The CPU 161 of the video game apparatus comprises a performance determination unit 161b that determines the order of finish of the players each time a game is completed, a parameter calculation unit 161g that calculates parameters indicating the characteristics of each player in playing games based on the game history data stored in a history storage unit 162b described below and a title assigning unit 161h that assigns a title applicable during games to each player based on the calculated parameters, and the RAM 162 comprises a history storage unit 162b that stores past player game history data for each player, and a title storage unit 162c that associates the titles assigned by the title assigning unit 161h with the players and stores them.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to a recording medium which stores a game progress control program, a game progress control program, game progress control method and video game apparatus that control the progress of a game played by a plurality of players while reflecting the game progress on game screens.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various types of multi-player video game apparatuses have been proposed or are currently in use in the conventional art. For example, in the case of a mah-jongg game, a plurality of parameters for each player are changed based on competitive performance, and ranks or the like that indicate the level of each player's skill at mah-jongg are determined based on these parameters. Each player competes seriously in the game in order to increase their own rank.
However, because the relationship between the parameters and the ranks is extremely complex in this conventional mah-jongg video game apparatus, players tend to lack a clear understanding of exactly how to raise their rank. As a result, the motivation to play the game is lost when a two-round game or the like is played, and the game becomes less interesting.
Furthermore, in the case of a mah-jongg game, players must take into account the characteristics of their opponents for deciding their playing style. For example, where an opponent has a 'quick win' game style, the player should try to win quickly as well. However, because it is impossible (or at least difficult) to learn the characteristics of the player's opponents when using a conventional mah-jongg video game apparatus, it is difficult to enjoy the sophistication of mah-jongg, in which the player's own approach changes where necessary in response to the actions of his/her opponents, and this shortcoming has proven to be an obstacle to increasing popular enjoyment of the game.

Game system and method for assigning titles to players based on history of playing characteristics


A baseball instructional device and method for use teaches a hitter how to properly hit a ball depending on the location at which the ball is thrown by the pitcher. The device is capable of positioning a baseball, softball, or other ball, at proper hitting positions relative to the hitter, thus teaching the hitter when and where to swing to make proper contact with the ball. In addition to positioning the ball relative to the hitter, the device is provided with visual indicators to assist in teaching the hitter the proper location for striking the ball with the bat.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to training aids for use in sporting activities. More particularly, the present invention is directed to an improved method and apparatus for instructing a batter on the proper technique for hitting a baseball or softball with a bat.
2. Description of the Prior Art and Related Information
It has been said that many professional athletes in all different sports consider the art of hitting a baseball or softball correctly to be the single most difficult thing to do in any sport. In little league baseball, a batter has one to two seconds to identify a pitch, make a decision whether to swing at a pitch, and then complete a proper swing of the bat to make contact with the ball. In professional baseball, where it is not uncommon to have pitchers who can throw a baseball between 80 and 100 miles per hour, a batter has one-fifth of a second (0.2 seconds) to identify the pitch, decide whether to swing the bat, and to swing the bat so as to make contact with the ball|
In addition, given that the useful area of bat for making proper contact with the ball is approximately four to six inches long and about one and one-half inches wide (depending on the location of the pitch and size of the bat), one can readily understand the difficulty associated with becoming a successful batter. Perhaps this explains why, in professional baseball, players are considered good hitters if they are able to successfully hit a baseball as few as 25 to 30 times out of 100 attempts. It also helps explain why Ted Williams, who in one memorable season successfully hit the ball an average of more than 40 times per 100 attempts, is considered in mythic proportions. Very few believe his achievement will ever be duplicated.
Given the love for baseball in the United States, it is not to be unexpected to find prior art related to the devices for attempting to teach proper batting techniques. The most common prior art batting instruction aid in use today is a standard batting tee in which a tube, oftentimes adjustable in height, is attached to a piece or rubber or plastic in the shape of a home plate, and a ball is supported by the tube. Such a batting tee is used to simulate the ball, having been pitched by a pitcher, crossing the plate for the batter to swing at.
However, the standard batting tee described above, which is used in little leagues, grade schools, high schools, colleges, and by professional baseball and softball teams across the country, has a major flaw. That is, depending upon the location of the pitch which is thrown, it may be necessary for the batter to swing at and make contact with the ball either before the ball reaches the plate or after the ball has passed the plate and is approaching the glove of the catcher. By "location," it is meant that a ball may be thrown by the pitcher inside, outside, high or low. Such pitches may be thrown in or out of the strike zone, and the location of the pitch, i.e., inside, outside, etc., will, to a great extent, dictate the batter's swing.
For example, for an inside pitch, it is necessary for the hitter to begin swinging the bat and make contact with the ball when the ball is well in front of the plate. Similarly, for an outside pitch, in order to make proper contact with the ball, the batter must swing the bat and make contact with the ball as the ball is crossing the back threshold of the plate. This is commonly referred to a "going with the pitch."
However, prior art batting tees teach a batter to swing at a ball so as to contact the ball as it is crossing the center of the plate. As discussed above, this is not proper form, depending on the location of the pitch. Thus, prior art batting tees teach a batter what is essentially an incorrect method for the development of proper batting technique, particularly for younger players.
"Tee-ball" leagues for young children have sprung up all over the United States and in many foreign countries. This type of a league utilizes a batting tee instead of having a pitcher pitch the ball. In such a league, the children are very young and are developing the fundamental skills necessary to play the game. It is therefor essential that these children are taught proper batting technique. However, the use of a standard batting tee discussed above teaches such children to hit a baseball or softball as the ball is crossing the center of the plate. This is incorrect.
As an alternative, some coaches try to improve upon the prior art batting tee by using a batting tees placed in front of home plate. The ball is placed on the tee and the children are instructed to align themselves with the actual home plate behind the plate which is attached to the batting tee. While this technique is somewhat better than using only the batting tee itself, children often have difficulty transferring the lessons learned from this type of instruction method to an actual playing situation in which there is only the batting tee. In this situation, children can become confused, discouraged and disheartened with the game of baseball.
While it has often been said that practice makes perfect, if a player does not practice using the proper technique, the player will ultimately perfect what are essentially bad habits conducive to poor hitting performance. Once an individual has learned an improper technique for hitting a baseball or softball, it is extremely difficult for such an individual to rid themselves of the bad habits developed through the improper learning technique.
Accordingly, there is a need for a device which properly simulates a pitch thrown by a pitcher such that the batter can learn when to swing at a ball depending upon the location of the pitch and can also learn where to stand relative to the plate to achieve the best results. In addition, there is a need for a method and apparatus for teaching the proper fundamentals of batting such as alignment with home plate and the proper contact points between the bat and the ball to ensure the development of a good batting technique.

Batting instruction method and apparatus


An individual beverage bottle, with added convenience features making the bottle easy to open, and provides features to customize, personalize, and/or share in a very hygienic manner and providing a mechanism to secure a cup to the bottle such that an otherwise ordinary cup adapts and screws onto existing beverage containers that can be used to share the beverage or just be able to drink from a cup rather than directly from the bottle wherein, existing bottles can be utilized with very little, if any, extra footprint and minimal retooling. A proprietary labeling system is adapted to the bottle and cup.

