Certain embodiments provide an ultrasound transducer stack. The ultrasound transducer stack includes a backing layer, an active layer overlying the backing layer, and a matching layer overlying the active layer. The active layer has a surface comprising a plurality of textures. The matching layer has a first thickness region and a second thickness region, wherein the first thickness region has a larger thickness than a thickness of the second thickness region, wherein the first thickness region extends into the plurality of textures and the second thickness region does not extend into the plurality of textures.

In medical ultrasound imaging, transducer performance plays a key role in ultrasound image quality. One common type of ultrasound imaging system is the intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) system. With this system, an IVUS transducer is provided on a distal end of a catheter and the catheter is inserted into blood vessels. Common imaging targets for IVUS systems are coronary artery walls. As such, the transducers and catheters must have a small size that fits within coronary arteries. IVUS transducers are typically single-element transducers, which are small enough to fit within coronary arteries. However, single-element ultrasound transducers have inherent limitations in performance of both transducer sensitivity and bandwidth. IVUS transducers are also designed for a single use only. Once the IVUS procedure is completed, the IVUS transducer is thrown away. As such, there are cost constraints that limit the types of materials and processes that can be used to make IVUS transducers.
It would be advantageous to have an improved single-element ultrasound transducer that has a wider bandwidth and an increased sensitivity. It would also be advantageous to have an improved single-use transducer that is cost-effective to manufacture.


There is provided a control system for controlling an internal combustion engine with an exhaust system provided with a catalyst, comprising a fuel cut means for stopping the supply of fuel to the internal combustion engine when the vehicle in which the internal combustion engine is mounted is in a decelerating state, the control system of an internal combustion engine characterized in that, in the case that the fuel cut is executed, when the speed SPD of the vehicle is higher than a predetermined first vehicle speed Sh, the intake air amount Ga of the internal combustion engine is made smaller than the intake air amount Gai of when the internal combustion engine is in the idling state (step 120), while when the speed SPD is the first vehicle speed Sh or less, the intake air amount Ga is made larger than the intake air amount Gai of when the internal combustion engine is in the idling state (step 130).

In the past, for the purpose of improving the fuel efficiency etc., there has been known a control system of an internal combustion engine suspending the supply of fuel to the internal combustion engine, that is, executing a fuel cut, when it is judged that the vehicle is in a decelerating state (for example, engine braking state) and the supply of fuel to the internal combustion engine mounted in that vehicle is not necessary.
Further, in such a control system of an internal combustion engine, while the fuel cut is in progress, air is prevented from flowing into the catalyst provided in the exhaust system of the internal combustion engine to prevent the catalyst from entering a state of excess oxygen and to suppress deterioration of the catalyst (for example, Japanese Patent Publication (A) No. 2001-182570).

Control system of internal combustion engine


A control circuit changes the ratio of an illumination period to a non-illumination period in a frame period of a backlight according to a gradation level in the one frame period of an image displayed on a liquid crystal panel in such a manner that the higher the gradation level, the backlight illumination control circuit increases the ratio of the illumination period to the non-illumination period in the frame period of the backlight, and the lower the gradation level, the backlight illumination control circuit decreases the ratio of the illumination period to the non-illumination period in the frame period of the backlight and thereby controls illumination intensity toward the liquid crystal panel. A time center of illumination intensity in each one frame period of the backlight is controlled in order that the time center exists in a constant temporal position from the beginning of each frame period.

As for liquid crystal display devices, it is possible to realize thinness, low-power consumption, and high definition. Recently, liquid crystal display devices have been becoming larger rapidly due to progress of manufacturing technology and diffuse in the field of television in which cathode-ray tubes (CRT) are mainly used conventionally.
However, it has been pointed out that display images of liquid crystal display devices have problems in image quality such as a low contrast feeling and blurred moving images due to its display method, compared to images of CRT.
To begin with, the low contrast feeling of images of the liquid crystal display device is described, comparing with CRT with reference to FIG. 10 (a).
As for CRT, peak brightness changes dynamically according to average luminance level (APL) of image signals in one frame. For instance, contrast between bright parts and dark parts in a display screen is enhanced by displaying images of high APL (i.e., an entire display screen is bright) with low peak brightness or displaying images of low APL (i.e., an entire display screen is dark) with high peak brightness. Thus, a CRT can display sharp images giving a high contrast feeling.
In contrast, general liquid crystal display devices employs a display method in which the intensity of illumination light from a backlight is always constant and a liquid crystal panel controls the light transmittance of the illumination light. As a result, an image gives a low contrast feeling and lacks sharpness compared to an image of a CRT because a peak brightness does not change according to an average luminance level (APL) in the general liquid crystal display devices.
The causes why the performance of moving image display of the liquid crystal display devices is said to be inferior to that of CRT is described as to each of their display methods below with reference to FIG. 10 (b).
CRT adopts so-called an impulse type display method. In the impulse type display method, the image is displayed by scanning pixels with an electron beam in one frame thereby causing fluorescent material of the pixels to emit light. Thus, the pixels do not emit light except when they receive the electron beam. As a result, observer's eyeballs smoothly follow a moving object in a moving picture.
In contrast, the general liquid crystal display device adopts a hold type display method. In the hold type display method, an image is displayed by controlling transmittance of the illumination light from the light source by applying an electric field on liquid crystal in a liquid crystal panel. In each pixel, the transmittance is "held" by applying a voltage on the liquid crystal in one frame period. Thus, the moving picture, which changes time to time, is displayed as one still image in each frame period. As a result, there is a difference between the moving picture to be displayed and the still image that is actually displayed. A viewer perceives this difference as blurring.
In order to solve the problems of liquid crystal display devices above, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 40390/2002 (Tokukai 2002-40390 (published on Feb. 6, 2002)) discloses a liquid crystal display device which improves a contrast feeling by changing the ratio of an illumination period to a non-illumination period according to a display image in order to control the intensity of illumination light and has excellent performance in moving image display.
FIG. 11 is a block diagram of a liquid crystal display device disclosed in the publication above.
As illustrated in the figure, a liquid crystal display device 100 includes a liquid crystal panel 101 and a backlight 110 including a light source 111, a lightguide 112, and a liquid-crystal shutter 113.
The liquid crystal panel 101 is, what is called, an active-matrix liquid crystal panel. Pixels are arrayed in a matrix pattern corresponding to intersecting points of a plurality of scanning lines with a plurality of signal lines. Switching elements are provided corresponding to the pixels. An input image signal is supplied from a signal line to each pixel on one row selected by a scanning line. This is repeated by performing sequential scanning so as to apply the electric field to the liquid crystal of each pixel thereby controlling the light transmittance of the illumination light from the backlight. In this way, the display images are displayed.
The liquid crystal shutter 113 is divided into four parts in a stripe pattern in the direction of scanning lines of the liquid crystal panel 101 (in a horizontal direction). The electric field is applied on the liquid crystal in the liquid crystal shutter 113 in order to control transmittance and absorption of light thereof. Thus, the backlight 110 has four divided illumination areas in a stripe pattern and controls turning on/off of illumination in the divided illumination areas independently.
A peak luminance level detector circuit 121 is a circuit for measuring a peak luminance level of a display image signal. The peak luminance level detector circuit 121 measures a peak luminance level of an image displayed in a frame period in each divided area of the liquid crystal display device 100 corresponding to each of the divided illumination areas of the backlight 110.
The peak luminance level detector circuit 121 is connected to a backlight illumination control circuit 122. According to the measured peak luminance level, the backlight illumination control circuit 122 controls illumination ratio (illumination lump), that is, the intensity of illumination light in one frame period each divided illumination area of the backlight 110 independently.
A gradation converter circuit 123 converts a gradation of a display image signal on the basis of relation between the display image signal and the intensity of illumination light of each divided illumination area of the backlight 110, thereby generating an input image signal to be inputted to the liquid crystal panel 101.
FIG. 12 (a) and FIG. 12 (b) illustrate timing of when to input an input image signal to the liquid crystal panel 101 and the timing of when to turn on/off the backlight 110 in the liquid crystal display device 100. In FIG. 12 (a) and FIG. 12 (b), the horizontal axis indicates time; the vertical axis indicates vertical display positions of the liquid crystal display device.
As illustrated in FIG. 12 (a), in every one frame, the liquid crystal display device 100 controls the intensity of illumination light by changing the ratio of an illumination period to a non-illumination period of each of the divided illumination areas of the backlight 110 according to the peak luminance level of an image displayed on each of the divided areas of the liquid crystal display device 100. In other words, an illumination period of the backlight 110 is long and thereby the intensity of illumination light of the backlight is high in that divided area of the liquid crystal display device 100 whose display image is bright. On the other hand, in a divided area whose display image is dark, an illumination period of the backlight 110 is short and thereby the intensity of illumination light of the backlight 110 is low. Thus, it is possible to display sharp images giving a high contrast feeling due to enhanced contrast between the bright parts and the dark parts in a display screen.
In a case of moving image display, there are an illumination period and a non-illumination period of the backlight 110 according to the peak luminance levels in one frame period when brightness of a display image in each of the divided areas changes every frame period. With this, the liquid crystal display device of, so-called, the hold type display method can act like a liquid crystal display device of the impulse type display method, and thus attain better performance of moving image display.
However, the conventional liquid crystal display device 100 has problems described below.
As illustrated in FIG. 10 (b), with regard to the timing of when to and not to cause light emission of a specific pixel of the CRT of the impulse type display method, the specific pixel repeats illumination and non-illumination in a specific timing in one frame period. This timing does not change depending on a display image.
On the other hand, as for the conventional liquid crystal display device 100, the timing when to and not to display (i.e., the timing of when to and not to cause illumination of the backlight 110) in a specific divided area changes in one frame period according to a display image as illustrated in FIG. 12 (b). That is to say, a time center of a display image in a frame period, in other words, a time center of the intensity of illumination light fluctuates depending on a display image. This causes flickers perceivable to a viewer.


