Systems and method for mounting a vehicle topper to a roof of a vehicle are provided. A first and second cross bar are secured to the roof of the vehicle. A housing for first and second electronic displays of the vehicle topper is secured to the cross bars by way of mounting brackets. Wiring is extended between the vehicle topper and an outside power source to establish an electrical pathway between the power source and the first and second electronic displays when connected.

Vehicle toppers are sometimes used to display information and advertising on the otherwise vacant roof of a vehicle. For many years, these vehicle toppers displayed static images. In recent years, electronic displays have replaced traditional, static displays. The use of electronic displays allows content to be quickly and easily changed and permits the use of videos and interactive graphics, among other benefits. However, these electronic displays often require additional equipment, making them heavier than their traditional counterparts. Further, the market has begun demanding increasingly larger displays, which requires increasingly larger (and generally heavier) vehicle toppers. Those of skill in the arts of placing displays on the roofs of vehicles have believed that it was necessary to provide vehicles carrying such electronic displays with drastic, enhanced internal structural supports to enable a relatively heavy and large electronic display to be mounted to the roof of the vehicle in a secure manner. Theses enhanced internal structural supports require significant effort and costs to install. Additionally, such modifications typically require significant effort to remove and leave lasting changes to the vehicle, if removal is even possible. As an example, but not to serve as a limitation, one may wish to remove the display so that one can resell a vehicle and/or place the display on a different vehicle.
With the rise of private transportation service companies such as Uber and Lyft, personal vehicles are increasingly being used for paid transportation services alongside more traditional services such as public transportation, taxis, town cars, and limousines. Such private or commercial drivers, or any other owner of a personal or commercial vehicle, could benefit from being able to display advertisements and other information on a vehicle topper that is capable of being mounted to a personal or commercial vehicle without the need for extensive modification. Such a vehicle topper can be used to display information and advertising for a multitude of purposes, including but not limited to, generating additional revenue for the vehicle owner or driver. Therefore, what is needed is a roof mounting apparatus and system for a vehicle topper having an electronic display.
Roof mounted objects, such as but not limited to vehicle toppers, often experience vibrational forces. Such forces may be caused by traveling over bumpy, rough surfaces, or uneven road surfaces, aerodynamic forces, and/or the vehicle itself (e.g., engine vibrations). Such vibrational forces may be translated through the frame and other components of the vehicle to the vehicle topper. Exposure to prolonged or excessive vibrational forces may cause the damage to the vehicle topper or even cause the vehicle topper to become dislodged. Vehicle toppers are likely to experience a number of forces when the vehicle is in operation. In order to stably mount the vehicle topper unit to the vehicle, enhanced strength mounting components are needed. Additionally, components which dampen or otherwise attenuate the transfer of vibrational forces are desirable. Therefore, what is needed is roof mounting apparatus and system for a vehicle topper having an electronic display, where said roof mounting apparatus and system dampens or otherwise attenuates vibrational forces and has enhanced strength mounting components.
The present invention is a roof mounting apparatus and system for a vehicle topper having an electronic display, where said roof mounting apparatus and system dampens or otherwise attenuates vibrational forces and has enhanced strength mounting components. The vehicle topper may comprise a pair of displays placed back to back. The vehicle topper may have a mounting device for securing the vehicle topper to a pair of cross bars. The cross bars may be attached to a set of base units located at substantially the four corners of the vehicle roof. The front pair of base units may be located near the A pillar while the rear pair of base units may be located near the C pillar.
Each base unit may be mounted to the roof by a pair of threaded fasteners that extends through the cross bars and the base units and into rivet nuts placed in the roof, such as in the rain ditch. The threaded fasteners and rivet nuts may provide a substantially watertight seal. The bottom surface of the base units may be configured to match the pitch of the roof for each model and make of car such that the bottom edge of the vehicle topper, when mounted, is located substantially parallel with the ground and approximately ¼th inch above the crown point of the roof. Wiring may extend from a power source, the other electronic components for operating the vehicle topper, and the vehicle's computer system, each of which may be located in the trunk or beneath the hood of the vehicle, to the vehicle topper. The wiring may travel through or along the A, B, or C pillars, the base units, the cross bars, and to or into the vehicle topper.
The cross bars may be comprised of sufficiently strong materials and of be of sufficient thickness to adequately support the vehicle topper. The cross bars may comprise a varying cross section. The varying cross section may cause the cross bar to have different natural or resonant frequencies at different locations, as the cross section may affect the cross bar's natural or resonant frequency. In exemplary embodiments, the cross bars may taper from the outer edges towards the center. A center section of the cross bay may have a consistent cross section. The center section may be utilized for attaching the vehicle topper to the cross bar. The cross bars may be configured to receive wiring, which may extend therethrough. The cross bars may additionally be configured to receive caps on the outer ends thereof to improve appearance and aerodynamics.

Manufacturing Resources International, Inc.


Method of coating the seam of a welded tube with an adherent metal coating, including applying a nonadherent metal coating to the inside and outside of the welded seam, externally heating the seam area with the seam located in the lower portion of the tube to generally the melting temperature of the coating, then applying a fluid coolant to the external surface to freeze the outer coating while continuing heating to melt the coating on the inner surface and finally quenching. In one preferred embodiment, the tube is heated with an induction heater including a seam coil which first heats the seam area below the melting temperature of the coating and then heated with a full body coil. The coolant may be chilled water or other coolant which is sprayed onto the seam area.

Ferrous metal tubes or pipes are commonly coated with a protective metal coating, such as zinc, referred to as galvanizing, aluminum, and alloys of zinc and aluminum, including Galvalume®, a trademark of BIEC International, Inc. In a typical application, a metal strip, referred to as a "skelp," is first coated with a protective metal coating, the strip is then rolled into a tubular shape or an open seam tube and the opposed lateral edges of the open seam tube are then welded in a continuous process typically by heating the opposed lateral edges with an induction coil, melting the adjacent edges and the opposed lateral edges are then driven together or forged, forming a continuous welded seam. Where the strip is formed of steel, for example, the adjacent lateral edges of the open seam tube are heated to the melting temperature of steel, which is 2,300° F. or greater, whereas the melting temperature of the protective metal coating is substantially less. For example, a typical galvanized coating has a melting temperature of about 780° F. and aluminum has a melting temperature of about 1,200° F. Thus, the protective metal coating of the tube at and adjacent the welded seam will burn off or vaporize leaving the welded seam unprotected. Most precoated ferrous metal tubes or pipes fail by corrosion of the welded seam. Thus, an object of this invention is to provide a continuous method of applying an adherent protective metal coating to the internal and external surfaces of a welded seam of a metal tube and a method of coating the internal and external surfaces of a metal tube including the welded seam area with an adherent protective metal coating.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,042,659 assigned to the assignee of this application discloses a method of coating the external surface of a welded seam with an adherent protective metal coating, wherein a flux is first applied to the external surface of the welded seam, the seam area is then preheated, a protective metal coating is then applied over the exterior surface of the welded seam by thermal spraying, and the metal tube and the weld area is then heated in a full body induction coil, heating the welded seam to a temperature equal to or greater than the melting temperature of the protective metal coating, melting the protective metal coating over the external surface of the welded seam.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,290,786, also assigned to the assignee of this application, discloses a method of coating the internal surface of the welded seam of a metal tube by applying a paste of a particulate or powdered protective metal coating and a liquid flux over the internal surface of the welded seam, then preheating the welded seam to a temperature less than the melting temperature of the protective metal coating, followed by heating the metal tube and the welded seam with a fully body induction coil, thereby heating the protective metal coating on the interior surface of the welded seam to its melting temperature, melting the protective metal coating over the internal surface of the welded seam as described above. The metal tube is then quenched, freezing the protective metal coating and forming an adherent protective metal coating on the interior surface of the welded seam.
A problem with the methods of coating the welded seam of a metal tube as described in the above-referenced patents, particularly when used in combination, is that the exterior heating of the welded seam, as by induction heating, results in melting of the protective metal coating on the exterior surface of the welded seam before the protective metal coating on the interior surface reaches the melting temperature. The protective metal coating on the exterior surface of the welded seam then leaks or drips under gravity, which results in a roughened surface, and may result in insufficient coating on the exterior surface of the welded seam. The protective metal coating which drips from the exterior surface of the welded seam may also foul the induction heater and requires cleanup. Attempts have been made to reduce this problem by using a lower frequency induction heater to reduce the dwell or soak time and thus reduce dripping. The higher the frequency of the induction heater, the lower the penetration of the heat through the metal tube. For example, an induction heater having a frequency of 3,000 Hz results in heating the metal tube to a "depth" of 0.042 inches, whereas an induction heater having a frequency of 1,000 Hz heats the tube to a depth of 0.073 inches and an induction heater having a frequency of 500 Hz heats the metal tube to a depth of 0.10 inches. Thus, lowering the frequency of the induction heater would be desirable, particularly for metal tubes or pipes having a wall thickness of greater than the induction frequency penetration. Finally, external heating of the welded seam, including induction heating, results in spreading of the heat from the welded seam as the dwell time or soak increases, resulting in greater loss of the protective metal coating from the outer surface of the metal pipe adjacent the welded seam.
There has therefore been a long felt need to eliminate the problems associated with the methods of applying an adherent protective metal coating to the internal and external surfaces of a metal tube or pipe, particularly including the welded seam, which eliminates the problems set forth above.