There are a variety of circumstances where a need arises to be able to (a) identify a particular beverage container as belonging to someone where many identical beverages are being consumed; and (b) share a beverage from an individual beverage container in a sanitary manner. Firstly, so-called individual beverages are sold in containers that are twelve ounces, sixteen ounces, twenty ounces or more or some other volume that is more than one individual may want or need as an immediate serving. Or, where one person is drinking from such a container, they will set it down somewhere and then have it get mixed up with other identical looking containers that others have set down and no one knows whose is whose. There are often situations where the beverage will be consumed in situations where there are others present who may want or need some of the beverage. Drinking directly from the beverage container is not sanitary—even in the situation where you are the only one drinking from it. Studies show that drinking directly from a beverage container introduces bacteria and pathogens from the mouth of the person drinking back into the beverage container. Additionally, placing one's mouth directly against the container contaminates the mouth of the container itself. Thus, it would be advantageous to have access to a sanitary cup for use in consuming a beverage from an individual beverage container, whether the purchaser alone will be consuming the beverage or in the case of sharing it. However, in typical situations, when a consumer buys an individual beverage, they do not have access to a sanitary cup. Purchasing cups separate from the beverage is an inconvenience and generally would provide more than just the one needed cup.
In social settings where mandated social distancing is required, the foregoing problems are exacerbated. People use all manner of ways to identify their bottle, including writing on the label with a marker, ripping the label in a unique manner, and putting some kind of tape or other marking on the bottle itself. None of these methods are ideal because firstly, writing requires a marker that may not be available, a piece of tape or other marking could fall off, and ripping the label may cause the whole label to fall off.
There have been attempts to solve some of the sharing and sanitary issues described. Some containers come with attached straws. While the use of a straw may partially solve the issue of direct contamination of the mouth in contact with the mouth of the container, it does not solve the issue of introducing bacteria and pathogens into the beverage as studies have shown that using straws still allows a 'backwash' back into the beverage. Moreover, unless there was more than one straw, the issue of sharing is not solved. A straw is also not identification of the bottle itself as to whom it belongs.
There also have been attempts to include a cup with an individual bottle. As we can see from the below examples, these attempts have not provided a cup that is convenient, does not alter the space occupied by the bottle, is sanitary, and works as an identifiable pair in conjunction with the rest of the device as described herein. Some of the attempts have solved some of the foregoing issues, but have none have encompassed all, or done so in the manner, simplicity and elegance described here.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,405,675 titled WATER BOTTLE ASSEMBLY HAVING A REMOVABLE WATER BOWL, discloses, "a water bottle assembly having a removable water bowl for providing a receptacle for watering a pet while outdoors includes a bottle, a lid, and a bowl removably couplable to the water bottle for carrying the water bottle and a bowl as a single unit. In an embodiment, the lid includes a spout assembly. In one embodiment, the bowl is coupled to the water bottle by frictional engagement to a strip of compressible material circumscribing an outer surface of the water bottle. In an embodiment, the upper edge of the water bottle extends from the outer surface of the water bottle for facilitating grasping of the bowl when removing the bowl from the water bottle." Here, the coupling of the bowl to the cup provides a ridge that would not be compatible with the labeling disclosed by the instant disclosure and there are no bottle cap tabs or protective sanitary strips.
In another example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,632,273 titled DISPOSABLE INSULATED CONTAINER, discloses, "a disposable insulated container and drinking cup combination wherein the insulated container is manufactured from plastic foam material and has a lid applied thereto. At least one inverted drinking cup mounted upon the top of the container with the cup, container, and lid sealingly secured in a package by a frangible ring encircling the lower edge of the inverted drinking cup and the periphery of the container." Here, the cup is disposable and attached to the container in a sanitary manner. However, it increases the height of the container excessively and would also not be compatible with the labeling disclosed in the instant disclosure.
In another example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,984,723 titled ASSEMBLY OF BEVERAGE BOTTLE/CAN AND CUP, discloses, "an assembly of beverage bottle/can and cup consisting of a beverage bottle or can for containing the beverage and a cup for encasing the lower part of said bottle or can to be integrated as one body, wherein a plurality of parallel linear projections are provided to the inner wall at the upper part of cup whereon a plurality of vent grooves are spaced in a suitable distance in the direction perpendicular to the said projections, and a clip is provided to the outer upper edge of cup; the said assembly provides the consumers with the convenience of pouring the beverage for drinking as they like by taking the advantage of the cup, fixing the bottle or can onto their knapsack bag or girdle optionally by means of the clip, and bringing the beverage bottle or can with them if the beverage therein has not been drunk up." Here, the cup slides over the bottom of the container, not significantly increasing the footprint of the container, but it is designed to fit so tight, i.e., it grips the container as its manner of securing to the container that it requires vent grooves to allow it to slip on fully, thus destroying any potential for sanitary condition.
In another example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,209,737 titled CUP ASSEMBLY FOR BOTTLE WITH ATTACHMENT MECHANISM, discloses, a "cup assembly for a bottle includes a body having a closed end with an aperture extending therethrough and an open end and a wall tapering from the closed end to the open end. The cup assembly also includes an attachment mechanism to attach the body to an open end of the bottle to allow a user to drink from the open end of the body while attached to the bottle." Here, the only object is to provide the convenience of drinking from a cup, but actually turns the bottle operatively into a cup and thus, solves none of the sanitary issues described, nor any labeling or sharing potential.
In another example, U.S. Patent Application Serial No. US 2004/0262252 titled MUG FIXED TO THE TOP OR THE BOTTOM OF A BEVERAGE BOTTLE BEVERAGE BOTTLE DESIGNED FOR RECEIVING SAME, AND RELATED COMBINATION discloses, "a beverage bottle provided with a mug acting as a closure, a bottle whereon fixing an upturned mug is realized with little effort. Consequently, the invention concerns a combination of a beverage bottle and a mug capable of being pressed on at least one end of the bottle and thereby be fixed to said end. The mug and/or the beverage bottle comprise, in the fixing zone, a profiled shape enabling, when the mug is upturned and pressed, a gas exchange between the inside of the mug and outside environment." Again, here, there is a gas exchange need destroying any sanitary possibility. Moreover, the mug acts as the cap to the bottle. Thus, there is no possibility of recapping the bottle once the mug has been used and maintaining a sanitary condition or facilitating the labeling features described in the instant disclosure.
Finally, in another example, U.S Patent Application Serial No. US 2009/0080180 titled, BEVERAGE BOTTLE WITH ACCESSORIES, discloses, "a configurable beverage container comprises a container body defining a central axis and bounded by non-opaque sides, an openable top, and a bottom defining a cavity in which a liquid can be retained. The container body includes a connector, such as a set of female thread portions, located on a lower end of the container body adjacent the container body bottom. The configurable container further includes an accessory having an accessory connector (e.g. male thread) located on a top end thereof and another (e.g. female thread) on a bottom thereof, with the top end configured to be coupled to the container body connector along a long axis of the container body. Examples of accessories include a first-aid kit, a GPS, a powers source, and a flashlight." Here, there are male and female threads to enable a screw coupling, however, the only contemplated placement is at the ends of the container and/or additional accessories which would elongate the container as additional accessories are added. Moreover, a cup is not one of the contemplated accessories and if it were, in the manner disclosed, it would as much as double the footprint of the bottle. Moreover, the labeling features described in the instant disclosure are not compatible with this configuration.
None of the foregoing references, alone or in combination, teach the salient and proprietary features or construction of the present disclosure, and as such, fail to be useful as a beverage container comprising protrusions on the cap that facilitate easy opening and double as writing nubs coupled with a proprietary writing surface, and a beverage container accessory that is convenient, sanitary and does not significantly alter the footprint of the existing container, further comprising a customizable, integrated labeling platform.
The present disclosure teaches several embodiments that provide a very convenient, inexpensive, sanitary individual beverage accessory that can be used with existing individual beverage containers with only minor retrofitting to provide a shareable drinking cup without altering the current space footprint of the existing container in any appreciable manner. The present disclosure also teaches embodiments for identifying whose bottle and container each is intended for use by without requiring any outside marking utensil. Moreover, the writing method taught herein also is useful for making the bottle easier to open for those who do not otherwise possess the hand strength to open typical bottles easily. There are also embodiments utilizing the basic configuration to expand and include various other ingredients that are commonly used with liquids commonly sold in individual beverage containers.

Customizable personalized individual beverage bottle


A closure cover for panel openings is formed of plastic material and comprises a cover cap carrying several resilient elastic fingers that extend from a lower side of the cover cap. Each finger carries a stop element for penetrating into the panel opening and retaining the cover in place. The resilient fingers (3) are each comprised of two small resilient bars (6, 7) between which is arranged the stop element (8) likewise designed in the form of a small elastic cross piece. The stop element (8) forms a hook with a connection area (9) located at a predetermined angle relative to the bars (6, 7) and a stop area (5) connected to the connection area (9).

The invention relates to a closure cover of synthetic or plastic material including a cover cap having several resilient fingers arranged on the lower side thereof. Each finger has a stop area or retaining portion located at a predetermined distance from the lower side of the cover cap for extending through a support opening.
According to the current state of the art, a closure cover of the type is already known that comprises three resilient fingers distributed over its periphery (German Printed Specification 34 42 109). The resilient fingers are relatively rigid due to a supplementary support and the rest area is, moreover, of compact design. Because of this circumstance, the sealing effect of this known closure cover proves to be inadequate.
Likewise, other known closure covers (German Petty Patent 19 59 426, British Patent 734 857, and German Printed Specification 23 14 021) are similarly designed and are, consequently, not capable of sealing a support opening with the maximum tightness.
Consequently, there is posed, for the present invention, the problem of creating a sealing plug or closure cover of the type initially mentioned, by which one can obtain an improved seal effect despite simple construction.

Closure cover with plurality of stop elements movable through open spaces in fingers supporting the stop members


A method for manufacturing an inkjet print cartridge and an inkjet cartridge produced thereby are disclosed. An inkjet print cartridge in accordance with one aspect includes a component of the inkjet print cartridge and an applied adhesive on at least a portion of the component, wherein the applied adhesive is formed from an adhesive having a rheology viscosity ratio ηi/ηmin of from 1.0 to less than 2.1. The method in accordance with one aspect includes applying an adhesive onto at least a portion of a component of an inkjet print cartridge at an application temperature, Tα, and heating the adhesive from an initial temperature, Ti, to a cure temperature for the adhesive, Tc. The adhesive has a rheology cure profile characterized by at least one of the following parameters: a) a rheology viscosity ratio ηi/ηmin of from 1.0 to less than 2.1, b) a temperature of the adhesive is approximately equal to a minimum viscosity temperature for the adhesive, Tηmin, within less than about 10 minutes from the start of the cure cycle, and c) viscosity of the adhesive increases within less than about 5 minutes from the start of the cure cycle.

