An identity management server can be used to provide identity-based authentication and access control mechanism for devices trying to connect to a network or other devices on the network. The identity management server may authenticate a user associated with a device based on the past behavior information of the user received from another device associated with the user. The identity management server may generate a trust score based on multiple attributes associated with the user and the device, and authenticate the user if the trust score is within an acceptable limit. The identity management server may also generate access permissions for the device, which can be used by a network device to grant or deny access to the network.

Generally, a user's identity is confirmed using passwords prior to allowing a user access to an account. For more security-sensitive systems, multi-factor authentication may be used. Multi-factor authentication is a method of confirming a user's claimed identity (i.e. authenticating a user) in which a user is granted access only after successfully presenting 2 or more pieces of evidence (or factors) to an authentication mechanism. One of the most common types of multi-factor authentication includes using a password along with a response to a pre-defined set of challenge questions that presumably only the user knows the answers to. However, the general and pre-defined nature of the questions generally render such systems vulnerable to attacks.

Identity-based authentication and access control mechanism


Exemplary embodiments disclose a method and system for detecting a failure and resuming processing in a computing system encompassing at least two sites, a primary site and a secondary site. In a module, an exemplary embodiment generates a record of a logically consistent state and data of system components of the primary site periodically and transfers the record of a logically consistent state and data of system components of the primary site to the secondary site. In another module, an exemplary embodiment detects a failure in the primary site, halts the generation of the record of a logically consistent state and data of system components of the primary site periodically with a data freeze function, and resumes a processing of the primary site on the secondary site with secondary site components updated with a most recent logically consistent state and data of system components of the primary site.

Computing systems host software that runs modern economies and societies—affecting the real time day-to-day safety and welfare of millions of people. The continuous availability of many computer systems is essential to a society's functioning, health, and security. Sporadic unavailability, even for minutes, of some systems is dangerous and disruptive: air traffic control and financial systems are examples. Therefore, much thought and effort has been applied to enhancing the availability of some systems—and to decreasing downtime in the event of a failure.
The decreasing cost and increasing performance of computer system hardware over time has channeled efforts to increase system availability toward a model in which system components are replicated and dispersed geographically to avoid natural disasters and to avoid any one failure from causing a total system failure. In this model, software running on replicated controllers synchronizes and coordinates data movement and data replication among the replicated components to avoid total failure scenarios and to facilitate expeditious system recovery.

Enhanced recovery of highly available computing systems

International Business Machines Corporation


A method and apparatus for forming a coreless paper roll having a specifically shaped central aperture. A probe is inserted into the central aperture of the roll after the winding mandrel has been removed from the roll to change the configuration of the central aperture over at least a portion of the length thereof.

It is well known to form coreless paper roll products, such as rolls of toilet tissue, on mandrels having cross-sectional configurations of predetermined types. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,853,279, issued Dec. 10, 1974, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,856,226, issued Dec. 24, 1974, both disclosed methods and apparatus wherein coreless rolls are formed by winding webs of tissue or other paper types directly upon round winding mandrels.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,487,378, issued Dec. 11, 1984, discloses a coreless toilet paper roll having a center hole which is formed by winding toilet paper on a winding shaft having a polygonal or gear-shaped section and then extracting the polygonal or gear-shaped winding shaft from the roll.
Of course, when winding mandrels are removed from wound tissue rolls or the like, a central aperture or hole is formed where the mandrel was located. However, the shape or cross-section of the central aperture may not always be suitable for the intended use of the roll product, as for example, when the hole is disturbed by sawing the cant into individual rolls.
The present invention provides a method and a means whereby the shape of the central aperture may be modified over at least a portion of the length thereof to better accommodate the paper roll to its intended use. For example, the central aperture or hole may be modified at only one side of the roll to make the roll right or left handed for correct installation in a dispenser or suitable for use with certain types of dispensers.
When carrying out the teachings of the present invention, a probe insertable into the central aperture is utilized to modify the shape of inner wound layers of the coreless roll. A search of the prior art located a number of patents directed to plugs, bushings, mandrels and the like which are inserted into the ends of rolls for various purposes, primarily improved support, but do not pertain to modifying the shape of the roll product central aperture upon removal of the mandrel, plug or other device. The patents located in the search are as follows: U.S. Pat. No. 3,106,362, issued Oct. 8, 1963, U.S. Pat. No. 3,519,216, issued Jul. 7, 1970, U.S. Pat. No. 1,459,596, issued Jun. 19, 1923, U.S. Pat. No. 1,408,126, issued Feb. 28, 1922, U.S. Pat. No. 4,160,530, issued Jul. 10, 1979, U.S. Pat. No. 3,704,837, issued Dec. 5, 1972, U.S. Pat. No. 3,355,121, issued Nov. 28, 1967, U.S. Pat. No. 2,697,563, issued Dec. 21, 1954, and European Patent Application Publication No. 48,975, published Apr. 7, 1982.

Method for shaping the center hole of a coreless paper roll


An improved process for the production of linear alternating polymers of carbon monoxide and at least one ethylenically unsaturated hydrocarbon comprises contacting the carbon monoxide and hydrocarbon under polymerization conditions in the presence of a reaction diluent and a novel catalyst composition formed from a compound of palladium, the anion of a strong non-hydrohalogenic acid and a bis(diethylphosphino)alkane.

The class of linear alternating polymers of carbon monoxide and at least one ethylenically unsaturated hydrocarbon is now well known in the art. Such polymers are characterized by the repeating formula ##STR1## wherein A is a moiety derived from at least one ethylenically unsaturated hydrocarbon. The processes for the production of such polymers, now known as polyketones or polyketone polymers, is illustrated by van Broeckhoven et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,843,144 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,880,903. The scope of the polymerization process is extensive, but generally employs a catalyst composition produced from a compound of palladium, cobalt or nickel, the anion of a strong non-hydrohalogenic acid and a bidentate ligand of phosphorus, nitrogen or sulfur. Good results are obtained through the use of catalyst compositions formed from, inter alia, bidentate ligands of phosphorus and such catalyst compositions are generally preferred.
In many polymerization processes for polyketone production the bidentate phosphorus ligand contains aromatic monovalent phosphorus substituents as in the above van Broeckhoven et al patents and particularly preferred bidentate ligands for many polymerization processes are 1,3-bis(diphenylphosphino)propane and 1,3-bis[di(2-methoxyphenyl)phosphino]propane. For the production of certain linear alternating polymers, particularly when the ethylenically unsaturated hydrocarbon monomer is of relatively high molecular weight, e.g., the hydrocarbon monomer has at least 5 carbon atoms, the use of other bidentate phosphorus ligands results in more effective catalyst compositions. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,066,778, the production of linear alternating copolymers of carbon monoxide and cyclopentane is disclosed. For this polymerization, tetraalkylbisphosphines are more suitable and preferred as the bidentate phosphorus ligand and particularly preferred is 1,3-bis(di-n-butylphosphino)propane. It would be of advantage, however, to provide for polyketone polymerization processes which employ more effective catalyst compositions formed in part from a different bis(dialkylphosphino)alkane.


A bow sight having a support member with a sight unit disposed at one end and adjustable sight markers secured to the other end, a pointer associated with the rear end of the support member for alignment with one of the sight markers upon determination of the proper sight unit elevation setting.

This invention relates to an improvement in a bow sighting device. Depending on the weight and aerondynamic characteristics of the arrow, a bow sight allows the archer to increase the probability of accurately striking the desired target. Of course, the weight of the arrow requires that the archer aim higher vertically as the distance to the target increases.
Known sighting techniques involve a trial and error system whereby the archer shoots several arrows in order to determine the proper setting for the bow sight and then makes an appropriate mark on a piece of tape adhered to the sight. Additional markings are made on the tape to accommodate different distances to the target. This known bow sight technique is obviously cumbersome and time consuming.


A method for reducing the number of samples tested for rendering a screen space region of an image includes constructing a bilinear approximation per primitive for a screen space region which is to be rendered, wherein the screen space region includes a plurality of sample points. The bilinear approximation is used to estimate coverage of a predefined primitive against one or more sample points within the screen space region. At least one sample point in the screen space region which is not covered by the predefined primitive is excluded from testing in the rendering of the screen space region.

