An illustrative approach accelerates live browse operations for block-level backup copies in a data storage management system. A cache storage area is maintained for locally storing and serving key data blocks, thus relying less on retrieving data on demand from backup copies. Live browse operations are used for populating the cache storage area for speedier retrieval during subsequent live browsing and/or file indexing of the same backup copy, and vice versa. The key data blocks cached while file indexing and/or live browsing an earlier backup copy help to pre-fetch corresponding data blocks of later backup copies, thus producing a beneficial learning cycle. The approach is especially beneficial for cloud and tape backup media, and is available for a variety of data sources and backup copies, including block-level backup copies of virtual machines (VMs) and block-level backup copies of file systems, including UNIX-based and Windows-based operating systems and corresponding file systems.

Businesses recognize the commercial value of their data and seek reliable, cost-effective ways to protect the information stored on their computer networks while minimizing impact on productivity. A company might back up critical computing systems such as databases, file servers, web servers, virtual machines (VMs), and so on as part of a maintenance program. Given the rapidly expanding volume of data under management, companies also continue to seek innovative techniques for managing data growth. Enterprises also increasingly view their data as a valuable asset to leverage pro-actively.
One way of leveraging backed up data is to index it for future access. Another way to leverage the backed up data is to give users the ability to discover files and folders in backup copies, a feature known as "live browse." Live browse and file indexing operations, as well as file-level restores, can suffer significant slow-downs when a targeted backup copy is stored in certain cloud storage environments configured in cloud service accounts and/or on non-random-access media such as tape. In some scenarios using tape as the backup medium, live browsing and/or file indexing is too slow to be offered as a feature. Therefore, observed performance degradation demonstrated by cloud storage and tape storage media give rise to a pronounced need for improving the speed of live browse and file indexing operations.

Live browse cache enhacements for live browsing block-level backup copies of virtual machines and/or file systems


An electrical connector may be provided for connection to a mating electrical contact in an insertion direction. The connector has an inner casing in which an electrical bushing contact having a locking element, which can be moved parallel to the insertion direction for setting a contact force, can be fixed to the mating contact, which can be inserted into the bushing contact. At least one axial end of the locking element may protrude laterally out of the inner casing. The connector also has an outer casing in which the inner casing can be accommodated. A locking element fixing means, which can be fixed on the outer casing in a stationary manner against movement parallel to the insertion direction and also engages in the axial end of the locking element, is also provided, allowing a movement of the inner casing relative to the outer casing parallel to the insertion direction.

Some connections and insertion-type connectors for use in a motor vehicle are already known. One such insertion-type connector, for the electrical connection, has an electrical bushing contact, of the kind described for instance in DE 10 2015 104 377 A1 or DE 10 2015 114 080 A1. This bushing contact is suitable in particular for use in a high-voltage on-board electrical system and for conducting relatively high voltage.
Furthermore, from DE 10 2016 105 504 A1 or DE 10 2016 105 497, insertion-type connectors with casings are known in which once again the above-described bushing contact is employed. It has been found that such an insertion-type connector, or its casing, because of the structural design of the bushing contact (e.g., with a locking element that is movable in the insertion direction), makes sealing off the insertion-type connector in the vicinity of the locking element more difficult. This may be because to apply a sufficient contacting force of the bushing contact to a mating insertion-type contact inserted into it, a motion of the locking element in the insertion direction of the insertion-type connector is necessary. Therefore in the aforementioned documents it is proposed that the casing of the connector be located inside a separate shielding casing and to seal that casing off, but this requires additional construction space or necessitates additional shielding casing.


A rectangular holder (1), which has two main walls (2, 3) and three side walls (4, 5, 6) and is open at a fourth side (7), comprises a clamping member (11) of an abrasion-proof elastic plastics, for clamping a cassette in the holder (1), which clamping member comprises an elastically deformable plate portion (12) which carries a clamping projection (13) and is retained by a retaining portion (15) connected to the holder (1).

The invention relates to a holder of rectangular shape which comprises two main walls and three side walls interconnecting the two main walls, and is open at a fourth side, which holder is adapted to receive through the open side a rectangular cassette with a record carrier contained therein in order to protect the cassette and, at the location of at least one side wall comprises a clamping member for clamping a cassette inserted in the holder, which clamping member is connected to the holder at the location of said side wall, comprises a part which projects into the holder interior and is made of an elastic material and, via the part which projects into the holder interior, can be partly deformed elastically by a cassette inserted in the holder.
For such a holder, been proposed to construct the clamping member as a plug-type member of an elastomeric material and to snap the clamping member with an annular groove formed in this member into a hole in the relevant side wall of the holder. In practice, such a clamping member can be manufactured by means of a moulding process. When a cassette is inserted into the holder and cooperates with the clamping member comparatively large elastic deformation occur which deformations when the clamping member extends through the relevant side wall cause the clamping member to protrude outwardly, i.e. to form a bulge, which is undesirable not only for cosmetic reasons. The bulging sides will prevent a close and space-saving stacking of the packages. This may be particularly harmful in automatic cassette changers. Moreover, with such a plug-type clamping member the likelihood of the member being inadvertently pressed out of the hole in the side wall is comparatively high.


A game for a one or more bettors is played with a standard deck of cards. Each bettor places a wager on either a banker, a player or a tie to participate in the game. One card is dealt to each to the banker and to the player. If either or both of the cards dealt is an ace, then the ace or aces win the hand. If one of the cards dealt is a two, that hand loses unless both of the dealt cards are twos in which case only the tie bet wins. A tres card is then dealt. If the first two cards drawn have the same face value, the tres card is played to the tie. If the tres card is less face value than the two tied cards, both the banker and the player win. If the tres card is greater face value than the two tied cards, both the banker and the player lose. If the tres card is the same face value as the two tied cards, all bets win. If the two cards have the different face values the tres card is played whichever of the two cards has the lower face value. If the tres card is equal to the higher of the two cards, the tie bet wins. If the tres card differs from the higher face value card, the higher of the tres card or the higher face value card wins the bet.

There are numerous card games which use standard playing cards. One such game is baccarat which is played most frequently from a shoe which represents an easy method of dealing cards from a multiple deck supply. Baccarat uses standard card decks with the jokers removed. In baccarat, the shoe is generally passed around the table to each individual bettor in a counterclockwise direction.
In baccarat, each numbered card 2 to 9 counts as its face value, aces count as one and face cards count as zero. The game is begun by dealing two cards to a Player and two cards to a Banker. The value of a hand is determined by first summing the value of the two cards dealt. If the card values summation is between ten and nineteen, the value ten is subtracted from such a card value summation to determine the hand value. If the card value summation is between twenty and twenty nine, then the value twenty is subtracted from the card value summation to determine the hand value. In short, the value of the "ones" digit after a card value summation is the hand value in baccarat.
Each party will stand or draw on the hand based upon a strict set of rules to determine the outcome. First, the Player stands if the Player's hand value is six through nine. If either the Player's hand or the Banker's hand is an eight or a nine, the hand is stopped and a decision is called as to the winner. The winner is the party with the larger hand value. If the parties tie, there is no action on the bet and bettors are free to increase, decrease, remove or change their bets.
If the Player's hand value is less than six, the Player draws a third card. The Banker draws or stands according to strict rules.
First, the Banker always draws on a Banker's hand value of zero through two and always stands on a Banker's hand value of seven through nine. But if the Banker's hand is between three and six, the decision to draw or stand is based upon the value of the Player's third card.
If the Banker's hand value is three, the Banker will draw a third card unless the Player's third card is an eight. If the Banker's hand value is four, the Banker will draw unless the Player's third card is a zero, one, eight or nine. If the Banker's hand value is five, the Banker will draw unless the Player's third card is zero through three or eight or nine. Lastly, if the Banker's hand value is six, the Banker will draw unless the Player's third card is zero through five and eight or nine.
Mathematically, the above rules provide a slight edge for the Banker. Without compensating for that edge, baccarat would be a losing proposition to casinos. Thus, casinos charge a commission, typically 5%, on winning Banker's hands which eliminates that slight edge and also provides the casino with its percentage.
As best seen in FIG. 1, a formal baccarat table has positions for twelve bettors 12, two dealers 18 and a caller 16. In front of each bettor are two boxes, one box (conventionally the closest to the bettor) for betting the Player will win and one box for betting that the Banker will win. The two dealers 18 are responsible for paying bets when bettors win and removing bets when bettors lose. The caller 16 is responsible for directing the game, the deal, calling the outcome and the passing of the shoe. The shoe passes from bettor to bettor as the game progresses.
Those skilled in the art will recognize that many casinos offer a more informal variation generally termed mini-baccarat in which only one casino employee performs both the dealer and caller functions.
As should be apparent, the rules of baccarat are difficult to learn and therefore intimidating to many bettors. There have been several attempts to derive a simpler, easier to understand game.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,324,041 entitled "High Card Wagering Game" which issued on Jun. 28, 1994 to Boylan et al. discloses a card game in which one card is dealt to each player and one card to the dealer. The high card wins though there are a series of alternatives. There are seven bettor positions and a dealer position. Each bettor position has two betting areas, an area 12 for placing an ante bet and an area 14 for placing of a tie bet.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,072,946 entitled "Method of Playing a Wagering Casino-Type Card Game" which issued on Dec. 17, 1991 to Miller shows a card game in which one card is dealt to a first player and one to a second player. The numerical value of the first player's card is compared to the numerical value of the second player's card. There is then a series of options, but essentially, a tie ends the game or the player with the lower card gets another card whose numerical value is added to the first. If there is still no tie, this process continues until one of the hands exceeds a predetermined amount.
Further, U.S. Pat. No. 5,529,309 entitled "Card Game" which issued on Jun. 25, 1996 to Bartlett shows a game combining elements of baccarat and blackjack in which bettors play individual hands against a dealer.
Lastly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,413,353 entitled "Method of Playing a Blackjack Type Card Game" which issued on May 9, 1995 to Demarest et al. discloses a table with seven player positions, a dealer position and a wager pool area 31.
The known prior art is described above. None of the known prior art disclose the game set forth herein.


