A method of generating structured irregular LDPC codes for a wireless network such as a wireless local area network (WLAN) system, allowing systematic generation of improved code ensembles using density evolution, and providing essentially the best tradeoff between decoding threshold and decoding complexity. Such an LDPC code has a higher diversity order for MIMO systems, with better built-in interleaving capability. Further, the code dimension can be tailored to 802.11n system parameters such as the number of sub-carriers and delay. The code also provides an improved girth control scheme, provides flexible length with different expanding factors, and supports simple encoding and shortening for multiple rates.

Low Density Parity Check (LDPC) codes have recently attracted considerable attention owing to their capacity-approaching performance and low complexity iterative decoding. LDPC codes can be applied to a wide range of applications such as wireless communications, satellite communications and storage.
An example wireless system is a 802.11n communication. FIG. 1 shows a functional block diagram of a conventional transmitter 100. The user information bits are encoded using a short to moderate block length Low Density Parity Check (LDPC) code in an LDPC Encoder 102. The encoded bits then pass through a bit-by-bit round robin Spatial Parser 104, followed by the usual Constellation Mapper 106, and OFDM modulation including Inverse FFT 108, Guard Interval (GI) Window 110 and RF modulation windowing 112. In such a transmitter 100, the decoding data rates must be over 100 Mbps, which are not favorable for turbo coding. LDPC codes, which are designed for parallel implementation, provide a good alternative for satisfying stringent requirements in terms of block error rate and decoding throughput.
LDPC code is a type of linear block coding and can be uniquely defined by a parity check matrix H. The code rate is R=M/N, where N is the number of columns in the H matrix, representing the size of the code, and M is the number of rows in the H matrix, representing the number of parity check equations. An example of a linear block code with N=7, M=3, is shown in relation (1) below:
                    H        =                  [                                                    1                                            0                                            1                                            0                                            1                                            0                                            1                                                                    0                                            1                                            1                                            0                                            0                                            1                                            1                                                                    0                                            0                                            0                                            1                                            1                                            1                                            1                                              ]                                    (        1        )
LDPC codes can be effectively represented using a bipartite graph. The nodes in the graph are separated into two distinctive sets and edges are only connecting nodes of two different types. The two types of nodes in the bipartite graph are called bits nodes and check nodes. One bit node represents one bit in the codeword, corresponding to one column of the parity check matrix H. One check node represents one parity check equation, corresponding to one row of the parity check matrix H. FIG. 2 shows a graph representation 200 of the (7,4) parity check codes given in relation (1) above. In the graph 200 of FIG. 2, an open circle (∘) represents the bit node, and a solid square (▪) represents the check node.
LDPC codes can be efficiently decoded using a message-passing algorithm. Such an algorithm operates on the bipartite graph by iteratively updating the soft message. Examples of message-passing algorithms can be found in R. G. Gallager, "Low density parity check codes", IRE Trans. Inform. Theory, Vol. IT-8, pp. 21-28, January 1962, and in D. J. C. MacKay and R. M. Neal, "Neal Shannon limit performance of low density parity check codes," Electronics Letters, vol. 32, pp. 1645-1646, 1996.
There are two kinds of LDPC codes, regular and irregular. A regular LDPC code contains t number of 1's per-row (row weight) and s number of 1's per column (column weight), where s=t*(1−R). An irregular LDPC code contains uneven number of 1's per-column and per-row. For example, the H matrix in relation (1) is an irregular code. It has been known that irregular LDPC codes outperform regular LDPC codes and have decoding thresholds very close to Shannon capacity. Design of good irregular code ensemble for randomly generated codes is presented in T. J. Richardson, M. A. Shokrollahi and R. L Urbanke, "Design of capacity-approaching irregular low-density parity-check codes", IEEE Transactions on Information Theory, Volume: 47, Issue: 2, February 2001, Pages: 619-637. A general technical called density evolution is proposed to find the best code weight distribution which provides the best code ensemble. This weight distribution provides design guideline for infinite size LDPC codes. The effectiveness of the design is verified by randomly generated large LDPC codes.
Although randomly generated long LDPC codes (over 10K size) have threshold-approaching performance, the design of short codes with reasonably good performance has been a challenge. Furthermore, the design of LDPC codes that are fit for hardware implementation such as ASIC is very important, especially for 802.11n systems where the decoding throughput is required to be over 100 Mbps. Therefore, some conventional approaches introduce code structure in the LDPC code design to facilitate hardware implementation. For example, a block structured regular LDPC code design and the corresponding FPGA prototyping is presented in "H. Zhong and T. Zhang, "Block-LDPC: A Practical LDPC Coding System Design Approach", IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems I: Fundamental Theory and Applications, Volume 52, Issue 4, April 2005 Page (s) 766-775. However, the performance of such regular codes is below that of irregular codes.

Method of generating structured irregular low density parity checkcodes for wireless systems


An iridium-containing nickel-base superalloy which has an orderly arrayed allow structure to be strengthened by precipitation and contains iridium dissolved in the xcex3 and xcex3xe2x80x2 phases to be strengthened by solid solution, thus being improved in high-temperature strength and resistance to high-temperature corrosion. The superalloy can be prepared by adding iridium to a general nickel-base superalloy

The present invention relates to a heat resistant iridium-doped Ni-base superalloy. More specifically, the invention relates to a heat resistant iridium-doped Ni-base superalloy that is effective to improve output power and efficiency of a high-temperature apparatus when used as a gas turbine for power generation, a jet engine, a rocket engine and so on.
A heat resistant Ni-base superalloy is an alloy containing Ni as a basic constitutional element, to which main constitutional elements, such as Co, Cr, Mo, W, Al, Ti, Ta, Nb, Re, Hf and so on, are contained.
Since the heat resistant Ni-base superalloy has an excellent mechanical strength at high temperatures. For example, it is used as a turbine blade, a turbine vane and so on of a gas turbine for power generation, a jet engine and a rocket engine. In order to improve the output power and the efficiency of high temperature apparatus, it is the most effective to increase the operating temperature of the combustion gas, and improvement in high temperature properties of an heat resistant Ni-base superalloy is the exigent task to realize such increase.
The improvement in high temperature properties should be verified by two standpoints, i.e., the high temperature strength and the high temperature corrosion resistance.
In order to improve the high temperature strength of the heat resistant Ni-base superalloy, the addition of W, Mo, Ta, Re and so on, for example, has been attempted. However, it has been confirmed that the excessive addition of these elements promotes the precipitation of a harmful phase, because it deteriorates the microstructural stability of the alloy, and accordingly the strength of the Ni-base superalloy is lowered as contrary to the intention.
The improvement in high temperature corrosion resistance is another important problem since the material is used in a highly corrosive atmosphere. For example, turbine blade of a gas turbine are exposed in a severely oxidative gas atmosphere due to combustion. Furthermore, since a fuel contains sulfur and a thermal electric power plant is generally located near a coast, the blades are also exposed in a corrosive atmosphere due to the combustion gas including a large amount of salt.
In order to improve high temperature corrosion resistance of the blades that are used under such a severe oxidative and corrosive atmosphere, it is dangerous to depend only on a coating having good corrosion resistance unless it is guaranteed that the coating layer is not broken. To improve the high temperature corrosion resistance of the Ni-base-superalloy itself is the more reliable solution.
The objective of the invention is to provide a heat resistant Ni-base superalloy that has excellent high temperature strength and high temperature corrosion resistance.
The invention provides a heat resistant Ni-base superalloy that has excellent high temperature strength and high temperature corrosion resistance by adding iridium having a high melting point.
When iridium (Ir) is added, the alloy structure is arrayed to maintain structural stability well, and the precipitation strengthening enchanced. At the same time, iridium dissolved in the xcex3 phase and the xcex3xe2x80x2 phase to proceed solid solution strengthening. Iridium has the race-centered cubic structure, which is the same as Ni, and therefore easily substitutes for Ni. W, Mo, Ta and the like, which have been used as the alloying elements, have the body-centered cubic structure, and Re and the like have the close-packed hexagonal structure, which is considered to be one of the reasons of lowering the structural stability.
Accordingly, the iridium-added heat resistant Ni-base superalloy has an excellent high temperature strength, and can withstand the use under a high temperature and a high stress.
Furthermore, iridium has a high melting point and exhibits a small diffusion coefficient at a high temperature. Therefore, the deterioration of the characteristics of the heat resistant Ni-base superalloy is thus suppressed, and the high temperature corrosion resistance is improved.
The amount of iridium added is necessarily at least 0.1 atomic % to sufficiently exhibit the improvement in high temperature strength and high temperature corrosion resistance. On the other hand, the upper limit is not particularly strict, and can be appropriately adjusted depending on the use of the Ni-base superalloy. In general, when the amount exceeds 5 atomic %, the specific density is increased, and it affects the price. Therefore, with respect to the amount of iridium, between 0.1 atomic % and 5 atomic % can be preferably exemplified.
As the heat resistant Ni-base superalloy itself, various kinds thereof can be employed. For example, TMS-63 (6.9Cr-7.5Mo-5.8Al-8.4Ta-balance Ni (weight %)) as one or an Ni-base single crystal alloy, Mar-M247 (10Co-10W-8.5Cr-0.7Mo-5.5Al-3Ta-1.4Hf-0.16C-0.02B-0.1Zr-balance Ni (weight %)) as one of Ni-base polycrystalline alloys, and the like are exemplified.


