A method for distributing timely information over a computer network where a Timely Information Server collects and organizes information from Timely Information Providers and then broadcasts the organized information to endusers in the form of an alerts over a plurality of alert channels. The alert is comprised of keywords and arguments, wherein the keywords describe the subject matter of the alert and the arguments provide content of the alert. The Timely Information Server maintains a dictionary of all possible keywords and the endusers copy a portion of the dictionary to their local computers to create individual keyword profiles which are comprised of keywords and Boolean operators. When an alert satisfies a Boolean equation in a users keyword profile the headline of the alert (stored as an argument) is displayed and the user is given the option to link his/her web browser to an associated URL (also stored as an argument).

The Global Computer Network, more commonly referred to as the Internet, is comprised of many individual networks, such as NSFNet and the Defense Data Network, along with gateways to others, such as Bitnet. The Internet is a Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) based network linking millions of computers around the world. The use of TCP/IP allows a wide variety of computers to communicate with one another including Unix workstations, personal computers running MS DOS, Windows, Linux, OS2, MacOS, BeOS, IBM mainframes, DEC mini-computers, and even Cray supercomputers.
The Word Wide Web (WWW) is a network of servers on the Internet, each of which has one or more home pages, and which provides information and hypertext links to other documents on that and other servers. The Word Wide Web was developed in 1989 by Tim Berners-Lee at the European Laboratory for Particle Physics (CERN). World Wide Web servers communicate with clients by using the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP). The resources on the Worldwide Web are provided with Uniform Resource Locators (URLs) which provide an address for the servers that are part of the World Wide Web portion of the Internet. The documents which make up the substance of the World Wide Web are typically viewed using specialized software packages referred to as browsers. When a browser is directed to a URL and the hypertext document associated with URL is displayed by the browser or an associated helper application.
Uniform Resource Locators are a naming scheme for specifying how and where to find any Internet server resource, such as Gopher, FTP, WAIS or Web servers. World Wide Web hypertext documents use URLs to reference other hypertext resources.
The hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) is an Internet protocol designed expressly for the rapid distribution of hypertext documents. Like other Internet tools, such as FTP, WAIS, or Gopher, HTTP is a client-server protocol. In the client-server model, a client program running on the user's machine sends a message requesting service to a server program running on another machine on the Internet. The server responds to the request by sending a message back to the client. In exchanging these messages the client and the server use a well understood protocol. FTP, WAIS, and Gopher are other examples of Internet client-server protocols, all of which are accessible to a World Wide Web browser.
The HTTP protocol is designed expressly for the delivery of hypertext documents. At the simplest level, HTTP servers act much like anonymous FTP servers, delivering files when clients request them. However, HTTP servers support additional important features including the ability to return to the client not just files, but also information generated by programs running on the server and the ability to take data sent from the client and pass this information on to other programs on the server for further processing. These special server site programs are called gateway programs, because they usually act as a gateway between the HTTP server and other local resources, such as databases. Just as an FTP server can access many files, an HTTP server can access many gateway programs; in both cases, you can specify which resources, files, or programs you want through a URL. The interaction between the server and these gateway programs is governed by the Common Gateway Interface (CGI) specifications. Using the CGI specifications, a programmer can easily write simple programs or scripts to process user queries, interrogate data bases, make images that respond to mouse clicks, download a program to the client machine or any number of other functions.
The Hypertext Markup Language, or HTML, is the language used to prepare hypertext documents. HTML contains commands, called tags, to mark text as headings, paragraphs, lists, quotations, emphasize and so on. It also has tags for including images within the documents, for including fill-in forms that accept user input, and most importantly, for including hypertext links connecting the document being read to other documents or Internet resources such as WAIS databases and anonymous FTP sites. Hypertext links allow a person to click on a string of highlighted text and access a new document, an image, or a movie file from a computer thousands of miles away. The document is specified by URL, which is included in the HTML markup instruction and which is used by the browser to find the designated resource. URLs can point to other HTML documents, pictures, sound files, movie files, or even database search engines. They can be on a local computer or anywhere on the Internet. They can be accessed from HTTP servers or from FTP, Gopher, WAIS, or other servers.
Internet Protocol Multicast (IP Multicast) is a client-server protocol which provides one-to-many and many-to-one communications capability across the Internet. This is substantially different from the traditional one-to-one or point-to-point connections that most current LAN and WAN applications support. Multicasting allows for video conferencing, electronic whiteboards and other multimedia uses for networks as well as non-multimedia applications such as updating mail server databases.
IP Multicast allows the same message to be sent to many locations at once instead of sending the same message to single locations over and over again. IP Multicasting allows routers to efficiently locate routes to many networks and endusers at once. The protocol also allows a single copy of each packet to be sent on a shared link and ensures that packets are only sent to links that have at least one recipient, thereby addressing both networking load and security concerns.
IP Multicast requires destination hosts wanting to receive a multicast to subscribe (register), using the Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP). IGMP also supports other related functions, such as leaving a multicast group or specifying an alternate route. Subscribing is done by specifying the Class D IP address used for the particular multicast (similar to tuning to a particular radio station). Routers track such IGMP requests and build a connectivity tree for each possible sender to each registered receiver. When multicast traffic is received from a particular sender, the router uses its tree for that sender to determine on which ports traffic needs to be forwarded. IP Multicast, IGMP, and PIM are further described and defined in RFC 1112 and MBONE Multicasting Tomorrow's Internet, Savetz, Randall and Lepage, IDG Books, Foster City, Calif. 1996.
There are three potential router to router protocols to support routers dynamically learning which multicast group's data need to be sent out which ports. This process is commonly referred to as building trees and the protocols are: Protocol Independent Multicast (PIM) (supported by the ITF and Cisco) which works with more protocols than just TCP/IP; Distance Vector Multicast Routing Protocol (DVMRP, used by MBONE and supported by Bay Networks); and Multicast Open Shortest Path First (MOSPF, supported by Proteon). Apple Simple Multicast Routing Protocol (SMRP) provides similar capabilities but currently only for Appletalk traffic from applications such as Quicktime Conference.
The most common of the router protocols is Protocol Independent Multicast. PIM's big advantage is that it supports multicast traffic over existing unicast routing protocols, such as IGRP, IS--IS, OSPF, and RIP. Protocol Independent Multicast is further defined as having two distinct modes, dense-mode PIM and sparse-mode PIM.
Dense-mode PIM is intended for networks in which most LANs need to receive the multicast (such as LAN TV, corporate information broadcasts, and other broadcast events). It uses reverse path forwarding, in which the traffic is initially sent to (flooded) all router interfaces (except the one on which it arrived). Downstream routers that do not need a traffic feed (either because they have no receivers on their interface or because they are already receiving the feed from another port) reply with a prune message, asking to be removed from the forwarding list (the tree).
Sparse-mode PIM is generally intended for networks in which several different multicasts (each going to a small number of receivers) are typically in progress simultaneously (such as desk top video conferencing, collaborative computing, and whiteboard applications). Senders and receivers first register with a single router, which is designated the rendezvous point. Traffic is sent by the server to the rendezvous point, which then forwards it to the registered receivers. As intermediate routers see the source and destination of the multicast traffic (it is unlikely that the best path from the source to destination goes through the rendezvous point), they optimize the paths so that the traffic takes a more direct route (likely bypassing the rendezvous point). Traffic is still sent to the rendezvous point, in anticipation of new receivers registering.
One of the most prominent developments to arise out of multicasting has been a shift in the way in which information is gathered and distributed on the Internet. Traditionally, information distribution has occurred through the client-pull model. The new paradigm for information retrieval and distribution is the server-push model.
An example of the client-pull model is a user directing a browser to a particular URL (this is a request for information), the server responds by transferring the HTML associated with the specified URL via HTTP, the user's browser decodes the HTML and displays the hypertext document it defines. This is how the user's client application, the browser, "pulls" information off the server. Often the retrieved hypertext document will have tags referring to other URLs which the user can access by selecting the tag and thereby "pulling" even more information off the server.
In the server-push model, a server multicasts ("pushes") information over a communication channel were it can be accessed by multiple clients by tuning into the appropriate channel much in the same way a television is tuned. The new push technology category of software solves three major problems. First, it reduces the bandwidth used by users who are continuously accessing news services via their browsers. Second, because the channels are organized by topic, it frees the user from having to search through information they are not interested in viewing. Third, it allows for greater control over what the users can access, a distinct advantage in an educational or corporate environment.
The server-push model also enhances the options for information distribution across an enterprise. Users can be provided with custom data from news services and other Websites. Users can send out personalized messages with requests for responses, they can send multimedia files, and even request information from remote databases. These messages can be sent in a variety of means, including pop-up boxes, ticker tapes, screen savers, and wallpaper.
The server-push model and the wide variety of "push" technologies derived from it have provided the user with new sources of information and may reduce the amount of time spent actively searching the Internet for information. However, there is as of yet no coherent method for the user to identify what information he wants to receive. In most prior art implementations the user has only limited options for filtering the information being "pushed" at him/her. Furthermore, most prior art implementations of push technology limit the response available to user. In many instances the user gets a URL pushed at him so that he/she ends up reverting to the traditional client-pull model. There is a need for a push based information distribution method which provides a users with a coherent means for filtering what information is received and intelligently responding to the information. There is a further need for a push based information system that is not based upon a store-and-forward model. There is yet a further need for an information server which does not retain any third party information and is therefore able to minimize the need for scale dependent server hardware and the operational complexity associated with a large datacenter.