In an internal combustion engine, it is first determined whether a load factor of the internal combustion engine is a specified value or more and the engine speed of the internal combustion engine is a specified speed or less. If these conditions are satisfied, fuel is injected from both of a port injection valve and a direct injection valve, and a fuel injection timing of the direct injection valve is decided so as to inject fuel from the direct injection valve during the compression stroke of the internal combustion engine.

1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to controlling an operation of an internal combustion engine that includes a port injection valve and a direct injection valve.
2) Description of the Related Art
In a direct-injection internal combustion engine, fuel is directly injected into the cylinder. The direct-injection internal combustion engine can operate in a stratified combustion and a uniform combustion.
In the stratified combustion, fuel is injected in the cylinder during a compression stroke and a stratification of fuel is formed in the cylinder. Precisely, a mixture of fuel and air that is easy to ignite is accumulated near the spark plug, and the air that is hard to ignite is made to surround the mixture. The stratified combustion can produce ultra lean combustion. In other words, the stratified combustion allows both the reduction in the amount of the fuel and the reduction in the CO2 emission.
On the other hand, in the uniform combustion, fuel is injected in the cylinder during an intake stroke, and the fuel is made to disperse uniformly inside the cylinder. In the uniform combustion, intake air can be cooled by the heat of vaporization of the fuel, which allows better filling efficiency and, therefore, higher output. Therefore, the engine is operated in the uniform combustion if high torque is required.
In the uniform combustion, a large amount of fuel is injected in the cylinder particularly at the time of high output or high load. However, if a large amount of fuel is injected in the cylinder at one time, the fuel does not evaporate effectively. This causes improper combustion and results in a decrease in the torque. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2001-20837 discloses a solution to this problem. The engine disclosed in this publication includes a main fuel injection valve that injects fuel directly into a cylinder and an auxiliary fuel injection valve that injects fuel into an intake port. Moreover, how much fuel is to be injected from both the main fuel injection valve and the auxiliary fuel injection valve is controlled based on an operating state of the engine.
When the uniform combustion is employed, the fuel is injected from the direct injection valve during an intake stroke. However, knocking easily occurs if the internal combustion engine is operated at a high load and at low to medium speeds. Therefore, conventionally, torque of the internal combustion engine is sacrificed to suppress the knocking.

Method and apparatus for controlling operation of internal combustion engine, and the internal combustion engine


An object is to prevent malfunction of a power device. In a semiconductor device for driving a power device for power supply, a buffer circuit and a level-shift circuit are configured by transistors having the same conductivity type. Furthermore, a capacitor is provided in the level-shift circuit, and a signal to be boosted is supplied to the capacitor and is boosted using capacitive coupling of the capacitor. Furthermore, a structure can be employed in which the signal is boosted in such a manner that, in the level-shift circuit, a capacitor is provided between a wiring for supplying a low power source potential and a wiring for supplying a potential to boost the signal so that a power transistor can be driven.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device. In particular, the present invention relates to a semiconductor device functioning as a driver circuit for driving a power device for power supply.
2. Description of the Related Art
A power device is an element used to drive a load such as a motor. The power device can control supply of a large current to a load to perform the supply intermittently by a switching operation.
As an example of the power device, a power transistor such as an insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) can be given. The power transistor has a large gate capacitance compared to other transistors.
Driving of the power transistor is controlled by pulse width modulation (PWM). PWM control is performed in accordance with a PWM signal output from a microcomputer or the like. The voltage of the PWM signal is too low to directly drive the power transistor having a large gate capacitance. Therefore, the PWM signal needs to be converted into a high-voltage signal and supplied to the power transistor.
A driver circuit for converting the PWM signal to a high-voltage signal includes a transistor including silicon. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a structure of a semiconductor device in which an n-channel transistor and a p-channel transistor are provided over a silicon substrate and the on/off state of IGBT is controlled.

Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., LTD.


An internal frame backpack (10) includes a pack (12) having an anterior side (14) that contacts a user's back, and left and right shoulder straps (10, 18) attached at an upper end to an upper portion (20) of the pack and at a lower end to left and right lower portions (44, 46) of the pack. The pack includes an internal frame formed from an elastomeric pad (24) integrated into the anterior side of the pack, and resilient left and right rods (26, 28) mounted within the pack and secured to the elastomeric pad. The resilient rods act as coil springs which support loads in the pack with a degree of flexibility that varies in response to the magnitude of the load.

Conventional backpacks for hikers and others to carry loads typically utilize either a rigid tubular metal frame secured externally to a pack, or a frame having a limited degree of flexibility which is mounted internally within the pack. The frame serves the purpose of both supporting the load placed within the pack, and distributing the load to the user's hips and shoulders. External frame backpacks are typically well suited for use with heavier loads, but are often uncomfortable due to the rigidity of the frame.
Internal frame packs are designed to more closely hug and conform to the user's body, as compared to external frame packs, as is often desirable for stability for off-trail activities. Conventional internal frame packs include a padded back panel which rests against the wearer's back. A pocket is formed within the pack on the opposite side of the padded back panel, which receives a semi-rigid planar support sheet. The support sheet is typically formed from a sheet of plastic material or lightweight metal, such as aluminum. The support sheet may be contoured, sometimes on a customized basis, to follow the contour of the back and spine. The resulting frame formed by the pad and support sheet is typically more flexible than an external frame, because of the limited flexibility of the planar support sheet, the resilient cushioning of the back panel pad, and the typically less extensive vertical and horizontal span of the frame as compared to that of an external frame. Internal frame backpacks are typically more flexible and conform to the wearer's back to stabilize the load during active movement, but may not be as effective at distributing the load to the hips and shoulders as an external frame pack. Conventional internal frame packs may also undesirably concentrate the load in part on the lumbar region of the back.
A further limitation of conventional backpack frames is that differing loads require differing levels of support. A heavy load typically will require a very stiff frame, such as may be provided by external frame packs, or by some internal frame packs which have only a very limited degree of flexibility. A smaller load, however, may be well supported by a more flexible internal frame pack which is more comfortable to wear. Thus, an individual who at times carries loads of differing magnitude, such as for differing duration hikes, would optimally need at least two packs designed to meet the varying load conditions.
A still further limitation of conventional pack designs, particularly those which have a higher degree of stiffness and rigidity to carry heavier loads, is the inability of the pack to flex sufficiently to conform to a user's back as the user bends and twists during hiking. This results in the pack at times bearing uncomfortably on small portions of the back during bending and twisting movements, even in packs where the frame has been contoured to follow the profile back in the normal upright position.

Internal frame pack with load-responsive spring rods


A collapsible type optical unit is described that is capable of moving its optical system between a working position and a retracted position as well as an image-pickup apparatus including the optical unit. The optical unit and the image-pickup apparatus are capable of acquiring lens-position information by detecting a position of a lens barrel supported to be movable with respect to a fixed barrel. The collapsible type optical unit includes a second group lens frame movable along a direction of its optical axis with respect to a fixed ring and rear barrel, and a solid-state image-pickup device provided behind the second group lens frame, in which on the movable second group lens frame, a position-detecting means for detecting a position of the second group lens frame is provided.