A conveyor system apparatus including: a primary conveyor; and a conveying belt comprising: a belt deck comprising a conveyor belt; and a frame supporting the belt deck, the frame comprising a base and a deck support coupled to the base and the belt deck, the deck support movable between an operating position and a maintenance position. In as embodiment of the invention, the belt deck is cantilevered from the frame. Also, in an embodiment, the frame includes a motor for moving the deck support with respect to the base.

(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to conveyor systems and, more particularly, to a frame for a belt deck for a conveying belt for a conveyor system.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
In the package sorting conveyor industry, often a main conveyor is loaded with packages from a shorter, secondary conveyor. Belt inductors are used to move the packages from the secondary conveyor to the main conveyor. The belt inductors typically include a plurality of relatively narrow conveyor belts around a pair of rollers on a belt deck driven by a motor. Wear from conveying packages eventually subjects the narrow belts of the inductor to failure. When failure of one of the belts on the belt inductor occurs, the main conveyor may have to be shut down to replace the failed belt of the belt inductor. Attempts have been made to increase the life of the belts of the belt inductor, but even the improved belts still eventually fail. Thus, there is need for a conveyor system having a conveying belt such as a belt inductor, where the belts of the conveying belt can be changed without shutting down the main conveyor.

Conveyor belt deck and frame having a substantially vertical maintenance position


A cooking basket holder comprises a hand gripping section that allows a user to hold the cooking basket holder by inserting four fingers and grasping thus providing a firm grip. An elongated hook section is cylindrical and is tapered having a smaller diameter at the insertion end and gradually increasing in diameter longitudinally. A locking notch is formed at the distal end therein and has a smaller diameter than the insertion end.

While society as a whole can be characterized as collection of individuals having a variety of differing races, creeds, ethnicities, religions and political beliefs, arguably no other act is more commonly accepted by all of humanity than the enjoyment of a good meal. As a result, it is important to cook food in a safe and efficient manner. To meet this need, a variety of cooking methods have emerged. Cooking by placing food in a perforated basket and lowering the basket into a larger, non-perforated pot containing heated water, oil, or cooking grease has become a commonplace practice in both home and commercial cooking. The basket/pot combination is used to cook food by heating a large pot containing a cooking liquid, placing a volume of food in a basket with holes, and lowering the basket into the pot. Once the food has been exposed to the heating liquid for a sufficient amount of time, the basket is lifted upward to a position out of contact with the cooking liquid. The basket is then suspended above the pot to allow any excess cooking liquid to drain. The basket is finally removed from the pot and tipped to remove the food from the basket.
Although this basket/pot combination is an effective way to cook food, users have encountered problems in the draining and removing the basket from the pot. Draining the basket requires a user to lift and hold the hot basket above the pot. Users often encounter difficulty suspending the basket above the pot. Furthermore, due to the heat and steam, the user is susceptible to burn injuries when handling the basket. In addition, once the basket is drained the user must remove the basket from the pot and pour the cooked food out of the basket.
The basket and pot combination has become a mainstay in home and commercial cooking, and is becoming a favorite cooking method as more individuals are exposed to its ability to cook a variety of different foods quickly and efficiently. As a result, consumers are in need of a tool that assists them in safely lifting the basket, draining the basket, and tipping the basket to remove the cooked food.

Abstract: Additionally, in another embodiment of the present invention, semi-circular arms are provided to add extra stability.

Abstract: In another embodiment of the present invention, the insertion end is surrounded by flexible spring leaves to lock the cooking basket holder in place.

Abstract: In yet another embodiment of the present invention, a mechanical catch arm is provided to lock the cooking basket holder.


A magnesium halide support material for a polyolefin catalysts is disclosed. The magnesium halide of present invention is prepared by reacting magnesium with an alkylhalide in a non-polar hydrocarbon solvent. Preparation of the support does not require the use electron donating solvents and therefore does not require extensive washing to remove the solvent from the support.

Magnesium halide is a key component of titanium based Ziegler-Natta catalysts which have been used extensively in the polyolefin industry over the past 50 years. These catalysts are typically composed of titanium incorporated onto the surface of a magnesium halide support. It has been recognized that the catalyst properties depend heavily on the chemical and physical properties of magnesium halide support and the support properties influence the morphology of the resulting polymer. Consequently, there has been intense effort directed to preparing active magnesium halide supports for olefin polymerization catalysts.
Most of the methods known in the art for preparing such magnesium halide supports utilize various electron donating solvents such as alcohol, ester, siloxy, and ether compounds. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,987,212 and 4,642,328 discloses methods involving the reaction of R2Mg solution with an alkylhalide in a mixed solvent of ether and heptane. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,091,353 and 5,192,732 describe a method wherein magnesium halide containing aluminum is precipitated from an alcohol solution of magnesium halide by the addition of alkylaluminum compounds to the solution. In a method described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,302,566, THF is mixed with magnesium halide and titanium halide compounds to make a solution from which a solid catalyst component is prepared by re-precipitation.
Method for preparing a magnesium halide support that utilize electron donating solvents suffer the drawback that excessive amounts of the electron donating solvent can intercalate into the matrix of the support and 'poison' the catalyst. As a result, it is often necessary to extensively wash the matrix with non-polar solvents or to treat the matrix with strong Lewis acids to remove excessive electron donating solvent. These steps lengthen the preparation process and themselves can potentially contaminate or poison the catalyst.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,478,221 and European Patent No. 0 703 246 A1 describe a method that does not utilize an electron donating solvent, wherein magnesium metal powder is reacted with butylchloride in a non-polar solvent in the presence of Ti(OR)4 to initiate the reaction and then further treatment with TiCl4/Ti(OR)4/butylchloride results in a magnesium halide supported catalyst. According to this method, the active titanium catalyst is formed concomitantly with the precipitation of the magnesium halide support. This makes it difficult to control the homogeneity of the active site, therefore, polymers synthesized using these catalysts display broad molecular distributions. Also, the catalytic amount of Ti(OR)4 used to initiate the reaction between magnesium powder and butylchloride results in a tiny amount of Ti(OR)4-formed active site within the magnesium halide support itself. This active site displays formidable activity and competes with the desired active catalyst, producing heterogeneous polymers. It is therefore difficult to employ a magnesium halide support formed in this manner as a support for olefin polymerization.
The reaction between magnesium and alkylhalide is seldom successful without using titanium compounds such as TiCl4 or Ti(OR)4 to initiate the reaction. It would be beneficial to develop a new method to initiate the reaction between magnesium and alkyl halide without using titanium compounds.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,990,034 describes a method wherein a mixture of alkylaluminum and alkylmagnesium is reacted with chlorosilane containing a Si—H bond to produce a magnesium halide support without using an ether solvent. However, alkylmagnesium compounds are expensive, so this method for preparing a magnesium halide support is not cost effective.

Preparation of a magnesium halide support for olefin polymerization and a catalyst composition using the same


An image area discriminating system for an image processing apparatus which discriminates between a character area and a halftone area on an original document containing the character and halftone areas, selects parameters for each discriminated area, and adjusts and generates image data. The image area discriminating system comprises: a block color discriminating unit for grouping pixels into blocks and determining block colors on the basis of the formed pixel blocks; a determining unit for detecting the run lengths of block colors other than white, for comparing the detected run lengths with a predetermined threshold value, and for determining whether the document area is the character area or the halftone area; and an area signal output unit for outputting a signal to select an image area signal on the basis of an output signal outputted from the determining unit.

Background of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image area discriminating system for an image processing apparatus which discriminates between a character area and a halftone area on an original document containing the character and halftone areas, selects parameters for each discriminated area, and adjusts and generates image data.