A system and method for converting organic wastes to biodegradable thermoplastic materials including polyhydroxyalkanoates is disclosed, which method includes treating the organic wastes with an acidogenic microbial population to form fermentative organic acids, and polymerization of the organic acids by PHA-producing microbial species to form PHAs. The system includes a first compartment for acidogenesis of organic wastes without oxygen, and a second compartment, for polymer synthesis by enriched cultures of species with oxygen such as R. eutropha, P. oleovorans, or mixtures thereof. The compartments are integrated with barriers that permit mass transfer of organic acids while maintaining different culture conditions in the compartments.

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are polyesters accumulated by many prokaryotic organisms as intracellular carbon and energy reserve materials under limited nutrients, such as nitrogen or phosphorous. PHA polymers demonstrate thermoplastic or elastic properties depending upon their particular composition. These materials have attracted interest because of their potential use as biodegradable alternatives to petroleum-based synthetic plastics such as polypropylene and polyethylene. Efforts have been made to produce PHAs by microbial fermentation on glucose and organic acids. The production of biodegradable thermoplastics from organic wastes can provide multiple benefits to the environment, and contribute to sustainable development.
Organic wastes are usually complex in nature, and cannot be directly utilized by PHA-producing microbes such as Ralstonia eutropha, a representative bacterium for PHA synthesis. Hydrolysis and acidogenesis is the first step in converting the wastes to short-chain fatty acids such as acetic, propionic and butyric acids, that can be further utilized by PHA-producing bacteria. At present, there are technological difficulties in coupling the waste acidogenesis and PHA synthesis steps. In essence, both acid-producing and PHA-producing cells can be cultivated in a mixed culture, and the acids released by the former are directly utilized by the latter. The PHA content of the solid mass, however, is not high enough (10–30% by wt.) for effective polymer recovery, due to the considerable amount of non-biodegradable matter in the waste, as well as the biomass of non-PHA producing microbes. Furthermore, a high acid concentration due to the high microbial activity of acidogenic microbes would inhibit the microbial activity of PHA-producing cells.
An improved system could contain two separate bioreactors, in order to satisfy the different physiologies and metabolic activities of the two types of microbes; one for acidogenesis of organic wastes, and a second for an enriched culture of PHA-producing strains, such as R. eutropha. The fermentative acids should preferably be transferred from the first reactor to the second reactor without causing a solid mixing between the two reactors, so that an enriched culture of R. eutropha with a high PHA content can be maintained in the second reactor. Furthermore, the acid accumulation and toxicity in the PHA-producing reactor would also be under control.

Production of biodegradable thermoplastic materials from organic wastes


A broadcast receiving device includes a table storage component, a viewing control acquisition component, a first determination component and a table production component. The viewing control acquisition component acquires program viewing control information including a column number and a row number. The first determination component determines whether or not to satisfy one of a column determination condition that the column number is greater than a first specific number of a first viewing control table and a row determination condition that the row number is greater than a second specific number of the first viewing control table. The table production component produces a second viewing control table having a number of columns corresponding to the column number and a number of rows corresponding to the row number when the first determination component determines that one of the column determination condition and the row determination condition is satisfied.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a broadcast receiving device. More specifically, the present invention relates to a broadcast receiving device for receiving television broadcasts.
2. Background Information
Broadcast receiving devices receive television broadcasts and output the television broadcasts to monitors so that the television broadcasts are visible from outside. The number of channels that can be viewed has been increasing with an increase of popularity of digital broadcasts. There are now more programs that include violence, obscenity, and so forth. Therefore, there is a growing need to control the programs that can be viewed by children, so that the children will not be exposed to such programs.
With some conventional television receiver, a user selects in advance a rating level to be subject to viewing control (see Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application 2000-354209, for example). Rating information indicating viewing control conditions is extracted from a television signal. Specifically, the rating information is transmitted with the television signal. Then, a received rating level corresponding to the rating information is identified. If the received rating level is equal to or lower than the selected rating level, then viewing control is executed. In other words, viewing of the television signal is blocked.
Meanwhile, on Mar. 15, 2006, the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) mandated that broadcast receiving devices shall include a function for acquiring an RRT (Rating Region Table) transmitted in a broadcast and updating a viewing control table (hereinafter referred to as a rating table) based on the acquired RRT (see Code of Federal Regulations, Title 47—Telecommunication, Chapter I, §15.120, "Program blocking technology requirements for television receivers"). The rating table is a table that specifies viewing control conditions preset according to positions in a column direction and positions in a row direction.
Also, program viewing control information specifies the viewing control conditions for each program. The program viewing control information is information included in a program information table (event information table; hereafter referred to as "EIT"). The program viewing control information is transmitted as a CAD (Content Advisory Descriptor). The CAD specifies the viewing control conditions as number information indicating a position in a column direction of the rating table and as number information indicating a position in a column direction (see ATSC (Advanced Television Systems Committee) Standard A/65C, for example).
Therefore, the broadcast receiving device can set whether or not the program viewing control specified by the CAD is to be executed by referring to the rating table. However, referring to ATSC Standards A/65C and A/69a, a transmission period of the EIT which includes the CAD is 0.5 second. A transmission period of the RRT is 60 seconds. Thus, the transmission period of the EIT is shorter than the transmission period of the RRT. Therefore, it happens that the CAD indicating the specific location of an updated RRT is received before the updated RRT is received. The user cannot set whether or not to execute the viewing control corresponding to the CAD until the updated RRT is received.
In view of the above, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure that there exists a need for an improved broadcast receiving device. This invention addresses this need in the art as well as other needs, which will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure.


A toner for electrophotography contains a binder resin, a charge control agent, and a colorant. The colorant is a black iron oxide compound containing 10 to 45% by weight of titanium component calculated in terms of Ti atom in relation to Fe atom when measured by wavelength dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometry. Peaks at Bragg angle 2θ of the toner to CuKα X-ray are peak A at 32.9 degrees ±0.3 degrees and peak B at 35.5 degrees ±0.3 degrees, and X ray intensity ratio between peaks A and B (A/B) is in the range of 0.3 to 2.0 at a scan speed of 0.5 to 4 degrees/min.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a toner for developing an electrostatic latent image which is adapted for use in electrophotography or the like; a process cartridge housing such a toner; an image forming apparatus used with such a toner; an image foxing process using such a toner; and an image forming process using such a toner.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various electrophotographic processes have been proposed including those described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,297,691, Japanese Patent Application Publication (JP-B) Nos. 49-23910 and 43-24748. An electrophotography, however, is generally a process accomplished by forming a latent electrostatic image on a photoconductor by various means utilizing the photoconductor material, developing the latent image by using dry toner, transferring the toner image to a paper or the like, and fixing the transferred image by applying heat, pressure, or the like to thereby produce a photocopy.
The processes used for developing the latent electrostatic image can be roughly categorized into a liquid development process using a developer wherein various pigments and dies are finely dispersed in an insulating organic liquid, and a dry development process such as cascade development, magnetic brush development, and powder cloud development wherein a toner having carbon black or other colorants dispersed in a natural or synthetic resin is used. The dry development process includes a single component development process and a two component development process wherein a carrier is used together with the toner.
The process used for thermally fixing the toner image onto the transfer paper can be generally categorized into contact fixing and non-contact fixing methods. The contact fixing method includes those using a heat roller and those using a belt. The non-contact fixing method includes a flash fixing and an oven (atmospheric) fixing.
The fixing method using a heat roller is highly effective since the toner image and the heat roller are brought into direct contact with each other, and this enables the production of compact apparatus. Accordingly, this method is widely employed.
However, because of the recent requirement for higher energy efficiency, a heat source is often turned off during the waiting period when no fixing is conducted. In such apparatus, heating of the heat roller should start as soon as the heat source is turned on and the predetermined desirable temperature should be attained in a very short period.
In the case of the fixing unit used in such apparatus, attempts have been made to reduce the thickness of the fixing roller that becomes in contact with the toner image-bearing surface to the level of 1.0 mm or less to thereby improve the thermal energy efficiency (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) Nos. 2002-82474 and 09-222750). Such attempts have paid off, and the time required to attain the predetermined desirable temperature has been reduced to a very short period.
Reduction of the thickness of the fixing roller to the level of 1.0 mm or less, however, resulted in the loss of the mechanical strength of the roller itself. A large load cannot be applied to the roller because the roller is deformed by such a large load.
This situation requires a toner adapted for use of such a fixing unit having a low temperature fixability of the level incomparable to the conventional toners.
Various technical proposals have been made to solve such situation.
For example, Japanese Patent (JP-B) No. 2743476 proposes a toner adapted for use in roller fixing, wherein the toner comprises a core particle consisting of a polyester resin and a wax having a polar group and the core particle is coated with a resin, and in this patent, the polyester resin and the wax are defined for their melt viscosity. JP-A Nos. 03-122661, 04-85550, and JP-B No. 08-16804 disclose toners to be fixed on a film, comprising a particular polyester and a particular release agent, and in these applications, the melt viscosity of the polyester resin at 80° C. to 120° C., the gradient of the curve of the melt viscosity in relation to the temperature, and the melt viscosity of the release agent are defined. JP-B No. 08-12459 proposes a capsule toner to be fixed on a film, comprising a particular polyester resin and a particular release agent, and in this application, the melt viscosity of the polyester resin at 80° C. to 120° C., the gradient of the curve of the melt viscosity in relation to the temperature, and the melt viscosity of the release agent are defined. JP-B No. 07-82250 discloses a toner be fixed on a film, comprising a particular polyester resin, a particular organometallic compound, and a particular release agent, and in this application, the melt viscosity of the polyester resin at 120° C. to 150° C., the gradient of the curve of the melt viscosity in relation to the temperature, and the melt viscosity of the release agent are defined. JP-B No. 07-72809 proposes a toner comprising a styrene-acryl resin, and in this application, the relation between the melt viscosity measured at 110° C. to 130° C. and the temperature are defined. JP-A No. 10-246989 proposes a toner comprising a particular charge control agent, and in this application, the average viscosity gradient of the toner is defined.
In addition, corresponding to the demand for the reproduction of a high quality image, there has been a trend towards the toner particle size to be reduced. A toner with a smaller particle size is known to have a poor fixability since it becomes difficult to apply a sufficient pressure to such small toner particles between fixing rollers. This trend is even more significant in the fixing unit operated at a low bearing force.
Attempts have also been made to replace carbon black with other colorants, for example, fine powders of black metal compounds with high safety and good thermal conductivity.
For example, JP-B No. 2736680 proposes a mixture of Fe2TiO5 and Fe2O3-FeTiO3 solid solution having an average particle size of 0.1 μm to 0.5 μm; JP-B Nos. 3101782, 3108823, and 3174960 disclose a magnetic iron oxide comprising 25% to 30% of FeO; JP-B Nos. 3224774 and 3261088 propose a magnetite having a residual magnetization of 6 emu/g or less; JP-A No. 2000-319021 discloses iron oxide particles wherein the interior comprises Ti, and the surface comprises Ti and Fe; JP-A No. 2002-129063 discloses a rutile TiO2 mixed phase crystal having a saturation magnetization of 0.5 emu/g to 10 emu/g and a particle size of 0.1 μm to 0.4 μm; JP-A No. 2002-189313 proposes a metal compound having a saturation magnetization of 30 emu/g or less and a dielectric loss of 50 or less; and JP-A No. 2002-196528 discloses a metal compound having a saturation magnetization of 40 emu/g or less used at a content of 20 parts by weight or less; and JP-A No. 2000-10344 discloses black hematite fine particles and black hydrous iron oxide fine particles.
However, when the fixing unit having a roller with reduced thickness operated at a low bearing force is used to correspond to the increasing demand of energy saving, toners produced by the prior art technologies are far from being sufficient to realize the required fixability.
In addition, the colorants used as substitutes for the carbon black have been insufficient in electroconductivity, and the charge build up speed and stability thereof have been insufficient.