The present invention relates to image rendering, and more particularly to improving sample test efficiency in image rendering applications.
The rendering of a high quality image relies upon an accurate color computation for each pixel forming the image. The accuracy of this color computation is improved by distributing sample points across each pixel, testing which sample points are overlapped by a primitive which is to be rendered in the image, and computing a color for the pixel based upon those overlapped and non-overlapped sample points.
Sample testing algorithms (sometimes referred to as "point in polygon tests") determine which samples of a screen space region (usually a pixel) are overlapped by a primitive, and the quality of such algorithms can be based upon their "sample test efficiency" (STE), this term referring to the number of sample points overlapped by a primitive versus the number of sample points tested for a given screen space region, e.g. a pixel. A high STE indicates an efficient sample testing algorithm, as a high percentage of the test sample points were actually or possibly overlapped by the primitive.
Techniques for improving STE are useful in the contexts of motion blur and depth of field rendering effects, as both types of effects involve a primitive potentially traversing a large number of pixels, resulting in a potentially large number of sample points which have to be considered for testing.
Motion blur results when the camera and/or geometry move while the virtual camera shutter is open. While the motion can theoretically be arbitrary during the exposure of a frame, it has been observed in film industry that vertex motion can often be satisfactorily simplified by assuming linear motion between shutter open (t=0) and closed (t=1).
In stochastic rasterization, the frame buffer is generalized so that each sample has additional properties in addition to the screen-space (x, y) position. In order to support motion blur, a time value is assigned to each frame buffer sample. In absence of motion, the frame buffer behaves exactly as it does currently, providing spatial antialiasing. With motion, a sample is updated only when a triangle overlaps the sample at the time of the sample.
The prior art describes several ways of interpolating a triangle to a specified time. One approach is as described in "The Accumulation Buffer: Hardware Support for High Quality Rendering," P. Haberli and K. Akeley, Proc. SIGGRAPH 1990, pgs. 309-318, and in "Data-Parallel Rasterization of Micropolygons with Defocus and Motion Blur," K. Fatahalian, E. Luong, S. Boulos, K. Akeley, W. Mark, and P. Hanrahan, Proc. High Performance Graphics 2009. This approach involves interpolating the vertices of a primitive in homogeneous clip space before triangle setup, and therefore a separate triangle setup/rendering pass is required for each distinct time. While simple to implement, this approach may not scale to a large number of samples per pixel, and the image quality can suffer due to a fixed (typically small) set of unique time values.
A second conventional approach has been to identify the screen-space bounds for the "time-continuous triangle" (TCT) for the entire exposure time, and then test all samples in all covered pixels by interpolating the triangle to the current sample's time, as described in disclosed in "Stochastic rasterization using time-continuous triangles," T. Akenine-Möller, J. Munkberg, and J. Hasselgren, Proc. Graphics Hardware 2009. Possible implementations include at least time-continuous edge functions (about 3× the cost of traditional 2D edges) and ray-triangle intersection. TCTs offer high image quality because a unique time value can be set to each sample, but an accompanying disadvantage is low STE. When a triangle moves quickly, it can cover a relatively large region on the screen, yet at the same time we expect it to cover approximately a constant number of samples regardless of motion. STE therefore degrades drastically for fast motion, and can be as low as 1% in realistic cases.
A third approach is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,897,806, whereby exposure time is split into several strata (typically, the number of strata equals the number of samples per pixel), and the above-mentioned second approach is called for each strata. This improves STE significantly, but the efficiency of the solution is not optimal for the low sampling densities typically encountered in fast rendering graphics (4-16 samples/pixel).
Another challenge in the rendering of images is how to process primitives which reach behind the camera plane. A possible approach for dealing with such primitives is to clip the primitive in time, producing a number of sub-spans where clipping edges are replaced by clip vertices that move across the camera plane. Unfortunately, the motion of the clip vertices is not screen-space affine, so an approximation is required for their motion, which makes it difficult if not impossible to match a reference rendering.
An additional challenge in the rendering of images is the rendering of vertices which move affinely in world space. When the vertices move affinely in world space, which is a common approximation, the resulting screen-space motion is not linear because of perspective transformation. Therefore, if linear screen-space motion was assumed, the motion-blurred image would not correspond to ground truth rendering that would be obtained by summing together a large number of images obtained at regularly spaced time instants during the frame. The difference is usually small, but when there is motion towards or away from the viewer near the camera, the results are clearly different.
An even further challenge is the retention of a high STE in circumstances in which both motion and defocus blur occur simultaneously.
In view of the shortcomings of the conventional approaches, a new method for providing improved sample test efficiency in image rendering is needed.

Combined clipless time and lens bounds for improved sample test efficiency in image rendering


Thin, biocompatible, high-strength, composite materials are disclosed that are suitable for use in a valve for regulating blood flow direction. In one aspect, the composite material maintains flexibility in high-cycle flexural applications, making it particularly applicable to high-flex implants such as a prosthetic heart valve leaflet. The composite material includes a porous polymer membrane and an elastomer, wherein the elastomer fills substantially all of the pores of the porous polymer membrane.

Artificial heart valves preferably should last at least ten years in vivo. To last that long, artificial heart valves should exhibit sufficient durability for at least four hundred million cycles or more. The valves, and more specifically heart valve leaflets, must resist structural degradation including the formation of holes, tears, and the like as well as adverse biological consequences including calcification and thrombosis.
A variety of polymeric materials has previously been employed as prosthetic heart valve leaflets. Failure of these leaflets due to stiffening and hole formation occurred within two years of implant. Efforts to improve leaflet durability by thickening the leaflets resulted in unacceptable hemodynamic performance of the valves, that is, the pressure drop across the open valve was too high.
As such, it remains desirable to provide a biocompatible artificial heart valve design that lasts beyond ten years in vivo by exhibiting sufficient durability for at least about four hundred million cycles of flexure or more.

Durable high strength polymer composites suitable for implant and articles produced therefrom


A sound input from sound sources existing in a plurality of directions is accepted and converted into a signal on a frequency axis. A suppressing function to suppress the converted signal on a frequency axis is computed, an amplitude component of a signal on a frequency axis is multiplied by the computed suppressing function and the converted signal on a frequency axis is corrected. A phase component of each converted signal on a frequency axis is computed for each frequency and a difference of phase components is computed. A probability value indicative of probability of existence of a sound source in a predetermined direction is specified based on the computed difference and a suppressing function to suppress a sound input from a sound source other than a sound source in a predetermined direction is computed based on the specified probability value.

The present invention relates to a collecting sound device with directionality, a collecting sound method with directionality and a memory product having a computer program recorded thereon, which can enhance a voice signal generated from a sound source in a predetermined direction and suppress noises including ambient voices when voice signals including voices, noises and the like from sound sources existing in a plurality of directions are inputted.
With the progress of computer technology in recent years, the accuracy of voice recognition has been rapidly improved. A great number of sound collecting devices have been developed for specifying the direction of a needed sound source in order to identify a needed voice from voices generated from sound sources existing in a plurality of directions and suppressing voices and the like generated from sound sources existing in other directions as noises in sound processing.
For example, in a sound source separating method disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-313497 (1998), the arrival time interval of an input signal of each of microphones composing an array is detected on a frequency axis so as to see from which sound source an arrived sound comes from and separate the frequency component of the sound spectrum. Conventional noise suppressing methods for separating an aimed voice signal, which can be implemented on a time axis or a frequency axis, are classified broadly into two systems of a synchronous addition system and a synchronous subtraction system.
In a synchronous addition system, a synchronous process and an addition process fitted to an aimed direction are performed for voice signals inputted from a plurality of microphones. An aimed voice signal is enhanced by the addition process and noises including the other voice signals can be suppressed in comparison. In the meantime, in a synchronous subtraction system, a synchronous process and a subtraction process fitted to directions in which sound sources other than an aimed sound source exist are performed for voice signals inputted from a plurality of microphones, so that noises including voice signals other than an aimed voice signal can be suppressed directly.

Collecting sound device with directionality, collecting sound method with directionality and memory product


An ergonomic chair having a cooperatively adjustable knee support and seat is herein disclosed. The knee support and seat may be adjusted to position a user of the chair in a physiologic attitude that approaches the neutral position.

In order to protect the health and well being of today's worker, it has become vital to organize the worker's environment around sound ergonomic principles. As part of this process, it is imperative that a worker be provided with suitable seating that will permit the worker to engage in their assigned tasks while minimizing the physical stresses associated with that task. The ergonomic principles around which a worker's environment is organized are described in some detail in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,644,748, 6,702,372, and 6,726,276, all of which are hereby incorporated by reference.


A method and apparatus for manufacturing recloseable plastic bags with engageable mating profiles where the bags are provided open for the consumer. The profiles are initially provided in the fully engaged condition within an elongate, longitudinally cut tube. The profiles are then periodically fused, tacked, or attached together at the approximate locations where the tube is to be cut into bags. Upon tacking, the profiles are pulled apart by frictionally engaging an area on the outside of the film, near the profiles, and between the tacks. The film is then forced away from the profiles, which at least partially pulls one profile from the other. Thereafter, the tube may be cut and sealed into bags as would otherwise normally occur.

Recloseable plastic bags are well-known. They are made by extruding a thin sheet of tubular stock material and attaching or simultaneously extruding a set of mating profiles to the tube. The tube is then cut and sealed to form individual bags. The profiles are positioned along the mouths of the bags and can be repeatedly opened and closed by the user. A commercial example of these bags is available from Dowbrands L. P. under the trademark ZIPLOC.RTM..
U.S. Pat. No. 4,846,586 discloses plastic bags that are formed with a preopened mouth. In other words, the bags are made with profiles that are not interlocked when they are supplied to the consumer. The patent teaches to place one profile on the inside of a flap that folds over the bag's mouth. Once folded, this profile interlocks with a mating profile on the outside of the bag. The principal advantage of an open bag is that a user, such as a deli clerk, can grab the bag and promptly insert goods without wasting time to open it.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,334,127 discloses another method to manufacture preopened bags. This patent discloses the use of a blade that separates the profiles immediately before the extruded tube is cut into individual bags. The patent reads to first place spot welds on each side of the profiles while they are still interlocked and then separate the profiles with a blade that slides between the profiles and plows them apart. The spot welds apparently hold the profiles in position as they are separated, until the sides of the bag are cut and sealed.
The following invention is another solution to supply preopened bags to the consumer.

