A structural reinforcement system that is implemented during the preparation of the area when pouring a concrete slab such as, but not limited to, commercial and residential floors, patios and driveways. The system includes digging foundation holes that are selectively disposed around the area being poured. The system further includes positioning steel bars above the ground in the lower twenty-five percent (25%), rather than upper fifty percent (50%) as known in the prior art, of the concrete being poured. In this manner, the poured concrete encapsulates the lattice in the lower twenty-five percent (25%) of the concrete when it hardens. As a result, the system improves and often removes the possibility of any cracks in the concrete and eliminates the need for saw joints. In addition, due to the stability created with the addition of strategically placed foundation holes, less concrete is required on the job resulting in a significant cost savings.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is generally directed a structural reinforcing method used in pouring concrete. More particularly, the invention is directed to a structural reinforcement system implemented prior to pouring concrete to form a concrete slab.
2. Brief Description of Prior Art
Concrete has proven to be the preferred material for the construction in many applications including commercial and residential floors, patios, driveways and the like. In such applications, however, concrete invariably develops cracks throughout the length of the concrete structure caused by the curing process, load induced stress, weather conditions and other causes so that the life cycle of the concrete can become severely reduced.
Uncontrolled, visible cracks in concrete slabs are generally perceived by those observing as unsightly at best and as failures at worst. Furthermore, the uncontrolled cracks represent weak regions, which may fail under load.
Traditional methods involved in placing a concrete slab include excavating and preparing the base where the concrete slab will be situate. In the prior art, a standard sub-grade thickness may be 4 inches and it is key that the sub-grade maintain an even thickness throughout the width and length. Steel bars are typically used to provide structural support to the concrete. In slab applications, the bars are usually arranged in a rectangular lattice which is supported some distance above the ground or other surface on which the slab is to be poured. In this regard, it is known to place the bars above the ground or other surface on which the slab is to be poured in the upper fifty percent (50%) of the concrete being poured. In this manner, the concrete may flow under and around the lattice, thereby encapsulating the lattice in the upper fifty percent (50%) of the concrete when it hardens. However as previously discussed, the concrete will invariably develop cracks thereby reducing its life cycle.
To the best knowledge of the applicant, a suitable, commercially practicable method has not been found for the preparation of the sub-grade when pouring a concrete slab that significantly avoids the cracking and structurally supports the life cycle of the resulting concrete slab.
As will be seen from the subsequent description, the preferred embodiments of the present invention overcome shortcomings of the prior art.

Structural reinforcement system for concrete structures


A gravity flow, single or multi-cell filter incorporating an integral backwash control chamber for enabling backwashing to occur without the need for backwash pumps. The backwash control chamber contains a volume of backwash liquid, and communicates with a source of pressurized backwash liquid through a float-controlled flow control valve in order to maintain a desired liquid level within the backwash control chamber during backwashing operations. The flow of backwash liquid from the backwash control chamber is controllable either by means of three-way valves interconnecting the backwash control chamber with the filter outlet chamber, or by wash water control gates within the backwash chamber that are adapted to selectively cover outlet openings to permit backwash flow to enter the filter outlet chamber.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a gravity flow filter system incorporating one or more filter beds for filtering particulate matter from liquids, such as water for a municipal water supply, and including a self-contained backwash flow arrangement not requiring backwash pumps. More particularly, the present invention relates to a filter system in which a separate backwash chamber is provided within a main vessel structure for maintaining a quantity of backwash liquid for gravity flow of backwash liquid for periodic backwashing of the filter.
2. Description of the Related Art
Gravity flow filters having a plurality of filter cells for filtering liquids, such as water for municipal water supply systems, are well known. One example of such a filtering arrangement is illustrated and described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,134,735, which issued on May 26, 1964, to J. W. Greenleaf, Jr. That patent discloses a multiple cell filter system having an integral backwash arrangement including an external backwash channel. In that regard, the inventor discloses an arrangement involving a siphon-controlled backwash technique, which is disclosed in conjunction with a separate, but similar inlet siphon.
Another form of gravity filter incorporating multiple filter cells is disclosed in my U.S. Pat. No. 5,032,294, which issued on Jul. 16, 1991. That patent discloses a structural arrangement in which a centrally located effluent control chamber is provided, with provisions for backwashing with filtered water from adjacent filter cells or through the operation of a pumping system incorporating a motor-driven pump.
Although the prior art devices function reasonably well in their intended environments, it is desirable to provide a gravity filter system that can be readily used in rural areas, as well as in developing countries. Consequently, it is desirable to provide such a systems in which the need for backwash pumps, rate controllers, air compressors, and the like, is preferably minimized as much as possible, and possibly even eliminated, to reduce the dependence of the system upon outside power sources, and also to minimize the need for repair and maintenance of such ancillary equipment.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved gravity flow filter arrangement in which an integral, gravity-based backwashing arrangement is provided.

Gravity flow filter with backwash control chamber


An external defibrillator system such as a WCD is also capable of providing transthoracic pacing and drug delivery (e.g., pain-reducing drugs and/or a sedatives) to a patient. The drug(s) may be included in the therapy electrode electrolyte and dispensed for defibrillation, cardioversion and/or pacing therapy. Alternatively, the drug(s) may be stored in a separate reservoir and dispensed during pacing therapy. The drug(s) may be dispensed to a patient after a successful defibrillation therapy. The pacing therapy may be delivered a set time-period after the drug(s) were dispensed. A relatively small electric current may be delivered to the area of the patient on which the drug(s) were dispensed to facilitate drug absorption.

When people suffer from some types of heart arrhythmias, the result may be that blood flow to various parts of the body is reduced. Some arrhythmias may even result in a Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA). SCA can lead to death very quickly, e.g. within 10 minutes, unless treated in the interim.
Some people have an increased risk of SCA. People at a higher risk include patients who have had a heart attack, or a prior SCA episode. A frequent recommendation is for these people to receive an Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD). The ICD is surgically implanted in the chest, and continuously monitors the patient's electrocardiogram (ECG). If certain types of heart arrhythmias are detected, then the ICD delivers an electric shock through the heart.
After being identified as having an increased risk of an SCA, and before receiving an ICD, these people are sometimes given a Wearable Cardioverter Defibrillator (WCD) system. (Early versions of such systems were called wearable cardiac defibrillator systems.) A WCD system typically includes a harness, vest, or other garment that the patient is to wear. The WCD system further includes electronic components, such as a defibrillator and electrodes, coupled to the harness, vest, or other garment. When the patient wears the WCD system, the external electrodes may then make good electrical contact with the patient's skin, and therefore can help sense the patient's ECG. If a shockable heart arrhythmia is detected, then the defibrillator delivers the appropriate electric shock through the patient's body, and thus through the heart.
WCDs currently available to the public can provide therapy for VT/VF but not brady/asystolic arrest. Transvenous pacing implemented in implanted pacing devices is painless, but transthoracic pacing is generally not tolerated by conscious patients. EMS caregivers will typically sedate a patient before initiating transthoracic pacing in the field. Asystole is a significant cause of death in the WCD population. It is believed that prior art WCDs are not implemented to treat asystole patients because if the treatment was effective and an asystole patient regained consciousness, the patient would immediately press the divert button or remove the vest to stop the pain from the transthoracic pacing therapy.
All subject matter discussed in this Background section of this document is not necessarily prior art, and is not be presumed to be prior art simply because it is presented in this Background section. Plus, any reference to any prior art in this description is not, and should not be taken as, an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that such prior art forms parts of the common general knowledge in any art in any country. Along these lines, any recognition of problems in the prior art discussed in this Background section or associated with such subject matter should not be treated as prior art, unless expressly stated to be prior art. Rather, the discussion of any subject matter in this Background section should be treated as part of the approach taken towards the particular problem by the inventor. This approach in and of itself may also be inventive.


A method for transferring a cryogenic fluid from a floating vessel. The cryogenic fluids to be transferred can include liquefied hydrocarbon gases such as LNG. The method includes the steps of pumping a reduced flow of a cryogenic fluid into a first end and/or a second end of a conduit to begin pre-cooling the conduit. Pre-cooling also includes pumping a reduced flow of the cryogenic fluid into the conduit at a point intermediate the first end and the second end so that different sections of the conduit are cooled simultaneously. When the conduit has cooled to a temperature suitable for transferring the cryogenic fluid, an increased flow of the cryogenic fluid is pumped into the first end of the conduit to transfer the cryogenic fluid from the floating vessel. The cryogenic fluid can then be directed from the second end of the conduit to a storage tank on shore or onboard a second floating vessel.

