A viscous heater is provided with a front side plate 2 and a rear side plate 3, which are arranged so that a heat generating chamber 5 is formed between their facing back surfaces and which are stored in a housing so that heat emission chambers FW and RW are formed between the side plates and the housing. The housing is formed by a front housing having a tubular part 1c which extends axially for storing the front and side plates radially inwardly of the tubular part 1c and a rear housing 4. Thus, sealing is necessary only at a location where the front and rear housings 1 and 4 are connected with each other. Thus, a very simple structure is sufficient for preventing any leakage of the recirculated fluid.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a viscous heater, wherein a viscous fluid is subjected to a shearing force to generate a heat which is used as a heat source which is subjected to a heat exchange with a heating medium recirculated to a heating system.
2. Description of Related Art
A Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2-246823 discloses a viscous heater used for a heating system for a vehicle. The viscous heater includes a front and a rear housing, which face each other and are connected by means of bolts, while a heat generating chamber and a water jacket are formed between the housings, so that the water jacket is located outside the heat generating chamber. Provided in the water jacket is an inlet for taking in the recirculated water into the water jacket and an outlet for discharging the recirculated water after subjected to a heat exchange into the heating system. A drive shaft is rotatably supported to a housing by means of a bearing unit. Connected to the drive shaft is a rotor, which is arranged in the heat generating chamber, so that the rotor is rotated in the heat generating chamber. Furthermore, a gap is formed between the inner surface of the heat generating chamber and the outer surface of the rotor, and a viscous fluid, such as a silicone oil, is filled in the gap.
However, in the viscous heater in the prior art, the heat generating chamber as well as the water jacket as the heat emission chamber are formed only by the front and rear housings as one piece members respectively. As a result, the front and rear housings have complicated shapes, which increases the production cost of these parts.
Furthermore, in the viscous heater in the prior art, the inner wall of the heat emission chamber has a relatively small surface area, resulting in a reduced value of the heat exchanging efficiency. Furthermore, a measure is not provided as far as problems such as a leakage of the viscous fluid and a thermal degradation of parts made from a non-metallic material are concerned.
In view of the above, in order to improve productivity, separate members can be used for forming a heat emission chamber in such a manner that, between the members, the front and rear housings for constructing the heat emission chamber are simply connected. However, this structure is disadvantageous in that the number of contacting surfaces, which necessitate water seal members, is increased. Furthermore, an increased precision is required in order to obtain a desired anti-water leakage property.

Kabushiki Kaisha Toyoda Jiboshokki Seisakusho


Pentabromobenzyl acrylate (PBBMA), a useful flame retardant insoluble in water, is provided as an aqueous fluid for industrial applications. The fluid is an easy to handle, stable suspension of finely ground PBBMA in water.

Pentabromobenzyl acrylate (PBBMA) is an acrylic monomer, which is useful in many applications, especially but not exclusively, in the field of fire retardants for plastic compositions. It can be polymerized easily by known techniques such as bulk polymerization, solution polymerization etc., or by mechanical compounding or extrusion. In mechanical compounding or extrusion, it may be grafted onto existing polymer backbones, or added to unsaturated loci on polymers.
All these properties render PBBMA a particularly useful tool in the hands of experienced compounders. However, it has been impossible, so far, to carry out aqueous manipulations with PBBMA, in spite of their desirability, because, on the one hand, PBBMA is insoluble in water, and on the other hand, because of its high bromine content, it has a high specific gravity, about 2.7, —and therefore does not lend itself to the preparation and use of aqueous suspensions.
It is a purpose of this invention to provide stable dispersions or suspensions of PBBMA, which are new compositions of matter. Dispersions and suspensions are to be considered synonyms, as used herein.
It is another purpose of this invention to provide such dispersions or suspensions that are aqueous dispersions or suspensions.
It is a further purpose of this invention to provide a process for preparing such suspensions.
It is a further purpose of this invention to provide suspensions of PBBMA for particular applications in industry.
It is a still further purpose of this invention to provide suspensions of PBBMA together with additional compounds, such as synergists for increasing the fire-retarding efficiency of compositions obtained from PBBMA.
It is a still further purpose of this invention to provide processes comprising the polymerization and/or copolymerization of PBBMA for the production of particular products.
Other purposes and advantages of the invention will appear as the description proceeds.

Aqueous suspensions of pentabromobenzyl acrylate


Method and apparatus are disclosed for optimizing Random Access Channel (RACH) transmissions from wireless transmit/receive units (WTRUs) for multiple transmissions. A WTRU may initiate uplink transmission for a random access procedure using a configured time resource such that the uplink resources may be time shared by a plurality of WTRUs. The transmission time may be calculated on an absolute or relative basis. A backoff time may be applied before starting the uplink transmission. The backoff time may be WTRU-specific, WTRU group-specific, specified per access class and may be determined based on a priority basis. A scaling factor may be applied to the backoff time. A contention free allocation method may be used to determine the appropriate resource. The data may be transmitted with and without a preamble. The WTRUs may include machine type communication devices and may be grouped in accordance with a number of factors or characteristics.

In systems where a large number of devices may attempt to access a Random Access Channel (RACH) simultaneously, the RACH capacity may be impacted, delaying Uplink (UL) transmission for these devices and other devices, resulting in potential collisions, lost data, and excessive retransmissions. Given that most of these devices may perform a common control channel (CCCH) transmission, the probability of collision may increase and therefore failure of transmission may increase.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method and apparatus for optimizing uplink random access channel transmission


A system for sorting articles, the system having a track which defines a route starting at at least one loading point, the route continuing on to a plurality of destination points and arriving back at the loading point. The system also has at least one tray for conveying an article from the loading point to a selected one of the destination points. The track includes a first segment for momentarily tilting a leading end of the tray upward relative to a trailing end of the tray and possibly downward again, and a second segment for laterally tilting the tray at an angle. The first and second segments selectively maneuver an article loaded in the tray to a bottom corner thereof prior to the tray reaching the selected destination point in order to substantially reduce the jarring of the article during the discharge thereof at the selected destination point. A scanner is provided for scanning an identification-code disposed on the article. The scanner is coupled to a controller which determines the selected destination point using the information obtained by the scanner from the identification-code disposed on the article.

Various article sortation systems have been employed in the merchandising and processing of articles and parcels. Such systems require rapid and reliable transportation of the articles from a loading station to one of any number of unloading stations or destinations. These systems are commonly used in airport terminals to sort baggage, in post offices to sort mail, and in warehouses to sort delivered articles to selected storage areas in the warehouses. Article sortation systems must be capable of handling a wide variety of articles which are placed on trays for conveying and sorting. Present day article sortation systems operate at speeds which enable them to transport articles adequately. As the speeds of the carrying trays increase to allow for the sorting of greater quantities of articles, difficulties have surfaced in discharging the articles from the carrying trays at the article destination points or sortation lanes. Some of these difficulties involve the articles being thrown or tumbled from the trays during discharging, which can cause damage to the article. Another difficulty involves the accuracy of article discharge which results in articles being improperly sorted and the like.
The prior art has made many attempts to solve these difficulties by providing conveyor systems which unload carried articles by some type of tray tilting operation. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,461,378 to Roth discloses a power driven conveyer assembly which has a supporting framework that defines a conveyor pathway. A conveyor belt follows the pathway and has a top surface which is adapted for carrying articles. The belt is then tilted to one side of the pathway to discharge the carried articles. Another example can be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 3,360,106 to Harrison et al. which discloses a continuous conveyor system having a carriage mechanism with individual trays mounted thereon. Each tray is supported on the carriage by a linkage assembly that can tilt the tray in either direction. Many other article sortation systems employing article discharge by tray tilting are described in the prior art.
A major disadvantage of these prior art article sortation systems lies in their mechanical complexity which results in high capital costs and high maintenance costs. Further, the mechanical complexity of prior art sortation systems may result in less than desirable reliability. Moreover, the gentleness and accuracy with which articles are discharged in some prior art sortation systems leaves much to be desired.
Therefore, a need exists for a simpler and less expensive article sortation system which is capable of sorting a wide variety of articles in an accurate and gentle manner.


Microwave techniques for measuring moisture and other properties of paper and related products without requiring an independent measurement of temperature are provided. A sensor directly measures the reflection or transmission of microwaves at a number of well-chosen frequencies so as to characterize the absorption spectrum of the product. The technique of measuring the parameters of a composition includes: (a) directing incident microwave radiation over a spectrum of wavelengths from an antenna upon the composition; (b) measuring the microwave radiation over the spectrum of wavelengths that emerges from the composition; (c) determining the reflected and/or transmitted transfer function; and (d) relating the transfer function of the composition to the parameters of the composition by applying a theoretic, calibrated, or hybrid model. The product moisture and temperature are extracted from the transfer function.

