Disclosed is a method for generating audio data automatically and a personal terminal and a recorded medium using the same. Disclosed method comprises the steps of: (a) detecting pitch of inputted sound source; (b) generating a unit tone data using detected pith variation information; (c) generating an interval code using ratio information of unit tones included in the unit tone data; (d) generating a harmony code based on the generated interval code; (e) generating an accompaniment template using the harmony code and pre-stored accompaniment related template; and (f) generating an audio data where main melody of the inputted sound source and the accompaniment data are merged. Users can generate polyphonic ringtone sound automatically through a personal terminal itself without downloading.

In the whole world, the industry of ringtone in mobile phone possesses one of the biggest market in the mobile contents industry. A ringtone is generally provided by downloading through communication network, which is a charged sound source made by sound source provider. Price for downloading one ringtone is about 0.5$˜3.0$, and copyright and neighboring right fees, and communication fee are included in the price. Increase of ringtone industry is due to desire for enjoying music of mobile generation and desire for expressing one's own individuality. In conventional ringtone service, as a pre-made ringtone is provided, copyright and neighboring right fees and communication fee are included in the price of a ringtone, and therefore, price for the ringtone is high.
While increase of ringtone industry is due to desire for expressing one's own individuality, the conventional method which provides pre-made ringtone does not meet various individuality of users.
Further, whenever user wants new ringtone sound, it has to download ringtone through network, which results in increase of inconvenience and communication fee.
On account of above mentioned problems, there is a need for new kind of ringtone service.

Method for generating audio data and user terminal and record medium using the same


An open terminal connector formed of a plug-in connector, a circuit board, a terminal block, baffles, an electrically insulative inner housing and an electrically insulative outer housing, in which the baffles stop the molten material from entering wiring holes of the terminal block during molding of the inner housing and the outer housing and reinforce the structural strength of the connector after molding of the inner housing and the outer housing, and the outer housing is directly injection-molded on all parts to prohibit the internal metal conducting terminals and the circuit board from direct contact with the outside air, allowing the connector to be used under a high humidity and/or critical temperature environment.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electric connector and more particularly, to an open terminal connector, which has baffles provided at the rear, bottom and lateral sides of the terminal block to prohibit the molten material from entering the wiring holes of the terminal block during molding of electrically insulative inner and outer housings and to reinforce the structural strength of the connector, and which has the electrically insulative outer housing directly molded on the parts to prohibit the internal metal conducting terminals and the circuit board from direct contact with the outside air, allowing the connector to be used under a high humidity and/or critical temperature environment.
2. Description of the Related Art
Following fast development of communication technology, communication networks have also been well developed. LAN (Local Area Network) and WAN (Wide Area Network) are categorized subject to their scope and scale. A LAN connects network devices over a relatively short distance. A WAN is a geographically-dispersed collection of LANs. The Internet is the largest WAN, spanning the Earth.
Either in LAN or WAN, Ethernet has proven itself as a relatively inexpensive, reasonably fast, and very popular LAN technology. Ethernet cables (fiber optics or twisted pair) are limited in their reach, and these distances are insufficient to cover medium-sized and large network installations and therefore intermediary devices such as hubs, switches, routers, and etc., are used in Ethernet, allowing multiple cables to be joined and greater distances to be spanned. By means of the combination of Ethernet cables with hubs, switches and/or routers, an Ethernet networking allows transmission or control of data or instructions among different LANs, computers, and/or other devices such as surveillance systems, security systems, automation systems, etc.
Further, the network configuration of an industrial surveillance system, security system or auto-control network is based on peer-to-peer technology. Either in LAN or WAN, transmission interface means is necessary for connection between the local site and the remote site for local/remote control. Different transmission interfaces require different connection devices and different connection lines, and have different limitations on connection distance. For example, RS-485 can be used to communicate with remote devices at distances up to 4000 ft (1200 m) at speeds of up to 100 Kbps at this distance. Further, RS-485 is an ISI modle physical layer electrical specification of a two-wire half-duplex, multipoint serial connection. According to this specification, one polarity of voltage indicates a logic 1 level, the reverse polarity indicates logic 0. Except RS485, many other transmission interfaces can be used for data transmission among different departments, zones, or floors in a factory against electromagnetic interferences from the machinery or control terminal. For connection between different transmission interfaces at the local or remote site, a connector or adapter is required.
For the connection between different interfaces using different wires or having different pins, it is suggested to use a connector having open terminals or contacts. Conventional open terminal connectors or open contact connectors commonly use an electrically insulative outer housing formed of a top cover shell and a bottom cover shell to protect the terminal block. However, these open terminal connectors or open contact connectors are still not satisfactory in function because of the following drawbacks:
1. Because the electrically insulative housing is formed of a top cover shell and a bottom cover shell and the top and bottom cover shells are fastened together with internal or peripheral fastening members, the structural strength of the electrically insulative housing is not strong, and the electrically insulative housing tends to be damaged after several mounting and dismounting procedures or upon an accidental impact.
2. Because the top cover shell and bottom cover shell of the electrically insulative housing are simply capped on the connector body, the internal electrical devices are exposed to the outside air. When the connector is used under a high humidity or critical temperature environment, the circuits of the circuit board will be damaged soon, shortening the working life of the connector.
To keep conducting terminals exposed to the outside for quick connection and to have match with different achieve satisfy conversion between different
Therefore, it is desirable to provide an open terminal connector that eliminates the aforesaid problems.

Open terminal connector, method of fabrication of same


The invention provides a system for isolating digital data representative of portions of a field of view. The system, which may be provided in the form of a digital camera, includes an array of sensor cells adapted to provide digital representations corresponding to at least a portion of the field of view, and a selector adapted to isolate a non-uniformly distributed subset of the digital representations provided by the array. The isolation may be performed based upon a set of values programmed in a programmable lookup table. A buffer is provided for holding the isolated digital representations.

A camera is a device that captures an image or scene by optically projecting it onto a sensing device in a focal plane. A film camera exposes a light-sensitive film placed on the focal plane to the projected image for a period of time in order to record the image. Over the years, both still and moving film cameras have used a variety of film sizes and aspect ratios. Although in the early days of cameras, film was often cut to size, most film today is provided in film strips which are advanced inside the camera to place an unused portion in the focal plane. A masking device inside the camera prevents the light from a projected image from exposing film outside the mask. Substantially all of the masks (and the cut film before that) are rectangular or square.
Newer digital cameras use a photosensitive array of photocells in a manner similar to that of film. As with film, the array is located on the focal plane and exposed to the projected image for a period of time in order to capture the image. Unlike film, however, the array may remain stationary. Once the image is captured using the array, it can be stored in a computer memory and recorded on any digital media.
Arrays of photocells are typically manufactured as rectangles, with a typical ratio of 3:4 between the long and short edges. Images of interest, however, may not be 3:4 rectangles, and are often nonrectangular at all. Conventional film and digital cameras capture non-rectangular images of interest by using only part of the frame for the image, and essentially wasting the remainder of the frame (e.g., film or memory) on the portion thereof that is not of interest.
Existing cameras typically have photocells comprising over 1 million pixels, and often 5 million or more. Even in the consumer market today, it is not uncommon to find still cameras having over 10 million pixels. Each pixel can provide a single point of color or black-and-white resolution, and often each pixel is capable of representing one of many millions of colors. Accordingly, in a raw format, a six mega-pixel photocell with 24-bits per pixel can require as much as 18 megabytes of data per frame of captured image.
Some existing cameras can programmably change the resolution of the image by diluting the pixels or by combining adjacent pixels. Data compression techniques, are available for reducing the amount of data required for each frame. For example, for moving pictures, MPEG, which stands for Moving Picture Experts Group, is the name of family of standards used for coding audio-visual information (e.g., movies, video, music) in a digital compressed format. For still pictures, the JPEG format is available. JPEG compresses graphics of photographic color depth, which makes the images smaller. With either of these techniques, the image deteriorates in quality as one adds compression.
In any event, JPEG and MPEG type compression requires substantial data processing power. Thus, in order to capture an image of interest at a desired resolution, a camera requires a large memory and large bandwidth data transport for storing frame data in that memory. Alternatively, where some (often programmable) loss of resolution or clarity is acceptable, the camera still requires substantial data processing power for compression that is continuously available at the maximum frame rate of the camera.
What is needed is a camera that can reduce the memory and bandwidth required, but still provide an image of interest without undesired loss of clarity.

Digital camera with non-uniform image resolution


A keyboard having multiple layouts includes depressible keys. A light reflector is positioned under at least some of the depressible keys with light sources configured to emit light towards the light reflectors. The light impinges on one of a plurality of reflective surfaces of the light reflectors and is reflected towards a corresponding depressible key under which the light reflector is positioned to cause a character or symbol to appear on a surface of the depressible keys. A switch allows a user to selectively control the character or symbol appearing on the surfaces of the depressible keys, resulting in more efficient input for the multiple layouts that improves the user experience.

Computer peripherals, such as keyboards, have continually expanding functionality with enhanced user experiences. For example, different types of hard and soft keyboards provide users with different functionality according to a particular application, setting, etc. On a hard keyboard, mechanically depressible keys are each associated with a particular user input, such as a particular character associated with the language of the keyboard. If a user desires to change the layout of the keyboard (e.g., switch between languages), such as to have the keys correspond to different letters, because the imprinting of the characters on each of the keys is static, the user has to memorize the reassigned key or use a displayed guide that shows the new assignment of the hard keys. For example, a layout of the keys in a different language is displayed that shows the new letters corresponding to each of the keys, which can block other content displayed on the screen.
However, the physical keys and the letters displayed thereon remain unchanged, resulting in the user sometimes having to guess or otherwise remember the new key assignments. This can cause confusion and adversely affect the overall user experience because of the tedious or burdensome nature of having to continually determine the new assignment of each of the keys. Moreover, in many instances, users instead opt for multiple physical keyboards, each with a specific desired input configuration. For example, a user may switch between a keyboard in one language (e.g., US/ENG) and a keyboard in a second different language (e.g., US/FIN or US/GRK), which again can be tedious and time consuming, thereby adversely affecting the user experience.