Image area discriminating system for an image processing apparatus


An extended release tablet comprising a core including albuterol sulfate and extended release agent; and an extended release coating on the core to provide for sustained release of the albuterol sulfate.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to sustained release pharmaceutical preparations and methods for producing the same. In particular, this invention relates to albuterol sulfate pharmaceutical sustained release formulations and their preparation.
2. Discussion of Background Information
Albuterol sulfate is a bronchodilator which is believed to be a beta-adrengenic agonist which stimulates beta-adrengeric receptor, which leads to relaxation of bronchial smooth muscle and inhibits hypersensitivity of mast cells. Albuterol sulfate is indicated for the relief of bronchospasm for the management of asthma and reversible obstructibe airway disease.
Albuterol sulfate is also known as, (±) ∝, -[(tert-butylamino)methyl]-4-hydroxy-m-xylene-∝,∝′-diol sulfate (2:1) salt, and has an empirical formula (C13H21NO3)2.H2SO4, a molecular weight of 576.7, and has the following structural formula:

Albuterol sulfate extended release tablets are currently available as Volmax® Tablets, which are available in two strengths, 4 and 8 mg, and manufactured by Glaxo Wellcome Ltd. UK England, Muro Pharmaceutical Inc., Tewksbury, Mass. The oral administration of Volmax® tablets provides a duration of action up to 12 hours, with the maximum concentration of drug in plasma being reached within 6 hours, and the plasma half-life being about 9 hours. Volmax® releases the drug from polymeric coated tablets through a laser drilled hole on one side of the tablet (OROS™ technology). The tablets include a rate controlling semi-permeable membrane, and a core of albuterol and osmotic agent. An osmotic gradient caused by core components draws water only into the tablet, where albuterol and osmotic agent dissolve, and albuterol is released through the laser drilled hole.
As disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,837,379, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety, extended release tablets containing osmotic tablets are known which have had an osmotically active drug core surrounded by a semi-permeable membrane. As disclosed therein, the core can be divided into two layers, one containing the active drug and the other containing a push layer of pharmacologically inactive ingredients which are osmotically active in the presence of gastrointestinal fluids. Also, as disclosed therein, an outer water permeable coating provided with an aperture covers the tablet to allow the drug to be pushed out of the tablet. Products of this type are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,327,725, 4,612,008, 4,751,071, 4,765,989, 4,777,049, 4,783,337 and 4,851,229. The disclosures of which are each incorporated by reference herein in their entireties.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,503,030, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety, discloses an osmotic device for delivering drugs to the stomach and the intestine. The device disclosed therein includes a shaped wall around a compartment described as a compartment which maintains its physical and chemical integrity in the stomach but loses its chemical and physical integrity in the intestine.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,587,117, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety, discloses an oral osmotic device which has a shaped wall which loses its integrity at a pH of 3.5 to 8.0, a passageway from a compartment to the exterior of the device.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,837,379, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety, also discloses the belief that its osmotic tablet operates by water passing through the membrane on the surface of the tablet which causes the core to swell and increase the pressure inside the tablet. This is disclosed to cause a very slight expansion of the partially hydrated core which is controlled by the use of a relatively small amount of water swellable polymer. It is disclosed that the expansion of the core will cause the membrane to open to relieve the internal pressure, and that once the initial opening or openings are formed, the swelling effect of the core components will cause the contents of the core to extrude through the initial opening without complete disintegration of the membrane. It is further disclosed that the internal pressure which is exerted on the membrane by the swelling and expanding osmotic core is relieved by the passage of the first portions of the core contents through the initial openings.
Moreover, sustained release tablets are known, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,500,227, 6,024,982 and 6,210,714, the disclosures of which are each incorporated by reference herein in their entireties, wherein release of the drug is controlled by means of the resistance of a coating layer or matrix against the diffusion of the drug therethrough. The release of drugs from such formulations is disclosed to be driven, e.g., by the gradient of the drug concentration resulting from penetration of, e.g., gastric fluid, by diffusion into the formulation.
Still further, U.S. Pat. No. 6,245,351, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety, discloses a drug-containing core coated with a coating composition containing a water-insoluble substance and a swellable polymer having no basis groups.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,254,347, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety, discloses a controlled release pharmaceutical preparation, comprising a core containing a pharmaceutically active ingredient, and a porous film of a hydrophobic polymeric substance or a hydrophobic polymeric substance and a hydrophilic polymeric substance, the core being coated with the porous film. It is further disclosed that the hydrophobic polymeric substance may be ethyl cellulose and that the hydrophilic polymer may be a water-soluble polymeric substance such as methyl cellulose.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,674,895, 5,840,754, 5,912,268, 6,124,355 and 6,262,115, the disclosures of which are each incorporated by reference herein in their entireties, disclose a dosage form for delivering oxybutynin in a rate-controlled dose.

Sustained release pharmaceutical preparations and methods for producing the same


The present disclosure relates to an illumination apparatus, an illumination system and an illumination control method. The illumination apparatus comprises: a first light emitting assembly configured to generate a first radiated light having a first color temperature and a first light intensity, wherein the first light intensity is adjustable; a second light emitting assembly configured to generate a second radiated light having a second color temperature and a second light intensity, wherein the second light intensity is adjustable and the second color temperature is lower than the first color temperature; and a third light emitting assembly configured to generate a third radiated light having a preset color and a third light intensity, wherein the preset color and the third light intensity are adjustable; wherein a color temperature of a radiated light generated by the illumination apparatus is configured to be adjusted by adjusting at least one of the first light intensity and the second light intensity.

With the development of technologies, the demands for illumination are also increasing accordingly. For example, in the case of automatic recognition of an object, it is necessary to control various parameters of a radiated light for illumination within a certain range in order to improve efficiency, accuracy, and etc. of the recognition, and thus there is a demand for an illumination apparatus that generates the radiated light whose parameters are adjustable.

Illumination apparatus, illumination system, and illumination control method


Methods, systems, and media for delivering manifestless streaming media content are provided. In some embodiments, the method comprises: receiving, from a user device, a request for a URL corresponding to a format of a live stream that is provided in a plurality of formats, wherein the live stream comprises a plurality of segments for each of the plurality of formats and wherein each segment of the plurality of segments comprises a respective sequence number; resolving the request to a specific segment of the live stream based on the URL, wherein the resolving comprises: identifying the format of the live stream associated with the request from the plurality of formats based on the URL; identifying a sequence number associated with the request based on the URL; and identifying a segment of the plurality of segments corresponding to the identified format and having a sequence number matching the identified sequence number; loading a segment file corresponding to the specific segment; and returning the segment file to the user device in a response to the request.

The development of digital media content sharing and Internet networking has enabled many features to enhance the user experience. For example, on the Internet, content hosting websites and content sharing services allow users to upload, view, and share digital media content, which may include audio/music clips, video clips, and a combination of audio and video content. A viewer can view the media content that is streamed from a content sharing server to a viewing device for playback. To prevent buffering that disrupts the playback of the media content, the content may be streamed with an adaptive bitrate protocol, such as HTTP Live Streaming (HLS).
HLS is a network protocol for streaming audio and video over HTTP from a web server for playback on various computing devices, where the quality of the streaming content can be changed depending on the network connection of the viewing device. Existing HLS-based approaches for streaming media, however, face a number of challenges. One challenge is high latency. For example, existing HLS-based approaches require a client device to make three round trips to a content sharing server before the client device can play back any video content. The three round trips include a trip to fetch a master playlist, another trip for a media playlist, and yet another trip for an initial media segment. Such requirement substantially increases the latency for content playback especially in situations where the round trip time (RTT) is high, such as, on wireless networks.
Existing approaches for streaming media playback, such as HLS or Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP (DASH), also lack client control over stream selection when the media player used by a client does not support streams selection. For example, clients using such a media player for streaming video using the HLS protocol are unable to control which media segments to fetch and when to fetch them. If a streaming video is available in multiple bitrates or resolutions, the clients are required to provide a master playlist URL to a media player, where the master playlist contains all available media playlists, each of which corresponds to a representation of the streaming video in a specific bitrate or resolution. During the playback, the media player decides which representation of the streaming video to choose for playback.
Furthermore, existing approaches for streaming video content playback are not efficient to support live video streaming. During live playbacks of streaming media, the client of existing HLS-based streaming video approaches is required to re-fetch the live playlist every several seconds for new media segments. In particular, these protocols incorporate a manifest file that clients must periodically download to discover new media segments of the streaming media. The periodic manifest download and the segment size are examples of end-to-end latency limitations in these protocols.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide new methods, systems, and media for delivering manifestless streaming media content.