Various sensor systems have been developed for detecting sheet properties "on-line," such as in a papermaking machine while it is operating. Online control of the moisture content in feedstock such as wood chips and products such as oriented strand board (OSB) and paper board is highly desirable to improve production yield and product quality. Moisture in wood chips is one of the main parameters affecting the production of OSB and biofuels. For example, moisture critically affects the pyrolysis of wood products for the production of biofuels. Online moisture measurements are typically performed using either infrared or microwave absorption or spectroscopy techniques. Infrared techniques are limited to measuring surface moisture and/or low basis weight products due to the low penetration depth of infrared light. They cannot be successfully applied to thick products like wood chips in which moisture stratification is often present. Infrared techniques are also strongly affected by broadband absorbers such as elemental carbon that can be found in various products, in particular recycled paper products.
The most commonly used microwave method of measuring the water content on-line on a paper machine is the resonant-cavity technique. In this technique, the paper travels between the two half cavities of the sensor. The method consists of measuring the change in frequencies of two resonances due to changes in the water content in paper. The two frequencies used include one where the maximum amplitude of the electric field is in the middle of the cavity (i.e. at the paper location) and one where the minimum of the electric field (node) is in the middle of the cavity. The former is called the measure frequency and is most sensitive to the change in dielectric constant in paper (i.e. water content). The measure frequency is approximately 1.8 GHz. The latter is called the reference frequency and is mostly insensitive to changes in the dielectric properties in paper. The reference frequency is approximately 3 GHz. The reference frequency is used to correct for undesirable effects that affect both frequencies such as a slight change in the distance between the two half cavities. This resonant cavity method is quite sensitive to changes in water content but requires a separate temperature measurement in order to be accurate since the resonant-microwave technique is strongly affected by the temperature of the sample being measured. The reason is that the permittivity of water in the microwave range is very temperature sensitive. Thus, microwave sensors generally require an independent temperature measurement being performed as well as a temperature correction algorithm. The temperature corrector applied can be as large as 0.5% moisture per 10° C. change in the sheet temperature. Furthermore, this method provides only a water weight measurement. An independent sensor such as a beta- or gamma-emitter-based sensor is required to measure basis weight. A percent moisture measurement is extracted from the water weight and basis weight measurements.

Multi-frequency microwave sensor for temperature independent measurement of moisture


In a method and apparatus for analyzing multivariable data sets, a general computerized platform is provided for evaluating the relationship between large number of measurements of sets of variables characterizing components of complex states of a system under induced stimulation or controlled conditions. The linked responses of variables and their temporal relations tell about the network of interactions and their hierarchy. Processing of data sets by a simple neural network gives a matrix of weight parameters, that allow to identify fingerprints of complex states characterized by patterns of measured variable and estimate the interactions between the components characterized by the measured variables. The results are provided numerically and by color-coded presentation indicating dominating relations between variables and strongly responding variables. When applied to dynamic responses of a system, the analysis can construct a schematic hierarchical architecture of the network of interaction between the components of the studied system. Applications in biology include analysis of measurements characterizing responses of molecular components in cells under changes induced by stimuli (e.g. drugs, growth factors, hormones, mutations or forced expression of a proteins), and identification of complex cellular states (e.g. proliferation, differentiation, transformation, starvation, necrosis, apoptosis, and the time dependencies of the above effects).

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for analyzing multivariable experimental data, and for drawing conclusions concerning relationships between these variables. The invention is especially useful for analyzing processes in complex systems consisting of many components, such as in biology, where the experimentally derived data sets characterize these components and the inducing and inhibiting interactions between them.
2. Prior Art
Modern biological research is revealing in growing details the complexity of living systems. Thus it is generally appreciated that biological mechanisms are the outcome of a large number of highly interactive molecular events. Experimental techniques must provide therefore not only increased sensitivity and selectivity to minute (even individual) molecular components, but also characterize the whole biological context by simultaneous measuring of many variables at each single experimental procedure, reporting about as many relevant components participating in the studied process.
Biological systems can be described at various levels and resolutions. Modern biology describes biological processes in terms of molecular components. Molecular mechanisms are typically described as pathways consisting of sets of rules for the way molecules interact, reacting to each other, and changing properties to inhibit or induce their functional activity in response to a stimulus. As a result of these sets of rules many changes are induces, leading to a new cellular state (e.g. enter a proliferative cell cycle). This process is often termed a cellular decision mechanism or a signaling pathway.
Molecular mechanisms are often presented graphically as a set of nodes connected by a network of line segments, where the nodes are usually the molecular components and the lines between them present the interactions. A molecule suspected to be involved in a process help explore its mechanisms by introducing changes in its activity and searching for correlated changes induced on other molecules.
Exhaustive exploration of biological systems is the goal of present efforts to develop automated large scale assays such as multisensor arrays and DNA chips, in order to document the expression patterns of genes. One of the most commonly used techniques in biology, namely polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE), also provide information about the protein inventory of cells and tissues by quantifying tens (in one dimensional gels) to hundreds of bands (in two dimensional gels). Comparison of electrophoretic patterns following specific treatments can reveal multiple changes in the levels of many protein bands. Moreover, combined with immunoblotting techniques, such changes can be assigned to specific proteins and their post-translational modifications and activation. However, these changes are usually too numerous to reveal, or even suggest definitive causal relationships between individual molecular components. This can be studied by quantitative analysis methods, such as this invention.
An example to illustrate the information extractable by quantitative analysis of biological measurements is signal transduction in cells. Signal transduction mechanisms have logical structure of well defined input stimulants, and they lend themselves experimentally to multivariable measurements of cell output responses, for example by recording the many activated molecular components by phosphorylation changes, using phosphotyrosine gel blots.
Understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying signal transduction in cells has advanced greatly in recent years, and include activation, alteration, regulation, maintenance and termination of various cellular functions [Alberts et al. 1994]. Classically, signaling pathways were described as cascades of sequentially activated events leading to recognizable responses. Responses at cellular levels involve post-translational modifications of proteins (like phosphorylation or dephosphorylation) affecting molecular interactions and enzymatic activities, causing translocations between different cell compartments, notably between the nucleus and the cytoplasm, and leading to changes in the expression of genes and global alterations in morphology and in cell cycle. Due to the multitude of processes involved (directly or indirectly), characterization of the molecular mechanisms induced by cell stimulation is based on a wide variety of immunological, biochemical, genetic and cell biological approaches.
Genetic manipulations are undoubtedly the most powerful method to dissect molecular mechanisms. Many genetic manipulations are binary (yes/no, such as forced expression in transgenic cells and animals or knockouts). This makes them ideally suited to assign the function of specific molecules in signaling cascades, and identify the downstream events. Yet, assigning attributes to molecular changes like cause and effect (upstream-downstream relationships) which appear often obvious in model systems, becomes difficult in many realistic conditions. Isolation of homologous molecules in various species, ranging from bacteria and yeast to mammals, indicates the universality of signal transduction genes. However, their detailed functionality often displays system dependent quantitative as well as qualitative diversion compared to their characterization in specialized systems (such as low forms of life or overexpressing cell lines). The increasing complexity in species with larger genome is therefore not only attributed to the increasing number of independent cascade-like pathways, but also on the multiplicity of cross-talks and interactions between pathways, which turn them into interlinked networks. This network architecture is believed to account for the robustness of higher species against random mutations, without compromising the evolutionary potential: duplication of pathways gave rise to networks of cross-talking components, and independent mutations evolved abilities to respond specifically and non-linearly to a growing repertoire of stimuli in a cell-type dependent manner [Bray 1990]. There are though special, and extremely important cases of degenerate network architectures. In order to guarantee synchrony of cellular functions (for example, cell cycle progression) cells evolved mechanisms that cumulate information about multiple conditions before deciding to act, which then spreads out signals to many responses. It is this reduced robustness of the critical locales of cellular decision nodes (or checkpoints) that is associated with cancer [Fearon and Vogelstein, 1990]. Characterizing the hierarchy of interactions between the components in signaling pathway networks and identifying the logical architecture of cellular decision making is therefore a critical question that draws intensive research efforts.
How is it possible to probe a network architecture such as that underlying cell signaling pathways? The problem of defining the content of an electronic black box by stimulating its inputs and measuring the signals emerging at the outputs has been formulated for a network of linear elements long time ago. The dynamic behavior of networks of interacting elements can in principle be modeled by sets of differential equations which solves equilibrium states and dynamic responses of the system to perturbations. For example, the behavior of chemical mixtures can be solved in terms of concentrations and chemical reaction constants (presenting the interactions). The behavior of interlinked biological pathways were described in relation to metabolic cycles and their control [Chock and Stadtman, 1977]. Features like amplification and non-linear response, feedback and temporal integration all emerge from the interlinking [Hjelmfelt et al. 1993]. However, it is rarely the case that sufficient information exist to describe complex biological mechanisms in the level of details required for such dynamic modeling. A number of recent works have applied neural networks to model biological pathways like receptor mediated signaling of bacterial chemotaxis [Bray et al. 1993], and segmentation in the embryonic development of Drosophila, [Burstein, 1995]. These works used the known hierarchical structure of the molecular mechanisms to build neural networks that model the behavior of the studied biological systems. One purpose of the present invention is to do the inverse of common neural network analyses, namely to deduce about the hierarchical network structure of the studied biological mechanism from the analysis of the raw experimental measurements.

