A hockey stick is disclosed. The hockey stick has a conventional blade, but a shaft bent in a plane substantially normal to the plane of the blade. The shaft is bent concavely toward the player thereby enhancing the comfort and effectiveness of both hands during forehead shots.

Hockey is a well known winter sport wherein ice skaters use a stick to carry a puck along ice and to shoot the puck into a net. A number of different types of shots are well known to hockey players. Such shots include the wrist shot, the snap shot, the slap shot and the backhand shot. Each of the shots is more appropriate than the others in certain types of game situations. The choice of a particular shot is made in order to propel the puck toward the net as fast as possible considering the proximity of opposing players and the position and dexterity of the shooting player. The purpose of propelling a puck with as much speed as possible is that the puck must get past the goalie before he has time to react and stop the puck from entering the net.
Present hockey sticks have straight shafts and generally slightly curved blades. The curvature of the blade is helpful for carrying a puck down the ice and for lifting the puck off the ice as a result of a shooting movement. In general, sticks are made from wood, although some have aluminum shafts. Bigger and stronger hockey players have the power to bend the shaft of a hockey stick during shooting, especially a slap shot. As the shaft bends away from the puck, less impact force than might otherwise be possible is applied to the puck. Consequently, the puck moves at a somewhat slower speed and has a somewhat lower chance of beating or getting by a goalie. In addition, straight-shafted sticks require a player to hold the stick in a somewhat awkward position while shooting. In spite of these problems, hockey sticks have not been altered significantly for decades.

Hockey stick having arcuately bent shaft


Provided is a process for safely transporting or recycling an ionic liquid catalyst based on chloroaluminates. The process comprises mixing a secondary alcohol with an ionic liquid based on a chloroaluminate and allowing a reaction to occur forming an aluminum chloride adduct precipitate. The precipitate is filtered and the secondary alcohol removed, leaving a solid salt. This solid salt is the ionic liquid catalyst absent aluminum chloride, for example, Nbutylpyridinium chloride. This salt is recycled to the reactor. AlCl3 is added to the salt prior to introduction into the reactor to remake the ionic liquid catalyst, for example, Nbutylpyridinium heptachloroaluminate.