Toner for electrophotography, and image fixing process, image forming process, image forming apparatus and process cartridge using the same


A method is disclosed for locating a plurality of tire condition sensing apparatuses mounted on a vehicle. At first, all of the antennas in the vehicle are maintained at an activation status for receiving and decoding a signal transmitted from one of tire condition sensing apparatuses of the tired, and a signal intensity is obtained. When a tire condition sensing apparatus is assured to continuously emit the signal, the antennas are alternatively turned on an off so as to obtain a plurality of signal intensity changes, and the tire condition sensing apparatus is located on the tire to which the antenna producing the maximum value of the signal intensity changes is corresponding.

Insufficient air pressure within a pneumatic tire of a vehicle at least will result in awkward driving, such as more gas consumption, lower tire endurability and shorter tire operation life, and even worse, will cause a flat tire which endangers passengers' life. A tire monitoring system can assist a driver at any time inside the car to check the tire conditions, such as tire pressure, tire temperature, etc., thereby effectively increasing the vehicle safety.
FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a vehicle 10 equipped with a conventional tire condition sensing system 11. The system 11 includes a plurality of tire condition sensing apparatuses 12, 14, 16 and 18 are installed on four respective tires, and antennas 22, 24, 26 and 28 are mounted on the positions of a vehicle main body adjacent to the tire condition sensing apparatuses 12, 14, 16 and 18 respectively, and the antennas 22, 24, 26 and 28 are connected to a receiver 30 (having a signal-receiving circuit) located in the vehicle main body. While in operation, each of the tire condition sensing apparatuses in turn emits a tire condition signal wirelessly. After the antennas 22, 24, 26 and 28 receive the signal, the signal is transmitted to the receiver 30, and then the driver is informed of the tire condition via a display apparatus (not shown).
When the receiver 30 receives the signal, the tire condition sensing system 11 has to fist distinguish the location of the tire condition sensing apparatus emitting the signal, so as to notify the driver that which tire the signal belongs to. Generally, with a conventional skill for recognizing the relative positions between the tire condition sensing apparatus and the tires, an operator has to perform the step of deflating and inflating the tires individually, so as to force each tire condition sensing apparatus to continuously emit the signal regarding tire condition due to the rapid pressure drop of each tire, and then the signal is decoded to obtain an identification code of one certain tire condition sensing apparatus, thus establishing the corresponding relationship between the tire condition sensing apparatuses and the tire locations. Therefore, while in operation, when the receiver receivers a signal, the identification code of the signal can be obtained after decoding, and then the location of the tire emitting the signal can be known via the aforementioned corresponding relationship between the tire condition sensing apparatuses and the tire locations.
However, the aforementioned conventional skill cannot be automatically performed, but needs manual operation. To deflate and inflate each individual tire is quite time-consuming, and the locations of tire condition sensing apparatuses have to be re-learned every time when the tires are replaced or switched. Thus, the conventional skill is quite inefficient and takes a lot of time and effort, so that the consumers' requirements cannot be satisfied.
Hence, there is an urgent need to develop a method for locating tire condition sensing apparatuses, thereby automatically recognizing the locations of tire condition sensing apparatuses and greatly shortening the recognition time, thus effective saving manpower and material resource, and meeting the consumers' requirements.

Method for locating tire condition sensing apparatuses


The present invention provides a system and method of performing user authentication on web based applications, such as IBM's Network Station Configuration Preference Manager. In particular, the system and method saves and continuously passes user information back and forth between a web client and a web server. The user information can then be used by CGI programs being executed on the web server for authentication purposes. Specifically, each CGI program will examine the user information, determine the authority privileges of the user, run the CGI program under a non-default user mode, return user information back to the web client, and return the CGI job to run in a default user mode.

A current trend in network computing is to provide lower cost workstations without sacrificing end-user capabilities. Such workstations are being made available through the exploitation of the emerging Internet technologies that continue to be developed. In particular, new network solutions, such as IBM's Network Station, utilize a World Wide Web environment wherein each client workstation behaves like a Web client (i.e., it utilizes a Web browser) connected to an HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) server. While these new workstations typically have less computing power than traditional personal computers or UNIX workstations (thereby reducing cost), they are better equipped to take advantage of various applications on file servers such as IBM's AS/400, PC servers, RS/6000, System/390 etc.
Web based applications on web servers are implemented through CGI (Common Gateway Interface) programs, scripts or some other form of application program interface (API), such as Netscape's.TM. NSAPI, Microsoft's.TM. ISAPI, or Java's Servlet API. Similar to the act of retrieving HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) documents on web servers from web clients, CGI programs provide the means by which web clients can run applications in real time on web servers and receive back dynamically created output. CGI programs are executed each time a client requests a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) corresponding to the CGI program. A limitation involved in the running of CGI programs is the fact that a web based server does not typically keep track or know which user is running a given CGI program. This can create potential security problems, particularly in the case where it is desirous to have programs behave differently depending upon the privilege level of the user.
Accordingly, it is of particular importance with such systems that utilize Internet technologies to provide some means of user authentication. Unlike with existing terminal emulation networking, web-based systems do not necessarily know, or care to know, who the user is that wants to run a particular CGI program or what the user's level of privileges are. As noted, this can become a serious limitation if an end user is a systems administrator, and the end user needs to perform system configuration functions from a remote workstation. For example, a systems administrator should be able to pull up non-default screens and execute protected programs not available to the general public. (E.g., certain menu options, such as the option to manipulate a password file, should not be available to every user.)
While it is known to have CGI programs execute differently depending upon the user profile or ID supplied to the operating system, this obviously cannot be accomplished unless the operating system knows the identity (and perhaps the password) of the end user. As noted above however, most web-based file servers provide no built-in system for recognizing web users. While it may be possible to ask for a user ID and password each time a subset of CGI programs are executed, such a system would create far too much overhead since the number of programs requiring user ID or profile checking may be extremely high. Rather, what is preferred is a system that keeps track of who the user is each time a CGI program is executed and then acts accordingly.
Some HTTP servers are known to include processes for performing very limited forms of basic user authentication. These servers, however, require that the web user provide a password each time the client is directed to a new server. Given the number of servers that may be involved in a web based network, this presents serious limitations. Thus, a system is required that can provide user authentication over a complete web based network.