Drop-on-demand thermal ink jet printers use thermal energy to produce a vapor bubble in an ink-filled chamber to expel a droplet. A thermal energy generator or heating element, usually a resistor, is located in the chamber on a heater chip near a discharge orifice. A plurality of chambers, each provided with a single heating element, are provided in the printer's printhead. The printhead typically comprises the heater chip and a nozzle plate having a plurality of the discharge orifices formed therein. The printhead forms part of an ink jet print cartridge which also comprises an ink-filled container.
The resistors are individually addressed with an energy pulse to momentarily vaporize the ink and form a bubble which expels an ink droplet. A flexible circuit is used to provide a path for energy pulses to travel from a printer energy supply circuit to the printhead. The flexible circuit includes a substrate portion and a plurality of traces located on the substrate portion. The traces have end sections which extend out from the substrate portion. The extending sections are coupled to bond pads on the printhead. Typically, there is a first row of coupled bond pads and trace sections and an opposing, second row of coupled bond pads and trace sections.
It is known in the art to form a barrier layer over each row of coupled bond pads and extending trace sections. One known process for forming such a barrier layer involves dispensing an encapsulant material onto the coupled bond pads and trace sections using a discharge needle. The final height of the barrier layer relative to the nozzle plate typically is undesirably high. As a result, a paper substrate, which receives the ejected ink droplets, is spaced an increased distance from the printhead orifice plate. Consequently, misdirected ink droplets reach the paper substrate at locations which are spaced a greater distance from their intended contact points than if the paper substrate were located closer to the printhead orifice plate. The excessive height of the barrier layer is further problematic as it makes it more difficult to apply a length of sealing tape to the printhead so as to seal the printhead orifices from ink leakage until the print cartridge is installed for use in a printer. Another potential problem associated with dispensing an encapsulant material with a discharge needle relates to improper location. Dispensing encapsulant in the wrong locations can result in unacceptable product because the encapsulant fails to provide the necessary coverage for the electrical components on the print cartridge or covers areas intended to be free of encapsulant such as for ink ejection or capping purposes.
The ability to properly place an adhesive having the proper dimensions is also an issue with respect to adhesives used for die attach, potting, etc. As the components used to manufacture the inkjet printheads undergo miniaturization, the assembly process faces many challenges in placing components with high precision and holding them under tight tolerances. Stencil printing is used in the electronics industry for solder paste deposition. The precision and holding accuracy of the final structure depends not only on the handling, placement capability of the equipment, and substrate properties but also on the material characteristics of the flux, adhesives or solder paste being used. For most materials, the flow and deformation characteristics both before and during cure are critical. Placement accuracy and final location of the chip become more critical as the die dimensions are miniaturized. Potting and encapsulation of TAB beams and interconnects are also affected when the adhesives have to be dispensed in smaller spaces and need to be held to tighter dimensional tolerances.
Flow properties of adhesives primarily depend on the chemical and physical structure and hence on their composition. Depending on the application, the requirements for flow and deformation of adhesives may be different. For example, non-contact needle dispense systems require the adhesive viscosity to be low enough that flow through the needle is sufficient. However, depending on the shapes and sizes to be filled, or placed, the adhesive may need to have specific properties with respect to flow-out, recovery and elasticity. For stencil printing, it is critical that the adhesive shear thins while filling the apertures. The adhesive must then recover and retain the shape, geometry and dimensions after printing. In addition to the above properties, if the material is a crosslinkable, thermosetting material, the cure parameters can affect the flow and deformation of the adhesive thereby dictating the final dimensions and tolerance. For thermally curable adhesives, the flow and deformation during curing under heat or heat and pressure affects the resulting dimensions. Therefore, in order to maintain tolerances for these placement and dimensions, it is important to have an adhesive with the appropriate rheology for the application before and during curing of an adhesive.
In an inkjet printhead assembly, it is critical to maintain the location of the chip after curing of the die attach adhesive. After the adhesive is dispensed or stencil or screen printed, the chip is aligned and placed on top of the adhesive before the adhesive is cured. During the cure, the chip location can shift depending on the rheology of the die attach adhesive under temperature and load. Another application wherein it is important to maintain adhesive location and dimensions is the encapsulation of TAB beams with a thermally curable adhesive. During the curing cycle of the encapsulant adhesive, the shape and dimensions of the adhesive bead may change. Proper location and dimensions are also important for applying an underfill material where it is essential that the material spreads and fills the chip cavity and may require flow characteristics very different from the die attach or the encapsulant materials.
Commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 6,439,698 describes a method of stencil printing an encapsulant material over electrical connections and other areas on an inkjet printhead. The encapsulant is applied to the electrical connections preferably in the form of a bead.
Commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/679,070 describes a method of stencil printing an encapsulant material over electrical connections and other areas on an inkjet printhead.

Inkjet print cartridge having an adhesive with improved dimensional control


A system (22) for monitoring the fullness of a waste container (20). Waste in the container is compressed by a ram (26). The system includes a sensor (42) for monitoring the force employed to actuate the ram. A container state processor (46) receives the signal from the sensor. The container state processor generates data representative of the fullness of the container. The data generated by the container state processor are transmitted through a modem (50) over the public telephone network to a remote location such as to waste hauler's dispatcher. The system also includes a supervisory processor (58) that is connected to both the container state processor and the modem. The supervisory processor monitors operating state signals generated by both the container state processor (46) and the modem (50). If the operating state signals generated by the container state processor (46) indicate that it is malfunctioning, the supervisory processor (58) attempts to correct for this malfunction. If the operating state signals generated by the modem (50) indicate this it is malfunctioning, the supervisory processor (58) attempts to correct for the malfunction. If corrections for the malfunctions are unsuccessful, the supervisory processor (58) broadcasts an error message over a second modem (136).

A byproduct of many human activities is the generation of solid waste. At many industrial, commercial, retail and high density residential locations this waste is placed in a large container having a capacity of at least 20 yd.sup.3 (15 m.sup.3). Often, a waste compacting system is integrally coupled to this container. The waste compacting system includes a powered ram that is used to periodically compress the waste in order to pack as much waste as possible into a single container. An advantage of tightly packing waste in a container is that it minimizes the frequency with which a waste hauler needs to come to the site in order to remove the full container and provide a new, empty, container.
Over the years, the waste compacting systems used to compress waste have evolved into complex systems. Typically, a current waste compacting system includes processing equipment that generates data used to provide an indication of current container fullness and/or predict when, at a time in the future, the container will be full. For example, many compacting systems collect data representative of one or more of the following parameters: the force employed to actuate the compacting ram; the number of times the ram has been actuated since a new container was installed; and the weight of the container. In some current waste compacting systems, a processor internal to the system itself processes this data to provide an indication of current or future container fullness. In other current waste processing systems, the data processors internal to the systems simply store these data to make it available for retrieval by remote processors that perform the data analysis functions.
Accordingly, another component integral with a modern waste compacting system is a modem. The modem is the device that connects a data storage device internal to the waste compacting system to the telephone network so that the data can be forwarded to the appropriate destination. This destination is typically the office of a dispatcher that is associated with the hauler responsible for removing the filled waste containers. Thus, modern waste compacting systems typically include means for providing dispatchers at remote locations the data upon which these individuals can evaluate the fill state of the waste containers. Based on these fill state data, the dispatchers arrange for the pick up and replacement of a waste container at the time closest to when the container is filled to its maximum capacity.
Clearly, current waste compacting systems provide a convenient means to determine the status of waste container with only minimal on-site monitoring. However, there are some problems associated with these systems. In particular, the electronic components integral with these systems are prone to failure. There appear to be several reasons for this. In many locations at which these systems are installed, a significant amount of noise is carried into the systems over the complementary telephone lines. This noise has been found to disrupt the internal program running on a modem that controls the modem. Also, it should be understood that these waste container systems are located in an outside environment. The components forming the system are typically contained in a weather-proof metal housing. The ambient electromagnetic noise in the locations at which these systems are installed is suspected of penetrating these housings and disrupting the normal signal processing performed by the data processing elements and the modem.
One solution proposed to minimize the electromagnetic noise-induced failure of waste compacting systems is to simply provide components better able to withstand exposure to the noise. Clearly, this solution would reduce some of the failures that now occur. However, a disadvantage associated with this solution is that it requires providing components that are typically significantly more expensive to provide than current components. Moreover, these current components, or the housings with which they are integral, are typically of larger size than the current components. Thus, providing these components makes it more difficult to achieve another end goal in the design of waste compacting systems, to make the overall size of each compacting system as small as possible.

Waste compacting system with system supervisor


An online electronic marketplace in which carriers bid for loads tendered by shippers, and shippers purchase the most attractive transportation services. The system described herein efficiently matches loads and capacities, lowers transaction costs, and creates value through enhanced visibility to information resulting in efficient transportation and financial transactions. According to specific embodiments, the present invention combines a neutral marketplace patterned after a stock exchange, with the electronic format of an Internet auction site to create a trading system for the logistics industry.