A flexible, reconfigurable, power efficient transmitter device and method is provided. In one embodiment, the method includes receiving outbound data and determining a mode of operation. When operating in a first mode the method may include modulation mapping the outbound data according a modulation scheme to provide first modulation mapped digital data, converting the first modulation mapped digital data to an analog signal that comprises an intermediate frequency (IF) analog signal, upconverting the IF analog signal to produce a first modulated radio frequency (RF) signal based on a local oscillator signal, amplifying the first RF modulated signal to produce a first RF output signal, and outputting the first RF output signal via an isolator. In a second mode of operation method may include modulation mapping the outbound data according a modulation scheme to provide second modulation mapped digital data, converting the second modulation mapped digital data to a first digital baseband signal, conditioning the first digital baseband signal to provide a first analog baseband signal, modulating one or more carriers with the first analog baseband signal to produce a second modulated RF signal based on a local oscillator signal, amplifying the second RF modulated signal to produce a second RF output signal, and outputting the second RF output signal via the isolator. The digital baseband signal may comprise an in-phase (I) digital baseband signal and a quadrature (Q) baseband signal.

Designers have many considerations when designing transmitters. For example, while transmission power is often one requirement, transmitters that comprise flight hardware (equipment used on rockets, satellites, airplanes, jets, etc.) often have many other stringent requirements. For example, flight hardware often has size (volume), weight, and power efficiency (or power input) constraints (in addition to a power output constraint).
In addition, it may also be desirable (and in some instances required) for the transmitter to be highly configurable and flexible so that it can communicate using a wide array of communication protocols and modulation schemes. In addition, to have commercial feasibility the design must be cost efficient and in some instances use commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components.
Transmitters for launch vehicles used to communicate through NASA's Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS) may have all these constraints. However, those skilled in the art will recognize that many of these requirements impose constraints that are at odds with others of these requirements. Consequently, there is a need for a light weight, small, power efficient, flexible, easily reconfigurable, high speed, transmitter that is cost efficient.
Some embodiments of the present invention provide a light weight, small, power efficient, flexible, easily reconfigurable, high speed, transmitter that is cost efficient.

Flexible, reconfigurable, power efficient transmitter and method


Methods, apparatuses, and computer program products for provisioning aggregate computational workloads and air conditioning unit configurations to optimize utility of air conditioning units and processing resources within a data center are provided. Embodiments include for each air conditioning unit within the data center, determining a thermal zone generated by the air conditioning unit; for a given aggregate computational workload, identifying a plurality of computational workload configurations, each computational workload configuration indicating spatial assignments of the aggregate computational workload among a plurality of processing resources within the data center; for each computational workload configuration, calculating a total minimum energy consumption of the air conditioning units and the processing resources; and selecting the computational workload configuration with the lowest total minimum energy consumption and the determined lowest power air conditioning unit configuration corresponding with the selected computational workload configuration.

1. Field of the Invention
The field of the invention is data processing, or, more specifically, methods, apparatuses, and computer program products for provisioning aggregate computational workloads and air conditioning unit configurations to optimize utility of air conditioning units and processing resources within a data center.
2. Description of Related Art
The development of the EDVAC computer system of 1948 is often cited as the beginning of the computer era. Since that time, computer systems have evolved into extremely complicated devices. Today's computers are much more sophisticated than early systems such as the EDVAC. Computer systems typically include a combination of hardware and software components, application programs, operating systems, processors, buses, memory, input/output devices, and so on. As advances in semiconductor processing and computer architecture push the performance of the computer higher and higher, more sophisticated computer software has evolved to take advantage of the higher performance of the hardware, resulting in computer systems today that are much more powerful than just a few years ago.
One area that software is being used is in the controlling of energy consumption of computing systems. In particular, energy consumption has become a critical issue for data centers, triggered by the rise in energy costs, volatility in the supply and demand of energy and the widespread proliferation of power-hungry information technology (IT) equipment. In data centers, myriad integrating physical components such as power distribution units, power supplies, water air conditioning units, and air conditioning units interact not just with one another, but also with the software components, resulting in a management problem that is both qualitatively similar to and quantitatively harder than that of managing computer hardware alone.

Provisioning aggregate computational workloads and air conditioning unit configurations to optimize utility of air conditioning units and processing resources within a data center

International Business Machines Corporation


A surface acoustic wave device has a structure in which a surface acoustic wave element (11), provided with two kinds of surface acoustic wave filter structures having different center frequencies on the same piezoelectric substrate (12), is disposed on a package (16). The surface acoustic wave element (11) comprises a first filter structure (13) having a first center frequency, a second filter structure (14) having a second center frequency and a shield electrode (15) between the first filter structure (13) and the second filter structure (14). The shield electrode (15) is connected to an earth terminal (181) of the package (16) to be grounded. According to the structure, electromagnetic shielding between the first filter structure (13) and the second filter structure (14) can be performed, therefore, the isolation property therebetween can be improved and the surface acoustic wave device can be miniaturized.

Conventionally, a surface acoustic wave device to which filters having different center frequencies are provided on one piezoelectric substrate, particularly, a surface acoustic wave duplexer (hereinafter, referred to as a SAW duplexer) is known as the one having a structure shown in FIG. 14. FIG. 14 is a top view showing the inside of a package of the conventional SAW duplexer. In FIG. 14, SAW duplexer 300 includes surface acoustic wave element 304 (hereinafter, referred to as SAW element), package 305 which houses the element, wire lead 307 which connects between them, and a cover not shown. In SAW element 304, transmission filer 302 and reception filter 303 are formed on a surface of piezoelectric substrate 301 made of a lithium tantalate (LiTaO3) single crystal substrate and the like. After housing SAW element 304 in package 305, connection terminal patterns 3021, 3031 of transmission filter 302 and reception filter 303 are connected to terminal portions 306 of package 305 by wire leads 307 to obtain electrical conduction, then, the not-shown cover is sealed to package 305 to fabricate the device.
In such SAW duplexer 300, lower costs, smaller and thinner device are further required, and it is required that SAW element 304 which integrally forms transmission filter 302 and reception filter 303 is further miniaturized. However, if a shape of SAW element 304 is miniaturized, electromagnetic interference occurs between transmission filter 302 and reception filter 303, therefore, there is a problem that the isolation property deteriorates.
With respect to the problem, a SAW duplexer having good isolation property even when miniaturized is disclosed in Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. 2000-335143. The SAW duplexer includes a package in which a transmission terminal, a reception terminal, an antenna terminal and a ground terminal are formed, a phase shifter formed inside the package and one end of which is connected to the antenna terminal, a transmission filter mounted inside the package and an input side of which is connected to the transmission terminal and an output side of which is connected to the input terminal of the phase shifter, and a reception filter mounted inside the package and an input side of which is connected to an output terminal of the phase shifter and an output side of which is connected to the reception terminal, in which one terminal of the phase shifter is provided at the same end portion as the antenna terminal formed in the package and the other terminal of the phase shifter is provided at the opposite end portion of the one terminal of the phase shifter. According to this, the distance between the input terminal and the output terminal of the phase shifter can be long, therefore, electromagnetic interference of transmission signals and reception signals therebetween can be prevented.
In the disclosed example, the SAW element connects the transmission filter and the reception filter formed on the same piezoelectric substrate by the phase shifter provided in the package, thereby preventing electromagnetic interference. However, the prevention of electromagnetic interference by means of the SAW element itself or a connection structure of wire leads and the like for connecting from the SAW element to the package is not shown at all.
An object of the invention is to provide a small surface acoustic wave device having good filter properties, as well as which is low in cost, in which the isolation property is improved while preventing electromagnetic interference by providing a shield electrode between filter structures having two different center frequencies.

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


Various nanoscale logic gates are disclosed. An alternating current (“AC”) source is superimposed on a direct-current (“DC”), largely resistor-based nanoscale logic circuit in order to provide distinguishable, AC current or voltage logical output signals despite potentially narrow DC-voltage or DC-current ranges produced by the resistor-based nanoscale logic circuit. AC-enhanced AND, OR, NAND, and NOR nanoscale logic gates are provided as four specific embodiments of the present invention.

During the past fifty years, tremendous progress has been made in electronic technologies. Large vacuum-tube-based electronic systems were replaced with smaller, more reliable transistor-based electronics, in turn replaced with integrated-circuit technologies with ever increasing component densities and switching speeds. Currently, efforts are being made to push the standard photolithographic semiconductor-fabrication process to produce ever decreasing components sizes. One approach to decreasing component sizes is to decrease the wavelength of the light used to expose photoresist in photomasking steps. Retooling current semiconductor-fabrication facilities to employ shorter wavelength, soft x-rays is projected to involve staggering capital expenditures. Moreover, various physical limits of component sizes may be soon approached. For these reasons, designers and manufacturers of electronics systems, and, in particular, manufacturers and designers of computer processors and memories, are currently seeking non-photolithographic technologies for producing denser electronic circuitry.
A new approach to circuit fabrication involves molecular electronics. Nanoscale molecular wires ("nanowires") can now be fabricated into programmable nanoscale crossbars and other structures, with molecular junctions at nanowire interconnections, comprising as few as 40 molecules, providing resistor-like, diode-like, and transistor-like nanoscale components. Efforts are currently underway to fabricate high-density logic circuits, memory elements, programmable gate arrays, and processors using these new nanoscale technologies. However, at nanoscale dimensions, precise fabrication of molecular-junction diode and transistors presents many challenges. Designers and manufacturers of nanoscale electronic circuits, including logic circuits and memories, have therefore recognized the need for basic, reliable molecular logic gates despite current difficulties in reliably fabricating nanoscale diode and transistor components.