In recent years, the improvement in portability and operability has been demanded for the image-pickup apparatus such as a digital still camera and a digital video camera. The whole camera is now required to be small-sized and the miniaturization of an optical system such as a lens and a lens barrel employed in the image-pickup apparatus has been in progress. In addition, a further enhancement of image-quality and pixels of taken pictures is also strongly requested and lenses forming an optical system may be made large in size; however, the miniaturization of the optical lens barrel is often demanded by making a drive mechanism smaller in size.
There are similar demands with respect to what is called a collapsible lens used in the image-pickup apparatus such as a digital still camera and a digital video camera, and the miniaturization, thin-making and the like are requested in view of convenience for portability.
FIG. 3 shows a state in which, for example, a digital still camera provided with a collapsible type lens is not used and the lens is retracted, that is, shows an outer appearance perspective view of the retracted position of the lens. FIG. 4 shows a state in which a digital camera is used and the lens barrel is extended, that is, shows an outer appearance perspective view of a wide angle position or a telephoto position of the same camera.
FIGS. 5A, 5B and 5C show sectional views of a conventional collapsible lens. FIG. 5A shows a section of the lens in the retracted position when not in use; FIG. 5B shows a section of the wide angle position; FIG. 5C shows a section of the telephoto position. FIG. 6 shows an exploded perspective view of the collapsible lens.
First, main functions of a digital still camera will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. A reference numeral 1 denotes a camera body of the digital still camera and a reference numeral 2 denotes an image-pickup lens portion of a collapsible type, which is provided on one side of the front surface of the camera body 1. In the collapsed state shown in FIG. 3, barriers 3 protect the front lens surface of the image-pickup lens portion 2. Further, on the front surface of the camera body 1 are arranged a finder lens 4, a strobe 5, and an autofocus-auxiliary-light receiving portion 6 for detecting a distance to a subject. Further, a reference numeral 7 denotes a finder window, a numeral 8 denotes a shutter button, and a numeral 9 denotes a knob for changing the mode.
Next, the structure of the image-pickup lens portion 2 that is a collapsible type optical unit will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 5A, 5B, 5C and FIG. 6.
A reference numeral 10 denotes a first group lens frame holding a plurality of lenses 11. The first group lens frame 10 includes a plurality of cam pins 10a to be fitted into a first cam groove 12a of a cam ring 12. The first group lens frame 10 is formed of, for example, black polycarbonate resin containing glass fiber and has the strength and a light shielding nature.
A reference numeral 13 denotes a second group lens frame holding a plurality of lenses 13a. The second group lens frame 13 includes a plurality of cam pins 13b to be fitted into a second cam groove 12b of the cam ring 12. The second group lens frame 13 is formed of, for example, black polycarbonate resin containing glass fiber and has the strength and a shielding nature. The second group lens frame 13 may be provided with an iris shutter mechanism.
The above-described cam ring 12 includes a gear portion 12c to be driven to rotate within the internal circumference of a fixed ring 15 by means of a gear 14a of a gear unit 14, and a plurality of cam pins 12d to be fitted into a cam groove 15a of the fixed ring 15. The cam ring 12 is formed of, for example, black polycarbonate resin containing glass fiber, and has the strength and a light shielding nature. By means of the first cam groove 12a and the second cam groove 12b, a zooming operation is performed in which the first group lens frame 10 and the second group lens frame 13 are moved along the predetermined curve in the direction of the optical axis L.
A reference numeral 16 denotes a straight-forward guide ring which is a member that moves within the internal circumference of the fixed ring 15 integrally with the cam ring 12 in the direction of the optical axis L. The straight-forward guide ring 16 includes a plurality of guide grooves 16a which guides the first group lens frame 10 in the direction of the optical axis and a plurality of guide grooves 16b which guide the second group lens frame 13 in the direction of the optical axis. The straight-forward guide ring 16 is formed of, for example, black polycarbonate resin containing glass fiber and has the strength and a light shielding nature.
The fixed ring 15 is a member fixed to a rear barrel 17. The fixed ring 15 is formed of, for example, black polycarbonate resin containing glass fiber and has the strength and a light shielding nature.
A reference numeral 18 denotes a third group lens frame holding a lens 19. The third group lens frame 18 is formed of, for example, black polycarbonate resin containing glass fiber and has the strength and a light shielding nature. The third group lens frame 18 is retained so as to be movable in the direction of the optical axis with respect to the rear barrel 17, which is designed to displace minutely in the direction of the optical axis by means of a power source such as a stepping motor (not shown).
To the rear barrel 17 are fixed the fixed ring 15, a barrier drive mechanism 20, and the gear unit 14. Further, to the rear barrel 17 is fixed an optical filter 22 composed of an optical low-pass filter or an infrared cut filter at a holding portion 21 facing the third group lens frame 18 so as to be positioned by an elastically-forced sealing rubber 23. Furthermore, to the rear barrel 17 is fixed a solid-state image-pickup device 24 such as CCD and CMOS positioned behind the optical filter 22.
The barrier drive mechanism 20 is a projection member for driving to close barriers 3 linked with the collapsing operation of the image-pickup portion 2. The gear unit 14 drives to rotate the cam ring 12 through the gear portion 12c engaged with the gear 14a; and the gear ratio is determined such that a sufficient driving power in the range of collapsed state to wide state to telephoto state, and telephoto state to wide state to collapsed state.
Next, the operation of the above-described image-pickup lens portion 2 will be described.
In operation from the collapsed state in FIG. 5A to the wide position in FIG. 5B, the gear 14a of the gear unit 14 is driven by a driving source such as a DC motor, the gear portion 12c being rotated, the cam pin 12d being rotated along the cam groove 15a of the fixed ring 15, and the cam ring 12 being moved toward a subject in the direction of the optical axis. At this moment, the straight-forward guide ring 16 moves forward integrally with the cam ring 12 as shown by an arrow mark A.
At the same time, the cam pin 10a is moved along the first cam groove 12a of the cam ring 12 and the guide groove 16a of the straight-forward guide ring 16 with the result that the first group lens frame 10 is moved forward as shown by an arrow mark B. Concurrently, the cam pin 13b is moved along the second cam groove 12b of the cam ring 12 and the guide groove 16b of the straight-forward guide ring 16 with the result that the second group lens frame 13 is moved forward as shown by an arrow mark C. With the operation as described above, the first group lens frame 10 and second group lens frame 13 are situated in the optically wide position.
In operation from the wide position to the telephoto position in FIG. 5C, the cam ring 12 is also driven by the gear unit 14; however, because the cam pin 12d moves along a horizontal cam groove 15b of the cam groove 15a in this range, the cam ring 12 does not move in the direction of the optical axis, so that also the straight-forward guide ring 16 does not move in the direction of the optical axis as shown by an arrow mark D. At this moment, the cam pin 10a is moved along the cam groove 12a of the cam ring 12 and the guide groove 16a of the straight-forward guide ring 16 with the result that the first group lens frame 10 is moved in the direction of an arrow mark E.
At the same time, the cam pin 13b is moved along the cam groove 12b of the cam ring 12 and the guide groove 16b of the straight-forward guide ring 16 with the result that the second group lens frame 13 is moved forward in the direction of an arrow mark F. With the operation as described above, the first group lens frame 10 and second group lens frame 13 optically move between the wide position and telephoto position to perform the zooming operation.
In addition, operation from the telephoto position to wide position and operation from the wide position to collapsed state are performed by driving the gear 14a of the gear unit 14 to oppositely rotate and making the cam ring 12 rotate in the opposite direction.
Hereupon, while the first group lens frame 10 and second group lens frame 13 perform the zooming operation, the third group lens frame 18 is displaced minutely in the direction of the optical axis by a separate driving source, not shown, such as a stepping motor to perform focusing operation.
In this way, the image-pickup lens portion 2 makes the first group lens frame 10 and second group lens frame 13 move depending on the position of a subject to selectively perform the zooming operation and focusing operation, so that it is necessary for the image-pickup lens portion 2 to be provided with means for detecting a position of the lens.
As for a conventional zoom position detecting method of the collapsible type lens, for example, a method of detecting the position by a rotation angle of the cam ring and a method of detecting the position by a position of the cam ring in the moving direction are known.
Further, as to the method of detecting position by the rotation angle of cam ring, a method of detecting position by a change in conduction of an electric pattern arranged on an exterior portion of the cam ring, a method of detecting the zoom position, in which a projection for detecting a rotary position and a switch arranged outside thereof are provided on the exterior portion of the cam ring and the switch is operated by the projection, and the like are known.
FIG. 7 shows the former method of detecting a rotary position by an electric contact (brush). In FIG. 7, a reference numeral 50 denotes the image-pickup lens portion of the collapsible type lens, which is designed to be able to take selectively the collapsed position, that is, a retracted state of the lens when not being used, the wide angle position, and the telephoto position. A finder lens 51 is arranged at the upper left of the image-pickup lens portion 50.
A rotary-position detecting means 52 using an electric contact is provided at the top of the image-pickup lens portion 50. The rotary-position detecting means 52 includes an electric contact pattern 53 provided on a rotary part of the lens barrel and a brush portion 54 mounted on a fixed part of the camera body or the like, and a plurality of brushes 55 provided at the brush portion 54 are in slidable contact with the electric contact pattern 53.
Thus, a position of contact of the plurality of brushes 55 with the electric contact pattern 53 varies according to a rotary position of the rotary part of the lens barrel, so that an electric output will be varied depending on the rotary position. By monitoring a change in the electric output, it is possible to detect the zoom position of the lens by the rotary-position detecting means 52.
FIG. 8 shows the latter method of detecting a rotary position by a variable resistor. In FIG. 8, a reference numeral 60 denotes the image-pickup lens portion of a collapsible type lens, which is designed to be able to take selectively the collapsed position, the wide angle position, and the telephoto position as well. A finder lens 61 is arranged at the upper left of the image-pickup lens portion 60 and a rotary-position detecting means 62 using the variable resistor is provided at the lower left of the image-pickup lens portion 60 under the finder lens.
The rotary-position detecting means 62 includes a variable resistor 63 fitted to a fixed part of the camera body or the like, a support member 64 for supporting a detection piece 63a of the variable resistor 63, a lead screw 65 for moving the support member 64 in the direction of an optical axis of the image-pickup lens portion 60, and a gear train 66 which is engaged with a gear portion provided on a rotary part of the lens barrel to transmit the rotational force thereof to the lead screw 65. The gear train 66 includes a driving gear engaged with the gear portion of lens barrel, a screw gear fixed to the lead screw 65, and an idler gear connecting the screw gear and the driving gear to transmit motive power.
Thus, depending on the rotary position of a rotary part of the lens barrel, a resistance value of the variable resistor 63 will change. By monitoring the resistance value output from the variable resistor 63, it is possible to detect the zoom position of the lens by the rotary-position detecting means 62.
As an optical apparatus using the above-described position detecting method, there is also, for example, the one disclosed in Patent Literature 1. The optical apparatus described in the Patent Literature 1 is characterized by including a first lens unit constituting an optical system, a first motor for driving the first lens unit, a second lens unit constituting the optical system, which is provided behind the first lens unit, and a control means for controlling the first and second motors to retract the second lens unit in response to retract instructions of the optical system, to start retracting the first lens unit after the second lens unit has been retracted, and to retract the first lens unit into a space made by retracting the second lens unit.
This optical apparatus is provided with a linear sensor for detecting a lens position, which is fixed to a base by means of a screw and the like. The linear sensor is composed of a variable resistor that generates an output between terminals which linearly changes with its slider moves while a predetermined voltage is applied between the terminals.
Patent Literature 1
Japanese Published Patent Application No. 2000-194046 (page 5, FIG. 12, etc.) However, when among the above described lens position detecting methods the former lens position detecting method according to a rotation angle of the cam ring is employed, it is necessary to arrange a projection, a switch or an electric pattern and the like on an exterior portion of the cam ring, with the result that the exterior portion becomes large in size and also the number of parts as well as the number of processes increase, which causes the problem of not being economical.
When using the latter position detecting method according to a position of the cam ring in its protruding direction, it is necessary to provide a projection on the exterior portion and also to provide a switch or a leaf spring at a predetermined position corresponding to the projection, with the result that, although the number of parts increases less than that in the former method, the exterior portion becomes bulky and against the miniaturization, which poses another problem.
Furthermore, when employing either of the position detecting methods, there exists a sliding portion such as a mechanical switch or brushes for detecting the conduction, so that a load against the lens will occur due to a frictional resistance of the sliding portion. For this reason, there is also posed a problem that movement efficiency of the lens to the driving force will deteriorate.
The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems and provides an optical unit in which a position detecting means is provided inside the movable lens barrel and the position is detected within the lens barrel, thereby miniaturizing the whole apparatus and also preventing a collision between lens portions arranged in the lens barrel, as well as an image-pickup apparatus including the optical unit.