Method and apparatus for opening a zipper after it has been spot sealed


Disclosed are an elliptic curve point multiplication operation method and apparatus. The elliptic curve point multiplication operation method comprises ordered point multiplication and point addition operations. In a point addition operation process, when scanning that a current bit of a scalar K is not 0, a true point addition operation is executed, and when scanning that the current bit of the scalar K is 0, an equivalent point conversion operation is executed; the result of the true point addition operation and the result of the equivalent point conversion operation are stored in an identical register file, the register file comprising multiple registers. According to the elliptic curve point multiplication operation method and apparatus, side channel analysis and security error attack can be effectively resisted.

Since Neal Koblitz and Victor Miller independently introduced elliptic curves into cryptography in 1985, elliptic curves have played an increasingly important role in the cryptography. There are many methods to implement elliptic curve point multiplication operations. Common point multiplication operations include a binary scanning method, a fixed window scanning method, and the like.
With the continuous advancement of measuring technologies and attacking technologies, various analysis and attacking methods for cryptographic algorithms are no longer limited to the algorithm itself, and many attacking methods for cryptographic algorithm implementation carriers have emerged. Side channel attack is one of the more threatening methods. An attacker uses side information, such as power consumption, time, electromagnetic radiation, and the like, leaked by cryptographic equipment in operation to conduct the side channel attack on cryptographic systems.
The information disclosed in the background is only intended to increase the understanding of the overall background of this application, and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or in any way suggesting that this information constitutes the related art that is well known to those of ordinary skill in this field.

Elliptic curve point multiplication operation method and apparatus

BEIJING SMARTCHiP MICROELECTRONICS TECHNOLOGY COMP


A membrane electrode assembly for a direct oxidation fuel cell includes a proton-conductive electrolyte membrane and an anode and a cathode sandwiching the electrolyte membrane. The equivalent weight of the proton-conductive substance contained in the catalyst layer of the anode is greater than the equivalent weight of the proton-conductive substance contained in the catalyst layer of the cathode. This invention reduces the performance deterioration caused by repetitive swelling and contraction of the electrolyte contained in the catalyst layer upon changes in operating conditions or upon repetitive start and stop of operation, thereby making it possible to provide a fuel cell with a high output and high performance.

Fuel cells are roughly classified into phosphoric acid type, alkaline type, molten carbonate type, solid oxide type, and solid polymer type, according to the kind of the electrolyte they employ. Among them, solid polymer fuel cells (PEFCs), which are capable of operating at low temperatures and have high output densities, are becoming commercially practical in such applications as automobile power sources and domestic cogeneration systems.
Meanwhile, portable appliances, such as notebook personal computers, cellular phones and PDAs, have recently been becoming more and more sophisticated, and the electric power consumed thereby tends to increase commensurately. Such portable appliances are currently powered by lithium ion secondary batteries and nickel-metal hydride secondary batteries, but manufacturers of these batteries have failed to improve energy density so as to keep up with the recent increase in power consumption. Under such circumstances, a problem of capacity shortage of power sources is a matter of concern.
As a power source that can solve this problem, PEFCs have been receiving attention. Among them, direct oxidation fuel cells (DOFCs) can generate electric energy by directly oxidizing fuel at the electrode, without the need to reform fuel that is liquid at ordinary temperature into hydrogen. DOFCs are most promising in that they need no reformer and permit an easy reduction in the size of power sources.
With respect to the fuel to be fed to DOFCs, low-molecular-weight alcohols and ethers have been examined. Among them, methanol offers a high energy efficiency and a high output. Thus, direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs), which use methanol as the fuel, are most promising.
The anodic and cathodic reactions of a DMFC are represented by the following formulae (1) and (2), respectively. Oxygen serving as the oxidant on the cathode is typically taken in from air.CH3OH+H2O→CO2+6H++6e−  (1)3/2O2+6H++6e−→3H2O  (2)
The protons produced on the anode migrate to the cathode through an electrolyte membrane, and a perfluorosulfonic acid film, typically Nafion (Nafion is a trademark of E.I. Du Pont de Nemours & Company), has been used as the electrolyte membrane in the same manner as in PEFCs.
The polymer constituting a perfluorosulfonic acid film is commonly composed of a carbon fluoride chain (main skeleton) and branched chains each having a sulfonic acid group at the terminal thereof. The sulfonic acid groups are strongly hydrophilic, while the carbon fluoride chain is strongly hydrophobic. Thus, it is considered that the perfluorosulfonic acid electrolyte undergoes a phase separation, thereby forming water clusters that are surrounded by hydrophilic sulfonic acid groups. Further, it is considered that when the perfluorosulfonic acid electrolyte is hydrated, many protons are dissociated from the strongly acid sulfonic acid groups, thereby exhibiting excellent proton conductivity.
On each side of the electrolyte membrane is usually formed a catalyst layer, which contains a catalytic substance. In order to ensure the proton conductivity inside the catalyst layer, the catalyst layer is commonly formed by mixing a solution containing perfluorosulfonic acid, which is the same component as that of the electrolyte membrane, with a catalytic substance, applying the mixture and drying it.
Commonly used indexes that indicate the amount of sulfonic acid groups in perfluorosulfonic acid polymer are ion exchange capacity and equivalent weight (hereinafter "EW values"). The former indicates the equivalent of sulfonic acid per unit dry resin weight, being expressed in a unit of, for example, mEq/g. The latter indicates the dry polymer weight per 1 equivalent of sulfonic acid groups, being expressed in g/Eq. The values of these two indexes are, as it were, reciprocal numbers. Although either of the two can be used, the EW values are used herein.
It should be noted that "EW values" and "ion exchange capacity" are applicable not only to perfluorosulfonic acid polymer, but also other ion exchange polymers composed mainly of a hydrocarbon and copolymers including an inorganic substance.
As the EW value is higher, the ratio of sulfonic acid groups in the polymer decreases and therefore the amount of proton dissociation decreases. Hence, the proton conductivity lowers and the resistance to ionic conduction in the catalyst layer increases, thereby leading to degradation in power generation performance.
On the other hand, if the amount of sulfonic acid groups is increased, i.e., if the EW value is lowered, the water-retaining ability of the polymer is enhanced. As a result, water produced at the cathode of the fuel cell accumulates inside the electrode, thereby interfering with the supply of oxygen (oxidant). This problem is known as "flooding".
In order to solve this problem, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. Hei 9-213350 proposes a technique associated with PEFCs that use hydrogen as the fuel. This document proposes that the ion exchange capacity of the ion exchange resin contained in the anode catalyst layer be greater than that of the ion exchange resin contained in the cathode catalyst layer. According to this proposal, the ionic conductivity of the anode is maintained at a high level while the flooding phenomenon of the cathode is prevented, so that PEFCs with a high current density and little deterioration in battery characteristics can be obtained.
Such proposal is considered to be effective for PEFCs that use hydrogen as the fuel. However, the present inventors have found that the technique disclosed in the above-mentioned document is not effective with respect to DOFCs, such as DMFCs, in which an organic fuel is directly supplied to the anode, in terms of obtaining an excellent long-term performance, because there are differences in the characteristics of deterioration of electrode performance between DOFCs and PEFCs. These differences are described below.
First, the deterioration of cathode performance due to the flooding phenomenon is described. In the same manner as PEFCs, DOFCs such as DMFCs also suffer from this problem. That is, water is produced at the cathode as represented by the formula (2), and there is an electro-osmotic drag of water by protons that move from the anode to the cathode (this water is hereinafter referred to as dragged water).
However, when PEFCs and DMFCs are compared, PEFCs can produce a dramatically higher voltage, and therefore PEFCs can operate at a larger current density than DMFCs in order to produce a higher output. In fact, while the above-mentioned document states that the initial current density of the PEFC is approximately 0.9 A/cm2, the current density of DMFCs is 0.3 A/cm2 at maximum, preferably approximately 0.2 A/cm2.
In an electrochemical reaction, by Faraday's law, the amount of products is proportional to the current generated, and the amount of electro-osmotic drag of water is proportional to the amount of proton migration, i.e., current. Therefore, both the amount of water produced at the cathode and the amount of dragged water are proportional to the current, i.e., current density. This indicates that the amount of water causing cathode flooding in a DMFC is approximately ⅓ of the amount in a PEFC.
Next, the performance deterioration upon a long-term operation is described. The present inventors have found that DOFCs such as DMFCs exhibit a performance deterioration phenomenon upon a long-term operation, but this phenomenon does not remarkably occur in PEFCs.
Electrolytes capable of conducting protons at low temperatures, such as perfluorosulfonic acid, exhibit high proton conductivity when they absorb water and a proton conductive path is formed by the water. However, upon absorption of water, these ion exchange resins usually swell depending on the amount of water absorbed until the water content reaches saturation, and their volume therefore increases. This volume increase is remarkable when an organic fuel such as methanol is used in place of water. For example, the volume change that occurs when Nafion (registered trademark), which is a representative perfluorosulfonic acid, is immersed in water is approximately 30%, while the volume change that occurs when it is immersed in methanol is as much as 130%.
That is, when an aqueous solution containing an organic fuel as the fuel is supplied to the anode, the ion exchange resin contained in the anode swells significantly, and its volume therefore increases. Such swelling is more remarkable with an increase in fuel concentration.
The present inventors have found that the deterioration of electrode performance is promoted as follows. First, an uneven fuel concentration inside the electrode leads to an uneven degree of electrolyte swelling, thereby creating a mechanical stress inside the electrode. Further, during a long-term operation of a fuel cell, for example, due to changes in operating conditions such as temperature and current, or at the time of start and stop of the operation, the fuel concentration inside the electrode changes over time, so that the electrolyte repeatedly swells and contracts. The deterioration of electrode performance is promoted by such mechanical stress, repetitive electrolyte swelling and contraction, and combination thereof.
This is described more specifically. During power generation, the fuel concentration of the catalyst layer inside the electrode is highest at the surface in contact with the gas diffusion layer, i.e., the outer surface of the electrode, while it is lowest at the surface in contact with the electrolyte membrane. This is because the fuel is consumed by oxidation reaction inside the electrode, or the fuel migrates to the cathode due to the crossover phenomenon.
Thus, when the relation between power generation and fuel supply is normal, the volume increase is greater in a region of the catalyst layer closer to the gas diffusion layer, while the volume increase is less in a region closer to the electrolyte membrane. However, once the supply-demand relationship of fuel becomes out of balance to cause an excessive fuel supply, the fuel concentration becomes high throughout the interior of the electrode, and the volume increase also increases. This is particularly remarkable when the power generation is stopped with only the fuel being supplied. On the other hand, if the fuel supply is stopped for an extended period of time after the power generation is stopped, the fuel is lost by crossover, so that the fuel concentration inside the electrode gradually decreases and the volume increase of electrolyte also decreases. Also, when the operation is resumed, the fuel concentration that has lowered during the stop of the power generation needs to be heightened rapidly in order to start power generation in a stable manner.
As described above, due to the unevenness of the fuel concentration inside the electrode and the great change in fuel concentration over time, the electrolyte inside the catalyst layer repeatedly swells and contracts, thereby creating a mechanical stress. The mechanical stress breaks the electrolyte network, so that the electrolyte loses its function as a binder inside the electrode. In the worst case, the electrolyte gets separated with catalyst particles from the electrode and discharged with surplus fuel from the fuel cell. Therefore, the proton conductivity inside the electrode lowers to cause an increase in resistance polarization, or the amount of catalyst decreases to cause an increase in reaction resistance. Consequently, the performance of the fuel cell degrades.