A method includes providing an interposition driver, and context switching into a kernel associated with a persistent memory using the interposition driver to create a consistent view of the persistent memory.

Computer systems generally employ a processor connected to a memory for fast access to data currently in use and a secondary storage device for the long term storage of data. Typically, memory storage may be provided by dynamic random access memory ("DRAM") modules, where data stored in such memory is erased when the computer system is powered down, as the data is stored in the charge state of the memory. Typically, long-term storage is non-volatile, such that data is stored even without power to the system. In typical examples, long-term storage may be provided by non-volatile storage, such as mechanical hard disk drives ("HDDs"), or non-volatile memory, such as electronically erasable programmable read-only memory ("EEPROM"). In a typical system, the processor may interface and address memory directly, but may access secondary storage through a host bus adapter over a peripheral interconnect. Accessing secondary storage is typically orders of magnitude slower than accessing memory such as DRAM. Data is often transferred to memory from the secondary storage before being acted on directly by a processor. For additional data security and fault tolerance, data in secondary storage may be mirrored or cloned to other storage devices as a backup measure.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Kernel software RAID support for direct-access file systems


A UV curable gel composition adapted to be applied to a nail with a brush to build and extend the nail comprising one or more acrylate/carbamate copolymer resins, one or more urethane methacrylate oligomers of di-functionality, one or more methacrylate resins, one or more Isophorone Diisocyanate end-capped with Hydroxyethyl Methacrylate resins, one or more ethylenically unsaturated mono functional monomers, a photoinitiator and at least one acid-based adhesion promotor wherein the composition having a viscosity of about 11,000 centipoise to about 14,000 centipoise and a specific gravity of less than about 1.2. The invention includes an applicator kit for the composition and methods of its use.

Cosmetically extending the length of a natural nail is well known. A nail form is placed under the leading edge of a nail and a builder composition is coated over the natural nail and the form. The builder composition is cured and additional coatings are applied and cured. After a desired length and thickness is achieved, the form is removed and the nail is shaped by filing. There are two types of builder compositions; acrylic and hard gel.
Acrylic nail builder compositions create good nail length, but are difficult to apply. Mixing of the liquid monomer with the powder polymer must be done in a correct ratio. This can lead to errors and variances in applications. A steep learning curve is associated with acrylic nail builder compositions. Acrylic nail builders are also difficult to remove. Although acrylic nail builders provide superior strength, shaping and filing can be abrasive, the natural nail can be damaged and the filing produces dust and discomfort to the user. Finally, acrylic compositions generate a very strong chemical odor that is undesirable.
Hard gel builders have a relatively low molecular weight and a tighter molecular structure that provides strength and durability. Hard gels excel at creating nail length but are notoriously difficult to apply. Hard gel builders require exactness in the amount of product applied and variances in viscosity make it difficult to control its application therefore skill is required to shape the nail properly. A number of different tools must be used with hard gel builders such as brushes and pots that must be cleaned and sanitized following each use. In addition to the above, hard gels are sticky and messy and the shaping requires the use of abrasive e-files that generate dust and discomfort to a user.
Soft gels are a preferred choice for adding strength to a natural nail without causing damage to the nail. Soft gels are premixed semi-solid monomers and oligomers that, after coating, will harden into polymers when exposed to UV-A light. Soft gels are specifically formulated to provide a higher molecular weight having a more elongated molecular structure. This molecular structure creates space between the crosslinked agents so that a solvent may be used to "soak off" or break down the gel and safely remove it without the need for abrasive filing. Application of a soft gel is relatively easy, requiring little to no training. Soft gels may be cured using UV or LED light and the cured coating is easily shaped without the need for special equipment. However, conventional soft gels lack the strength and durability characteristics provided by a hard gel.
A need has existed in the art for a nail builder having the strength and durability of a hard gel or an acrylic coating but with the application advantages of a soft gel.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a radiation curable gel builder composition that does not require pots, multiple brushes or tools for mixing and applying the builder nor is cleanup and sanitizing of the tools necessary. The gel coating of the present invention has superior self-leveling properties that minimize the need to shape and file the builder once it has been cured and therefore reduces discomfort to the user. The viscosity of the gel coating yields an increased level of control and precision during application of the composition to a nail eliminating the need for skilled application associated with prior art builder compositions. The radiation cure of the present invention does not exhibit any high exothermic heat spikes which could cause discomfort to the end user. In addition, the gel builder of the present invention is easily removed with a soak-off instead of extensive filing and abrasion. The low viscosity of the soft gel nail builder of the present invention enables it to be packaged in a ready to use form within a bottle or similar container that may be provided with an applicator cap having a brush. The low viscosity and self-leveling characteristics are such that the nail builder composition may be applied to a nail using the brush. After curing, the composition has a very high tensile strength yet is flexible enough not to crack. The composition has crystal clear clarity and long wear, up to 14 days.


An optoelectronic component includes a photoactive layer which is arranged between an electrode and a counter electrode. In addition to a donor-acceptor system, the photoactive layer includes a third material which influences the crystallization of the donor-acceptor system. The third material selected from a group consisting of crown ethers, triphenyls, sorbitols, quinacridones and bis(4-(tert-butyl)benzoato-O) hydroxyaluminium. Crown ethers are especially preferred.

The invention relates to an optoelectronic component having a photoactive layer disposed between an electrode and a counterelectrode.
Optoelectronic components, for instance solar cells or LEDs, TFTs, etc., find wide use nowadays in everyday life and in the industrial sector.
For example, there are known thin-film solar cells which have a flexible configuration and hence allow arrangement on curved surfaces. Solar cells of this kind preferably have active layers composed of amorphous silicon (a-Si) or CIGS (Cu(In,Ga) (S,Se)2).
A particular disadvantage of these thin-film solar cells is the high production costs, caused by the materials.
Also additionally known are solar cells having organic active layers with a flexible configuration (Konarka-Power Plastic Series). The organic active layers may be formed from polymers (e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 7,825,326 E2) or small molecules (e.g. EP m 2383556 A1). While it is a feature of polymers that they are not evaporable and therefore can only be applied from solutions, small molecules are evaporable.
The advantage of such organic-based components over the conventional inorganic-based components (semiconductors such as silicon, gallium arsenide) is that some of the optical absorption coefficients are extremely high (up to 2×104 cm−1), and so it is possible to produce very thin solar cells with a low material requirement and energy expenditure. Further technological aspects are the low costs, the possibility of producing flexible large-area components on plastic films, and the virtually unlimited variation options and the unlimited availability of organic chemistry. A further advantage is the possibility of being able to produce transparent components which can be used in glass applications, for example.
A solar cell converts light energy to electrical energy. The term "photoactive" in the case of solar cells refers to the conversion of light energy to electrical energy. In contrast to inorganic solar cells, the light does not directly produce free charge carriers in organic solar cells; instead, excitons are formed at first, i.e. electrically neutral excited states (bound electron-hole pairs). Only in a second step are these excitons separated into free charge carriers which then contribute to the flow of electrical current.
A possible way of implementing an organic solar cell which has already been proposed in the literature is that of a pin diode having the following layer structure:
0. carrier, substrate,
1. base contact, usually transparent,
2. p layer(s),
3. i layer(s),
4. n layer(s),
5. top contact.
In this context, n and p respectively mean n- and p-doping leading to an increase in the density of free electrons or holes in the thermal equilibrium state. However, it is also possible that the n layer(s) and p layer(s) are at least partly nominally undoped and only have preferentially n-conductive or preferentially p-conductive properties because of the material properties (for example different mobilities), because of unknown impurities (for example remaining residues from the synthesis, breakdown or reaction products during layer production), or because of environmental influences (for example adjoining layers, inward diffusion of metals or other organic materials, gas doping from the surrounding atmosphere). In this context, layers of this kind are considered primarily to be transport layers. The term "i layer", in contrast, refers to a nominally undoped layer (intrinsic layer). One or more i layers may consist here layers either of one material or a mixture of two or more materials (what are called interpenetrating networks or a bulk heterojunction). The incident light which enters through the transparent base contact produces excitons (bound electron-hole pairs) in the i layer or in the n/p layer. These excitons can be separated only by very high electrical fields or at suitable interfaces. In organic solar cells, sufficiently high fields are unavailable, and so all promising designs for organic solar cells are based on exciton separation at photoactive interfaces. The excitons diffuse to such an active interface, where electrons and holes are separated from one another. The material which accepts the electrons is referred to as acceptor, and the material which accepts the hole as donor. The separating interface may be between the p (n) layer and the i layer, or between two i layers. In the installed electrical field in the solar cell, electrons are then transported away to the n region and the holes to the p region. Preferably, the transport layers are transparent or substantially transparent materials having a large bandgap (wide-gap), as described, for example, in WO 2004083958. Wide-gap materials refer here to materials having an absorption maximum in the wavelength range of <450 nm, preferably <100 nm.
Means of adjusting the LUMO level or the HOMO level are known to those skilled in the art, in that very many organic materials having different positions of the energy levels of the HOMOs and LUMOs are known. The adjustment is therefore effected by selecting and using a material having the desired position of the energy levels of the HOMO and LUMO. In addition, for example through the incorporation of electron-withdrawing or electron-donating groups, it is possible to lower or increase the HOMO and LUMO levels of organic materials and hence to adjust a material according to the requirements.
Since the light always first produces excitons and does not yet produce any free charge carriers, the low-recombination diffusion of excitons to the active interface plays a critical role in organic solar cells.
If the i layer is a mixed layer, the function of light absorption is assumed either by just one of the components or else by both. The advantage of mixed layers is that the excitons produced have to cover just a very short distance before they arrive at a domain boundary where they are separated. The electrons and holes are transported away separately into the respective materials. Since the materials are in contact throughout the mixed layer, it is crucial in the case of this concept that the separate charges have a long lifetime on the particular material, and continuous percolation paths exist for both charge carrier types from any point to the respective contact.
To date, in the field of small molecules, the absorber layer thicknesses have been limited to about 30-40 nm (in the best case 60 nm), whereas up to 200 nm are possible in the polymer field while maintaining a good fill factor (FF) (>60%). The reason is the poorer transport of charge carriers in SM-OPVs (organic solar cells comprising small molecules), since there is no on-chain transport, in contrast to polymers. In the field of organic solar cells comprising small molecules, the problem has been solved to date by ever higher extinction coefficients (in solution, up to 100 000 or higher), which have led to good efficiencies combined with good FF. Because of the cyanine limit, however, this is not capable of infinite improvement. Therefore, there is a search for solutions by which mixed donor-acceptor layers (called bulk hetero-junctions, BHJs) can be made thicker, in order to increase the quantum yield.
It is an object of the present invention to specify an optoelectronic component and a process for producing an optoelectronic component having an improved quantum yield.
It would be possible to achieve an increased quantum yield through an increase in the layer thickness of the photoactive layer. However, problems here are the occurrence of torsion in the oligomer units and excessive crystallization, which often causes short circuits.