Process for polymerizing monomer in a reactor by withdrawing an effluent from the reactor which is a slurry of polymer solids in a liquid medium and contacting a first stream containing vapor derived from the effluent withdrawn from the reactor with a feed stream to the reactor. The first stream which has the majority of the vaporized components of the liquid medium in the effluent withdrawn from the reactor is brought into contact with the feedstream to the reactor at a pressure of 0.5 MPa or above and/or the first stream is separated from the polymer withdrawn from the reactor at a pressure of 0.5 MPa or above.

The production of polymer powder by polymerisation reactions of monomers in the presence of catalysts is well-known. For example, processes are known and widely operated commercially using both fluidised bed reactors and slurry phase reactors.
In a slurry polymerisation process the polymerisation is conducted in a stirred tank or, preferably, a continuous loop reactor in which a slurry of polymer particles in a liquid medium comprising hydrocarbon diluent is circulated. During the course of polymerisation, fresh polymer is generated by the catalytic polymerisation of monomer and polymer product is removed from the reactor by removing a portion of the slurry.
In a single reactor system the slurry withdrawn from the reactor is treated to separate the polymer particles from the hydrocarbon diluent and other components, such as unreacted monomers, which it is generally desired are recycled to the reactor.
The process where polymer is formed in two reactors in series is also known. The separate reactors can be operated to produce the same product in each reactor, but are most advantageously operated to produce different products in each reactor, in particular to make bimodal polymer products.
In such a process, polymer is produced in the first reactor, withdrawn in the form of a slurry and passed to a second reactor where further production of polymer takes place. Polymer slurry withdrawn from the subsequent reactor is treated to separate the polymer solids from diluent and unreacted reactants, which it is generally desired to recycle to the process.
In a typical separations process, which is also generally used for single reactor systems, withdrawn slurry is heated and passed to a first separation step in which the majority of the diluent and unreacted monomers and comonomers are separated from the polymer solids as a gas (flash gas) at relatively high pressure such that the gas can be condensed without compression and recycled. This is commonly referred to as a "flash step".
Remaining solids and residual diluent are then sent to a second separation step, which may be a further flash tank or may be a flush column where the solids are contacted with a flush gas, such as nitrogen, to remove residual diluent, monomers and comonomers. The second separation step is usually at a lower pressure, and diluent, unreacted monomer and any comonomer separated in the second separator need to be separated from any flush gas, and usually need to be compressed prior to recycle.
Thus, the overall polymerisation process generally includes both high pressure and low pressure recovery systems for recovery and recycle of diluent, monomers and comonomers.
The polymer solids may be taken to further processing, such as blending or pelleting, or to storage.
WO 2006/015807 discloses a polymerisation process in which the gas stream recovered from flashing diluent and unreacted monomer from a slurry of polymer solids is passed to a fractionator. The application of the fractionator to a process comprising two polymerisation loop reactors operated in series is also described. In particular with respect to FIG. 3 there is described a process where the fractionator is used to treat both the flash gas from the second reactor in series and also gas separated from the effluent between the two reactors.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A process for the reduction of a phenylacetylene contaminant in the presence of a styrene monomer. A styrene monomer stream containing a minor amount of phenylacetylene is supplied to a hydrogenation reactor. A hydrogenation gas comprising hydrogen is also supplied to the hydrogenation reactor. The styrene monomer stream and the hydrogen are brought into contact with a catalyst bed containing a catalyst comprising a reduced copper compound on a theta alumina support. The hydrogenation reactor is operated at a temperature of at least 60° C. and a pressure of at least 30 psig to hydrogenate phenylacetylene to styrene. A product is recovered from the hydrogenation reactor having a substantially reduced phenylacetylene content and an enhanced styrene content. The hydrogenation gas comprises a mixture of nitrogen and hydrogen.