Direct oxidation fuel cell system and membrane electrode assembly thereof


Various embodiments illustrated herein disclose a container unloader device. The container unloader device comprises a platform to receive a container, wherein the container comprises a package. The container unloader device also comprises a front panel configured to move between a raised orientation and a lowered orientation, wherein when the front panel being is in the raised orientation, the front panel is orthogonal with respect to the platform, and when the front panel is in the lowered orientation, the front panel and the platform form a continuous surface. The platform can be pivoted from a first angle to a second angle, that is greater than the first angle. The package leans against the front panel the front panel is in the raised orientation. The package is released on a surface of a conveyor when the front panel is in the lowered orientation.

Containers such as Unit Load Devices (ULDs) are used to transport packages or cargo in a warehouse or to an aircraft. Each of the containers hold a plurality of packages to be transported from one location to another. In some cases, each of the containers can be provided with wheels so that the containers can be rolled in and out of a loading or an unloading area in the warehouse. Further, there can be significant transportation costs and efforts associated with the conveyance of each of the containers holding the plurality of packages. Thus, manually loading and unloading containers leads to errors, mismanagement of overall workflow, and increased costs.


A new gene--MN--and proteins/polypeptides encoded therefrom are disclosed. Recombinant nucleic acid molecules for expressing MN proteins/polypeptides and recombinant proteins are provided. Expression of the MN gene is disclosed as being associated with tumorigenicity, and the invention concerns methods and compositions for detecting and/or quantitating MN antigen and/or MN-specific antibodies in vertebrate samples that are diagnostic/prognostic for neoplastic and pre-neoplastic disease. Test kits embodying the immunoassays of this invention are provided. MN-specific antibodies are disclosed that can be used diagnostically/prognostically, therapeutically, for imaging, and/or for affinity purification of MN proteins/polypeptides. Also provided are nucleic acid probes for the MN gene as well as test kits comprising said probes. The invention also concerns vaccines comprising MN proteins/polypeptides which are effective to immunize a vertebrate against neoplastic diseases associated with the expression of MN proteins. The invention still further concerns antisense nucleic acid sequences that can be used to inhibit MN gene expression, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays to detect genetic rearrangements.

A novel quasi-viral agent having rather unusual properties was detected by its capacity to complement mutants of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) with heat-labile surface G protein in HeLa cells (cell line derived from human cervical adenocarcinoma), which had been cocultivated with human breast carcinoma cells. [Zavada et al., Nature New Biol., 240: 124 (1972); Zavada et al., J. Gen. Virol., 24: 327 (1974); Zavada, J., Arch. Virol., 50: 1 (1976); Zavada, J., J. Gen. Virol., 63: 15-24 (1982); Zavada and Zavadova, Arch, Virol., 118: 189 (1991).] The quasi viral agent was called MaTu as it was presumably derived from a human mammary tumor.
There was significant medical interest in studying and characterizing MaTu as it appeared to be an entirely new type of molecular parasite of living cells, and possibly originated from a human tumor. Described herein is the elucidation of the biological and molecular nature of MaTu which resulted in the discovery of the MN gene and protein. MaTu was found by the inventors to be a two-component system, having an exogenous transmissible component, MX, and an endogenous cellular component, MN. As described herein, the MN component was found to be a cellular gene, showing only very little homology with known DNA sequences. The MN gene was found to be present in the chromosomal DNA of all vertebrates tested, and its expression was found to be strongly correlated with tumorigenicity.
The exogenous MaTu-MX transmissible agent was identified as lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) which persistently infects HeLa cells. The inventors discovered that the MN expression in HeLa cells is positively regulated by cell density, and also its expression level is increased by persistent infection with LCMV.
Research results provided herein show that cells transfected with MN cDNA undergo changes indicative of malignant transformation. Further research findings described herein indicate that the disruption of cell cycle control is one of the mechanisms by which MN may contribute to the complex process of tumor development.
Described herein is the cloning and sequencing of the MN gene and the recombinant production of MN proteins. Also described are antibodies prepared against MN proteins/polypeptides. MN proteins/polypeptides can be used in serological assays according to this invention to detect MN-specific antibodies. Further, MN proteins/polypeptides and/or antibodies reactive with MN antigen can be used in immunoassays according to this invention to detect and/or quantitate MN antigen. Such assays may be diagnostic and/or prognostic for neoplastic/pre-neoplastic disease.

MN proteins, polypeptides, fusion proteins and fusion polypeptides

Institute of Virology, Slovak Academy of Sciences


Disclosed is a method of removing chlorine from a mixture of gases. The mixture of gases is contacted with a liquid which contains a compound having the general formula ##STR1## where n is 1 to 3, whereby chlorine in the mixture of gases is absorbed by the liquid. The liquid is then heated to volatilize the chlorine and separate it from the liquid.

Chlorine is shipped as a pressurized liquid in tank cars. Customers use the chlorine by forcing it out of the tank cars with air pressure. When the tank cars are returned to the chlorine manufacturer, they are filled with air that contains some of the chlorine that was not removed. Gas mixtures that contain small amounts of chlorine and relatively harmless other gases also come from barges, plant vents, and other sources, and are known as "snift gases." Because snift gases contain chlorine they cannot be vented to the atmosphere.
At the present time, snift gases are passed through an absorber column where the gas contacts liquid carbon tetrachloride. The carbon tetrachloride absorbs the chlorine and the chlorine-free air is vented to the atmosphere. The carbon tetrachloride containing the absorbed chlorine is heated to vaporize the chlorine. The vaporized chlorine is liquified and recovered and the carbon tetrachloride, now free of chlorine, is recycled to the absorber column.
The problem with this chlorine recovery process is that small amounts of carbon tetrachloride vaporize and are vented to the atmosphere with the air. Because U.S. Government personnel have determined that carbon tetrachloride is an ozone depleter, the use of carbon tetrachloride as a chlorine absorber will no longer be permitted. Efforts are therefore underway to identify liquids that are good chlorine absorbers, but which are relatively non-volatile and are not ozone depleters.

Method for separating chlorine from a mixture of gases


A medical irrigation basin and procedural tray assembly includes a basin capable of holding irrigation fluids from irrigating a patient's wound. The basin has a bottom bounded by a perimeter. A wall extends upwards from the perimeter of the bottom and is continuous therewith. A pedestal or pedestal container fittable on the basin can support a body part and may contain useful medical fluids. A pad of absorbent material may be disposed on the bottom of the basin. The pad is adapted to absorb a substantial volume of the irrigation fluids flowing from irrigation of the patient's wound.