A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device comprising the steps of: forming a first silicon oxide film which covers a first region on the top surface of a silicon substrate, but which does not cover a second region and a third region thereon; oxidizing the silicon substrate to thicken the first silicon oxide film formed on the first region, and to form a second silicon oxide film on the second region and the third region; forming a first silicon film which covers the first region and the second region, but which does not cover the third region; etching and removing the second silicon oxide film formed on the third region by using the first silicon film as a mask; and forming a third silicon oxide film on the third region, the third silicon oxide film being thinner than the second silicon oxide film.

The present invention relates to a semiconductor device and a method of manufacturing the same. Specifically, the present invention relates to a semiconductor device in which gate insulating films with three different levels of thicknesses are formed, and a manufacturing method for the same. Specifically, the present invention relates to a semiconductor device having gate insulating films with three levels of thicknesses formed therein, and a method of manufacturing the same.
Recently, developed is a semiconductor device of a multi-functional consolidated type formed on one chip. In order to make use of multiple levels of control voltages in such a semiconductor device, it is desirable that gate insulating films of MOSFET (Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor) be also formed to have multiple levels of thicknesses.
For example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2003-60074 discloses a technique to form gate insulating films having three different thicknesses in one chip. However, this conventional technique has the following problems. Specifically, because a silicon nitride film is used as a mask in the formation of these gate insulating films, it is hard to control a selective etching ratio between the silicon nitride film as the mask and a silicon oxide film serving as the gate insulating film. Accordingly, the shape of the gate insulating film is controlled to a lesser extent. Furthermore, the need to remove the silicon nitride film having been formed and used as the mask leads to an increase in the number of manufacturing steps.

Semiconductor device and method of manufacturing the same


An imaging apparatus includes: a first imaging area setting unit configured to divide an imaging range that includes a sample into a plurality of areas and set each of the plurality of areas as a first imaging area; a first imaging unit configured to capture a first image at an in-focus position of the first imaging area; a second imaging area setting unit configured to set an area that extends over adjacent first imaging areas as a second imaging area in a case where in-focus positions of the adjacent first imaging areas are so different from each other that the difference exceeds a predetermined value; a second imaging unit configured to capture a second image at an in-focus position of the second imaging area; and an image combining unit configured to combine the first image with the second image.

The present disclosure relates to an imaging apparatus that captures an image of a sample for each imaging area and obtains a high magnification image, an imaging control program, and an imaging method.
Some imaging apparatuses that capture a high magnification image of a sample by using a microscope can obtain a high magnification image of a sample by capturing a high magnification image for each partial area of the sample (imaging area) and combining the images thus obtained. For example, there has been known a DPI scanner or a DPI viewer in which an image of a cellular tissue is captured through a microscope and the image is stored as digital image data to be used for pathological diagnosis or the like.
For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2012-014013 (paragraph 0090 and FIG. 5) discloses "a microscope control apparatus" that forms a high magnification image in the whole imaging range by dividing the imaging range that includes a sample into a plurality of imaging areas, capturing a high magnification image for each of the imaging areas, and combining the high magnification images for the imaging areas with each other. When capturing a high magnification image for each of the imaging areas, the microscope control apparatus searches for an in-focus position of each of the imaging areas by using an autofocus function.

Imaging apparatus, imaging control program, and imaging method


The purpose of the invention is a process for obtaining a material comprising a substrate at least part of whose surface and at least one of whose faces is based on organic compounds, the said process being implemented at atmospheric pressure comprises moreover the following stages: In the immediate vicinity of the said substrate a zone containing active species of a non-thermal plasma is created; into the said zone is injected at least one precursor of a chemical element so as to deposit upon at least one face of the said substrate (at least part of whose surface comprises an organic compound base), a first thin layer capable of protecting the said substrate against oxidation reactions, specifically those due to radicals. A further purpose of the invention is the material obtainable according to this process.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the domain of materials demonstrating self-cleaning properties and/or ease of cleaning. It specifically concerns architectural materials comprising a substrate at least partially organic, such as PVC, polyethylene, polypropylene, painted wood or painted aluminum, coated with at least with one thin layer able to protect the said substrate against oxidation reactions via radicals, as well as the process by which such materials may be obtained.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Some materials, specifically those used in architecture, are generally subjected to dust and atmospheric pollution, and suffer deterioration of their surface appearance with the passage of time. In order to avoid excessively frequent and costly cleaning, some materials which possess self-cleaning properties and/or which are easy to clean, have been developed. Some of these make use of the photocatalytic and photo-induced superhydrophilic properties of titanium dioxide (TiO2), being coated with one or several layers comprising this oxide. The latter, in particular when crystallized in the anatase form, has the ability, when irradiated with ultraviolet light (from the sun, for example), to become superhydrophilic and to catalyze radical reactions leading to degradation of organic dirt: these two properties are independent. Specifically, the former property prevents the formation of droplets of water which leave stains due to mineral deposits when they dry, and in fact encourages wetting of the surface by rain water and the consequent removal of dirt. The material thus obtained therefore presents the ability to self-clean under the action of sunlight and rain water. Patent application EP-A-0 850 204 describes this type of application for glass windows.
In the case of architectural materials whose surfaces comprise organic compounds such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyethylene, polypropylene, painted wood or painted aluminum, it is not possible to deposit a photocatalytic layer directly onto the material since the photocatalytic coating would degrade these organic compounds under the influence of radical oxidation reactions. It is therefore proposed that mineral barrier layers should be used to protect these materials. Patent application EP-A-1 498 176 describes for example 30 micrometer thick barrier layers based on SiO2, ZrO2 etc., which protect the extrusions of PVC windows from the photocatalytic effects of a TiO2 coating. These barrier layers are obtained at low temperature by a sol-gel type of process, in which the precursors in solution in a solvent (the sol) are deposited onto the substrate; when they gel they form a solid coating on the surface of the said substrate.

Process for depositing a thin layer and product obtained thereby


Incorporated into a pacemaker electrode, the adaptor essentially comprises an anchor element and an expander element insertable respectively into the spiral wound wires of a previously implanted electrode catheter, the ends of which are bared a suitable distance from their protective outer sleeve to facilitate the connection; the anchor element is inserted coaxially into and retained by the inner wire, while the expander element is hollow, coaxially encompassing the anchor element and affording a tapered profile that lodges stably between the outer wire and the insulating sheath of the inner wire. Use is made of a screw adjustment mechanism, associated with the end of the electrode farthest from the wires, to draw the electrode and the catheter together and seat the ends of the wires tightly in an encapsulating socket afforded by the electrode itself.

The present invention relates to an adaptor device for electrode catheters, and for bipolar electrode catheters in particular.
The art field of heart surgery embraces numerous types of cardiac catheters designed for connection at one end, generally by way of a flexible tube functioning as a biocompatible outer sheath, to an artificial pacemaker implanted in the body of the patient, and carrying a terminal electrode at the remaining end which can be anchored positively to the ventricular cardiac muscle.
This particular type of catheter also incorporates a second electrode distanced and insulated from the first, positioned so as to occupy the atrium once the terminal electrode is anchored. The terminal or ventricular electrode consists generally in a sharp point affording elements such as will penetrate and thus establish a continuous and secure contact with the cardiac muscle; once implanted in this manner, the electrode is connected to a first pole of the pacemaker by way of a spiral-wound, electrically conductive wire.
It is being found currently, where patients require the replacement of an existing pacemaker rendered unreliable by reason of its low charge, irregular operation or malfunction, that problems can arise due to incompatibilities between the connectors of electrode catheters implanted in the past and those of more recent design; reflecting the ever greater technological advances being made in this field, in effect, the newer catheters are much smaller than their predecessors as the overall dimensions of the newer pacemakers also become much smaller.
Remembering that the ventricular electrode becomes embedded in time beneath a layer of organic tissue and cannot be removed (such a step is inadvisable from the medical standpoint), it happens that the solution adopted in present-day surgical practice is almost invariably one of implanting a completely new electrode catheter in the cardiac cavity for connection to the new pacemaker, and simply leaving the former electrode in place, unused, alongside the replacement.
As an alternative expedient, the prior art embraces adaptor-reducer type connectors by means of which to fashion a mechanical interface between the existing pins of a previously implanted electrode catheter and the receiver contacts of a replacement pacemaker; inevitably, this reflects a compromise from technical and medical standpoints alike as the new implant is impoverished somewhat by the large dimensions of the mechanical components utilized to effect the interface.
The object of the present invention is to overcome the problem outlined above by providing an adaptor device that can be fastened to the unattached end of a bipolar electrode catheter already in situ and used to make the requisite electrical connection to pacemakers of the latest generation; such a device will be simple in embodiment, swiftly implanted in surgery, and able to ensure a suitably dependable connection.


The present invention relates to co-extruded pharmaceutical compositions and dosage forms comprising an adverse agent, such as an opioid antagonist, which can be sequestered. The pharmaceutical compositions and dosage forms diversion of a dosage form containing an active pharmaceutical agent, such as an opioid. The present invention also relates to methods of treating a patient with such a dosage form, as well as kits containing such a dosage form with instructions for using the dosage form to treat a patient. The present invention further relates to a process for the preparation of such pharmaceutical compositions and dosage forms comprising co-extrusion of a core comprising an adverse agent and a sheath.