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


Pixel images f are created from projections (q1 . . . qp) by backprojecting (100) selected projections to produce intermediate images (I1, m), and performing digital image coordinate transformations (102) and/or resampling (FIG. 31, 186, 192, 196) on selected intermediate images. The digital image coordinate transformations (102) are chosen to account for view angles of the constituent projections of the intermediate images and for their Fourier characteristics, so that the intermediate images may be accurately represented by sparse samples. The resulting intermediate images are aggregated into subsets (104), and this process is repeated in a recursive manner until sufficient projections and intermediate images have been processed and aggregated to form the pixel image f. Digital image coordinate transformation can include rotation (FIG. 18, 102), shearing (FIG. 10B, 120, 122), stretching, contractions (109), etc. Resampling can include up-sampling (101, 106), down-sampling (109), and the like. Projections (FIG. 32, pθ1 . . . pθ18) can be created from a pixel image (f), by performing digital image coordinate transformation (202) and/or resampling (204) and/or decimation (FIG. 32, 204; FIG. 33, 212) re-projecting the final intermediate image (208).

Tomographic reconstruction is a well-known technique underlying nearly all of the diagnostic imaging modalities including x-ray computed tomography (CT), positron emission tomography (PET), singly photon emission tomography (SPECT), and certain acquisition methods for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). It also finds application in manufacturing for nondestructive evaluation (NDE), for security scanning, in synthetic aperture radar (SAR), radio astronomy, geophysics and other areas.
There are several main formats of tomographic data: (i) parallel-beam, in which the line-integrals are performed along sets of parallel lines; (ii) divergent-beam, in which the line-integrals are performed along sets of lines that diverge as a fan or a cone; and (iii) curved, in which the integrals are performed along sets of curves, such as circles, ellipses, or other closed or open curves. One problem of tomographic reconstruction is to reconstruct a 2D or 3D image from a set of its line-integral projections. Another problem of tomographic reconstruction is to reconstruct a 3D image from a set of its surface-integral projections, that is, its integrals on a family of surfaces. For example, the 3D Radon transform involves integrals of the image on a family of 2D planes of various orientations and distances from the origin. Some of the problems of tomographic reconstruction, and some of the reconstruction methods, are described in standard references such as F. Natterer, The Mathematics of Computerized Tomography. Chichester: John Wiley, 1986; F. Natterer and F. Wubbeling, Mathematical Methods in Image Reconstruction. Philadelphia: Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics, 2001; A. C. Kak and M. Soaney, Principles of Computerized Tomographic Imaging. New York: IEEE Press, 1988; and S. R. Deans, The Radon Transform and Some of Its Applications. New York: Wiley, 1983.
The method of choice for tomographic reconstruction is filtered backprojection (FBP) or convolution backprojection (CBP), which use an unweighted (in the parallel-beam or Radon Transform cases) or a weighted (in most other cases) backprojection step. This step is the computational bottleneck in the technique, with computational requirements scaling as N3 for an N×N-pixel image in 2D, and at least as N4 for an N×N×N-voxel image in 3D. Thus, doubling the image resolution from N to 2N results in roughly an 8-fold (or 16-fold, in 3D) increase in computation. While computers have become much faster, with the advent of new technologies capable of collecting ever larger quantities of data in real time (e.g., cardiac imaging with multi-row detectors, interventional imaging), and the proliferation of 3D acquisition geometries, there is a growing need for fast reconstruction techniques. Fast reconstruction can either speed up the image formation process, reduce the cost of a special-purpose image reconstruction computer, or both.
The dual operation of backprojection is reprojection, which is the process of computing the projections of an electronically stored image. This process, too, plays a fundamental role in tomographic reconstruction. A combination of backprojection and reprojection can also be used to construct fast reconstruction algorithms for the long object problem in the helical cone-beam geometry, which is key to practical 3D imaging of human subjects. Furthermore, in various applications it is advantageous or even necessary to use iterative reconstruction algorithms, in which both backprojection and reprojection steps are performed several times for the reconstruction of a single image. Speeding up the backprojection and reprojection steps will determine the economic feasibility of such iterative methods.
Several methods have been proposed over the years to speed up reconstruction. For example, Brandt et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,778,038 describes a method for 2D parallel-beam tomography using a multilevel decomposition, producing at each stage an image covering the entire field-of-view, with increasing resolution. Nillson et al. U.S. Pat. No. 6,151,377 disclose other hierarchical backprojection methods. While these systems may have merit, there is still a need for methods and apparatus that produce more accurate images, and offer more flexibility between accuracy and speed.
Accordingly, one object of this invention is to provide new and improved methods and apparatus for computed tomography (CT) scanning.
Another object is to provide new and improved methods and apparatus for CT scanning that produce more accurate images, and offer more flexibility between accuracy and speed.

Fast hierarchical tomography methods and apparatus

The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois


A network converter connected to an information processing device and a storage device so as to be communicable including a conversion table storage section which stores combinations of iSCSI names of the information processing device and the storage device and WWNs (World Wide Name) of the information processing device and the storage device in a conversion table, a first identification number conversion section which converts the iSCSI names into the WWNs according to contents stored in the conversion table, and a second identification number conversion section which converts the WWNs into the iSCSI names according to contents stored in the conversion table.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a network converter and an information processing system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Along with an improved communication speed of a LAN (Local Area Network), there has been rapid advancement in construction of an information processing system which transmits/receives data by using an iSCSI (internet Small Computer Systems Interface) protocol between an information processing device and a storage device. Details of the iSCSI protocol are described in "iSCSI" by Julian Satran and four others ([online], Hei 15(2003) Jan. 19, USA IETF (The Internet Engineering Task Force), [search on Hei 15(2003) Sep. 11], Internet <URL:http://www.ietf.org/internet-drafts/draft-ietf-ips-iscsi-20.txt>).
Also in such an environment, there has arisen a need to effectively use the storage device connected to the information processing device by use of a conventionally used Fibre Channel. Accordingly, a network converter has been used, which converts iSCSI protocol data and Fibre Channel protocol data between each other. As a representative example of the network converter, there is "SN5428 Storage Router" by Cisco Systems, Inc. Details of a method for setting the network converter and the like are described in Cisco Systems Inc., "Cisco SN5428 Storage Router Software Configuration Guide" ([online], Hei 15(2003) Jun. 24, Cisco Systems Inc., [search on Hei 15(2003) Sep. 11], Internet <http://www.cisco.com/japanese/warp/public/3/jp/service/manual_j/rt/5000/28srscg/index.ht ml>).
As shown in FIG. 9, such a network converter includes a protocol conversion section 903 which converts an iSCSI protocol and a Fibre Channel protocol between each other, a WWN (World Wide Name) allocation section 904 and an extended instruction issuing section 905. The protocol conversion section 903 receives an IP packet from an information processing device 901 via a LAN, converts the IP packet into a Fibre Channel frame (hereinafter referred to as a "FC frame") and transmits the FC frame to a storage device 908.
Generally, when the information processing device has access to the storage device, the access is limited from the viewpoint of security. For example, there is LUN security which controls the access of the information processing device for each LUN (Logical Unit Number) that is a management number of a logical volume existing in a disk. In the LUN security, an identification number for identifying the information processing device is required and a WWN (World Wide Name) is often used in the case of the Fibre Channel. Details of the LUN security are described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2000-276406.
It is required to realize the LUN security described above also in the case of the access via the LAN as shown in FIG. 9. Accordingly, a method for identifying the information processing device 901 by the storage device 908 is required. In the above-described "SN5428 Storage Router" by Cisco Systems Inc., the WWN allocation section 904 sequentially allocates WWNs, which are set in a WWN management table 907 stored in a memory 906, to the respective information processing devices 901. Thus, a different WWN may be allocated to the same information processing device 901 for each access. Consequently, it is impossible to realize the LUN security using the WWNs in the storage device 908. Accordingly, the network converter 902 includes the extended instruction issuing section 905 which inserts an iSCSI name of the information processing device into an FC frame. The FC frame is not an instruction prepared in the Fibre Channel protocol. Thus, in order to realize the LUN security using the FC frame, it is required that an extended instruction analysis section 909 which analyzes the frame is provided in the storage device 908. The extended instruction analysis section 909 obtains the iSCSI name of the information processing device from the FC frame and controls the LUN security based on a security management table 911.
In order to realize the LUN security by use of the above-described method, it is required that the extended instruction analysis section 909 and the like are newly provided in the storage device 908. Accordingly, it is required to communicate with the information processing device, which transmits/receives data by use of the iSCSI protocol, in consideration for the LUN security without adding new components and the like to the storage device which transmits/receives data by use of the conventionally used Fibre Channel protocol as described above.

Network converter and information processing system


A system or method receives digital image sets from a player of a game in which money is wagered and prizes of more than a nominal value may be won. A player may leave the digital image sets he supplied with the system and method for use in the games of other players and that player may win prizes or entries in a contest based on the use of his or her image in other player's games. An advertiser may supply digital image sets corresponding to a promotion for use in a player's game, and the player can win prizes or entries in a contest based on the digital image sets displayed in the player's game.