It is known in the art relating to medical treatments of wounds to flush or wash the area around the wound with fluids that must be collected thereafter. Additionally, surgical procedures to treat open wounds of a patient almost always require the control and containment of blood or other bodily fluids flowing from the wound.
The resulting waste or irrigation fluids need to be contained for later transport and disposal because of possible biological or chemical contaminants that may be in the fluids. For example, the fluids may be contaminated with a number of pathogens, which could be hazardous to health care workers and others, including AIDS and Hepatitis C.
Prior art irrigation basins have several disadvantages with regards to containment, transport and disposal of collected waste fluids. One such disadvantage is that the fluids often splash onto the hard, nonabsorbent interior of a basin during the irrigation procedure, causing fluids to spray back upon the patient or health care worker. Additionally, a substantial amount of fluid, may be collected during the treatment process, making it difficult for a health care worker to move the basin without spillage.
Prior art basins too often contain rigid structures in their interior section designed to support various appendages or other features, e.g. head, neck, ankles, wrists, arms, legs, or the like, of a person's body during treatment. These structures are usually rigidly attached to the basin's interior. This can cause a problem in aligning a patient's particular feature for maximum comfort during treatment.
In addition to irrigating and cleaning a wound, medical treatment of such wound often requires the use of surgical tools that must be kept sterilized up until they are needed. Prior art techniques used to accomplish this task involve sterilizing the tools and transporting them in separate sterile sealed trays or other sterile containers. Therefore, another container, in addition to the irrigation basin, must be made available to medical professionals during a medical procedure. This can be especially problematic as specific trays and surgical peripherals must be matched up.

Medical irrigation basin and procedural tray


Arrangements are provided which use a host computer to configure a wireless portable device's network connection parameters. The radio on the portable device may be used to help locate nearby accessible wireless networks. Once a synchronization relationship between the portable device and a media library on a host computer is established, periodically updated content, such as podcasts, may be discovered and subscribed to using software on the host computer, and the content synchronized with the host computer. A portable device may manage episodic content, such as podcasts, using the device's own wireless connection, and may further send such content to other portable devices. A central user profile may be set up on a web server to synchronize multiple wireless or wired devices.

As digital media technology improves and the price of storage decreases, users increasingly host collections of digital media (for example, audio, video, images, graphics, and like) on their personal computers and/or network-based data storage services. But users often desire for their digital media collections to be portable. More and more, users seek to transfer all or some of their collections to portable devices. Examples of portable devices include but are not limited to personal media players, personal digital assistants, phones, portable computers, in-vehicle devices, and other devices.
With the advent of relatively high capacity storage on portable devices, users can store large quantities of media content on their portable devices. The process of transferring media files between a host computer and a portable device is termed synchronization. For example, the media transfer protocol (MTP) may be combined with the AutoSync® functionality of Windows Media Player® to accomplish synchronization.
Synchronization is often performed using a wired connection between a portable device and a host computer. For example, in the most common implementation of MP3 players and other related digital media playback devices, the content is placed on the device using a wired USB or "Firewire" IEEE 1394 cable. Certain devices have also implemented wireless data transfer methods using 802.11 "WiFi" connections or Bluetooth. For example, some portable devices allow wireless communication between multiple portable devices or between the device and a web-based service. However, the information exchanged is generally limited to downloads of commercial paid content from a proprietary store, or exchange of information of how to download a particular song from the proprietary store between two paying subscribers. "Podcast"-style periodic episodic content is generally not supported by such systems.
Other systems include the Windows Mobile® operating system platform, which is available from Microsoft Corporation of Redmond, Wash., and is used in a variety of phones and handheld PCs, and the same supports synchronization of a variety of information between the portable device and an associated host computer using a wireless connection. In these systems, however, the portable device's wireless configuration is set up on the portable device itself, using a graphical user interface ("GUI") of the portable device.
In particular, users employ a GUI supported by a display screen that is incorporated into the player in order to configure the wireless configuration, although a primary function of such a GUI is to navigate among various menus to make selections of media content, control operation of the portable device, set preferences, and the like. The menus are organized in a hierarchical manner and the user will generally interact with user controls (e.g., buttons and the like) to move within a menu and jump to different menus to accomplish the desired functions.
As portable devices accumulate more onboard storage and support more features and functions, the GUIs needed to control them have often become larger and more complex to operate. For example, some current media players can store thousands of songs, videos, and photographs, play content from over the air radio stations, and enable shared experiences through device-to-device connections. Navigating through such large volumes of content and controlling the user experience as desired can often mean working through long series of hierarchical menus. And when such GUIs are also employed to configure other utility functions, such as wireless connection configurations, user operations may often be complicated.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Wireless synchronization of media content and subscription content


A display device includes: a light source; a light guide plate having a light input end face that is at least a portion of an outer peripheral end surface and a light-exit surface that is one of two plate surfaces of the light guide plate and through which the light exits the light guide plate; a display panel including two substrates sandwiching a liquid crystal layer therebetween and configured to display an image by using light from the light-exit surface; a first display section included in the display panel and located relatively away from the light source and in which the liquid crystal layer has a relatively large thickness; and a second display section included in the display panel and located relatively near the light source and in which at least a portion of the liquid crystal layer has a relatively small thickness.

A known example of a liquid crystal display device is described in Patent Document 1 listed below. In the liquid crystal display device in Patent Document 1, brightness unevenness at the backlight device is determined and then the thickness of the color filter is adjusted for each of the pixels such that the brightness unevenness caused by the backlight device is reduced and the brightness unevenness over the entire display area is mitigated.


A structure and method for a programming device or a fuse includes a capacitive circuit having a capacitance which is alterable. The capacitive circuit can include a first capacitor, a fuse link connected to the first capacitor and a second capacitor connected to the fuse link, wherein removing a portion of the fuse link changes the capacitance.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to fuses and more particularly to a capacitor fuse structure.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional systems utilize fuses in semiconductor chips to provide redundancy, electrical chip identification and customization of function. For designs having three (or more) layers of wiring, the fuses are typically formed from a segment of one of the wiring layers, e.g. the xe2x80x9clast metalxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9clast metal minus onexe2x80x9d wiring layer. Fusing (i.e. deletion of a segment of metal fuse line) is accomplished by exposing the segment to a short, high intensity pulse of xe2x80x9clightxe2x80x9d from an infra-red laser. The metal line absorbs energy, superheats, melts, expands, and ruptures any overlaying passivation. The molten metal then boils, vaporizes or explodes out of its oxide surroundings, disrupting line continuity and causing high electrical resistance. A xe2x80x9csensingxe2x80x9d circuit is used to detect fuse segment resistance. Sense circuits can be designed to xe2x80x9cunderstandxe2x80x9d that fusing has occurred when line resistance increases or line resistance decreases.
Because of line to line coupling which slows signal propagation, there is a trend for the inter level dielectric (ILD) to be comprised of polyimide nanofoams or porous glass. These dielectrics are of a class characterized by having low dielectric constant (K). They are not solid materials and will be damaged or collapse under standard laser fuse blow conditions, leading to unreliability and possibly yield degradation of the integrated circuit device.
To improve signal propagation, high conductance materials, e.g. copper, silver, etc., may be used to define device wiring lines (conductors). More specifically, electrical resistance is reduced by using copper or other high conductance materials. Several of the common high conductance materials corrode easily and if fuse structures are formed from segments of wiring lines, corrosion and the attendant degradation of device reliability can be expected if the blown fuse is left exposed.
Also, conventional laser blowing (or even electrical blowing) may damage the fragile, porous ILD, causing it to collapse and change its dielectric constant. The laser fusing could also release particles of copper into the porous films, presenting potential reliability concerns and possibly compromising the basic local structural integrity of the chip.
Therefore, there is a need for a new type of fuse structure which can be blown (e.g., opened) without suffering the reliability problems associated with conventional fuses.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a corrosion insensitive structure and method for a programming device or a fuse that includes a capacitive circuit having a capacitance which is alterable. The capacitive circuit can include a first capacitor, a fuse link connected to the first capacitor and a second capacitor connected to the fuse link, wherein removing a portion of the fuse link changes the capacitance.
The first capacitor includes a first top plate and the second capacitor includes a second top plate. The first top plate, the second top plate and the fuse link are positioned in one planar conductive level within the device. The structure also includes an insulator over the fuse link. The fuse link has a length greater than a spot size of the energy light source used to open the insulator. The invention also includes a sensing circuit for detecting a change in the capacitance. The first capacitor and the second capacitor can be stacked capacitors, inter-digitated capacitors or parallel spiral patterned capacitors.
The invention also includes a process for programming a capacitive device having a first capacitor and a second capacitor connected by a fuse link. The process includes removing an insulator above the fuse link and etching the fuse link. The etching comprises one of wet etching and dry etching. The insulator can be removed using light energy, such as laser and ultra violet light. The light energy is below an energy level required to delete the fuse link. The method may also include sensing a change in capacitance of the capacitive device.
In another embodiment, the invention is a process for programming a capacitive device having at least two inter-digitated capacitors. The process alters an insulator above one of the inter-digitated capacitors to change a capacitance of the device. Such altering can include densifying or removing the insulator by applying one of a laser and ultra violet light to the insulator. Also the process can include sensing a change in capacitance of the device.
Another embodiment of the invention is a semiconductor fuse including a capacitor having a first and a second node (the first node being electrically connected to a sensing circuit for sensing a change in capacitance, and the second node being electrically insulated from ground by a narrow dielectric filled gap device), and a charge collection plate for charging the capacitor, coupled to the second node of the capacitor. The capacitor includes two parallel plates separated by a dielectric layer. The narrow dielectric gap device can be conductive lines separated by a dielectric material or a field effect transistor. The capacitor could be a silicon trench capacitor.
Yet another embodiment is a method of fusing a semiconductor device, which includes providing a capacitor having a first and a second node (the first node being electrically connected to a sensing circuit for sensing a change in capacitance, and the second node being electrically insulated from ground by a narrow dielectric filled gap), providing a charge collection plate coupled to the second node, and inducing a charge across the first and second node of the capacitor sufficient to electrically break down the narrow dielectric gap.
With the invention, a circuit may be programmed by altering its capacitance. Further, the invention opens fusible links using an etching process which substantially reduces or eliminates the possibility of affecting structures adjacent the fusible link. This structure and process is superior to conventional fuses because very low level energy sources such as a low power laser, ultraviolet light or a reactive ion etching process can be utilized to blow the fuse. The energy level utilized by the invention does not cause the fuse material to explode or boil as conventional fuse and processes do. Therefore, blowing the fuse does not damage the surrounding dielectric material. Further, if any of the fuse material remains, it will not corrode or detract from the reliability of the remaining circuit.
Thus, the invention expands the usefulness of programmable and fusible devices and increases the manufacturing yield of circuits which include such devices.