Generic user authentication for network computers

International Business Machines Corporation


Systems, methods, and apparatus are provided that allow a user to draw and edit a chemical structure. Aspects of the present disclosure may include receiving an input corresponding to an amendment to a portion of an in-progress chemical structure, and identifying, based at least in part upon the amended in-progress chemical structure, one or more molecular scaffolds from a set of candidate molecular scaffolds. Each molecular scaffold may be configured to, upon one or both of (i) appending to the amended portion of the in-progress chemical structure and (ii) replacing or partially replacing the amended portion of the in-progress chemical structure, provide a resulting chemical structure or chemical structure fragment that has been previously rendered. The one or more molecular scaffolds may be provided for presentation on the graphical display as option(s) for selection by a user in creating the graphical representation of the chemical structure.

Chemical structure rendering software is widely used by research and educational institutions to depict chemical structures and chemical reactions of interest. Unlike chemical formulas or chemical names, structural formulas provide a graphical representation of the molecular structure. A graphical chemical structure representation is capable of indicating the arrangements of atoms in a way that a chemical formula cannot.
Current methods for drawing and editing chemical structures on a computer utilize mouse-driven or touch pad commands that include pointing and clicking on displayed menu items in a graphical user interface. Existing chemical structure rendering applications for handheld electronic devices such as tablet computers and portable phones utilize the same menu-driven paradigm. These applications can be clumsy when attempting to draw complex chemical structures including many separate elements.

Draw-ahead feature for chemical structure drawing applications


The present invention relates to a transconductance circuit intended to convert a differential input voltage, supplied as two signals to two inputs, IN+ and IN− respectively, into a differential output current. According to the invention, each of the two signals of said differential input voltage is supplied to each input, IN+ and IN− respectively, through a follower transistor, TF+ and TF− respectively, connected to said input, IN+ and IN− respectively, by its emitter and receiving said signal on a control electrode. Moreover, each of the two inputs, IN+ and IN− respectively, of the transconductance is connected to a respective current source, CS− and CS+ respectively, that is dynamically controlled by the other input of the transconductance, IN− and IN+ respectively, said current source, CS− and CS+ respectively, being such that the current supplies to each input, IN+ and IN− respectively, by said current source, CS− and CS+ respectively, eliminates current variations caused by voltage variations of the input voltage signal.

Such a highly linear differential transconductance is presented in patent U.S. Pat. No. 5,497,123. This differential transconductance combines two sides each including a single input transconductance. Such a transconductance is a class AB transconductance. This class is advantageous as this is an intermediate between class A, where the consumption is independent of the processed signal, and class B, where there is consumption only when a signal is processed. Advantages of class AB transconductance are also that they present a weak DC and are linear on a large range. Such a transconductance is presented for implementation in a reception chain. As such the transconductance exhibits a low input impedance to match the image rejection filter output impedance. Consequently, the presented transconductance is well adapted to the reception chain as the obtained gain is inversely proportional to the input impedance. A low input impedance is adapted to discrete applications where the input of the transconductance is an off-chip input.
For integrated applications the input impedance needs to be high in order to reduce the consumption. Moreover, such a transconductance is not adapted to the use in transmission chains where a large and linear input impedance is generally asked for upconversion circuits.

Differential input and output transconductance circuit


A combustor of a combustion turbine engine is described. The combustor may include an inner radial wall, which defines a combustion chamber downstream of a primary fuel nozzle, and an outer radial wall, which surrounds the inner radial wall so to form a flow annulus therebetween, and the combustor may include a socket extending from the outer radial wall into the flow annulus. The socket may include: a mouth formed through the outer radial wall; a floor offset a predetermined distance from an outboard surface of the inner radial wall; impingement ports formed through the floor; and an axial nozzle.

This invention relates to combustors in combustion turbine engines and, specifically, to the cooling of combustor components, such as the liner, in such engines.
Conventional gas turbine combustion systems employ multiple combustor assemblies to achieve reliable and efficient turbine operation. Each combustor assembly includes a cylindrical liner, a fuel injection system, and a transition piece that guides the flow of the hot gas from the combustor to the inlet of the turbine. Generally, a portion of the compressor discharge air is used to cool the combustion liner and transition piece, and is then introduced into the combustor reaction zone to be mixed with the fuel and burned.
In systems incorporating impingement cooled transition pieces, a hollow impingement sleeve surrounds the transition piece, and the impingement sleeve wall is perforated so that compressor discharge air will flow through the cooling apertures in the sleeve wall and impinge upon (and thus cool) the transition piece. This cooling air then flows along an annulus between the sleeve surrounding the transition piece, and the transition piece itself. This so-called "cross flow" eventually flows into another annulus between the combustion liner and a surrounding flow sleeve. The flow sleeve is also formed with several rows of cooling holes around its circumference, the first row located adjacent a mounting flange where the flow sleeve joins to the outer sleeve of the transition piece. The cross flow is perpendicular to impingement cooling air flowing through the holes in the flow sleeve toward the combustor liner surface.
The presence of this cross flow negatively impacts the cooling effectiveness of the impinge coolant entering through the impingement sleeve and the flow sleeve. This effect is greater as the coolant moves toward the forward end of the combustor because of the increased cross flow through the annulus and has a particularly strong influence on the cooling effectiveness in the zone near where the first row of jets in the flow sleeve would have been expected to impingement cool the combustor liner. Specifically, the cross flow impacts the first row of flow sleeve jets, bending them over and degrading their ability to impinge upon the liner. In addition, the cooling effectiveness of the cross flow itself is reduced once the flow assumes an almost purely axial flow direction, which tends to occur as the coolant moves toward the forward end of the combustor and into the annulus surrounding the liner.
The low heat transfer rate can lead to high liner surface temperatures within the liner and transition piece and, ultimately, loss of material strength. Several potential failure modes due to the high temperature of the liner include, hut are not limited to, cracking of the aft sleeve weld line, bulging and triangulation. These mechanisms shorten the life of the liner and/or the transition piece, requiring replacement of the part prematurely. As a result, there is a need for improved cooling systems in this region of the turbine.