Natural gas is often discovered and produced in locations that are remote from where the gas can be marketed and distributed to end users. When suitable pipelines are available, the natural gas can be transported to market in either a gaseous or liquid form, however, there are many instances in which such pipelines are not available or practical for connecting a particular natural gas supply with consumers. When natural gas supplies are located overseas or a substantial distance from a suitable distribution system, it may be necessary to transport the gas by vessel. Such vessels typically include specially designed carriers that transport natural gas as a liquid housed in large insulated containers or tanks.
When transported at or near atmospheric pressure liquefied natural gas (LNG) is held at temperatures slightly below about −160° C. This temperature represents the boiling-point temperature for methane at atmospheric pressure. However, since the composition of natural gas will typically contain variable amounts of heavier and higher boiling hydrocarbons such as ethane, propane, butane and the like, the liquefied gas will be characterized by a somewhat higher boiling temperature, usually ranging from about −151° C. to about −164° C. depending upon composition. At or near a destination, the LNG must be regasified and warmed before it can be introduced into a distribution pipeline. In addition, depending on the requirements of the pipeline and local natural gas specifications, the LNG may be pressurized, depressurized, blended, odorized or subjected to other processing before it can be introduced into a pipeline or similar distribution system.
In both the loading and off-loading of LNG or other cryogenic fluids from a vessel, loading arm(s) and flow line(s) are used to transfer the cryogenic fluid. Due to the relatively low temperature of these fluids, the loading arms and flow lines must be pre-cooled or chilled to cryogenic temperatures before transfer operations can begin. Conventional cool-down procedures can require two to five hours depending on the materials and features of the arm and flow lines, the port requirements, and the recommendations of the loading arm/flow line manufacturer. Modifications that would enable such cool-down procedures to be completed more quickly while complying with port requirements and manufacturer recommendations would be advantageous and would enable additional vessels to be loaded and unloaded at a given terminal each year.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method for transferring a cryogenic fluid


Bisazo compounds of formula (I), an intermediate for producing the bisazo compound of formula (I), and trisazo compounds of formula (II) for use in optical information recording media, and methods of producing these compounds are disclosed: ##STR1## wherein R represents hydrogen, an alkyl group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms; an aryl group selected from the group consisting of phenyl group, naphthyl group, mesityl group, and tri-t-butyl phenyl group; an alkoxyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms; a nitro group; a cyano group; chlorine; or bromine; n is an integer of 1, 2, or 3; and C.sub.p represents a coupler residue.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to bisazo and trisazo compounds for use in optical information recording media, a bis(diazonium) salt which is an intermediate for producing the bisazo compound, and methods of producing the same.
2. Discussion of Background
Development of an optical disc recording apparatus, as means for recording information with high recording density, has recently become very active. Optical information recording media, which are used for the optical recording apparatus, have feature that the recording media are not easily worn out, because writing and reading are performed by a non-contact operation with a thermal head, and moreover recording can be carried out with high density. Development of various kinds of optical information recording media is also in progress.
Among such optical recording media, development of a heat-mode recording medium is particularly active. The heat-mode optical information recording medium utilizes recording light by conversion of the light to the thermal energy. A pit-formation type optical information recording medium is an example of the above-mentioned heat-mode recording medium. More specifically, in the pit-formation type recording medium, a portion of the optical information recording medium is melted by the application of recording light course such as a laser beam thereto, and the melted portion is removed, whereby small holes called pits are formed on the recording medium in the writing operation. Information is recorded by formations of pit, and the information is read by detecting the pits under application of reading or reproduction light.
A variety of other optical information recording media such as an optical information recording medium utilizing phase changes and an optical information recording medium utilizing photochromic materials have been proposed.
An optical information recording medium is required for the efficient absorption of light energy applied by a laser beam. Therefore, it is necessary to employ an optical information recording medium with high absorbance with respect to a laser beam with a specific wavelength for information recording. It is also necessary that the recording medium have high reflectance to a laser beam with a specific wavelength in order to accurately reproduce recorded information.
Most of conventional pit-formation type optical information recording media comprise materials based on the main components inorganic materials such as Se and Te. However, it is reported that recording media comprising an organic material consisting essentially of an organic dye in a recording layer are recently used more than the recording media based on inorganic materials. This is because there are environmental pollution problems with the inorganic materials and recording media with high sensitivity are required.
Examples of the organic dyes used for recording media are cyanine dyes (disclosed, for example, in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application 58-114989), metal complexes (disclosed, for example, in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application 58-16888), and phthalocyanine dyes (disclosed, for example, in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Applications 3-43461 and 3-77840).
Some of these dyes employed in the optical information recording media are satisfactory with respect to the absorption wavelength when a semiconductor laser is used. However, the above dyes are unstable for oxygen and humidity when preserved in contact with air, the solubilities of these dyes are low, and the sensitivities of the recording media using these dyes are also low. Thus, satisfactory organic dyes for use in optical information recording media are still few.

Optical information recording media and bisazo compounds for use therein


A tensioner for a chain driven power transmission system of an internal combustion engine, having a ratchet as part of the tensioning system is disclosed. The tensioner contains at least one bracket that is pivotally mounted to the engine adjacent one strand of the chain. The bracket contains a chain guide element that maintains forceful slideable engagement with the chain. Between the chain guide element and the bracket are an elongated support member having a pre-loaded spring force and an elongated resilient pad. The resilient pad quickly compresses in response to spikes or surges in chain tension absorbing the force of the spike.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention pertains to the field of tensioners used in chain drive power transmission systems. More particularly, the invention pertains to the use of a resilient pad in combination with an optional pre-loaded spring under a chain sliding face to carefully regulate spikes or excessive surges in chain tension.
2. Description of Related Art
A tensioning device, such as a hydraulic tensioner, is used as a control device for a power transmission chain, or similar power transmission devices, as the chain travels between a plurality of sprockets. In this device, the chain transmits power from a driving shaft to a driven shaft, so that at any point in time, part of the chain is slack and part of the chain is tight. In the case of a chain engaging toothed sprockets, it is important to impart and maintain a certain degree of tension to the chain to prevent noise, slippage, or the unmeshing of teeth from any of the sprockets. Prevention of such slippage is particularly important in the case of a chain driven camshaft in an internal combustion engine because the jumping of teeth will throw off the camshaft timing, causing damage to the power transmission system or possibly rendering the engine inoperative.
However, in the harsh environment of an internal combustion engine, various factors can cause fluctuations in chain tension. For instance, wide variations in temperature and thermal expansion coefficients among the various parts of the engine can cause chain tension to vary between excessively high or low levels. During prolonged use, wear to the components of the power transmission system can cause a decrease in chain tension. In addition, camshaft and crankshaft induced torsional vibrations cause considerable variations in chain tensions. Reverse rotation of an engine, occurring for example during stopping of the engine or in failed attempts at starting, can also cause extreme spikes or surges in chain tension. For these reasons, a mechanism is desired to remove excessive tensioning forces on the tight side of the chain and to ensure that adequate tension is provided on the slack side of the chain.
Blade tensioners are tensioners may be used to control a chain or belt where load fluctuations are not so severe as to excessively flex the spring or springs. A ratchet with backlash may be added to such tensioners to limit the effective backward or untensioned travel of the tensioning device.
Referring to FIG. 1 an example of a typical blade tensioner is shown. The blade tensioner 110 includes a blade shoe 111 made of resin having a curved chain sliding face and, in this example, numerous blade springs 121, preferably all made of a metallic material. The blade springs 121 are arranged in layers on the opposite side of the blade shoe 111 from the chain sliding face, and provide spring force to the blade shoe 111. The ends of each blade spring 121 are inserted in the indented portions 114 and 115, which are formed in the distal portion 112 and proximal portion 113 of the blade shoe 111, respectively. A bracket 117 is provided for mounting the blade tensioner 110 in an engine. Holes 118 and 119 are formed in the bracket 117, and mounting bolts are inserted into these holes 118 and 119. A sliding face 116 contacts the distal portion of the blade shoe 111 and permits sliding. The slide face 116 is formed on the distal portion of the bracket 117. A pin 120 supports the proximal portion 113 of the blade shoe 111 so that it may move in either direction. The pin 120 is secured on the bracket 117.
FIG. 2 shows a chain tensioning device that has a pair of arms 202, 203 which are joined by a pivot 204. The arms 202, 203 are urged apart so that arm 203 applies tensioning force to a chain (not shown) by means of a spring 206 loaded cam block 205. To prevent collapse of arm 203 during load reversals of the chain, a catch disc 209 and rod 208 are arranged to prevent the return movement of the spring loaded cam block 205.
FIG. 3 shows an example of a tensioner with a ratchet device. The ratchet tensioner 301 comprises a tensioner housing 307 having a hole 312 for receiving a piston 308 and a ratchet pawl 317 pivoted by a shaft 316 to the tensioner housing 307 and biased by a ratchet spring 318. The piston 308 has teeth on one outer side that engage a tooth shaped tip of the ratchet pawl 317. The piston 308 is biased out of the hole 312 to contact the tension lever 310 by the combination of adding pressurized hydraulic fluid into the hollow section 313 and the biasing force of the plunger spring 314. The tensioner lever 310 pivots on support shaft 309 and has a shoe surface 311 that contacts and applies tension to the slack side of the timing chain 306 which operatively connects the sprocket 305 of the camshaft 304 with the sprocket 303 of the crankshaft 302. The movement of the piston 308 in and out of the hole 312 is limited by the engagement of the teeth of the ratchet.
Hydraulic tensioners may also be used to maintain proper chain tension. In general, these mechanisms employ a lever arm that pushes against the chain on the slack side of the power transmission system. This lever arm must push toward the chain, tightening the chain when the chain is slack, but must remain rigid when the chain tightens.
To achieve this objective, a hydraulic tensioner 1, as shown in prior art FIG. 4, typically comprises a rod or cylinder as a piston 2, which is biased in the direction of the lever arm by a tensioner spring 3. The piston 2 is housed within a cylindrical housing 5, having an interior space which is open at the end facing the chain and closed at the other end. The interior space of the housing contains a pressure chamber 4 in connection with a reservoir or exterior source of pressurized hydraulic fluid. The pressure chamber 4 is typically formed between the housing 5 and the piston 2, and it expands or contracts as the piston 2 moves within the housing 5.
Typically, valves are employed to regulate the flow of hydraulic fluid into and Out of the pressure chamber. For instance, an inlet check valve such as a ball-check valve opens to permit fluid flow into the pressure chamber 4 when the pressure inside the chamber has decreased as a result of the outward movement of the piston 2. When the pressure in the pressure chamber is high, the inlet check valve closes, preventing fluid from exiting the pressure chamber. The closing of the inlet check valve prevents the piston chamber from releasing hydraulic fluid, which in turn prevents the piston from retracting, achieving a so-called "no-return" function.
Many tensioners also employ a pressure relief mechanism that allows fluid to exit the pressure chamber at a controlled rate when the pressure in the chamber is high, thus allowing the piston to retract in response to rapid increases in chain tension. In some tensioners, the pressure relief mechanism is a spring biased check valve. The check valve opens when the pressure exceeds a certain pressure point. Some tensioners may employ a valve which performs both the inlet check function as well as the pressure relief function.
Other mechanisms employ a restricted path through which fluid may exit the fluid chamber, such that the volume of flow exiting the fluid chamber is minimal unless the pressure in the fluid chamber is great. For instance, a restricted path may be provided through the clearance between the piston and bore, through a vent tube in the protruding end of the piston, or through a vent member between the fluid chamber and the fluid reservoir.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,993,342 discloses a chain tensioner of the hydraulic piston type having an additional feature. The piston provides a tension limiting force on a pivoting lever or arm that is in slideable engagement with a strand of the chain. At the point of contact between the piston and the lever or arm, the end of the piston contains a preloaded compression spring and, optionally, an elastomeric disc or cushion to help control sudden spikes or surges in chain tension. One of the limitations associated with the use of such designs is the increasing amount of space that is needed within the compartment that houses the drive transmission system. This is as the result of the extended length of the piston due to the spring and elastomeric disc added to its contact end.
It is desirable to maintain a substantially constant tension on the chain. It is especially beneficial with respect to the issue of chain wear if the required tensioning forces can be minimized during the times that the engine is off. In the prior art devices detailed above, the hydraulic tensioning systems address this problem by permitting the slow leakage of hydraulic fluid when the engine is shut off thereby allowing the chain tension to slacken gradually. The ratcheting systems address this issue by the inherent presence of backlash in such systems. However, due to design limitations or cost restrictions, backlash may be undesirable or unattainable for certain power transmission systems.