Phenylacetylene is present in styrene monomer streams as an undesirable contaminant. Styrene monomer streams, which can include in addition to styrene various substituted styrenes, such as alphamethyl styrene and alkyl ring-substituted styrenes, are formed by the dehydrogenation of the corresponding alkylbenzene, such as ethylbenzene, to form the corresponding vinyl aromatic monomers, such as styrene in the case of ethylbenzene. An undesirable side reaction in such dehydrogenation processes occurs when the ethylbenzene is subjected to a severe dehydrogenation reaction to produce phenylacetylene. While the ethylbenzene, normally common in the resulting styrene product stream, can be readily removed by distillation, the fractional distillation of phenylacetylene and styrene can be accomplished only with difficulty.
In order to provide a purified styrene monomer stream for use in polymerization reactions, it is a conventional practice to selectively hydrogenate the phenylacetylene in the presence of the corresponding styrene monomer. Two types of catalysts may be employed in such phenylacetylene reduction procedures. One type of catalyst, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,156,817 to Butler et al and European Patent Application Publication No. 584,054, also to Butler et al, involves the selective hydrogenation of phenylacetylene over a palladium catalyst supported on an alumina carrier. The palladium catalyst is highly effective and permits the hydrogenation reaction to be carried out under relatively high temperature conditions of about 150° F. and also substantially elevated pressure conditions of about 60–70 psia. Another catalyst used in the selective hydrogenation of phenylacetylene is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,822,936 to Maurer et al. Here, the catalyst employed is reduced copper on a gamma alumina support. While the Maurer et al process offers the advantage of a catalyst which is less expensive than the palladium catalyst used in the Butler et al process, it also requires relatively modest temperature conditions as well as relatively low pressure conditions. In this respect, while Maurer discloses a hydrogenation temperature below 200° C., preferably in the range of 5° C. to about 100° C., the Maurer procedure is preferably limited to a hydrogenation temperature of less than 35° C. Even at this relatively low temperature, the Maurer procedure requires that the hydrogenation reaction be carried out at ambient or near ambient pressure conditions with a maximum pressure limited to 10 psig, i.e., less than about 25 pounds per square inch absolute.

Process for the selective hydrogenation of phenylacetylene


The present invention relates to improved dental compositions and methods for bleaching teeth. More specifically, this invention is directed towards hydrogen peroxide-containing compounds that are maintained at a substantially constant pH range of 6.0-10.0 during the tooth-bleaching procedure in the presence of a calcium chelating agent.

The present invention relates to improved dental bleaching compositions and methods for bleaching teeth.
White teeth have long been considered cosmetically desirable. Unfortunately, teeth become almost invariably discolored in the absence of intervention. The tooth structures which are generally responsible for presenting a stained appearance are enamel, dentin, and the acquired pellicle. Tooth enamel is predominantly formed form inorganic material, mostly in the form of hydroxyapatite crystals and further contains approximately 5% organic material primarily in the form of collagen. In contrast, dentin is composed of about 20% protein including collagen, the balance consisting of inorganic material, predominantly hydroxyapatite crystals, similar to that found in enamel. The acquired pellicle is a proteinaceous layer on the surface of tooth enamel which reforms rapidly after an intensive tooth cleaning.
Staining of teeth results from extrinsic and/or intrinsic staining. Extrinsic staining of the acquired pellicle arises as a result of compounds such as tannins and poly-phenolic compounds which became trapped in and tightly bonded to the proteinaceous layer on the surface of the teeth. This type of staining can usually be removed by mechanical methods of tooth cleaning. In contrast, intrinsic staining occurs when starting compounds penetrate the enamel and even the dentin or arise from sources within the tooth. This type of staining is not amenable to mechanical methods of tooth cleaning and chemical methods are required.
Consequently, tooth-bleaching compositions generally fall into two categories: (1) gels, pastes, or liquids, including toothpastes that are mechanically agitated at the stained tooth surface in order to affect tooth stain removal through abrasive erosion of stained acquired pellicle; and (2) gels, pastes, or liquids that accomplish the tooth-bleaching effect by a chemical process while in contact with the stained tooth surface for a specified period, after which the formulation is removed. In some cases, the mechanical process is supplemented by an auxiliary chemical process which may be oxidative or enzymatic.
The majority of professionally-monitored at-home tooth-bleaching compositions act by oxidation. These compositions are dispensed directly to a patient for use in a customer-made tooth-bleaching tray, held in place in the mouth for contact times of greater than about 60 minutes, and sometimes as long as 8 to 12 hours. The slow rate of bleaching is in large part, the consequence of formulations that are developed to maintain ability of the oxidizing composition. The most commonly used oxidative consequences contain the hydrogen peroxide precursor carbamide peroxide which is mixed with an anhydrous or low-water content, hygroscopic viscous carrier containing glycerine and/or propylene glycol and/or polyethylene glycol. When contacted by water, carbamide peroxide dissociates into urea and hydrogen peroxide. Associated with the slow rate of bleaching in the hygroscopic carrier, the currently available tooth-bleaching compositions cause tooth sensitization in over 50% of patients. Tooth sensitivity is believed to result from the movement of fluid through the dentinal tubes toward nerve endings in the tooth. This movement is enhanced by the carriers for the carbamide peroxide. In fact, it has been determined that glycerine, propylene glycol and polyethylene glycol can each give rise to varying amounts of tooth sensitivity following exposure of the teeth to heat, cold, overly sweet substances, and other causative agents.
Prolonged exposure of teeth to bleaching compositions, as practiced at present, has a number of adverse effects in addition to that of tooth sensitivity. These include: solubilization of calcium from the enamel layer at a pH less than 5.5 with associated demineralization; penetration of the intact enamel and dentin by the bleaching agents, so as to reach the pulp chamber of a vital tooth thereby risking damage to pulpal tissue; and dilution of the bleaching compositions with saliva with resulting leaching from the dental tray and subsequent digestion.
The stability of existing formulation of hydrogen peroxide-containing tooth-bleaching compositions in terms of shelf-life as well as over the period of use in the mouth, depends, in general, on an acidic pH. The hydrogen peroxide becomes markedly less stable as the pH increases. Indeed, Frysh, et al. (Journal of Esthetic Dentistry Vol. 7, No. 3, pp. 130-133, 1995) described the use of high concentration (35%) of hydrogen peroxide solutions at an initial alkaline pH, which was required to be formulated immediately before use and was administered in the form of a liquid to extracted teeth to achieve tooth bleaching. Phillips and Bowles (IADR Abstract J. Dent.res 75, 1996) have demonstrated that hydrogen peroxide penetrates the enamel of extracted teeth less readily over a 15 minute period at pH 9.0 than at pH 4.5. Carbamide peroxide compositions have been formulated at a pH of 5.0-6.5 using hygroscopic carriers and maintaining a low water content. This type of formulation is problematic with regard to enhanced tooth sensitivity. On contact with saliva, the water content of the formulation increases, causing the carbamide to disassociate into urea and hydrogen peroxide and the pH to be decreased. In fact, the equilibrium pH of a 10% carbamide peroxide solution is approximately 3.45 and a typical commercially-available tooth-bleaching gel with 10% carbamide peroxide when combined with saliva in a 1:1 weight ratio has an initial pH of 5.6 and gradually decreases to pH 4.8 after 8 hours.
Thus, currently available tooth-bleaching compositions that rely on hydrogen peroxide as oxidizing agents, all release hydrogen peroxide from percursors at low pH levels despite the low rates of tooth-bleaching activity.
There is a need for a home use tooth-bleaching product that is stable, easy to use, and rapid-acting that utilizes reduced amounts of hydrogen peroxide and is capable of administration to a patient by means of a dental tray. There is a further need for a tooth-bleaching composition that may reduce hard and soft tissue irritation, tooth sensitivity, and bleaching composition ingestion to further increase patient compliance.
The invention satisfies the above needs. An embodiment of the invention includes a tooth-bleaching composition for contacting a tooth surface in a subject that includes a hydrogen peroxide-containing compound. Furthermore the composition includes a matrix for administering the hydrogen peroxide-containing compound to the tooth surface. The matrix comprises a thickening agent, an agent for stabilizing the hydrogen peroxide-containing compound, a pH adjusting agent and a calcium chelating agent, wherein the pH of the tooth-bleaching composition during the bleaching process is substantially constant within a range of pH 6.0-10.
A further embodiment of the invention includes a dosage delivery unit for tooth bleaching, including a multi-chamber vessel wherein each chamber is responsive to an applied pressure from an external source, such that a mixture of reagents contained within a compartment including a hydrogen peroxide containing composition and a matrix, will be forced to exit the compartment through a mixing baffle in response to the externally applied pressure.
A further embodiment of the invention includes a method for bleaching teeth including preparing a composition as described above and administering the composition to the tooth surface.
The present invention comprises compositions and methods for bleaching tooth enamel in situ which allow the use of reduced concentrations of hydrogen peroxide in tooth-bleaching compositions in order to achieve effective tooth bleaching in a contact time of less than one hour.
The tooth surface is defined here and in the claims as a portion of a tooth which is directly responsible for the stained appearance of said tooth. The term tooth surface generally means a tooth""s acquired pellicle, plaque, enamel, and combinations thereof.
The matrix is defined here and in the claims as the gel, paste, or liquid in which the hydrogen peroxide containing compound is placed for a administration to the subject.
The subject referred to here and in the claims is commonly a human subject but also includes domestic animals.
An information aspect of present invention is the finding that the efficiency of the bleaching reaction in a tooth using a chemical tooth-bleaching agent such as hydrogen peroxide can be significantly enhanced at a pH greater than 5.5, more particular a pH in the range of 6-10, for example in a range of pH of 7-10, more particularly between 8.0 and 9.5, providing that the pH is maintained at a substantially constant range throughout the tooth-bleaching process and a calcium chelating agent is included in the composition to prevent precipitation of calcium ions. (Table 1-4)
Suitable pH adjusting agents include, but are not limited to, sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, ammonium hydroxide, sodium carbonate, potassium carbonate, TRIS and triethanolamine.
Examples of calcium chelating agents include any of the calcium chelating agents known in the art. Examples include EDTA and its salts, critic acid and its salts, gluconic acid and its salts, alkali metal pyrophosphates and alkali metal polyphosphates. The use of citric acid, sodium acid pyrophosphate and disodium EDTA are shown in Table 1 and Table 2. The biological efficacy of sodium acid pyrophosphate is shown in Table 4. Without being bound to any particular theory, it is proposed that calcium precipitation in the form of calcium phosphates arise in the intercrystalline interstices of the tooth at elevated pHs and this gives rise to a blockage of movement of the peroxide into the tooth with a resulting negative effect on tooth bleaching. Calcium chelating agents may prevent this precipitation of calcium ions with the associated observed improvement of tooth-bleaching effect.
The composition may also contain a stabilizing agent for removing from solution, metal ions that interfere with the action of the hydrogen peroxide. In certain formulations, a single component may act either as a calcium chelating agent or as a stabilizing agent or may serve both functions.
The ability to maintain a constant pH range above 5.5 throughout the period of tooth bleaching coupled with the inhibition of calcium precipitation that normally occurs at pH levels above 5.5, has resulted in a formulation that is suitable for use in the home and is capable of achieving detectable tooth bleaching in less than 30 minutes. Furthermore, multiple treatments (each treatment lasting no longer than 30 minutes) have been demonstrated to substantially whiten teeth (Example 5). In Example 5, 14 treatments using the inventive formulation, were administered for twenty minutes, twice a day or seven days. A mean xcex94E of 7.32 was observed denoting a substantial tooth-bleaching effect compound with a xcex94E of 4.73 using a prior art formulation for a period of time was three times longer than that of the novel formulation.
According to the invention, additional agents having tooth-bleaching effect may be used to achieve detectable tooth bleaching in less than 30 minutes. For example, sodium percarbonate has been demonstrated to be very effective at tooth bleaching when maintained at a pH that is greater than 5.5, more preferably in the range of 7-10, more particularly 8-9.5 that includes a calcium chelating agent. This composition differs from carbamide peroxide in that there is no acidification of that solution that results upon its dissociation. Consequently, the reagent may be maintained at a constant elevated pH for an extended period of time without the necessity for adding buffering reagents beyond that naturally supplied in the saliva. Unlike carbamide peroxide, however, the percarbonate is prepared in a formulation that does not include glycerine and is only slowly permeated by water whereupon hydrogen peroxide is released. For this reason, it may be desirable, but is not essential, to prepare the percarbonate in a two-component composition, the two components being mixed before use so as to accelerate the tooth-bleaching effect (Examples 1 and 2). Formulations containing two components may be applied to the dental tray by squeezing a tube in much the same way as a single component. The mixing of the two components can be readily achieved using a multi-component tube containing a baffle, otherwise known in the art as a static mixer such that on squeezing the tube, material from each of the compartments is forced through the static mixer and are mixed together before emerging from a single exit in the tube.
The present invention has important health benefits that follow from shorter contact times of the tooth with hydrogen peroxide as well as the need for lower concentrations of peroxide to achieve a desired tooth-bleaching effect.