Assemblies and apparatus related to combustor cooling in turbine engines


A metallic double-sided element comprising a coupling head includes: thin flat plate portions; coupling convex portions projecting at a central portion in the right-left direction of the thin flat plate portion; right and left raised portions which are raised in the front surface-rear surface direction from the thin flat plate portion disposed on the right and left sides of each of the coupling convex portions and integrated with the body portion; and a coupling concave portion which is formed surrounded by the coupling convex portion, the right and left raised portions and the body portion, wherein each of the right and left raised portions has a slope portion which is inclined from a front edge toward the body portion such that the slope portion rises thereof, part of each side face of the right and left slope portions is integrated with part of right and left side faces of the coupling convex portion in a face bonding manner.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a metallic double-sided element for a slide fastener, having a coupling convex portion and a coupling concave portion on both front and rear surfaces thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
Slide fasteners have been widely used in an opening of bags or the like in order to open/close the bags or the like. As one of such slide fasteners, there is known a slide fastener in which two sliders are arranged on a fastener chain such that their heads oppose each other or their bottoms oppose each other, whereby the fastener chain can be opened/closed even when the slider is slid in any direction of forward and backward along element rows.
Double-sided elements are used in the slide fastener having the two sliders. Such a double-sided element is configured such that a coupling head thereof is formed into a symmetrical shape in regard to its front face and rear face (back to forth in a sliding direction) in order to provide operating feeling of the slider in each direction with no difference when the slider is slid forward or backward with respect to the element row. Particularly, the metallic double-sided element having excellent strength, appearance, durability and flexibility, etc. is used in the opening of clothes, bags and the like using strong fabric.
Examples of the double-sided elements have been disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open No. 1-80012 (patent document 1), Chinese Utility Model Application Publication No. 2170665Y (patent document 2) and the like. A double-sided element 51 described in the patent document 1 as shown in FIG. 10 includes a coupling head 52, a body portion 53 disposed at the rear end side of the coupling head 52, and a pair of right and left leg portions 54a, 54b extending to the rear end side of the body portion 53.
The coupling head 52 includes a flat plate portion 52a thinner than the body portion 53, coupling convex portions 52b projecting from front and rear faces of the flat plate portion 52a, right and left projecting edge portions 52c disposed on both right and left side edges of the element 51 and projecting forward from the body portion 53, and a coupling concave portion 52d formed between the coupling convex portion 52b and the body portion 53. In the double-sided element 51 of the patent document 1, improvement of its coupling strength is achieved by forming the coupling convex portions 52b higher than the flat plate portion 52a when the element 51 is molded by pressing.
In this case, to provide the coupling convex portion 52b projectingly high in a predetermined shape, it is necessary to use the thickness around the coupling convex portion 52b. For the purpose, the right and left projecting edge portions 52c disposed on the coupling head 52 are formed with their projecting length from the body portion 53 limited, and the coupling convex portion 52b and the right and left projecting edge portions 52c are disposed apart from each other. Further, the height of the bottom face of the coupling concave portion 52d is set to the same one as the front and rear faces of the flat plate portion 52a, and the flat plate portion 52a is provided at the front end side of the coupling convex portion 52b.
According to the patent document 1, a front end face 52e of the flat plate portion 52a is formed wide and flat in the right-left direction. Thus, by constructing the slide fastener using the double-sided element 51 of the patent document 1, a chain width when the elements are coupled can be reduced so as to obtain a slide fastener having an excellent appearance.
On the other hand, the double-sided element 61 described in the patent document 2 as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 includes a coupling head 62, a body portion 63, and a pair of right and left leg portion elements 64a, 64b, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9. The coupling head 62 has a flat plate portion 62a formed thinly, a slope portion 62b disposed between the flat plate portion 62a and the body portion 63, and central convex portions 62c and right and left convex portions 62d projecting from the front and rear surfaces of the flat plate portion 62a.
The central convex portion 62c is disposed in the center in the right-left direction of the front end side of the flat plate portion 62a. Each side face of the front, rear, right and left sides is formed of an inclined face such that the bottom portion is expanded. The right and left convex portion 62d is disposed inside of right and left side edges of the element 61 and between the central convex portion 62c and the slope portion 62b while its peripheral face is formed in a tapered configuration. Particularly, the right and left convex portions 62d are constructed so that the edge on the front end side makes linear contact with the edge of the central convex portion 62c while its rear end is invading into the slope portion 62b.
In the double-sided element 61 of the patent document 2, a coupling concave portion 62e is formed among the central convex portion 62c, the right and left convex portions 62d and the slope portion 62b. Further, the height in the front surface-rear surface direction of each of the right and left convex portions 62d is set larger than the body portion 63, and the height in the front surface-rear surface direction of the central convex portion 62c is set larger than each of the right and left convex portions 62d. Because in the slide fastener constructed with the double-sided element 61 of the patent document 2, the heights of the central convex portion 62c and the right and left convex portions 62d are set higher than the body portion 63, the right and left elements 61 can be securely coupled with each other.
In the double-sided element 51 for the slide fastener described in the patent document 1 (see FIG. 7 10), the coupling convex portion 52b is provided projectingly on the front and rear surfaces of the flat plate portion 52 independently of the body portion 53 and the right and left projecting edge portions 52c. Assume that the slide fastener is constructed using the double-sided element 51 of the patent document 1. In this case, if the fastener element 51 receives an external force such as a lateral pulling force when the elements 51 are in coupling, the independent coupling convex portion 52b is likely to be deformed or chipped by its stress. In addition, the coupling convex portion 52b is hooked easily between the coupling convex portion 52b and the projecting edge portion 52c of a mating element, thereby providing a possibility that coupling strength may drop.
When the double-sided element 51 of this patent document 1 is attached to the fastener tape, the fastener tape is inserted in between the right and left leg portions 54a and 54b with the right and left leg portions 54a, 54b opened at a predetermined angle, and then the leg portions 54a, 54b are caulked inward, so that the elements are implanted successively at a predetermined pitch onto the element attaching portion of the fastener tape. However, when the right and left leg portions 54a, 54b of the element 51 are caulked in this way, the right and left leg portions 54a, 54b are deformed plastically to hold the fastener tape and at the same time, the coupling head 52 of the element 51, particularly, the right and left projecting edge portions 52c are deformed so that they are expanded outward. Consequently, there is a fear that the coupling state, coupling strength and the like of the element 51 might be affected when the slide fastener is constructed.
Further, because the double-sided element 51 of the patent document 1 is provided with the flat plate portion 52a formed on the front end side of the coupling convex portion 52b, sliding resistance is large when the slide fastener is opened or closed, whereby operation feeling of the slider is heavy. Additionally, the flat plate portion 52a may be formed on the front end side of the coupling convex portion 52b. In this case, for example, when a user touches an element row, he or she likely feels that the flat plate portion 52a is projected from the coupling head 52 and thus, there is a room for improvement in the tactile feeling and the like on the element rows.
On the other hand, the double-sided element 61 for the slide fastener described in the patent document 2 is so constructed that the central convex portion 62c and the right and left convex portions 62d keep contact through their edges, the peripheral wall of the coupling concave portion 62e is not formed continuously so that it is interrupted between the central convex portion 62c and the right and left convex portions 62d. Thus, the central convex portion 62c and the right and left convex portions 62d are not formed so as to support each other but the central convex portion 62c and the right and left convex portions 62d are provided substantially independently.
For this reason, the element 61 of the patent document 2 has such a problem that when a slide fastener is constructed with the elements, the central convex portion 62c is likely to be deformed or chipped thereby deteriorating its coupling strength, when the element receives a lateral pulling force or the like upon coupling of the elements 61 like the case of the patent document 1. Further, in the double-sided element 61 of the patent document 2, when the right and left leg portions 64a, 64b are caulked to attach the element to the fastener tape, the right and left convex portions 62d and the flat plate portion 62a disposed outside thereof are likely to be deformed such that they are expanded outward, like the case of the patent document 1.
Further, in the double-sided element 61 of the patent document 2, the flat plate portion 62a is disposed on the front end side of the central convex portion 62c also. Thus, when the slide fastener constructed with the double-sided elements 61 is opened or closed, a large sliding resistance is applied to the slider so that the operation feeling of the slider becomes heavy, thereby worsening the tactile feeling of the element rows, which is a disadvantage.

Metallic double-sided element and slide fastener


A first shallow well 5, a second shallow well 3, a third deep well 4, a fourth shallow well 5' and a fifth shallow well 2 are formed on an electroconductive substrate 1, in which a first and second digital series power supplies DVDD, DVSS are each connected to the first shallow well 5 completely included by the third deep well 4 and the second shallow well 3 partially included by the third deep well 4 respectively, a first and second analog series power supplies AVDD, AVSS are each connected to the fourth and fifth shallow wells 5', 2 not included by the third deep well 4 respectively, a MOS transistor constituting a digital circuit is formed on the surface of the first and second shallow wells 5, 3 to which the digital series power supply is connected and a MOS transistor constituting an analog circuit is formed on the surface of the fourth and fifth shallow wells 5', 2 to which the analog series power supply is connected. As a result, it can be effectively prevented at a low cost for the digital noise of the CMOS integrated circuit mixedly loading the analog and digital circuits from being backfired to the analog circuit.

Conventionally, there has been a method of utilizing an SOI (Silicon On Insulator) as a most effective means for preventing the digital noise from being fed back into to the analog circuit in a CMOS integrated circuit on which both analog and digital circuits appear. For the SOI, its operational effectiveness is shown in, for example, "A Bonded-SOI-Wafer CMOS 16-bit 50 ksps Delta-Sigma ADC", IEEE 1991, Custom Integrated Circuits Conf. 18. 1.
FIG. 1 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a CMOS integrated circuit using such an SOI arrangement, in which reference numeral 47 denotes a silicon substrate, 48 and 50 each an n-substrate, 49, 51 a p-well formed within the n-substrate, 52 SiO.sub.2, 53, 59 a contact of the n-substrate, 54, 55, 60, 61 a source/drain of a p-channel transistor, 56, 57, 62, 63 a source/drain of an n-channel transistor, 58, 64 a contact of the p-well, 65 through 68 a gate polysilicon, DVDD a digital positive power supply, DVSS a digital negative power supply, AVDD an analog positive power supply and AVSS an analog negative power supply.
If such an SOI arrangement is adopted, since an area constituting the analog circuit (the area comprising the n-substrate 48 and the p-well 49 in FIG. 1) and an area constituting the digital circuit (the area comprising the n-substrate 50 and the p-well 51 of FIG. 1) can be separated with SiO.sub.2 52, the noise feedback from the digital to the analog circuit can be reduced.
However, with the foregoing conventional CMOS integrated circuit using the SOI arrangement, its manufacturing process, which requires bonding and grinding, is complicated, so that it takes much time to manufacture while its manufacturing cost is high.


A heat-activatable adhesive comprising from about 30 to about 70 wt. % of one or more elastomers, from about 20 to about 60 wt. % of one or more novolac phenolic resins, and an effective amount of one or more crosslinking agents capable of effecting crosslinking of the one or more novolac phenolic resins, wherein the ratio of the mass of the one or more novolac phenolic resins over the mass of the one or more elastomers is at least about 0.65.

Assemblies comprising electronic elements such as flexible, partially flexible or rigid electronic circuits or integrated circuits which are positioned in a recess of a polymeric carrier substrate such as a polymeric card, are widely used, for example, in the form of credit cards, cash cards, smart cards, telephone cards or identification cards such as radio frequency identification (RFID) tags. The electronic carrier elements have been bonded to the polymeric carrier substrate by means of structural adhesives which are desired for high bond strength and tamper resistance, but which are usually brittle and do not provide the durability and flexibility required during usage of credit cards, smart cards and similar assemblies.
A heat-activatable adhesive film for use with a data storage medium has been described with an integrated circuit element arranged in a recess of the body of a card. The exemplified film comprises nitrile rubber, phenolic resin and zinc oxide. This adhesive resin tends to be too brittle and not sufficiently flexible for many applications.
An electronically conductive, thermoplastic and heat-activatable adhesive sheet has been described to contain a thermoplastic polymer in a proportion of at least 30 weight percent (wt. %), one or more tackifying resins in a proportion from 5-50 wt. %, and/or epoxy resins with hardeners in a proportion of from 5-40 wt. %, as well as metalized particles in a proportion of from 0.1-40 wt %, and from 1-10 wt. % non-deformable or virtually non-deformable spacer particles. The exemplified adhesive sheet contains nitrile rubber, phenolic resin, glass beads and gold-coated polystyrene beads.
Also known are electrically conductive, thermoplastic and heat-activatable adhesive films. Such known heat-activatable adhesive films tend not to be sufficiently flexible for demanding applications such as credit cards, identification cards, or smart cards.