A tire vulcanizing method includes a tire removal step for removing a vulcanized tire from a mold. The tire removal step includes a stage in which upper and lower side molds are moved inward in a tire axial direction so as to deform the vulcanized tire in a direction in which a bead width of the vulcanized tire is decreased, and a stage in which, in the deformed state of the vulcanized tire, the segments are moved outward in a tire radial direction so that the segments are removed from the vulcanized tire.

For example, Patent Document 1 shown below has described a tire vulcanizing method and a vulcanizing apparatus including a step of removing a vulcanized tire from a mold.
In the vulcanizing apparatus described above, an upper side mold, an upper pressing plate, and an actuator are each fixed to an upper platen plate. Then, in synchronization with the vertical movement of the upper platen plate, the upper side mold, the upper pressing plate, and the actuator move vertically together. Further, a lower side mold and a lower pressing plate are each fixed to a lower platen plate.
On the other hand, in recent years, for tires for four-wheel drive vehicles such as SUVs, in order to improve traction performance in off-the-road, it has been proposed that blocks (hereinafter, may be referred to as side blocks) are also provided in a region, including a buttress portion, positioned outside a sidewall portion in a tire radial direction (see Patent Document 2, for example). As the side blocks, those formed by extending blocks provided on a tread shoulder (hereinafter, may be referred to as shoulder blocks) may be used.

Tire vulcanizing method and tire vulcanizing apparatus


Systems and methods are described herein for providing a media guidance application that resizes content based on a relative importance of the content. For example, a display may have first and second content generated for display. If the first content is more important to a user than the second content, a size of the first content will be increased with respect to a size of the second content on the display. If the second content is more important to the user than the first content, then a size of the second content will be increased with respect to a size of the first content on the display.

In related art, a user can display content from multiple programs at once. Oftentimes, a user may miss a portion of a live video and may watch a replay of the live video in a picture-in-picture window overlaying the live video. The related art may display the replay within a small picture-in-picture window as to only obscure a minimal portion of the live video. However, frequently, content in the small picture-in-picture window may be important to the user. For example, a user may be watching a soccer game. The live video may correspond to a player substitution, which is uninteresting, while the small window may correspond to a replay of a goal scoring play, which is highly interesting. The user may find the goal scoring play more important than the player substitution and may therefore want to view the goal scoring play larger than the substitution. However, the user may be stuck viewing the goal scoring play in the small picture-in-picture window despite the play having greater importance than the substitution.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Systems and methods for resizing content based on a relative importance of the content


A cleaning pad is adapted to be releasably retained on a cleaning implement which includes on its cleaning head either multiple strips of pile-type fastener material or a plurality of attachment structures. The cleaning pad includes a top layer constructed of polyethylene and a bottom layer constructed of rayon. The top and bottom layers are affixed together along their peripheries by a bond line so as to define an enclosed pocket therebetween which is sized and shaped to receive a middle layer constructed of wood pulp paper. Multiple strips of hook-type fastener material are secured on the top layer and are adapted to releasably engage complimentary strips of pile-type fastener material on the cleaning implement. One or more mounting tabs are secured on the bottom layer and are adapted to releasably engage complimentary attachment structures on the cleaning implement. Each mounting tab can be disposed between a retracted, or folded, position and an extended, or unfolded, position.

The present invention relates generally to cleaning implements and, more particularly, to floor cleaning implements.
Floor cleaning implements are well-known and widely used in commerce to clean hard flooring surfaces, such as ceramic tile, hardwood, vinyl, laminate, linoleum and marble floors.
One type of floor cleaning implement that is well-known and widely used in the art is a dry duster, also commonly referred to in the art as a sweeper. Examples of some well known dry dusters are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,513,184, 6,484,346, and 6,305,046 and include the.
A dry duster of the type noted above is designed to capture onto a disposable, electrostatically-charged cloth light household debris, such as dust, dirt and hair, from a hard flooring surface. Typically, a dry duster comprises an elongated cylindrical handle which is pivotally coupled to a flat sweeper head through a universal joint. The flat sweeper head is adapted to releasably retain the disposable, electrostatically-charged cloth around its bottom surface. In use, an operator lightly glides the duster over a floor surface in need of cleaning so that the disposable cloth is in direct contact with the floor surface. As the disposable cloth comes into contact with dry household debris present on the floor, such debris is electrostatically retained on the disposable cloth. As can be appreciated, debris collected onto the disposable cloth can simply be disposed of by removing the used disposable cloth from the sweeper head and then discarding the used cloth as waste. In order to perform further cleaning, a new disposable cloth is mounted onto the sweeper head.
Although well-known and widely used in the art, dry dusters of the type described above suffer from a notable drawback. Specifically, dry dusters are designed to electrostatically capture household debris present on a floor but are not designed to wash or scrub a floor. As a result, dry dusters have been found to be inadequate instruments for thoroughly cleaning a hard flooring surface.
Accordingly, dry dusters have been modified in various ways to allow for the wet cleaning of a hard flooring surface.
As an example, it is well known in the art for dry dusters to use a cleaning pad which is moistened with a cleaning solution. In this manner, a pre-moistened cleaning pad can enable a conventional dry duster can be used to wash, or scrub, a hard flooring surface, which is highly desirable.
As another example, it is well known in the art for dry dusters to be equipped with a system for dispensing liquid floor cleaner (this type of duster being referred to herein as a quick clean mop). An example of a quick clean mop is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,888,006.
Quick clean mops are similar in construction to dry dusters in that quick clean mops comprise an elongated cylindrical handle which is pivotally coupled to a flat cleaning head through a universal joint. The flat cleaning head of a quick clean mop is adapted to releasably retain a disposable, absorbent cloth (also commonly referred to as a cleaning pad) around its bottom surface.
Quick clean mops differ in construction from dry dusters in that quick clean mops include a floor cleaner dispensing system which is typically actuated through a trigger assembly mounted in close proximity to the free end of the handle. As such, an operator can first dispense a supply of floor cleaner from the quick clean mop onto a desired area of a floor and then rub the absorbent cloth over the dispensed floor cleaner in order to scrub clean the desired area.
As noted briefly above, a quick clean mop is adapted to releasably retain a disposable, absorbent cloth around its flat cleaning head. However, it should be noted that different types of quick clean mops utilize different means for releasably retaining a disposable, absorbent cloth around its flat cleaning head.
One type of quick clean mop which is well-known in the art is provided with one or more attachment structures on the top surface of its flat cleaning head, each attachment structure including a plurality of contiguous, deformable, pie-shaped sections which together define a jagged slot. Examples of this type of quick clean mop include the CLOROX™ READYMOP™ which is manufactured by the Clorox Company of Oakland, Calif. and the GRAB-IT GO MOP™ which is manufactured by S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc. of Racine, Wis. The cleaning pad designed for use in conjunction with this type of quick clean mop is sized and shaped to include winged portions along its outer periphery which are sized and shaped to be retained within the attachment structures formed on the flat cleaning head of the quick clean mop. Specifically, in use, the cleaning pad is positioned against the bottom surface of its flat cleaning head. In order to retain the cleaning pad in a mounted position against the flat cleaning head, each wing of the cleaning pad is folded onto the top surface of the flat cleaning head and is inserted, by hand, down into the jagged slot defined by each attachment structure, each of the pie shaped sections of the attachment structure engaging the cleaning pad so as to retain the cleaning pad in place on the flat cleaning head.
Another type of quick clean mop which is well-known in the art is provided with one or more strips of a hook-type fastener material (commonly found in conjunction with VELCRO® products) on the bottom surface of its flat cleaning head. An example of this type of quick clean mop is the SWIFFER®WETJET® which is manufactured by Proctor & Gamble of Cincinnati, Ohio. The cleaning pad designed for use in conjunction with this type of quick clean mop similarly includes one or more corresponding strips of pile-type fastener material (commonly found in conjunction with VELCRO® products) on its top surface which are adapted to engage the hook-type fastener material on the cleaning head of the quick clean mop. Specifically, in use, the cleaning pad is positioned against the bottom surface of the flat cleaning head such that the hook-type fastener material is drawn into contact against the pile-type fastener material, thereby securing the cleaning pad onto the cleaning head.
Although well-known and widely used in commerce, the various types of cleaning pads for quick clean mops as described above typically suffer from a notable drawback. Specifically, as noted above, each type of cleaning pad is specifically designed for use in conjunction with a particular quick clean mop. For instance, winged-type cleaning pads are only available for use with quick clean mops which include attachment structures on its top surface. Similarly, cleaning pads with strips of pile-type fastener material are only available for use with quick clean mops which include corresponding strips of hook-type fastener material on the bottom surface of its cleaning head. As a result, most conventional cleaning pads are only adapted for a use with a limited number of quick clean mops, thereby decreasing its range of potential applications, which is highly undesirable.