Corrosion insensitive fusible link using capacitance sensing for semiconductor devices

International Business Machines Corporation


A container label comprises a main portion bearing generic identification indicia, an adhesive or the like for permanently securing the main portion to a container, a secondary portion bearing specific identification indicia, and an integral but destructible connection web between the main portion and the secondary portion. The secondary portion is itself free of securing means so that the secondary portion can be separated from the main portion by destruction of the web.

Certain products such as prescription pharmaceuticals must be tracked very carefully from manufacturer to user. It is particularly critical in many cases to determine just who the end user is and to ensure that the container is not reused for another product or otherwise misused. It is also necessary to be able to locate pharmaceuticals in the event their recall becomes necessary.
In the particular case of a prescription pharmaceutical it is essential to determine at what point the product actually passes from the end of the distribution chain to the consumer. In this manner any misuse or theft of inventory prior to being dispensed can be controlled.
To date the standard means of doing this is by making a note of the container number or the like as a product passes along its distribution chain. When ultimately dispensed the container number is reported back and matched, for instance, with a prescription and/or user identification number. Such a procedure is relatively failure-prone in that any misidentification subverts the system, and it still remains possible to pass off an already dispensed container as a legitimate one.
It has been suggested to provide a container label to which in turn is applied a releasable patch that can be peeled off and affixed to an inventory record, thereby ensuring both that a proper identification number will be entered on the record by affixing the patch thereto and that the remaining label will be left without its number. Such a system is open, however, to misuse in that it is possible to switch a patch from one such container to another.


Apparatus for generation of broadband vestigial sideband (VSB) signals primarily for transmission over optical fibers in which the carrier frequency is in the infrared portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. The modulating signal is normally a broadband digital signal. The apparatus includes an optical fiber, an optical signal source coupled to a modulator with first and second modulation signals modulating the carrier optical signal, plus a method of adding carrier optical signal to the modulator output optical signal and coupling to an output optical fiber. The modulation signals are selected such that an output optical signal transmitted along the optical fiber from the modulator has a vestigial single sideband. Part of the carrier optical signal is transmitted with the output optical signal through the use of a bypass loop or through an appropriate combination of the first and second modulation signals.

The single most fundamental limitation to the signal bandwidth that can be transmitted on optical fibers is chromatic dispersion of the modulated signal in the fiber. In essence, an amplitude modulated optical signal will usually have two information sidebands, one above and the other below the optical frequency of the original light source. The frequencies associated with these sidebands will travel down an optical fiber at different velocities with the result that different parts of the spectrum will arrive at the far end at different times. Thus, if digital signals are sent as narrow pulses, these pulses will be broadened or dispersed, eventually overlapping with neighbouring pulses.
Approaches currently used to reduce the effects of chromatic dispersion include (1) reversing the effects of chromatic dispersion in the optical domain, (2) reversing the effects in the electrical domain and (3) reducing the transmission bandwidth of the optical signal on the fiber. The first is based on purely optical methods where the effects of group velocity dispersion are reversed while the signal is still in the optical domain. Adding dispersion compensating fiber in the transmission path is a common approach. Other optical methods include compensation by differential time delay of the upper and lower sidebands of the modulated signal, see A. Djupsjobacka, O. Sahlen, "Dispersion compensation by differential time delay," IEEE Journal of Lightwave Technology, vol. 12, no. 10, pp. 1849-1853, October 1994; spectrally inverting the signal at the midpoint of the transmission path, see R. M. Jopson, A. H. Gnauck, R. M. Derosier, "10 Gb/s 360-km transmission over normal-dispersion fiber using mid-system spectral inversion," Proceedings OFC'93, paper PD3, 1993; and prechirping the transmitted signal in an external modulator, see F. Koyoma, K. Iga, "Frequency chirping in external modulators," IEEE Journal of Lightwave Technology, vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 87-93, January 1988 and A. H. Gnauck, S. K. Korotky, J. J. Veselka, J. Nagel, C. T. Kemmerer, W. J. Minford, D. T. Moser, "Dispersion penalty reduction using an optical modulator with adjustable chirp," IEEE Photonics Technology Letters, vol. 3, no. 10, pp. 916-918, October 1991.
The second approach, in which dispersion effects are reversed in the electrical domain, is based on coherent transmission and heterodyne detection followed by equalization in the electrical domain. It is important to note that a double sideband (DSB) signal must be heterodyne detected if the signal is to be compensated electrically. If homodyne detection were attempted with a DSB signal, the upper and lower sidebands would overlap upon detection and the phase information would be lost and the higher modulation frequencies severely attenuated or distorted through cancellation of sideband components. Some techniques used or proposed for post-detection equalization include microstrip lines, see K. Iwashita, N. Takachio, "Chromatic dispersion compensation in coherent optical communications," Journal of Lightwave Technology, vol. 8, no. 3, pp. 367-375, March 1990; microwave waveguides, see J. H. Winters, "Equalization in coherent lightwave systems using microwave waveguides," Journal of Lightwave Technology, vol. 7, no. 5, pp. 813-815, May 1989. and fractionally spaced equalizers, see J. H. Winters, "Equalization in coherent lightwave systems using a fractionally spaced equalizer," Journal of Lightwave Technology, vol. 8, no. 10, pp. 1487-1491, October 1990.
The third approach is to modify the transmission format where the baseband signal spectrum is compressed. These types of approaches, which reduce the transmission bandwidth required on the fiber to transmit a given bit rate, are generally implemented by modifying the line code format in order to reduce the effective bandwidth required to transmit or receive the data, see K. Yonenaga, S. Kuwano, S. Norimatsu, N. Shibata, "Optical duobinary transmission system with no receiver sensitivity degradation," Electronics Letters, vol. 31, no. 4, pp. 302-304, February 1995, and G. May, A. Solheim, J. Conradi, "Extended 10 Gb/s fiber transmission distance at 1538 nm using a duobinary receiver," IEEE Photonics Technology Letters, vol. 6, no. 5, pp. 648-650, May 1994.
The generation, transmission and detection of single sideband (SSB) signals has been used in the RF and microwave regions of the electromagnetic spectrum to reduce the bandwidth of the signal by a factor of two, by sending either the upper or the lower sideband. Generation and transmission of SSB optical signals is shown in M. Izutsu, S. Shikama, T. Sueta, "Integrated optical SSB modulator/frequency shifter," IEEE Journal of Quantum Electronics, vol. QE-17, no. 11, pp. 2225-2227, November 1981 with a Mach Zender by and R. Olshansky, "Single sideband optical modulator for lightwave systems," U.S. Pat. No. 5,301,058, 1994. A dispersion benefit accrues from a single sideband signal due to the fact that the transmitted signal spectrum has been reduced by a factor of two.
A more significant advantage of optical SSB transmission is that upon detection, particularly if the signal is coherently detected, a dispersed baseband signal is produced where the information of the relative arrival time of the various signal frequencies remains as part of the electrical output signal and hence the fiber dispersion can be compensated in the electrical domain after detection. This advantage is similar to that for heterodyne detection of DSB signals, but with SSB transmission and detection, the signal can be homodyned directly to baseband using carrier signal added either at the source or at the receiver and thus it can be directly detected with the phase or delay information of the transmitted signal preserved.
An early integrated optical SSB modulator using optical filtering techniques was described in K. Yonenaga, N. Takachio, "A Fiber chromatic dispersion compensation technique with an optical SSB transmission in optical homodyne detection systems," IEEE Photonics Technology Letters, vol. 5, no. 8, pp 949-951, August 1993, where the first optical VSB transmission of baseband digital signals was carried out." In K. Yonenaga, N. Takachio, "Dispersion compensation for homodyne detection systems using a 10 Gb/s optical PSK-VSB signal," IEEE Photonics Technology Letters, vol. 7, no. 8, pp. 929-931, August 1995, the VSB design previously published was improved upon. In R. Olshansky's design, a single sideband optical modulator was described for the purpose of transmitting two or more optical signals with different optical carrier frequencies on a single fiber. The purpose of transmitting the signals in a single sideband format is to permit these optical carrier frequencies to be spaced as closely as the maximum modulation frequency. In one of the variations described in Olshansky, each optical SSB signal was generated with a single Mach-Zehnder (MZ) modulator. The input electrical information was modulated on RF sine and cosine carriers for the purpose of driving each arm of the dual-arm drive MZ modulator. By modulating the input signals on RF carriers, the application can be classified as a narrowband one since the bandwidth of the information signal carried by each RF carrier is small compared to the RF carrier frequency. When an information signal is used to narrowband modulate a sinewave carrier, the Hilbert transform of this modulated sinewave carrier is equivalent to a cosine carrier modulated by the original information signal. Further work on generation of SSB optical signals with a Mach-Zehnder modulator is found in Olshansky, U.S. Pat. no. 5,301,058.