An axle assembly includes a spindle (12) that extends through a mounting collar (28) into the open end of the axle. A cam key (70) moves through a key hole (22) in the axle and registers with the cam slot (54) of the spindle. The cam surface (76) of the cam key (70) is reversible with the cam surface (76) engaging either the bearing surface (58) or the bearing surface (60) of the spindle, to urge the spindle into or out of the axle.

The spindle that mounts a wheel to an axle assembly must be very accurately and rigidly connected to the axle assembly to assure proper operation and safety of the vehicle. For spring mounted axles the axle assembly will include an axle that extends transverse to the longitudinal center line of the vehicle and is supported by a spring system to the frame of the vehicle, and a mounting collar rigidly connected, as by welding, to the outwardly facing ends of the axle. One end of the spindle is inserted through the collar into the axle while the outer wheel support end of the spindle protrudes from the collar and is available for mounting the wheel. Various connector devices can be used to hold the mounting end of the spindle in the axle. For example, a pin or key can be inserted transversely through the axle and through the mounting end of the spindle for rigidly holding the spindle in place.
While the above described axle assemblies usually are structurally sound and safe, there are occasions when the spindle must be removed from the axle due to wear, change in size, or accident, etc. Removal and replacement of spindles is also desirable when the vehicle is used in corrosive environments, such as a boat trailer being occasionally moved into water where its wheels are submerged. The salt and dampness from the water tends to accelerate the deterioration of the spindle and its connection to the axle. Also, the owners of boats more frequently include people that are mechanically capable of maintaining, repairing, and caring for boats and trailers, and would be likely to undertake the change-out of axle spindles on a boat trailer.
Accordingly, this invention is directed to an axle assembly having a spindle that can be more easily installed in and removed from an axle.


Methods and systems for searching comprise presenting a first information set to a user, receiving feedback, applying an evolutionary algorithm based on the feedback to generate a search query, causing the search query to be executed to generate a second information set, and presenting the second information set to the user. Then, in response to user input, the first information set is again presented to the user; feedback is again received, an evolutionary algorithm is again applied based on the feedback to generate a search query, and the new search query is caused to be executed to generate a third information set which is presented to the user.