The invention provides an Internet banking system which can present services more familiar to daily life of individual users, and a bank server apparatus, etc. which can limit available banking services depending on user attributes. From the viewpoint of security, the invention reduces risks of information leak from a client terminal device to third persons and unauthorized accesses from third persons. Banking software for connection to the bank server apparatus is installed in the client terminal device. The banking software can display a screen transfer, etc. in the off-line condition. The banking software prepares transaction instruction data from information entered by the user on the displayed screen and temporarily holds it in the client terminal device. When the client terminal device is connected to the bank server apparatus, the held data is uploaded to the bank server apparatus. In the client terminal device, application software can be utilized in linkage with the banking software so as to display the contents of an electronic bankbook. As examples of the application software, household account-book software, petty cashbook software, etc. can be provided to users.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a bank system using the Internet.
2. Description of the Related Art
With recent rapid development of the Internet, it has become possible to make various commercial transactions on the Internet.
Utilization of the Internet has also progressed in banking transactions. Users are now able to, from personal computers (abbreviated to "PCs" hereinafter) at home, log in to bank server apparatuses (referred to as "bank servers" hereinafter) installed in banks for transferring money to another bank account, confirming the balance of a bank account, taking out a loan, opening a new bank account, and closing a bank account.
In such a case, each user first accesses to the bank server. Responsive to access, the bank server transmits log-in screen information to the user PC via the Internet. The user PC has a browser installed therein beforehand, and the browser displays, on the PC, a screen defined by the received screen data.
The user enters a log-in account and a password on the log-in screen displayed by the browser, whereupon the log-in account and the password are transmitted to the bank server. Then, the bank server authenticates the user's log-in.
Corresponding to data sent from the user PC, the bank server transmits information of screens, such as a transfer screen and a balance confirmation screen, to the user PC.
Looking at the displayed screen, the user is able to confirm the balance, for example. Also, the user can instruct the bank server to perform various transactions (various processes on a bank account) by entering necessary items on the transfer screen, etc. and sending them to the bank server.
When trading with banks through Internet banking, however, it has been conventional only to display screen data transmitted from the bank server on a client terminal device (referred to as a "client terminal" hereinafter) using a browser, or to transmit data entered by the user on a predetermined screen to the bank server. Thus, the user cannot prepare, in the off-line condition, data instructing transactions with the bank server.
Also, there has not been practiced application software, such as household account-book software, reflecting the contents of an electronic bankbook (deposit bankbook in the electronic form) that are updated upon transactions with the bank server.
Further, when accounts are opened in the same bank under the names of individual family members, for example, the accounts under the different names have been treated independently of each other. Therefore, even in such a trivial matter that the parent transfers some little money to an account under the child name, the same process as in the ordinary case of transferring money to another bank account has been required.
Accordingly, a first object of the present invention is to provide an Internet banking system which can present services more familiar to daily life of individual users.
Recently, Internet terminals have been installed in elementary and middle schools, and how to access the Internet has been educated to pupils. Thus, the skill for utilizing the Internet has been popularized as a capability generally required for living in society regardless of ages.
However, services provided from the bank server include one that should be avoided from allowing access from any unrestricted persons depending on attributes of accessing users, such as represented by a case of setting up a large amount of loan when the user is a pupil in an elementary school.
Accordingly, a second object of the present invention is to provide a bank server, etc. which can limit available banking services depending on user attributes.
By utilizing the Internet environment, a client is able to access the bank server from any of client terminals, i.e., PCs installed at home and in job site, as well as a portable terminal.
Although the user can access a bank account from a plurality of client terminals, information indicating at what time the previous log-in has been made from which one of the client terminals has not been presented in the past at the time of logging-in to the bank server from the user.
Therefore, it has been hard for the user to confirm the past access records, thus giving rise to a problem from the viewpoint of security.
In other words, there has been a problem that even if a third person fraudulently access a user's bank account from any of terminals belonging to the user, the user is hardly aware of the unauthorized access.
Accordingly, a third object of the present invention is to reduce risks of information leak from a client terminal to third persons and unauthorized accesses from third persons when servicing bank business via the Internet.
From the viewpoint of security, user accessibility to the bank server from many desired places increases opportunities that entry items inputted by a user from the client terminal are exposed to the eyes of third persons.
Various items of information to be kept secret from third persons, such as the log-in account, the user's bank account number, the bank account number to which money is transferred, and the amount of money transferred, are displayed on the client terminal. Therefore, a possibility that information is leaked to third persons is increased in comparison with a conventional case of dealing with the bank account from a bank office, ATM, etc.
Also, when a user moves away from an operating place while keeping a client terminal logged-in to a bank server, there is a possibility that any third person fraudulently accesses the bank server after the user has left the operating place.
Further, in some of conventional bank servers, line connection is forcibly cut off if a certain period of time lapses from the start of displaying a screen on the client terminal. In such a server, however, the certain period of time is fixedly set for all various kinds of screens such as a log-in screen and a transaction screen. Further, in spite of the server forcibly logging out the client terminal and cutting off the line connection, a screen image remains displayed on the client terminal.
Screens to be displayed on the client terminal include various forms ranging, for example, from a log-in screen that is preferably erased in the shortest possible time after entry of necessary items has been completed in time as short as possible, to a transfer screen that has many entry items such as the name of the transferee bank, the bank account number to which money is transferred, and the amount of money transferred, and hence requires a long display time to be set. However, setting of the display time depending on the kinds of screens has not been made in the past.
Accordingly, a fourth object of the present invention is to enable a timeout period to be set for each screen and to further reduce risks of information leak to third persons and unauthorized accesses from third persons.

Client terminal device, storage medium product, bank server apparatus, information transmitting method, information transmitting program, and information transmitting/receiving program


The measuring transducer includes: a measuring tube vibrating, at least at times, during operation and serving for conveying a medium, wherein the measuring tube communicates with a pipeline via an inlet tube piece at an inlet end and an outlet tube piece at an outlet end; a counteroscillator, which is affixed to the measuring tube on the inlet end to form a first coupling zone and affixed to the measuring tube on the outlet end to form a second coupling zone; a sensor arrangement secured, at least in part, to the counteroscillator for registering oscillations at least of the measuring tube; an exciter mechanism secured, at least in part, to the counteroscillator for driving at least the measuring tube; a transducer housing affixed to the inlet tube piece and the outlet tube piece; and connection lines, especially connection lines for the exciter mechanism and/or for the sensor arrangement, of which connection lines at least one is secured at least sectionally along the counteroscillator and secured at least pointwise thereto, as well as to the transducer housing. The connection lines are routed essentially symmetrically with respect to a principal axis of inertia of the inner part formed by means of measuring tube and counteroscillator, especially mirror-symmetrically with respect to at least one principal axis of inertia of the counteroscillator, whereby an essentially symmetrical damping force per unit length can be assured in the measuring transducer.