Opioids, also known as opioid agonists, are a group of active pharmaceutical agents that exhibit opium- or morphine-like properties. More particularly, opioid agonists exhibit some form of opioid receptor activity. Opioids are employed primarily as moderate to strong analgesic agents.
There have been previous attempts in the art to increase the tamper resistance of opioid analgesic dosage forms. Prior approaches to developing tamper resistant dosage forms have included combining an opioid agonist with an opioid antagonist. Particular examples of such combinations include compositions comprising naloxone and morphine or oxymorphone (U.S. Pat. No. 3,493,657 to Lewenstein et al.); methadone and naloxone (U.S. Pat. No. 3,773,955 to Pachter et al.); methadol or acetyl methadol and naloxone (U.S. Pat. No. 3,966,940 to Pachter et al.); oxycodone and naloxone (U.S. Pat. No. 4,457,933 to Gordon et al.); and buprenorphine and naloxone (U.S. Pat. No. 4,582,835 to Lewis et al.).
U.S. Pat. No. 6,228,863 to Palermo et al. discloses an oral dosage form which combines an opioid agonist and an opioid antagonist such that at least two separation steps are required to isolate the agonist.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,935,975 to Rose et al. discloses a method for treating drug dependency by the combined administration of the drug, i.e. the agonist, and an antagonist of the drug.
PCT Publication No. WO 01/58451 entitled "Tamper Resistant Oral Opioid Agonist Formulations," is directed to decreasing the abuse potential associated with opioid analgesic dosage forms by the inclusion of a sequestered opioid antagonist in an opioid agonist dosage form.
In addition, it is known in the pharmaceutical art to prepare oral dosage forms which provide for controlled release of therapeutically active agents. Such controlled release compositions are used to delay absorption of at least a portion of the dose of the agent until it has reached certain portions of the gastrointestinal tract. Such controlled release of the agent serves to maintain a desired concentration of the agent in the blood stream for a longer duration than would occur if conventional immediate or rapid release dosage forms were to be administered.
Over the years, several different methods of preparing controlled release pharmaceutical dosage forms have been suggested, including, for example, extrusion, granulation, coating beads and the like.
There remains a need in the art for improved tamper resistant dosage forms and improved techniques for their preparation.

Tamper resistant dosage form comprising co-extruded, sequestered adverse agent particles and process of making same


A hybridization method is provided in which an efficient hybridization reaction can be carried out. Further, there are provided, using this hybridization method, a method for detecting a target gene with high sensitivity and a signal amplifying method for markedly improving the detection sensitivity of the target gene. There is provided a hybridization method comprising the use of oligonucleotides in a reaction solution, the method comprising forming partially a reaction temperature region in the reaction solution and performing a hybridization reaction in the reaction temperature region.

A reaction device for detecting genes, e.g. a microplate, a DNA microarray, a magnetic particle and the like (hereinafter referred to as a "reaction platform") are available at a low price and can easily control a reaction temperature uniformly, and a special machine is not necessary for using them. Therefore, many kinds of gene diagnostic kits using a luminous enzyme or a coloring enzyme are commercially available.
At present, temperature control of these reaction platforms is performed using a usual machine called a thermostatic bath. Especially, in detecting genes, a target gene or a gene amplified by a PCR method or the like is labeled with an enzyme or the like, and the detecting reaction is usually performed as a normal biochemical reaction at a uniform reaction temperature using the thermostatic bath.
On the other hand, the present inventors have proposed a novel isothermal nucleic acid amplification method using no enzyme (a method for forming a probe self-assembly substance) (see Patent Documents 1 to 4). FIGS. 1 to 3 are schematic explanatory drawings showing the method described in Patent Document 1. For example, a method described in Patent Document 1 uses a pair of oligonucleotide probes 18 (the probe is called a "Honey Comb Probe", and hereinafter referred to as a "HCP") as shown in FIG. 1. The probes consist of a first HCP (a X region, a Y region and a Z region) and a second HCP (a Z′ region, a Y′ region and a X′ region). The three regions of each HCP are complementary to each other in their base sequences. The base sequences of the HCPs are designed such that they are hybridized through a couple of regions corresponding to each other when reacting them to each other (FIG. 2). By this design, when reacting plural pairs of HCPs, as shown in FIG. 9, they are hybridized with each other depending on the reaction temperature to form a self-assembly substance of probes 20 (arrows of FIG. 9) (FIG. 3). In the present specification, the method for forming a self-assembly substance by the self-assembly reaction using these oligonucleotide probes (a probe alternation link self-assembly reaction) is referred to as a PALSAR method.
Also the present inventors have found that the detection sensitivity of a target gene can be improved by using the PALSAR method (Patent Document 5). In FIG. 4, there is shown an example of a signal amplifying method with a microplate using the PALSAR method. As shown in FIG. 4(a), a capture probe 14 (a probe for capturing a gene) for a target gene 12 is bonded to the reaction device such as a microplate 10. Next, as shown in FIG. 4(b), the target gene 12 is captured. After that, as shown in FIG. 4(c), there is added oligonucleotide DNA 16 having complementary regions to a HCP and the target gene (a joint probe in Patent Document 5). In the present invention, the probe having complementary sequence to the target gene to be detected and a nucleic acid (probe) forming a self-assembly substance is referred to as an assist probe. Further, as shown in FIG. 4(e), plural pairs of HCPs 18 are added to form a self-assembly substance 20 by the self-assembly reaction, thereby the signal amplification being realized.    Patent Document 1: JP 3267576    Patent Document 2: JP 3310662    Patent Document 3: WO 02/31192    Patent Document 4: JPA 2002-355081    Patent Document 5: WO 03/029441    Patent Document 6: WO 92/20702    Non-Patent Document 1: Marshall, A., Hodgson, J. DNA chips: an array of possibilities. Nat. Biotechnol. 16, 27-31, 1998.    Non-Patent Document 2: Koshkin A A et al. Tetrahedron 1998. 54, 3607-3630.    Non-Patent Document 3: Koshkin A A et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1998. 120, 13252-13253.    Non-Patent Document 4: Wahlestedt C et al. PNAS. 2000. 97, 5633-5638.    Non-Patent Document 5: H. C. Birnboim. J. Doly, Nucleic Acids Res., 7, 1513 (1979)


In an optical signal level control apparatus used in a WDM system, the amount of circuitry per wavelength is reduced. Optical power level is detected on the output side of a variable optical attenuator, and the amount of attenuation in the variable optical attenuator is adjusted so that the output level becomes equal to a constant value L1. At this time, if the detected level is lower than a threshold value Th0 or Th-d, it is determined that a signal off condition has occurred, and the amount of attenuation is set to a constant value A1. The amount of attenuation, A1, is chosen to be sufficiently larger than the amount of attenuation used in the output level constant control but small enough to be able to detect the restoration of the signal. When the amount of attenuation is being held at the constant value A1, if the output level is restored to a level higher than the threshold value Th0 or Th1 (Th1<Th-d), the output constant control is resumed.

1. Field of the Invention
With growing numbers of Internet, mobile telephone, and other network users, network traffic has been increasing, and this, coupled with ever diversifying services from electronic commerce and electronic mail to delivery of moving images, has been increasing capacity needs. To meet such needs, large-capacity networks are indispensable, and the introduction of optical communication networks has been increasing; in particular, wavelength division multiplexing communication networks using wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) technology have been deployed rapidly. In WDM, transmission quality degrades if there occurs a variation in optical power level between wavelength multiplexed optical signals due to variation in characteristics among optical components such as optical fibers, optical amplifiers, etc. In particular, when an optical node (OADM, OXC, etc.) constructed by combining various optical components is used, the variation increases, and it becomes necessary to provide an optical level adjusting function. The present invention relates to an optical level control method, and an apparatus, that have a function to suppress such variation, and that autonomously perform control so as to prevent the occurrence of an optical surge and like phenomenon in the event of a failure or during protection.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 1 shows one example of prior art optical signal level control in a WDM system. A wavelength multiplexed input signal (λ1 to λn) is separated into signals of different wavelengths by an optical splitter 10, and the separated signals are each passed through an optical branching device 12, a variable optical attenuator 14, and an optical branching device 16, and are again wavelength multiplexed by an optical combiner 18 and amplified by an optical amplifier 20.
A photodetector 22 detects the power of light separated by the optical branching device 16 provided on the output side of the variable optical attenuator 14, and feedback-controls the variable optical attenuator 14 through a control circuit 24 to maintain the power level of the light of the corresponding wavelength at a constant level. On the other hand, a photodetector 26 is provided to detect whether the optical signal of the corresponding wavelength has been input normally and also to detect a signal off condition.
As described above, as the prior art optical signal level control requires the provision of two photodetectors for each wavelength, one for feedback control and the other for the detection of a signal off condition, the prior art has had the problem that the amount of circuitry, and the overall cost of the apparatus increase as the number of wavelengths increases.


The present invention relates to a system for aiding the movement of work trains on a railway line under construction having two tracks that are adjacent and two-way, managed from a central block PC by a PC chief. The system comprises                a computer with means of management and of processing of data and an operation block diagram panel,        means of communication between the PC chief and escort agents of the work trains for authorization requests to move in section,        means of locating a train, connected to the computer,        means of detecting the direction of travel of a train, connected to the computer, and        means of entering the state of work of the sectors, connected to the computer.