Method and apparatus for multivariable analysis of biological measurements


This manufacturing method includes a passage forming process, in which a liquid passage including at least a pressure generating chamber 12 is formed in a passage forming substrate 10 (110), a first bonding process, in which an adhesive is applied on one side of the passage forming substrate 10, in which the liquid passage opens, so as to form a first adhesion layer 201 and a nozzle plate 120 is bonded by the first adhesion layer 201, and a second bonding process, in which an adhesive is applied on the other side of the passage forming substrate 10 so as to form a second adhesion layer 202 and a compliance substrate 40 is bonded by the second adhesion layer 202, the second bonding process being executed after the first bonding process.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a liquid ejecting head, which ejects droplets from nozzles, and a liquid ejecting apparatus, and in particular, to a method of manufacturing an ink jet type recording head, which ejects ink droplets as droplets, and an ink jet type recording apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
As a representative example of liquid ejecting heads, which discharge droplets, an ink jet type recording head, which ejects ink droplets, can be cited. In this ink jet type recording head, there is, for example, a portion which is provided with a nozzle plate, in which nozzles are provided, a passage forming substrate, in which a plurality of pressure generating chambers leading to the nozzles and an interconnecting section leading to these pluralities of pressure generating chambers and constituting a part of a reservoir are created, piezoelectric elements, which are pressure generating means formed on one side of this passage forming substrate, a reservoir forming substrate (a protective substrate), which is joined to the passage forming substrate and has a reservoir section constituting the reservoir together with the interconnecting section, and a compliance substrate which is joined to the reservoir forming substrate so as to seal one opening of the reservoir (See, for example, JP-A-2006-218716).
In the ink jet type recording head having such a structure, the nozzle plate and the compliance substrate are bonded to the passage forming substrate or the reservoir substrate, etc., by an adhesive. Though the method thereof is not disclosed clearly in Patent Document 1, generally, the nozzle plate is bonded to the passage forming substrate by an adhesive after the compliance substrate is bonded to the reservoir forming substrate, etc.
If the nozzle plate is bonded to the passage forming substrate after the bonding of the compliance substrate in such a procedure, there is a risk that adhesive failure may be caused by foreign matter adhering to the surface of the passage forming substrate and by this foreign matter being sandwiched between the nozzle plate and the passage forming substrate in the process. Moreover, there is a risk that a protrusion, what is called a protruding mark, may be formed on the surface of the nozzle plate.
If adhesive failure between the nozzle plate and the passage forming substrate arises, there is a risk that adjacent pressure generating chambers may connect with each other because of the space created therebetween and that it may exert a negative influence upon the ejection properties of the ink droplets. On the other hand, once a protrusion is created on the surface of the nozzle plate, there is a risk that a problem, such as adhesive failure or a drop in accuracy in positioning of the head, may arise, for example, in the case of positioning and fixing the ink jet type recording head in a specified position on the nozzle plate face.
Moreover, such problems may similarly occur, of course, not only in a method of manufacturing ink jet type recording heads, which eject ink droplets, but also in a method of manufacturing other liquid ejecting heads, which eject droplets other than ink droplets.

Method for manufacturing a liquid jet head and a liquid jet apparatus


Compacted granular or stone columns are constructed in soil to increase the load-bearing capacities of the native soil. An elongated hollow tubular member is penetrated down into the soil to a predetermined depth and then the granular material or stone for constructing the column is fed down through this member and out the lower end thereof where it is then driven outwardly in a radial direction by an impeller which is exposed, at least in part, at the lower end of the tubular member, as the hollow tubular member is either penetrating or being withdrawn from the soil at a predetermined rate to thereby forceably compact this granular or stone material in a substantially radial direction to construct a stone column. Sufficient forces may be applied by the impeller to the granular or stone material to fracture the surrounding soil.

The invention generally relates to the upgrading of soft or weak soil areas having low shear or bearing strength, such as alluvial soil or hydraulic fill areas. More particularly, the present invention relates to improvements relating to the treatment of soil masses for building foundations and like structures through the construction of compacted granular or stone columns in situ or in soil masses.
Stone columns, as the name implies, are simply vertical columns of compacted crushed stone, gravel or sand which extend through a deposit of soft material or soil to be strengthened. Normally a number of these densely compacted granular material columns are produced beneath the site for the intended construction project. These columns serve to stabilize the soil, resulting in considerable vertical load capacity and improved shear resistance in the soil mass.
Stone column applications have included soil stabilization to limit settlement under reinforced earth walls, tank farms, dam and highway embankments, bridge abutments, and buildings. Another application is the stabilization and prevention of landslides. Stone columns also function as efficient gravel drains in providing a path for relief of excess pore water pressures, thus preventing linquefaction during an earthquake.
There are a number of well known methods for the formation of stone columns in the ground. One such common method is the use of a special vibrator, sometimes known as a Vibroflot, which expels water from its body as it sinks into the ground, thus forming a hole. The hole, held open by water pressure, is then filled with stone and the stone is compacted into the ground in stages using the vibrator. A stone column is thus formed in the ground which serves to strengthen the soil and also provides a draining path which is beneficial to the rapid consolidation of the ground as structural loads are subsequently applied. An example of this method is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,397,588 for METHOD OF CONSTRUCTING A COMPACTED GRANULAR OR STONE COLUMN IN SOIL MASSES AND APPARATUS THEREFORE.
Utilization of this method produces very large quantities of silt laden effluent which must be disposed of. Disposal of this effluent is difficult and expensive under the best of conditions, and virtually prohibitive at environmentally sensitive locations. Consequently, most column installation with Vibroflots now makes use of ancillary bottom-feed equipment which provides a feed pipe to the tip of the Vibroflot. Stone with compressed air is fed through this pipe to the tip of the vibrator, thus eliminating the need for water. Although production by this method is much slower, savings in effluent disposal usually more than offset the additional cost.
Other known methods for the formation of stone columns utilize an elongated hollow tube or pipe which is penetrated into the ground, usually with the aid of vibration. Crushed stone or other granular material is then charged into the tube and as this particulate material is fed to the bottom of the tube and discharged the discharged and particulate material is compacted through the application of vertically applied forces either by repeatedly raising and lowering the pipe as it is withdrawn from the ground or by a reciprocating compactor mounted in the tube.
Examples of these methods for producing stone columns are illustrated in the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,648,467; 3,720,063; 3,772,892; 3,808,822; 4,126,007; 4,487,524; and 4,730,954.
Most of these prior art methods make use of an equipment withdrawal and repenetration sequence. That is, particulate material is deposited in the bore as the probe is withdrawn. This freshly placed material is then compacted and forced outward into the native soil by repenetration of the probe. A disadvantage of this sequence is that large amounts of soft native soil are dragged down with the probe into the column, resulting in considerable contamination and mixing of the native soil into the column. Such contamination and mixing tends to weaken the column as well as to lower its permeability.
Another problem with all of the above-identified prior art methods is that it is difficult to provide adequate quality control techniques in stone column construction.
A good quality stone column is one which performs efficiently at a given replacement ratio and it is generally agreed that such a column must be constructed of material which has a large angle of internal friction. This material should be tightly compressed into, and thus supported by, the in situ soil. Present practice is to assume that motor power consumption achieved during column repenetration provides a measure of this confinement. However, earth reaction forces significantly affect the behavior of the equipment which is utilized to install the stone column and thus motor power consumption cannot completely specify conditions. This is true not only with regard to the first above-mentioned technique utilizing a laterally vibrating probe, but this is also true with the use of the techniques which utilize an elongated vertical tube, as the forces utilized to downwardly expel the granular material from the bottom of the hollow tube does not provide a measurement of the degree of lateral compression of the granular material within the column being constructed.
This is so because the techniques employed to expel the granular material from the bottom end of the hollow tubular structures function to force the granular material downwardly out of the bottom end of the tube and therefore to date no adequate method has been provided for adequately forcing the granular material outward in a radial direction away from the bottom of the tube and in addition to provide a means for adequately measuring the applied forces required to accomplish this radial compaction of the granular material.
In actuality, there is no relationship between the computed centrifugal force that the Vibroflot provides, or the outward radial forces that the computed downward expulsion force of particulate material that the elongated tubular member provides during repenetration, and the amount of force with which the stones or granular material is forced or propelled into the in situ soil during stone column installation. In reality, these forces for creating the particulate or stone columns of the prior art methods and structures bear very little relationship to the actual force which exists between the apparatus and the soil within which the stone column is being constructed.
Accordingly, a measurement of motor power consumption which energizes the apparatus of the prior art for applying these compaction forces does not provide any adequate measure of the applied forces radially imposed on the in situ soil and the particulate material utilized to construct the particulate or stone column. In addition, because prior art devices apply outward forces due only to internal shear occurring in the column when driving the probe into the stone during repenetration, sufficient radial compaction forces cannot be provided and adequately controlled for different given in situ soil conditions in order to provide predetermined radial displacement of the column.
In addition, because of the way compaction forces are applied, all of the above-identified methods for installing granular or stone columns have a relatively slow production rate. For example, with the best of the above-identified bottom feed methods, one can normally install 300 to 350 feet of stone column per day for a single rig adapted for installing the columns in very soft soil. Perhaps even at ideal rates and conditions, a rate of 400 feet per day might be obtainable. However, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method that will at least double this production rate for the same column construction such that possibly 1,000 feet of column may be produced by one rig per day in the same given period of production time.
It is also a principal object of the present invention to eliminate the disadvantages of the above-mentioned prior art apparatus and methods for constructing stone columns in situ and to produce such columns at a reduced cost with improved effectiveness and with improved quality control over construction. It is a further object and advantage of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for constructing such granular or stone columns in situ under such conditions which eliminate intermixing and contamination of the column with native soil, and which can force the sand or stone radially outward in a precisely controlled and regulated manner such that the measurement of this force is in direct relationship to the actual force which exists between the equipment installing the stone or granular column and the soil. Such conditions are ideal to produce soil fracturing or vertical cracks which provide drainage channels to reduce time for reconsolidation with additional soil improvement during and after installation (K. R. Massarch, "New Aspects of Soil Fracturing in Clay," Jour. of the Geot. Engr. Div., ASCE, Vol. 104, No. GT8, August, 1978).