A ceramic material has the following composition: (Ba1-xMnx)O.z(Ti1-yMmy)O2.Dd.Ee. In this composition, (Ba1-xMnx)=A and (Ti1-yMmy)=B, where Mn stands for at least one element selected from: Mg, Ca, Sr, Pb and mixtures thereof; Mm stands for at least one element selected from: Sn, Zr and mixtures thereof; D stands for at least one element having donor properties; E stands for at least one element having acceptor properties. The following applies for the parameters: 0≦x≦0.6; 0≦y≦0.35; 0≦d≦0.02; 0≦e≦0.02; 1<z; and the following applies for the molar ratio of B to A: 1<B/A. The ceramic material comprises Si only as an impurity.

One widespread problem with ceramic materials, which are employed, for example, in PTC components, is the profile of the resistance/temperature characteristic curve while complying with required material parameters. PTC components are temperature-dependent resistor components (thermistors) having a positive temperature coefficient (PTC=positive temperature coefficient). Their resistance increases with increasing temperature.
For heater applications by way of example, for example, auxiliary dielectric heaters of motor vehicles, a high power consumption is required with the lowest possible operating temperature of the individual components, as well as very good control properties of these heating elements. At the same time, the breakdown voltages (UD) and the rated resistance (RR) must correspond to requirements. The breakdown voltage (UD) is the highest voltage which the component can withstand. At a voltage above this value, the component loses its functional property and may possibly be destroyed. The rated resistance (RR) is the resistance value of the unloaded component at a particular rated temperature (TR). The generally conventional rated temperature is 25° C.
For motor start-up applications, for example, in refrigerator compressors, in order to improve the energy efficiency it is desirable to reduce the residual power at the working point while maintaining sufficient switch-on times and switch-on currents. At the same time, however, the high breakdown voltage (UD) and the short cooling times of the component must be preserved for reliable operation. In this way, inter alia, a substantial energy savings can be achieved.
For application for example in the field of overload protection, a control ratio as high as possible between the rated current and the residual current at working points is desired, with the lowest possible operating temperatures. In this way, substantially higher security can be achieved in the event of overload.
For example, in sensor applications for determining temperatures using PTC components, a relatively wide temperature window for the signal temperature is specified on the basis of the characteristic curve shape, which restricts the application of PTC temperatures. A steep rise from the minimum temperature (TMIN) to the maximum temperature (TMAX) would permit reduction of the temperature window and therefore more precise adjustment of the switching temperature. The minimum temperature (TMIN) is in this case the temperature at which the minimum resistance (RMIN) is reached. Similarly, the maximum temperature (TMAX) is the temperature at which the highest resistance in the measurement range, i.e., the maximum resistance (RMAX), is measured.
The following list of reference symbols may be used in conjunction with the drawings:    1 characteristic curve of composition 1 not according to the invention    2 characteristic curve of composition 2 according to the invention    3 characteristic curve of composition 3 according to the invention    4 characteristic curve of composition 4 according to the invention    5 characteristic curve of composition 5 according to the invention

Ceramic material, method for producing the ceramic material, and resistor component comprising the ceramic material


Methods and apparatuses are provided to employ an enhanced Loss of Signal (ELOS) function in network equipment (NE) such as an Ethernet switch that is coupled to an optical path by a transceiver (e.g., an SFP). Diagnostics such as optical path receive (Rx) level from the transceiver are used by the ELOS function to regenerate LOS status from the transceiver when either LOS or designated low Rx level conditions exist. By generating an enhanced LOS (ELOS) on a designated low Rx level, the ELOS function ensures a failing data path is removed before an undesirable amount of errors occur to enhance Ethernet path selection and improve Carrier Ethernet quality of service.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for providing enhanced Ethernet path selection using optical levels.
2. Description of Related Art
Telcos or large carriers such as AT&T and Verizon, which can provide telecommunications and data communications services to customers throughout large geographic areas, are increasingly using Ethernet but still support significant SONET infrastructure. Telcos want to provide Carrier Ethernet with the same quality of service (QoS) as SONET QoS. Unlike service providers for Enterprise Ethernet networks (e.g., in buildings, and on campuses), these telcos or larger carriers are accustomed to using SONET metrics such as bit error rate (BER) of SONET payload for path degradation detection. Unlike SONET, however, Ethernet transmission has no meaningful BER metric. For example, Ethernet packets vary significantly and, as such, their degradation or loss does not correlate accurately to a BER, yet packet loss can be significant. Further, unlike Enterprise Ethernet providers, telcos are required to guarantee a level of QoS to customers for SONET as well as any Ethernet service they provide. A need therefore exists for convenient employment of a more accurate QoS metric for larger carrier Ethernet transport.
For telcos or large carriers providing Carrier Ethernet, a need also exists for protection switching to occur as quickly as possible and with the lowest errors possible. For example, many fiber optic Ethernet devices that support redundant or aggregated data paths employ Loss of Signal (LOS) to indicate a failing data path and, accordingly, a need to switch to alternate data path(s). Existing Ethernet devices, however, are disadvantageous because excessive errors may occur on the failing data path before LOS occurs in the event of seriously degraded fiber optic performance.
Ethernet path selection can occur, for example, in the context of Ethernet Automatic Protection Switching (APS) (e.g., as defined in Recommendation ITU-T G.8031 for linear 1:1 or 1+1 protection switching mechanism for VLAN-based Ethernet networks). G.8031 supports 1:1 linear protection through implementation of point-to-point Ethernet Tunnels providing a working and protecting Ethernet circuit, where the path providing the protection is always available through health-monitoring.
Within each working and protecting Ethernet circuit or path, using fast Connectivity Check Messages (CCM) can provide an inherent fault detection mechanism as part of the protocol since they are used to verify basic service connectivity and health of data paths. Failure detection of a working path by such a mechanism can trigger a move from working to protecting circuits. Upon failure, re-convergence times are dependent on the failure detection mechanisms. For example, the CCM transmit interval can determine the response time. The OS supports message timers as low as 10 milliseconds so the restoration times are comparable to SONET/SDH. Alternatively, 802.3ah (Ethernet in the First Mile) or simple Loss of Signal can act as a trigger for a protection switch where appropriate.
If a failure of a link or node affects the working or primary Ethernet tunnel path, the services will fail to receive the CCMs exchanged on that path or will receive a fault indication (e.g., LOS) from the link layer OAM module. Network equipment (NE) declares connectivity failure when a designated number of consecutive CCMs (e.g., three) are lost. For example, when a path has degraded but has not completely failed, one in four CCMs may be received, leaving 75% of the data being possibly in error and with no alarm message or declaration of path failure. Thus, degraded path conditions continue to occur.
Further, a LOS signal is not generated or asserted until a designated optical level (e.g., −x dbm) parameter or condition is met. As with the absence of consecutive CCMs, an optical path can be operating under degraded conditions long before received optical signal level meets the designated level for asserting LOS.
A need therefore exists for a prompt mechanism for determining if an optical path has degraded. Also, a need exists for shortening the time interval between the detection or indication of possible Ethernet path degradation and the initiation of Ethernet path selection (e.g., switch protection). A need also exists for a method or apparatus that determines inadequate receive level in an Ethernet path and generates a LOS or other fault or alarm indication as early as possible after signal degradation commences (e.g., even before the designated level for asserting LOS in a particular SFP is met).

Methods and apparatuses for improved Ethernet path selection using optical levels


Epoxy resin compositions prepared using amino terminated fluoro alkyl ethers. The epoxy resin compositions exhibit low surface adhesion properties making them useful as coatings, paints, moldings, adhesives, and fiber reinforced composites.