The present invention relates to the facilitation of logistics over the Internet. More specifically, the present invention provides an online electronic marketplace in which carriers bid for freight tendered by shippers and shippers purchase the most attractive transportation services for their loads.
In 1998, U.S. businesses spent $898 billion in supply chain expenditures. Transportation expenditures accounted for 47%, or $425 billion of the supply chain costs. Globally, total costs related to supply chain logistics are estimated to be approximately $3.4 trillion. From the perspective of the consumer, supply chain logistics costs account for 5% to 50% of the total costs of a delivered product.
Transportation in the United States today is highly fragmented, with no single transportation company having any significant portion of the $425 billion market. The top 10 carriers by revenue in 1998 accounted for a combined market share of 14.5%, and the top 100 carriers had a combined market share of 22%.
The breakdown of the $425 billion transportation market by type of carrier is, approximately, $249 billion for private fleets (59% market, share), $124 billion for-hire trucking (29% market share), and $52 billion for-hire package express services (12% market share).
For all of these market sectors, empty, non-revenue-generating miles are a significant issue. Based on statistics tracked by the American Trucking Association, for-hire carriers averaged 12.6% empty miles for the first seven months of 1999. Small truckload carriers with less than $30 million in annual revenue incurred the highest percentage empty miles averaging 18.4%. Large less-than-truckload (LTL) carriers fared the best with 6.5% empty miles for the same period. Statistics on private fleets' percentage of empty miles according to the Private Fleet Benchmark of Quality and Productivity are averaging 24%. Based on these numbers, the projected inefficiency in U.S. transportation expenditures today as a result of empty non-revenue generating miles is approximately $82 billion dollars annually.
Transportation brokers play a significant role in the truckload transportation market today, representing additional inefficiency in the supply chain. The demand for their services is due to the fragmentation of information in the industry and the associated empty miles. Transportation brokers have relationships with shippers in regional markets, as well as carriers who move equipment into and out of those regions. Brokers serve as the middlemen between shippers and carriers in matching loads and equipment in return for a typical commission of 8-10% of the cost of the load, normally charging a $50-$100 minimum. Most shippers and carriers have little alternative to paying this cost of doing business due to their limited visibility into the marketplace.
It is therefore desirable to provide a means by which shippers' loads may be connected with carrier capacity in a way which helps to eliminate the supply chain inefficiencies described above.

Methods and apparatus for connecting shippers and carriers in the third party logistics environment via the internet


The present invention relates to a method for preparing a cobalt-based catalyst for Fischer-Tropsch synthesis, more particularly to a method for preparing a cobalt-based catalyst represented by Ir—Co/η-Al2O3 wherein cobalt and iridium are supported at high density by repeating impregnation and drying tens of times on a spherical η-alumina support having many acidic sites.

(a) Technical Field
The present invention relates to a method for preparing a cobalt-based catalyst used for Fischer-Tropsch synthesis.
(b) Background Art
Natural gas has been drawing much attention as an alternative source of energy that can reduce dependency on petroleum. Natural gas is highly evaluated as an alternative to petroleum in that it is distributed relatively uniformly worldwide, its reserves is about 1.6 times that of petroleum with 67 years and it is a clean fuel that hardly produces pollutants such as sulfur and nitrogen compounds. However, natural gas is disadvantageous in that large-scale investment is for pipelines or natural gas liquefying facilities to transport it from production sites to consumers. In addition, in order to ensure economic feasibility, the reserve should be above a certain level and securing of a market is necessary. The gas to liquids (GTL) process is expected to overcome these limitations and facilitate economical utilization of natural gas.
The traditional GTL process converts natural gas to liquid fuels or chemicals via synthesis gas and consists of three major reactions—reforming of natural gas, Fischer-Tropsch (FT) synthesis and cracking of wax in products. In particular, the FT synthesis of preparing liquid hydrocarbons from the synthesis gas is the heart of the GTL process. The FT synthesis allows effective production of various hydrocarbon fuels and highly value-added chemicals from the synthesis gas and is drawing a lot of attention in the energy-related industry. Since the FT synthesis allows production of various types of petroleum products through process improvement or change in reaction conditions including catalysts, production can be varied flexibly depending on market circumstances.
Various catalysts for FT synthesis have been developed up to the present. Their catalytic activity is of great importance since it is directly related to productivity. The catalysts used for the FT synthesis mainly use metals such as palladium, nickel, iron, cobalt, etc. as active component. In particular, iron and cobalt are the active component of commercially available catalysts. Recently, a cobalt-based catalyst including zirconium, titanium, chromium, vanadium or manganese as cocatalyst was developed [International Patent Publication Nos. WO 1997/00231 and WO 1999/34917; European Patent No. 1,042,067]. However, improvement in the catalytic activity can be achieved only when the additionally included cocatalyst metal is closely bound to the cobalt active component.
The inventors of the present invention have studied to develop a method for preparing a cobalt-based catalyst for FT synthesis containing iridium (Ir) wherein cobalt and iridium can be closely bound.

Process for preparing cobalt based catalysts for fischer-tropsch synthesis

Abstract: The catalyst prepared according to the present invention can provide improved conversion rate of carbon monoxide and selectivity for liquid hydrocarbons when used for Fischer-Tropsch synthesis.

KOREA INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY


Various aspects of the present invention are directed to photonic devices, such as electro-optic modulators, passive filters, and tunable filters. In one aspect of the present invention, a photonic device includes a semiconductor structure having a p-region and an n-region. A doped region is formed on or within the semiconductor structure. The doped region includes at least one generally periodic array of recesses, with the at least one generally periodic array configured to transmit electromagnetic radiation at a selected dominant wavelength. The selected dominant wavelength is tunable by varying the refractive index of the semiconductor structure.

Since the late 1970s, waveguides have increasingly supplanted conventional signal lines for transmitting information. Rather than encoding information in electrical signals and transmitting the encoded electrical signals via signal lines, the same information can be encoded in a channel of electromagnetic radiation and transmitted via waveguides, such as optical fibers, ridge waveguides, and photonic crystal waveguides. The term "channel," also called "optical channel," refers to electromagnetic radiation transmitted at one wavelength through a waveguide. Transmitting information encoded in channels via waveguides has a number of advantages over transmitting encoded electrical signals via signal lines. First, degradation or loss is much less for channels transmitted via waveguides than for electrical signals transmitted via signal lines. Second, waveguides can be fabricated to support a much higher bandwidth than signal lines. For example, a single copper or aluminum wire can only transmit a single electrical signal, while a single optical fiber can be configured to transmit about 100 or more channels. Finally, electromagnetic radiation provides, in general, a much higher transmission rate.
Recently technological advances in semiconductor fabrication techniques have made it possible to fabricate waveguides that can be integrated with electronic devices, such as memory and processors, to form photonic integrated circuits ("PICs"), where the waveguides may be used to transmit information encoded in channels between the electronic devices. PICs are the photonic equivalent of electronic integrated circuits and may be implemented on a small substrate of semiconductor material that forms the base of the electronic devices.
In order to effectively implement PICs, passive and active photonic components are needed. Waveguides, attenuators, and filters are examples of passive photonic components that can be fabricated using conventional epitaxial and lithographic methods and may be used to direct the propagation of channels between electronic devices and filter channels. Active photonic components include electro-optic modulators. Accordingly, physicists, engineers, and computer scientists continue to seek improved active and passive photonic components for use in PICs or other photonic systems.

Photonic device including semiconductor structure having doped region with array of subwavelengh recesses

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


Ordering parameters in a graph-based computation includes determining a desired first ordering of a set of parameters associated with graph elements in a computation graph; determining an ordering constraint for the set of parameters; and determining a second ordering of the set of parameters that satisfies the ordering constraint according to the desired first ordering.

Complex business systems typically process data in multiple stages, with the results produced by one stage being fed into the next stage. The overall flow of information through such systems may be described in terms of a directed data flow graph, with vertices in the graph representing components (either data files or processes), and the links or "edges" in the graph indicating flows of data between components.
The same type of graphic representation may be used to describe parallel processing systems. For purposes of this discussion, parallel processing systems include any configuration of computer systems using multiple central processing units (CPUs), either local (e.g., multiprocessor systems such as SMP computers), or locally distributed (e.g., multiple processors coupled as clusters or MPPs), or remotely, or remotely distributed (e.g., multiple processors coupled via LAN or WAN networks), or any combination thereof. Again, the graphs will be composed of components (data files or processes) and flows (graph edges or links). By explicitly or implicitly replicating elements of the graph (components and flows), it is possible to represent parallelism in a system.
Graphs also can be used to invoke computations directly. The "CO>OPERATING SYSTEM®" with Graphical Development Environment (GDE) from Ab Initio Software Corporation, Lexington, Mass. embodies such a system. Graphs made in accordance with this system provide methods for getting information into and out of individual processes represented by graph components, for moving information between the processes, and for defining a running order for the processes. This system includes algorithms that choose interprocess communication methods and algorithms that schedule process execution, and also provides for monitoring of the execution of the graph.
Developers quite often build graphs that are controlled in one way or another through the use of environment variables or command-line arguments which enable generation of instructions (e.g., shell scripts) that are translated into executable instructions by a graph compiler at "runtime" (i.e., when the graph is executed). Environment variables and command-line arguments thus become ad hoc parameters for specifying information such as file names, data select expressions, and keys (e.g., sort keys), making the applications more flexible. However, a user may have to read a generated shell script and search it for references to environment variables and command-line arguments to find the set of parameters that control the execution of a particular graph.

Managing parameters for graph-based computations


A method of electrospinning fibers is disclosed. The fibers have an inner core surrounded by a porous outer shell. The method comprises co-electrospinning first and second liquids as core and shell respectively, the second liquid surrounding the first liquid in a jet issuing from a Taylor cone, wherein the first and second liquids are miscible or semi-miscible with each other, such that pore generation is driven in the shell of the fiber. The liquids may be solutions or melts. The electrical conductivity, viscosity, miscibility and other parameters of the liquids determine the structure of the produced fibers. As well as producing fibers having a porous shell there are described methods of co-electrospraying porous beads as well as core-shell vesicles having a porous shell. The methods may be used to produce hydrogen storage fibers, vesicles and beads. The methods may also be used for producing controlled drug-delivery fibers, vesicles and beads.