Apparatus and method for constructing compacted granular or stone columns in soil masses


The system for detecting a failure on a communication network according to an objective basis by analyzing an alarm log output by a management server of the communication network and evaluating a degree of abnormality of the communication network tracing back to a more significant factor causing the alarm, calculates an occurrence intensity of the more significant factor 500 causing an alarm based on the recording contents of the alarm, and detects a failure derived from the more significant factor of the communication network based on the calculated intensity of occurrence of said more significant factor 500.

It is a common practice that when abnormality occurs in a component of a communication network, it is notified to a management system of the communication network as an alarm and recorded in a log. Maintenance staff of the communication network estimates a fundamental factor of abnormality based on time series information of an alarm recorded in a log and his/her own experience to evaluate the degree of effect exerted on communication service and when improvement is required of the communication network or other case, determines that a failure occurs.
In general, because a management system of a large-scale communication system is daily notified of numbers of alarms, a maintenance staff who manually analyzes a log requires a lot of labor. In addition, since when abnormality occurs on the communication network, numbers of related alarms might occur in chain reaction to hide a crucial alarm suggesting a fundamental factor of the abnormality, a lot of experiences are required for estimating a fundamental factor of abnormality from a log. Under these circumstances, systems for supporting log analysis of this kind and systems for aggregating redundant alarms have been proposed.
One example of art related to a system for supporting log analysis is recited in Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2004-318552 (Literature 1). The log analysis supporting system recited in Literature 1 is a system which monitors a log of an intrusion sensing system connected to a communication network to individually observe the number of occurrences of an event (access action) per unit time and calculates and presents the degree of abnormality to notify a manager of an event having abnormal change in the amount of observation. The log analysis supporting system has a function of comparing the amount of observation of logs of a plurality of intrusion sensing systems to determine that the amount of observation is abnormal when a comparison result has a difference larger than a predetermined value.
One example of art related to a system for aggregating redundant alarms is recited in Japanese Patent No. 3082548 (Literature 2). The alarm selection system recited in Literature 2 checks a statistical correlation among alarm occurrence times to classify alarms into units each having synchronicity in which an alarm occurs at the same time or occurs with a fixed time delay, thereby generating a plurality of sets of alarms. Thereafter, by selecting a set of alarms most closed to an occurring event, numerous redundant alarms are aggregated into crucial alarms.    Literature 1: Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2004-318552.    Literature 2: Japanese Patent No. 3082548.    Literature 3: Noboru Murata, *Introduction: Independent Component Analysis, *Tokyo Electric University Publishing, 2004.
The above-described related art, however, has a problem that a failure of a communication network can not be detected according to objective basis while comprehensively taking a plurality of alarms output by a management server of the communication network in consideration.
The reason is that while the related art provides a unit for presenting abnormality of an individual alarm, it fails to provide a unit for determining whether a state of a communication network has a failure or not according to an objective basis by integrating these information. When the number of occurrences of each of all the alarms is close to a limit of a normal range to bring the network into an abnormal state as a whole, for example, because the number of occurrences of an individual alarm is within the normal range, the related art is incapable of detecting the abnormality.
According to the present invention, a factor causing a state of output of a single alarm by an alarm system is defined as a less significant factor and a factor causing a state of output of a plurality of alarms in chain reaction is defined as a more significant factor. In this case, the above-described related art has a problem that a degree of abnormality of a communication network can not be evaluated tracing back to a more significant factor.
The reason is that while the related art provides a unit for presenting a degree of abnormality of a single alarm caused by a less significant factor and a unit for classifying alarms into a unit having synchronicity based on time correlation related to an occurrence time and extracting a more significant factor, it fails to provide a unit for estimating a degree of abnormality of a network based on the more significant factor. When a plurality of different more significant factors cause the same alarm, for example, a more significant factor whose effect exerted on a change of the number of occurrences of the alarm in question is weak is buried in variation of other more significant factors whose effects are strong, so that only by monitoring variation in the number of occurrences of the alarm in question or classifying the alarm as is executed by the related art, the more significant factor whose effect is weak can not be detected. This is in particular a serious problem when the frequency of occurrence of alarms due to a more significant factor causing a fatal failure is low.
The above-described related art has a further problem that a state of a communication network to be monitored during a monitoring period can not be evaluated from various aspects.
The reason is that the related art fails to provide a unit for specifically realizing a function of comparing the numbers of alarms obtained from a plurality of management targets to detect their abnormalities, and detects only abnormality of an individual alarm, so that it is impossible to simultaneously compare a state of a geographically adjacent communication network during a monitoring period and a state of the communication network in question as of prior to the monitoring period to comprehensively determine a state of the communication network.
An object of the present invention is to provide a system for analyzing an alarm of a communication network to comprehensively consider occurrence states of a plurality of alarms and evaluating a degree of abnormality of the communication network tracing back to a more significant factor causing the alarm to detect a failure of the communication network based on an objective basis.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a system for detecting a failure of a communication network by simultaneously comparing a state of a communication network to be monitored during a monitoring period with a state of a geographically adjacent communication network during the monitoring period and a state of the communication network in question as of prior to the monitoring period to evaluate a state of the communication network from various aspects.