A new and improved broken tap extraction apparatus for a broken tap in a material undergoing thread tapping, wherein the broken tap has thread cutting portions and has noncutting portions located between the cutting portions. The broken tap extraction apparatus of the invention includes a head portion adapted to receive a torque applying tool, a shank portion connected to the head portion, and at least two tap engaging portions projecting from the shank portion. The shank portion receives torque applied at the head portion and transmits the torque to the tap engaging portions that project from the shank portion. The tap engaging portions engage the noncutting portions of the tap, such that when torque is applied to the head portion, the torque is transmitted to the tap engaging portions for exerting the torque against the noncutting portions of the broken tap for turning the broken tap out of the material undergoing tapping. In addition, the head portion and the shank portion may include a first internal channel adapted to receive an optical fiber which receives light from a light source. Also, the head portion and the shank portion may include a second internal channel adapted to receive lubricating oil and to convey the received oil toward the broken tap.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to tools designed to remove broken pieces of other tools, and more particularly, to a new tool especially adapted to remove broken taps from materials in which the taps break.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Tools designed to remove or extract a broken piece of another tool are well known in the art. For example, the following U.S. patents are known: U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,078,458 of Berendzen; 4,389,913 of Drouin et al; 4,688,315 of Jannke; and 4,831,902 of McClure. More specifically, the Berendzen, Drouin et al, Jannke, and McClure patents disclose devices designed to remove broken screws from materials in which the screws break. All of these devices require a cutting operation to enable the extraction tool to extract the broken screw. None of the these tools are designed to remove a broken tap from material in which the tap breaks. Moreover, none of these prior art tools are designed to remove the broken other tool without a cutting operation.
More specifically, a tap is designed to cut threads into a material. An exemplary tap is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,271,554 of Grenell. A tap has at least two oppositely positioned cutting elements. A tap also has portions which support the cutting elements but which do not effect any cutting themselves. When the tap is rotated in a hole, the rotating cutting elements create a cylindrically tapped hole, and a space is left, adjacent to the non-cutting tap portions, for cut material to deposit. Sometimes, an excessive amount of torque is applied to the tap, and the tap breaks. Removing the broken tap is a difficult problem.
Thus, while the foregoing body of prior art indicates it to be well known to use extraction tools to extract broken screws from a material using a cutting operation, the provision of a simple and cost effective device is not contemplated to remove a broken tap from the material in which the tap breaks. Also, the prior art does not provide first extraction tools that are designed to remove a broken second tool without a cutting operation. The foregoing disadvantages are overcome by the unique broken tap extraction apparatus of the present invention as will be made apparent from the following description thereof. Other advantages of the present invention over the prior art also will be rendered evident.


The present invention describes nano-scale fabrication technique used to create a sub-micron wide gap across the center conductor of a coplanar waveguide transmission line configured in a fixed-fixed beam arrangement, resulting in a pair of opposing cantilever beams that comprise an electro-mechanical switch. Accordingly, a nanometer-scale mechanical switch with very high switching speed and low actuation voltage has been developed. This switch is intended primarily for application in the RF/microwave/wireless industry.

Micro-electro-mechanical-systems (MEMS) technology has shown tremendous growth in recent years. Significant advances have also been made in the fabrication of MEMS devices for application in RF and microwave frequencies. Switching circuits utilizing this technology have been extensively studied since they are an important component in many RF and wireless systems. RF MEMS switches have already shown superior electrical performance to solid state p-i-n and FET switches at high frequencies. Due to these qualities, as well as their small size and their manufacturability using well characterized semiconductor processing techniques, RF MEMS switches have the potential to be a viable replacement to their solid state switch counterparts.
However, p-i-n diode and FET switches still outperform MEMS switches in switching speed and actuation voltage level. Solid state switches can switch between states in nanoseconds with very low voltage levels; generally at TTL levels. The fastest MEMS switches have so far been demonstrated with switching speeds in the microsecond range or the sub microsecond range.
Additionally, in the last few years, there has been an increase in the use of focused ion beam (FIB) milling for micro and nano structure fabrication. The increase is mainly due to the FIB' s ability to mill material with high precision, yielding high-aspect-ratio structures with relatively smooth sidewalls without the use of a mask. Devices such as microfabricated accelerometers, BSCCO stacked junctions, microgratings for integrated optics, and micromilled trenches have already been demonstrated. FIB milled capacitors for micro- and millimeter wave application are also known in the art.
Accordingly, what is needed in the art is an improved MEMS switch having a lower actuation voltage and a faster switching speed in a small form factor.

Nanometer-scale electromechanical switch and fabrication process


A depth information-based modeling method, a graphic processing apparatus and a storage medium are provided. The depth information-based modeling method includes receiving a plurality of depth image data, each of which has depth information, and a plurality of color images, each of which color information. In the method, a plurality of 3D grids is obtained according to the color information, depth information and a plurality of uniform sampling grids. Each of the uniform sampling grids is further divided into a plurality of sub-grids. At least one point on each of the 3D grids is determined by the depth information, and the triangle meshes are generated according to the points.

With advancement in the computer graphics, 3D modeling methods have been widely applied in computers, scientific researches or multimedia systems. A 3D model is represented by a 3D polygon of an object, usually displayed by a computer or a video player, and commonly seen in a computer game, a 3D film, a 3D television, an autostereoscopic 3D display and the like.
In one of the 3D modeling methods, software is generally used to generate the 3D model (nonetheless, it can also be generated by other methods). This method is characterized by its easy interaction with users mainly because it constructs meshes for the 3D model by locating a plurality of feature points and constructs the model by a surface reconstruction. However, such method provides poor effects in terms of realness, dynamic, light, texture and the like, and has difficulties in performing a rendering in real-time due to large amount of computation loads for the feature points and the meshes.
In another one of the 3D modeling methods, a Multiview Video Coding (MVC) is mainly used to achieve a 3D effective by a view synthesis of video and depth information. Because an image extracted by such method is a physical image, a more preferable realness can be provided. Further, the extracted image may be used to generate non-extracted parts by the view synthesis, and a computational process thereof is relatively easier for the rendering to be performed in real-time. Nonetheless, operations of zoom-in and zoom-out are prone to distortion since the depth information is non-linear.
Because application of the 3D model often involves frequent interaction with users, it is an important issue to be solved by person skilled in the art as how to perform the rendering for the 3D model of a free-view object with high resolution in real-time while maintaining favorable displaying effect thereof.

Depth information-based modeling method, graphic processing apparatus and storage medium

Industrial Technology Research Institute


An approach for implementing a local device management application for deterring misuse, loss, or theft of mobile devices includes determining that a use of a first device at least substantially satisfies one or more use criteria. The approach also includes generating a notification message regarding the use. Further, the approach includes initiating a transmission of the notification message from the first device to a second device.