Slot machines, video poker machines and other conventional gaming machines are games of skill or chance which utilize a display of one or more images to inform the player or players the identity of each playing piece. Traditional images may be conventional playing card faces, conventional slot machine images (such as cherries, bar, orange, etc.) or other images.
Conventional slot machines include computer systems, with software programmed to play the game and images recorded in a library that are displayed on a conventional computer display before and during the game. The images may be still photographs or video clips.
Some patents describe the library of images used in slot machines or other gaming machines. U.S. Pat. No. 6,302,790 describes a library of images of famous people displayed on a screen during the game. U.S. Pat. No. 4,666,160 describes images imprinted on playing pieces used to play the game. U.S. Pat. No. 6,358,147 describes a library of images of aliens displayed on the screen during a game.
The use of these libraries that deviate from the traditional images can provide an interesting variation on conventional games. Players to whom the images appeal can find such games to be more interesting than the generic libraries of images offered by conventional games. For example, a fan of Lucille Ball will find images from the "I Love Lucy Show" far more interesting than cherries, bars and oranges displayed on a slot machine. Such a player may play such a game more than the player might if the images were generic images. A casino offering games with such images will appeal to such players more than a casino that does not, increasing the business of the casino offering such games. Furthermore, a player is more likely to return to a casino offering games with images that appeal to that player, such loyalty also increasing the business of the casino.
However, libraries of images all suffer from the same drawback: the images in the library will not be meaningful to every player in a casino. Because players in a casino may play games with images that are meaningful to that player, the use of fixed libraries of images can force the player to either search out a game displaying meaningful images, taking time away from the time the player would spend playing the game, or play games with more generic images, making the player less likely to return to that casino. In each case, the player may play less than he would if any machine selected had images meaningful to the player.
Another problem with libraries of images is that, although the library of images may appeal to a player more than traditional images, the available images in the machines at a casino may not be the most meaningful images for any particular player. For example, even fans of Lucille Ball may find images that do not contain Lucille Ball to be more meaningful to that player: a player may enjoy Lucille Ball, but find Barbara Streisand to be even more appealing. Thus, although the images of Lucille Ball can cause the player to play more than the player would with other images, if the most appealing images of Barbara Streisand were available, the player might play the game even more. Thus, fixed libraries of images can cause casinos to earn less money than they otherwise might.
Another problem with libraries of images is that the images that are part of the game may not be taken only a short time before playing the game. If a group of friends shows up in Las Vegas, it would be fun to use an image of the group of friends as an image in the game. No conventional game in which monetary prizes are awarded to a player includes images taken of the player for use in the game.
Slot machines, video poker and other games played in casinos suffer from another drawback: the player only wins as long as the player plays the game. There is no opportunity to win during times that players do not play the game. No conventional game in which players are awarded monetary prizes allows players to win after they have stopped playing the game.
What is needed is a system and method that can provide images most meaningful to a player to be made a part of a game in which money is paid as a prize, allow spontaneous images to be added to such a game, and allow players to win prizes even after they stop playing the game.
Another problem with conventional gaming machines such as slot machines, video poker, and other games for which a monetary prize is provided is the fact that the images that make up the game and are provided to the player do not generate revenue to any party responsible for providing the images.
What is needed is a system and method that can assist a party providing images to players of a game for which a monetary or other prize is paid to obtain revenue resulting from the display of those images.

Method and system for photographic gaming


An entry device that is attachable to a door that pivots relative to a door frame to separate an outer area from an inner area is disclosed. The device has a compartment made of a flexible material having a first side and a second side. The flexible material has a front surface that faces the outer area and a back surface that extends into the inner area. At least one first attachment point is disposed along the first side that attaches the compartment to the door and at least one second attachment point is disposed along the second side that attaches the compartment to the door frame. According to the present invention, upon opening of the door, the compartment is configured to allow partial entry of an object to the inner area and prevent full entry by a person from the outer area. A first lock disposed along the first side configured to lock the door, wherein the first lock can be unlocked from the inner area and outer areas and a second lock disposed along the second side configured to lock the door frame, wherein the second lock can be unlocked from the inner area and outer areas.

FIG. 1 shows top view of a door 11 and a door-frame 12. FIG. 2 shows the door 11, a door Hinge 13 and axis of rotation of the door used for delivery of an object 14 from outside to inside within positions for package placement by a delivery person 16. As the door opens, the delivery person 16 can for example leave a package 17 inside the home and leave or he can proceed to walk into the home when he is not supposed to.
The notion of letting a stranger into one's home is a relatively new idea and requires the customers for these services to get very comfortable with this notion. Services of in home delivery of goods have appeared in the marketplace. Some of these services rely on a camera system to monitor the proper delivery of goods into the home when the occupant is not present. The service providers also do background checks on the individuals who sign up to do these deliveries. In the future, there may be incidents where a bad actor can create a bad perception about the reliability and safety of these kinds of services. It further requires that the perceived benefits need to outweigh the risks.

Detachable compartment for in-home delivery


Heat treatment equipment and a method of driving the same are provided. The heat treatment equipment includes: a process tube having an aperture at one side thereof; a sealing unit for opening or closing the aperture; and a pressure sensor for measuring sealing pressure between the sealing unit and the one side of the process tube. In the heat treatment equipment, the aperture of the process tube can be sealed according to the sealing pressure of the sealing unit so that the process tube can be precisely sealed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to equipment and a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, and more particularly, to heat treatment equipment for processing a wafer through a heat treatment process and a method of driving the same.
2. Description of Related Art
Generally, semiconductor devices are manufactured by repeatedly performing various processes such as photolithography, diffusion, deposition, etching, metallization, etc. on a semiconductor substrate made of pure silicon.
Of these manufacturing processes, diffusion and deposition processes are performed by a heat treatment process at a high temperature. Heat treatment equipment for performing the heat treatment process can be horizontal heat treatment equipment and/or vertical heat treatment equipment, i.e., vertical furnace equipment. Typically, the veridical heat treatment equipment is mainly used in the semiconductor manufacturing process to meet high productivity and reliability requirements.
The conventional vertical heat treatment equipment includes a process tube which is heated to a high temperature and has an aperture at its bottom surface such that a wafer is transferred into the interior of the vertical heat treatment equipment, a tube cap for sealing the bottom surface having the aperture of the process tube, a motor rotating at a predetermined speed to lift the tube cap by a predetermined distance such that the tube cap seals the bottom surface of the process tube, a gear assembly engaged with the motor, a lifting unit containing a ball screw coupled to the gear assembly, and an encoder controlling a rotation value of the motor such that the lifting unit allows the tube cap to move up to a position suitable for sealing the process tube.
The conventional vertical heat treatment equipment seals the aperture of the process tube.
An operator inputs a value corresponding to a rotation value of the motor to the encoder to rotate the motor.
The motor rotates in response to the input value, and the tube cap is lifted by a predetermined distance by the motor, the gear assembly engaged with the motor, and the ball screw coupled to the gear assembly, thereby sealing the aperture of the process tube.
However, the conventional vertical heat treatment equipment may cause several problems because the operation for sealing the aperture of the process tube is performed by an encoder value input by the operator.
When the aperture of the process tube is sealed by the encoder value input by the operator, an encoder value smaller than a predetermined encoder value which should be input may be input. In this case, the tube cap does not reach a position suitable for sealing the aperture of the process tube, so that a leak may occur. That is, the aperture of the process tube may not be sealed. As a result, internal temperature and pressure of the process tube in which the diffusion or deposition process is being performed may not be appropriate, leading to many processing problems. In order to solve the above described problems, a predetermined encoder value is obtained through many repetitions of testing, and then the process is performed using the obtained encoder value. However, this method may have a problem in that the tube cap may not move to a position suitable for sealing the aperture of the process tube due to, for example, degradation of the gear assembly or the ball screw.
When the aperture of the process tube is sealed by the encoder value input by the operator, an encoder value larger than a predetermined encoder value which should be input may be input. In this case, the motor rotates more than an allowed rotation value due to the larger encoder value. This not only causes excessive impact on the gear assembly engaged with the motor and the ball screw but also may destroy the tube cap which is moved by the gear assembly and the ball screw.

Heat treatment equipment and method of driving the same


The invention generally relates to methods for determining aggressiveness of a cancer and treatment thereof. Certain aspects of the invention provide methods that involve conducting an assay on a lipid droplet in order to detect an amount of a biomarker within the lipid droplet, and determining aggressiveness of a cancer based upon the amount of the biomarker within the lipid droplet. Other aspects of the invention provide methods for treating a cancer that involve administering an agent that blocks storage of cholesteryl ester in a lipid droplet.

Cancer (neoplasia) is characterized by deregulated cell growth and cell division. Cancers include carcinomas that are tumors arising in a tissue originating from endoderm or exoderm, and sarcomas that originate from mesoderm (Darnell, J., Molecular Cell Biology, Third Ed., W.H. Freeman, NY, 1990). Solid tumors are found in nervous system, breast, retina, lung, skin, kidney, liver, pancreas, genito-urinary tract, gastrointestinal tract, cancers of bone, and cancers of hematopoietic origin including various types of leukemia and lymphoma.
A primary effort in cancer research is directed toward early detection of malignancy, and a reliable assessment of the severity of that malignancy. That has included an emphasis on determining the presence of precancerous or cancerous cells. Those cells are typically analyzed, for example, for protein markers, for nucleic acid markers, or for chromosomal abnormalities.
A problem with those methods is that they focus solely on genetic aspects of cancer by looking for some form of genomic instability. Those methods overlook non-genetic factors that may play a role in cancer development and aggressiveness. Accordingly, such methods have limited diagnostic value for a large percentage of the population due to the fact that a diagnosis is based upon using only known genomic instabilities and does not account for cancer causing genomic instabilities that have not previously been associated with a particular type of cancer.