For determining parameters, for example a mass flow (e.g. mass flow rate), a density, a viscosity, etc., of media, for example liquids and/or gases, flowing in a pipeline, often inline measuring devices are used, especially inline measuring devices embodied as Coriolis mass flow meters, which by means of a measuring transducer of vibration-type and a control and evaluation electronics connected thereto, induce forces, for example Coriolis forces, in the flowing medium and produce, derived from these forces, a measurement signal representing the at least one parameter. Such inline measuring devices with a measuring transducer of vibration type have been known for a long time and have established themselves well in industrial application. Thus, for example in EP-A 317 340, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,398,554, 5,476,013, 5,531,126, 5,691,485, 5,705,754, 5,796,012, 5,945,609, 5,979,246, 6,006,609, 6,397,685, 6,691,583, 6,840,109, WO-A 99 51 946, WO-A 99 40 394 or WO-A 00 14 485, Coriolis mass-flow rheters are described, each with a measuring transducer of vibration-type. Each of the disclosed measuring transducers includes a single, straight measuring tube, which conveys the medium and vibrates during operation. Such measuring tube communicates with the pipeline via an inlet tube piece at its inlet end and an outlet tube piece at its outlet end. Each of the disclosed measuring transducers also includes: An exciter mechanism, which causes the measuring tube during operation, by means of at least one electromechanical, especially electrodynamic, oscillation exciter acting thereon, to oscillate with bending oscillations in a tube plane; and a sensor arrangement having oscillation sensors, especially electrodynamic oscillation sensors, for the at least point-wise registration of oscillations toward the inlet end and toward the outlet end of the measuring tube and for producing electrical sensor signals influenced by the mass flow. Additionally, each of the disclosed measuring transducers has a transducer housing encasing the measuring tube with counteroscillator coupled thereto and encasing also the provided exciter mechanism and sensor arrangement, especially a transducer housing affixed directly to the inlet tube piece and to the outlet tube piece. Besides the oscillation sensors provided for registering vibrations of the measuring tube, the measuring transducer can, as proposed also in, among others, EP-A 831 306, U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,040,179, 5,736,653, 5,381,697 or WO-A 01/02 816, have yet other sensors arranged on the inner part and serving especially for registering perhaps secondary measured variables, such as e.g. temperature, acceleration, strain, stress, etc.
As is known, straight measuring tubes, when excited to bending oscillations of a first eigenoscillation form (the so-called driving-mode, or also, wanted-mode), effect Coriolis forces in the medium flowing through the measuring tube. These forces, in turn, lead to a superimposing, on the excited bending oscillations, of coplanar bending oscillations of a second form of eigenoscillation of higher and/or lower order (the so-called Coriolis mode), such that oscillations registered on the inlet and outlet sides of the measuring tube exhibit also a measurable phase difference dependent on the mass flow. Usually the measuring tubes of such measuring transducers, especially those used in Coriolis mass-flow meters, are excited in the driving-mode to an instantaneous resonance frequency of the first eigenoscillation form, especially at oscillation amplitude controlled to be constant. Since this resonance frequency is especially also dependent on the instantaneous density of the medium, it is possible also by means of Coriolis mass-flow meters common in the market to measure, besides mass flow, also the density of flowing media.
An advantage of straight measuring tubes is that; for example, they can be emptied with a high degree of certainty completely in practically any installation orientation. Especially is this also true after a cleaning process performed inline. Additionally, such measuring tubes are, in comparison e.g. to omega-shaped or helically-shaped measuring tubes, essentially easier and accordingly more cost-favorably manufacturable. A further advantage of a straight measuring tube vibrating in the above described manner is, in comparison to bent measuring tubes, also to be seen e.g. in the fact that, during measurement operations via the measuring tube, practically no torsional oscillations are evoked in the connected pipeline. On the other hand, a significant problem of the above-described measuring transducers lies in the fact that, because of the alternating lateral deflections of the vibrating, single measuring tube, oscillating transverse forces of the same frequency can be caused to act on the pipeline. To this point in time, these transverse forces have only been able to be compensated to a very limited extent and only with a very high technical effort.
For improving the dynamic balance of the measuring transducer, especially for reducing transverse forces caused by the vibrating, single measuring tube acting at its inlet and outlet ends on the pipeline, the measuring transducers disclosed in EP-A 317 340, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,398,554, 5,531,126, 5,691,485, 5,796,012, 5,979,246, 6,006,609, 6,397,685, 6,691,583, 6,840,109 or WO-A 00 14 485 include in each case a counteroscillator embodied as one or more pieces and affixed to the measuring tube on the inlet end, accompanied by the formation of a first coupling zone, and affixed to the measuring tube on the outlet end, accompanied by the formation of a second coupling zone. Such counteroscillators, which are implemented in the form of a beam or especially in tubular form or as a body pendulum aligned with the measuring tube, oscillate during operation out of phase with the measuring tube, especially with opposite phase, whereby the effect of the lateral transverse forces and/or transverse impulses brought about in each case by the measuring tube and the counteroscillator on the pipeline can be minimized and in some cases also completely suppressed.
In the case of commonly marketed measuring transducers having a single measuring tube and a counteroscillator coupled thereto, the oscillation exciter of the exciter mechanism is formed by means of: At least one coil, which is usually affixed to the counteroscillator, and has current flowing through it, at least at times, and a magnetic field passing through it, at least at times; and an armature affixed to the measuring tube and interacting with the at least one coil. In the case of most measuring transducers of the described kind, the oscillation sensors of the sensor arrangement are constructed on the same principle as the aforementioned oscillation exciter. Accordingly, also the oscillation sensors of such a sensor arrangement are, most often, each formed by means of: At least one coil, which is usually affixed to the counteroscillator, and has current flowing through it, at least at times, and a magnetic field passing through it, at least at times; and an armature affixed to the measuring tube and interacting with the at least one coil. Each of the aforementioned coils is, additionally, connected with the mentioned operating and evaluating electronics of the inline measuring device by means of at least one pair of electrical connection lines. The connection lines are usually guided on the shortest possible path from the coils via the counteroscillator to the transducer housing.
Measuring transducers of the described kind having a single measuring tube and counteroscillator have proven themselves, especially in the case of those applications wherein the medium to be measured has an essentially constant density or a density which changes to only a very slight degree, thus, for those applications in which a net force acting on the attached pipeline, resulting from the transverse forces produced by the measuring tube and the counterforces produced by the counteroscillator, can initially be set, without more, assuredly to zero. In contrast, those measuring transducers, especially those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,531,126 or U.S. Pat. No. 5,969,265, in the case of applications with media having densities fluctuating over wide ranges, especially in the case of different media following one after the other, and even when to only a slight degree, exhibit practically the same disadvantage as measuring transducers without counteroscillators, since the above-mentioned net resultant forces are also dependent on the density of the medium and consequently can be different from zero to a considerable degree. Stated differently, also the inner part of the measuring transducer formed by at least the measuring tube and the counteroscillator is globally deflected during operation out of an assigned static rest position, due to density dependent imbalances and transverse forces associated therewith.
A possibility for reducing density dependent, transverse forces is described e.g. in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,287,754, 5,705,754, 5,796,010 or 6,948,379. In the case of the measuring transducers shown there, the more middle, or high, frequency, oscillatory, transverse forces produced on the part of the vibrating, single measuring tube are kept away from the pipeline by means of an, in comparison to the measuring tube, very heavy counteroscillator, and, as required, a relatively soft coupling of the measuring tube to the pipeline, thus, in practical terms, by means of a mechanical low pass filter. A great disadvantage of such a measuring transducer is, among other things, however, that the counteroscillator mass required for achieving a sufficiently robust damping increases more than proportionately with the nominal diameter of the measuring tube. On the other hand, when using such a massive counteroscillator, one must assure that a minimum eigenfrequency of the measuring transducer (which becomes ever lower with increasing mass) still lies far from the likewise very low eigenfrequencies of the attached pipeline. Different, farther-reaching possibilities for reduction of the density dependent, transverse forces are proposed e.g. in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,979,246, 6,397,685, 6,691,583, 6,840,109, WO-A 99 40 394 or WO-A 00 14 485. In the case of the disclosed compensation mechanisms presented there, of essential concern is the expanding of a bandwidth, within which counteroscillator and offset sections are effective, by providing a suitable interaction of the individual components of the inner parts of the measuring transducers. In particular, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,397,685, a measuring transducer of the aforementioned kind is disclosed, wherein a first balancing mass is provided as a mass balancing measure for the exciting oscillation and is connected with the counteroscillator in the longitudinal-axis-perpendicular, central plane of the counteroscillator (which is embodied as a compensation cylinder). Then, second and third balancing masses are provided as a mass balancing measure for the Coriolis oscillation. The second and third balancing masses are embodied as end regions of the counteroscillator. In this manner, it is to be achieved that the inner part composed of the measuring tube and the compensation cylinder is at least largely balanced with respect to mass both for the exciting oscillations of the measuring tube as well as also for the Coriolis oscillations of the Coriolis measuring tube. WO-A 00 14 485 also describes a measuring transducer of vibration-type for a medium flowing in a pipeline. In this case, provided are: An inlet end, first cantilever, which is coupled with the measuring tube in the region of a third coupling zone lying between the first and second coupling zones and which has a center of mass lying in the region of the measuring tube; and an outlet end, second cantilever, which is coupled with the measuring tube in the region of a fourth coupling zone lying between the first and second coupling zones and which has a center of mass lying in the region of the measuring tube. Each of the two cantilevers is provided for executing balancing oscillations, which are so developed that the transverse impulses are compensated, and, consequently, a center of mass of an inner part formed of measuring tube, exciter mechanism, sensor arrangement and the two cantilevers is held locationally fixed. Furthermore, WO-A 99 40 394 describes a measuring transducer of the aforementioned kind in which a first cantilever serving for producing counterforces acting against the transverse forces at the inlet ends, as well as a second cantilever serving for producing counterforces acting against the transverse forces on the outlet end are provided. In such case, the first cantilever is affixed both to the measuring tube in the region of the first coupling zone and also to the transducer housing at the inlet end, and the second cantilever is affixed both to the measuring tube in the region of the second coupling zone, as well as also to the transducer housing on the outlet end, such that the counterforces are so developed that the measuring tube is kept fixed in an assigned, static rest position, despite the produced transverse forces. Finally, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,691,583 and 6,840,109, measuring transducers are in each case disclosed, wherein, in each case, a first cantilever fixed in the region of the first coupling zone essentially rigidly to the measuring tube, counteroscillator and inlet tube piece and a second cantilever fixed in the region of the second coupling zone essentially rigidly to the measuring tube, counteroscillator, and outlet tube piece are provided. The two cantilevers, especially ones arranged symmetrically about the middle of the measuring tube, serve here for producing in the inlet and outlet tube pieces bending moments dynamically, when the vibrating measuring tube together with the counteroscillator and, as a result, also the two coupling zones are shifted laterally from their respectively assigned, static, rest positions, with the bending moments being so developed that, in the deforming inlet tube piece and in the deforming outlet tube piece, impulses are produced, which are directed counter to the transverse impulses produced in the vibrating measuring tube. The two cantilevers are so embodied and so arranged for this purpose in the measuring transducer that a center of mass of the first cantilever lying in the region of the inlet tube piece and a center of mass of the second cantilever lying in the region of the outlet tube piece both remain essentially locationally fixed in a static rest position despite the fact that the measuring tube has been shifted laterally out of its assigned static rest position. The basic principal of this compensation mechanism is to transform lateral displacement movements of the vibrating measuring tube, which would otherwise act in a disturbing manner on the measurements and/or on the connected pipeline and which are superimposed on its primary deformations effecting the measurement effects, into counter deformations of the inlet and outlet tube pieces acting in a dynamically balancing manner in the measuring transducer, in order to largely eliminate the lateral deflection movements. By a suitable tuning of the inner part, the deformations of the inlet and outlet tube pieces can be so developed that the transverse impulses largely compensate one another, independently of the instantaneous oscillation amplitudes and/or frequencies of the measuring tube. In corresponding manner, it is thus possible also essentially to compensate the transverse forces produced by the vibrating measuring tube by means of transverse forces produced by the deforming inlet tube piece and the deforming outlet tube piece.
Investigations on measuring transducers of the described kind have, however, shown, that, despite the inner part, as discussed above, being almost perfectly mechanically balanceable, even in the case of fluctuating density, still considerable disturbances can arise in the oscillation measurement signals. Especially, it has been found, firstly, that these disturbances are not only of equal frequency to the oscillations of the measuring tube, but also that these disturbances unfortunately also present themselves directly in the phase difference essential for the mass flow measurement and, consequently, can lead to a not inconsiderable corruption of the measurement result. Additionally, these disturbances can arise in rather non-reproducible, and, as a result, without extra effort, unpredictable, manner. Accompanying this, a subsequent, for example even algorithmic, compensation of these disturbances of the measurement signals is practically impossible. More extensive investigations have additionally shown, that the disturbances of the aforementioned kind are caused, at least mediately, by the above-mentioned connection lines.
Further, it has been found, that, especially in the sections of the connection lines, which extend practically freely suspended between the inner part and the transducer housing, interference voltages, or currents, can be induced directly in the connection lines, when the inner part is oscillating. These interference voltages, or currents, are induced due to movements of the individual connection lines relative to one another, leading to changes with time of the capacitive and inductive line- and/or stray-impedances.
Moreover, it has been discovered, that, in the case of conventional routing of the connection lines, for example, along a section of the counteroscillator, then over a freely suspended segment between two tie-down points for each of the connection lines, to the transducer housing, alone due to the damping effect of the relatively thin, moved wires and insulations of the lines, there will be imposed on each of the two sensor signals an additional phase-shift, and, indeed, in a manner changing the phase difference; this happens, in particular, also despite effective suppression of fluctuating-density-caused, lateral displacements of the inner part, formed by means of the measuring tube and counteroscillator, relative to the transducer housing. In other words, the connection line influences the zero-point of the measuring transducer to such an extent that, even in the case where the measuring tube of the measuring transducer is not flowed through by medium, a mass flow different from zero would be, erroneously, detected. Making the situation even more difficult, these zero-point displacements caused by the connection lines depend in quite significant measure on the operating-temperature and/or -duration of the measuring transducer.
In connection with the disturbances caused by the connection lines, especially the aforementioned freely suspended segment has turned out to be an interference-causing, and, thus, for accuracy of measurement, neuralgic region, such being true, surprisingly, even for inner parts with a relatively massive and heavy, counteroscillator. Thus, in the aforementioned region, inner part and transducer housing are mechanically coupled together; and while this mechanical coupling is perhaps weak, nevertheless, for the aforementioned zero-point stability, it is not insignificant. By the relative movement of the two tie-down points in each case intercepting the freely suspended line sections, the thereby necessarily deformed and/or moved line sections bring about their damping action, in such case, unfortunately in a manner such that the phase difference between the two sensor signals is changed. It was possible, in such case, it is true, to determine that, by joining the connection lines to form a cable harness, along with placing of the one of the aforementioned tie-down points near an oscillation node of the above-mentioned Coriolis mode, thus practically at the center of the counter oscillator, a certain lessening of the disturbances can be achieved. However, it was, unfortunately, also determined, that the aforementioned zero-point error again is of considerable degree at just a very small departure from the perfectly central position, for instance even at the order of magnitude of manufacturing and/or mounting tolerances, and, associated therewith, at only a small eccentricity of the effective damping force or also a small asymmetry of a damping force burden relative to the mentioned oscillation node; this is true even more so in the case of a counteroscillator oscillating with considerable amplitude.
Finally, the aforementioned freely suspended segment is, because of the high number of cycles of the inner part over the total operating time, also a mechanically highly loaded part of the connection lines, so that a corresponding selection of fatigue-resistant materials for the line wires and insulation, as well as appropriate material thicknesses, are required. Accordingly, the connection lines can, both for electrical reasons and for reasons of mechanical strength, not be kept arbitrarily thin, and, along therewith, cannot be made mechanically insignificant as regards the zero-point error.