With technological advances in a broad range of mobile devices and applications, many users, companies, organizations, etc. utilize the mobile devices to perform various tasks throughout the day. For example, a mobile device (e.g., mobile phone, tablet, laptop computer, personal projectors, point of sale, etc.) and relevant applications may be utilized to access or provide services for entertainment, business transactions, education, healthcare, data processing, or the like. Some users may utilize various devices throughout the day to perform various personal or business related tasks, and some organizations/companies (e.g., of various sizes) may utilize and provide a broad range of mobile devices to their employees (e.g., shared or per user) for use in performing their tasks and duties. In order to control, manage, and service their devices and applications, some companies may utilize local or cloud-based (e.g. via a service provider) information technology (IT) services. The IT services may include controlling and tracking the use of the devices and applications as well as providing security measures for the physical devices and the data stored thereon so to mitigate any potential misuse, loss, or theft of the devices and data. Any misuse, loss, or theft can be detrimental and costly to users or owners of the devices. However, some users and companies may wish to have the flexibility in managing their devices via locally implemented methods with or without local or network-based IT services.
Based on the foregoing, there is a need for an approach to implement a local device management mechanism for deterring misuse, loss, or theft of mobile devices.

Method and apparatus for a device management application


An apparatus for feeding or watering animals within cages includes a food container having an upwardly opening, cup-shaped configuration, and a cantilever bracket for supporting the container. The container includes a closed curved sidewall and integral bottom wall, and a connector assembly extending downwardly from the outer surface of the bottom wall. The connector assembly includes a generally cylindrical lug having one end secured to the bottom wall, and a locking bar extending diametrically and secured to the other end of the lug. The locking bar includes opposed rounded ends that extend outwardly of the lug. The cantilever bracket includes a distal end having a web with a top surface, and an opening formed in the top surface to receive the connector assembly. The opening comprises a cylindrical hole dimensioned to receive the cylindrical lug in close tolerance fit, and a pair of radially extending, diametrically opposed slots radiating from the hole and dimensioned to receive the locking bar. The locking bar and lug may be inserted into the opening, the locking bar extending completely through the slots. The container may be rotated about the axis of the cylindrical lug, whereby the ends of the locking bar impinge on the underside of the web of the bracket. The bottom surface of the container impinges on the top surface of the web, preventing any substantial movement of the container with respect to the bracket. A detent feature secures the container and prevent removal of the container by any likely animal interaction.

The present invention relates to a device for supplying food to pets, and more particularly to a an assembly for feeding caged animals.
Animals that are kept in cages, such as pets or laboratory animals, are sustained by food and water provided in containers within the cage. Food is typically provided in feeding cups or containers that are secured to the cage wall to be available to the animals. The support for the food container may comprise wire or hooks or a bracket secured to the wires of a cage wall. Often the container is supported gravitally in a receptacle formed by the wire support or by the bracket. This arrangement facilitates easy removal and replacement of the container.
In a laboratory setting where hundreds or thousands of animals must be fed daily, removing and replacing the food container in the cage of each animal comprises substantial labor, and the ongoing cost of labor involved in sustaining the animals is a considerable cost. Therefore, a small savings in the effort required to handle each food container can result in significant savings. However, the food and water containers must be prevented from spilling their contents inside the cage, since spilled food can spoil and cause disease, and spilled water can also promote disease.
It has been observed that caged small animals, such as rats, hamsters, gerbils, or rabbits, for example, tend to exhibit typical rodent behavior and gnaw and chew on whatever objects are accessible. Larger caged animals will also gnaw, chew, and prod available objects due to lack of exercise and boredom. Many cage feeding devices rely on wire attachments or bails to secure feeding devices to wire cage walls. These arrangements lack the rigidity necessary to prevent animals from shaking, tipping, and spilling the contents of the feeding containers. These activities waste food, which spills on the cage floor and fouls the cage. In controlled experiments where food intake is an important variable, the wasted food can comprise a source of error in the experimental results.


Disclosed are a cutting method of flexible display panel, a controlling device in the cutting method and a cutting apparatus of flexible display panel. The cutting method comprises steps of placing a transparent substrate (21) carried with a flexible film layer (22) on a base (10); cutting only the transparent substrate (21) by means of a cutting tool (30); obtaining a cutting trace of the cutting tool (30); and controlling a laser knife (40) to cut the flexible film layer (22) carried on the transparent substrate (21) along the cutting trace of the cutting tool cutting the transparent substrate. In this way, by controlling the laser knife (40) to cut the flexible film layer (22) disposed on the transparent substrate (21) following the cutting trace of the cutting tool (30) cutting the transparent substrate (21), the flexible film layer (22) can be completely cut at the same time when or after the transparent substrate (21) is completely cut, so as to avoid rough selvedges during cutting the flexible film layer (22), thereby improving the cutting effect of cutting the flexible display panel; besides, in case that the cutting tool (30) and the laser knife (40) operate in parallel cutting mode, it can also improve the cutting efficiency.

Flat plate display has dominated the field of display in the 21st century. With the development of technology, flexible products are generating more and more attention and praise from customers for advantages such as reduced thickness and weight, high stability, flexibility, manufacturability in various forms and energy conservation, and hence have become a hot spot of recent research. A flexible display panel is usually prepared by steps including using a glass substrate configured to carry the flexible display panel and a flexible film layer disposed on the glass substrate.
Generally, there is need to cut an entire flexible display panel into pieces of smaller-sized ones, at first, during a manufacture process of the flexible display panel. One of known cutting methods comprises: cutting a glass substrate configured to carry a flexible display panel by means of a cutting tool; and then cutting a flexible film layer by hand with a knife. In such cutting method, it's liable to generate rough selvedges during manually cutting the flexible film layer, which may influence the quality of the flexible display panel obtained; moreover, a manual cutting process is usually performed at a relatively lower speed, which also influences the cutting efficiency of the flexible display panel.

Cutting method of flexible display panel, controlling device in the cutting method, and cutting apparatus of flexible display panel


Nutraceutical formulations that improve cognitive function in adults diagnosed with neurodegenerative disease are provided, which comprise a combination of fisetin and DHA.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a degenerative disorder of the brain. It is the leading cause of dementia in elderly persons. AD patients have increased problems with memory loss and intellectual functions which progress to the point where they cannot function as normal individuals. With the loss of intellectual skills the patients exhibit personality changes, socially inappropriate actions and schizophrenia. AD is devastating for both victims and their families, for currently there is no effective palliative or preventive treatment for the inevitable neurodegeneration.
At a macroscopic level, the brains of AD patients are usually smaller, sometimes weighing less than 1,000 grams. At a microscopic level, the histopathological hallmarks of AD include neurofibrillary tangles (NFT), neuritic plaques, and degeneration of neurons. AD patients exhibit degeneration of nerve cells in the frontal and temporal cortex of the cerebral cortex, pyramidal neurons of the hippocampus, neurons in the medial, medial central, and cortical nuclei of the amygdala, noradrenergic neurons in the locus coeruleus, and the neurons in the basal forebrain cholinergic system. Loss of neurons in the cholinergic system leads to a consistent deficit in cholinergic presynaptic markers in AD.
The microtubule-associated protein known as Tau has been implicated in Alzheimers disease etiology. Tau binds to microtubules and assists with their formation and stabilization. However when tau is hyperphosphorylated, it is unable to bind and the microtubules become unstable and begin disintegrating. The unbound tau clumps together in formations called neurofibrillary tangles. More explicitly, intracellular lesions known as pretangles develop when tau is phosphorylated excessively and on improper amino acid residues. These lesions, over time, develop into filamentous neurofibrilary tangles (NFTs) which interfere with numerous intracellular functions.
Three different maturation states of NFT have been defined using anti-tau and anti-ubiquitin immunostaining. At stage 0 there are morphologically normal pyramidal cells showing diffuse or fine granular cytoplasmic staining with anti-tau. At stage 1 some delicate elongate inclusions are stained by tau antibodies; stage 2 is represented by the classic NFT demonstration with anti-tau staining; stage 3 is exemplified by ghost tangles where the host neuron has died, which are characterized by a reduced anti-tau but marked anti-ubiquitin immunostaining. It has been shown that the degree of cognitive impairment in diseases such as AD significantly correlates with the presence of neurofibrillary tangles.
The development of agents that can decrease cognitive decline, which may be a tauopathy, is of great interest for clinical and research purposes.

The Regents of the University of California


An apparatus for simulating flames includes a light source, a viewing screen capable of diffusing and transmitting light, a rear reflector disposed behind the viewing screen, and a light producer for producing moving beams of light. The light source is disposed below the reflector and behind the viewing screen. The light producer is disposed in front of the light source and below the screen and light from the light source is reflected by the light producer onto the reflector and is reflected by the reflector onto the screen to produce a perceptible image viewable on the screen.

The present invention relates to apparatus for simulating flames, such as are used in flame effect electric heating appliances (i.e. electric fires). Flame simulating apparatus in general are well known and have been described in, for example, GB 2 230 335 and GB 2 275 105. Prior art apparatus such as described in the above patents is intended for use in an electric fire located in a conventional fireplace. As such, the fire is designed so that the fire is supported on a floor with a major part of the fire fitting into the recess of the fireplace. Therefore, the overall depth of the fire (i.e. its front-to-back dimension) can be relatively great.


In a roller chain transmission, the diameter D of the rollers, the outer diameter d of the pins and height H of the inner plates satisfy the relationships 0.72P≦D≦0.79P, 0.40P≦d≦0.44P, and 0.96P≦H, with respect to the chain pitch P. The sprocket teeth are asymmetric in that the chain entering side and the chain leaving side differ, and the radius R1 of an arc of the tooth gap bottom, the radius R2 of the chain entering side tooth flank and the radius R3 of the chain entering side tooth head portion satisfy the relationships 0.505D≦R1≦0.505D+0.069D, P−(0.505D+0.069D)≦R2≦P−0.505D, and 0.08≦R3≦0.13P. The transmission chain exhibits improved endurance and quietness, smooth operation, and resistance to elongation due to wear.