On a line in operation, a track is divided into sections of 400 to 2500 m, on each of which the trains move at a speed depending on a signal exhibited at the entrance to the section, usually the colour of a three-colour traffic light, which is green, if the section is free, orange, if the next section is occupied by a train—the light at the entrance of this next section is therefore red-, and red, if the preceding section is occupied.
For a train to be able to run on a section at the speed of the line, that is to say run "in section", it is preferred that at least the two sections that follow this section are free of any other train. It is in these conditions that the signal is green at the entrance of the section in question.
The presence of a train on a section is detected by a track circuit which controls the signalling elements that have just been evoked.
Fitting a line under construction with such a signalling system is out of the question. Its cost would be prohibitive.
Up to now, the signalling for the movement of work trains on the tracks of a railway line under construction has been provided in empirical fashion by the work-site personnel with the aid of signboards and other panels and of radio and telephone means. The major disadvantage of such an empirical solution, not to mention the requirement for significant staffing, is that it limits the speed of the trains on the tracks, the drivers being obliged to drive "in work mode", that is to say running by sight.

Method and system of aiding the movement of works trains

Abstract: The system saves time by enabling a work train to move, under certain conditions, at the speed of the line.

Societe Nationale des Chemins de fer Francais


A plastic molded pallet includes a corrugated deck providing structural rigidity to the pallet and forming channels for directing leaking fluid away from drums. The pallet also includes a plurality of troughs for selectively collecting the leaking fluid from the channels. Corner troughs flush with the channels collect the leaking fluid from any channel having the fluid. If a corner trough overflows, mid-section troughs on each side of the corner trough begin to collect the overflowing fluid after the overflowing fluid reaches over the mid-section trough dam. If both mid-section troughs are filled, the leaking fluid then proceeds to the next adjacent corner trough, during which time the leaking drum can still be identified based upon the leakage pattern. After all corner and mid-section troughs are filled, the fluid begins collecting in a center trough. The corrugations in the deck isolate the leaking fluid from the drums, and provide concentric surfaces for supporting different-sized drums.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to pallets made from molded plastic for holding liquid-filled drums.
2. Description of the Related Art
Plastic pallets have been developed in an effort to provide an adequate support structure for carrying liquid-filled drums, while at the same time being able to contain leaking fluid from leaky containers.
Different configurations have been attempted to provide molded pallets having sufficient structural strength to distribute weight during loading. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,702,100 to Wharton discloses a molded pallet having a generally corrugated structure, where the corrugations in the medial portion of the pallet are formed in concentric rectangles so as to reinforce each other and minimize distortion when racking. A series of spaced corrugations are also positioned in parallel relation to each side of the pallet. The disclosed pallet also includes ribs spaced between the corrugations to provide additional reinforcement and to act as stacking supports when the pallets are nested to prevent jamming and sticking of one pallet within another.
One problem associated with pallets is that the drums loaded on the pallet may begin to leak, which may cause severe environmental contamination if the leaking fluid is not contained. Although the pallet described in Wharton is not designed for the collection and retention of fluid, U.S. Pat. No. 5,359,955 to Grebenyuk discloses a spill pallet for supporting drums containing hazardous material, where the pallet includes a base and a grate upon which a number of drums are placed. The base includes a support surface which vertically abuts the grate, and bowl-shaped chambers positioned beneath the support surface to receive and contain spilled or leaked liquid. However, the relatively large size of the containers renders the pallet unstable when carried by a forklift. Moreover, the use of a two-piece pallet having a grate and a base with a chamber renders the pallet impractical for use and storage since the pallet requires two separate parts that must be kept together.
A more fundamental problem with the Grebenyuk pallet, as well as other prior art pallets, is that it is unable to identify the leaking drum because the bowl-shaped chambers are fluidly connected to optimize available retention volume, requiring a person to individually inspect each drum to determine which drum is leaking. If the leak is a slow leak, a person may be unable to determine the leaky drum at all. The use of a grate also covers the leaking fluid, preventing someone from visually observing the presence of a leak. Hence, a leaky drum may be left unnoticed, preventing a person to visually detect the leak and take corrective measures.

Molded pallet having corrugated deck with leak identification and retention


A sound output device for masking an operation sound generated by equipment, having: an operation determining unit that determines an operation mode to be executed by the equipment; and a sound output unit that outputs a masking sound on the basis of the operation mode determined by the operation determining unit, the masking sound changing at least in sound pressure level over time.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a sound output device that outputs a masker (masking sound) for masking an operation sound generated by equipment.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventionally, to deal with an operation sound generated by an image forming apparatus or suchlike, a so-called "noise reduction technology" for reducing operation sounds is employed. Noise reduction lowers the sound pressure level of operation sounds, but does not completely solve problems of "harshness" and "discomfort" caused by operation sounds.
Aside from the noise reduction technology, there has also been proposed a sound masking technology as a technology to lower a loud sound (to a less perceptible level). Sound masking is a method taking advantage of a phenomenon (sound masking effect) in which perception of a sound at a certain level makes other sounds barely audible, and this method is mainly classified into frequency masking and temporal masking. More specifically, a loud sound is superimposed with a sound (masker or masking sound) mainly similar in frequency band to the loud sound, so that the loud sound is made barely audible, thereby reducing harshness and discomfort.
As a conventional sound output device applying the sound masking technology, there is a noise masking device described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 9-193506. This noise masking device is provided in an image forming apparatus or suchlike with a drive mechanism generating a loud sound (noise) during operation, and the noise masking device includes a sound generator for generating a masking sound to mask the loud sound, and a masking sound control unit for controlling the sound generator to generate a masking sound within a frequency range including the main component frequency of the loud sound. The masking sound control unit allows the masking sound to be generated within a frequency range between the lower and upper limits of a critical frequency band for the main component frequency of the loud sound.
In order for the noise masking device to further reduce harshness and discomfort, the sound pressure level of the masking sound may need to be raised. However, this results in a problem of increasing the power level of the sounds (the masking sound and the operation sound) emitted by the image forming device.


Hydrotalcites containing the anion of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid are partially or fully thermally decomposed to provide catalysts useful for the conversion of ethanol to a reaction product comprising 1-butanol.

Efforts directed at improving air quality and increasing energy production from renewable resources have resulted in renewed interest in alternative fuels, such as ethanol and butanol, that might replace gasoline and diesel fuel, or be used as additives in gasoline and diesel fuel.
It is known that 1-butanol can be prepared by condensation from ethanol over basic catalysts at high temperature using the so-called "Guerbet Reaction." See for example, J. Logsdon in Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology, John Wiley and Sons, Inc., New York, 2001.
Methods of using catalysts to convert ethanol to butanol are also discussed in the following references.
M. N. Dvornikoff and M. W. Farrar, J. of Organic Chemistry (1957), 11, 540-542, disclose the use of MgO—K2CO3—CuCrO2 catalyst system to promote ethanol condensation to higher alcohols, including 1-butanol. The disclosed liquid phase reaction using this catalyst showed a 13% conversion of ethanol and 47% selectivity to 1-butanol.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,300,695, assigned to Amoco Corp., discloses processes in which an alcohol having X carbon atoms is reacted over an L-type zeolite catalyst to produce a higher molecular weight alcohol. In some embodiments, a first alcohol having X carbon atoms is condensed with a second alcohol having Y carbon atoms to produce an alcohol having X+Y carbons. In one specific embodiment, ethanol is used to produce butanol using a potassium L-type zeolite.
J. I. DiCosimo, et al., in Journal of Catalysis (2000), 190(2), 261-275, describe the effect of composition and surface properties on alcohol-coupling reactions using MgyAlOx catalysts for alcohol reactions, including ethanol. Also condensation reactions on MgyAlOx samples involved the formation of products containing a new C—C bond, such as n-C4H8O (or n-C4H9OH) and iso-C4H8O (or iso-C4H9OH). They also describe, in Journal of Catalysis (1998), 178(2), 499-510, that the oxidation to acetaldehyde and the aldol condensation to n-butanol both involve initial surface ethoxide formation on a Lewis acid-strong base pair.
WO 2006059729 (assigned to Kabushiki Kaisha Sangi) describes a process for efficiently producing, from ethanol as a raw material, higher molecular weight alcohols having an even number of carbon atoms, such as 1-butanol, hexanol and the like. The higher molecular weight alcohols are yielded from ethanol as a starting material with the aid of a calcium phosphate compound, e.g., hydroxyapatite Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2, tricalcium phosphate Ca3(PO4)2, calcium monohydrogen phosphate CaHPO4×(0-2)H2O, calcium diphosphate Ca2P2O7, octacalcium phosphate Ca8H2(PO4)6×5H2O, tetracalcium phosphate Ca4(PO4)2O, or amorphous calcium phosphate Ca3(PO4)2×nH2O, preferably hydroxyapatite, as a catalyst, the contact time being 0.4 second or longer.
Carlini et al. describe a catalytic reaction of methanol with n-propanol to produce isobutyl alcohol. The involved catalyst is a calcined hydrotalcite in combination with copper chromite. See C. Carlini et al, Journal of Molecular Catalysis A: Chemical (2005), 232 (1-2) 13-20. See also C. Carlini, Journal of Molecular Catalysis A: Chemical (2004), 220 (2), 215-220, in which the catalyst is a mixture of a hydrotalcite with Pd, Ni, Rh, or Cu, with the mixture being calcined at 500° C.
Hydrotalcites are layered, double hydroxides of the general formula(M2+1−xM3+x(OH)2)(An−x/n).yH2OThe M2+ ions can be a variety of divalent cations (e.g., Mg, Ni, Pt, Pd, Zn, Co, Fe, Cu) and the M3+ ions can be trivalent Al, Fe or Cr. Some hydrotalcites are described by V. K. Diez, C. R. Apesteguia, and J. I. DiCosimo (Latin American Applied Research, 33, 79-86 (2003)) and N. N. Das and S. C. Srivastava (Bull. Mater. Sci. 25, (4), 283-289 (2002)).
It has been found that partially or fully thermally decomposed hydrotalcites that incorporate the anion of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, can yield catalysts that are effective for the conversion of ethanol to a reaction product that comprises (i.e., contains among other things) 1-butanol.