Communication network failure detection system, and communication network failure detection method and failure detection program


A photographic device, includes a shake detector, a shake mitigator, a first commander, and a shake controller. The shake detector detects a device shake, that is, a shaking of the photographic device. The shake mitigator mitigates the effects of the device shake to reduce an image shake that is a shake of a photographed subject image. The first commander commands the photographic device to photograph the subject image. The shake controller controls the shake mitigator so that the shake mitigator refrains from mitigating the effects of the device shake from the point when the first commander commands the photographic device to photograph the subject image, until the point when photographing the subject image commences.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a photographic device that has an anti-shake function, especially to a photographic device where the anti-shake function is controllable.
2. Description of the Related Art
Photographic devices which have an anti-shake function to prevent the effects of a shake caused by a hand shake, and so on, in a generated subject image have become widespread. For example, in digital cameras, anti-shake functionality is achieved by moving an imaging device or a photographing lens, or by other methods.
On the other hand, photographic devices such as digital cameras and video cameras usually have a display function to display a subject image. In these photographic devices, generally a shake-mitigated subject image can be displayed before the subject is photographed.
When a shake-mitigated subject image is displayed before the subject is photographed, a user cannot judge how much shaking of the photographic device occurs due to hand movement. Therefore, a user may not pay enough attention to satisfactorily mitigate camera shake, and a large amount of camera shake may occur. In such a case, image shake may not be adequately mitigated even though the anti-shake function is operated.

Photographic device with anti-shake function


Using the nontoxic heavy chain fragment from botulinum neurotoxins A-G, compositions and methods of use in inducing an immune response which is protective against intoxication with botulinum in subjects is described.

This invention relates to vaccines for bacterial toxins from Clostridium botulinum.
Botulism is a disease resulting from the activity of botulinum neurotoxin produced by Clostridium botulinum on the transmission of neuromuscular stimuli. The blockage of stimuli produces neuromuscular weakness and flaccid paralysis which can lead to respiratory failure and death. Food poisoning, infant botulism, and wound botulism are the three ways in which humans are naturally affected by botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT). Ingestion of improperly prepared or canned foods has resulted in numerous cases of botulism. Seven different serotypes of botulinum neurotoxin have been characterized, types A through G, which are antigenically distinct. BoNT are usually expressed in Clostridium botulinum as a single polypeptide chain and then posttranslationally nicked, forming a dichain consisting of a 100-kDa heavy chain and a 50-kDa light chain held together by a single disulfide bond (DasGupta, B. R. 1989, In L. L. simpson (ed.), Botulinum Neurotoxin and Tetanus Toxin. Academic Press, New York, N.Y.). Topologically, these neurotoxins are composed of three domains, a binding domain, a translocation domain, and a catalytic domain, each of which is believed to play a role in intoxication. The carboxy-terminal portion of the heavy chain is responsible for binding nerve cell receptor(s). After toxin binding, it is thought to be internalized into an endosome through receptor-mediated endocytosis (Byrne, M. P. et al., 1998, supra). The product of a gene encoding only the binding domain of BoNT is nontoxic when administered to an organism since it cannot enter the nerve cell without the translocation domain and it lacks the catalytic domain.
The vaccine currently used against botulism is comprised of the complete toxoid (Byrne, M. P. et al., Infect. Immun. 66:4817, 1998). The toxoid vaccine is dangerous and expensive to produce, contains formalin, which is very painful for the recipient, and is incomplete; only five, A-E, of the seven serotypes are represented in the formulation.
Previous work with BoNT serotype A (BoNT/A) demonstrated that the recombinant carboxy terminal of the heavy chain polypeptide (Hc fragment) produced in Escherichia coli only partially protected mice challenged with up to 1,200 LD50 of BoNT/A (LaPenotiere, H. F. et al., 1995, Toxicon 33:1383-1386; Clayton, M. A. et al., 1995, Infect. Immun. 63: 2738-2742). This preparation was difficult to produce due to inclusion bodies and the resulting amount of polypeptide was not large enough to justify large scale production. Furthermore, the product contained E. coli endotoxin.
Therefore, there is a need for an efficacious vaccine against botulism, useful for protecting humans.
The present invention satisfies the need discussed above. The present invention relates to a method and composition for use in inducing an immune response which is protective against intoxication with botulinum neurtoxin (BoNT) serotypes A (BoNTA), B (BoNTB), C (BoNTC), D (BoNTD), E (BoNTE), and F (BoNTF), and G (BoNTG). The invention relates to the use of a replicon vector which results in production of large amounts of a protein encoded by a sequence cloned into the replicon. The protein product is easily purified, available in large quantities, and devoid of endotoxin. Furthermore, immunization with the replicon encoding the desired antigen has the advantage of expressing genes in lymph nodes for a better immune response, and for stimulating mucosal immune responses (Davis et al., 1996, J. Virol. 70, 3781-3787).
The sequences encoding the Hc 50,000 Kd nontoxic fragment of BoNT A-G (see attached sequence and Clayton et al., 1995, Infection and Immunity 63, 2738 -2742) were inserted into the Venezuelan equine encephalitis (VEE) virus replicon described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,792,462 (Hc-replicon). In this vaccine strategy, a gene coding for a protein of interest is cloned in place of the VEE virus structural genes; the result is a self-replicating RNA molecule that encodes its own replicase and transcriptase functions, and in addition makes abundant quantities of mRNA encoding the foreign protein. When replicon RNA is transfected into eukaryotic cells along with two helper RNAs that express the VEE structural proteins (glycoproteins and nucleocapsid), the replicon RNA is packaged into VEE virus-like particles by the VEE virus structural proteins, which are provided in trans. Since the helper RNAs lack packaging signals neccessary for further propagation, the resulting VEE replicon particles (VRPs) which are produced are infectious for one cycle but are defective thereafter. Upon infection of an individual cell with a VRP, an abortive infection occurs in which the infected cell produces the protein of interest in abundance, is ultimately killed by the infection, but does not produce any viral progeny (Pushko et al., 1997, Virology 239, 389-401).
Experiments carried out in cell culture using the Hc-replicon demonstrated that the construct could produce high levels of the Hc polypeptides in eukaryotic cells. Inoculation of VRP containing the Hc-replicon into an inbred mouse strain (BALB/c) or into an outbred mouse strain (SWISS) produced high antibody titers and protected the mice from the effects of botulinum neurotoxin.
Therefore, it is one object of the present invention to provide a VEE virus replicon vector comprising a VEE virus replicon and a DNA fragment encoding any of the botulinum neurotoxin heavy chain fragments of serotypes A, B, C, D, E, F, G, alone or in combination, and fragments thereof such as ASubHc1 or ASubHc2, which define domains within serotype A toxin.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a self replicating RNA comprising the VEE virus replicon and any of the botulinum neurotoxin fragments described above.
It is another object of the present invention to provide infectious VEE virus replicon particles produced from the VEE virus replicon RNA described above.
It is further an object of the invention to provide an immunological composition for the protection of mammals against botulinum intoxication comprising VEE virus replicon particles containing any of the botulinum neurotoxin fragments described above or a combination of different VEE virus replicons each containing a different botulinum neurotoxin fragment.

The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army


A stroller with a pivotable front wheel assembly. When folding the stroller, the front wheel assembly may pivot, exposing a flat surface which may be rested on the ground for easier storage of the stroller. A drive rod may drive the front wheel assembly to rotate during folding. A slider may move away from the front wheel assembly during folding, moving a rear tube into place and ultimately causing the drive rod to drive the front wheel assembly to rotate. A lock mechanism may be included to lock the frame into configuration.

Strollers (e.g. baby strollers) are often ridden by infants and children, and have multiple deploying and folding configurations. These configurations may include a deployed configuration, wherein the stroller can be ridden, and a folded configuration. Ideally, the stroller should occupy less space, in the folded configuration thereby allowing easier storage.
One type of commercial available stroller available has a front wheel assembly and a front foot tube that are fixedly connected to each other with an included angle larger than 90 degrees between axes thereof. As a result of this arrangement, the frame cannot stand straight up once the stroller is folded, which means a person must stoop down to lay the stroller on the ground. Another kind of stroller in the market has a frame with a front foot tube and a handle tube displaceable relative to each other so that a standing point can be formed with respect to the front wheel assembly by projecting the handle tube beyond the front end of the front foot tube or by projecting the front end of the front foot tube beyond the front wheel assembly. However, with either of these two kinds of frames for making the stroller stand, the length of the frames cannot be reduced.

Stroller with pivotable front wheel assembly


Thermosetting resin compositions useful for liquid compression molding encapsulation of a silicon wafer are provided. The so-encapsulated silicon wafers offer improved resistance to warpage, compared to unencapsulated wafers or wafers encapsulated with known encapsulation materials.