Ionic liquids are liquids that are composed entirely of ions. The so-called "low temperature" ionic liquids are generally organic salts with melting points under 100 degrees C., or often even lower than room temperature. Ionic liquids may be suitable, for example, for use as a catalyst and as a solvent in alkylation. One class of ionic liquids is fused salt compositions, which are molten at low temperature and are useful as catalysts, solvents, and electrolytes. Such compositions are mixtures of components which are liquid at temperatures below the individual melting points of the components.
Ionic liquids can be defined as liquids whose make-up is entirely comprised of ions as a combination of cations and anions. The most common ionic liquids are those prepared from organic-based cations and inorganic or organic anions. The most common organic cations are ammonium cations, but phosphonium and sulphonium cations are also frequently used. Ionic liquids of pyridinium and imidazolium are perhaps the most commonly used cations. Anions include, but are not limited to, BF4—, PF6—, haloaluminates such as Al2Cl7— and Al2Br7—, [(CF3SO2)2N]—, alkyl sulphates (RSO3—), carboxylates (RCO2—) and many others. The most catalytically interesting ionic liquids are those derived from ammonium halides and Lewis acids (such as AlCl3, TiCl4, SnCl4, FeCl3 . . . etc.). Chloroaluminate ionic liquids are perhaps the most commonly used ionic liquid catalyst systems.
Examples of such low temperature ionic liquids or molten fused salts are the chloroaluminate salts. Alkyl imidazolium or pyridinium salts, for example, can be mixed with aluminum trichloride (AlCl3) to form the fused chloroaluminate salts. The use of the fused salts of 1-alkylpyridinium chloride and aluminum trichloride as electrolytes is discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,122,245. Other patents which discuss the use of fused salts from aluminum trichloride and alkylimidazolium halides as electrolytes are U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,463,071 and 4,463,072. U.S. Pat. No. 5,104,840 describes ionic liquids which comprise at least one alkylaluminum dihalide and at least one quaternary ammonium halide and/or at least one quaternary ammonium phosphonium halide; and their uses as solvents in catalytic reactions.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,096,680 describes liquid clathrate compositions useful as reusable aluminum catalysts in Friedel-Crafts reactions. In one embodiment, the liquid clathrate composition is formed from constituents comprising (i) at least one aluminum trihalide, (ii) at least one salt selected from alkali metal halide, alkaline earth metal halide, alkali metal pseudohalide, quaternary ammonium salt, quaternary phosphonium salt, or ternary sulfonium salt, or a mixture of any two or more of the foregoing, and (iii) at least one aromatic hydrocarbon compound. Aluminum-containing catalysts are among the most common Lewis acid catalysts employed in Friedel-Crafts reactions. Friedel-Crafts reactions are reactions which fall within the broader category of electrophilic substitution reactions including alkylations.
Other examples of ionic liquids and their methods of preparation may also be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,731,101; 6,797,853 and in U.S. Patent Application Publications 2004/0077914 and 2004/0133056.
As a result of use, ionic liquid catalysts become deactivated, i.e. lose activity, and may eventually need to be replaced. Alkylation processes utilizing an ionic liquid catalyst form by-products known as conjunct polymers. These conjunct polymers deactivate the ionic liquid catalyst by forming complexes with the ionic liquid catalyst. Conjunct polymers are highly unsaturated molecules. As the conjunct polymer concentration increases, the activity of the ionic liquid catalysts becomes impaired or at least compromised. Conjunct polymers may also become chlorinated and through their chloro groups may interact with aluminum trichloride and therefore reduce the overall activity of the catalyst or lessen its effectiveness as a catalyst for the intended purpose such as alkylation. Deactivation of the ionic liquid catalyst by conjunct polymers is not only problematic for the alkylation chemistry, but also weighs in heavily on the economics of using ionic liquids because they are expensive catalytic systems and their frequent replacement will be costly. Therefore, commercial exploitation of ionic liquid catalysts during alkylation is impossible unless they are efficiently regenerated and recycled.
Various methods for removing conjunct polymers from acidic ionic liquid catalysts in order to regenerate the catalysts have been devised. For example, see U.S. Patent Application Publication 2007/0142213.
Once the ionic liquid catalyst has been regenerated, the catalyst is generally recycled to the main reaction. Unfortunately, ionic liquid catalysts are very sensitive to air and moisture. Unless the recycle system is totally dry and free of oxygen, the catalyst can be damaged. Thus, while methods have been devised to regenerate ionic liquid catalysts, a method for safely transporting/recycling the catalyst is still a great need in the industry


A distance measuring device includes a display processor that acquires an image which includes a distance measuring object from a camera, and generates display information indicating the image, an acceleration sensor that is provided with a device housing having the display processor and outputs a gravity acceleration component corresponding to an inclination angle of the device housing, and a distance measuring processor that calculates an inclination angle from the gravity acceleration component that is obtained from the acceleration sensor in a state that an image indicating the measuring object is complemented in the display information generated by the display processor.

1. Field
The present invention relates to distance measurement using a mobile device such as a mobile phone. The present invention, for example, relates to a distance measuring device and a distance measuring method performing distance measurement using gravity acceleration information and image information.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the conventional technique, distance measurement is performed by a unit, for example, which sends strong infrared rays to a measuring object and receives the reflected light. However, the unit requires an infrared ray generating unit, a light receiving unit, and the like, and there is no unit for measuring a distance with a simple configuration.
As a configuration for measuring a size or the like of an object by using an image by a camera or the like, Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2006-234545 discloses an imaging unit that images an object by facing the object and forming an image of the object. The display unit displays image data that is imaged by the imaging unit. A distance measuring unit measures a distance to the object that is imaged by the imaging unit. An index display unit displays an index by superimposing the image data on the display unit. An inclination angle measuring unit measures an inclination angle when the imaging unit is inclined in a way that the index displayed by the index display unit corresponds to a desired measuring object part, and an actual size calculation unit calculates an actual size of the object based on a measurement result of the distance measuring unit and a measurement result of the inclination angle measuring unit.
As for calculation of a distance using an image by a CCD camera, Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2007-064890 discloses that a CCD camera 1E, as a home edge detecting sensor, is used to photograph a slit image E of reflection slit light acquired by irradiating a platform edge P region with laser slit light. A data calculation processor 5 performs a specified calculation based on position information and the like of a laser light origin 1A and the CCD camera 1E on a vehicle body 101 that is specified in advance, resulting in a calculation of a distance A in a horizontal position between a side surface of the vehicle body 101 and the platform edge P of a platform 200.
As for acquiring image information by considering the distance and inclination between a paper surface or the like and an imaging unit, Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No 2005-084951 discloses a configuration in which an imaging unit outputs image information, a display unit displays identification information included in the image information that is output by the image unit, a recognition unit recognizes the identification information included in the image information output by the imaging unit, and a control unit controls in a way that all or part of the display position or the angle of the image information is converted according to the position of the display unit or the imaging unit when the recognition unit recognizes the identification information.
When the above-described distance measuring function is newly mounted on a mobile device such as a mobile phone, the size of the mobile device has to be increased. Mounting such a function on a miniaturized mobile device is difficult. Even though calculation ability of the mobile device has been improved, a load of control processing of the distance measuring function is extremely heavy. Therefore, mounting the distance measuring function on a mobile device is difficult.
Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2006-234545, 2007-064890, and 2005-084951 have no disclosure and suggestion of such request and problem. There is no disclosure and suggestion of configurations and the like to solve the request and problem.