The present disclosure relates to a server that makes use of a host central processing unit (CPU) which accesses a production network to enable communications with a remotely located subsystem using the production network. A USB host system may be operably associated with the host CPU. A service processor may also be incorporated in the server, which is configured to communicate with an out of band network. A service processor USB system may be operably associated with the service processor and may communicate with the USB host system. This enables access to either an operating system or a hypervisor running on the host CPU via the out of band network, using an Ethernet-over-USB protocol.

The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
Present day servers (e.g., storage and blade servers) almost always incorporate a "service processor". A service processor typically is a microcontroller embedded in the server or a server blade chassis, and used for remote management purposes. Frequently the service processor is located on a motherboard of a server or on a PCI card. The service processor is completely independent from the main CPU and the system operating system of the server. Thus, it is able to operate fully independently of the server's CPU and operating system, even if the server's CPU or operating system is locked up or otherwise inaccessible. Service processors are often used to perform one or more of following valuable functions/operations:                Power Management        Report Status (On/Off)        Report Consumption (Volts & Amps)        Control (On, Off, Reboot)        Thermal Management        Read Temperatures        Control Fan Speeds based on temperatures        Report fan failures (fan(s) not running at the correct speed)        Sensor Monitoring—Intrusion Alarm, etc.        Remote Console        Serial Port redirection via telnet/SSH        Remote Keyboard/Video/Mouse over IP        Remote Media—Ability to attach remote storage devices as emulated        USB devices        Log system events such as operating system (OS) crash, system boot        Configurable behaviors for system events such as alert generation and system shutdown        System Inventory—read Field Replaceable Unit (FRU) EEPROMs, PCI devicesMore specifically, one or more of the following functionalities may be provided using a service processor:        Remote power control—Servers can be remotely powered off, on, or cycled through service processors. This is one of the most useful features of service processors. Remote power control is used to restore servers that are locked up, to power down overheated servers, or to perform any other function that requires low-level interaction with the server.        Graceful shutdown support—Certain service processors support a remote power control command that actually sends a signal to the server operating system to shut down gracefully before actually power cycling or turning off the server. This prevents the possible effects of a "brute force" power cycle or shutdown, such as data corruption in the server hard drives and other undesirable outcomes.        Remote SoL console access—The server console can be accessed through the Ethernet interface of its service processor by using a standard telnet or Secure Shell (SSH) client in the same way it would be available through a regular serial port. If the server supports BIOS redirection to the serial port (which is usually the case with servers equipped with service processors), a user can have full access to the server console from the time it is booted up, through the BIOS and all the way up to the OS login prompt. This is very useful for remote troubleshooting.        Health monitoring—Service processors communicate with the appropriate sensor hardware in the server (e.g., fan speed monitors, voltage meters and temperature readers) to access and monitor vital server statistics so that server problems can be detected quickly. The health information can be stored on the server, sent to a remote storage device or communicated directly to the user workstation.        Remote ID LED control—Service processors allow the administrator to turn on or off the server's identification (ID) LED, which can be used to identify a specific server in a rack of multiple similar servers. This is especially useful when maintenance is needed on a server and the local technician who has physical access to the server does not have access to server information. In that case, the administrator can turn on the ID LED to visually designate for the local technician which server needs maintenance.        Local and server-based authentication—In order to access the service processor features, a user needs to log in to it first. The user database is usually stored locally in the service processor. Some service processors can also communicate with central authentication server mechanisms, such as LDAP and Active Directory.        Data encryption—The communication between the service processor and the user may be encrypted if the service processor supports communication protocols that allow for encryption, such as Secure Shell (SSH) or Secure Socket Layer (SSL). Most recent service processors support some level of data encryption.        System event log (SEL)—Service processors can store information about events related to the server hardware, such as chassis opening and closing, hard drive functional alarms, RAM test errors and so on. Those event logs can then be verified by the server administrators directly, or be used as the source for automated alerts.        Platform Event Traps (PET)—Service processors can be programmed with information about critical thresholds for server environmental variables, such as the maximum operating temperature, minimum CPU fan speed, etc. Based on those thresholds, it can then send out alerts (traps) to a management system, usually in SNMP format, so that the server administrator can take immediate action to remediate the issue at hand.        Data logging—Some service processors provide the ability to log the data flowing through the server's serial console, regardless of whether there is a user directly connected to that session at that time. This enables administrators to review the history of events that happened to the server before a certain issue occurred, providing a useful audit trail for change tracking and troubleshooting. Virtual keyboard/video/mouse (KVM) is similar to the Serial over Lan (SoL) feature but instead of exposing the server's text-based serial console to the user, Virtual KVM provides access to the server's graphical user interface (GUI). This is especially important for operating systems that rely heavily on their GUIs, such as Microsoft's WINDOWS® operating system.        Virtual Media—Certain service processors allow the server to access storage media such as CD-ROMs, floppy disks and even DVD-ROMs anywhere on the network—just as if they were directly attached to that server. This allows users to quickly move and copy data between their user workstations to the server (and vice versa), which is useful for emergency OS and application patch installations, as well as diagnostic testing and BIOS upgrades. Virtual Media, along with Virtual KVM, enables a true lights-out management experience using the interfaces and tools that users are already accustomed to in their daily routine.
The service processor may include a component that is often referred to as a "BMC" (Baseband Management Controller). The Avocent Corporation provides the firmware for BMCs to various major server manufacturers. Some major service processor technologies include:                HP Integrated Lights Out (iLO)        IBM® Remote Supervisor Adapter (RSA)        Dell Remote Assistant Card (DRAC)        Sun Advanced Lights Out Management (ALOM)        Sun Integrated Lights Out Management (ILOM)
Service processors are typically accessible through either a dedicated Ethernet interface (i.e., out-of-band) or a shared data Ethernet interface (i.e., sideband). Most of the features provided by service processors, as outlined above, are not new, and many of these features are available in some shape or form through other remote management solutions, such as console servers, KVM switches, IPDUs, etc. In fact, virtually all of the benefits provided by remote out-of-band management tools are available through service processors—lower Mean-Time-To-Repair (MTTR), operating cost savings and improved asset productivity. However, one key difference is that in the case of service processors, the complete feature set needed to reap those benefits is already included in the server, and furthermore is accessible through a single interface. Moreover, the single interface is Ethernet, the most ubiquitous network interface in the IT marketplace. This greatly simplifies the deployment of the remote server management infrastructure, making it easier for information technology managers to take advantage of these technologies. Additionally, the fact that service processors are embedded inside the server provides more granular and thorough visibility of the server's status, which allows for proactive and preventive management, as well as greater control of the overall server infrastructure. Features such as hardware environmental monitoring and platform event traps are a direct result of the internal presence of service processors in the server.
From the foregoing it should be appreciated that service processors can significantly improve the management of servers by reducing the Mean-Time-To-Resolve an outage. In a world where the availability demands of the IT Network are gradually rising each year, the need to diminish the impact of outages is becoming more and more important. And while the costs of servers may be dropping slightly each year, the cost of data center management has a tendency to rise.

System and method for accessing operating system and hypervisors via a service processor of a server


Combined water dispensers and coffee making devices are disclosed, which include a cabinet configured to house a water bottle in a bottom half of the interior portion of the cabinet; a cold tank that is configured to receive water from the water bottle, which is connected to an evaporator; one or more hot tanks that are configured to receive water (directly or indirectly) from the cold tank, which are connected to a heating coil to heat the water that is contained therein; and a coffee making device located on a top side of the cabinet. The coffee making device receives water from the hot tank, receives a disposable cartridge that contains coffee grinds for a single-serving of coffee, causes water to contact the coffee grinds to produce a coffee beverage, and employs a set of spikes to make water entry and exit apertures in the cartridge.