1. Field
Thermosetting resin compositions useful for liquid compression molding encapsulation of a silicon wafer are provided. The so-encapsulated silicon wafers offer improved resistance to warpage, compared to unencapsulated wafers or wafers encapsulated with known encapsulation materials.
2. Brief Description of Related Technology
Liquid compression molding in the semiconductor packaging industry involves the coating of a protective material around and about a silicon wafer, a purpose of the protective material being to provide resistance against warpage of the wafer, particularly with an eye toward subsequent singulation of the wafer into individual die.
Conventional materials used to encapsulate silicon wafers have either not possessed the desired physical properties to offer improved resistance to wafer warpage, or have not lent themselves to application by liquid compression molding techniques.
It would be desirable therefore to provide encapsulation by liquid compression molding to silicon wafers materials suitable for application, which are thermosetting resin compositions capable of providing improved resistance to silicon wafer warpage.


A device designed to enable a sailor to move easily fore and aft and side-to-side about a watercraft. The device includes separate port and starboard bench units that are pivotally coupled to the watercraft and are movingly coupled to outboard rail systems extending fore and aft along the port and starboard gunwales of the watercraft. Additional rail systems incorporated into the bench units allow side-to-side movement. The bench units is designed and coupled to the rail systems and pivot points such that the sailor can remain on the bench unit and pivotally move it fore and aft, or slidingly move side-to-side by pushing his or her feet on the underlying substrate above which the sailor sits. The bench unit is preferably designed to permit the sailor to straddle it. The seat portions of the bench units are extendable beyond the outer edge of the watercraft. A handrail affixed to the bench enhances stability for the sailor. An optional braking system that can be engaged or disengaged by the sailor prevents undesired movement of the bench unit fore and aft along the outboard rails.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to devices for moving around watercraft. More particularly, the present invention is related to benches or seats affixable to watercraft and designed to make movement around the watercraft easier. Still more particularly, the present invention is related to hiking benches or seats affixable to sailing watercraft, including mono- and multi-hull watercraft. Most particularly, the present invention relates to hiking benches or seats pivotally affixed to the hull of a sailing watercraft.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Sailing has been, and continues to be, a recreational and commercial endeavor of great interest throughout the world. It is, however, a significant undertaking, requiring considerable concentration and physical exertion in order to properly control the craft. This is particularly so when the sailing vessel is operated by a lone individual. The strain of concentration and physical effort can be exhausting, either lessening the pleasure of sailing, reducing the amount of time spent sailing, or a combination of the two.
The strain associated with sailing can be even greater in multi-hull craft--e.g., catamarans and trimarans, craft commonly designed with two or more separate hull sections linked together by a very lightweight support component. The support component is usually a pair of braces or cross-beams that join the hulls together in such craft. Larger multi-hull craft may employ more than two braces to join the hulls. In most salcraft of this type, a soft, flexible material of the type generally used in making trampolines is stretched across the area between the braces and the hulls. Hence this portion of the multi-hull craft is referred to as the `trampoline.` This material has considerable "give," and is difficult to move about on. Unfortunately, this trampoline between the hulls makes movement about the vessel a time consuming and physically difficult task. Moreover, when the craft is moving at high speeds, the lack of surefootedness associated with the trampoline material renders operation of the craft somewhat hazardous.
Another disadvantage associated with the trampoline is the required positioning of the sailor on the trampoline. The sailor must sit with his or her feet outstretched, making it awkward and difficult to move from one position to another. Not only is this an awkward position to be in for an extended period of time, it also subjects the sailor to sitting on a surface that is, for the most part, wet. A further disadvantage with the trampoline is that it is an energy-absorptive material. That is, when the sailor moves on the craft port and starboard and fore and aft in order to trim it, part of the trimming comes from the transfer of the sailor's weight to the structural components of the craft. The absorptive characteristic of the trampoline reduces and/or delays that weight transfer, thereby causing a delay in the trimming of the craft, or at least a reduction in the effectiveness of the weight transfer.
Several devices have been made available to ease the effort required to move about multi-hull and/or high speed, small-hull craft. Specifically, trapezes have been attached to such craft. The trapeze is affixed to the upper section of the mast and is designed to permit the sailor seated on it to swing out beyond the port and starboard limits of the craft in order to increase the righting moment in higher winds. However, it is also a relatively dangerous procedure, particularly at high speeds, where a pitching of the boat may cause the sailor to lose the capability to right the craft. As speed increases, it becomes necessary to move further aft to trim the sailcraft. The ability to hike out on a trapeze further aft, however, is limited. Sudden deceleration caused by "stuffing" the bow of the craft in an oncoming wave, poses an additional problem for a sailor using a trapeze to trim the craft. When such deceleration occurs, momentum drives the person on the trapeze toward the bow, exposing him or her to injury, and bringing the craft out of trim. In addition, considerable physical strength and expertise is required in order to successfully operate the trapeze. This need for such skill is of particular importance when the sailor seeks to come about. In that situation, the sailor must come off the trapeze, disconnect it from the side of the craft it is connected to, walk across the trampoline, and re-connect it so as to get outboard on the other side. It is well known to those skilled in this field that coming about is an important procedure. The process described for re-configuring the trapeze is relatively time consuming and does require movement across the trampoline--an unsteady endeavor, particularly at high speeds, in gusty winds, and in rough seas. As a result, the trapeze is a less-than-optimum means for trimming the craft, both fore and aft and port and starboard. It is also a difficult task, again, particularly at high speeds. Thus, except for the most expertly skilled and most physically fit, most sailors are unlikely to find the trapeze's benefits outweigh its deficiencies.
An alternative device that is available and that may be used for multi-hull craft but that is specifically designed for small craft is a stationary rack that extends out beyond the port and starboard sides of the craft. The rack is designed somewhat like an outrigger in that it extends outboard; however, it also includes a seat on which the sailor sits. Unfortunately, the device is fixed in place and therefore does not aid the sailor in moving fore and aft to level the craft and, therefore, it has limited applicability in sailing.
Other devices have been described for the purpose of making movement about a watercraft easier. Although these devices have not been specifically directed to sailing craft, they do, however, provide an indication of the need for less hazardous and less physically tiring means for moving about and controlling a vessel. Gibson (U.S. Pat. No. 3,718,365, issued 1973) describes a slidable seat that can be moved on rails running port and starboard on a boat. The rails are designed to be fixed in place, although they can be adjusted to different positions on the gunwales of the boat. This device fails to address the needs associated with the piloting of a sailing craft, where relatively rapid movement around the entire craft--including fore and aft--is important. Since the rails are essentially fixed in place, it is not possible to quickly move the Gibson device fore and aft. Johnson (U.S. Pat. No. 4,766,838, issued 1988) and Andrews (U.S. Pat. No. 4,709,648, issued 1986), teach similar types of sliding seats. As with the Gibson device, these sliding seats fail to provide easy movement in the fore and aft directions.
Ross (U.S. Pat. No. 5,377,607, issued 1994) describes a sailboard with components that permit the board to be converted between sailing, paddling, and rowing types. The craft includes a movable multi-function seat. A limitation of the Ross craft that is critical to the discussion of the present invention as it relates to multi-hull and high-speed mono-hull craft is the board itself The Ross board is, effectively, a wide mono-hull having add-on components that cannot be applied to multi-hull and high speed craft. These components are necessary for the Ross design in order to permit conversion from one type of craft to another. Further, when the Ross device is set up as a sailing craft, the bench seat is apparently fixed in place by pins so as to prevent movement of the seat, either port and starboard or fore and aft.
The outrigger seat of Boffer (U.S. Pat. No. 4,539,926, issued 1985) is pivotally fastened to the mast of a sailboard body and includes cable pulls and foot controls connected to the craft's rudder. This design assumes that the center of gravity, center of buoyancy, and point-of-effort of the sailcraft lie at or close to the point where the mast is attached to the body of the boat. In fact, the centers of gravity and buoyancy and point-of-effort in many sailcraft lie well aft of the mast, shifting with changes in wind, craft speed, and sail trim. It is at this point that a sailor can best exert control over the trim of the vessel by hiking out. The seat of Boffer, by being attached to the mast of the sail craft, places the maximum hike-out position too far ahead of the vessel's actual centers of gravity and buoyancy and point-of-effort, thereby reducing the operator's ability to effectively control the trim of the craft. Moreover, the mast may experience a considerable amount of stress at its base due to the presence of the outrigger seat of Boffer. The combination of the forces exerted on the mast by both the wind and the operator may cause irreparable damage to the mast. Furthermore, the device of Boffer is designed primarily for small single-person sailcraft, and is not adaptable to vessels that are either multi-hulled or can accommodate more than one person.
The device of the present inventor, described in pending U.S. patent application 08/730,749, solves these problems by providing a hiking bench system that enables a sailor to safely and quickly hike out on a sailing craft. In particular, the device facilitates the hiking out maneuver on multi-hulled craft by means of a bench coupled to a rail by means of a roller system that permits the sailor to move from side-to-side and fore-and-aft without having walk across the trampoline section of the craft. The hiking bench is extendable beyond the width or beam of the boat to allow the sailor to better trim the craft. A rail system for tri-hulled craft is also described in which two separate rail systems are affixed to the center hull and extend outward from it, thereby allowing free movement along the center hull of the craft. Because the device employs rollers and a pair of rails to accomplish movement fore and aft, however, the degree of movement in these directions is limited by the length of the rails. Because the rail system may span the width of the craft, obstructions, such as a mast or rigging, at or near the center of the craft limit the length of travel of the bench system fore and aft. In addition, it is advantageous to minimize the weight of any hiking device in order to maximize sailing speed.
In summary, there does not presently exist a simplified, lightweight system for aiding in the safe, complete, and efficient movement of a sailor about a sailing craft. Therefore, what is needed is a safe, lightweight, and efficient device designed to permit a sailor a wider range of movement both fore and aft as well as port and starboard on a sailing craft. What is needed is a device that permits more rapid and easier hiking in and out on the craft than that achievable by moving on a trampoline alone. What is also needed is a hiking device that couples the sailor's weight directly to the structural components of the craft, rather than coupling that weight through the energy-absorbing trampoline and without posing the threat of damage to major components of the craft. What is also needed is a hiking device that capable of pivoting about a central point. What is further needed is a hiking device that can be affixed to a point on the vessel that is located near the center of gravity, center of buoyancy, and point-of-effort, in order to optimize the effect of hiking out on control of the craft. What is further needed is a pivotally movable hiking device that can be mounted at a position anywhere along the center line of the vessel. What is also needed is that such a pivotally mounted hiking device be easy to install and maintain. Further, what is needed is such a device that provides a comfortable position for the sailor, in contrast to the uncomfortable, and usually wet, position associated with sitting on a trampoline. What is also needed is such a device that is adaptable to mono-hull and multi-hull craft. Yet further, what is needed is a device that includes a direct and secure coupling of the sailor to the craft, particularly in high winds and/or rough seas.