Distance measuring device and distance measuring method


A detection method for at least one of acting forces on tire among a back-and-forth directional force, a lateral force, vertical force, and a moment about a tire axis, detects the forces by strain outputs of strain sensors, which are attached on the tire and measure the strains of a sidewall portion. The method includes a strain measuring step to measure the strain of the sidewall portion with each of the above-mentioned strain sensors simultaneously at the rotational position P based on the tire rotational standard position X and to obtain the strain output per each strain sensor, and an acting force calculating step to calculate the above-mentioned force acting on the tire based on the strain output per strain sensor obtained on this strain measuring step.

In recent years, the number of vehicles equipped with vehicle control systems such as ABS (anti-lock brake system), TCS (traction control system), VSC (vehicle stability control system), and the like are rising to obtain the stability and safety of moving vehicles. In order to control these systems, it is necessarily to understand accurately the rolling situation of moving vehicle.
Then, the present applicants propose, in a Patent document 1, a technique to estimate back-and-forth direction force Fx, lateral force Fy, vertical force Fz acting on a tire by arranging plural of strain sensors on a side wall portion of the tire and estimating the strain of the sidewall portion.    Patent document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2005-126008.
In this technique, strains of three fixed points on the sidewall portion area measured at the same time with the strain sensors. And, calculate the back-and-forth direction force Fx, lateral force Fy, vertical force Fz basing on the three strain outputs t1, t2, and t3 according to the following determinant (1). The A1 to A3, B1 to B3, and C1 to C3 in the determinant are coefficients determined by means of tire loading test conducted beforehand.
                              [                                                    Fx                                                                    Fy                                                                    Fz                                              ]                =                                            [                                                                                A                                                                                1                                                                                B                                                                                1                                                                                C                                                                                1                                                                                A                                                                                2                                                                                B                                                                                2                                                                                C                                                                                2                                                                                A                                                                                3                                                                                B                                                                                3                                                                                C                                                                                3                                                                                ]                                      -              1                                                      [                                                                                t                                                                                1                                                                                t                                                                                2                                                                                t                                                                                3                                                                        ]                                              (        1        )
However, when actually conducting a vehicle controlling such as ABS brake controlling for example, to speed up responsivity and conduct high performance vehicle controlling, obtaining information of force acting on the tire 8 times per one revolution, that is to say, each rolling angle of not less than 45 deg.

Detection method for forces acting on tire and pneumatic tire used therein


The present invention proposes a method for enabling a subscriber entity to actively communicate in a communication network, a subscriber entity being identified by at least one assigned subscriber identity (IMSI, MSISDN), said communication network comprising at least one database entity of a first type (5a, 5b) keeping a first record of data of subscriber entities enabled to actively communicate in a communication network, the method comprising the steps of: storing said at least one assigned subscriber identity of at least one subscriber entity not enabled to actively communicate in said communication network in a database entity (4) of a second type, informing (S2a, S2b) said database entity (4) of said second type about a need to enable said at least one not enabled subscriber entity to actively communicate in said communication network, and, upon being informed, transferring (S3) information related to a subscriber entity not enabled, from said database (4) of said second type to a selected one (5b) of said at least one database entity of said first type (5a, 5b). Also, the present invention proposes an accordingly adapted database entity of the above mentioned second type and a register entity for interaction with said database entity of said second type.