In recent years, roller chains have come into increasing use, as a result of the demand for high load capacity, high speed operation and maintenance free operation. For these reasons, roller chains have displaced toothed belts, which were previously commonly used in automotive timing drives.
As shown in FIGS. 9(a)-9(c), a conventional roller chain 500 for a timing transmission comprises an inner link 520 (FIG. 9(b)) and an outer link 540 (FIG. 9(c). In the inner link 520, both ends of each of two cylindrical bushings 522 fit in bushing holes 526 in a pair of inner plates 524, and rollers 528 are rotatable on the bushings 522. In the outer link 540, two pins 542 are secured to pin holes 546 in a pair of outer plates 544, disposed on the outsides of the pair of inner plates 524. The pins 542 extend through the bushings, and the pins and bushings are relatively rotatable. The roller chain meshes with sprockets (not shown in FIGS. 9(a)-9(c).
A conventional roller chain transmission utilizes a so-called "A series" roller chain, which satisfies the relationships 0.591≦D/P≦0.640, and 0.281≦d/P≦0.377, and a "B series" roller chain, which satisfies the relationships 0.575≦D/P≦0.670, and 0.288≦d/P≦0.389, according to JIS B 1801, D being the outer diameter of the roller, d being the outer diameter of the pin, and P being the pitch of the roller chain.
These standards have generally been adhered to because it has been considered that, when the ratio D/P is too high, the widths of the sprocket teeth become excessively small and insufficiently strong. On the other hand, when the ratio D/P is too low, the outer diameter d of the pins, which extend through the bushings, is decreased, which leads to reduction in the strength of the chain. Thus, among the B series roller chains, a chain having a pitch of 9.525 mm, a roller outer diameter of 6.35 mm and a pin outer diameter of 3.28 mm, that is, an "06B" chain according to ISO standards, has been used often as a timing transmission medium for an automobile engine.
Sprockets used with these roller chains, have standard, so-called "S" or "U" tooth forms specified in JIS and ISO standards, designed to achieve smooth engagement with, and disengagement from, the chain and efficient transmission of torque to a shaft.
It has been reported that, when the above-mentioned conventional roller chains were used as timing chains in an automobile engine under high loads, for example 4 kN, some of the chains fail to exhibit the expected durability. Furthermore, as a result of user demands, improved quietness, miniaturization, and weight saving, have been required for roller chain transmissions in automobile engines.
As a result of intensive study of the above problems, we have found that the "elongation—wear resistance" of a roller chain, which may be within the allowable range in other applications, becomes critical when a roller chain is used as a camshaft drive chain for precision timing in an automobile engine, and unexpectedly high loads are applied to the chain link connected pins at higher engine speeds. Thus, it has become clear that the size ratios (D/P, d/P) of the roller chain pitch P, the outer diameter D of the roller, and the outer diameter d of the pin, which are conventionally set on the basis of size balances, are not necessarily optimum values.
Further, it has become clear that the specified standard tooth forms of conventional sprockets are not necessarily optimum from the standpoint of quietness and wear resistance of the sprockets.
Accordingly, the objects of the invention are to solve the above-described problems of conventional roller chain transmission devices by optimizing the shapes and sizes of the roller chain and sprocket; to provide a roller chain transmission which enhances the wear resistance, strength and quietness; and, in particular, to provide a roller chain transmission which exhibits sufficient endurance and quietness even when used as a timing drive in an automobile engine operated at high speed.


A steam cooking apparatus having a steam generating device that generates steam to be fed to a heating chamber and a vapor heating heater that heats the steam generated by the steam generating device to provide superheated steam. The steam cooking apparatus includes a first heating mode using the superheated steam obtained from the vapor heating heater and a second heating mode using hot air or radiation heat obtained by using the vapor heating heater without use of the steam generating device so that the second heating mode produces heat without a supply of steam.

To date, various proposals have been made in the field of steam cooking apparatuses that perform cooking by use of steam. Examples of such steam cooking apparatuses are seen in Patent Documents 1 to 5 listed below. Patent Document 1 discloses a steam cooking apparatus wherein steam is jetted into food trays. Patent Document 2 discloses a cooking apparatus wherein superheated steam is blown into an oven chamber, or steam inside the oven chamber is turned into superheated steam by being radiation-heated. Patent Document 3 discloses a cooking apparatus wherein superheated steam is supplied to inside an entire heating chamber, or to around food, or to both. Patent Document 4 discloses an superheated steam cooking apparatus wherein superheated steam generated with a boiler is heated with reheating means provided on the blowing side of blowing means and is then blown into a chamber. Patent Document 5 discloses a heating apparatus wherein the inside of a heating box is preheated with the air that has been heated with a heater, and then cooking is performed by use of superheated steam.
Patent Document 1: JP-U1-H3-67902 (pp. 4-6 of the whole-text specification, and FIGS. 1-3)
Patent Document 2: JP-A-H11-141881 (pp. 3-5, and FIGS. 1-3)
Patent Document 3: JP-A-H8-49854 (pp. 2-3, and FIGS. 1-7)
Patent Document 4: JP-A-2001-263667 (pp. 2-4, and FIGS. 1-6)
Patent Document 5: JP-A-2002-272604 (p. 13, and FIG. 19)


A test apparatus and method for testing passive optical networks is provided. The test apparatus includes an optical circuit having an optical coupler for splitting off a portion of optical traffic. During testing of a passive optical network, the optical circuit is coupled into an optical path of the passive optical network. A bit stream corresponding to an activating procedure is captured and analyzed to extract identification information of the module that sent the bit stream.

Passive optical networks (PONs) are point-to-multipoint networks, in which a central optical line terminal (OLT) is connected with a plurality of optical network units (ONUs) by means of an optical distribution network (ODN) including spans of optical fiber connected by optical splitters and couplers (OSCs). Typically, a single OLT controls the communication with all ONUs installed in a PON, broadcasting downstream signals to the ONUs, and organizing upstream communication from the ONUs to the OLT using time-domain multiple access (TDMA). In TDMA, each ONU is assigned a time slot, within which the ONU may transmit an upstream signal. The OLT is configured to ensure that upstream transmissions from different ONUs do not collide, that is, do not occupy a same time slot. Due to the TDMA organization of a PON, upstream transmissions from ONUs to the OLT are usually bursty in nature, while the downstream transmissions from the OLT to ONUs tend to be more continuous. A technician servicing a PON travels to various locations of the ODN, and checks optical power levels at those locations, to ensure that optical signals propagate to appropriate ODN destinations with acceptable optical loss. Both average optical power levels and peak optical power levels may be measured and recorded. Peak optical power levels may be useful for characterization of bursty upstream signals.
Referring to FIG. 1, a prior-art PON test device 100 is shown. The PON test device 100 was disclosed by Ruchet in US Patent Application Publication 2006/0171711 A1. The PON test device 100 includes a 2×2 coupler 32, a wavelength division multiplexor (WDM) 68, and first 38, second 42, and third 44 photodetectors for detecting optical signals at wavelengths of 1310 nm, 1490 nm, and 1550 nm, respectively.
In operation, the test device 100 is coupled in an optical path between an OLT 110 and an ONU 120. The OLT 110 generates downstream optical signals S2 at 1490 nm and S3 at 1550 nm, which are coupled to a first through port 28 of the 2×2 coupler 32. The 2×2 coupler 32 power-splits the downstream optical signals S2 and S3. Eighty percent (80%) of optical power of the downstream optical signals S2 and S3 are coupled to a second through port 30 of the 2×2 coupler 32. Then, the signals S2 and S3 (attenuated by 20% by the 2×2 coupler 32) propagate to the ONU 120. Twenty percent (20%) of the optical power of the downstream optical signals S2 and S3, denoted in FIG. 1 as S2′ and S3′, are coupled to a first drop port 36 of the 2×2 coupler 32. The first drop port 36 is coupled to the WDM 68. The WDM 68 separates the signals S2′ and S3′, directing the resulting signals S2″, S3″ to the second 42 and third 44 photodetectors, respectively.
The ONU 120 generates an upstream optical signal S1 at 1310 nm, which is coupled to the second through port 30 of the 2×2 coupler 32. The 2×2 coupler 32 power-splits the upstream optical signal S1. Eighty percent (80%) of the optical power of the upstream optical signal S1 is coupled to the first through port 28 of the 2×2 coupler 32, and the attenuated signal S1 propagates to the OLT 110. Twenty percent (20%) of the optical power of the upstream optical signal S1, denoted in FIG. 1 as S1′, is coupled to a second drop port 34 of the 2×2 coupler 32. The split signal S1′ is coupled to the first photodetector 38. As a result, the optical power of the signals S1, S2, and S3 propagating between the OLT 110 and the ONU 120, may be measured without breaking an optical link between the OLT 110 and the ONU 120.
In a PON, a large number of ONUs may be connected to a single OLT. When the PON is expanded or reconfigured, some ONUs remain connected to the ODN, and some ONUs are transferred to be connected to different optical fibers within the ODN. Due to a high reconfiguration rate of the PON, and due to a large number of optical connections within the PON, network operators are increasingly facing a problem that network documentation is not synchronized with a current configuration of the PON, making network servicing difficult. It is not uncommon for a service technician to call the central office for a network update, and/or disconnect individual subscribers successively one by one, in an attempt to find a correct optical fiber to take an optical power measurement. Besides being tedious and prone to misconnection errors, this procedure is disruptive to subscribers.