An expandable biodegradable polymeric stent is fabricated with biodegradable polymer fibers (Poly-L-lactic acid, PLLA) in a coil shape that is constructed with both central and external or internal peripheral lobes. It is delivered and expanded using a conventional angioplasty balloon system. The disclosed stent can serve as a temporary scaffold for coronary vessels after PTCA or for peripheral endovascular stenting, or it can provide mechanical palliation for strictures of ductile organs (trachea, esophagus, bile and pancreatic ducts, ureter etc.). The disclosed stent also serves as a unique device for specific local drug delivery. Therapeutic agents (chemical compounds, protein enzyme and DNA sequences) and cells can be loaded into the stent and gradually released to target tissues. Local radiation therapy can also be delivered by a specially adapted stent.

Intraluminal stents are commonly employed for treatment of various vascular conditions such as arteriosclerosis, often as coronary artery implants. A stent can be implanted at the site of a vessel stricture or steno sis using a conventional balloon catheter delivery system as used in angioplasty. Stents also maybe employed in body passageways other than blood vessels to treat strictures or prevent luminal occlusion. Such stents ordinarily consist of a cylindrical network of very small metal wires. The stent is inserted in a small-diameter configuration and then expanded to a large-diameter final configuration against the walls of the blood vessel or other body lumen. Such stent structures and implantation techniques are well known.
Great efforts have been expended to modify metallic stents to eliminate stress-induced and/or inflammation-induced restenosis, and to effectively deliver therapeutic agents to lesion sites. Some advancements in drug-coated metal stents have been made recently. However, metallic stents still present a potential vessel injury problem. Furthermore, the delivery of medicine to a lesion site either by local or systemic means is unsatisfactory with current stent and catheter technology. The present invention addresses these problems.

Expandable biodegradable polymeric stents for combined mechanical support and pharmacological or radiation therapy


An optical system of an optical pick-up, which is provided with a light source that emits a light beam, and an objective lens that converges the light beam emitted by the light source onto a data recording layer of an optical disc. The optical system satisfies a condition: 0.75<d·(M−1)/(M·L)<1.0, where d (mm) represents a thickness of the objective lens, M represents magnification of the optical system, and L (mm) represents an O/I distance which is defined as a distance between an object and an image. A beam spot suitable for the optical disc is formed by the objective lens on the data recording layer of the objective lens without using a coupling lens.

The present invention relates to an optical system for an optical pick-up which is capable of recording data to and/or reproducing data from one or more kinds of optical discs having different thicknesses of cover layers.
There are various types of optical discs such as a CD (compact disc) and a DVD (digital versatile disc). The DVD has the cover layer thinner than that of the CD, and has a data recording density larger than that of the CD. For supporting both of the CD and DVD, the optical pick-up is required to have a configuration which enables to correct a spherical aberration which changes depending on the thickness of cover layer of an optical disc being used and to change NA (numerical aperture) of a light beam so as to attain a diameter of a beam spot suitable for the data recording density of the optical disc being used.
In general, the optical pick-up has a light source for emitting the light beam, a coupling lens, and an objective lens. The coupling lens has the function of collimating the light beam emitted by the light source, or changing the degree of divergence of the light beam. That is, the coupling lens is employed in the optical pick-up to suppress aberrations or to enhance the efficiency of use of light.
There is a demand for decreasing the number of optical components in the optical pick-up to decrease the cost of the optical pick-up and to further downsize the optical pick-up. Each of Japanese Patent Provisional Publications No. HEI 8-62496, HEI 8-334686, SHO 64-25113 and HEI 2-223906 discloses an optical pick-up which does not require the coupling lens. The optical pick-up disclosed in each of the publications is configured to form a relatively large beam spot suitable for the optical disc having a relatively lower recoding density and having a relatively thick cover layer such as the CD or CD-R. In the optical pick-up, the relatively large beam spot is attained by a relatively small NA.
More specifically, the optical pick-up disclosed in each of the publications is designed to suppress aberrations specifically for the CD or CD-R. In this optical pick-up, an on-axis aberration (spherical aberration) and/or aberrations caused by odd-axis light (including principally a coma and astigmatism), which occur when the objective lens is shifted along an optical axis of the objective lens for a focusing operation or when the objective lens is shifted in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis for a tracking operation and etc., are suppressed specifically for the CD and CD-R.
However, when the optical pick-up disclosed in each of the publications is used to record data to and/or reproduce data from the DVD, the effect of the amounts of aberrations caused when the objective lens shifts due to the focusing operation or the tracking operation increases to a degree that the recording or reproducing operation is affected.
The reason is that the DVD has the relatively high data recording density, and therefore it is necessary to form a relatively small beam spot by using an objective lens having a relatively high NA. Also, the tolerance to the aberrations of the DVD is smaller than that of the CD. For this reason, the optical pick-up is required to have the coupling lens to support the optical disc having relatively high recording density.
CD/DVD compatible optical pick-up devices configured to record data to and/or reproduce data from both of the CD and DVD have also been developed and widely used. In such a CD/DVD compatible optical pick-up, the same problem may occur when the configuration of the optical pick-up disclosed in one of the above mentioned publications is employed in the CD/DVD compatible optical pick-up.
That is, although the CD/DVD compatible optical pick-up has to suppress aberrations for each of the plurality of types of optical discs, such a requirement can not be accomplished when the configuration of the optical pick-up disclosed in one of the above mentioned publications is employed. For this reason, the CD/DVD compatible optical pick-up is also required to have the coupling lens.


The invention relates to an airbag (10), especially for a side curtain airbag system (20), comprising an airbag interior (30) which in the deployed state of the airbag (10) defines one single chamber (40), wherein the chamber (40) comprises a gas guiding device (50) by which the chamber (40) is divided into at least one primary filling zone (41) and at least one secondary filling zone (42), as well as to a vehicle safety system equipped with such airbag (10).

The invention relates to an airbag, especially for a side curtain airbag system according to the preamble of claim 1, as well as to a vehicle safety system equipped with such airbag according to the preamble of claim 10.
Airbags for airbag systems, especially for side curtain airbag systems, have been known for some time. Airbag systems of this type serve for better protecting occupants of an automotive vehicle in the case of accident. For this purpose, a side curtain airbag system is arranged above a side window and in the case of crash deploys downwards in a curtain-like manner so as to better protect a head and shoulder area of a vehicle occupant against a side impact.
One drawback of these previously known side curtain airbag systems consists in the fact that they do not cover a thorax area of the vehicle occupant and a separate airbag (thorax airbag) has to be provided so as to obtain better protection also in the thorax area.
If the known side curtain airbag system was modified so that it would extend in the vertical direction further downwards, i.e. beyond the shoulder area and into an area on the side of the thorax of a vehicle occupant so as to protect in this way also the thorax area of a vehicle occupant by one airbag only for each vehicle occupant, a new problem would arise, namely a significantly larger airbag volume and, accordingly, the problem of managing a filling of such large airbag exactly in time and to the correct volume. This would be especially difficult, as the airbag is successively filled starting from the inflator provided for filling the airbag and being arranged either in a pillar or in the roof of a vehicle, wherein, according to the construction, at first the "curtain sections" of the airbag located further upwards and more closely to the gas supply are filled and only at last the section located further downwards which is provided for protecting the thorax is filled.
For this reason, in the past also airbag systems were suggested which protected the thorax area of a vehicle occupant with the aid of a second airbag.
However, it is a drawback of those airbag systems and, resp., airbags to fill the different airbag chambers or airbags in a way adapted in time so that the chambers or airbags are correctly filled and correctly positioned at the correct time for ensuring optimum occupant protection. Airbag systems of this type are described, for example, in WO 2008/011414 A2, U.S. Pat. No. 7,350,804 B2 or US 2005/0134025 A1.