In the recent years, communication networks and especially mobile communication networks became increasingly popular. With this popularity, the number of users and/or subscribers having subscribed to communicate via such communication networks has correspondingly increased. Examples for such communication networks are the GSM network or the currently being developed UMTS network. However, the present invention is not limited to be applied to these networks, but any other communication network requiring a subscriber data management (and subscriber activation) may be suitable for the present invention to be applied thereto. Only for descriptive purposes, the present application refers to a terminology known from GSM and/or UMTS networks.
Such networks generally consist of an access network (a radio access network in case of a mobile communication network) and a core network. The core network, being independent of connection technology of the terminal (e.g. radio or wired), manages connections for specific users. To this end, a switching means known as mobile switching center MSC is provided in the core network. Such a MSC may either be a GSM MSC or a UMTS MSC. Note that if the network is an IP multimedia network (IP=Internet Protocol), the network also comprises call processing servers (CPS) or call state control functions (CSCF) by means of which calls are set up in the network. Still further, the core network comprises at least one database entity known as home location register HLR in GSM or as home subscriber server HSS in UMTS. The home subscriber server HSS and/or the home location register HLR is the master database for a given user. It is the entity containing the subscription related information to support the network entities actually handling calls/sessions, such as the MSC and others. The HLR/HSS is thus responsible for holding for example the following user related information:    user identification, numbering and addressing information    user security information: network access control information for authentication and authorization    user location information at intersystem level, HSS/HLR handles the user registration and stores intersystem location information and so on,    the user profile (services, service specific information)
A subscriber entity is not enabled to actively communicate in the communication network unless it is registered in a HLR/HSS of said communication network. Stated in other words, only those subscriber entities are enabled to actively communicate in a communication network, the data of which are kept in a record of the HLR/HSS as a database entity of a first type of the communication network. It is to be noted that in the present description, the subscriber entity corresponds to e.g. a SIM (subscriber identity module) card of GSM or UMTS. The subscriber entity is activated in a terminal to enable communication with the network in the role of the subscriber entity. Hitherto, if a new customer as a new subscriber to the network newly subscribed to the network of and/or bought a new subscriber entity (presumably together with a terminal) from the network operator, it was the responsibility of the operator to create the data needed for the new subscriber to be available in the HLR/HSS database entity. Stated in other words, the purchase of the mobile equipment (the phone itself) is totally independent of the purchase of the SIM card. This may or may not happen when the mobile equipment itself is purchased.
An operator usually receives a certain batch of SIM cards from SIM manufacturer. These SIM cards typically belong to an IMSI number range indicated by the operator to the manufacturer prior to the order of the SIM card batch. There is usually no programming (of the cards) necessary after the cards have been delivered by the manufacturer to the operator.
Hereafter, there exist essentially two options with regard to the subscriber data addition to the registers:    (1) subscriber data on unpurchased subscriptions (i.e. SIM cards) is stored in advance to the HLR prior to the purchase of the subscription from the operator. This may happen e.g. when the batch of SIM cards is received from the SIM card manufacturer. When a subscription is actually purchased by an end user, it is merely marked as active in the registers. This causes a waste of register capacity; More precisely, if the network operator thus creates subscribers, i.e. subscriber data, to be readily available in the HLR/HSS database, this implies that the network operator will have to provide for the required infrastructure of the network also for those subscribers only present by corresponding subscriber data in the HSR/HSS database, but which do not yet correspond to an actual subscriber, i.e. a customer that has signed a contract with the network operator to become a subscriber and which actively uses the infrastructure provided for. Thus, this is inconvenient for a network operator since he has to provide for communication network capacity not used.    (2) subscriber data corresponding to a newly purchased subscription is created to the HLR by the operator shortly after the purchase of the subscription (i.e. SIM card). The IMSI corresponding to the SIM card is created to the HLR along with the rest of the created subscriber data. This causes a delay in the availability of the subscription.
Stated on other words, the creation of the newly required subscriber data may take quite a time before the new subscriber receives his subscriber entity, i.e. subscriber identity module SIM and/or USIM (UMTS SIM) which he has to insert into his terminal in order that this can be operated. The subscriber identity module could be sent to the shop where the subscriber bought his subscriber terminal and he is informed that he may come to the shop to have the subscriber identity module delivered to him. Thus, the subscriber has to come twice to the shop which causes a further inconvenience to him.
Alternatively, new subscriber data may be created via a fast data connection from the shop to the core network, e.g. the HLR/HSS in order to create the needed information. Nevertheless, even with a "fast connection", such a process may still take a couple of hours and it is rather inconvenient for a customer, to wait for such a long time in the shop and/or to return to the shop after waiting that time. Still further, creating the data at the core network does not prevent the necessity for the subscriber identity module SIM to be created with the subscriber's information created. Therefore, in such a case each shop would have to be equipped with a corresponding equipment for programming subscriber identity modules with created subscriber data. This, however, would be inconvenient for the network operator from the point of view of additionally arising costs for such equipment.