It has long been known that a wide range of surfaces on aircraft, automobiles, ship hulls, oil drilling rigs, water intakes in power plants, and the like could benefit from engineered coatings that minimize drag and adhesion of a variety of substances such as insect residue, dirt, ice, bio-organisms, deposits such as mineral deposits, etc. For example, future designs of aircraft want to take advantage of laminar flow to improve fuel efficiency. Studies have shown that for long haul flights, increases in fuel efficiency as high as 12% are possible with hybrid laminar flow control and natural laminar flow (Kirchner, M. E. NASA CP-2487, 1987, Part 1, pp. 24-44). In order to maintain laminar flow operationally, however, the aerodynamic surfaces must be relatively smooth and not allow accumulation of any substances that can interrupt laminar flow, such as insect residue or ice. In particular, a number of approaches have been attempted to reduce insect residue adhesion to aircraft surfaces such as, mechanical scrapers, sacrificial coatings or covers, and continual wetting of the surfaces during take-off and landing. All of these suffer from problems such as adding significant weight, complexity or were simply impractical in the industry (Coleman, W. S. "Boundary Layer and Flow Control", ed. G. V. Lachman, Pergamon Press, 1961, pp. 682-747. Lachman, G. V. Ministry of Aviation Aeronautical Research Council, A.R.C. Technical Report, 1960, C.P. No. 484). Passive strategies for minimizing fouling or contamination of surfaces are beneficial especially in environments where active mitigation of the fouling or contamination is impractical or impossible. One approach with promise has been the use of coatings, however, no coatings developed to date have been able to satisfy all of the requirements needed for laminar flow maintenance. Such an approach could involve modification of a material's surface energy either chemically or topographically or by using combinations thereof.
Any surface material needs to meet the requirements of its application. High performance polymeric materials have been developed to address various requirements for mechanical, thermal, and optical properties. Modification of the chemical constituency of these polymeric materials can alter their properties. Often there is a trade-off, for example, increasing the stiffness or modulus of a polymeric material typically comes with a sacrifice in toughness. Thus, modification of high performance polymeric materials is often hampered due to degradation of the desired characteristic properties. Modifying a polymeric material to change properties of the surface is problematic as addition of sufficient modifier to the bulk chemical composition to achieve the desired surface modification could also result in the diminution of important properties of the polymeric material. If the modifier is well dispersed within the polymer matrix, a majority of the modifier will be contained within the interior of the polymeric structure and will not contribute to modification of the polymer or coating surface. This is of greater consequence if the modifier is expensive, provides no advantage, or diminishes bulk properties. Polymeric materials with low adhesion surface properties have been demonstrated to be effective in a wide variety of applications.
Low surface energy polymeric materials, i.e., those exhibiting a high water contact angle, have been used to reduce biofouling, water and ice adhesion, and biofilm formation; to improve oxidation, corrosion and stain resistance; to minimize dust adhesion; and to modify the performance of microfluidic systems and biomedical devices. The ability to selectively modify the surface energy of high performance polymeric materials without sacrificing their superior mechanical, thermal, or optical properties would be of significant utility.
A number of approaches have been suggested to provide polymeric materials with low surface energy. Some of the most well-known polymeric materials having low surface energy are fluorinated, aliphatic polymers such as those available under the trade name TEFLON®. The presence of both aliphatic carbon species and fluorine atoms contributes to the low surface energy of this class of materials. These polymeric materials have an approximate homogeneous composition. These polymeric materials do not use a controlled modification and thus cannot be readily tailored for the introduction of further surface features. Moreover, they are difficult to adhere to substrates, and generally the polymer is available only as a powder and must be sintered or melted to coat the desired surface. With these difficulties in coating surfaces, delamination can become an issue during use. Another approach is to vapor deposit highly fluorinated carbonaceous materials to various substrates.
Another approach to provide low surface energy polymeric materials is to incorporate surface modifying agents into the materials. These surface modifying agents are thermodynamically driven to the surface of the polymeric material due to more favorable interactions at the air interface as compared with interactions within the bulk polymeric matrix.
Fluorine-containing oxetane derivatives have been used extensively as surface modification agents for modification of urethanes. See, for instance, Malik, et al., United States patent application publication No. US 2004/0087759. Omnova Solutions Inc. offers a family of hydroxyl terminated oxetane-derived oligomers under the trade name POLYFOX® fluorochemicals.
Epoxy is a term used for both the basic component and the cured end product of epoxy resins, as well as a generic name for the epoxide functional group. Epoxy resins, also known as polyepoxides, are a class of reactive monomers, prepolymers and polymers which contain epoxide groups. Epoxy resins may be reacted (cross-linked) either with themselves through catalytic homopolymerization, or with a wide range of co-reactants including polyfunctional amines, acids, anhydrides, phenols, alcohols, and thiols. These co-reactants are often referred to as hardeners or curatives, and the cross-linking reaction is commonly referred to as curing. Reaction of polyepoxides with themselves or with polyfunctional hardeners forms a thermosetting polymer, often with high mechanical properties and temperature and chemical resistance. The range of chemistry and property combinations in epoxies is extensive, consequently a diverse array of epoxy formulations are available. Thus they have a wide range of applications such as coatings and paints, fiber-reinforced composites, and functional and structural adhesives.
Epoxy resins are among the most important industrial polymers in the world and are used in large quantities in the production of adhesives, paints and coatings, and matrix resins. The core substrate in the production of epoxy resins may include 2,2-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)isopropylidiene (bisphenol A). The main monomer used in the epoxy resin industry is the diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A, 2,2-Bis(4-glycidyloxyphenyl)propane (DGEBA), which represents more than 75% of the resin used in industrial applications. 2,2-Bis(4-glycidyloxyphenyl)propane is usually prepared from 2,2-Bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)isopropylidiene (bisphenol A) and epichlorohydrin using a strong base such as sodium hydroxide ether. DGEBA resins normally contain some distribution of molecular weight and exhibit a viscosity in the range of 5-15 Pascal-second at 25° C. Alternative synthetic methods to prepare DGEBA have been developed such as allylating bisphenol A followed by epoxidization.
Another common epoxy is N,N,N′,N′-tetraglycidyl-4,4′-methylenedianiline (TGMDA) prepared from 4,4′-methylenedianiline and epichlorohydrin using a strong base. TGMDA epoxies are characterized by high cross-link densities, which results in a high modulus of elasticity and a high glass transition temperature. Aerospace structural epoxy matrix resins are typically based on TGMDA.
Accordingly, a desire exists to provide a polymeric material that has the mechanical, thermal, chemical, and optical properties associated with epoxies yet achieve a low energy surface.

Fluorinated alkyl ether epoxy resin compositions and applications thereof

The United States of America as represented by the Administrtor of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration


A grease cutting soap based cleaning composition, for hand cleaning for example, has the following composition by weight:. ______________________________________ Ingredients Per Cent by Weight ______________________________________ Sodium salt fatty acid soap 20-25 Hydrogen peroxide solution (3%) 8-12 Glycerin 5-10 Cocoa butter 4-7 Citronella oil .05-1 Water to balance 100% ______________________________________. The composition exhibits superior grease cutting and cleaning properties, with or without the use of additional water. The composition is mild and non-irritating to the skin.

This invention pertains to semi-liquid soap based hand cleaners and degreasers. In a more particular aspect, the invention provides a semi-liquid hand cleaner and degreaser so modified that, considering the fact that it contains soap, and not a synthetic detergent, it has unexpected grease and oil cutting properties.
I am aware of the following U.S. patents, the disclosures of which are incorporated by reference herein:
U.S. Pat. No. 5,338,541 PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 5,364,879 PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 5,658,584


According to one embodiment, first, on a process object, a hydrophilic guide pattern including a first hole forming pattern having a first hole diameter and a second hole forming pattern having a second hole diameter is formed. Then, above the guide pattern, a frame pattern having a first opening region in a forming region of a plurality of the first hole forming patterns and a second opening region in a forming region of a plurality of the second hole forming patterns is formed. Then, a first solution including a first block copolymer having a hydrophilic polymer chain and a hydrophobic polymer chain is supplied to the first opening region to condense the first block copolymer. The hydrophilic polymer chain is then removed to reduce the diameter of the first hole forming pattern to a third hole diameter that is smaller than the first hole diameter.

In recent years, there has been proposed a method of forming a fine pattern in the semiconductor device by utilizing a phenomenon that a material is phase-separated in a self-organizing manner and a particular regular alignment pattern is formed. For example, it has been known that a first recess with a first width is formed in a first region, a second recess with a second width that is wider than the first width is formed in a second region, block copolymers that are different in number average molecular weight are supplied to the first recess and the second recess to be phase-separated such that multiple phases are aligned in a line manner. Then, a particular phase is selectively removed out of those phase-separated and the process object is etched using the remaining phase as a mask to form two types of line-and-space pattern having different widths in the first region and the second region.
In supplying the block copolymers to the first recess and the second recess, the block copolymers are supplied in the form of a solution in which the block copolymers are dissolved in a predetermined solvent. Therefore, the solution supplied in the first recess and the second recess directly diffuses into the entire first recess and second recess.
By the way, in general in semiconductor devices, contact holes (the via holes) are connected to the line-and-space pattern wiring formed as described above. However, there has been no proposal of the technique for forming the contact holes that are different in radius in accordance with multiple types of the line-and-space patterns that are different in width.