Methods for determining aggressiveness of a cancer and treatment thereof


The present invention provides a polynucleotide or polynucleotides encoding Oplophorus luciferase which is composed of 19 kDa and 35 kDa proteins, or the 19 kDa photoprotein, the recombinant secretional Oplophorus luciferase or the 19 kDa photoprotein encoded by the polynucleotide(s), an expression vector containing the polynucleotide(s) and a host transformed with the vector.

The genes encoding luciferases or photoproteins which have been reported are listed in Table 1.
TABLE 1Reported genes of photoproteinsand luciferasesDiscoverer(publicationGene AccessionProteinOriginyear)No.1.PhotoproteinAequorinAequoreaInouye et al.AEVAQ440X:victoria(1985)L29571AequoreaPrasher et al.AEVAEQA:victoria(1987)M16103ClytinClytiaInouye & TsujiCY1APOCLYT:gregarium(1993)L13247MitrocominMitrocomaFagan et al.MITMI17:cellularia(1993)L31623ObelinObeliaIllarionov etOLU07128:longissimaal. (1995)U071282.LuciferaseFireflyPhotinusde Wet et al.PPYLUC:pyralis(1987)M15077LuciolaMatuda et al.FFLLUC:cruciata(1989)M26194LuciolaTatsumi et al.LLLUCI:lateralis(1992)X66919LuciolaCho et al.LLLUCIFMJ:lateralis(1995)Z49891LuciolaDevine et al.mingrelica(1993)PhoturisZenno et al.D25415:pennsylvanica(1993)D25415PhoturisYe et al. (1997)PPU31240:pennsylvanicaU31240PyrocoeliaOhmiya et al.PIBLUCA:miyako(1995)L39928HotariaOhmiya et al.HOTLUCI:parvula(1995)L39929Glow wormLampyrisSala-Newby etLNLUCPROT:noctilucaal. (1996)X89479ClickPyrophorusWood et al.beetleplagiophthalamus(1989)Railroad-PhrixothrixViviani et al.AF139644:wormvivianii(1999)AF139644PhrixothrixViviani et al.AF139645:hirtus(1999)AF139645VargulaVargulaKazami et al.Pat. Appln. No.hilgendorfii(1988)JP63-199295Thompson etVAHLUC:al. (1989)M25666RenillaRenillaLorenz et al.RELLUC:reniformis(1991)M63501GonyaulaxGonyaulaxBae & HastingsGONLUCA:polyedra(1994)L04648BacteriaVibrioForan & BrownVFLUXAB:fischeri(1988)X06758VibrioCohn et al.VIBHALUXA:harveyi(1985)M10961Johnston et al.VIBHALUXA:(1986)M10961PhotobacteriumIllarionov etPLLUXABG:leiogathisal. (1988)X08036Lee et al.PHRLUX:(1991)M63594PhotobacteriumFerri et al.PHRLUXABDF:phosphoreum(1991)M65067XenorhabdusJohnston et al.XENLUXABB:luminescence(1990)M55977Szittner &XENLUXAB:MeighenM57416(1990)KryptophanaronHaygoodKRYLUC:alfredi(1986, 1990)M36597AlteromonasZenno et al.Pat. Appln. No.hanedai(1994)JP06-035450
These photoproteins and luciferases are an industrially important protein and have been utilized, for example, as a reporter enzyme. Various methods for detecting an analyte using luminescent reactions of these enzymes have been developed, and also some apparatuses to be used in these methods have been improved and widespread. Among these known photoproteins and luciferases, however, there is no enzyme applicable to extensive purposes. Consequently, one has to choose a proper enzyme for individual purpose.
Among the prior art luminescent substrates (often referred to as luciferin), those having the determined structures are only the substrates represented by formulas (1)–(8):

The luminescent substrates include species specific and species non-specific substrates. The minimum unit in the enzymatic bioluminescent reaction consists of a luminescent enzyme (luciferase), a luminescent substrate (luciferin) and molecular oxygen. A luminescent reaction which requires other components such as a co-enzyme or a supplemental molecule is also reported.
Examples of the luciferase with luminescence in minimum unit include those derived from Renilla, Cypridina and Gonyaulax. The luciferins corresponding to these luciferases have very complicated structures as shown in the above formulas (4) and (5). The methods for synthesizing Cypridina and Gonyaulax luciferins are already known, but yield is remarkably low due to their complicated synthesizing process. Though the luciferins extracted from natural products are also used, they are very expensive with little industrial utility.
On the contrary, Renilla luciferin known as coelenterazine and derivatives thereof are commercially available and inexpensive, because various methods for the production thereof have been established.
Among the photoproteins in Table 1, a secretional luciferase is only Cypridina luciferase. The structure of the gene is reported in Thompson, E. M., et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 86, 6567–6571 (1989) and the application of the gene is reported in Inouye, S., et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 89, 9584–9587 (1992).
In the construction of a bioassay system such as a drug screening system, the secretional luciferase has an industrial advantage in that the luminescence activity can be detected in living cells without cell disruption using the luciferase extracellularly secreted as a reporter. Generally, a secretional protein is not particularly difficult to produce if a suitable host-vector system is selected. Further, the purification of a recombinant protein from cultured media is easier in comparison with the purification from a cell extract. Thus, mass production of the secretional luciferase may advantageously hold down purification costs involved.
A particularly useful luciferase involves a luminescent system wherein the luminescent reaction occurs only among the minimal unit, i.e. a luciferase, a luciferin and molecular oxygen, the luciferin being coelenterazine or a derivative thereof which is readily available, and the luciferase itself being a secretional protein. A protein and a gene of such luciferase are advantageous not only scientifically but also industrially. However, isolation of gene encoding such luciferase and expression thereof in a living cell has not been reported yet.
A luciferase derived from a luminous shrimp belonging to Decapoda has been reported as a secretional luciferase, the luminescent substrate of which is coelenterazine. It is known that a luminous shrimp involves a secretional luciferase (enzyme) and that a blue luminescence is emitted by the reaction of the luciferase, a luminescent substrate luciferin and molecular oxygen.
The detailed classification of globally living luminous shrimps is disclosed in Herring, P. J., J. Mar. Biol. Ass. U.K., 56, 1029–1047 (1976). The only biochemical study of luciferase of luminous shrimp is reported by Shimomura et al., on a luciferase of the luminous shrimp Oplophorus gracilirostris living in the Suruga Bay, Sizuoka, Japan (Biochemistry, 17, 994–998 (1978)). This study report discloses a luciferase having a molecular weight of 130,000 which is composed of the tetramer of a polypeptide having a molecular weight of 31,000. The literature also reports that the luciferase has a quantum yield of 0.32 at 22 C, a high specific activity of 1.75×1015 Photons/s. mg, an optimum light emission at 40 C and an excellent heat stability. It also describes that the luminescent reaction proceeds in a wide range of pH.
The luciferin in the luminescent reaction of Oplophorus luciferase is coelenterazine represented by the above formula (2), which is also a luminescent substrate in the luminescent reactions of Renilla luciferase and a photoprotein, aequorin. The most important difference between these luminescent enzymes and Oplophorus luciferase is that Oplophorus luciferase has very broad substrate specificity in comparison with those of Renilla luciferase and aequorin. Oplophorus luciferase is more preferable than other luciferases, because it can utilize as a substrate bisdeoxycoelenterazine which is an analogue of coelenterazine and is available at a low cost.
However, either the protein structure or the gene structure of Oplophorus luciferase of a secretional type has not been elucidated. This is because living luminous shrimp, which are mostly living in the deep-sea, are very difficult to obtain in a large amount. Furthermore, population of the shrimp is decreasing due to the environmental changes. Therefore, construction of gene library from Oplophorus gracilirostris as well as early isolation of a gene encoding Oplophorus luciferase are desired.

Abstract: Further, the invention provides a method for producing the recombinant Oplophorus luciferase or the photoprotein.

Abstract: These proteins could be recombinantly produced by culturing the host cell or by in vitro translation system using the recombinant expression vector.