Method for enabling a subscriber entity to actively communicate in a communication network


A BIOS may provide bad block and wear-leveling services to a flash memory during a boot cycle until a full-functioned memory controller, such as a software memory controller, is available. After the full-functioned memory controller is available, the controller may use data passed by the BIOS to determine what, if any, steps to take to account for write activity during the boot process. Alternatively, the BIOS may use a reserved portion of flash memory so that wear leveling for boot-related data, such as a shut-down flag, is not needed.

Flash memory differs from many other types of non-volatile memory in that it has a limited and predictable lifetime. While a hard disk may experience random location failures over its life, a flash memory may have a limit of tens of thousands of write cycles for each memory location. To accommodate such a limited life, a memory controller may incorporate a technique for wear-leveling, that is, invoking a mapping function to point data destined for a logical address to a movable physical location. When a given physical address reaches a threshold number of writes, the mapping function will remap the logical address to a different physical location.
The wear-leveling function is normally carried out by a full-function memory controller, or in some cases, an advanced flash memory with built-in wear-leveling circuitry. However, in a cost sensitive implementation, reliance on either of these options may be cost prohibitive. While software memory controllers or interface drivers may provide a wear-leveling solution for a fully operational electronic device, the issue of wear-leveling during a boot cycle may still need to be addressed separately because of the critical nature of the boot process and the need to protect flash memory during this early phase of electronic device operation before such controllers or drivers are in place.

Booting an electronic device using flash memory and a limited function memory controller