Search engines may assist a user in identifying information that may be stored on a computer server or other information storage media. Generally, the information may be stored in the form of an entry or entries in a database (e.g., any structured database, any database of objects with tags or descriptors). The information may include, for example, various web page content, photographs, goods or services for sale, or any other item that can be represented and stored in electronic format. Some examples of commonly used search engines include, but are not limited to Yahoo®, MSN®, Google™, amazon.com®, a9.com, AOL®, Lycos®, LookSmart®, Altavista™, Ask Jeeves®, Orbitz™, Travelocity®, expedia.com®, and flickr™.
Search engines typically require the user to enter one or a plurality of keywords, and in some cases, to specify one or a plurality of Boolean operators to determine the logical relationship between the pluralities of keywords. This provision of one or more keywords and/or optional Boolean operators is referred to as the "search query." A search engine may execute one or more algorithms which may act on the search query to identify one or a plurality of items of information that may satisfy the search query (this information is commonly referred to as "search results"). The search engine generally returns the results of the search algorithm by presenting them to the user through some form of a user interface (e.g. display). In some instances, when a plurality of search results is available, the search engine may further determine which specific results to present to the user according to some criteria (e.g. ranking, optimization). The user typically is then able to select one or a plurality of search results. If none of the results is satisfactory, or if additional results are sought, the user can select to view additional results, or the user can refine or modify the search query, for example, by adding or removing one or more keywords and/or optional Boolean operators.
In addition to conventional search engines, which may execute various proprietary algorithms to process search queries and provide results according to some type of ranking or optimization process, a search query may be executed by a web directory service. Unlike a search engine, a web directory service that is capable of processing a search query typically returns to the user lists and categories of web sites, as search results, without necessarily ranking, promoting or optimizing the list of web sites. One example of a web directory service includes the Open Directory Project, hosted and administered by Netscape Communication Corporation.

Methods and apparatus for interactive searching techniques


In accordance with some embodiments, a public infrastructure as a service (IaaS) user can provide a file, to a cloud service provider, with information about the specific instructions and opcodes that may be used in an application run on the cloud service provider's system. This information may be developed at compile time by the user before the user deploys the workload onto the public IaaS cloud. Thus the user has complete control over the information that is provided.

This relates generally to cloud computing.
In cloud computing, computing and storage capacity is provided to a variety of users based on economy of scale and sharing of resources. This enables users to have effectively limitless capacity without incurring the cost of setting up a data center.
Infrastructure as a Service or IaaS offers computers, either in physical form or as virtual machines, raw storage, firewalls, load balancers and networks to a variety of users. In public IaaS, the resources are available to any user. Generally, an IaaS cloud provider has a large pool of servers to service users on demand. The cloud user installs its own operating system images and application software and is responsible for their maintenance. The cloud user pays on a per use basis for the service actually used.
In public IaaS systems, the service provider who provides the cloud for use by all corners, is burdened with the problem that it does not know anything about the nature of the workloads it receives from these users. Generally the reason for this is that privacy and security concerns limit the information that the cloud service provider is provided. The cloud service provider cannot look at the customer's instance on the cloud service provider's servers to understand the application characteristics. Nor can that service provider monitor the physical resource consumption of the customer's applications extensively enough to determine the characteristics of the customer's applications as that would impact the customer application performance.

Enabling a cloud to effectively assign workloads to servers


A disclosed laminate structure is capable of having its surface free energy changed with a small amount of UV irradiation. The invention also discloses a method of manufacturing the laminate structure; an electronic device having the laminate structure; an electronic device array having a plurality of the electronic devices; and a display apparatus having the electronic device array. The laminate structure includes a substrate 11, a wettability variable layer 12 disposed on the substrate, and a conducting layer 13 patterned on the wettability variable layer 12. The wettability variable layer 12 includes a material whose critical surface tension varies upon application of energy. The material with variable critical surface tension has a main chain and a side chain. The side chain has two or more sites of which the bond is cleaved upon absorption of energy.

Vigorous research is being conducted on organic thin-film transistors that employ organic semiconductor materials. Advantages of using an organic semiconductor material in a transistor include flexibility, areal increase, process simplification due to a simple layer structure, and inexpensive manufacturing equipment.
Organic thin-film transistors can be also manufactured so inexpensively by a print method as to be beyond comparison with conventional Si-based semiconductor devices. Thin-films or circuits can also be easily formed using a print method, a spin-coating method, or a dipping method, for example.
One of the parameters that indicate the characteristics of such an organic thin-film transistor is the current on/off ratio (Ion/Ioff). In an organic thin-film transistor, a current Ids that flows between the source and drain electrodes in a saturation region is expressed byIds=μCinW(VG−VTH)2/2L  (Equation 1)where μ is field-effect mobility, Cin is the capacitance per unit area of the gate insulating film, W is the channel width, L is the channel length, VG is the gate voltage, and VTH is the threshold voltage. Cin is expressed byCin=εε0/d where ε is the relative permittivity of the gate insulating film, ε0 is the permittivity of vacuum, and d is the thickness of the gate insulating film.
It can be seen from Equation (1) that in order to increase the on-current, it is effective to:
1. Improve the field-effect mobility;
2. Reduce the channel length; or
3. Increase the channel width, for example.
The field-effect mobility largely depends on material characteristics, and material development is underway to improve mobility.
On the other hand the channel length is determined by the device structure, and attempts are being made to improve the on-current by devising various device structures. Generally, the distance between source and drain electrodes is reduced to reduce the channel length.
Since organic semiconductor materials do not have a large field-effect mobility, the channel length is usually made 10 μm or smaller and preferably 5 μm or smaller. One method of accurately reducing the source-drain electrode distance is photolithography used in Si process. This process consists of the following steps:
1. Coat a substrate having a thin-film layer with a photoresist layer (resist coating).
2. Remove solvent by heating (prebaking).
3. Irradiate UV light via a hard mask that is patterned in accordance with pattern data, using a laser or an electron beam (exposure).
4. Remove the resist at an exposed portion with an alkali solution (development).
5. Cure the resist at an unexposed portion (a pattern portion) by heating (post baking).
6. Remove the thin-film layer where there is no resist by dipping in an etching solution or exposing to an etching gas (etching).
7. Remove the resist with an alkali solution or oxygen radical (resist stripping).
The above process is repeated after the formation of each thin-film layer to complete an active element. The process, however, requires expensive equipment and takes a long time, thus increasing cost.
In order to reduce manufacturing cost, attempts have been made to form an electrode pattern by a print method, such as an ink-jet print method. Ink-jet print method enables direct drawing of an electrode pattern, whereby the material-use ratio can be increased and, possibly, the manufacturing process can be simplified and cost reduction can be achieved. However, given that it is difficult to reduce the ink discharge quantity with the ink-jet print method, and in the light of landing accuracy which depends on mechanical errors or the like, it is difficult to form a pattern of 30 μm or smaller. Thus, it has been difficult to fabricate a very fine-resolution device using the ink-jet print method alone. Therefore, some technique must be devised in order to fabricate a very fine-resolution device. One example of such a technique involves manipulating the surface on which ink is caused to land.
Patent Document 1 discloses a method that utilizes a gate insulating film formed of a material whose critical surface tension (also referred to as "surface free energy") is changed by supplying energy such as UV light. Specifically, a site on an insulating film surface where an electrode is to be fabricated is irradiated with UV light, so as to form a region with an increased surface free energy. Then, an aqueous ink that contains an electrode material is applied by an ink jet method, whereby an electrode is formed in the region with increased surface free energy. In this way, a very fine-resolution electrode pattern can be formed on a gate insulating film. In this method, even if the ink lands at a boundary between the high surface free energy region and the low surface free energy region, the ink moves toward the side of the higher surface free energy due to the difference in surface free energy. As a result, a pattern having a uniform line can be formed, thus enabling the formation of electrode intervals of 5 μm or smaller. However, since the material whose surface free energy changes has a low optical sensitivity, the method requires UV irradiation in amounts greater than 10 J/cm2. The method therefore takes a long irradiation time even with a high-output UV light lamp. As a result, takt time becomes longer and it becomes impossible to simplify the manufacturing process or reduce cost.
Non-Patent Document 1 discloses that a film made of a material whose surface free energy is changed by UV light is layered on a gate insulating film. After a region having a different surface free energy is formed on this film by UV irradiation, as in Patent Document 1, an electrode pattern is formed by an ink jet method. However, the formation of a layered structure prevents simplification of the manufacturing process. Furthermore, as in Patent Document 1, since the material whose surface energy changes has a low optical sensitivity, the method takes an amount of UV irradiation greater than 20 J/cm2.    Patent Document 1: Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2005-310962    Non-Patent Document 1: Proceedings of the 52nd Spring Meeting of The Japan Society of Applied Physics and Related Societies, p. 1510, 31p-YY-5

Laminate structure and its manufacturing method, including wettability variable layer of material of variable critical surface tension


A method and a system for classification of intrusion alerts in computer network is provided. The method comprises the steps of monitoring traffic data in a computer network, detecting an intrusion, providing an intrusion alert and data in relation to the intrusion alert, generating a statistical analysis of the data in relation to the intrusion alert and classifying the intrusion alert based on said statistical analysis. The intrusion alerts and the data in relation to an intrusion alert may be generated by anomaly-based intrusion detection system. The generating a statistical analysis may comprise generating information about a statistical distribution of n-grams in the data. The classification may comprise comparing the statistical analysis with a model analysis of intrusion alerts with predefined alert classes. This model may be generated by providing a training set of data in relation to alerts, generating a model statistical analysis of said data, predefining at least two alert classes, and assigning predefined alert classes to the statistical analysis, based on information provided by a signature-based intrusion detection system, or by a human operator.