A sound projection device for use in speaking to one or more specific persons on a selective basis, the device including a housing having a directional aspect for aiming the housing at a target area, a gripping handle coupled to the housing to enable the device to be held in a user's hand, and a parametric speaker coupled to a front end of the housing for indirectly generating at least one new sonic frequency from at least two ultrasonic frequencies of different value. The housing includes a luminating source having a directional orientation substantially aligned with the directional aspect of the housing. The combination of light and directional sound source enables the user to visually identify the target area before transmitting the sonic frequency to the target.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to handheld sound projection devices. More particularly, the present invention relates to a device and method for enhancing a bullhorn with directionally projected light in combination with a directional parametric speaker.
2. State of the Art
Outdoor sound projection and amplification is typically accomplished with a megaphone or bullhorn device capable of extending the distance of speech projection. Such focusing devices are necessary because the human voice quickly dissipates in an open environment. This arises in part from the fact that the human speech mechanism is extremely effective in omnidirectional sound projection. The complex resonant structure of the skull, mask of the face and vocal column are amazingly proficient in radiating sound in a generally omnidirection manner.
A megaphone operates to more effectively match the interface between an open environment and the mouth of the speaker. By channeling the sound through an expanding cone, the compression waves that must carry the sound are restricted in path and provided with an enlarging planar wave front diameter. By the time the wave front is enlarged to the opening size of the megaphone, a strong directional element is achieved, enabling a projection area of an enlarging wedge, rather than the conventional omnidirectional propagation pattern.
Despite the increased distance range of the megaphone, an unaided voice is quickly attenuated in proportion to the square of the distance. A bullhorn complements the megaphone structure with electronic voice amplification. By boosting the amplitude of the voice with a conventional amplifier circuit, a significantly extended range of hearing is achieved. Nevertheless, the pattern of propagation is still very divergent once the sound waves clear the horn structure. This results in a general broadcast to the surrounding area, without ability to limit the listening audience. The inconvenience of general dissemination of the amplified voice communication has become accepted as an inherent limitation of a bullhorn or similar sound projection system. For example, a police helicopter equipped with a PA system can broadcast emergency messages; however, they are broadcast generally rather than being directable to a specific target area. At night, such messages may alarm or even awaken persons who need not be involved. Other messages generally broadcast can create confusion where people listen who have no interest or knowledge of the matter communicated.
A more recent technology involving directional sound has developed as part of an attempt to reproduce sound without use of a moving diaphragm such as is applied in a conventional bullhorn. This second sound propagation approach includes technologies embodied in parametric speakers, acoustic heterodyning, beat frequency interference and other forms of modulation of multiple frequencies to generate a new frequency.
In theory, sound is developed by the interaction in air (as a nonlinear medium) of two ultrasonic frequencies whose difference in value falls within the audio range. Ideally, resulting compression waves would be projected within the air as a nonlinear medium, and would be heard as pure sound. An interesting property of parametric sound generation is enhanced directionality. Despite significant publications on ideal theory, however, general production of sound for practical applications has alluded the industry for over 100 years. Specifically, a basic parametric or heterodyne speaker has not been developed which can be applied in general applications in a manner such as conventional speaker systems.
A brief history of development of the theoretical parametric speaker array is provided in "Parametric Loudspeaker--Characteristics of Acoustic Field and Suitable Modulation of Carrier Ultrasound", Aoki, Kamadura and Kumamoto, Electronics and Communications in Japan, Part 3, Vol. 74, No.9 (March 1991). Although technical components and the theory of sound generation from a difference signal between two interferring ultrasonic frequencies is described, the practical realization of a commercial sound system was apparently unsuccessful. Note that this weakness in the prior art remains despite the assembly of a parametric speaker array consisting of as many as 1410 piezoelectric transducers yielding a speaker diameter of 42 cm. Virtually all prior research in the field of parametric sound has been based on the use of conventional ultrasonic transducers, typically of bimorph character.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,357,578 issued to Taniishi in October of 1994 introduced alternative solutions to the dilemma of developing a workable parametric speaker system. Hereagain, the proposed device comprises a transducer which radiates the dual ultrasonic frequencies to generate the desired audio difference signal. However, this time the dual-frequency, ultrasonic signal is propagated from a gel medium on the face of the transducer. This medium 20 "serves as a virtual acoustic source that produces the difference tone 23 whose frequency corresponds to the difference between frequencies f.sub.1 and f.sub.2." Col 4, lines 54-60. In other words, this 1994 reference abandons direct generation of the difference audio signal in air from the face of the transducer, and depends upon the nonlinearity of a gel medium to produce sound. This abrupt shift from transducer/air interface to proposed use of a gel medium reinforces the perception of apparent inoperativeness of prior art disclosures, at least for practical speaker applications.
Therefore, although the parametric speaker has created interest, it has seemingly been restricted to scientific curiousity. The development of practical applications and products has been very limited. The efficiency of such systems has apparently not been adequate to suggest its utility in applications in combination with a megaphone or bullhorn.


The invention relates to the skin-effect based induction-resistive heating units and can be used in devices intended for prevention of paraffin-hydrate deposits formation in oil-and-gas wells and pipelines, as well as for warming up of viscous products in pipelines and vessels for the purpose of their transporting and pumping. The skin-effect based heating cable contains the center conductor, the inner insulation layer and the ferromagnetic outer conductor coaxially located around them. The invention enables to simplify using due to increase of the heating cable flexibility and due to reduce the energy consumption at its operation.

In the prior art, a skin-effect based heating cable for heating of oil wells and surrounding formations is known, containing center conductor, inner insulation layer and ferromagnetic outer conductor coaxially located around them (see Patent RU 2531292 published on 20 Oct. 2014). In the known cable, the inner insulation layer is made of nonorganic ceramic and the outer conductor has a wall thickness not less than three skin depths at the operating power voltage frequency. Disadvantages of the known cable are a thick-wall load-bearing outer conductor, not protected from corrosive environment, featuring a significant bending radius (caused by thick walls and compacted mineral insulation) and lack of constructional possibilities of output power adjustment along the longitudinal cable axis. As a consequence of this, the cable run-in-hole/put-out-of-hole operations require very expensive coiled tubing equipment, and the lack of the output power longitudinal control leads to increased electric energy consumption.
A heating unit is also known from the above source, consisting of a segment of the said cable and an AC power source, as well as a heating method involving application of the said heating unit. These technical solutions feature the same disadvantages.
The object of the invention is removal of the above disadvantages. The technical result means an improvement of the operational properties by virtue of reduction of energy consumption and heating temperature, possibility of the conductor's wall thickness lowering and thus an increase of the heating cable flexibility.

Skin-effect based heating cable, heating unit and method


A ship propulsion unit includes a propeller pod (14) provided with a propulsion propeller (15) and a turnable shaft (2) attached to the propulsion pod. The turnable shaft is journalled in the hull (1) of the ship by a rotation bearing (4) mounted in the hull and a rotation mechanism (3) mounted in the hull is coupled to the turnable shaft for turning the shaft. A seal (5) is provided in an annular space (9) between the turnable shaft and the hull for protecting the rotation bearing and the rotation mechanism. The propulsion unit is releasably attached to the hull by an attachment mechanism (6) which holds the propulsion unit in an operative position relative to the hull. A support arrangement (7, 8; 11, 12, 13) supports the propulsion unit at a position below its operative position when the attachment mechanism is released.

This invention relates to a ship propulsion unit comprising a propeller pod and a turnable shaft which is attached to the propeller pod and is journalled in the hull of the ship.
Propulsion units of this kind, which are known for example from Patent Publications CA 1,311,657 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,403,216, have parts subject to wear. Such parts are for example the rotation bearing by which the turnable shaft of the propulsion unit is journalled in the ship's hull, the rotation mechanism for turning the turnable shaft, and the sealing system protecting these. When the propulsion unit is installed in a ship, there is practically no access to these parts for maintenance, such as replacement or repair of worn parts, whereby the ship has to be docked or the propulsion unit removed from the ship for carrying out the necessary maintenance activities. Maintenance of such a propulsion unit is therefore time-consuming and may give rise to considerable costs.
The object of this invention is to provide a propulsion unit by which the above mentioned disadvantages are avoided and which provides for carrying out the necessary maintenance activities in a reliable manner and with simple means.


A card attachment device for attaching a greeting card to a package having a thin, elongated substrate folded into a front and rear portion. The substrate has a through hole with a slot connecting the through hole to an edge of respective front and rear portions of the substrate. Adhesive is disposed on at least a portion of an inward facing surface of both said front and rear portions. A greeting card may be secured between adhesive on the front and rear portions. The secured card may be secured to an elongated handle of a gift bag. The card attachment device has a perforation allowing portions to be separated from one another and used in combination to secure a greeting card to a package without elongated handles.

Gift bags provide a convenient way to prepare a present for presentation to an intended recipient. Gift bags may readily be purchased at a variety of outlets. For example, they are typically available in establishments that sell greeting cards (e.g., drug stores, grocery stores, department stores, etc.). Gift bags provide a way to present gifts, especially gifts having an unusual shape. Gift bags eliminate the tedium of conventional gift wrapping and require no special facilities or supplies (e.g., a flat surface, scissors, tape, etc.). Gift bags are especially appreciated by those who are "gift wrapping challenged".
One major drawback to conventional gift bags is the relative difficulty encountered in attaching a conventional greeting card to the gift bag. Many gift bags have a body having two opposing longer walls which are provided with a pair of strap holes near a top opening of the bag. A pair of string or rope members is attached to the holes to facilitate carrying the gift bag.
Some people using gift bags to present gifts prefer to include a greeting card along with the gift in the gift bag. Typically, the greeting card is simply put inside the gift bag, and the recipient may not notice the card immediately especially if decorative tissue paper is added to the bag.
Some gift bags are provided with a small, pre-attached gift card, often referred to as hang tags. Such cards may not properly express the sentiment of the gift giver and, generally are not private. Even if the bags came with hang tags attached to their straps, they offer little opportunity to keep a greeting private.
It would, therefore, be advantageous to provide a simple device for securely attaching a card in an envelope to a package such as a gift bag without use of tape or other such supplies.