Discharge tubes for a lamp include a body portion with a first end, a second end, and a tubular member defining an interior area. The tubular member extends along an elongated axis between the first end and the second end. The discharge tube includes a first end portion provided at the first end of the body portion. The first end portion includes a first tapered portion that is tapered in a direction extending substantially perpendicular from the elongated axis. The first tapered portion includes an interior surface facing the interior area. The tapered portion spans between a maximum extent in the direction of the elongated axis and a minimum extent in the direction of the elongated axis.

Certain lamps are known to include a discharge tube to facilitate the illumination function. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,137,229 discloses a conventional metal halide lamp with a ceramic discharge tube. As shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,137,229, end portions of conventional discharge tubes are known to comprise ring portions with a wall thickness based on the power supplied to the lamp.
FIGS. 1 and 2 depict a further example of a conventional ceramic discharge tube 160. As shown, the discharge tube 160 includes end portions 164a, 164b disposed on opposite circumferential end portions of a substantially cylindrical tubular member 162. The discharge tube 160 is symmetrically disposed about an elongated axis 158 and includes an outer radius "r" of 9.35 millimeters. Each end portion 164a, 164b is substantially identical and includes a transition section 168 between a ring portion 173 and a tubular extension 166. The transition section spans between a maximum extent 168a in the direction of the elongated axis 158 and a minimum extent 168b in the direction of the elongated axis 158. The minimum extent 168b has a first dimension "d1" of 1.5 millimeters with respect to an interior surface 172. The maximum extent 168a has a second dimension "d2" of 3.4 millimeters with respect to the interior surface 172.
Conventional end portions can have features that result in cracking due to heat-cycles during the lamp lifetime. There is a continued need to provide discharge tubes with features that inhibit cracking of one or more end portions of discharge tubes.


A tubular packaging casing, in particular sausage casing, including a cellulose base layer and a barrier layer against steam and atmospheric oxygen, which is free from chlorine. The barrier layer includes random copolymer based on copolymerized vinyl monomers. The vinyl monomers correspond to the general formula CH.sub.2 .dbd.CR.sup.1 --X, wherein. R.sup.1 denotes a methyl group or hydrogen, and PA0 X denotes a (--OCOR.sup.2) group or a (--CO.sub.2 R.sup.2) group, with R.sup.2 denoting an alkyl group having 1 to 20, preferably 1 to 10, and in particular 1 to 5 carbon atoms.. In a further embodiment, the copolymer also includes copolymerized vinyl monomers of the above formula except that X denotes a (CO.sub.2 H) group or a (CN) group.

The present invention relates to a tubular packaging casing, in particular to a sausage casing, which is based on cellulose, particularly fiber-reinforced cellulose, and comprises a barrier layer against atmospheric oxygen and steam.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,287,217 discloses a casing comprising fiber-reinforced cellulose hydrate as the substrate material, wherein its inner surface is coated with a continuous film comprising a vinylidene chloride copolymer (PVDC) which is impermeable to water vapor and its outer surface is provided with 0.5 to 0.8 g/m.sup.2 of a coating comprising polyacrylate, which due to a number of interruptions is water-permeable. In the case of this known sausage casing, the inner PVDC layer constitutes the barrier layer, and the permeable acrylate coating applied to the outer surface has the purpose of reducing the sensitivity of the sausage casing to damage due to mechanical shocks, and its undesirable tendency to tear open when being cut through. Because of the barrier layers present on their internal surfaces, sausage casings of this type are employed for the production of cooked and scalded sausages. Application of the polyacrylate dispersion to the outer surface of the casing is effected during the production of the gel-type tubing from viscose, i.e., prior to drying.
The outer surface of the cellulose casing known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,529,634 is also provided with a polyacrylate coating, which has, however, a reduced weight per unit area of less than 0.5 g/m.sup.2. This casing is permeable to water vapor and is intended for use as a sausage casing for air-dried, uncooked sausages of the salami-type. It is not suited for the production of cooked sausages.
Barrier layers based on PVDC have the advantage that virtually no water exudes from the finished sausage during storage, and that even after a relatively long storage period, the casing still surrounds the sausage meat in a tight and creasefree manner. Sausages of the liverwurst-type, whose meat assumes an unattractive appearance when exposed to atmospheric oxygen, remain unchanged, for the PVDC layer also is a barrier towards atmospheric oxygen and prevents the latter from penetrating into the sausage meat. For example, a fiber-reinforced cellulose casing with a 10 to 12 .mu.m thick coating of PVDC has an extremely low permeability to water vapor of 0.5 to 2 g/(m.sup.2 .times.24 h) and also an extremely low permeability to oxygen of 2.5 to 4 cm.sup.3 /(m.sup.2 .times.24 h.times.bar) (each time measured in accordance with DIN 53,122, using samples having a surface area of 5 cm.sup.2). The weight loss of cooked sausages surrounded by the casings of fiber-reinforced cellulose with internal PVDC barrier layers is about 0.5 to 1.5% per week (storage in a cold chamber at 7.degree. C., 65% relative humidity, sausage diameter 60 mm).
Casings of this type exhibit the disadvantage that due to their PVDC content problems may arise in connection with waste disposal, i.e., the disposal of the peeled-off casings. Particularly problematic is the formation of HCl and organic chlorine compounds during combustion of the casings. For example, if the weight of the PVDC coating is about 10 g per m.sup.2 of casing material, the amount of organically-bound chlorine present is about 60 g per kg of casing material.

Tubular packaging casing, particularly sausage casing, based on cellulose


Various embodiments include an apparatus, system, and method to control the distribution and usage of copyrighted digital content. The processing of a data file received over a communications network such as the Internet occurs both in a host digital appliance, such as a personal computer, notebook computer, audio player, video player, and the like, and in a very small digital rights management (DRM) module that is removably connected with the host. The processing makes it extremely difficult for the content of the data file to be obtained by an unauthorized person and/or utilized with an unauthorized DRM module.