Airbag, in particular for a side curtain airbag system, and vehicle safety system having such an airbag


Disclosed are various examples for determining an IT topology for an enterprise IT organization based on operational goals of the enterprise organization. Visual models that are designed to facilitate responses associated with the current IT topology and operational goals of an enterprise IT organization are displayed to an entity of the enterprise. The entity can provide enterprise profile data to an IT solutions system by interacting with user interfaces. The IT solutions system can generate the IT topology prescription and roadmap for implementing the IT topology prescription based on the operational goals identified in the responses. Statements of work can be dynamically generated that outline details and terms of implementing the IT topology prescription for the enterprise IT organization.

As technology advances, enterprise organizations are continually implementing information technology (IT) infrastructures required for the operation and management of the organization. For example, enterprise organizations are implementing cloud-based solutions for operating the enterprise in addition to providing digital workspaces, such as, for example, bring-your-own device (BYOD) environments, that allow employees to securely use their own devices within the enterprise organization. Digital transformation is important to the growth and survivability of an organization. In addition, digital transformation allows an organization to improve agility, strengthen core capabilities, spark innovation, and power IT to meet business demands.
As an enterprise organization evolves digitally, the enterprise organization may utilize the services and products provided by one or more enterprise solution providers. Enterprise solution providers can provide multiple different types of products or services that can enable an enterprise organization to implement a digital workplace based on the needs of the enterprise organization. Typically, the enterprise solution providers can engage with customers in product-led discussions to provide a discussion about the different services and products offered by the enterprise solution providers. Based on the product-led discussions, an enterprise IT organization can identify different products and services that may be of interest to the organization. In some situations, the enterprise solution providers can be divided into different groups based on different types of products and services offered. In addition, the process to provide the appropriate prescription to the customer can be heavily influenced on the enterprise solution provider's individual knowledge of products and his or her individual consulting skills. These factors can lead to overlap in discussions with enterprise organizations which can result in significantly long deliverable turnaround times, missed opportunities, misaligned projects, and unhappy customers.

Information technology (IT) topology solutions according to operational goals


The present invention proposes a recording apparatus for halfway recording a new image signal obtained by encoding an image signal of an image captured by an image capturing section, to a recording medium on which additional information is recorded in a cyclic manner in units of m tracks (m is an integer of 2 or greater) with an encoded image signal being recorded on n×m/2 tracks per frame, wherein the recording apparatus performs the halfway recording in units of two frames.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a digital signal recording apparatus, particularly, to processing at the start and the end of recording.
2. Related Background Art
A digital video tape recorder (VTR) for recording an image signal onto a magnetic tape as a digital signal and for reproducing the digital signal therefrom is conventionally known. Recently, a DV format has been proposed by HD Digital VCR Conference as a digital VTR format having the specifications of consumer-use digital VCRs.
According to the DV format, the following two specifications are defined: SD Specifications (hereinafter, referred to as a SD format) for recording an image signal under NTSC standards on 10 tracks per frame; and SD High Compression Specifications (hereinafter, referred to as a SDL format) for recording an image signal on 5 tracks per frame.
In the SD format, besides image signals, various additional information, which is called system data, is recorded.
The system data includes pack information consisting of 5-byte data, ID information contained in an ID portion of each sync block and the like.
The pack information includes: a time-code indicating recording date and time and a frame; a video source and an audio source for accurately reproducing images and sounds, respectively; a video source control indicating the sort of images (a motion image and a static image), and the like.
The ID information includes a track pair number, 1-bit pilot frame information and the like. The track pair number increases from 0 to 4 in a sequential order every three tracks, assigning the track pair number 0 to the head of 10 tracks on which an image signal of one frame is recorded. The 1-bit pilot frame information indicates a frequency (f1 or f2) of a pilot signal recorded on the initial track of 10 tracks on which an image signal of one frame is recorded in the SD format.
The position where the system data to be recorded is also defined in the format. For example, a video source control pack is recorded in a VAUX region on a track. Within each track, the video source control pack is alternately recorded in a sync block numbered 19 and a sync block numbered 156.
The contents of system data recorded in an AAUX region and the VAUX region on an even-numbered track differ from those on an odd-numbered track.
The additional information is also recorded in the SLD format. The contents of the time-code vary every five tracks on which a 1-frame image signal is recorded. As in the SD format, the track pair numbers 0 to 4 recur every 10 tracks, i.e., two frames in the SLD format. For the pilot frame, the numbers 1 and 0 alternately repeat every 10 tracks.
As described above, in the case of recording in the SDL format, if the recording is terminated at the time when data for one frame is recorded, the system data that recurs every two frames in the SDL format is not sometimes completely recorded.
As a result, when the recorded portion is reproduced, the system data that repeats in a cyclic manner every two frames cannot be accurately obtained, which may result in the disturbance of the reproduced images and sounds.
In such a digital VTR, a technique for recording a new image signal so as to be continuous to the-previously recorded scene on a tape on which image signals are already recorded in the SD format, called halfway recording, is known.
In the case where halfway recording is to be performed, with a direction to start the recording in a recording temporary stop state, the feeding of a magnetic tape is first started to reproduce signals. The track at the head of a frame is detected every 10 tracks. The recording is started from the initial track, so that the previously recorded image and a newly recorded image can be continuously reproduced.
As described above, in the case where the halfway recording is started from the initial track of the tracks on which a 1-frame image signal is recorded in the same manner as in the SD format, onto the tape on which image signals are already recorded in the SDL format, there arise the following problems.
As mentioned above, the contents of the system data in the odd-numbered tracks differ from those in the even-numbered tracks. Moreover, since an image of one frame is recorded on five tracks in the SDL format, the track from which the recording is started may be either an odd-numbered track or an even-numbered track.
Therefore, in the case where the halfway recording is performed, it is necessary to detect in advance whether the track from which the recording is to be started is an odd-numbered track or an even-numbered track. Depending on the result of detection, it is required to arrange the system data and modify the recording position.
For the halfway recording, however, whether the track from which the recording is to be started is an odd-numbered track or an even-numbered track can be recognized only immediately before the recording start position. Thus, changing the recording processing for the system data depending on the recording start track will extremely increase the burden on the apparatus.
Likewise, if the halfway recording is started from the track which is not the head track within the 10 tracks on which data for two frames is recorded, among the system data, the contents of data which recurs every two frames in the SDL format are not correspondent to the system data of the portion immediately before the start of halfway recording. As a result, image signals cannot be finely reproduced in the portions before and after the halfway recording.


In one embodiment, a fire retardant composite panel material is fabricated. A water-based slurry comprising partially soluble boric acid and borax pentahydrate solids is created. An adhesive used in the composite panel fabrication process is added to fibers. The water-based slurry is separately added to the adhesive and, after mixing, to the fibers. The composite panel produced thereby is also described.