Multi-mode card attachment device for a gift


Flash memory cells are presented which comprise a dielectric material formed above a substrate channel region, a charge trapping material formed over the dielectric material, and a control gate formed over the charge trapping material. The cell may be programmed by directing electrons from the control gate into the charge trapping material to raise the cell threshold voltage. The electrons may be directed from the control gate to the charge trapping material by coupling a substrate to a substrate voltage potential, and coupling the control gate to a gate voltage potential, where the gate voltage potential is lower than the substrate voltage potential. The cell may be erased by directing electrons from the charge trapping material into the control gate to lower a threshold voltage of the flash memory cell, such as by coupling the substrate to a substrate voltage potential, and coupling the control gate to a gate voltage potential, where the gate voltage potential is higher than the substrate voltage potential.

Flash memory is a non-volatile type of memory which can be rewritten and retain its data content without power. Flash and other types of electronic memory devices are constructed of memory cells that individually store and provide access to data. A typical memory cell stores a single binary piece of information referred to as a bit, which has one of two possible states. The cells are commonly organized into multiple cell units such as bytes having eight cells and words having sixteen or more such cells, usually configured in multiples of eight. Storage of data in such memory device architectures is performed by writing to a particular set of memory cells, sometimes referred to as programming the cells, where the data can then be retrieved in a read operation. In addition to programming and read operations, groups of cells in a memory device may be erased, wherein each cell in the group is set to a known state. In typical single-bit flash devices, each cell has one of two possible data states, either a programmed state or an erased state, where the data states correspond to the two possible binary states of the corresponding bit (e.g., programmed state represents binary "0" and erased state represents binary "1"). More recently, cells structures have been developed that are capable of storing two physically separated bits, and other multi-bit structures have been proposed, in which different multi-bit data combinations are represented as electrically distinguishable programming levels in a given cell.
Conventional flash memory cells include a metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) device with a gate structure in which data may be retained in the form of trapped electrical charge. The erase, program, and read operations are commonly performed by application of appropriate voltages to certain terminals of the cell MOS device. In a program or erase operation, the voltages are applied so as to cause a charge to be stored in the memory cell or removed from the cell, thereby changing or setting a threshold voltage of the cell. In a read operation, appropriate voltages are applied to cause a cell current to flow, wherein the amount of such current is related to the threshold voltage state of the cell and is thus indicative of the value of the data stored in the cell.
Conventional single-bit flash memory cells are often formed as a "stacked gate" or "SONOS" cell types. Stacked gate cells include a transistor structure having a source, a drain, and a channel in a substrate or p-well thereof, as well as a stacked gate structure overlying the channel that includes a gate dielectric layer (sometimes referred to as a tunnel oxide) formed on the surface of the P-well. The stacked gate also includes a polysilicon floating gate overlying the tunnel oxide and an interpoly dielectric layer overlying the floating gate. A doped polysilicon control gate overlies the interpoly dielectric layer to complete the stacked gate structure. The interpoly dielectric layer is often a multilayer insulator such as an oxide-nitride-oxide (ONO) layer having two oxide layers sandwiching a nitride layer.
Stacked gate cells can be programmed in a variety of ways. One common approach involves applying a relatively high positive voltage to the control gate while the source is grounded and the drain is connected to a predetermined positive potential above ground. This creates vertical and lateral electric fields along the length of the channel from the source to the drain, causing electrons to flow from the source and to begin accelerating toward the drain. As electrons move along the length of the channel, they gain energy to the point where some electrons are able to jump over the potential barrier of the tunnel oxide into the floating gate and become trapped in the floating gate (e.g., sometimes referred to as channel hot electron (CHE) injection). As a result of the trapped charge in the gate structure, the threshold voltage of the cell increases, for example, by about 2 to 5 volts. This change in the threshold voltage (and thereby the channel conductance) of the cell created by the trapped electrons is what causes the cell to be programmed (e.g., data "0"). Stacked gate cells may alternatively be programmed through Fowler-Nordheim tunneling of electrons from the substrate through the tunnel oxide by applying a positive control gate voltage while the substrate or body is held at ground or at a negative voltage, wherein electrons tunnel from the channel through the tunnel oxide and into the floating gate.
A stacked gate flash memory cell can be erased in a number of ways. In one arrangement, a relatively high positive voltage is applied to the source and the control gate is grounded while the drain is allowed to float. A strong electric field is developed across the tunnel oxide between the floating gate and the source, causing electrons that were trapped in the floating gate to undergo Fowler-Nordheim tunneling through the tunnel oxide into the source. In another arrangement, a negative voltage is applied to the control gate, and a positive voltage is applied to the source while the drain is allowed to float. Alternatively, a positive voltage is applied to the substrate and a negative voltage is applied to the control gate while the source and drain are floated to erase the cell through Fowler-Nordheim tunneling of electrons from the floating gate into the substrate.
Conventional SONOS type cells (e.g., silicon-oxide-nitride-oxide-silicon) also include an ONO structure formed over the substrate channel, with a control gate formed over the ONO structure, but without a floating gate. To program the SONOS cell, electrons are transferred from the substrate to the nitride layer in the ONO structure by applying appropriate voltage potentials to the cell terminals. Because the nitride is generally non-conductive, the trapped electrons tend to remain localized, whereby two spatially separate bits may be stored in a single cell, for example, by applying positive gate and drain voltages while the substrate is grounded, thereby creating vertical and lateral channel fields. This causes electrons to be trapped in the ONO structure near the drain end of the cell. Reversing the source and drain voltages can cause charge trapping (e.g., programming) to occur near the source end. Alternatively, SONOS cells can be programmed by Fowler-Nordheim tunneling of electrons from the substrate into the ONO structure by applying a positive gate voltage and grounding the substrate. As with stacked gate cells, SONOS type flash cells are erased by causing the trapped electrons to migrate from the ONO structure back into the substrate through application of suitable voltages to the substrate, gate, source, and/or drain. For example, SONOS cells may be erased by grounding the substrate, source, and drain, and applying a negative gate voltage, causing Fowler-Nordheim tunneling of electrons from the ONO structure into the substrate.
A continuing trend in flash and other types of memory device designs is the reduction of device dimensions, referred to as scaling. As a result, it is desirable to reduce the size of various structures that make up flash memory cells. Another design goal is to reduce the power consumption and operating voltages in flash memories. In addition, it is desirable to increase the number of program/erase operations of flash memory devices and to shorten the time required to perform read, program, and erase operations. Furthermore, it is desirable to construct flash memory cells with improved data retention capabilities. Accordingly, there remains a need for improved flash memory devices as well as fabrication and operational methods by which these design goals can be facilitated.

Flash memory cell and methods for programming and erasing


A chip card with a flexible card body and electrical components arranged in the card body with at least some of the electrical components being arranged in a casing. The card body has a recess matched in shape and size to the casing and the casing is affixed moveably in the recess of the card body. In this way, the conventionally existing incompatibility of rigid casing and flexible card body can be solved. As a result of the moveable suspension, the casing is decoupled from the bending and torsion forces acting on the card body.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a chip card with a flexible card body and electrical components arranged in the card body.
2. The Prior Art
During the manufacture of chip cards of the type specified above, especially DIN/ISO chip card bodies, three different techniques are conventionally used to integrate components of complex electronic circuits in the card bodies.
The generally known chip card is the simplest example for an implantation of electronic components in a card body. In this case, the circuit-carrying silicon is glued to the underside of the substrate, bonded and potted. Through contacts to the upper side of the substrate allow electrical contact to a peripheral system, especially a card reader. This so-called chip module is finally implanted in a plastic card body. The card body is merely the carrier of the electronic system without its own electronic properties or functions.
Whereas with implantation the electronic components are visible from outside, a slightly changed situation arises for the manufacture of so-called contactless cards. In this case, the chip module should not be visible. For this purpose, an already equipped circuit carrier, which is especially equipped with an antenna and a chip, is laminated into the central card plane. The substrate of the circuit carrier generally consists of the same material as the remaining card body so that a largely homogeneous material bonding is achieved as a result of the lamination. Mainly thermoplastics are used here, such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polycarbonate (PC) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET). In cases where substrate and card material have significantly different properties, so-called adhesion promoters are used with which at least one of the bonding partners is coated. In the lamination method different films are placed over one another in a defined sequence and fastened. This film stack is then laminated between two sheets under pressure and temperature to give an approximately homogeneous material. However, if large-area silicon chips, especially silicon chips having an area of more than 20 mm2 are to be processed, this is barely possible using the lamination method. Especially if other components are to be integrated, this would result in a very complex structure of substrates, core films, spacer films, adhesion promoters and similar.


The advantages of both a color display and a high-resolution monochrome display are realized in a single display system by eliminating color filters from the display screen of the display system and illuminating the display screen with either colored light or white light to provide color or high-resolution monochrome capability, respectively. Simultaneous color and high-resolution monochrome capability is realized by illuminating predetermined portions of the display screen with only colored light while illuminating different portions of the display screen with only white light.

Conventional liquid crystal display systems are available as either color or monochrome displays. Each type of display provides certain advantages that are not available in the other type of display. For example, color displays provide wide versatility, finding applications in graphics displays and various user-friendly software applications. Moreover, color capability often is demanded by consumers. On the other hand, monochrome liquid crystal displays provide higher resolution than their color counterparts. Unlike conventional color displays, which require three picture elements ("pixels") of the display screen to display a single color data point (i.e., one pixel for each of the red, green, and blue components of the color data point), only one pixel is required to display each monochrome data point. Thus, a monochrome display can provide three times as many pixels as a similar color display.
Conventional color liquid crystal displays are manufactured by forming a color filter layer integrally with the liquid crystal displays screen. Thus, a display that is manufactured as a color display cannot double as a monochrome display to provide enhanced resolution. Similarly, a monochrome display cannot provide color capabilities. Using conventional designs, a single display cannot provide the advantages of both a color display and a monochrome display.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a single display that could provide the advantages of both a color display and a high-resolution monochrome display.