An improvement on liquid sac type brassieres including brassieres having a left cup and a right cup each of which has a sac disposed therein. The sac is comprised of two tough water-impermeable soft plastic sheets fused together to form a bag-like container for receiving a required volume of liquid. The surface of the soft plastic sheet on the inner side of the sac is provided with a plurality of finger-like soft massaging bosses. The wavy motion of the liquid inside the sacs cause the soft massaging bosses to press and massage the acupuncture points around the user's breasts to stimulate breast blood circulation and metabolism.

(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improved liquid sac type brassieres, and more particularly to new brassieres that have infrared and water wave pressing massaging functions.
(b) Description of the Prior Art
Women are usually concerned with the size of their busts. Busts can be enlarged by means of surgery or medicine; however, they have adverse side effects.
For safety reasons, brassieres padded with sponge or silicon are commonly used to women to make their busts appear larger, but they do not look natural. In recent years, there has been developed a kind of brassieres that utilizes liquid sacs to create the look of large busts. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, cups 1 of brassieres B are each provided with a sac 2 filled with a liquid 21 such that the sac 2 is just located at a lower portion of the user's breast A to support the breast A and prevent drooping thereof. Besides, the liquid will move with the movement of the user, so that there is a natural appearance. Therefore, although they are expensive, they are very popular. Prior art includes R.O.C. Publication No. 214038 for brassieres with stimulating massaging functions, and R.O.C. Publication No. 301866 for improved brassier pad structure.
Said R.O.C. Publication No. 214038 is characterized in that the interior of a container is filled with two liquids of different densities that do not dissolve in each other. The liquids will shake with the movement of the user's body to stimulate and massage the user's breasts in a natural fashion. However, the concept of utilizing the vibration of two liquids of different densities to stimulate and massage the breasts is good, massaging function in actual use is not ideal.
As for R.O.C. Publication No. 301866, it is characterized in that a container is filled with a plurality of hollow ball particles and liquid lubricant. The hollow ball particles are used to massage the breasts. However, as the hollow ball particles are disposed in the liquid, the intended effects cannot be achieved, as with said R.O.C. Publication No. 214038.

Liquid sac type brassieres having water wave finger pressing massaging functions


The present invention includes methods and apparatus for increasing the efficiency of remote service transactions. According to the present invention, a smart card includes optics for receiving information from a television channel and a modem for providing real-time two way communication with a remote service provider. To maintain system security, data that is provided to the card may be encrypted. The present invention also includes applications of the smart card such as remote financial services, near video-on-demand with automated order and billing, pay-per-view with automated order and billing, appointment TV, home shopping, real-time market studies and opinion polls and electronic gaming and sweepstakes.

Consumers today are confronted with a bewildering variety of goods and services such as cable television, financial transactions and home shopping catalogues. Currently, consumers must separately access each distinct service. For example, to order a pay-per view movie currently requires contacting a cable television operator through one device, often a telephone, and contacting a bank through a different device, an automatic teller machine or a computer. There are many other examples of the splintering of goods and services amongst different devices, which causes consumer confusion and inefficiency.
Apart from the difficulties from the consumer's standpoint, present technology does not provide for efficient data gathering and similar functions. For example, present opinion polls are typically conducted by telephone, which is expensive and time consuming, which may deter persons from participating in the poll. Other data gathering operations suffer from similar flaws.
Present information technology has further limitations. Despite an existing infrastructure of cable television channels, the television industry has yet to provide consumers with the type of interactivity becoming increasing popular in multimedia applications. There is thus a need for a device that allows existing communication infrastructures to provide real time interactivity for television.
As will be described, the present invention solves the disparate problems presented by current technology by integrating a wide variety of interfaces to goods, services and other information providers within a hand held, portable device. The present invention achieves real time interactivity for television networks or other sources and is convenient for consumers. These and other advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description.

Interactive smart card system for integrating the provision of remote and local services


An electronic system comprising a receiver module and a mobile device, whereby the receiver module is capable of receiving data transmissions from a network of ground stations and buffering the data for future use, and whereby the receiver module provides a means for making requests for access to this buffered data, and the mobile device is capable of generating requests to the receiver module in order to access the buffered data and of displaying the data or playing the data to an operator.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of aircraft tracking and information services, and more specifically to a system capable of receiving and processing transmissions from multiple aviation sources, including, but not limited to, automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) towers, Very High Frequency Omni-Range (VOR) ground stations, and other aircraft.
2. Description of the Related Art
Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast, or ADS-B, is a surveillance technology for tracking aircraft that is part of the Next Generation (NextGen) Air Transportation System.
The system relies on two avionics components: a high-integrity GPS navigation source and a data link (ADS-B unit or receiver). There are several types of certified ADS-B data links, but the most common ones operate at 1090 MHz, essentially a modified Mode S transponder, or at 978 MHz (United States only).
ADS-B consists of two different services, "ADS-B Out" and "ADS-B In". "ADS-B Out" periodically broadcasts information about an aircraft, including identification, current position, altitude, and velocity, to the outside world, providing air traffic controllers with real-time position information typically more accurate than the information available with current radar-based systems. "ADS-B In" is the reception by aircraft of information including weather data, flight information, traffic avoidance information, and direct communication from nearby aircraft.
The ADS-B system can provide traffic and government generated graphical weather information through the TIS-B (Traffic Information Services-Broadcast) and FIS-B (Flight Information Services-Broadcast) applications.
The majority of aircraft operating within United States airspace will be required to be equipped with at least "ADS-B Out" by January of 2020. Because of this move toward the mandate of ADS-B equipped aircraft, it is seen as important to aviation electronics suppliers and pilots alike that an inexpensive, yet reliable system be available for implementation of the ADS-B functionality. Some suppliers are offering ADS-B solutions that interface with mobile computing devices such as an iPad, in order to provide a relatively inexpensive display for the system that is also capable of running applications and performing other tasks when not being used as an ADS-B display.
While using a mobile device such as an iPad is an innovative approach, the solution is not without its issues. Mobile devices run on battery power, and therefore often drop into "sleep" mode in order to conserve battery life. When the mobile device is in sleep mode, or when the ADS-B application (that is, the software application or program executing on the mobile device and performing the ADS-B functionality) is pushed into the background by another competing application running on the mobile device, the ADS-B application is likely not receiving broadcasts from the ADS-B system, and therefore may be missing important weather updates. When a pilot or other operator turns the mobile device on (or "wakes" it from sleep mode) to check the weather, he or she may have just missed a weather broadcast, or may have missed one almost 15 minutes earlier (the approximate broadcast rate of national weather updates), and so the weather display may be significantly out of date. The pilot could fly into inclement weather he or she cannot see on the erroneous (not updated) display.
What is needed in the art is a system that is capable of caching multiple generations of broadcast data (including but not limited to ADS-B weather broadcasts), providing access to those multiple generations of data or to a selected subset thereof to a mobile device upon request by the mobile device, a means for displaying the data or data subset on the mobile device either as still imagery or as an animation, and a means for automatically detecting when the mobile device has "awakened" or turned on and transmitting cached broadcast data to the mobile device upon wake up such that it is displayed in a usable manner.

Automatic multi-generational data caching and recovery


A ceiling has elongated suspension members that attach to ceiling joists or structure and an interlocking tile mechanism. The individual tiles are provided with opposed side walls having mating interlock features for aligning and supporting a network of suspended tiles.