Medium density fiberboard (MDF) is a wood or agricultural fiber based composite material that draws on the usage of fibers, rather than particles or veneers, to produce board or sheet products. Although it is typically made as a panel or sheet, its use in decorative and structural products is increasing. It is also increasingly replacing particleboard in uses such as furniture manufacture, cabinet making, craft work, and flooring. Its advantages include high strength, ease of machining, good weathering properties, and the ability to be made from a wide variety of fibrous products including recycled materials.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary composite panel manufacturing process 100. In step 105 of FIG. 1, raw material is furnished. The primary constituent of MDF is typically a softwood that has been broken down into fibers, that is, the very cells (tracheids, vessels, fibers and fiber-tracheids), which are far smaller entities than those used in particleboard. The furnish for MDF normally consists of wood chips, or other agricultural residues, that may be delivered from offsite locations such as sawmill, plywood plants, furniture manufacturing facilities, chip mills, whole tree chipping operations, or farms. Alternatively, the wood chips may be prepared onsite. For example, whole logs are debarked, cut to manageable lengths, and sent to chippers which cut the logs into chips. The fiber materials are then softened in step 110, typically, in a steam-pressurized digester and processed in a refiner chamber (e.g., refining 115 of FIG. 1). In the refiner chamber, single or double revolving disks are used to mechanically pulp the softened materials into fibers suitable for making the board.
After defibration, the fibers are conducted at a high velocity through a blowline. In the blowline, wax is added to the fibers to improve the moisture resistance of the finished board. Additionally, an adhesive resin is added to the wet fibers. This is shown in step 120 of FIG. 1. There are a variety of adhesive resins used in MDF fabrication including urea formaldehyde, phenol formaldehyde, phenolic resins, melamine resins, and isocyanates, or hybrid combinations of these resins. The agitation of fibers in the blowline helps disperse the adhesive resin more consistently throughout the mass of fibers. The resinated fibers are then discharged into a dryer in step 125 to remove excess moisture from them. A cyclonic collector (e.g., fiber recovery 130 of FIG. 1) is often used to collect the resinated fibers after they have been dried.
In step 135, forming of the fiber occurs in which the fiber is typically deposited to a uniform thickness upon a continuous mat or screen. The mat may be pre-pressed before being fed to a hot press (e.g., hot press 140 of FIG. 1) that applies heat and pressure to activate the resin and bond the fibers into a compressed solid panel. The mat may be pressed in a continuous hot press, or the pre-compressed mat may be cut into individual mats before being sent to a multi-daylight hot press. After pressing, the boards are dried and cooled in step 145, before being trimmed, sanded, and sawed to final dimensions in step 150. The boards are typically stored for a few days to allow complete curing of the adhesive resins before being shipped in step 155.
Fire retardant composite panels are used to resist fire and thereby increase the time available for people trapped in burning buildings to escape. Most countries have developed standard test methods for assessing fire retardancy of building materials and building codes that define when such materials must be used in construction and what their properties should be. There are a variety of chemicals that are used to induce fire resistance in composite panels, however, boron and ammonium polyphosphate salts are the most commonly used fire retardant chemicals. For commercial purposes, fire retardant chemicals should be inexpensive, proven to be effective, and readily available to the manufacturer. The most common of these in commercial applications are ammonium polyphosphates and various boron compounds such as boric acid and borax.
Boron based fire retardant chemical treatments are advantageous in that they are less expensive, and provide a greater degree of resistance to smoke development than is realized with polyphosphates in some international standards tests. Additionally, boron based fire retardants allow the use of urea formaldehyde as an adhesive which is less expensive than other commonly used adhesive resins. However, boron based fire retardant chemicals are only partially soluble in water and cannot be made into solutions strong enough to practically impart a sufficient degree of fire retardance to comply with many international standards. Thus, they are typically incorporated as dry powders to the fiber based furnish. For example, some of the earliest fire retardant composite panels manufactured commercially were particle boards that utilized dry boron salts that were mixed with the wood particles in controlled proportions. Recently, some manufacturers of MDF have mimicked the production of boron based fire retardant particle board processes and are adding dry boron salts to their fiber.
Unfortunately, the granular nature and poor dispersion of the dry chemicals requires that relatively high concentrations be used in the panel to gain a desired level of fire resistant performance. The granular boron salts frequently clump into localized regions of high chemical density that can react with overlying veneers and finish products that are applied to the panels and/or weaken the panel by reacting with the adhesive resins.
Ammonium polyphosphate salts tend to be soluble in water and can be readily incorporated into composite panel fabrication processes. They are advantageous over dry chemicals in that the solution provides a more even distribution of the fire retardant chemicals over the particles with fewer regions of concentrated chemicals. As a result, manufacturers of fire retardant MDF panels typically use ammonium polyphosphate. However, the polyphosphates are more expensive chemicals than the dry boron salts and often have adverse effects on the strength and water resistance properties of the panel. As a result, manufacturers have to either accept lower physical properties for their products, or limit the application of fire retardant chemicals to higher density products. Alternatively, some manufacturers use specialized, and more expensive, adhesives to attain a level of performance comparable to non fire retardant panels.
Another manufacturing process for MDF incorporates boric acid and borax fire retardant chemicals by suspending the particles of boron salts in the adhesives used to bind the fibers. This enables utilizing the less expensive urea-formaldehyde adhesives without affecting the properties of the panels. However, the process has several disadvantages. For example, the ratio of fire retardant salts to adhesive is difficult to vary. Thus, if more adhesive is needed to achieve a desired property of the panel, more fire retardant is also incorporated. Conversely, if less adhesive is needed to achieve the desired physical properties of the panel, it is still limited by the need to have minimum fire retardant chemical loadings in the fiber.
A second disadvantage to this process is a limit to the amount of dry chemicals which can be added to the resin slurry before it becomes impractical to pump the slurry. As a result, the amount of dry chemicals that can be added to the adhesives is limited. This is disadvantageous because in some instances, international standards for fire resistance cannot be met, or are on the lower limit of acceptance. As an alternative, additional water can be added to the slurry mixture to facilitate pumping the slurry. However, the addition of water affects the adhesive properties of the resin and sometimes results in reduced productivity as additional time and energy are expended to remove the additional water from the fiber in the drying stage. Another disadvantage is that the pH of the slurry causes the acid cured adhesive to begin to pre-cure. Thus, the resin based slurries have a limited shelf life, typically one day, before they should be discarded.
Another disadvantage in conventional fire resistant composite panel fabrication processes is that the dry fire retardant chemicals cannot be economically acquired in bulk in a finely divided form. It is recognized that the dry chemicals are best incorporated into the composite panel in a finely divided form. However, this necessitates additional processing to create a usable fine powder that adds to the expense of fabricating fire retardant MDF products. Additionally, processing of the boron salt solids into usable fine powders is becoming increasingly difficult in order to comply with stricter environmental and safety regulations that regulate dust levels and aerial contamination.
Because of the greater expense of the fire retardant chemicals, the special adhesives that are necessary, and the effects of the fire retardant chemicals on the properties of the panels, fire resistant MDF tends to be more expensive than fire retardant particle board. Thus, in spite of its advantages in some "high-end" applications, fire resistant MDF has realized only limited commercial acceptance due to the additional costs associated with its manufacture.

Fire retardant composite panel product and a method and system for fabricating same


A simple and versatile mounting bracket for mounting e.g. legs on a piece of furniture is provided. The multifunctional mounting bracket facilitates a switch between two states, e.g. a switch between using a table as a dining table and using the table as a coffee table, or a switch between a “table” position and a “stack-up” position without the use of tools.

The present invention provides a simple and versatile mounting bracket which facilitates a dual mode furniture and which can be used by both amateur and professional craftspeople. The brackets e.g. provide a table with the functionality that it in one mode may function as a dining table having the table top at a relatively high level, and in an alternative mode may function as a coffee table having the table top at a relatively low level. In addition, the brackets of the invention may easily be adapted to facilitate a switch between e.g. a table mode and a stack-up mode. Importantly, the brackets do not require any specialized tools for mounting on the furniture.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,303,018 discloses a convertible table which is moveable from a high position to a low position and vice-versa. The mechanism is an integrated part of the table construction, it appears rather complex, and it seems to be applicable only to round tables. The mechanism is not suitable to be mounted by amateurs.
Another example of a table with adjustable height can be found in EP 0 431 016. Also in EP 0 431 016 the mechanism providing the dual-mode functionality is relatively complex and is not adaptable to provide a stack-up mode.
Tables which can be switched between a table mode and a mode facilitating storage are known. EP 2 701 550 is one such example. While EP 2 701 550 provides a convenient mechanism for the switching between the table- and the storage modes, it depends on specially manufactured table tops and legs.
Thus there is a demand for a versatile multifunctional mounting bracket which in a simple and durable way allows standard, ready-made furniture legs to be mounted on to standard table-top plates by both amateur and professional craftspeople without the use of anything but standard tools, such as a screwdriver and perhaps a drill.


A grease trap having an inlet member, a discharge member, a plurality inner walls defining chambers within, and a relief member for flushing accumulated waste matter. In general order of fluid flow, the chambers include an inlet chamber, a preliminary chamber, an outlet chamber, a discharge chamber, and a reservoir chamber. A first orifice on one inner wall permits passage of fluid from the inlet chamber to the preliminary chamber, a second orifice on another inner wall permits passage of fluid from the preliminary chamber to the outlet chamber, and a third orifice on another inner wall permits passage of fluid from the outlet chamber to the discharge chamber. The relief member has a cap and is coupled to the reservoir chamber. The inner walls defining the chambers are of a height approximately between 70 Length % to 95 Length % of the height of the outer walls of the device to permit for a waste accumulation layer. A gauge member adjacent to the reservoir chamber is adapted to view waste accumulation which, when necessary, is flushed through the relief member via the reservoir chamber.

This present invention relates to an improvement in grease traps, and more particularly to a device for collecting, separating, and simply and easily removing grease from effluent streams emanating from restaurants, various food processing facilities, and other similar facilities.
Grease traps of varying configurations are well known in the prior art. Some are of simple design while others are complex and/or fully automated. These include U.S. Pat. No. 2,763,335 issued to Janssen on Sept. 18, 1956 (a simple grease trap design to catch for later manual disposition of grease, the trap having a plurality of removable partitions with staggered openings creating a tortuous effluent flow path); U.S. Pat. No. 5,505,860 issued to Sager on Apr. 9, 1996 (also of relatively simple design structured to separate and retain grease apart from clean water flow for later manual removal of the retained grease); and U.S. Pat. No. 5,705,055 issued to Holloway on Jan. 6, 1998 (a more complex separator and automated grease removal apparatus).
While these prior art devices are suited for their intended purpose none is as simple in construction and operation as is the present invention which captures and separates grease from water and permits removal of grease therefrom in a cleaner, faster, and less costly manner without interrupting facility operations.
Accordingly, several objects and advantages of my invention are to:
a. provide a grease trap which is easy to use; PA1 b. provide a grease trap which is easy to install and which is compatible with virtually most existing effluent discharge systems; PA1 c. provide a grease trap which is simple in structure; PA1 d. provide a grease trap which is inexpensive to operate; PA1 e. provide a grease trap which is virtually maintenance-free; and PA1 f. provide a grease trap which is inexpensive to manufacture and, consequently, to purchase.
The foregoing has outlined some of the more pertinent objects of the present invention. These objects should be construed to be merely illustrative of some of the more prominent features and applications of the intended invention. Many other beneficial results can be attained by applying the disclosed invention in a different manner or by modifying the invention within the scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, other objects and a fuller understanding of the invention may be had by referring to the summary of the invention and the detailed description of the preferred embodiments in addition to the scope of the invention defined by the claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.