Catalytic conversion of ethanol to a 1-butanol-containing reaction product using a thermally decomposed hydrotalcite containing the anion of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid


The invention provides compounds that are useful in the treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections. The compounds have the formula (1):

Hepatitis C is a chronic liver disease affecting an estimated 3% of the global population, and is caused by the hepatitis C virus. Patients infected with the virus run an 85% risk of developing cirrhosis of the liver and of these, 20% will subsequently progress to hepatocellular carcinoma. HCV is recognized as a major cause of end-stage liver disease and the leading cause of liver transplantation in the developed world [Davila, J. A., et al. (2004) Gastroenterology, 127, 1372-1380; Liu, C. L. and Fan, S. T. (1997) Am. J. Surg., 173, 358-365; Garcia-Retortillo, M., et al. (2002) Hepatology, 35, 680-687; Brown, R. S. (2005) Nature, 436, 973-978]. Transplantation is not curative, since HCV-infected transplant recipients infect their donor livers. The disease burden and mortality related to HCV have risen substantially in the last decade and are predicted by the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention to increase further as the population infected, prior to widespread blood screening, ages.
The HCV genome encodes only 10 viral proteins, namely the structural proteins E1, E2 and C, and the non-structural proteins p7, NS2, NS3, NS4a, NS4b, NS5a and NS5b. The NS3 protein is a bi-functional enzyme with a serine protease domain at the N-terminus and an ATP dependent helicase domain at the C-terminus.
The nomenclature set forth in Simmonds et al., (1993) J Gen Virol, 74(Pt. 11):2391-2399 is widely used and classifies HCV isolates into six major genotypes 1 to 6 with two or more related subtypes, e.g., 1a, 1b. Additional genotypes 7-10 and 11 have been proposed but the phylogenetic basis on which this classification is based has been questioned, and thus type 7, 8, 9 and 11 isolates have been reassigned as type 6, and type 10 isolates as type 3 (see Lamballerie et al, J Gen Virol, 78(Pt.1):45-51 (1997)). The major genotypes have been defined as having sequence similarities of between 55 and 72% (mean 64.5%), and subtypes within types as having 75%-86% similarity (mean 80%) when sequenced in the NS5 region (see Simmonds et al., J Gen Virol, 75(Pt. 5):1053-1061 (1994)).
Of the six known genotypes of HCV, genotypes 1a and 1b are the most prevalent worldwide, followed by 3 and 6. The order of genotypic incidence in the UK is 3a (37.2%), 1a (30.7%), 1b (18.4%) and 2b (6.1%) which account for 92.4% of the reported cases, while in the USA 94.3% of reported infections are caused by the 1a (78.9%) and 1b (15.4%) genotypes [HCV database website at http://hcv.lanl.gov/].
The standard therapy for HCV is under review following the approval of telaprevir and boceprevir. The nature and duration of the treatment is dependent on which genotype being treated. For the treatment of infection with HCV genotype 4, the treatment regime remains a combination of weekly injections of pegylated interferon α and daily oral administration of ribavirin for a period of 48 weeks. For the treatment of infection by HCV genotype 1, the treatment regime comprises the administration of pegylated interferon α and the twice daily oral administration of ribavirin plus the three times daily oral administration of telapravir or boceprevir. For the treatment of infection by HCV genotypes 2 and 3, the treatment regime comprises the administration of pegylated interferon α and twice daily oral administration of 400 mg of ribavirin for twenty four weeks. The treatment of HCV infections is costly and is associated with numerous severe side effects, including psychiatric disorders (depression, headaches), neutropaenia, pancreatitis, diabetes, hypersensitivity reactions, haemolytic anaemia and fatigue. Ribavirin has been shown to be teratogenic in all animals tested and is contraindicated during pregnancy. Moreover, according to NICE, the treatment with pegylated interferon α ribavirin is only successful in 54-56% of patients infected with the 1a and 1b genotypes, leaving a large group of patients with no treatment alternatives.
Host genetic factors have been found to influence treatment outcome. In particular, a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) on chromosome 19, rs1297980, has been shown to have a strong association with response to current standard of care. Patients with the CC genotype of rs1297980 had greater than two-fold likelihood to achieve SVR than patients with non CC genotype infected with genotype 1 HCV (Ge et al., Nature 2009; 461:399-401). The trend was also evident in patients infected with GT2 and 3, though the effect was attenuated (Mangia et al, Gastroenterology (2010) 139(3):821-7).
The approval in the US and the European Union of the two NS3/4a active site protease inhibitors, telaprevir and boceprevir, is providing more treatment options to patients, with the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) issuing guidelines for their use. Both compounds show dramatic and sustained decreases in viral RNA levels in patients, but suffer from poor PK profiles and require high dosing regimes twice or thrice daily. In addition, both compounds lead to the emergence of resistance mutations [Sarrazin, C., et al. (2007) Gastroenterology, 132, 1767-1777; Kim, A. Y. and Timm, J. (2008) Expert Rev Anti Infect Ther., 6, 463-478]. As both compounds bind in the same region of the protease enzyme, mutants demonstrate cross resistance. Alternative therapies based on other HCV molecular targets, as well as second wave and second generation protease inhibitors are at earlier stages in clinical trials. Clinical experience suggests that emerging resistance is likely to be a major problem with most agents, with the possible exception of nucleot(s)ide based inhibitors of NS5b polymerase [Le Pogam, S., et al. (2010) J. Infect Dis. 202, 1510-9]. First-line therapies are likely to be combinations of effective agents that demonstrate differential cross resistance [Sarrazin, C. and Zeuzem, S (2010) Gastroenterology, 138, 447-462].
Inhibition of the NS3/4a protease activity by small active site directed molecules has been shown to halt viral replication in vitro, in the replicon cell-based assay, in the chimeric mouse model and most importantly in the clinic [Lin, C., et al. (2006) Infect Disord Drug Targets. 6, 3-16; Venkatraman, S., et al. (2006) J. Med. Chem. 49, 6074-6086; Zhou, Y., et al. (2007) J. Biol. Chem. 282, 22619-22628; Prongay, A. J., et al. (2007) J. Med. Chem. 50, 2310-2318; and Hezode, C., et al. (2009) N. Engl. J. Med. 360, 1839-49.
The HCV NS3 NTPase/helicase functions have also been extensively studied and are considered as potential targets for antiviral therapy [Frick, D. N. (2007) Curr. Issues Mol. Biol., 9, 1-20; Serebrov, V., et al. (2009) J. Biol. Chem., 284 (4), 2512-21. However, no agents are reported to be in clinical development (Swan T. and Kaplan, K. (2012) Hepatitis C Drug Development Goes from Pony Ride to Rocket Launch—The pipeline report 2012 at http://www.pipelinereport.org/toc/HCV).
Agents that inhibit helicase function by competing with the nucleic acid substrate have also been reported [Maga, G., et al. (2005) Biochem., 44, 9637-44]. A recent publication by the group of A. M. Pyle, suggests that the full length NS3 protein must undergo a conformational change to facilitate the formation of the functional complex between the enzyme and substrate RNA [Ding, S. C., et al. (2011) J. Virol., 85(9) 4343-4353]. They propose that an extended conformation, also necessary to allow access of substrates to the protease active site, represents the functionally active form of the full length protein for RNA unwinding. Further support for the extended conformation and protease domain interaction with RNA comes from a study that reports the specific interaction of viral RNA with the NS3 protease active site [Vaughan, R. et al. (2012) Virus Research, 169(1), 80-90, RNA binding by the NS3 protease of the hepatitis C virus, available on line at http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.virusres.2012.07.007].
Jhoti et al. Nature Chemical Biology, volume 8, number 11, pp 920-925, 2012, doi:10.1038/nchembio.1081, available online (the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference) reports the discovery of a highly conserved novel binding site located at the interface between the protease and helicase domains of the Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) NS3 protein. This site is reported to have a regulatory function on the protease activity via an allosteric mechanism. Jhoti et al. propose that compounds binding at this allosteric site inhibit the function of the NS3 protein by stabilising an inactive conformation and thus represent a new class of direct acting antiviral agents.