Pattern forming method using block copolymers


An apparatus and a method for diagnosing any abnormality in a processing equipment without the necessity of professional knowledge of a user while ensuring enhanced general-purpose usability. In the apparatus, a computer is connected to a programmable logic controller for controlling the operation of a processing equipment which repeats a predetermined sequence of a plurality of steps, while monitoring information from the processing equipment changed in accordance with the operation in the equipment, thereby automatically detecting any abnormal state in the equipment. The computer comprises memory means for previously storing changes of the information of at least one sequence from the processing equipment in its normal operation; and automatic analysis means for acquiring the information from the processing equipment during its halt caused upon occurrence of any abnormality in the equipment, then comparing the acquired information with the information stored previously in the memory means, and executing an analysis of the abnormal state on the basis of the result of such comparison.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for automatically diagnosing any abnormality such as fault or trouble in a processing equipment and outputting an adequate instruction which contributes to a proper corrective action of a user.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is observed of late that automation is in rapid progress with regard to processing equipments where production of desired articles is performed by successively executing a series of sequences which comprise, for example, execution of a predetermined process, carriage of the articles to a next processing section, and execution of a preset step therein, whereby the processing steps in serial production and so forth are executed substantially in a full automatic mode according to a program prepared in a controller for controlling the processing equipment.
The controller employed in such processing equipment is called PLC (Programmable Logic Controller), where a program for controlling a series of processing steps is incorporated. This program is prepared by a user in a ladder language which is different from any ordinary language used normally in computers.
Since this program incorporated in a PLC is intended to be used for controlling a sequence, the program can be so prepared that, when any abnormality such as fault has occurred in a processing equipment, an alarm is generated to indicate the fact of occurrence of such fault as a portion of the sequence, but it is difficult to include, in the program, an abnormality diagnosis which instructs the user to perform a required action against the faulty portion or the fault itself. Further, any fault capable of generating an alarm needs to be predictable in the processing equipment, and no alarm can be generated at all with regard to any nonpredicted abnormality.
Therefore the user himself needs to perform a fault diagnosis but, since the latest processing equipment is complicated, it is difficult even for a skilled person to achieve an exact fault diagnosis. For this reason, there is currently adopted a method which carries out fault diagnosis in a processing equipment by the use of a stand-alone computer.
In this case, a so-called expert system is frequently employed as software for fault diagnosis. This expert system relates to one of artificial intelligence application fields and, by previously incorporating knowledge and know-how of solution in a computer, assists services at a level equivalent to or higher than that attained by a skilled person or a human expert.
In the use of this expert system for fault diagnosis, knowledge required for such diagnosis is inputted previously in a computer. And in practical fault diagnosis, the computer successively asks the user some questions with regard to the fault. Then the user successively inputs into the computer the answers to the questions. Subsequently the computer diagnoses the fault from the information inputted by the user and on the basis of the knowledge and know-how (knowledge data base) stored in the computer itself, thereby finding a means of solution and outputting the resultant information to the user.
As mentioned above, the conventional abnormality diagnosis system known heretofore is based on the premise that the knowledge required for the diagnosis needs to be previously inputted into the computer, and the user should answer the questions outputted from the computer employing the expert system. Consequently, it is necessary for the user to be well acquainted with the construction of the processing equipment and the sequence, hence raising some problems that the relevant system is not exactly handleable by any ordinary person and the period of time from occurrence of a trouble to a halt of the processing equipment is rendered long.
In view of the above circumstances, the present applicant proposed, in Japanese Patent Application No. Hei 5-219122, an abnormality diagnosis system wherein a computer is connected to a PLC for controlling the operation of a processing equipment, then any abnormal state in the processing equipment is detected automatically by the computer, and the result relative to the detected abnormal state is displayed.
The computer in such proposed abnormality diagnosis system analyzes a program acquired from the PLC while acquiring input/output data relative to the operation sequence of the processing equipment, then detects any abnormality in the processing equipment from the acquired data and the result of the analysis in accordance with the knowledge data base of an expert system and so forth provided in advance, and supplies to the user the information indicative of the detected abnormal state.
However, the abnormality diagnosis system in the related art mentioned above is the one employing an expert system, and it is based on the premise that the expert system needs to be previously informed of the structure of the program in the PLC, whereby the general-purpose usability thereof is insufficient.

Apparatus and method for diagnosis of abnormality in processing equipment

Sony Display Device (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.


A method and system is disclosed for determining a flight characteristic of an object in a flight path, the flight characteristic to be determined can be the object's position while in flight, a linear velocity, a rotational velocity or an acceleration of the object. In one embodiment, the method comprises arranging a radiation source in a plane, the plane being located to intersect the flight path of the object. The radiation source irradiates the object at least at the intersection with the flight path. The object is provided with at least first and second surface features having a predetermined configuration such as, for example, equally spaced parallel lines painted on the surface of the object. Reflected radiation from the object is measured with a sensor from the surface features and a flight characteristic of the object is determined based on the measured reflected radiation and the predetermined configuration of the surface features.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to measurement systems and methods, and more particularly to a system and an associated method for making time-of-flight non-contact optical measurements of the velocity and acceleration of objects.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the prior art, many applications require knowledge of the speed (i.e., linear and/or rotational velocity) and acceleration of an object that is traveling in a specified direction at one or more points along its path of motion. This occurs, for example, in the case of an object moving on an assembly line or in the case of a cylindrical object that moves along its longitudinal axis in a tube or is launched through such a tube.
Various methods for the measurement of velocity and acceleration of an object with respect to a reference system exist. One measuring method described in the prior art includes the use of inertial sensors such as accelerometers and gyroscopes which are attached to the object of interest to measure the object's linear and rotary acceleration, and thereby velocity and position. Another measuring method described in the prior art includes lasers or radar type devices, which are directed towards the object and based on the returned signal, the position, and thereby the velocity and acceleration of the object is determined. When the object has only one degree-of-freedom with respect to the reference system, such as the rotation of a shaft relative to its bearing (a rotary joint), or the sliding of a block in a linear guide-way such as a linear bearing (prismatic joint), optical encoders are very often used to measure the relative motion at the joint, i.e., the angular rotation of the shaft relative to its bearing support or the linear motion of the block relative to its guide-way. Other measuring methods, which are similar to and more sophisticated than those described hereinabove, such as laser interferometry, have also been developed for the aforementioned purposes. All existing prior art approaches, however, suffer from one or more of the following disadvantages: (1) a number of such devices can only measure linear velocity and/or acceleration. In some cases, however, such as for the case of accelerometers, one may employ a plurality of devices and thereby measure rotational acceleration; (2) many of these devices, for example accelerometers and gyroscopes, have to be mounted on the object together with all the required electronics and power sources. In many cases, this may not be feasible due to space or weight considerations, or may not be economical to mount such relatively expensive devices on the object; (3) the measuring sensors and their related instrumentations that have to be mounted on or within the object may interfere with the operation of the object; (4) it is very difficult to retrofit objects with devices that have to be mounted on or within the object; (5) sensors such as accelerometers and gyroscopes do not provide information about the initial object position and orientation and their related velocities relative to a reference system and the fixed coordinate system. This information is necessary in order to integrate the acceleration information to obtain the motion trajectory for the object.
The system and associated methods in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention overcomes the disadvantages associated with those of the prior art.

System and method for the measurement of the velocity and acceleration of objects


A bootstrap inverter circuit, consisting of transistors of the same type, comprises a first transistor, a second transistor, a voltage clamp circuit and an output end. The voltage clamp circuit, having a first node and a second node, controls the voltage of a gate of the second transistor. A gate and a first end of the first transistor are connected to a power source. A gate of the second transistor is connected to the second node of the voltage clamp circuit. A first end of the second transistor is connected to the power source. A second end of the second transistor is connected to the output end. The first node of the voltage clamp circuit is connected to the power source. The second node of the voltage clamp circuit is connected to a second end of the first transistor.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a bootstrap inverter circuit, specifically, to a bootstrap inverter circuit that decreases the voltage of the voltage raising point.
2. Descriptions of the Related Art
In recent years, thin-film transistor liquid crystal displays (TFT-LCD) have been widely utilized in personal computer displays, TVs, cell phones, digital cameras, etc. Generally, to reduce the cost of manufacturing, the single process technique, such as the PMOS or NMOS process, is utilized to simplify the process of manufacturing thin film transistor arrays. These thin film transistor arrays require a steady and higher driving voltage when used in a liquid crystal display. Therefore, a logic level of a general circuit must pass through a peripheral driving circuit so that it can be transformed into a higher voltage for providing a driving voltage for the liquid crystal display.
FIG. 1A illustrates a circuit diagram of a prior bootstrap inverter circuit. The bootstrap inverter circuit is composed of N-type transistors, which comprises an input end Vin, a first capacitor 101, a second capacitor 103, and an output end Vout. A contact point 105 in FIG. 1A is the voltage raising point of the bootstrap inverter circuit. Please refer to FIG. 1B where the symbol 107 represents a voltage waveform of the output end Vout in FIG. 1A and the symbol 109 represents a voltage waveform of the contact point 105. The waveform in FIG. 1B is generated by setting the threshold voltage (Vth) to 4V in all N-type transistors, 20V as the first power source VDD, 0V as the second power source VSS, 0.2 pF as the first capacitor 101 and 1 pF as the second capacitor 103. When the input end Vin inputs a low voltage signal, the voltage signal of the output end Vout will be transformed into the voltage level of the first power source VDD, and the voltage of the contact point 105 will be raised to the voltage level of (2VDD-Vth), i.e. about 36V. Because the voltage level of the voltage rising point is so high, the structure of the transistors has a high likelihood of being damaged. Consequently, the stability and the reliability of the bootstrap inverter circuit would also be affected.
In conclusion, when a single TFT process technique is utilized to manufacture bootstrap inverter circuits, problems of high voltage levels in the voltage rising points may result. Consequently, it is important to find a way to decrease the voltage level of the voltage rising points, so that the stability and reliability of the circuits are not compromised.