Compositions of a mold release agent for casting are disclosed which are excellent in heat resistance and releasing effect, and contain an organopolysiloxane expressed by the following general formula (1) ##STR1## wherein R represents methyl group or phenyl group, R.sup.1 represents an alkyl group, aralkyl group, or aryl group, R.sup.2 represents R or R.sup.1, x is an integer of from 0 to 1000, y is an integer of from 10 to 1000, and x+y is an integer of from 10 to 2000.

As a method for casting an anode for the electrolysis of copper, the Walker method is widely adopted wherein a melted copper is poured into mold M arranged horizontally as shown in FIG. 1.
In the casting according to the Walker method, anode A, for the electrolysis of copper, as shown in FIG. 2 is formed by pouring a melted copper comprising a refined crude copper into concave S which is partitioned by upper surface 1a of base portion 1 and inner circumferential surface (or inner side surface) 2a of edge portion 2 protruded toward upward from the upper surface 1a of the base portion 1 of the mold M for the anode.
Heretofore, when horizontal castings is performed by using mold M having such a shape as shown in FIG. 1, specifically at the time when a mold release agent (or parting agent) is applied on the upper surface 1a of the base portion 1, a water soluble composition of a mold release agent prepared by dispersing a powder of a clay in water was used for the purpose of improving the life of a mold or the mold release effect of a cast product.
However, since water soluble compositions of a conventional mold release agent are inferior in heat resistance, when they were used as mold release agent for casting copper, for instance, such problems occurred that a gas is apt to generate on the flat portion of a cast anode for the electrolysis of copper, and unevenness (protuberance) due to the gas is formed and the casting surface of products is dirtily discolored to black to cause an inferior appearance.
As the composition of mold release agent, oil type mold release agents are also known. However, since the oil type mold release agents have a problem of the pollution of work environment and atmospheric air due to soot and fire, and have the problem that the casting surface is dirtily discolored to black, the oil type mold release agents are scarcely used in practice.

Composition of mold release agent for casting


A server transmits parking lot occupancy information over the Internet. The parking lot occupancy information is capable of being reproduced by a remote display device as a real-time representation of the parking lot indicating vacant parking spaces. When presented with the real-time representation of the parking lot, a commuter readily can locate an available parking space or decide to search for parking elsewhere.

The present invention relates generally to Internet communication. More particularly, the present invention relates to Internet communication of parking lot occupancy data.
Locating a vacant parking space is an ordeal that causes frustration for many commuters. Even if a commuter pays to enter a parking lot, valuable time is consumed searching for a parking space within the parking lot. It seems that parking lots that service hospitals, airports, mass transit stations, entertainment forums, shopping malls, and the like are always the most crowded, when time is the most crucial. As urban and suburban regions become more populated, finding a vacant parking space will become increasingly difficult for commuters.
Several prior art devices have attempted to facilitate locating a parking space. In particular, U.S. Pat. No. 5,293,163 to Kakihara et al. (""163 patent) discloses a system for locating garages with available parking spaces. According to the ""163 patent, the location of a parking garage having available parking is displayed in map format.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,432,508 to Jackson (""508 patent) discloses a technique for informing vehicle operators of available parking spaces in a parking garage. According to the ""508 patent, light sources mounted above the parking spaces and at the entrance to the parking garage are used to indicate the location of available spaces. The ""508 patent also discloses a computer which collects information concerning parking availability and communicates the information to prospective users. Namely, a person can place a telephone call and receive a voice message indicating whether the parking lot is full.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,910,782 to Schmitt et al. (""782 patent) discloses a system for finding available on-street parking using an on-board vehicle navigation system and parking meters equipped with sensing devices. According to the ""782 patent, real time metered parking space information can be accessed from a central location or directly by a vehicle, upon entering a specific geographic area.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,940,481 to Zeitman (""481 patent) discloses a parking management control system used to report parking, monitor parking and reserve parking spaces. According to the ""481 patent, a user reports parking in a particular parking facility to a central control unit using a personal non-dedicated mobile communications device. The central control unit then confirms whether parking in the particular parking facility is authorized or not. The central control unit also generates a report indicating which parking facilities are supposed to be vacant for law enforcement officials so that unauthorized parking can be ticketed. The ""481 patent also discloses that a user can reserve a desired parking facility by selecting a desired parking facility from a map provided from the central control unit. If a potential user, other than the registered user, communicates a request to park in the reserved parking facility, the central control unit transmits a response to the potential user indicating that the parking facility is reserved and not authorized for use.
According to the present invention, a server transmits parking lot occupancy information over the Internet. Such parking lot occupancy information is capable of being reproduced by a remote display device as a real-time representation of the parking lot indicating vacant parking spaces. The real-time representation may be in the form of a textual listing, a graphical map, a video image, an Internet Web page or similar form. When presented with the real-time representation of the parking lot, a commuter can readily locate an available parking space or decide to search for parking elsewhere.


A button attaching system for securing buttons to clothing by utilizing an I-shaped fastener projecting through the button and the clothing without requiring additional sewing equipment. The system includes a plunging structure, a plunger member slidably movable in the interior of the plunging structure, a hollow needle shaft attached to the plunging structure, and an I-shaped connector securing a button to clothing.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to Button Attaching Devices and more particularly pertains to a new Button Attaching System for securing buttons to clothing by utilizing an I-shaped fastener projecting through the button and the clothing without requiring additional sewing equipment.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of Button Attaching Devices is known in the prior art. More specifically, Button Attaching Devices heretofore devised and utilized are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
Known prior art Button Attaching Devices include U.S. Pat. No. 5,379,888; U.S. Pat. No. 5,263,627; U.S. Pat. No. 4,773,343; U.S. Pat. No. 4,813,110; U.S. Pat. No. 4,841,604 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,189,762.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not disclose a new Button Attaching System. The inventive device includes a plunging structure, a plunging means slidably secured to the interior of the plunging structure, a hollow needle shaft attached to the plunging means, and an I-shaped connector securing a button to clothing.
In these respects, the Button Attaching System according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of securing buttons to clothing by utilizing an I-shaped fastener projecting through the button and the clothing without requiring additional sewing equipment.


Object spaces which mechanize higher order relationships between attributes which describe a particular problem domain. An abstract object description defined by a set of attributes and their corresponding values is transformed into a mixed-resolution, N-dimensional object space. The mixed-resolution, N-dimensional object space represents a mechanized, logically encoded expression of attribute relationships that can be visualized. The method and apparatus interleave the frame to generate an object descriptor and generate from the frame and the object descriptor, encoded names of spatial locations for each of the N dimensions of the mixed-resolution, N-dimensional, object space, conforming to a primary form of a reflected binary code. A virtual image of the N-dimensional, object space is generated from the dimensional-spatial locations and resolution-spatial locations, and attribute values corresponding to a region of the virtual image may be selected for display.

This invention relates to an apparatus and method for transforming an object description into mixed-resolution, N-dimensional object spaces. This invention also relates to an apparatus and method for visualizing mixed-resolution, N-dimensional object spaces, by projecting a bit-interleaved object descriptor onto a plane. More particularly, this invention relates to an apparatus and method for encoding attribute names corresponding to spatial locations with a novel k-ary reflected code.

Mixed-resolution, N-dimensional object space method and apparatus


The electronic imaging apparatus comprises a first optical element A having a flat surface and a surface with refracting power, chemical substance which enables to change light transmittance by chemical change according to electric quantity, a second optical element having a transparent surface and a flat surface, and an optical system having an optical component arranged so as to sandwich the chemical substance by a surface of the first optical element and a surface of the second optical element. Here the spectrum transmittance at whole range of τmin≦τ520≦τmax satisfies the following conditions when the whole transmittance of the first optical element, the chemical substance and the second optical element at the wavelength of 520 nm is τ520,0.70<τ440/τ520<1.200.80<τ600/τ520<1.30where τx (x is a number) is the transmittance at the wavelength of x nm.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic imaging apparatus in which control of light quantity is carried out by a system in which the internal transmittance of an optical system is changed instead of a system in which the diameter of an opening of an aperture stop is changed, among conventional systems for controlling quantity of light.
2. Description of the Related Art
In electronic imaging apparatus including the latest digital camera, miniaturization and thinning of it have been progressing. Such miniaturization and thinning are largely owing to miniaturization of an electric circuit and a recording medium.
As a result of the miniaturization of the electric circuit and the recording medium, the proportion of the size to the whole imaging apparatus of the optical system has been increasing relatively. Then, the miniaturization is being made through the miniaturization of an image sensor about an optical system, especially in a zoom lens. For example, the miniaturization and the thinning have been carried out by using mechanical means such as so-called collapsible barrel in which an optical system is pushed out at the time of photographing and is contained inside of the case of an electronic imaging apparatus at the time of carrying it.
However, as the miniaturization progresses, limit in miniaturizing whole optical system in proportion to progress of miniaturization of an image sensor has arisen, because of the limit of physical processing of lens element constituting an optical system, the limit of the strength of mechanism and the limit of manufacture accuracy, etc.
Then, reduction of constituent elements to utmost limit has been attempted by using an a spherical surface and glass material having high refractive index and low dispersion. However, it has also reached at the limit on keeping of basic specification and correction of aberrations.
Therefore, miniaturization of the volume and whole length of an optical system and thinning profile in the depth direction at the collapsed state mentioned above have already reached at the limit in such conventional constitution that optical elements are arranged along a straight line.
Then, as a method of realizing of thin profile to depth direction especially, a method using a reflective surface for bending an optical path in an optical system has been proposed.
It has also been proposed that in order to simplify mechanism, for example, two or more electrochromic elements where the wavelength ranges of the plurality of penetration light differ each other are used by combining them instead of an optical filter or a dichroic mirror, (refer to Japanese Examined Patent Application Publication Toku Kou Hei No.5-27083 and Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. Toku Kou Hei No.11-160739).