Electrospray is a technique for dispersing a liquid to produce an aerosol. In this technique, a liquid is supplied through a capillary and a high voltage is applied to the tip of the capillary. There is also provided a plate biased at low voltage, such as ground, spaced apart from the capillary in a direction normal to the capillary. The relatively high potential at the tip results in the formation of a Taylor cone. A liquid jet is emitted through the apex of the cone. The jet rapidly forms into droplets as a result of Coulomb repulsion in the jet as shown in FIG. 1.
FIG. 2 shows the related technique of electrospinning. Similarly to electrospray, a voltage source is connected between the tip of a capillary 1 and a collector plate 2. Again, as a result of Coulombic repulsion and surface tension forces a Taylor cone forms. If the liquid is a polymer or other liquid with a viscosity which is high enough (due to high molecular weight), the liquid jet emitted from the Taylor cone does not break up. The jet is further elongated by electrostatic repulsion in the polymer or liquid until a thin fibre is produced. The fibre is finally deposited on the collector 2. Instabilities in the liquid jet and evaporation of solvent can cause the fibre not to be straight and may curl. By careful choice of polymer and solvent system combined with a high enough electric field, fibres with nanometer scale diameters can be formed.
The electrospinning process is a particularly versatile process for the productions of micron-scale fibres and nanofibres. Materials such as polymers, composites, ceramic and metal nanofibres have been fabricated directly or through post-spinning processes. Diameters of 3-1000 nm have been achieved. The fibres produced can be used in a diverse range of fields, from scaffolds for clinical use, to nanofibre mats for sub-micron particulate filtration. Attempts have been made to fabricate more complex fibres, such as fibres having a core material different to an outer shell material, and fibre materials incorporating drugs in the outer shell or bacteria and viruses in the inner core. This process is known as coaxial electrospinning or co-electrospinning.
In prior art co-electrospinning techniques, such as that shown in FIG. 3, a solution 10 to form a core and solution 20 to form a shell are delivered through concentric openings in a nozzle 40. An electric field is applied to the nozzle by a voltage supply 30 to draw the shell solution into a Taylor cone 50 where the electrostatic forces within the surface of the shell solution overcome surface tension forces and a jet 60 issues from the cone. The relative viscosities of the core and shell solutions will also affect the formation of the coaxial jet. Frictional forces such as viscous dragging between the core and shell solutions will cause the core solution to be pulled into the Taylor cone and jet along with the shell solution. Similar to single component electrospinning, a bending instability in the jet will cause the jet to spiral 70. As the jet is drawn to the collector 80, electrostatic forces in the outer surface of the shell fluid will cause the jet to lengthen and thin. Solvents in the core and shell solutions will evaporate so as the jet thins it will begin to solidify into a core-shell fibre. Under continuous operation gram-scale quantities of fibre can be produced rapidly.
Prior art techniques have suggested that the structure of core-shell fibres are influenced by the humidity of the electrospinning environment. However, it would be desirable to provide a method of reliably electrospinning nanotextured core-shell fibres and controlling the texture of electrospun core-shell fibres.

THE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY FACILITIES COUNCIL


An iontophoretic agent delivery device, having a layered structure and peripheral insulation, wherein ion transport occurs through two opposing surfaces of said device. The device is especially suited to agent delivery through body surfaces exposed to body fluids. A method of delivering an agent through a body surface exposed to body fluids is also disclosed.

In the past, iontophoresis has been defined as the introduction, by means of electric current, of ions of soluble salts into the tissues of the body for therapeutic purposes. Iontophoretic devices for delivering ionized drugs through the skin have been known since the early 1900's. Deutsche UK Pat. No. 410,009 (1934) describes an iontophoretic device which overcame one of the disadvantages of such earlier devices, namely that the patient was required to be immobilized near the source of the electric current. The Deutsche device was powered by a galvanic cell formed from the electrodes and the material containing the drug to be delivered. The galvanic cell produced the current necessary for iontophoretic delivery of the drug. Thus, this device permitted the patient freedom of movement during iontophoretic drug delivery.
Today, iontophoretic drug delivery is not limited to delivery of ions into the body via electrical current. For example, iontophoretic devices can deliver an uncharged drug into the body via electroosmosis. Electroosmosis is defined as the transdermal flux of a liquid solvent containing an uncharged drug or agent induced by an electric field. Thus, the terms "iontophoretic" and "electrotransport", as used herein, include, but are not limited to, (1) the delivery of charged drugs or agents by electromigration, (2) the delivery of uncharged drugs or agents by the process of electroosmosis, (3) the delivery of charged drugs or agents by the combined processes of electromigration and electroosmosis, (4) the delivery of a mixture of charged and uncharged drugs or agents by the combined processes of electromigration and electroosmosis, and (5) the delivery of agents through pathways created in situ by electroporation. Therefore, a general definition of "iontophoresis" or "electrotransport", as used herein, is the transport of a substance induced or enhanced by the application of an electric potential.
A number of U.S. patents have issued in the iontophoretic agent delivery field. For example, Vernon et al, U.S. Pat. No. 3,991,755; Jacobsen et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,141,359; Wilson, U.S. Pat. No. 4,398,545; and Jacobsen, U.S. Pat. No. 4,250,878 disclose examples of iontophoretic devices and applications thereof. The iontophoresis process has been useful in the transdermal administration of medications or drugs including lidocaine hydrochloride, hydrocortisone, fluoride, penicillin, dexamethasone sodium phosphate, and insulin, among others. Perhaps the most common use of iontophoresis is in diagnosing cystic fibrosis by delivering pilocarpine salts iontophoretically. The pilocarpine stimulates sweat production; the sweat is collected and analyzed for its chlorine content to detect the presence of the disease.
In presently known iontophoretic devices, at least two electrodes are required. Both electrodes are located in intimate electrical contact with some portion of the skin, nails, or other membrane surface of the body, such that chemical species transport through a body surface is accomplished. One electrode, called the active or donor electrode, is the electrode from which the ionic agent, medication, drug or drug precursor is delivered into the body. The other electrode, termed the counter or return electrode, serves to close the electrical circuit through the body. For example, if the ionic agent to be delivered is positively charged, i.e. a cation, then the anode will be the active or donor electrode, while the cathode serves to complete the circuit. Alternatively, if the ionic agent is negatively charged, i.e. an anion, the cathode will be the donor electrode. Additionally, both the anode and cathode may be used to deliver drugs if both anionic and cationic drug ions are to be delivered. Thus, a complete electrical circuit is formed from electrical contact of the power source to the donor electrode, the donor electrode to the body, the body to the counter electrode, and the counter electrode to the power source.
Iontophoretic delivery devices generally require a reservoir or source of the beneficial agent to be delivered to the body. Examples of such agent reservoirs include a pouch or cavity as described in the previously mentioned Jacobsen patent, U.S. Pat. No. 4,250,878, a porous sponge or pad as disclosed in Jacobsen et al patent, U.S. Pat. No. 4,141,359, and a preformed gel body as described in the Webster patent, U.S. Pat. No. 4,383,529, and the Ariura et al patent, U.S. Pat. No. 4,474,570. Such drug reservoirs are electrically connected to the anode or the cathode of an iontophoretic device to provide a fixed or renewable source of one or more desired agents.
Typically, self-contained iontophoretic delivery devices are designed for contact with only one body surface, such as with electrotransport devices which are placed on the surface of a patient's skin. Structurally, the counter and donor electrodes are usually positioned side by side separated by an insulator, both electrodes being in ion transmitting relation with the same body surface on the same face of the device. This type of electrotransport device is not ideally suited to an environment exposed to body fluids, because of possible short circuiting between the electrodes and/or agent reservoirs via the body fluid. Exemplary of such environments are the oral, nasal, vaginal, ocular and anal cavities. If short-circuiting occurs in such an environment, the iontophoretic agent delivery device merely delivers the agent into the body fluid, e.g. the saliva, and not through the body surface, e.g. buccal membrane, for transport into the blood stream.
Another major issue in iontophoretic delivery systems is the power source. Typically, the power source represents a significant portion of the system cost. In addition, in self-contained systems, the power source is usually formed from one or more batteries having limited useful lives. Thus, a continuing goal in the design of iontophoretic delivery systems is the reduction of power requirements, for example, by reducing the resistance to current flow. Since the major electrical resistance is represented by the two layers of skin through which current typically flows in prior art systems, a reduction in this resistance, resulting in a corresponding reduction in power requirements, would be highly desirable.
Thus, there is a need for device for iontophoretic agent delivery through a mucosal membrane which minimizes the probability of short-circuiting when exposed to body fluids. In addition, there is a further need for a device suitably shaped for iontophoretic agent delivery through two opposing body surfaces. A further need exists for reduction of the cross-sectional area required for an iontophoretic system at a desired agent delivery rate and for reduction of the power requirements for an iontophoretic agent delivery system.