Canola protein products having a protein content of at least about 60 wt % (N×6.25) d.b., preferably at least about 90 wt %, more preferably at lease about 100 wt %, and low phytic acid content, are produced by extracting canola seeds or canola oil seed meal with an aqueous calcium salt solution, preferably calcium chloride solution, to cause solubilization of canola protein from the seeds or meal.

Canola oil seeds and canola oil seed meal resulting from the recovery of canola oil from canola seeds typically contain anti-nutritional factors. The present invention is concerned with a procedure for processing canola seeds or canola oil seed meal to prepare a canola protein product having a low content of anti-nutritional factors, particularly phytic acid. Such a product would be valuable for various nutritional applications, including as an ingredient in milk replacers for animal nutrition.

Canola protein product with low phytic acid content (“C702”)


An endshield/endshield cover assembly for an electric motor includes and endshield having a base, a circumferential wall extending upwardly from the base, and a protrusion extending outwardly from the base wall. The endshield cover has a circumferential wall extending downwardly from a top. The cover wall defines a hole which is sized and shaped to fit over the projection. By aligning the endshield cover hole with the endshield projection, the endshield cover may be pivoted into place and secured with only one screw.

This invention relates to dynamoelectric machines in the form of electrical motors, and, in particular to a cover for a motor endshield.
A motor conventionally includes a static assembly and a rotor assembly. The static assembly includes a motor winding and the rotor assembly includes a rotor and a shaft. The rotor and static assemblies commonly are encased in a cylindrical housing which is closed at its top and bottom by endshields. Control circuitry is generally associated with the motor and is secured in some fashion to one endshield. The control circuitry commonly is protected from the ambient environment by an endshield cover.
The endshield cover is generally connected to the endshield by a pair of screws. To service the control circuit, or the motor, the endshield cover must be removed. However, when the motor is mounted in the field, one of the screws, which secures the cover to the endshield, is often inaccessible, making removal of the cover difficult. When this happens, the entire motor must be removed from its installation. If the second screw were accessible, removal of the motor would be unnecessary. The inaccessibility of the second screw and the inability to easily remove the endshield cover only makes field service of the motor more difficult, time consuming and expensive.


Provided are a system and method for interworking Service Capability Features (SCFs) and protocols in an open service gateway. The system includes service capability features that generate and process various protocol messages, and a protocol stack that enables an interwork with a communications network. The protocol stack includes: one or more units that maintain various protocols, a unit that performs data connection and transmits and processes messages, and a unit that manages the various protocols. In the protocol stack, protocol identifiers that differentiate the protocols from one another, and message identifiers that differentiate service capability features from one another are stored in the unit that manages the various protocols.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system and method for interworking Service Capability Features (SCFs) and protocols in an open service gateway.
2. Description of the Related Art
An open service gateway is indispensable to a next-generation open network that enables a service to be provided using a standard open Application Program Interface (API) regardless of whether the network is a wired network, a wireless network, or an Internet Protocol (IP) network. The open service gateway abstracts various network control functions such as call control, call monitoring, charging, providing of location information, and providing of presence information, and provides the result of abstraction as SCFs. To provide the result of abstraction as the SCFs, the SCFs must be interworked with protocols. Systems for providing communications network services have recently been developed to operate dependently upon a single specific network. In contrast, the open service gateway system is designed to provide communications services via an identical open API in various types of networks, not a single network.
The open service gateway is capable of abstracting and providing functions of various networks such as a wireless communications network, a wire communications network, and an IP network. Therefore, an application service provider can provide services using the open API without special knowledge of a network. An interwork with each communications network requires a protocol stack that matches each communications network and can process a message. There are representative protocols such as a Wireless Intelligent Network (WIN), a Mobile Application Part (MAP), an Intelligent Network Application Part (INAP), a Camel Application Part (CAP), and a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP). All the protocols, except the SIP that is an Internet protocol, are application parts of an SS No. 7 protocol stack. Each SCF provided from the open service gateway interworks with some or all of the above protocols, and therefore, it is necessary to detect and transmit an SCF matching a protocol message.

System and method for interworking SCFs and protocols in open service gateway

Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute


An auto-focus apparatus for a camera includes a distance measurement unit for projecting infrared light toward an object, receiving the infrared light reflected by the object, and outputting a signal according to an object distance. A control unit operates the distance measurement unit twice at a predetermined time interval. A discrimination unit discriminates on the basis of two output signals output from the distance measurement unit whether or not the object is moving to the near distance side by an amount equal to or larger than a predetermined amount. An arithmetic unit converts the output signals from the distance measurement unit into an extension amount of a photographing lens. The arithmetic unit adds a predetermined value to the extension amount when the discrimination unit discriminates that the object is moving to the near distance side.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a distance measurement apparatus for a camera having an auto-focus mechanism for driving a photographing lens on the basis of an output from a distance measurement means, and a distance measurement method.
2. Description of the Related Art
A camera having an auto-focus mechanism has a long release time lag from when a release button of the camera is depressed until an exposure operation is started. For this reason, when an object moving in the optical axis direction of the camera is to be photographed, a defocused state of the photographing lens occurs.
As a means for solving the above-mentioned problem, Published Unexamined Japanese Patent Application Nos. 63-118133 and 63-159817 disclose an apparatus, which detects the moving speed of an object to predict the position of an object at the beginning of exposure, and drives the photographing lens according to the predicted position.
However, in this prior art, complicated arithmetic operations are required for predicting object movement, and the release time lag is increased, thus missing a shutter chance. Furthermore, the arithmetic operations are performed under a condition that the moving speed of an object is ideally and precisely obtained, and do not consider the influence caused by an error of the moving speed. As a result, the following problems are posed.
More specifically, in a distance measurement apparatus, e.g., in an active type triangulation apparatus, which provides a basis for obtaining the moving speed of an object, as shown in FIG. 10, its output varies and has a given indefinite width W in each distance measurement. The indefinite width W has the following tendency. That is, the indefinite width W is small for a near distance at which the light amount is large, but becomes large for a far distance at which the light amount is small.
For example, when an object moves from 1/l.sub.O to 1/l.sub.1, the distance measurement value may change from a to d, b to e, or c to f. The change from a to d corresponds to an extreme case. In this case, although an object is moving toward a camera, a moving speed as if it were moving away from the camera is obtained.
When correction is made based on the change from c to f, this results in overcorrection and a defocused state.
Furthermore, when the time required for obtaining the moving amount of an object is assumed to be, e.g., 50 msec, and the release time lag is assumed to be 400 msec, an object distance at the exposure start time after an eIapse of 400 msec is predicted on the basis of the moving amount of the object during the 50-msec period. As a result, a moving amount error if any is
amplified to 400/50=8 times, and the possibility of a defocused state is further increased.
However, when the number of times of light projection in each distance measurement is increased or the time for measuring the moving amount of an object is prolonged to reduce the error, the time lag is further increased, and a shutter chance itself is missed.

Distance measurement apparatus for camera, and distance measurement method


Magnetic tunnel junction cells and methods of making magnetic tunnel junction cells that include a radially protective layer extending proximate at least the ferromagnetic free layer of the cell. The radially protective layer can be specifically chosen in thickness, deposition method, material composition, and/or extent along the cell layers to enhance the effective magnetic properties of the free layer, including the effective coercivity, effective magnetic anisotropy, effective dispersion in magnetic moment, or effective spin polarization.

Spin torque transfer technology, also referred to as spin transfer or spin torque, combines semiconductor technology and magnetics, and is a more recent development. In spin torque transfer, the spin of electrons, rather than the charge, is used to indicate the presence of digital information. The digital information or data, represented as a "0" or "1", is storable in the alignment of magnetic moments within a magnetic element. The resistance of the magnetic element depends on the moment's alignment or orientation. The stored state is read from the element by detecting the component's resistive state.
The magnetic element, in general, includes a ferromagnetic pinned layer and a ferromagnetic free layer, each having a magnetization orientation, and a non-magnetic barrier layer therebetween. Any of these layers may be multi-layers. The magnetization orientations of the free layer and the pinned layer define the resistance of the overall magnetic element. Such an element is generally referred to as a "spin tunneling junction," "magnetic tunnel junction", "magnetic tunnel junction cell", and the like. When the magnetization orientations of the free layer and pinned layer are parallel, the resistance of the element is low. When the magnetization orientations of the free layer and the pinned layer are antiparallel, the resistance of the element is high.
At least because of their small size, it is desirous to use magnetic tunnel junction cell elements in many applications, such as magnetic hard disk drive read heads, magnetic sensors, and non-volatile random access memory. Improvements and developments in magnetic tunnel junction cells and their manufacture are always desired.