A surface protection device and a method for mounting the same on a terminal end of a furniture leg are provided. The surface protection device is defined by a furniture glide including a furniture glide base having an upper surface directable towards the terminal end of the furniture leg and a lower surface interconnected by an outer periphery. A fastener extends from the furniture glide base along an axis and has a first end and a second end receivable in the terminal end of the furniture leg for frictionally connecting the furniture glide base to the furniture leg. A cup has an outer surface and an inner surface defining a cavity for receiving the furniture glide base therein. Matted material is molded into the outer surface of the cup.

Coasters are often used under the legs of a piece of furniture to act as a buffer between the legs and the floor on which the piece of furniture rests. Typically, coasters take the form of glass or rubber discs having flat bottoms that rest on the floor. By positioning the coasters between the furniture legs and the floor, the weight of the furniture leg is dispersed over a larger area such that the furniture leg does not scratch or mar the floor when the piece of furniture is moved or leave a depression in the floor when the piece of furniture remains in one place for an extended period of time.
In addition, furniture glides or sliders have been developed that are also positioned between the legs of a piece of furniture and the carpeting on which the piece of furniture rests. By way of example, Bushey, U.S. Pat. No. 5,220,705, discloses a furniture glide that facilitates the movement of a piece of furniture on carpeted and bare floors. The furniture glide includes a convo-convex disc having an arcuate convex lower surface, a concave upper surface defining a central cavity, and resilient pad fixed to the disc upper surface within the central cavity below the edge thereof. Adhesive is provided for securing the resilient pad to the bottom of the piece of furniture or to the leg of the piece of furniture.
While functional for its intended purpose, the furniture glide disclosed in the Bushey '705 patent has certain limitations. More specifically, repeated movement of a piece of furniture along a floor may cause the adhesive to fail such that the resilient pad becomes detached from the bottom of the piece of furniture. As a result, the furniture glide may become separated from the piece of furniture such that the bottom of piece of furniture may engage and damage the flooring. Therefore, it is highly desirable to provide a furniture glide and/or coaster that may be simply secured to a bottom of a piece of furniture to prevent damage to the flooring on which the piece of furniture rests.
Alternatively, Bushey, U.S. Pat. No. 7,234,199 discloses a furniture glide for mounting on the terminal end of a furniture leg having an outer surface. The furniture glide includes a base having a generally arcuate lower surface for engaging a supporting surface. A sleeve extends from the base and defines a cavity for receiving the furniture leg therein. The sleeve includes a leg engagement element for engaging the furniture leg received within the cavity and for allowing the furniture leg to be supported within the cavity at an angle thereto. However, the addition of the sleeve to the furniture glide substantially increases the overall cost of such glide.
Therefore, what is needed is an improved surface protection device which can be mounted securely to a terminal end of a furniture leg without one or more of the aforementioned drawbacks.
Therefore, it is a primary object and feature of the present invention, a surface protection device is provided for mounting on a terminal end of a furniture leg. The surface protection device includes a furniture glide base having an upper surface directable toward the terminal end of the furniture leg and a lower surface interconnected by an outer periphery. A fastener extends from the furniture glide base along an axis and has a first end and a second end receivable in the terminal end of the furniture leg for frictionally connecting the furniture glide base to the furniture leg. A end cap is receiveable on the furniture glide base. The end cap includes an end cap base having an upper surface, a lower surface and an outer periphery. A sidewall extends from the outer periphery of the end cap base and has an inner surface defining a cavity adapted for receiving the furniture glide base therein. A matted material is molded into the lower surface of the base and the outer surface of the sidewall.
The furniture glide base may have a generally circular configuration and a diameter. The cavity of the end cap has a diameter. The diameter of the end cap is generally equal to the diameter of the furniture glide base. The sidewall of the end cap includes an outer surface. The inner and outer surfaces of the end cap may be generally parallel. An adhesive may be provided on the upper surface of the base. The adhesive is engageable with the lower surface of the furniture glide base. The sidewall may be fabricated from an elastic material.
The sidewall terminates at a terminal edge. A flange extends from the inner surface of sidewall adjacent the terminal edge. The flange terminates at a radially inner edge defining an opening to the cavity in the end cap. The flange is defined by a first upper surface generally coplanar with the terminal edge of the sidewall and a second lower surface. The first upper surface of the flange and the second lower surface of the flange converge toward each other as the flange extends from the inner surface of the sidewall. The first end of the fastener is captured in the furniture glide base.
A spacer may be receivable on the upper surface of the furniture glide base. The spacer is configured to space the upper surface of the furniture glide base from the terminal end of the furniture leg when the fastener frictionally connects the furniture glide base to the furniture leg. Alternatively, a spacer may be integrally formed on the upper surface of the furniture glide base. The spacer is configured to space the upper surface of the furniture glide base from the terminal end of the furniture leg when the fastener frictionally connecting the furniture glide base to the furniture leg.
In accordance with a further aspect of the present invention, a surface protection device is provided for mounting on a terminal end of a furniture leg. The surface protection device includes a furniture glide defined by a furniture glide base having an upper surface directable towards the terminal end of the furniture leg and a lower surface interconnected by an outer periphery. A fastener extends from the furniture glide base along an axis and has a first end and a second end receivable in the terminal end of the furniture leg for frictionally connecting the furniture glide base to the furniture leg. A cup has an outer surface and an inner surface defining a cavity for receiving the furniture glide base therein. Matted material is molded into the outer surface of the cup. The first end of the fastener may be captured in the furniture glide base.
The cup includes a base portion having an upper surface, a lower surface and an outer periphery. A sidewall extends from the outer periphery of the base and has an inner surface and an outer surface. The sidewall of the cup is fabricated from an elastic material. The inner and outer surfaces of the sidewall of the cup may be generally parallel and may have a generally uniform thickness. An adhesive may be provided on the upper surface of the base. The adhesive is engageable with the lower surface of the furniture glide base. The sidewall terminates at a terminal edge. A flange extends from the inner surface of sidewall adjacent the terminal edge. The flange terminates at a radially inner edge defining an opening to the cavity in the cup. The flange is defined by a first upper surface generally coplanar with the terminal edge of the sidewall and a second lower surface. The first upper surface of the flange and the second lower surface of the flange converge toward each other as the flange extends from the inner surface of the sidewall.
A spacer may be receivable on the upper surface of the furniture glide base. The spacer is configured to space the upper surface of the furniture glide base from the terminal end of the furniture leg when the fastener frictionally connecting the furniture glide base to the furniture leg. Alternatively, the spacer may be integrally formed on the upper surface of the furniture glide base. The spacer is configured to space the upper surface of the furniture glide base from the terminal end of the furniture leg when the fastener frictionally connecting the furniture glide base to the furniture leg.
In accordance with a still further aspect of the present invention, a method of interconnecting a surface protection device to a terminal end of a piece of furniture is provided. The method includes the steps of interconnecting an end cap to a furniture glide and interconnecting the furniture glide to the terminal end of the piece of furniture.
The furniture glide includes a furniture glide base having an upper surface directed towards the terminal end of the furniture leg and a lower surface interconnected by an outer periphery. A fastener extends from the furniture glide base along an axis and has a first end and a second end receivable in the terminal end of a piece of furniture to frictionally interconnect the furniture glide base to the terminal end of a piece of furniture. The first end of the fastener may be captured in the furniture glide base.
The end cap includes an end cap base having an upper surface, a lower surface and an outer periphery. A sidewall extends from the outer periphery of the end cap base and has an inner surface defining a cavity adapted for receiving the furniture glide base therein. The sidewall of the end cap is fabricated from an elastic material. A matted material is molded into the lower surface of the base and the outer surface of the sidewall. The inner and outer surfaces of the sidewall of the end cap may be generally parallel and may have a generally uniform thickness. An adhesive is provided on the upper surface of the base. The adhesive is engageable with the lower surface of the furniture glide base.
The sidewall terminates at a terminal edge and a flange extends from the inner surface of sidewall adjacent the terminal edge. The sidewall of the end cap is fabricated from an elastic material. The flange terminates at a radially inner edge defining an opening to the cavity in the end cap. The flange is defined by a first upper surface generally coplanar with the terminal edge of the sidewall and a second lower surface. The first upper surface of the flange and the second lower surface of the flange converge toward each other as the flange extends from the inner surface of the sidewall.
A spacer may be positioned on the upper surface of the furniture glide base. The spacer is configured to space the upper surface of the furniture glide base from the terminal end of a piece of furniture when interconnected. Alternatively, the spacer may be integrally formed on the upper surface of the furniture glide base. The spacer is configured to space the upper surface of the furniture glide base from the terminal end of a piece of furniture when interconnected.