Abstract: or a salt, N-oxide, tautomer or stereoisomer thereof, wherein A is CH or N; E is CH or N;                R1 is selected from:                    an optionally substituted acyclic C1-8 hydrocarbon group wherein one carbon atom of the acyclic C1-8 hydrocarbon group may optionally be replaced by O, S, NRc, S(O) or SO2, or two adjacent carbon atoms of the acyclic C1-8 hydrocarbon group may optionally be replaced by CONRc, NRcCO, NRcSO2 or SO2NRc provided that in each case at least one carbon atom of the acyclic C1-8 hydrocarbon group remains; and            an optionally substituted monocyclic carbocyclic or heterocyclic group of 3 to 7 ring members, of which 0, 1, 2, 3 or 4 are heteroatom ring members selected from O, N and S;                        R2 is hydrogen or X—R8;        X is a C1-8 alkanediyl group wherein one carbon atom of the C1-8 alkanediyl group may optionally be bonded to a —CH2—CH2— moiety to form a cyclopropane-1,1-diyl group or two adjacent carbon atoms of the C1-8 alkanediyl group may optionally be bonded to a —(CH2)n moiety, where n is 1 to 5, to form a C3-7-cycloalkane-1,2-diyl group;        R3 is an optionally substituted 3- to 10-membered monocyclic or bicyclic carbocyclic or heterocyclic ring containing 0-3 heteroatom ring members selected from N, O and S;        R4 is hydrogen or R4a wherein R4a is halogen; cyano; C1-4 alkyl; fluoro-1-4 alkyl; C1-4 alkoxy; fluoro-C1-4 alkoxy; hydroxy-C1-4 alkyl; or C1-2 alkoxy-C1-4 alkyl;        R5 is hydrogen or R5a wherein R5a is selected from C1-2 alkyl optionally substituted with fluorine; C1-3 alkoxy optionally substituted with fluorine; halogen; cyclopropyl; and cyano;        R8 is hydroxy or C(═O)NR10R11; provided that when R8 is hydroxy, there are at least two carbon atoms in line between the hydroxy group and the nitrogen atom to which X is attached;        R10 is hydrogen or C1-4 alkyl; and        R11 is hydrogen; amino-C2-4 alkyl or hydroxy-C2-4 alkyl;        but excluding the compounds 1-(3-benzoylphenyl)-ethylamine and 1-(3-furan-2-oylcarbonylphenyl)-ethylamine.


Disclosed are high purity low-silica faujasite type zeolite showing a faujasite single phase on X-ray diffraction, having a SiO.sub.2 /Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 molar ratio of 1.9 to 2.1 and a water adsorption of 35.0% by weight or more when converted to the Na type, and comprising particles having smaller primary particle size and particles having larger primary particle size, wherein the primary particle size of the smaller particles is from 1 .mu.m to 8 .mu.m, the primary particle size of the larger particles is from 5 .mu.m to 15 .mu.m, and the particles having smaller primary particle size accounts for 90% or more of the total particle number; and a method for producing low-silica faujasite type zeolite having a SiO.sub.2 /Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 molar ratio of 1.9 to 2.1 by mixing an aluminate-containing solution with a silicate-containing solution to allow the resulting solution to gel, followed by aging and crystallization, wherein besides zeolite formed, "zeolite" is added before the termination of the aging, thereby producing the low-silica faujasite type zeolite in high purity on a large scale for a short period of time.

As to methods for producing low-silica faujasite type zeolite (hereinafter also referred to as "LSX") having a SiO.sub.2 /Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 molar ratio of 1.9 to 2.1, various methods have been disclosed. For example, GB 1580928 discloses a method of crystallizing a mixture containing sodium, potassium, an aluminate and a silicate at a temperature of 50.degree. C. or less, or aging the mixture at a temperature of 50.degree. C. or less for an extremely long time of 15 to 72 hours, followed by crystallization within the temperature range of 60 to 100.degree. C.
ZEOLITES, vol. 7, September, pages 451-457 (1987) discloses the influence of the SiO.sub.2 /Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 molar ratio, K/(Na+K) molar ratio, aging conditions and crystallization conditions of raw materials on the formation of low-silica faujasite type zeolite in detail, and the aging and crystallization are performed in a plastic vessel.
Further, U.S. Pat. No. 4,859,217 discloses a method of mixing a mixture containing sodium, potassium and an aluminate with a mixture containing a silicate at a low temperature of 4 to 12.degree. C. to allow the resulting mixture to gel, aging the gel at 36.degree. C. for 48 hours, and then elevating the temperature thereof to 70.degree. C. to conduct crystallization, and it is clearly shown that the cooling in the final mixing and the avoidance of the occurrence of excessive mechanical energy are important.
As described above, in the production of low-silica faujasite type zeolite, it has been considered indispensable that the solution containing sodium, potassium, an aluminate and a silicate is mixed it low temperature to allow the solution to gel, the gel is aged in the still standing state for a long period of time, and the temperature thereof is elevated to the crystallization temperature in the still standing state to conduct crystallization. However, it is industrially disadvantageous to cool the raw material to low temperature, and the gel is very poor in heat transfer characteristics. In large-scale synthesis, therefore, there is the difficulty that an extremely large period of time is required for homogenizing the temperature in the still standing state.

Low-silica faujasite type zeolite and method for producing the same


A "look-ahead" calculation projects what would be the effect on the abandon rate if several additional abandons happened to occur. The method uses the result of this "look-ahead" calculation of a projected abandon rate to modify its estimation of the number of ringing dials that will or will not result in an answer. If the projected abandon rate indicates the abandon rate is sensitive to an increase in the number of abandons, the method increases the estimate of those ringing calls which are likely to answer by up to two and one-half times the "average", depending on the degree of sensitivity. If the sensitivity forecasts little danger of exceeding the set abandon rate, the method decreases the estimate of ringing calls that will answer by up to one-half. In the former case, dialing is slowed down and in the latter, dialing is speeded up. Both cases have the advantage to "looking ahead" rather than simply reacting to events that may not be quickly correctable once they have occurred.

Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an improved call pacing method for a call center outbound automatic dialing function and more particularly to a pacing method capable of holding to low set abandon rates.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,640,445, which is incorporated herein by reference, discloses a call pacing method in which agent availability and call answers are based on probability statistics. For the agent availability determination, a weight is assigned each agent engaged in a call or in after-call work. This weight is a function of how long an agent has been engaged in a call or in after-call work and the length of an adjustable time window. The sum of the weights is a predicted number of engaged agents that will become free. The length of the time window, which is typically not the same for agents engaged in a call and agents engaged in after-call work, is not explicitly dependent on the interval between the dial of a call and when the call is expected to be answered. The time window is adjusted by the system; lengthened when the abandon call rate falls below the maximum acceptable ratio (herein referred to as the set abandon rate) and shortened when the set abandon rate rises above the set abandon rate.
Calls to be dialed may be separated into classes based on the probability that a dialed call will be answered (e.g. previously dialed, busy responses will have a higher probability of answer than a previously dialed no answer response). Separate data of answer vs. dials are kept for each class. Dialed calls that remain unanswered are further discounted as the unanswered status extends in time and the data indicates a diminished probability of being answered.
For each class, a number of calls to dial is calculated, based on the probability of an answer, in order to provide answered calls for the predicted number of idle agents without the predicted number of abandons exceeding the allowable or set abandon rate (as used herein, the phrase "predicted idle agents" includes engaged agents predicted to become available plus presently idle agents). Calls to dial are calculated from the various classes, starting with the class with the highest probability of an answer, so that the fewest dials are used to produce the required number of answered calls. For each class, the calculation of the number of calls to dial is based on an assumed binomial distribution of the likelihood of a given number of answers if the predicted number of idle agents divided by class answer probability is less than a predetermined number; if larger than this number a normal distribution is used for ease of calculation.
The pacing method of the U.S. Pat. No. 5,640,445 patent gains a significant performance advantage by estimating the proportion of ringing dials that will not result in an answer. It then begins dialing new calls to substitute for these calls. It uses an "average" estimation calculation for the number of ringing dials which will not answer, which is adequate for abandon rates in the neighborhood of 5.0 percent, but has not been altogether satisfactory for very low set abandon rates, e.g., 0.5 percent. This is because with a low set abandon rate, there is very little room for the errors ("error distribution") that an "average" estimator will usually produce. Low set abandon rates of 0.5 percent involve at most one abandoned call for every 200 answers, in contrast to one abandoned call for every 20 answers for the higher rate of 5.0 percent.
Prior art pacing methods, including the U.S. Pat. No. 5,640,445 pacing method, use only an "after-the-fact" control mechanism; that is, the method slows down the rate of dialing once the set abandon rate is exceeded. However, due to the very small margin for error with low set abandon rates, this "after the fact" mechanism is not satisfactory. This same "after the fact" mechanism is also used to speed up the dialing, if the abandon rate is too low, which can also cause unwanted effects for low set abandon rates.
An object of this invention is to provide an improved pacing algorithm which precisely maintains a set abandon rate, even low set abandon rates and even in an environment where the talk time is long.
Briefly this invention contemplates the provision of a "look-ahead" calculation, that projects what would be the effect on the abandon rate if several additional abandons happened to occur. This could be characterized as estimating the abandon rate sensitivity. The method uses the result of this "look-ahead" calculation of a projected abandon rate to modify its estimation of the number of ringing dials that will or will not result in an answer. If the projected abandon rate indicates the abandon rate is sensitive to an increase in the number of abandons, the method increases the estimate of those ringing calls which are likely to answer by up to two and one-half times the "average", depending on the degree of sensitivity. If the sensitivity forecasts little danger of exceeding the set abandon rate, the method decreases the estimate of ringing calls that will answer by up to one-half. In the former case, dialing is slowed down and in the latter, dialing is speeded up. Both cases have the advantage to "looking ahead" rather than simply reacting to events that may not be quickly correctable once they have occurred.
In a preferred embodiment, the method of this invention uses the mathematically-based Binomial algorithm of the U.S. Pat. No. 5,640,445 patent to estimate how many calls are safe to dial, which is most accurate when there are no or few dials ringing. When there are few dials ringing, the "look-ahead" calculation has little effect. In this case, the Binomial algorithm exercises the most control on the dialing rate, which is precisely when it is most accurate. When there are many dials in progress, the "look-ahead" calculation gains more control, as it should.