Network intrusion detection systems (NIDS) are considered an effective defence against network-based attacks directed at computer systems and are employed in almost all large-scale IT infrastructures, due to the increasing severity and likelihood of such attacks. There are two main types of intrusion detection systems: signature-based and anomaly-based intrusion detection systems.
A signature-based intrusion detection systems (SBS) relies on pattern-matching techniques. The system contains a database of signatures, i.e. sequences of data, that are known from attacks of the past. These signatures are matched against the analyzed data. When a match is found, an alarm is raised. The database of signatures needs to be updated by experts after a new attack has been identified.
Differently, an anomaly-based intrusion detection systems (ABS) first build a statistical model describing the normal network traffic. The system then analyses data and flags any traffic or action that significantly deviates from the model, as an attack. The advantage of an anomaly-based system is that it can detect zero-day attacks, i.e. attacks that not yet have been identified as such by experts.
An SBS can detect not only when there is an attack, but can also classify the attack and provide information about the attack, since this information is usually provided in the database. An attack classification may identify the attack context with respect to the vulnerability exploited and the target. Typical examples of attack classifications are: buffer overflow, SQL Injection, Cross-site Scripting, path traversal, port scan and service fingerprinting.
These high-level classifications are often used by security teams to choose an appropriate counter measure policy or action, since attacks of a certain attack class may be more harmful than others. For instance, if a buffer overflow class alert is raised, the policy may be that the system will immediately deny any further communication to a certain IP, while in case of a port scan class alert, the system may wait for further action to take place.
An ABS generates and provides an attack alert when the currently analysed traffic data is too different from the model of normal traffic. Security teams have to manually inspect each alert raised by the ABS to choose an appropriate counter measure policy or action, which results in a workload for the security team members. Several systems have been proposed to lower the workload for the security team members when alerts are raised by an ABS.
The US patent application US2007/0118905 describes a method for automatically classifying a set of alarms on the basis of specific trellis of the alerts. The specific trellis are merged into general trellis. Collated alerts are identified by selecting the alerts that are simultaneously the most pertinent and the most general. The collated alerts are supplied to an output unit of an alert management system.
In an article by W. Robertson et al., "Using generalisation and characterization techniques in the anomaly-based detection of web attacks" (conference proceeding NDSS symposium 2006), an anomaly based detection system of web-based attacks is disclosed. The system uses an anomaly generalization technique that automatically translates suspicious web requests into anomaly signatures. These signatures are then used to group recurrent or similar anomalous requests so that an administrator can easily deal with a large number of similar alerts. The grouping of signatures is done using ad hoc heuristics.

Method and system for alert classification in a computer network


A thermal printing apparatus for printing graphic images on sheet material, such as a vinyl sheet, utilizes a platen drive to move the sheet material between a roller platen and thermal print head. The thermal print head presses the sheet material into engagement with the roller platen along a linear zone of contact, and a drive motor is drivingly connected to the roller platen through a series of drive gears to rotatably drive the roller platen, and in turn move the sheet material between the platen and print head. A pair of registration sprockets are mounted on opposite ends of a common sprocket shaft, and engage corresponding feed holes formed in the marginal edges of the sheet material. The registration sprockets guide and steer the sheet material as it is driven between the roller platen and the print head, and substantially prevent buckling or like distortion of the sheet material. A sensor is coupled to the drive shaft, and generates signals indicative of the rotational position and direction of the registration sprockets, and thus indicative of the position of the sheet material relative to the print head. A controller is coupled to the sensor, and selectively energizes the heating elements of the thermal print head in response to the positional signals transmitted by the sensor and image data to accurately print graphic images on the sheet material.

One of the most successful systems today for producing sheet material products with multicolored or enhanced graphic images for signs and like displays is the GERBER EDGE.TM., manufactured by Gerber Scientific Products, Inc. of Manchester, Conn. The GERBER EDGE.TM. is typically used to print vinyl graphics for signs or like displays, wherein multicolored or enhanced graphic images are printed on a vinyl sheet, and the sheet is cut along the periphery of the graphic images to create a sign or like display. The system uses a thermal print head to print the graphic images on the sheet, and a cutter to cut the sheet along a peripheral edge surrounding the graphic images. The print head and the cutter are controlled by a microprocessor having a common database so that the printed images and the cut edges correspond positionally in the final graphic product.
The vinyl sheet has a series of feed holes along each marginal edge, and is driven over a roller platen mounted below the print head by drive sprockets engaging the feed holes. A removable cassette carrying a donor web bearing transfer ink is mounted adjacent to the print head so that the donor web is interposed between the print head and the vinyl sheet. Heating elements of the print head are selectively energized to transfer ink from the donor web to the vinyl sheet in accordance with commands from the microprocessor to create graphic images on the vinyl sheet. Each cassette carries a donor web bearing a single color of transfer ink, and the cassettes are interchanged to create multicolored images, different shades and/or colors. The drive sprockets and vinyl sheet are slewed back and forth during printing operations to apply the different color transfer inks.
The GERBER EDGE.TM. system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,537,135 entitled "Method And Apparatus For Making A Graphic Product", which is assigned to the Assignee of the present invention, and is hereby expressly incorporated by reference as part of the present disclosure.
A typical ink web is comprised of a resin and/or wax layer containing the transfer ink, a release layer superimposed over the resin/wax layer, a carrier layer superimposed over the release layer, and a back coat superimposed over the carrier layer to provide a low-friction surface for engaging the print head. When the heating elements of the thermal print head are energized, the portions of the resin layer contiguous to the print head undergo transformation from (i) a solid state, to (ii) a semifluid or viscous state, and at the highest temperatures, to (iii) a less viscous, liquid state. Then, as the heating elements are de-energized and upon passage of the ink web and vinyl sheet beyond the print head, the heated portions cool down and return from the liquid, semifluid or viscous states to the solid state, as they approach ambient temperature.
During these changes in physical states, the coefficients of friction and thus the forces transmitted between the vinyl sheet, ink web and print head vary, which leads to variations in the surface velocity of the vinyl, and can in turn cause sagging or like deformation in the vinyl as it passes beneath the print head. Typically, the longer the print head (i.e., the dimension of the print head in the axial direction of the platen), the greater are the variations in the forces applied to the vinyl. Because the vinyl sheet is flexible, the increase in the forces transmitted between the vinyl and print head on each cool-down cycle can cause a lag or positional error between the portions of the vinyl contiguous to the print head and other areas, such as the marginal portions of the vinyl engaging the sprockets. These variations in the vinyl velocity and positional errors lead to fluctuations in image intensity and, concomitantly, a degradation in print quality.
Moreover, because the sprockets are used to positively drive the vinyl, the increase in forces transmitted between the print head and vinyl, causes an increase in the forces transmitted between the sprockets and vinyl, which can in turn lead to deformation of the vinyl's feed holes. Hole deformation can cause shifting of the vinyl, which in turn affects the registration of the image on the vinyl and leads to a degradation in print quality, e.g., color shifts. The registration may change from one pass of the vinyl sheet beneath the print head to the next (pass-to-pass registration) and/or may change upon transfer of the vinyl from the printing apparatus to the vinyl cutting apparatus (print-to-cut registration). Hole deformation typically increases with repeated passes of the vinyl beneath the print head. In addition, the greater the duty cycle in energizing the print head, the more noticeable are these negative effects on print quality.
It is an object of the present invention to overcome the drawbacks and disadvantages of prior art apparatus for making graphic products on sheet material.

Apparatus for making graphic products having a platen drive with encoded sprockets