Layered electrotransport drug delivery system


A liquid cooled heat sink includes: a casing defining an inner space and provided with a partitioning wall dividing the inner space into upper and lower chambers and formed with a fluid passage in fluid communication with the upper and lower chambers, the casing being formed with a fluid inlet in fluid communication with the upper chamber and adapted to be connected to an external cooling device; a fin unit provided in the lower chamber; and a pump mounted on the casing and having a suction end disposed in the upper chamber, extending through the partitioning wall, and in fluid communication with the lower chamber, and a discharging end disposed in the upper chamber and adapted to be connected to an external cooling device.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a liquid cooled heat sink, more particularly to a liquid cooled heat sink including a casing and a pump mounted directly on the casing and in fluid communication with a lower chamber in the casing.
2. Description of the Related Art
As shown in FIG. 1, a conventional heat dissipating device generally includes a radiator 2 having a fluid inlet 22 and a fluid outlet 21, a heat sink 11 having a coolant inlet 111 and a coolant outlet 112, an inlet conduit 12, an outlet conduit 13, and a pump 14. The heat sink 11 is adapted to be connected to a heat source (not shown), such as a CPU or a heat-generating electronic component of a display. The outlet conduit 13 interconnects the coolant outlet 112 of the heat sink 11 and the fluid inlet 22 of the radiator 2. The pump 14 is mounted on the inlet conduit 12, and the inlet conduit 12 has a first conduit section 121 interconnecting the coolant inlet 111 of the heat sink 11 and the pump 14, and a second conduit section 122 interconnecting the pump 14 and the fluid outlet 21 of the radiator 2.
When the pump 14 is operated, a coolant is driven to circulate through the heat sink 11, the outlet conduit 13, the radiator 2, and the inlet conduit 12, and carries heat absorbed by the heat sink 11 to the radiator 2 so as to dissipate heat thereat.
Although the conventional heat dissipating device has the heat dissipating effect, there are still some disadvantages:
1) An undesired high coolant vaporizing rate due to connection between the pump 14 and the first and second conduit sections 121, 122 of the inlet conduit 12 occurs.
2) A larger space is required to accommodate the pump 14 and the first and second conduit sections 121, 122 of the inlet conduit 12.
3) Assembly of the pump 14 and the first and second conduit sections 121, 122 of the inlet conduit 12 is inconvenient when the space for accommodating the heat dissipating device is small.


The particle detection system detects particles or flaws on the surface of an article. The system has a source of light directed against the surface of the article and a detector for detecting light scattered from the article and indicative of the presence of particles or flaws present on the article. The detector includes a light collector positioned for receiving and collecting light scattered from the surface of the article, a light splitter cooperating with the collector for dividing the collected light into first and second light collect components, first and second photodetectors positioned for receiving respectively first and second like light components, and an electrical circuit for combining the output signals from the first and second photodetectors to form a combined output signal with a higher signal-to-noise ratio than traditional systems.

In the process of manufacturing silicon or other semiconductor microchips, light is generally directed through a reticle mask to etch circuits into a silicon wafer. The presence of dirt, dust, smudges or other foreign matter on the surfaces of the reticle mask or the silicon wafer is highly undesirable and adversely affects the resulting circuits. As a result, the reticles and silicon wafers are necessarily inspected before use. One common inspection technique is for a human inspector to visually examine each surface under intense light and magnification. Debris that is smaller than can be visually detected, however, impairs the resulting microchips.
Laser inspection systems have been developed for inspecting the surface of silicon wafers to accurately detect small particles. Examples of such systems may be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 4,197,011 by Hudson entitled "Defect Detection And Plotting System"; U.S. Pat. No. 4,376,583 by Alford et al. entitled "Surface Inspection Scanning System"; U.S. Pat. No. 4,630,276 by Moran et al. entitled "Compact Laser Scanning System"; U.S. Patent; U.S. Pat. No. 4,643,569 by Sullivan entitled "Dual Beam Laser Inspection"; U.S. Pat. No. 4,875,780 by Moran, et al. entitled "Method and Apparatus For Inspecting Reticles"; U.S. Pat. No. 5,076,692 by Neukermans, et al. entitled "Particle Detection On A Patterned Or Bare Wafer Surface"; U.S. Pat. No. 5,127,726 by Moran entitled "Method And Apparatus for Low Angle High Resolution Surface Inspection"; and Japanese Patent 69,539 by Mochizuki entitled "Inspecting Device For Surface Defect."
In these traditional laser inspection systems, light is specularly reflected and scattered from a surface of an article. The specularly reflected and scattered light are both indicative of the presence of particles or flaws on the surface of the article. The light scattered from the reflective surface of the article, such as a silicon wafer disk, is relayed to a single photodetector such as a photomultiplier tube ("PMT"). In the traditional systems, the scattered light consists of a slowly varying base line signal sometimes referred to as haze. The signal typically also contains fast pulses of light which correspond to point defects, such as dust particles on the wafer. The photodetector responds to the base line signal with a direct current ("DC") level offset which is proportional to the haze level. Due to the statistical nature of electron amplification through the diode stages of the PMT, multifrequency alternating current ("AC") noise is generated. This AC noise is random in nature, or asynchronous, and limits capability to distinguish the desired particle signal from this "random" system noise.
Several laser inspection systems have been developed which recognize that the signals detected by various photodetectors do not provide clear indications of fine particles or flaws on the surface of the article. Examples of these systems may be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 4,464,050 by Kato et al. entitled "Apparatus for Detecting Optically Defects"; U.S. Pat. No. 4,861,164 by West entitled "Apparatus for Separating Specular From Diffuse Radiation"; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,893,932 by Knollenberg entitled "Surface Analysis And Method."These systems, however, failed to reduce the haze level so that detecting the signal from the haze is still difficult.
Thus, there is a need for a laser inspection system which increases signal-to-noise ratio ("S/N") from the scattered light channel detecting particles or flaws, in the surface of an article, such as a silicon wafer.

Particle detection system with coincident detection


A flexible air duct is connected to a dishwashing unit for conducting hot moist air therefrom. Opposite ends of the duct communicate with the dishwashing unit for conducting condensed water back thereto, while hot air is discharged through an air outlet disposed intermediate the ends of the duct. The duct is of oblong cross-section and includes cooling fins on one side.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a dishwasher, and more particularly to a drying duct for discharging the hot, humid and pressurized air generated during the drying processes.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Generally, a dishwasher is composed of shelves for fixing up the dishes in the tub, a cleansing motor enabling the cleansing water to be jetted to the dishes, cleansing nozzles jetting the cleansing water to the dishes in various directions and then cleansing the dishes, a blowing fan infusing the outside air into the tub, and an air outlet formed to discharge the hot, humid and pressurized air in the tub out into the outside.
This kind of conventional dishwasher is designed to clean the dishes laid on the shelves with the cleansing water jetted to the dishes in various directions by the cleansing motor and nozzles when the power is applied on the dishwasher with dishes on the shelves.
Furthermore, when the cleaning process is finished in the dishwasher, dishes are dried by a heater and at the same time a blowing fan is operated for improving the drying efficiency, so that outside air is infused into the dishwasher.
However, owing to the outside air being infused into the dishwasher and, the heating temperature being generated during the drying processes of dishes, the infused outside air is combined with humid air produced by the cleansing water inside the dishwasher, which are all thereafter discharged to the outside through the discharge orifice at the same time.
In other words, in order to increase the washing efficiency of dishwasher, the dishes are heated by the heater and simultaneously are jetted with water by the nozzles. And at this moment, hot and humid air fills the inner area of the dishwasher, which increases the pressure inside the tub. Then, the blowing fan is operated to maintain the same pressure in the tub as the atmospheric pressure and simultaneously to increase the drying efficiency, which thereby discharges the hot and humid air out to the outside.
However, as explained above, in order to upgrade the washing efficiency, when the dishes are washed or dried with the hot washing water in a dishwasher, the hot and humid air is discharged to the outside. In this case, the hot and humid air being discharged becomes condensed water due to the temperature difference and flows down along the outside wall of the dishwasher, causing erosions in and outside the dishwasher, or in case the condensed water seeps into the inside of a dishwasher, damage to the inner components and electric leakages can occur.
Furthermore, the hot, humid and pressurized air and condensed water being generated from the dishwasher can create a problem of adversely affecting electric and other surrounding appliances.
In order to solve said problems, many techniques to retrieve the discharging vapor and humidity are known by the artisan, and is represented by Japanese Laid-Open Utility Application No. SHO-57/112765, wherein an exhaust duct discharging the hot and humid air from the inside of dishwasher to the outside is provided, and a dewing apparatus is mounted on said exhaust duct, which retrieves a condensed water portion of the hot humid air being discharged.
Also, Japanese Laid Open Patent Application No. HEI-2/218328 discloses a technique wherein air ventilation routes are formed in various openings installed inside the tub. The vapors in the tub are routed through said air ventilation routes by the blowing fans, by which the vapors are condensed into condensed water and retrieved by way of a heat exchanger in between the waters underneath the lower area of the tub.
However, the former dishwasher (57-112765), being equipped with dewing apparatus at the air outlet of the conventional dishwasher, involves a difficulty in installing the dewing apparatus to the exhaust duct in addition to the inability of completely instantly condensing to condensed water the hot and humid air being discharged to the outside. The latter dishwasher (2-218328) having a closed tub, has to be provided with a separate discharge orifice to maintain the same pressure in the tub as the atmospheric pressure. The latter dishwasher also has the problem of lowered retrieving efficiency of vapor and longer drying time due to hot humid conditions in the tub when the vapor is condensed by a heat exchanger in between air circulating routes and supplied water.
Also, the condensing effect made by the contact with hot humid air circulating through the air circulating routes and the waters supplied to the inner lower area of dishwasher, in the case of the latter dishwasher, deteriorates efficiency-wise as time elapses, or the hot and humid air can not be condensed as the temperature of the water supplied to the dishwasher soars up, which causes the hot and humid air being generated by the dishwasher to be discharged through separate discharge orifice away from the air circulating routes.