A distillation apparatus includes a rectifying column, a stripping column located above seen from the rectifying column, a liquid sump unit located at a predetermined stage of the stripping column and configured to hold liquid that has flowed downward, a heat exchanger located in the liquid sump unit, a second pipe for introducing vapor in the rectifying column to the heat exchanger of the stripping column, and a third pipe for introducing fluids flowing out from the heat exchanger of the stripping column to the rectifying column. Further, a flare line having lower pressure than pressure in the rectifying column is connected to a downstream side of the third pipe. The distillation apparatus can switch a first flow toward an inside of the rectifying column through the third pipe to a second flow branching from the third pipe toward a pipe at a lower pressure side.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a distillation apparatus that carries out a distillation operation widely applied to many industrial processes, and more particularly to a heat integrated distillation apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Distillation separation is a unit operation widely applied to industrial processes in general, but consumes a large amount of energy. In the industrial field, therefore, studies have been conducted on an energy saving distillation systems. Such studies have brought about development of a heat integrated distillation column (hereinafter, HIDiC) as a distillation apparatus that save much energy.
As shown in FIG. 1, a basic system of the HIDiC has a structure in which a rectifying section (high-pressure unit) and a stripping section (low-pressure unit) are provided such that they are separate from each other. Operation pressure of the rectifying section is set higher than that of the stripping section so that the operation temperature of the rectifying section can be higher than that of the stripping section. This enables a reduction in the amount of heat that is supplied to a reboiler because heat transfer occurs from the rectifying section to the stripping section when there is a heat-exchange surface therebetween. Heat of the rectifying section moves to the stripping section, and hence the amount of heat that is supplied at a reboiler can be reduced. As a result, high energy saving distillation apparatus can be achieved.
In order to put the concept of HIDiC to practical use, a number of distillation apparatuses having double-pipe structures, that is, double-pipe structures constituted of inner pipes forming rectifying sections and outer pipes forming stripping sections have been proposed (For example, refer to JP2004-16928A). These configurations are described as being capable of reducing the amounts of heat that are supplied to the reboilers and the amounts of heat that are removed at the condensers, since heat transfer occurs from the rectifying sections (inner pipes) to the stripping sections (outer pipes).
However, the heat integrated distillation apparatus having the rectifying section and the stripping section formed into the double-pipe structures as discussed in JP2004-16928A had the following problems 1) to 6).
1) The product cannot be obtained with side-cut stream. The side-cutting means that a product is withdrawn as an intermediate distillate product, during a distillation process until an end distillate is acquired from top of column.
In the distillation apparatus described in JP2004-16928A, the tube units of the double-pipe structures are arranged to come into contact with each other. Moreover, the outer pipes and the inner pipes are equipped with the structured packing. As a result, no pipe arrangement can be formed to withdraw any intermediate distillate product from the inner pipe of each tube unit. Consequently, the structure disables side-cutting.
2) The feed stage where feed stream is provided cannot be optimized. This is because in the rectifying section and, the stripping section formed into the double-pipe structures, packing heights thereof are equal, disabling free setting of the number of stages of the rectifying section and the stripping section.
3) The feed stage cannot be changed so as to meet the feed stream composition. This is because of the structure in which free setting of the feeding stage position is disabled as described in 2).
4) Multi-feed stream (reception of a plurality of feed streams) cannot be dealt with. This is because of the structure in which no feed stream can be supplied in the midway of the double-pipes as described in 1).
5) Maintenance of the apparatus is difficult. The tube units that use the structured packing are densely arranged to be adjacent to each other as described in 1). This disables complete access to the desired tube unit, and maintenance thereof cannot be carried out.
6) The heat exchanged rate between the rectifying section and the stripping section that uses double-pipes and in which there is no a degree of freedom in design for designing the heat transfer area, depends only on the temperature profile of the distillation column. Hence, in apparatus design, a degree of freedom in design of heat exchanged rate is small.
Q, the heat exchanged rate between the rectifying section and the stripping section, is represented by Q=U×A×ΔT, where U is an overall heat-transfer coefficient, A is a heat transfer area, and ΔT is a temperature difference between the rectifying section and the stripping section. In the HIDiC using the double-pipe structure, an inner pipe wall surface becomes a heat transfer area. This heat transfer area has a fixed value determined by a structure of the double-pipes. The overall heat-transfer coefficient also has a fixed value determined by the heat transfer structure and fluid physical properties involved in heat exchange. Thus, as can be understood from the heat exchanged rate formula, a heat exchanged rate on design specification can be changed based only on the temperature difference between the rectifying section and the stripping section, which is changed by the operating pressure of the rectifying section and the stripping section.
As the heat integrated distillation apparatus that can solve the problem as described above, the present applicant has proposed the apparatus of JP4803470B.
FIG. 2 shows an example of the distillation apparatus disclosed in JP4803470B. The distillation apparatus includes rectifying column 1, stripping column 2 located higher than rectifying column 1, first pipe 23 for connecting column top 2c of the stripping column with column bottom 1a of the rectifying column, and compressor 4 that compresses vapor from column top 2c of the stripping column to feed the compressed vapor to column bottom 1a of the rectifying column. The distillation apparatus further includes liquid sump unit 2e located at a predetermined stage of stripping column 2 and configured to hold liquid that has flowed downward, heat exchanger 8 located in liquid sump unit 2e, partition plate 16 that is set in a predetermined position of rectifying column 1 and configured to apart upper stages and lower stages completely, second pipe 29 for introducing vapor below partition plate 16 to heat exchanger 8, and third pipe 30 for introducing fluids introduced through second pipe 29 to heat exchanger 8 and then discharged out of heat exchanger 8 to an upper side of partition plate 16.
With the above described configuration, the vapor is withdrawn from rectifying column 1 through second pipe 29. The vapor is introduced to heat exchanger 8 in stripping column 2. Then, heat can be transferred from rectifying column 1 to stripping column 2. High-pressure vapor in rectifying column 1 ascends through second pipe 29 to heat exchanger 8 in stripping column 2. A fluid partially or totally condensed from the vapor in heat exchanger 8 is accordingly pushed out from stripping column 2 to third pipe 30 outside the column. Thus, this configuration also necessitates no pressure-feeding means such as a pump in supplying liquid from stripping column 2 to rectifying column 1 located at a lower side in a vertical direction.
Further, with the above described apparatus configuration, which transfers heat from rectifying column 1 to stripping column 2 by using second pipe 29, third pipe 30 and heat exchanger 8, as compared with a distillation apparatus including no such heat transfer configuration, the heat exchanged rate removed from condenser 7 attached to the column top of rectifying column 1 can be reduced more, and the heat exchanged rate that is supplied to reboiler 3 attached to the column bottom of stripping column 2 can be reduced more. As a result, a distillation apparatus that is very high in energy efficiency can be provided.
Rectifying column 1 and stripping column 2 can be configured by using trayed sections or packed bed sections similar to those of a general distillation apparatus. Hence, the apparatus can deal with side cutting or multi-feed stream without the need for any improvement, and it is possible to easily perform maintenance of the apparatus. For the same reason, the number of stages of the rectifying column or the stripping column can be freely set, and a feed stage can be optimized.
A heat transfer area can be freely set, and hence the heat exchanged rate can be determined without any dependence on the temperature difference between the columns.
As described above, according to the device example described in JP4803470B (FIG. 2), energy efficiency is high, side-cutting and setting of a feed stage position can be easily dealt with, and maintenance of the apparatus is easy. The apparatus of the present invention has a structure in which a degree of freedom in design is high, and hence can be easily accepted by the user side.
Concerning the distillation apparatus shown in FIG. 2, the present inventors aim at further enhancement in energy efficiency, and consider that the distillation apparatus still has a room to be improved.
In other words, in the distillation apparatus shown in FIG. 2, the following method is adopted. Partition plate 16 that completely partitions the inside of the column to an upper side and a lower side is installed in an arbitrary stage of rectifying column 1, all of vapor ascending from below partition plate 16 is withdrawn from the column through pipe 29, and is supplied to tube-bundle-type heat exchanger 8 installed at an arbitrary stage of stripping column 2, where heat exchange is performed. Thereafter, a fluid partially or totally condensed in heat exchanger 8 flows through pipe 30 outside the column to the upper side of partition plate 16 in rectifying column 1 by gravity, and the condensed liquid flows through another pipe 31 to be movable to below partition plate 16. Such circulation of the fluids is performed.
Such a method intend to withdraw all of the vapor in rectifying column 1 to the outside of the column, and hence adopts a complicated structure in which partition plate 16 is installed in rectifying column 1, and the condensed liquid fed onto partition plate 16 from stripping column 2 is further transferred to a lower side space of partition plate 16 through pipe 31 and control valve 17 outside the column. Thus, there is a room to be improved from the viewpoint of the structure and manufacturing cost.
Further, drive force for the fluids passing through the tube of heat exchanger 8 is obtained by giving pressure loss at the upper and lower sides of partition plate 16, and hence pressure of column bottom 1a needs to be made larger than pressure of column top 1c of rectifying section 1 correspondingly to the pressure loss at the upper and lower sides of partition plate 16. Thus, there arises a need for setting pressure to be higher at an outlet side of compressor 4 (namely, increase a compression ratio) correspondingly to increase in the pressure at column bottom 1a side. Therefore, there is also a room to be improved from the viewpoint of energy saving performance.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A play material is formed using a self cross-linking sodium alginate combined with germaben II-E and butylparaben preservatives. A sodium chloride salt provides further preservative action which increases the firmness of the alginate gel material. The play material exhibits improved preservative action and avoidance of eye and skin irritation problems on the part of the user.