Vibration-type measuring transducer having connecting lines secured pointwise to the transducer housing


The present invention provides a light quantity measuring apparatus capable of properly measuring, in short time, light to be measured whose quantity fluctuates periodically. Charges generated and stored in photodiodes during a measurement period are read in a plurality of times. A control unit obtains pixel data according to quantity of the charges generated and stored by the photodiodes in a plurality of storage periods obtained by dividing a measurement period. Further, the control unit adds up the plurality of pieces of pixel data, and calculates pixel data according to the quantities of charges generated and stored by the photodiodes in the measurement period.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a light quantity measuring apparatus capable of properly measuring quantity of light to be measured, which fluctuates periodically.
2. Description of the Background Art
A light quantity measuring apparatus for measuring quantity of light to be measured has generally a sensor for outputting a signal according to the quantity of received light to be measured, and specifies the quantity of measured light from the output of the sensor. However, when such a light quantity measuring apparatus measures light whose quantity periodically fluctuates like light generated by a display, a measurement result fluctuates according to timings of measurement, and a problem occurs such that a stable measurement result cannot be obtained.
To solve such a problem, as described in "VESA Flat Panel Display Standard", (U.S.A.), p. 172, an output of a sensor is filtered by a low-pass filter having a time constant sufficiently longer than the period of fluctuations in the quantity of light to be measured, thereby preventing the measurement result from being influenced by the periodical fluctuations in the quantity of light to be measured.
By storing charges generated by a sensor for time sufficiently longer than the fluctuation period of the quantity of light to be measured, the measurement result is prevented from being influenced by periodic fluctuations in the quantity of the light to be measured.
Further, as shown in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-18458, by storing charges generated by a sensor for time which is an integral multiple of the fluctuation cycle of the quantity of light to be measured, the measurement result is prevented from being influenced by periodic fluctuations in the quantity of the light to be measured.
In addition, by repeating measurement of the quantity of light to be measured and obtaining average of measurement results, the measurement result is prevented from being influenced by the periodic fluctuations in the quantity of light to be measured.
In the method of filtering an output of a sensor by a low-pass filter, however, in a case where it is necessary to measure light having different light quantity fluctuation cycles, a plurality of low-pass filters of different time constants have to be prepared and a low-pass filter to be used has to be selected according to the fluctuation cycle of the quantity of light to be measured. Selection of a low-pass filter is complicated and in a case where the fluctuation cycle of the quantity of light to be measured is unstable or in a case where the fluctuation cycle of the quantity of light to be measured is unknown, it is difficult to select a low-pass filter. For such a reason, an output of the sensor is filtered by a low-pass filter having a very long time constant, and time required for measurement is very long.
In the method of storing charges generated by the sensor for time which is sufficiently longer than the fluctuation cycle of the quantity of light to be measured, the time required for measurement is very long. Moreover, in a case of using a high-sensitivity sensor which is becoming common in recent years, saturation of charges occurs during storage of the charges, and proper measurement cannot be performed.
Further, in the method of storing charges generated by the sensor for time which is an integral multiple of the fluctuation cycle of the quantity of light to be measured, in the case where the fluctuation cycle of the quantity of light to be measured is unstable or in the case where the fluctuation cycle of the quantity of light to be measured is unknown, storage of charges cannot be synchronized with the period fluctuations of the quantity of light to be measured, and proper measurement cannot be performed. In the case of using a high-sensitivity sensor which is becoming common in recent years, saturation of charges occurs during storage of the charges, and proper measurement cannot be performed.
In addition, in the method of repeating measurement of the quantity of light to be measured and calculating average of measurement results, measurement is performed a number of times so that a measurement result is not influenced by fluctuations in the quantity of light to be measured between measurements, so that time required for measurement is very long. When an attempt is made to measure the quantity of light whose light emission period is equal to or less than a few percentages of the light emission cycle like light generated by a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) display or a plasma display, the interval between the measurements become the light emission period, and a large error may occur in the measurement result. There is possibility that such a large error occurs also in a case of measuring the quantity of light generated by a liquid crystal display employing a drive method called black insertion.
The problem of saturation of charges can be solved by reducing light to be measured which reaches the sensor by a neutral density filter. However, when the transmittance of the neutral density filter decreases, it becomes difficult to assure precision of the transmittance and, depending on the quantity of light to be measured, when the neutral density filter is used, repetitiveness cannot be assured. A problem occurs such that, if a neutral density filter is not used, time required for measurement becomes very long.