Surface protection device and method of mounting same


The disclosure is generally directed toward the design and synthesis of peptide amphiphile (PA) molecules that comprises a peptide configured to inhibit angiogenesis. The peptide amphiphile comprises a hydrophobic tail, peptide sequence capable of beta-sheet formation; and a peptide, wherein the peptide is configured to inhibit angiogenesis. Optionally the PA further comprises a flexible linker between the peptide sequence capable of beta-sheet formation and the peptides. Further this disclosure is directed to nanostructures comprising peptide amphiphiles configured to inhibit angiogenesis.

The growth of a tumor to clinically malignant dimensions requires angiogenesis, the sprouting of new blood vessels from pre-existing vasculature.[1-3] Not only is angiogenesis crucial for tumor growth due to oxygen and nutrient demands, it is also essential for the progression of tumor malignancy. Angiogenesis inhibitors, used either in conjunction with or in place of traditional cytotoxic chemotherapies, have shown promise in restricting tumor growth and have thus become a topic of much research. [4]
Due to the prohibitive cost of synthesizing and purifying protein therapeutics, peptides can potentially be clinical game-changers, especially if their activity and potency match that of whole protein. Rationally designed molecules that conjugate a bioactive peptide to a self-assembly region have shown much promise in mimicking the bioactivity of proteins. These molecules, known as peptide amphiphiles (PAs), typically consist of a hydrophobic alkyl tail, a peptide sequence capable of β-sheet formation, and the peptide.[13-15] Optionally there may be a flexible peptide sequence as linker between the peptide sequence capable of beta-sheet formation, and the peptide. PAs have been shown to self-assemble in aqueous solution into nanostructures, including high aspect-ratio nanofibers comprised of a hydrophobic core and stabilized by beta-sheet formation down the long axis.[16,17] These nanofibers can display a high surface density of peptides,[18] stabilize peptide secondary structure,[19] and improve therapeutic retention in tissue.[20,21] Thus, such PAs can be functionally protein-mimetic with regards to activity and potency. For example, protein-mimetic PAs bearing peptides derived from vascular endothelial growth factor and glucagon-like peptide 1 have shown remarkable bioactivity in stimulating angiogenesis and promoting insulin release, respectively.[19,22]

Anti-angiogenic molecules, nanostructures and uses thereof


A method is provided to select appropriate material properties for turbulent friction drag reduction, given a specific body configuration and freestream velocity. The method is based on a mathematical description of the balance of energy at the interface between the viscoelastic surface and the moving fluid, and permits determination of the interaction of turbulent boundary layer fluctuations with a viscoelastic layer by solving two subtasks—i.e., a hydrodynamic problem and an elasticity problem, which are coupled by absorption and compliancy coefficients. Displacement, velocity, and energy transfer boundary conditions on a viscoelastic surface are determined, and a Reynolds stress type turbulence model is modified to account for redistribution of turbulent energy in the near-wall region of the boundary layer. The invention permits drag reduction by a coating with specified density, thickness, and complex shear modulus to be predicted for a given body geometry and freestream velocity. For practical applications, viscoelastic coatings may be combined with additional structure, including underlying wedges to minimize edge effects for coatings of finite length, and surface riblets, for stabilization of longitudinal vortices.

Since M. O. Kramer reported successful experimental results in 1957, there have been repeated attempts to reduce frictional drag in turbulent fluid flow over a surface by applying a passive compliant coating. Experimental results in this area have been mixed. Most investigators have reported a drag increase, while only a few have claimed drag reduction for turbulent flow. A number of theoretical studies have characterized the stability of the laminar boundary layer over a deforming surface and other studies have characterized the reaction of a coating to a fluctuating load. However, no rigorous analytical technique has been previously reported that has been used to successfully design a drag-reducing coating for turbulent flow.
In the past, passive coatings were tested without specification and full characterization of critical physical parameters, such as the frequency dependent complex shear modulus, density, and thickness. In order to achieve and ensure drag reduction with a viscoelastic coating, a methodology is required for selecting appropriate material properties and for estimating anticipated drag reduction as a function of configuration and velocity.
Relevant background information for associated technical topics is available in the literature, and may be useful due to the technical complexity of this invention. A classical discussion of boundary layer theory, including formulation of Navier-Stokes and turbulent boundary layer equations, is provided in Boundary-Layer Theory, by Dr. Hermann Schlichting, published by McGraw Hill, New York, seventh edition, 1979. A discussion of structures and scales in turbulent flows can be found in Turbulence, 1975, McGraw Hill, written by J. O. Hinze, and in "Coherent Motions in the Turbulent Boundary Layer," in Annual Review of Fluid Mechanics, 1991, volume 23, pp. 601-39, written by Steven K. Robinson. Background on Reynolds stress types of turbulence models is found in the chapter, "Turbulent Flows: Model Equations and Solution Methodology," written by Tom Gatski, and included in the Handbook of Computational Fluid Mechanics, published by Academic Press in 1996. Equations in fluid and solid mechanics are often expressed in indicial, or tensor, notation, for compactness. Chapter 2 in the text A First Course in Continuum Mechanics, by Y. C. Fung, Prentice-Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, N.J., 1977, provides a brief introduction into tensor notation for mechanics equations. An introduction to finite difference methods, which are used to solve the system of momentum and continuity equations for a turbulent fluid, is provided in the text, Computational Fluid Dynamics for Engineers, written by Klaus Hoffman, and published in 1989 by the Engineering Education System i Austin  in Austin, Texas. Descriptions of measured and mathematically modeled physical properties of polymers are found in the text, Viscoelastic Properties of Polymers by J. D. Ferry, Wiley, New York, 1980, 3rd edition. The article, "Loss Factor Height and Width Limits for Polymer Relaxation," by Bruce Hartmann, Gilbert Lee, and John Lee, in the Journal of the Acoustical Society of America Vol. 95, No. 1, January 1994, discusses mathematical characterization of shear moduli for real viscoelastic, polymeric materials, including those approximated by the Havriliak-Negami approach.
Recently in the international literature (K. S. Choi, X. Yang, B. R. Clayton, E. J. Glover, M. Atlar, B. N. Semonev, and V. M. Kulik, "Turbulent Drag Reduction Using Compliant Surfaces," Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, A (1997) 453, pp. 2229-2240). Choi et al. reported experimental measurements of up to 7% turbulent friction drag reduction for an axisymmetric body coated with a viscoelastic material. These experiments were performed in the United Kingdom, using coatings designed and fabricated in Russia at the Institute of Thermophysics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, by a team headed by B .N. Semenov. The basic design approach was outlined in "On Conditions of Modelling and Choice of Viscoelastic Coatings for Drag Reduction," in Recent Developments in Turbulence Management, K. S. Choi, ed., 1991, pp. 241-262, Dordrecht, Kluwer Publishers. The Novosibirsk design approach is semi-empirical in nature, and does not take into account the full characterization of the complex shear modulus of the viscoelastic material, namely, the relaxation time of the material. The Novosibirsk design approach does take into account frequency-dependent material properties. Furthermore, the Novosibirsk concept is valid only for a membrane-type coating, such as a film which coats a foam-rubber saturated with water or glycerine, and where only normal fluctuations of the surface are considered.
The structure of coatings intended for drag reduction has been addressed in the international literature, starting with the 1938 patent No. 669-897, "An Apparatus for the Reduction of Friction Drag," issued in Germany to Max O. Kramer. Kramer later received a patent in 1964, U.S. Pat. No. 3,161,385, and in 1971, U.S. Pat. No. 3,585,953 for coatings to extend laminar flow in a boundary layer. Soviet inventor's certificates, such as "A Damping Covering," USSR patent 1413286, Publication 20.01.1974, Bulletin of the Inventions 14, by V. V. Babenko, L. F. Kozlov, and S. V. Pershin, "An Adjustable Damping Covering," USSR patent 1597866, Publication 15.03.1978, Bulletin of the Inventions 110, by V. V. Babenko, L. F. Kozlov, and V. I. Korobov, and "A Damping Covering for Solid Bodies," USSR patent 1802672, Publication 07.02.1981, Bulletin of the Inventions 15, by V. V. Babenko and N. F. Yurchenko, have also described the structure of drag-reducing coatings comprised of viscoelastic materials. These inventor's certificates identified the three-dimensional structure within a drag-reducing coating, but do not address the methodology for choosing appropriate parameters of the viscoelastic materials to be used in the manufacture of such coatings. Structural features include multiple layers of materials, longitudinal, rib-like inclusions of elastic, viscoelastic, or fluid materials, and heated elements. Viscoelastic coatings may be combined with other forms of structure, such as longitudinal riblets molded on or within the surface of the coating. As described in the international literature in publications such as "Secondary Flow Induced by Riblets," written by D. B. Goldstein and T. C. Tuan, and published in the Journal of Fluid Mechanics, volume 363, May 25, 1998, pp. 115-152, two-dimensional, rigid riblets alone have been shown experimentally to reduce surface friction drag up to about 10%.

Design of viscoelastic coatings to reduce turbulent friction drag