A process for the simultaneous recovery of substantially pure alumina and silica from an aluminosilicate. The process comprises the following steps: (i) heating the aluminosilicate with hydrated CaCl.sub.2 to obtain calcium-alumino-silicate and calcium-aluminate products, wherein the CaCl.sub.2 is substantially free of MgCl.sub.2 ; (ii) leaching the products with HCl to form a solution comprising AlCl.sub.3 and CaCl.sub.2, and insoluble silica; (iii) separating the insoluble silica from the solution; and (iv) crystallizing AlCl.sub.3 from the solution and recovering the alumina from the crystallized AlCl.sub.3. The process may further comprise the following steps: (v) substantially removing MgCl.sub.2 from the CaCl.sub.2 solution of step (iv); and (vi) recycling the CaCl.sub.2 solution for use in step (i).

Coal combustion remains a major source of energy in many parts of the world. The solid waste remaining after the combustion is called coal ash, which comprises fly ash--the fine particles collected from the combustion-off gas by electrostatic precipitators--and the ash remaining at the bottom of the combustion vessels. The volume of coal ash resulting from coal combustion world-wide is constantly on the rise, resulting in an ever increasing problem of disposing the waste without damaging the environment. In addition, the availability of the waste products at no cost and their being adjacent to sources of power and transport make them attractive as raw material for the extraction of various chemical products.
The chemical composition of coal ash varies as a function of the source and type of the coal. However, Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 and SiO.sub.2 are almost always major components of the ash, usually in the form of aluminosilicates and quartz. It would therefore be advantageous to use coal ash as a source for alumina and silica.
The major source of pure alumina today is bauxite, with the alumina generally being extracted by the Bayer process. As bauxite is in ample supply and the alumina can be extracted relatively easily and inexpensively, any alternate method for extracting alumina must be economically competitive with the Bayer process. In calculating the process cost, the savings in disposal and disposal site maintenance costs should be taken into account, as well as environmental considerations.
A number of processes for recovering aluminum from coal ash have been reported (Seeley, F. G., Canon, R. M. and McDowell, W. J., "Chemical Development of New processes for the Recovery of Resource Materials from Coal Ash", Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Contract W-7405-eng-26; Felker, K., et al, "Aluminum from Fly Ash", Chemtech 12(2):123-8 (1982)). These include direct acid leach methods, lime-sinter and lime-soda-sinter methods, a salt-soda sinter process and the Calsinter process.
Direct acid leaching (either single-stage or multi-stage) with HCl, HNO.sub.3, or H.sub.2 SO.sub.4 usually results in quite low recovery rates of Al (under 50%).
Lime and lime/soda sinter processes involve sintering coal wastes at 1200-1300.degree. C. with powdered limestone (CaCO.sub.3) or limestone and soda ash (Na.sub.2 CO.sub.3) to form calcium or sodium aluminates. The aluminates are then dissolved by leaching with Na.sub.2 CO.sub.3.
In the salt-soda sinter process, a NaCl--Na.sub.2 CO.sub.3 mixture is sintered with fly ash, quenched in a water leach, and then leached in a dilute HNO.sub.3 or H.sub.2 SO.sub.4 solution.
The Calsinter process (developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Tennessee, U.S.A.) involves the combination of a CaSO.sub.4 --CaCO.sub.3 -fly ash sintering system and an acid leach with H.sub.2 SO.sub.4.
Recently, another method for recovery of alumina from alumino-silicates has been described in GB 2,205,558. In this method, the alumino-silicate is reacted with hydrated calcium and/or magnesium chloride, with or without a minor proportion of sodium chloride. A leached water-insoluble residue is obtained which is treated, preferably with the application of heat, with a mineral acid such as HCl which forms a water-soluble aluminum salt. The salt is then diluted with water to produce an aqueous solution of the aluminum salt and an insoluble residue comprising hydrated silica. The aluminum is then recovered from the salt solution.
None of the above processes relates to the simultaneous extraction of silica from coal ash.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,868,499 to Guertler describes a process for the recovery of alumina from silicious materials such as clay, leucite and silicious bauxite. The process comprises the steps of heating the silicious material with CaCl.sub.2 at 650-900.degree. C., treating the heated mixture with HCl to dissolve and separate CaCl.sub.2 for reuse and conversion of the aluminum to AlCl.sub.3, separating the non-gelatinous silicic acid precipitate, and purifying the AlCl.sub.3 solution and decomposing to form alumina. There is no indication of the purity of the extracted metal oxides, nor is there any indication that the recycled CaCl.sub.2 undergoes treatment.

Process for recovery of alumina and silica


A belt retractor for a vehicle seat belt includes a rotatably supported belt reel (12) from which webbing can be unwound, a force limiting means which in a force limiting phase permits controlled webbing extension in the webbing extension direction when the belt reel (12) is blocked and a particular force threshold is exceeded, and a change-over device for carrying out a change-over operation before and/or during the force limiting phase in which it is changed from a first force level to a second force level. The change-over device includes a control means adapted to trigger or inhibit the change-over operation at least in response to the recognition of an installed child safety seat (34).

The invention relates to a belt retractor for a vehicle seat belt. The invention further relates to a vehicle occupant protection device comprising said belt retractor.
For mounting a child safety seat in a vehicle, apart from the conventional mounting by means of a seat belt, mounting systems have established in which a rigid connection between the body of the vehicle and the child safety seat is produced. These systems are known especially under the designation Isofix which originates from the standardization according to the standard ISO 13216.
Various devices are known for detecting the installation of a child safety seat which is mounted in the vehicle by means of an Isofix or similar system.
DE 100 36 933 A1 illustrates such detection device which is fastened in pairs via mounting means to the mounting brackets fixed to the vehicle for the child safety seat. A fixed part of the device includes a magnetic switch element and a magnet for providing a magnetic actuating field for the switch element. A movable mechanism is moved from a first position to a second position during installation of the child safety seat by inserting a pair of locking means into the mounting brackets. In this way the magnetic actuating field is influenced so that the magnetic switch element changes its switching state. Thus a signal is switched for providing the airbag control of the vehicle with the information to deactivate the airbag deployment for this seat.
From DE 10 1009 003 629 629 A1 a seat anchoring element for child safety seats is known which can be fixed by fixing elements protruding at the rear to cross bolts in the backrest of a vehicle seat or to the vehicle body. Sensors in the form of micro switches which are electrically cable-connected to a signal means are allocated to the fixing elements. The signal means signals the secured mounting of the seat anchoring element by an acoustic element or by signal diodes.
A child safety seat including an electrically monitored locking mechanism for detecting faulty mounting of the child safety seat on a vehicle seat is known from WO 20081063999 A2. A first electric contact is arranged on a sleeve in which a pivoting bracket is disposed. A second electric contact is positioned at said bracket so that the latter contacts the first electric contact upon pivoting into a position in which it encompasses a mounting anchor fixed to the vehicle.

Belt retractor for a motor vehicle safety belt


A new family of concrete admixture additives can be derived from reacting a mixture of olefins/cyclic olefins-maleic anhydride copolymers and methoxy polyethylene glycol amines and/or polyethylene glycol monoalkyl ethers, or a mixture of styrene-maleic anhydride copolymers and methoxy polyethylene glycol amines and/or polyethylene glycol monoalkyl ethers, or a mixture of styrene-olefins/cyclic olefins-maleic anhydride terpolymers and methoxy polyethylene glycol amines and/or polyethylene glycol monoalkyl ethers. These reactions lead to formation of a kind of carboxylic salt containing polymer, which can be used alone in concrete. Only a small amount of this substance is needed to provide excellent water reduction, high concrete flowability and high early strength.

(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a concrete admixture additive for water reduction and to the process of making the same.
(b) Description of the Related Art
In a typical concrete mixing process, a large amount of water is added to increase flowability of the concrete. However, water overdose lowers concrete compression strength and adversely affects other properties. While on the contrary, lack of water causes concrete slump and deterioration, which is harmful to a construction process. Many chemical additives have been invented in the past to improve concrete flowability without the need of increasing the amount of water.
Traditional concrete water reducers are formed by mixing lignin as main component with naphthalene sulfonic acid sodium salt. Although the cost of such kind of additives is relatively low, they cannot provide desirable concrete water reduction when the effective content in the concrete is low. For example, when a type F water reducer, which consists mainly of naphthalene-based compounds, is used, rapid concrete slump will result.
Recently copolymers of acrylic acid or maleic anhydride and alkenyl ethers and their derivatives have been found to improve concrete admixture flowability. [Japanese Patent Publication (Kokai) Nos 285140/88 and 163108/90]. Besides, copolymers of maleic acid and its salt and ester derivatives and hydroxy-terminated allyl ether and copolymers of maleic acid and partially esterified styrene are known to enhance concrete admixture flowability [U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,471,100 and 5,158,996]. Such chemical reagents are classified as carboxylic type additives. But those concrete additives still can not provide all the required properties. For example, although esterified acrylic acid copolymers provide good concrete admixture flowability, they also prolong the hardening time.
In view of the above, a new family of concrete admixture additives is disclosed and claimed in the present invention. These additives, even at a relatively low additive level, can provide improved water reduction, increase concrete flowability, reduce concrete slump and enhance compression strength. In addition, the processes of making such concrete admixture additives are also disclosed and claimed.