The demand for clean and healthy drinking water is increasing dramatically, which is being driven by the rapid growth in population and standards of living across the globe. This demand has translated into a continuing need for safe, clean, and easy to use water dispensers, including for both hot and cold water. In addition, both residential homes and commercial offices will typically have at least one coffee brewing device. Indeed, coffee is among the most frequently-consumed beverages in the world. Since bottled water dispensers often include a source of clean and consumable drinking water, it would be advantageous to combine and integrate the features and functionalities of bottled water dispensers, including for both hot and cold water, and coffee brewing devices (and, particularly, single-serve coffee brewing devices). Furthermore, it would be desirable to provide a product, which combines hot/cold water dispensing features and coffee brewing devices, and is able to produce a single-serve coffee beverage quickly and with consistent quality.
As the following will demonstrate, many of the foregoing needs are addressed by the present invention.

Bottled water dispensers with single-serve coffee brewing features


Signals including a plurality of components representing a phase rotation between antenna elements by combining signals, which have arrived through each path of a first to an m-th paths, for every antenna are generated in RAKE combining sections 104-1 to 104-n; one angle spectrum is obtained in one direction-of-arrival estimation section 105 provided in each communication terminal, using the signals generated in the RAKE combining sections 104-1 to 104-n; and a plurality of directions-of-arrival are estimated en bloc by detecting a plurality of peak positions on the angle spectrum.

Interference by various kinds of signals causes deterioration in received quality of a signal which a base station apparatus receives. An array antenna has been known as a technology for controlling the interference, and for strongly receiving only a signal arriving from a desired direction. The array antenna comprises a plurality of antenna elements, and is an antenna for arbitrarily setting a directivity by adjusting the amplitudes and phases of signals received through each antenna element. By using the array antenna, only a signal arriving from a desired direction may be strongly received by adjusting a weighting coefficient (hereinafter, called as "weight") by which the received signal is multiplied, and by regulating the amplitudes and phases of the received signal.
Moreover, there is a RAKE receiving technology as a technology for improving the received quality. By using the RAKE receiving, path diversity gain may be obtained by combining signals arriving through different paths from each other under a multipath environment on a time axis. Generally, even in a base station apparatus provided with the array antenna, the RAKE receiving is often used together.
In this case, the base station apparatus estimates each direction-of-arrival for signals arriving through paths respectively, and receives signals through the array antenna forming directivities in the estimated directions. Hereinafter, a conventional base station apparatus performing the array receiving and the RAKE receiving together will be described.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the conventional base station apparatus. In the base station apparatus, signals received through antennas 11-1 to 11-n are input to despreading sections 13-1 to 13-m after predetermined radio processing (such as down conversion, and analog to digital conversion) in RF sections 12-1 to 12-n provided corresponding to each antenna.
The despreading sections 13-1 to 13-m perform despreading processing of signals arriving respectively through a first path to an m-th path. That is, the despreading sections 13-1 to 13-m perform the despreading processing according to receiving timing of the signals arriving through each path. Thereby, signals passed through the first path (hereinafter, called as "the path-1 signals") which have been received through the antennas 11-1 to 11-n are extracted by the despreading sections 13-1, respectively, and signals passed through the m-th path (hereinafter, called as "the path-m signals") which have been received through the antennas 11-1 to 11-n are extracted by the despreading sections 13-m, respectively. N number of the path-1 signals are input to a direction-of-arrival estimation section 14-1 and an array receiving section 15-1, and N number of the path-m signals are input to a direction-of-arrival estimation section 14-m and an array receiving section 15-m.
In the direction-of-arrival estimation sections 14-1 to 14-m, directions-of-arrival θ1 to θm of the path-1 to path-m signals are estimated. The estimated directions-of-arrival θ1 to θm are input to the array receiving sections 15-1 to 15-m, respectively.
In the array receiving section 15-1, the path-1 signals received through each antenna are multiplied by a receiving weight generated by using the direction-of-arrival θ1, and, then, the signals subjected to the multiplication are combined. Thereby, the path-1 signals subjected to array combining are output from the array receiving section 15-1. Similarly, the path-m signals subjected to array combining are output from the array receiving section 15-m.
Channel fluctuations h1 to hm are compensated by multiplication of the signals subjected to array combining by complex conjugates h1′* to hm′* of channel estimation values h1′ to hm′, and, thereafter, RAKE combining of the signals is performed in a RAKE combining section 16. The signals subjected to the RAKE combining are demodulated in a demodulation section 17, and, thereby, demodulated data are obtained.
Subsequently, operations for estimating a direction-of-arrival, which are executed in the above conventional base station apparatus, will be described. Here, it is assumed for easy description that received signals arrive through two paths of the path 1 and the path 2, and an array antenna comprises two antenna elements of the antennas 11-1 and 11-2. In a word, description will be made under assumption of m=2 and n=2 in the block diagram shown in FIG. 1. Moreover, it is assumed that each antenna element is arranged straight at intervals of the half wave-length of a carrier wave.
Generally, the path-m signal received through an n-th antenna element may be expressed as the following formula (1).xnm(t)=hmejπ(n−1)sin θm·s(t)  (1)
In the above formula (1), hm represents a channel fluctuation on the path m; θm a direction-of-arrival of the path-m signal; and s(t) a desired signal.
Moreover, ejπ(n−1)sin θm represents a phase rotation between each antenna element. Here, it is assumed for easy description that interference components and noise components included in the received signal may be neglected.
Accordingly, the path-1 signal received through the antenna 11-1 is expressed as the following formula (2); the path-1 signal received through the antenna 11-2 is expressed as the following formula (3); the path-2 signal received through the antenna 11-1 is expressed as the following formula (4); and the path-2 signal received through the antenna 11-2 is expressed as the following formula (5):x11(t)=h1·s(t)  (2)x21(t)=h1ejπ sin θ1·s(t)  (3)x12(t)=h2·s(t)  (4)x22(t)=h2ejπ sin θ2·s(t)  (5)
The direction-of-arrival estimation section 14-1 estimates a direction-of-arrival θ1, using the signal expressed in the above formula (2), and the signal expressed in the above formula (3). Similarly, the direction-of-arrival estimation section 14-2 estimates a direction-of-arrival θ2, using the signal expressed in the above formula (4), and the signal expressed in the above formula (5). Specifically, the direction-of-arrival is estimated according to the following procedure. Here, it is assumed that a beamformer method is used as one example of methods for estimating the direction-of-arrival.
In the beamformer method, a receiving weight vector W(θ) by which the signals received through each antenna are multiplied is assumed to be the following formula (6):W(θ)=[1, e−jπ sin θ, . . . , e−j(n−1)π sin θ]  (6)
Then, directions-of-arrival for signals of each path are estimated by detecting peak positions of angle spectrums PBF(θ), which is represented by the following formula (7) using an auto-correlation matrix RXX of a received signal X.                                                         P                              B                                                                                F                                                                (              θ              )                                =                                                                      W                  H                                                                  (                  θ                  )                                                                          R                                  x                                                                                x                                                                          W                                                  (                  θ                  )                                                                                W                  H                                                                  (                  θ                  )                                                                          W                                                  (                  θ                  )                                                                    ,                              R                          x                                                                                x                                =                      E                                      [                                                X                                                        (                    t                    )                                                                                X                    H                                                                          (                    t                    )                                                              ]                                                          (        7        )
Here, H represents a complex conjugate transposition, and E an average in the above formula (7).
That is, in the direction-of-arrival estimation section 14-1, the signal expressed by the above formula (2), and the signal expressed by the above formula (3) are multiplied by receiving weight vectors expressed by the above formula (6), respectively, and, thereafter, angle spectrums are obtained by the above formula (7), with changing θ. Then, a peak position on the angle spectrum is estimated as the direction-of-arrival θ1 of the path-1 signal. For example, when an angle spectrum for the path-1 signal is as shown in FIG. 2A, it is estimated that the direction-of-arrival θ1 is a direction of −40 degrees.
Similarly, in the direction-of-arrival estimation section 14-2, the signal expressed by the above formula (4), and the signal expressed by the above formula (5) are multiplied by receiving weight vectors expressed by the above formula (6), respectively, and, thereafter, angle spectrums are obtained by the above formula (7), with changing θ. Then, a peak position on the angle spectrum is estimated as the direction-of-arrival θ2 of the path-2 signal. For example, when the angle spectrum for the path-2 signal is as shown in FIG. 2B, it is estimated that the direction-of-arrival θ2 is a direction of 0 degrees.
However, as angle spectrums are obtained for each path, direction-of-arrival estimation sections for one same operation is required to be provided for each path in the conventional base station apparatus with the above configuration, there has been caused a problem that the apparatus size is increased. When m number of path signals are subjected to RAKE combining, it is required to provide m number of direction-of-arrival estimation sections for one same operation.
Moreover, as operations as expressed in the above formula (6) and the above formula (7) are performed in order to obtain an angle spectrum, there has been a problem in the above conventional base station apparatus that the amount of operations is exponentially increased according to increase in the number of antenna elements and the number of target paths for the RAKE combining.
Moreover, as the above configuration is provided for each communication terminal as shown in FIG. 1, the apparatus size and the amount of operations are further increased, when the number of communication terminals (that is, a number of channels) that the base station apparatus can simultaneously communicate with. The apparatus size and the amount of operations in the base station apparatus have still more increasing tendency along with recent remarkable increase in the number of communication-terminal users.

Base station apparatus and direction-of-arrival estimating method

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.