployed on the multi-tenant service computing system so that tenant data can be accessed and processed using those applications and/or solutions.
Some organizations that use multi-tenant services may have one or more separate physical locations. Each of those locations may deploy one or more different security cameras or other image/video capturing or sensing mechanisms. Such cameras or sensors may be relatively simple devices that provide a video stream, or stream of images that are captured by the device, to a display system. These images or video streams are often displayed for a user who may provide security services for the location.
If more complex image processing is to be performed on the images or video streams generated by these types of cameras or sensors, the images or video streams are often provided to a remote server environment (such as a cloud-based environment) where the image processing is performed. Some current systems also provide relatively high complexity, special-purpose cameras which perform some of the processing themselves. Such cameras often need to be deployed in addition to, or instead of, the security cameras. Similarly, in some current systems, such sensors or cameras can have specialized chip sets deployed thereon, which can increase the cost of the cameras dramatically.
The discussion above is merely provided for general background information and is not intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.

Machine perception using video/image sensors in an edge/service computing system architecture