Play compositions of different types have been provided by practitioners in the toy arts through the years to amuse children and adults and to aid in the development of manual skills and dexterity as well as creativity. While the variety of such play material compositions is virtually endless, all generally involve the use of free-forming or malleable materials such as oil base or water base gums and gel compounds which may be manipulated and shaped by the user. Certain materials have been provided which are moldable and tend to retain their shapes such as modeling clay or the like. Others, however, have been provided which are looser and more free-flowing such as novelty play materials and compositions. Still others are gel-like and provide interesting characteristics such as shaking or quivering similar to gelatin dessert products.
Regardless of the type of play material compounds used, it has remained imperative that such materials be safe for young children. Safety requirements have evolved through the years as concerns have grown. Generally safety requirements mandate that play material compositions be non-irritating to the skin or eyes or the like and be non-toxic if ingested. Additional requirements have been employed in certain materials to avoid damage to clothing, upholstery fabric or carpeting.
The continuing need for evermore improved and varied play material compositions has prompted practitioners in the art to develop a great number of such materials. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,541,851 issued to Wright sets forth a PROCESS FOR MAKING PUTTYLIKE ELASTIC PLASTIC SILOXANE DERIVATIVE COMPOSITION CONTAINING ZINC HYDROXIDE in which a composition of matter comprises a dimethyl silicone of the type generally known as a "bouncing putty". The invention is directed to a process for making such bouncing putties by treating the dimethyl silicone with a compound of boron preferably followed by further treatment using head and/or a catalyst.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,384,498 issued to Ahrabi sets forth a PLASTIC MODELING COMPOSITION comprising manogalactan gum, alkali metal borate, boric acid, high molecular weight polysaccharide, bacteriostat, fungistat, filler, colorant and perfume.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,565,815 issued to Christy sets forth a PHOSPHOR CONTAINING PLASTIC POLYSTYRENE which provides a moldable plastic product having adhesive properties and which may made to glow in the dark.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,634,280 issued to Dean, et al. sets forth a GLOWING BOUNCING PUTTY in which a non-toxic novelty composition comprises a bouncing putty material possessing unusual properties such as the ability to glow in the dark after exposure to a light source. The putty composition is preferably formed of a solid gel-like heat reaction product of dimethyl silicone oil with a minor portion of a boron compound. In its preferred form, the material is subsequently treated with heat or a catalyst.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,661,790 issued to Dean, et al. sets forth a GLOWING BOUNCING PUTTY similar to that set forth in the above-referenced U.S. Pat. No. 3,634,280.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,804,654 issued to Liu sets forth a MODELING COMPOSITION formed of material fillers such as clay and talc together with hydrocarbon petroleum distillate oil, waxy paraffinic hydrocarbon oil, a liquid silicone compound, an astringent, a humectant, glue and water. The composition is moldable and shapable when initially mixed and properly stored but ultimately takes a permanent set after a predetermined cure time.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,873,485 issued to Fichera sets forth a MOLDABLE AQUEOUS PLASTIC MASS OF POLYETHYLENE OXIDE FUMED SILICA AND POLYGLYCOL which is formable into a plastic mass useful as an entertaining and educating medium. The mass is non-newtonian, has low internal rebound and is thixotropic and may be formed into window glass which is extremely strong and impact resistant.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,076,547 issued to Lester, et al. sets forth a POLYMERIC MOLDING COMPOSITION formed from water soluble compounds admixed from a two part wet phase and dry phase combination comprised from the interaction by nucleophilic substitution of a hydroxyl group of an alcohol.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,172,054 issued to Ogawa, et al. sets forth a MODELING COMPOSITION FOR CRAFT WORKS AND A METHOD FOR THE PRODUCTION THEREFOR in which an improved modeling compound of a soft pliable working consistency formable into any desired shape is provided which is relatively fast drying to assume a permanent shape. A small amount of dibutyl hydroxy-toluene or butyl hydroxy-anisole or both is included in the composition.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,229,790 issued to Greenberg sets forth a METHOD AND COMPOSITION FOR FORMING A PLASTER OBJECT for use in the formation of toy figures and the like. The molding powder mixture includes calcium sulphate hemihydrate combined with xanthan gum. The material once formed dries to form a porous lightweight object.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,624,976 issued to Amano, et al. sets forth a MODELING MATERIAL COMPOSITION comprising a synthetic resin and a wooden powder together with an oil formulation. The synthetic resin is a rubber reinforced styrene resin. The oil used is a hydrocarbon oil utilizing an aromatic ring forming carbon.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,735,660 issued to Cane sets forth a CROSS-LINKED GEL MODELING COMPOSITION capable of assuming various colors which is cohesively strong but pliable and ductile. The compound is formed by combining a wood flower to a water-based gel using cross linkable guar gum as a gellant.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,701,329 issued to Nelson, et al. sets forth a CALCIUM FORTIFIED MILK in which a fortified milk formula is made by the addition of a tribasic calcium phosphate, carrageenan and guar gum combined with fresh milk.
While certain of the foregoing described play material compositions have enjoyed some commercial success and provided amusement and entertainment, there remains a continuing need in the art for evermore improved and varied play material compositions.


Embodiments of the present application disclose a method and an apparatus for managing a virtualized network function, and relate to the field of virtualization technologies, so as to improve work efficiency and resource usage. The method provided in the embodiments of the present application includes: allocating a resource to and configuring deployment specific parameters for a to-be-instantiated virtualized network function (VNF) to obtain a semi-instantiated VNF; and storing information of the semi-instantiated VNF, where the information of the semi-instantiated VNF includes an identifier of the semi-instantiated VNF, resource information of the semi-instantiated VNF, and deployment specific parameters of the semi-instantiated VNF.

With rapid development of virtualization technologies, a network functions virtualization (NFV) technology becomes more important. The NFV technology means performing instantiation on a VNF, so that an instantiated VNF can run on a general-purpose physical device, so as to implement a function of a dedicated network element device on a network by using the general-purpose physical device. For example, instantiation is performed on a virtualized network function of a serving gateway (SGW), so that a virtualized instance of the SGW, that is, an instantiated VNF, can run on a general-purpose physical device, so as to implement a function of the SGW by using the general-purpose physical device.
An NFV system mainly includes the following logical function modules: a network functions virtualization orchestrator (NFVO), a virtualized network function manager (VNFM), an element manager (EM), and the like.
In the prior art, a method for performing instantiation on a VNF may include: after a VNFM receives a request of VNF instantiation used to perform instantiation on a virtualized network function of a network element, that is, a to-be-instantiated VNF, the VNFM first instructs an NFVO to allocate a resource to the to-be-instantiated VNF; and then the VNFM configures deployment specific parameters for the to-be-instantiated VNF to which the resource is allocated; and finally, the VNFM instructs an EM to configure application specific parameters for the to-be-instantiated VNF for which the deployment specific parameters are configured, so as to obtain an instantiated VNF (that is, a VNF for which instantiation is performed). It should be noted that the instantiated VNF can run and execute a network element function indicated by the VFN instantiation request.
Currently, in a process of performing instantiation on a VNF according to the method, the VNF is managed according to the following method: A step of allocating a resource, a step of configuring deployment specific parameters, and a step of configuring application specific parameters are "tightly coupled", that is, the steps are completed as a whole. According to the method for managing a VNF, a resource, such as information of a to-be-instantiated VNF to which a resource is allocated or information of a to-be-instantiated VNF for which deployment specific parameters are configured, that is obtained in a process of performing instantiation on the VNF each time is used and released in a subsequent step. Therefore, in another scenario requiring use of the information, for example, in a scenario in which instantiation needs to be re-performed on a to-be-instantiated VNF, the information needs to be generated first, and then a corresponding operation can be executed. Consequently, a problem of low work efficiency and low resource usage is caused.

Method and apparatus for managing virtualized network function


This invention is related to a mechanism for use in motion furniture that reduces the complexity and links of typical linkage mechanisms. The mechanism has a base plate and a footrest mechanism. The mechanism also includes a seat support link coupled to the footrest mechanism and front and rear pivot links rotatably coupled to the seat support link and slidably and rotatably coupled to the base plate. An ottoman drive link is slidably and rotatably coupled to an intermediate portion of the front pivot link and rotatably coupled to an intermediate portion rear pivot link. A primary ottoman link couples the ottoman drive link and the footrest mechanism. The primary ottoman link is rotatably coupled to the seat support link at an intermediate portion, so that the primary ottoman link and the ottoman drive link cooperate to move footrest mechanism between a closed chair position and an open recliner position. A backrest linkage couples the seat support link to the base plate, so that the backrest linkage cooperates to move the recliner mechanism between the open recliner position and the fully-reclined position.

This invention relates to a linkage mechanism for a chair or other type of motion furniture, and more particularly to a zero-wall recliner mechanism for a recliner chair or other type of motion furniture that may be placed within zero to five inches of a wall.
Zero-wall recliners and other types of motion furniture are generally well known in the furniture industry. While recliners or zero-wall recliners are discussed throughout this specification, the concepts and inventive subject matter extend equally across motion furniture generally, as would be understood by those of skill in the art. Generally, zero-wall motion furniture is reclining furniture that may be placed in close proximity to a wall. Specifically, zero-wall recliners are recliners that may be placed within zero to five inches of a wall, depending on the height of the back. Zero-wall recliners are equipped with extendable footrests that allow the user to recline. A number of alternative link configurations are currently used in the motion mechanism that moves the chair between the reclined position and stowed position. The link configurations used in the reclining mechanism are complex and involve numerous links and pivot points. Thus, the zero-wall reclining mechanisms currently in use involve a high number of moving parts. The high quantity of moving parts translates into high production costs, namely, high machining costs, material costs, and assembly costs. Moreover, each pivot point presents the risk of a maintenance concern, such as noise or wear.
Thus, while a great many motion mechanisms are known, there remains a need for an improved motion mechanism that achieves the desired motion with a reduced number of moving parts. Specifically, there is a need for a less complex motion mechanism with fewer links and pivot points.

Linkage mechanism for use in motion furniture