Bis(N-alkylaminocyclohexyl)methanes are excellent chain extenders in the formation of polyurethane and polyurea polymers, both elastomers and coatings, from both monomeric polyisocyanates and isocyanate-terminated prepolymers. Our chain extenders may be used alone or in combination with other polyamines and with polyols. A broad spectrum of polymeric material can be formed with a range of diverse properties.

As a subclass of commercially available polymers, polyurethane elastomers have several properties whose advantages confer unique benefits on them. Typically, polyurethanes and the related polyureas show high abrasion resistance with high load bearing, excellent cut and tear resistance, high hardness, and resistance to ozone degradation, yet are portable and castable. Compared to metals, polyurethanes are lighter in weight, less noisy in use, show better wear and excellent corrosion resistance while being capable of less expensive fabrication. Compared to other plastics, polyurethanes are non-brittle, much more resistant to abrasion, and exhibit good elastomeric memory. Polyurethanes find use in such diverse products as aircraft hitches, bushings, cans, gaskets, star wheels, washers, scraper blades, impellers, gears, and also serve as coatings in a wide variety of uses.
Part of the utility of polyurethanes (and polyureas) derives from their enormous diversity of properties resulting from a relatively limited number of reactants. Typically, polyurethanes are prepared on site by reacting (curing) the terminal isocyanate groups of a monomeric polyisocyanate or of a low molecular weight prepolymer with the isocyanate-reactive hydrogens of a polyfunctional compound so as to form high polymers through chain extension and, in some cases, crosslinking. Urethane prepolymers are adducts of polyisocyanates and polyhydric alcohols as exemplified by the 2:1 adducts of a diisocyanate and a diol, and urea prepolymers are adducts of monomeric polyisocyanates and polyamines. Diols, and especially alkylene diols, are the most common isocyanate-reactive materials used as curing agents and lead to linear polymers by chain extension. Where a triol or a higher polyhydric alcohol is used crosslinking occurs to afford a non-linear polymer. Although other polyfunctional materials, especially diamines, are theoretically suitable, with but a few exceptions none have achieved commercial importance as a curing agent. The major exceptions are 4,4'-methylene-di-ortho-chloroanaline, usually referred to as MOCA, and the 2,4- and 2,6-diamino-3,5-diethyl-1-methylbenzene, often referred to as diethyltoluene diamine or DETDA, curing agents which are both a chain extender and a crosslinker. More recently selected secondary diamines and polyamines have found favor as curing agents. The secondary diamines act solely as chain extenders.
Among the unsatisfied needs in the polyurethane and polyurea elastomer field is that for a product which shows excellent light stability while having the toughness of polymers made using amine-based curing agents. A disadvantage of many current products is their tendency to yellow in sunlight, whereas it would be highly advantageous to have products which show no darkening with time for particular applications such as coatings generally, elastomers such as topcoats for automobiles and outdoor implements, for roofs, coatings for bridges and decks, and for certain adhesives.

Bis(N-alkylaminocyclohexyl)methanes as curing agents for polyurethanes and polyureas


Systems, methods, and computer readable storage mediums for optimistically managing compressed data in a storage system. When possible, multiple input blocks are compressed into a buffer and stored in a single physical block on a storage device. The metadata of the multiple input blocks can be managed separately. A fingerprint of the compressed buffer can be generated and used as an index to the single physical block. Alternatively, fingerprints of the uncompressed input blocks can be generated, and reference counts can be maintained to track the number of input blocks which reference the compressed buffer.

Technical Field
Embodiments described herein relate to storage systems, and more particularly, to techniques for optimistically managing compressed data in storage systems based on data mapping into small fixed-sized blocks.
Description of the Related Art
Managing compressed data in a fixed-size block storage system presents multiple challenges. Input data streams can be partitioned into equal-sized blocks, but compressing the equal-sized input blocks results in compressed buffers of arbitrary size, which do not fit nicely into the fixed-size physical locations on the target storage devices. Also, combining compression with deduplication can increase the complexity of the storage system. To reduce metadata overhead, the input block size used for partitioning the input data stream could be increased, but this would have a negative effect on the deduplication ratio, as deduplication is typically implemented by block hashing. On the other hand, compressing small input blocks is typically sub-optimal because compression algorithms tend to be less efficient on smaller sized input data.

Managing compressed data in a storage system


Method and system for managing a heap. A map is employed to indicate which areas of the heap are inaccessible to a program. Such areas constitute garbage which is potentially returnable to a data structure which identifies free storage available for reallocation to the program. By choosing map entries corresponding to portions of storage whose size is of the same order of magnitude as a predetermined minimum unit size for the data structure, a small map can be used. Such a map can be scanned more quickly than a larger map of higher granularity to identify only relatively larger areas of garbage for reallocation.

In a computer system, programs and data reside in physical storage, such as RAM or disk but are addressable in virtual memory, defined by the operating system. When a computer program is executed, the operating system establishes a run time environment. In the run time environment, storage must be allocated by the system not only for any external data needed by the program but also for data generated by the program itself. Several methods of storage allocation are known. Static allocation binds all names in the program to fixed storage locations at compile time. This is the oldest and least flexible technique but may still be used for storage of dynamically loadable library (DLL) files used by a program. Dynamic allocation of storage requires the creation of data structures in dedicated areas of memory known as the "stack* and the "heap". Typically, modern programming language compilers or run time environments may provide all three types of storage under overall system control.
The stack is typically a push down stack (last-in-first-out) and is used for data which must be organised and retrieved in a known and controlled manner. The heap is used for storage of transient data such as intermediate results and variable values which may not be needed for more than a short time during execution. Data structures in a heap may be allocated and deallocated in any order.
During program execution, the allocation of free virtual memory is managed by means of "free lists" which are data structures containing pointers to storage locations in a free pool of memory which are available to a requesting program. There must of course be limits on the amount of storage which can be allocated to any particular program. In the case of the heap, a large amount of transient data may be generated by the program. In order for the heap not to become full, storage must be deallocated by the program as its contents become redundant.
However, because of the dynamic aspect of heap allocation and the transient nature of the program operations carried out on heap data, it is quite frequently the case that pointers to stored data objects may be destroyed after the objects have been used by the program, without the data object storage being explicitly deallocated. This means that the data object has become unreachable by the program. A single instance of this is referred to as a "leak* and collectively, all the leaks are referred to as •garbage".
Automatic techniques known collectively as "garbage collection" have been developed to identify such garbage data and to reallocate its storage for reuse by the program. An in-depth treatise on the subject may be found in the book "Garbage Collection—Algorithms for Automatic Dynamic Memory Management" by Richard Jones and Rafael Lins (Wiley, 1996, ISBN 0471941484.)
In the field of this invention it is known that garbage collection is a part of a programming language's runtime system, or an add-on library, perhaps assisted by the compiler, the hardware, the operating system, or any combination of the three, that automatically determines what memory—a program is no longer using, and recycles it for other use. It is also known as "automatic storage (or memory) reclamation". One example of a managed runtime programming language relying on garbage collection is the Java programming language (Java and all Java-based trademarks are trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. in the United States, other countries, or both). Another example is the Visual C# language and .NET programming framework from Microsoft Corporation (Visual C# is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States, other countries, or both).
Automatic garbage collection is preferred to explicit memory management by the programmer, which is time consuming and error prone, since most programs often create leaks, particularly programs using exception-handling and/or threads. The benefits of garbage collection are increased reliability, decoupling of memory management from class interface design, and less developer time spent chasing memory management errors. However, garbage collection is not without its costs, including performance impact, pauses, configuration complexity, and non-deterministic finalization.
A common method of garbage collection, many versions of which are described in detail in the above referenced book, is known as "mark-sweep", where allocated memory (that is, memory corresponding to accessible data objects) is first marked and a collector then sweeps the heap and collects unmarked memory for re-allocation. Broadly, the marking phase traces all live objects in the heap by following pointer chains from "roots" to which the program has access. Roots may typically be in the program stack or in processor registers. When a data object on the heap is reached, it is marked, typically by setting a bit in a mark map representing the heap storage, although alternatively, an extra bit could be set in the object itself. When all reachable objects have been traced, any other objects must be garbage. The sweep phase uses the marking results to identify unmarked data as garbage and returns the garbage containing areas to the free list for reallocation. An entire collection may be performed at once while the user program is suspended (so-called 'stop-the-world' collection). Alternatively, the collector may run incrementally (the entire heap not being collected at once, resulting in shorter collection pauses).
However, these approaches have the disadvantages that the sweep phase of garbage collection can take a significant part of the pause time (greater than 50%). An alternative is to run the collector process concurrently whereby the user program assists the garbage collection process being performed by the system. Typically, the amount of work done by a user program thread is a function of the amount of transient storage allocated by it. However, "concurrent sweep", as this is known, has the drawback of decreasing application throughput
In addition to the Jones and Lin book, reference is also made to a paper entitled "Dynamic selection of application specific garbage collectors" by S. Soman et al., (ISMM'04 Oct. 24-25, 2004 Vancouver, Copyright 2004 ACM). This paper reports results achieved using five different known methods of garbage collection and recommends switching between the methods for the greatest efficiency. However, it does not suggest how to increase the speed of garbage collection.
A need therefore exists for a garbage collection technique wherein the above mentioned disadvantage(s) may be alleviated.