This invention generally relates to the field of digital rights management, and more particularly, to methods of remotely enforcing digital content policy.
The Internet worldwide network, as well as other data communication networks, enables many digital appliances to interconnect and exchange information. Digital appliances include personal computers, laptop computers, tablet computers, PDAs, mobile phones, MP3 players, DVD players, gaming consoles, digital recording devices such as digital cameras, and others. A particular use of the Internet, and other networks such as cable and satellite or a corporate or organization network is to distribute digital files, specifically digital content files.
A Digital Content File is data which has an end use of being either viewed, listened to, read, played, executed, or otherwise utilized by an end user, and at some point prior to end use is stored and/or represented in numerical form. A Digital Content File may be an audio file, a video file, a software file, an electronic book, a document, a computer game or other types of content.
A Copyrighted Digital Content File is a Digital Content File which has legal limitations on at least one end use. For example, a user may not create a copy of, distribute, modify, sell, and/or perform other end uses of a Copyrighted Digital Content File, without receiving permission from the copyright owner. Examples of Copyrighted Digital Content Files are commercial movies, commercial music, electronic books, software, computer games, and the like.
The raw digital representation of high quality multimedia files such as audio and video uses high rate of data sampling to turn analog information into digital data. This representation consumes large quantities of storage. For example a WAV format file which represents a typical audio clip of 3 minutes length, can easily be larger than 30 Megabytes in size. A typical 60 second video clip can take up 1.5 GB when not compressed. Transferring data over a network such as the Internet has a cost that may be quantified both in monetary terms and in respect to time needed to transfer information. The larger the files to transfer, the more time the transfer will take, and for connections that are paid for according to connection time, the more it will cost.
In order to reduce the time and cost of storing and/or transferring digital multimedia files over a network, experts in the field devised sophisticated algorithms that compress the digital content files to smaller files. Although the compression techniques are usually lossy (the data cannot be exactly restored when decompressing), standard compression and decompression techniques for audio and video produce a result that is usually negligibly different for human ears and/or eyes. Good compression techniques can reduce an audio file to ten percent of its original size, and a video file can be compressed much more. Taking the above example of a 3 minute song coded in WAV at 30 MB, a compressed version can take up only 3 MB of memory.
The most famous family of compression techniques is collectively known as Moving Picture Expert Group (MPEG). One of the subfamilies of MPEG audio compression techniques is called MP3, short for Moving Picture Expert Group Audio Layer 3.
In order to play an MP3 audio file on a computer or MP3 player, a rendering software and/or hardware application that decompresses the file and sends a bit stream to the audio equipment that drives the speakers is utilized. An example of such software is Winamp by Nullsoft. There exist applications that can render both audio and video for example Microsoft Media Player.
The advent of the Internet and MP3 compression in the late 1990's brought about a revolution in music distribution worldwide. Peer to Peer systems were created in which one person would copy music from a CD to a computer, compress it to MP3 format and then share it with tens, hundreds and even thousands of other people, by sending the files over the Internet. The most famous example of a software system that provided application infrastructure for the sharing of digital music files is Napster, by a company of the same name. Napster was ordered to shut down by a US court, because the system was used mostly for sharing copyrighted music files, without providing compensation to the artists and the recording companies that produced these works. Although Napster in its original form no longer exists, many similar services abound today, in which users from all over the world may share digital content of any sort, including music, movies, software applications, games, and other files.
Content owners have been trying to fight this phenomenon since it began, claiming a sharp decrease in their revenues due to digital content "piracy". So far, content owners such as recording companies and movie studios have met with very limited success in their attempts at using technological solutions to solve these problems.
Although free content downloading applications abound, pay services for digital content such as music have also appeared recently by vendors such as RealNetworks, Apple, and Microsoft MSN Music Club in Europe. Users pay a fee per song, which is then downloaded to their computer, and which they can then play or copy to CDs or other devices. Alternatively, users subscribe for unlimited access to songs for a given period of time. These services do specify to users what they may do with the files once they are downloaded, but are not successful in enforcing the specified usage policies.
In order to combat downloading and sharing of copyrighted digital content by parties that are not licensed to do so, and to enforce use of digital content according to license, various protection methods are employed by content owners. The collective term for the control of distribution and usage of digital content is Digital Rights Management (hereafter DRM). DRM systems typically involve cryptographic methods for the secure distribution of the content between a content repository/server and a digital appliance. Such methods typically require the appliance to include an implementation of cryptographic algorithms and hold cryptographic keys in order to gain access to the content.
In many cases the software application used to render the digital content implements some form of DRM that is engaged when the user attempts to access the digital content, for example Microsoft MediaPlayer which is used to view video files and listen to audio files, has built in DRM functionality. One of the operations performed by such an application is the process of decrypting the content file using cryptographic methods and cryptographic keys. In order to execute such operations, the application must have access to the cryptographic methods and keys; therefore the cryptographic methods and keys must reside within the reach of the application. Typically the cryptographic methods, the keys, or both, reside within the application, in the digital content file itself, or somewhere within the digital appliance storage.
A digital appliance such as a computer or PDA is typically an open platform enabling computer programmers to develop programs for it. In some cases, software programs are developed for the purpose of hacking and locating the cryptographic keys and algorithms of a DRM system, in order to circumvent the DRM and gain access to the content. This process is generally called an "attack" and if it succeeds it is commonly referred to as a "crack" or a "hack" to the DRM system. A computer program that performs this function is referred to hereafter as a hacking program or a cracking program.
Examples of successful attacks are well known in the art. In 2001 Microsoft's Media Player was cracked by a programmer using the pseudonym "Beale Screamer".
Other forms of attacks include using programming tools. For example, software debuggers track and trap the digital content information after the rendering application has decrypted it, retrieving the "protected" information. Such information includes the digital content file and metadata describing how it is to be rendered. A hacking program that cracks the application and releases this information from the DRM system enables the construction of unauthorized copies of the original digital content file.
As a countermeasure, DRM systems can use more sophisticated cryptographic schemes and code obfuscation techniques. Other methods include adding tamper resistant hardware to store the cryptographic keys. Examples of such methods are cryptographic tokens such as iToken by Rainbow Technologies Inc. or using a smart card to store cryptographic keys and optionally cryptographic algorithms. Such solutions either reveal the cryptographic key to the digital appliance in the process of decrypting the information, or internally perform the cryptographic functions but reveal the end result in a raw form that can then be accessed.
A side effect that arises from the above content protection methods is that the software application that renders the digital content takes an active part in the protection process by implementing the above mentioned cryptographic methods and code obfuscation. Since the content protection implementation must be kept secret, it can be known solely by the organization that developed the software application. Furthermore, the content itself must be amended with cryptographic keys and data that are known only to that specific implementation, making the specific software application be the only software piece that can decrypt and render the content. By tying content to be used by a specific software application, the type and variety of digital appliances that may be utilized to use the content is limited to the type and variety of the consumer electronic appliances that the organization that developed the application decides to support.
The above methods have proven to slow, but not halt, an adversary. Given enough time and effort, a computer program that cracks a DRM system may be written. It can be appreciated by those skilled in the art that such successful attacks are easier to carry out on software applications that execute in an open development environment that enables programmers to develop software programs. Similarly, cryptographic co-processors leave the content vulnerable after decryption.
Another method that is partially effective in preventing digital content files from being copied and disseminated without control is the streaming of digital content files such as audio and video files to users. In this scenario, files are not downloaded to be stored on a digital appliance but rather "broadcast" much like a radio program. This ensures that only a small block of the content is present on the digital appliance at each given moment. The downside of this is that a user must be connected to the streaming source or online during the entire duration of the music program or movie. Another problem with streaming is that, in contrast to a file that is saved on the digital appliance storage, a user that has paid for content that is streamed cannot access the content at all times. Another shortcoming of streaming is that programs exist today for recording the streamed content and reconstructing a digital copy of the original digital content, without creating a noticeable difference to the human eye or ear.
To summarize the problems with existing solutions for distribution and control of copyrighted digital content, existing art stores encrypted copyrighted digital content and rendering software applications in open computing systems that are easy to crack. By tying digital content to a specific format and a specific rendering software application, the number of different types of digital appliances that can be utilized for an end-use of the digital content is limited. Furthermore, streaming solutions are inconvenient for users and easily circumvented.
There is clearly an unmet need for a system, apparatus, and method for enabling users to possess and use copyrighted digital content but within limitations specified by the owners of the copyright.