A number of different systems and structures exist for providing a drop or suspended ceiling in a room. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, suspended ceilings are assembled such that they are spaced a predetermined distance below the ceiling joists, in contrast to ceilings which are mounted directly on strips attached to a ceiling joist or original ceiling structure. Suspended ceilings generally comprise a plurality of individual ceiling tiles. The individual tiles may take a number of overall geometries, but are typically rectangular or square. Also, many different materials are used to fabricate ceiling tiles such as pressed fibrous materials or synthetic polymers. In particular, it is known to use synthetic resins to form precast ceiling tiles which are both lightweight, washable and durable. These precast tiles may be provided with an embossed or textured surface to add an aesthetically pleasing appearance to the tile surface which is exposed to view when installed.
The most common drop ceiling system currently in use requires a complicated track system which aligns and supports the individual tiles. It will be appreciated that for proper installation of the tiles, the grid and tiles must meet a number of geometrical requirements. That is, the faces of the tiles must generally lie in a single plane so that a uniform surface is obtained. The tiles must generally be positioned in orderly arrays of rows and columns, although in some configurations alternating rows or columns may be offset a predetermined uniform distance. In any event, the ceiling tiles are generally arranged such that a uniform pattern is created. In addition, there must be means by which the tiles can accommodate variances in the geometry of the ceiling space at corners, pillars and the like, as well as around the perimeter of the ceiling space.
In one conventional track system, after marking the height of the ceiling to be installed, a wall angle molding is attached to the walls around the inside perimeter thereof at the point where the ceiling is to be installed. The moldings are cut to length and the outside corners mitered. Main T support members must then be cut to length so that cross-T slots line up with cross-T points of the previously installed molding. The main Ts run parallel to the room center line and are perpendicular to the ceiling joists. Metal hangers are installed which support the main Ts. The main T is typically provided in sections which are connected together to form a continuous run. Cross-Ts are then installed which run perpendicular to the main Ts to form a grid that supports the individual ceiling tiles or panels. Again, the cross-Ts must be measured and cut to the proper dimensions and are then locked into the main Ts. In most instances the Ts are fabricated of metal and must be cut with tin snips or the like with any burrs and sharp edges being filed off as necessary.
One such suspended ceiling construction which describes the use of "T-bar" and "Z-bar" supporting grid structures is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,070,840, entitled "Suspended Ceiling Construction." This prior art patent points out that grid systems of this type suffer from a number of drawbacks, including the fact that the flanges on the T bars are fully visible from below the ceiling, impairing the aesthetic qualities of the ceiling and making it necessary to employ finished metal in the T-bars so that the visible portions will be as unobtrusive as possible. Concealed grid T-bar structures are also described therein, but it is pointed out that the tiles in most such systems are not removable and must be broken to gain access to the space above as suspended ceiling.
In order to eliminate the many disadvantages associated with ceiling track systems, some effort has been made in the prior art to develop trackless ceiling systems. For example, in British patent specification 941,911 of Mar. 15, 1960, a ceiling system made up of a plurality of ceiling tiles is disclosed which does not require a true supporting grid or special substructure. More specifically, the aforementioned patent specification provides "a suspended under ceiling comprising an assembly of elements adapted to be hung up and each of which are provided with limbs or walls on all sides, characterized by the feature that the limbs or walls of the neighboring elements are interconnected together by means of connecting members, and are suspended directly from a supporting structure at individual points by means of hangers or wires." The connecting of the ceiling elements to one another may be affected for instance by means of clips, rivets, screws, adhesives or like means. For the accommodations of the connecting members the limbs or walls of the ceiling elements are provided with perforations.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,549,114, entitled "Suspension Means For Fall Ceilings" a suspension system for ceilings composed of panels is described which is adapted to have its lower end engaged. Recesses are provided in upwardly directed flanges which are formed at the edges of the ceiling panels. The lower end of the suspension system is equipped with two differently shaped tongues, one of which is formed into a supporting hook to be engaged in a recess of the edge flanges of the tiles. The other tongue is adapted to form a safety catch which extends across the supporting hook to contact the upper edge of one of the edge flanges.
In U.S. Pat. No. 2,935,152, "Acoustical Units And Installed Assemblies Thereof" plastic forms of acoustical tiles are described which include an interlock feature between adjacent abutting tiles and an installed assembly of the tiles. It is claimed that the interlocking system aids in the precise mounting and assembly of the tiles into the desired installed positions relative to each other and functions to maintain the tiles in their assembled positions as an interlocked composite structure.
Although these purported trackless ceiling systems attempt to address the problems associated with the elimination of a supporting grid, they suffer from a number of drawbacks such as requiring difficult installation procedures, complicated or unreliable mounting structures; moreover, many prior art systems are difficult to manufacture or are otherwise unacceptable to consumers such that trackless drop ceiling systems have not gained wide spread acceptance in the marketplace.


A contraceptive or occlusion system for restricting and later opening up a reproductive tract or lumen of the vas deferens. The system is adapted to be reversible after implantation, including implantation on, around or within the vas deferens. A method and system to reconnect a severed body lumen, such as the vas deferens, is also provided.

One form of contraception involves the occlusion of reproductive tracts, particularly, the fallopian tubes in female subjects and the vas deferens in male subjects, with an embolic material and/or occluding device that acutely and/or chronically (following foreign body tissue reaction or epithelialization) blocks passage of sperm through the reproductive tract. Particular forms of occluding devices and systems and methods of inserting the occluding devices in the vas deferens or fallopian tubes are described in commonly owned U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,096,052 and 6,432,116 and in commonly assigned U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. 2001/0041900, 2005/0045183, 2005/0085844, 2005/0192616, 2005/0209633, and 2006/0009798, for example, certain features of which are embodied in the Ovion® permanent contraceptive system sold by the assignee of the present invention. Various contraceptive devices and delivery systems disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. 2005/0045183, 2005/0209633, 2006/0009798 and 2008/0308110, as well as PCT Patent Application Publication No. 2007/133222 can be employed, in whole or in part, with the present invention. As a result, each of the above-identified disclosures and publications is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
The vasectomy is the most common contraceptive procedure performed in males. There are about 60,000 vasectomy reversals performed each year. The procedure involves severing the vas deferens. A vasectomy may be reversed and is commonly accomplished by suturing the two ends of the vas deferens back together. This procedure usually requires the physician 2-4 hours in the operating room working under a microscope. It would be desirable to provide contraceptive systems that provide improved delivery and deployment systems, and implant structures.