Method and system for dynamically managing storage of data objects generated during execution of a computer program

International Business Machines Corporation


The invention is directed to processes for preparing 2-aminothiazole-5-carboxamides of formula I

2-Aminothiazole-5-carboxamides of formula I

wherein,
R1, R2, R3, R4 and R5 defined herein, are useful as kinase inhibitors, including inhibitors of p38 kinase. Inhibiting p38 enzymes in cells results in reduced levels of TNF-α expression, and administering p38 inhibitors in animal models of inflammatory disease has proven that these inhibitors are effective in treating inflammatory and immune conditions. 2-Aminothiazole-5-carboxamides of formula (I) herein, having activity as p38 inhibitors, are described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/773,790, filed concomitantly with the provisional application from which the present application is based, claiming priority to U.S. Provisional application Ser. No. 60/445,410, filed Feb. 6, 2003 (hereinafter the '410 application), both of which are assigned to the present assignee and incorporated herein by reference.
Previous approaches for preparing 2-aminothiazole-5-carboxamides are described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,596,746 (the '746 patent), also assigned to the present assignee, and in the '410 application. The '746 patent describes a process involving treatment of chlorothiazole with n-BuLi followed by reaction with phenyl isocyanates to give chlorothiazolyl benzamides, which are further elaborated to aminothiazolyl benzamide final products after protection, chloro-to amino substitution, and deprotection, e.g.,

The '410 application describes a multi-step process involving first, converting N-unsubstituted aminothiazole carboxylic acid methyl or ethyl esters to bromothiazole carboxylic acid esters via diazotization with tert-butyl nitrite and subsequent CuBr2 treatment, e.g.,

then, hydrolyzing the resulting bromothiazole esters to the corresponding carboxylic acids and converting the acids to the corresponding acyl chlorides, e.g.,

then finally, coupling the acyl chlorides with anilines to afford bromothiazole-benzamide intermediates which were further elaborated to aminothiazole-benzamide final products, e.g.,

Other approaches for making 2-aminothiazole-5-carboxamides include coupling of 2-aminothiazole-5-carboxylic acids with amines using various coupling conditions such as DCC [Roberts et al, J. Med. Chem. (1972), 15, at p. 1310], and DPPA [Marsham et al., J. Med. Chem. (1991), 34, at p. 1594)].
The above methods present drawbacks with respect to the production of side products, the use of expensive coupling reagents, less than desirable yields, and the need for multiple reaction steps. New and efficient processes for preparing 2-aminothiazole-5-carboxamides are desired.
Reaction of N,N-dimethyl-N′-(aminothiocarbonyl)-formamidines with α-haloketones and esters to give 5-carbonyl-2-aminothiazoles has been reported. See Lin, Y. et al, J. Heterocycl. Chem. (1979), 16, at 1377; Hartmann, H. et al, J. Chem. Soc. Perkin Trans. (2000), 1, at 4316; Noack, A. et al; Tetrahedron (2002), 58, at 2137; Noack, A.; et al. Angew. Chem. (2001), 113, at 3097; and Kantlehner, W. et al., J. Prakt. Chem./Chem.-Ztg. (1996), 338, at 403. Reaction of β-ethoxy acrylates and thioureas to prepare 2-aminothiazole-5-carboxylates also has been reported. Zhao, R., et al., Tetrahedron Lett. (2001), 42, at 2101. However, electrophilic bromomination of acrylanilide and crotonanilide has been known to undergo both aromatic bromination and addition to the α,β-unsaturated carbon-carbon double bonds. See Autenrieth, Chem. Ber. (1905), 38, at 2550; Eremeev et al., Chem. Heterocycl. Compd. Engl. Transl. (1984), 20, at 1102.

Process for preparing 2-aminothiazole-5-carboxamides useful as kinase inhibitors

Abstract: wherein R1, R2, R3, R4 and R5 are as defined as set forth in the specification herein.


A control signal output unit obtains a motor control signal by applying a reduction amount for a current command value obtained by an over-power suppression control unit to a current command value from a host control unit. The over-power suppression control unit includes a hydraulic pressure estimation unit that estimates hydraulic pressure, and a current command value correction amount calculation unit that compares a target hydraulic pressure with an estimated hydraulic pressure and outputs the reduction amount for the current command value. Load information indicating whether a load on the pump is a low load or a high load that is higher than the low load is input into a control circuit from the host control unit, and the over-power suppression control unit changes the target hydraulic pressure in accordance with a magnitude of the load indicated by the load information.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to a motor control unit and an electric pump unit, and more specifically to a motor control unit for an electric pump unit suitable for supplying hydraulic pressure to a transmission of an automobile and an electric pump unit that includes such a motor control unit.
2. Description of Related Art
As a device that supplies hydraulic pressure to a transmission of an automobile, a device that includes only a main pump driven by an engine that is a main power supply has been used conventionally.
However, when an idling stop function of stopping the engine while the automobile stops is provided, two hydraulic sources, that is, a main pump, which has been used conventionally, and an auxiliary pump driven by an electric motor that uses a battery as a power supply are required to secure supply of hydraulic pressure to a drive system such as the transmission even while the engine is stopped by the idling stop function. Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2010-116914 (JP 2010-116914 A) describes an example of a hydraulic pressure supply device for a transmission, which includes such two hydraulic sources. The hydraulic pressure supply device supplies hydraulic pressure to a transmission, and an auxiliary pump constitutes an electric pump unit together with an electric motor for driving the auxiliary pump and a motor control unit. When the hydraulic pressure in a main discharge oil passage from a main pump to the transmission is equal to or higher than a predetermined value, driving of the auxiliary pump is stopped. On the other hand, when the hydraulic pressure in the main discharge oil passage is lower than the predetermined value, the auxiliary pump is driven. The hydraulic pressure that is supplied from the main pump is several tens of times higher than the hydraulic pressure that is supplied from the auxiliary pump, and the measurement range of a hydraulic sensor is set based on the magnitude of the hydraulic pressure that is supplied from the main pump. Therefore, if the hydraulic pressure that is supplied from the main pump is used for hydraulic control of the auxiliary pump, measurement accuracy is not sufficient, and it is difficult to execute the hydraulic control. When the auxiliary pump is driven, the electric motor is driven based on a current command value provided from a host ECU. Therefore, it is possible to obtain hydraulic pressure that is equal to or higher than a target hydraulic pressure.
In the conventional electric pump unit, the electric motor is driven according to the current command value regardless of whether there is any load on the electric motor or not, which causes a state where an output is large beyond necessity (over power). Such a state is not preferable because power consumption is unnecessarily large and heat and noise are generated. The target hydraulic pressure needs to be set in order to suppress over power. However, in order to supply a wide range of hydraulic pressures by a single pump, how to deal with changes in the load on the pump is an issue to be addressed.

Motor control unit and electric pump unit


A method and system are provided for continuously monitoring bandwidth utilization in real time on a backbone of a network. Prefixes using the highest traffic can be identified and additional bandwidth can be provisioned in the form of optical transponder wavelengths. The additional bandwidth can be an express path that passes directly through optical nodes (thereby bypassing transit network devices) to the destination optical node. A centralized controller can perform the monitoring of the network devices, decide that an express path needs to be generated, and control both the network device and the optical network nodes to generate the express path from the network device, through the optical network, to the destination network device. The controller can apply and remove IP static routes and IP addresses associated with an express path. Additionally, the controller can request the setup or tear-down of an optical wavelength within the optical network.

A Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM) Optical Network can be used to implement a wide-area network to connect data centers that are separated by long distances. In DWDM, multiple optical carrier signals are multiplexed onto a single optical fiber using different wavelengths. The number of circuits that can be multiplexed over a single fiber pair is dependent on a fiber pair length (measured in fiber km). As the fiber distance increases, a smaller number of signals can be multiplexed over a single fiber pair.
DWDM Optical Networks include a plurality of optical nodes. Each optical node is equipped with a Reconfigurable Optical Add-Drop Multiplexer (ROADM) capable of routing DWDM wavelengths to two or more destinations (e.g., data centers). The ROADM allows network operators to remotely reconfigure the optical node using Application Programming Interface (API) commands. Using the API commands, the ROADM can be programmed to add or drop wavelengths without interrupting pass-through channels. The optical nodes can also include transponders that convert signals between an electrical domain and a specific wavelength. Data signals can then be combined together into a multi-wavelength signals using an optical multiplexer, which allows multiple signals to be carried on a single optical fiber.
Network devices in the electrical domain are standalone packet switching devices that only know of the existence of the next adjacent network device. Network devices are not aware of the optical network and its topology that forms the connectivity between network devices. Network planners continuously monitor bandwidth utilization between network device ports. When there is a potential for network congestion to occur between two adjacent ports, network planners execute orders to increase capacity between the two network devices. Network planners do not need to evaluate the source and destination traffic that is causing the congestion event, and, instead, rely on the network devices to find the best route through the network. However, network devices do not have visibility into the bandwidth utilization state of the entire network.

Optimizing routes across an optical network based on traffic stream bandwidth utilization