Reversible contraceptive implant system and method


The present invention is directed to an “warm” asphalt paving composition that contains an modified asphalt binder and aggregate, wherein the asphalt binder is modified, at least in part, by the addition of a hydrated phosphate modifier to the asphalt.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to asphalt paving compositions comprising a hydrated phosphate modifier, and more particularly to the inclusion of a hydrated phosphate modifier because it tends to decrease the temperature typically necessary for mixing and forming or compressing asphalt concrete to attain certain specifications and characteristics.
2. Description of the Related Technology
As is well known, asphalt is commonly used as a paving material. Typically, the asphalt, often referred to as "asphalt cement" or "asphalt binder," is mixed with an aggregate to form an asphalt concrete suitable for paving. Thus, asphalt concrete is usually described as comprising aggregate held within a continuous phase of asphalt binder by adherence of the asphalt binder to the aggregate. Conventional methods of producing and paving with asphalt concrete typically require mixing the asphalt binder and aggregate at a temperature of at least 300° F. (about 150° C.) and paving at temperatures between about 265 and 320° F. (about 130 and 160° C.). Asphalt paving compositions made by such methods are often referred to as "hot mix asphalt" or "HMA" as used herein. In terms of handling, hot mix asphalt is able to be paved to the technical specifications and mechanical properties required by many governmental agencies. Unfortunately, however, the high temperatures typically used during production and paving of hot mix asphalt creates potential problems involving environmental, economic, and health concerns. For example, heating the components to typical hot mix temperatures requires a large amount of energy usually from burning of fossil fuels, which tends to be costly, generates emissions, including CO2 and noxious gases, and releases offensive odors.
Asphalt paving compositions may also be produced at temperatures lower than those used for hot mix asphalt (see, e.g., WO95/22661), and are often referred to as "cold mix asphalt." This type of asphalt concrete, may be made by first preparing the asphalt binder as an emulsion, in which the liquid asphalt is suspended in water, or as a foam The asphalt binder emulsion or foam is then mixed with a cold and moist aggregate ("moist" is a relative term, it is aggregate that has not been heated to dry off moisture as in the hot mix process). Cold mix asphalt may be desirable for use where conventional asphalt would be difficult to produce, e.g., in remote locations or low ambient temperature environments. However, because of the methods used to make cold mix asphalt, it typically does not have the same characteristics as conventional hot mix asphalt. Cold mix asphalt tends to be permeable to water and air, which can make it more susceptible to a loss of road surface than hot mix asphalt. Cold mix asphalt also tends to have less cohesion than hot mix asphalt, which tends to result in less internal stability. Without being held to a particular theory, it is believed that cold mix asphalt suffers from these problems for several reasons related to the low temperatures employed in its production, including poor mixing of the binder and the aggregate, the presence of water in the asphalt concrete, and difficulty in spreading and compacting the asphalt concrete. Moreover, cold mix asphalt tends to require a longer cure time than hot mix asphalt, which is usually ready for use after the pavement has cooled. Despite the benefits from using lower temperatures, the use of cold mix asphalt has been limited because it typically cannot be used to produce a compacted asphalt concrete with technical specifications and mechanical properties substantially equivalent to that of a compacted hot mix asphalt.
Additionally, asphalt concrete may be produced at reduced temperatures between about 250 and about 275° F. (about 121 and about 135° C.), slightly lower than those used for making hot mix asphalt. Asphalt concrete made by such methods is often referred to as "warm mix asphalt" or "WMA" as used herein. Because warm mix asphalt is produced using lower temperatures than hot mix asphalt, it has the potential to be a lower-cost, lower-impact alternative to hot mix asphalt. That said, making warm mix asphalt typically requires some process modification(s) from that used to make hot mix asphalt so that the warm mix asphalt, when compressed, can have physical properties similar to that of compressed hot mix asphalt. For example, because of the reduced temperatures the asphalt binder tends to be more viscous, which can make it more difficult to mix, spread, and compact. To counter the increased viscosity typically associated with warm mix asphalt, a non-polymeric additive often referred to as a "warm mix modifier" or "warm mix additive" is typically added either directly to the asphalt mixture or to the asphalt binder before creating the asphalt mixture. Warm mix asphalt compositions typically do not require any other formula changes relative to hot mix asphalts and tend to have comparable resiliencies. Advantageously, it has been observed that for a variety of asphalt binders warm mixed asphalts tend to have increased densification/compaction across the ranges of usual temperatures and aggregate sizes.
Warm mix asphalt may offer several advantages for construction in the field. Because methods of making warm mix asphalt employ lower temperatures than conventional hot mix asphalt, it is safer to handle. Lower temperatures for warm mix asphalt may also allow a longer time period between picking up asphalt from a plant and laying the asphalt. Thus, hauling loads of asphalt over longer distances may be possible without a critical loss in temperature. When paving in cool ambient temperatures, warm mix asphalt tends to be easier to compact than hot mix asphalt because it tends to remain workable at lower temperatures and typically provides a longer window of time for compaction. As a result, warm mix asphalt is particularly suitable for paving in cool climates and can extend the paving season into the fall or winter in regions with moderate climates. This feature may be advantageous on large paving projects or projects with fall deadlines. Additionally, warm asphalt mixes may allow faster construction of pavements made up of deep lifts of asphalt because the temperature of warm asphalt mix is lower and less time is required to cool the mix between placing lifts. This is particularly advantageous for paving intersections, which generally need to be opened as soon as possible. Warm mix asphalt may be used for all lifts, usually about 0.75- to about 3-inches thick.
Warm mix technology is also compatible with common mix designs on the market, including Superpave and Marshall designs, as well as with production equipment and laydown equipment. Warm mix additives are also compatible with a wide ranges of aggregates and binders, including polymer-modified binders and binders comprising recycled asphalt. Additionally, in situations in which a stiff asphalt is desired polymeric modifiers are typically added, which tend to make achieving the desired degree of compaction more difficult, using warm mixes instead of hot mixes have helped achieve desired levels of compaction.
In addition to its advantages in construction, warm mix asphalt may also provide environmental, economic, and health benefits related to its use of temperatures below those used for conventional hot mix asphalt. Using reduced temperatures requires less energy and therefore consumes less fuel, typically fossil fuels. Thus, warm mix asphalt production has the potential benefits of using fewer non-renewable resources and controlling costs for producers of asphalt. Several warm mix technologies claim to reduce fuel consumption by 30 to 55%. Additionally, emission reductions has become an increasingly important concern especially in densely populated areas that persistently exceed governmental standards. Such regions have ozone levels high enough that the Environmental Protection Agency has designated them non-attainment areas. In these areas, emissions are highly regulated, so that asphalt production may be constrained by certain regulations, e.g., making asphalt mix at night. Because warm mix asphalt has the potential to reduce plant emissions in different stages of production and by up to 30%, its production may make it easier to obtain permits that would allow producers to make asphalt mix in areas and at times they previously could not. Emissions reduced by warm mix technologies include carbon dioxide, and carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and nitrous oxides. Economically, reduced emissions may also reduce costs attributed to emissions control which can account for 30 to 50% of a producer's overhead costs. In addition to emissions, conventional asphalt heated to high temperatures used for making it also generates noxious odors and gases which may pose health risks for construction workers in the field. Using warm mix asphalt reduces the exposure of construction workers to these occupational hazards, as well as allowing safer handling at reduced temperatures.
In view of the foregoing, numerous efforts have been made to modify warm mix asphalt to increase its use. In particular, much of the effort has been directed to reducing the viscosity of asphalt by including various non-polymer modifier additives to the asphalt concrete mix or even to the binder compositions and the aggregate. The two primary types of modifying paving asphalt involve either foaming the asphalt or adding waxes (hydrocarbon-based modifiers) to the asphalt. Foaming methods are based on the principle of adding moisture to the asphalt and vaporizing the moisture to thereby cause the asphalt to foam, which tends to decrease the viscosity of the mix and improve adhesion. Waxes, on the other hand, are believed to improve the flow of the mix because of a lubricating effect.
One example of a foaming-type of technology involves the use of a zeolite, which is a hydrated silicate, as a warm mix asphalt modifier as disclosed in US 2005/0076810. Zeolites are framework silicates that have large interconnected vacant spaces and channels in their structures that allow easy absorption and release of water without damaging their structures. The percentage of water held internally by the zeolite is typically about 20% by mass and is usually released in the temperature range of 185° to 360° F. (about 185° to 182° C.). One such commercially available zeolite warm mix modifier is Aspha-Min® (Eurovia Services of Bottrop, Germany). It is a manufactured synthetic zeolite comprising sodium aluminum silicate that has been hydro thermally crystallized. Typically, Powdered Aspha-Min® is added to the asphalt mix at about 0.3% by mass of the mix at the same time as the binder. The heat associated with mixing asphalt drives water from the zeolite structure creating a volume expansion of the binder and resulting in foaming of the asphalt, which tends to increase the workability and aggregate coating to levels achieved at temperatures about 50° F. (30° C.) higher if the zeolite had not been added.
Another example of foaming-type technology involves using a two-component binder system for making warm mix asphalt as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,846,354. This technology is commercially available under the WAM-Foam® tradename by Shell International Petroleum, London, UK and Kolo-Veidekke, Oslo, Norway. In particular, using this technology the aggregate is first mixed with a soft asphalt binder at a temperature between about 230 and 250° F. (about 110° to 121° C.) and then the aggregate pre-coated with the soft binder is mixed with hard binder that is foamed by a concurrent injection of water that vaporizes. The foamed hard binder combines with the soft binder to achieve the required final composition and properties of the asphalt product. The initial coating of the aggregate with the soft binder is critical for preventing water from reaching and entering the aggregate. In fact, because moist aggregate negatively impacts adhesion of the binder thereto an adhesion improver is often used in the first mixing stage to enhance coating of the aggregate by the soft binder. The quality of the warm mix asphalt made using the WAM-Foam® technology also depends on the careful selection of the soft and hard binders.
Examples of asphalt modification waxes include Sasobit® (Sasol Wax, South Africa), which is fine crystalline, long chain aliphatic hydrocarbon produced from coal gasification using the Fischer-Tropsch (FT) process, and Asphaltan B® (Romonta GmbH, Amsdorf, Germany), which is a low molecular weight esterified wax based on Montan wax constituents and higher molecular weight hydrocarbons. Typically, in warm mix asphalt applications wax modifiers constitute between about 2 and 4% by weight of the mix.
Although many of the foregoing methods of reducing the temperature for making an asphalt concrete or paving composition that has mechanical properties similar to conventional hot mix asphalt have been effective to various degrees, a need continues to exist for a warm mix asphalt concrete or paving composition having mechanical properties similar to hot mix asphalt (e.g., degree of compaction and adhesion and resistance to stripping, fatigue, resistance to rutting, cracking, oxidation, etc.), in addition to other qualities that make it a desirable paving material (e.g., cost, energy requirements, environmental concerns, ease of use, etc).

Polyphosphate modifier for warm asphalt applications


A data processing system issuing electronic certificates through “online” networks of personal computers, televisions, or other devices with video monitors or telephones. Each electronic certificate includes transaction data and identification data, and can be printed out on a printing device linked to a consumer's personal input device, or electronically stored in a designated data base until a specified expiration date. The certificate can be used for various purposes, including use as a coupon for a discounted price on a product or service, proof of a gift or award, proof of reservation, or proof of payment. Consumers access the data processing system online, browse among their choices, and make their selections. The data processing system provides reports on the selected certificates and their use following selection. Certificate issuers also have online access to the data processing system and can create or revise offers, and provide various instructions pertaining to the certificates, including limitations as to the number of certificates to be issued in total and to each individual consumer.

The present invention generally relates to the use of an interactive marketing network. More specifically, the present invention relates to the interactive use by service providers and consumers of electronic certificates over online networks.
Increasingly, consumers are gaining direct access to data bases for information and entertainment, whether through phone lines and coaxial cable or by wireless connections from cell systems and satellites. With this so-called "online" access, consumers can use data bases for a range of activities at virtually any time. Besides granting freedom to the consumer, online access gives added efficiencies to companies merchandising products and services, whether those products are sold directly to the consumer by mail or in a store.
At the same time, various types of transactions are currently consummated using certificates such as coupons, tickets, etc. These certificates typically contain data (referred to in the claims as "transaction data") describing the particular transaction (e.g., in the case of a coupon, the transaction data would include a product description, the coupon amount, and the expiration date). These certificates also typically contain data (referred to in the claims as "identification data") such as various numbers, letters, barcodes or other symbols sufficient to uniquely identify each certificate.
The need arises for creation of an online "electronic certificate" that can be used for promotional or transactional purposes, much as coupons have been used in such traditional marketing vehicles as newspapers and mail packs. Beyond offering a discount as an incentive to buy a feature product, the coupon is also currency, printed in quantities limited by the issuer and often carrying unique serial numbers, expiration dates and "source codes" which indicate the means by which it was distributed (e.g. newspaper, mail list, in-store dispenser, etc.), so issuers can track the effectiveness of each marketing medium.
Known coupon dispensing systems, for example, fail to interactively communicate between a service center and a third party, as pointed out in U.S. Pat. No. 5,303,197 to Axler. While the Axler patent permits an operator to periodically "visit" a dispensing machine, this does not allow "real time" interactivity (e.g., it does not permit the operator to access and analyze demographical data contemporaneous with its input). Nor does Axler (or any other known prior art systems) envision the creation of an online "electronic certificate," as will be described below.
A data processing system and method according to the present invention successfully emulates the attributes of a coupon over an online network (i.e., an "electronic coupon" is created). Moreover, given the direct access to consumers, the data processing system exceeds the capabilities of traditional coupons by providing issuers a greater degree of control in targeting the offer, restricting its use and tracking both the selection and redemption process. The data processing system's controls also make it possible for service providers, such as restaurants and hotels, to use an online electronic certificate as a promotional means and a way to lower overhead in providing such transactions as dining, travel and ticket reservations.

Process for the distribution and redemption of coupons