A floor coating application device with a rigid body having attached thereto a removable applicator and a removable weight system. The rigid body having a planar surface with radial edges to facilitate the uniform application of a coating material to a surface. The removable applicator being a material suitable for uniformly spreading a coating material without flaws or shedding and attached to the rigid body in such a manner as to minimize the wicking of coating material through the applicator. The removable weight system capable of providing a consistent force against the rigid body to improve the uniformity of coating thicknesses. The floor coating application device is used to spread coating material with a handle connected to the rigid body or a mechanical coating device.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to coating application devices. More particularly, the invention pertains to a floor coating application device for applying protective, functional or decorative coatings to planar surfaces, such as hardwood floors, concrete floors, and the like.
2. State of the Art
Various materials are used as protective, functional or decorative coatings for planar surfaces. Many coating materials are applied to surfaces in a liquid state, later drying to form the desired coating. It is not uncommon to apply more than one layer of a coating to a particular surface in order to increase the thickness of the overall coating and thereby improve the resiliency, durability, and longevity of the surface. The coating material is typically applied to the surface and then uniformly distributed over the surface and smoothed by an application device.
The thickness of each layer of coating material distributed over the surface varies with the type of coating material used and the amount of pressure used to apply the coating material. Because of the dependency of the coating thickness on the characteristics of the coating material, the manufactures of coating materials provide guidelines which detail the amount of coating material necessary to cover a given surface area. If the guidelines are followed, a near perfect coating thickness should be achieved. However, there are a few factors that make it difficult to achieve such a perfect coating.
The liquid state of coating materials makes it difficult to evenly spread the coating over a given surface area. The thickness of the wet coating layer often depends upon the amount of force used to spread the coating over a surface. The force originates from the application device which is typically controlled by a human operator. Many of the individuals practicing the art of coating floors have developed the skill required to judge how much force must be applied to an application device to achieve a desired coating thickness. Additionally, the speed at which the coating is spread over the surface by an operator can also make a difference in the coating thickness. Although a person spreading the coating layer may become fairly proficient in laying consistent coatings, those who are inexperienced or who are laying a new type of coating are often unable to maintain the uniformity desired in the coating thickness. Because of these human variables, the wet thickness of the coating will often vary. As the coating then dries, the thickness of the coating layer decreases and all of the imperfections in the wet thickness are magnified.
The ideal finished surface is one having multiple coating layers, dried to a uniform thickness, with as few flaws or irregularities as possible. Just as flaws and irregularities are caused by the inconsistent force and speed used to spread the coating layers, such things as the shedding of particles from the application device onto the coating layer, or particulate matter settling on the coating layers during the drying process or air bubbles forming in the liquid coating, may also cause flaws and imperfections in the coating surface. Because the coating layers are typically thin, such flaws and variances are compounded with each additional layer of coating material. To avoid such problems, application devices have been developed which decrease the amount of imperfections that occur in coating layers and aid in the application of uniform, thin layers of coating material to planar surfaces.
Typically, when an application device is used to apply a coating material to a planar surface a portion of the coating material is first applied to the surface and the application device is used to evenly spread the coating over the surface. This is accomplished by pushing or pulling the application device over the surface area upon which a coating material has been deposited. As the leading edge of the application device contacts the liquid coating material, the coating material is displaced across the edge of the application device. As the application device is pushed or pulled over the surface, a layer of coating material is deposited between the application device and the surface being coated. Occasionally, a mechanical device is used to push or pull the application device over the surface and thereby spread the coating material.
As coating material builds up on the application device the excess coating material is squeezed out of the applicator. This is accomplished by tapping, knocking, slapping, or pressing the application device against a hard surface to force the excess coating out of the applicator material. After the completion of a coating layer the applicator must be cleaned if it is to be used again. The applicator is cleaned by immersing the entire piece of material in a solvent. The applicator may then be reattached to the application device and the process of coating a surface may begin again.
There are a number of different types of floor coating application devices currently being used to apply coatings to planar surfaces such as hardwood and cement floors. One such application device consists of a body piece, an applicator and a handle used to guide the device. The body of the device is essentially a rectangular block made of a rigid material. The body typically has a length of approximately eighteen inches, a width of four to six inches and a thickness sufficient to maintain the rigidity of the body. These dimensions create two opposing sides with large surface areas. The body acts as a rigid support to which an applicator may be fastened. An applicator is a piece of material, such as lamb's wool or synthetic lamb's wool, which wraps around the body in such a manner that one of the two sides of the body is completely covered by the applicator. The edges of the applicator are secured to the second side of the body so that the applicator is fixed on the body and will not move when subjected to external forces. A handle is typically attached to the exposed second side of the body, extending in an upwardly direction.
A second type of application device is similar to the first device in all respects except for the applicator. Instead of having an applicator which is fastened about the body of the application device, the applicator material is directly attached to the body. Typically, the applicator material is a flocking or set of bristles which are glued or permanently attached to the application device.
A third type of application device consists of a tubular body to which an applicator is permanently attached. The applicator is securely fastened around the circumference of the tubular body. The tubular body typically contains a flat plate attached thereto for a detachable handle to be secured. This type of application device provides a smaller contact surface area then the device mentioned above.
Although the application devices currently used to apply coating materials to planar surfaces are sufficient to achieve adequate floor coatings, there are a number of problems associated with their use. One of those problems is wicking. As an application device spreads coating material over a surface, the coating material wicks throughout the applicator, saturating it with the coating material. Coating buildup on the applicator caused by such wicking can result in the uneven distribution of coating material over the surface. Excess coating material drips off of the back or the sides of the application device during normal use or splatters when trying to remove the excess coating from the applicator. The droplets disrupt the uniform nature of the coated surface, decreasing the quality of the finished coating.
Additionally, wicking presents undesired results when attempting to apply coating to a planar surface which contacts a perpendicular surface, such as where a floor and a wall join. Application of the coating material to the entire floor necessitates that the outer edges of the application device contact the wall at some point. If this contact occurs after coating material has wicked through the applicator, the coating is applied to the wall. This is undesirable.
Current solutions to rid the application device of unwanted coating buildup caused by wicking include forcing the excess coating material out of the applicator by squeezing the applicator against a hard surface or replacing the applicator. Often times, the squeezing or slapping of the applicator against a surface to rid the application device of the unwanted coating material results in a spattering of coating droplets which can disrupt a uniform surface which has already been coated. Replacing the applicator is also disadvantageous. Removing the applicator from the current application devices is time consuming and often very messy. The tubular application devices pose significant cleaning problems because the entire tube must be immersed in a solvent. This requires that large cleaning vessels filled with large amounts of solvent are kept on hand to clean the applicators.
Another problem associated with the application of coating materials to planar surfaces is the unevenness of the coating layers. The four to six inch wide application device tends to produce more variance in the thickness of coating layers than application devices with smaller application surface areas. In addition, the larger surface area requires a larger applicator, which provides more wool which can shed off of the applicator and deposit flaws in the coating layers. Likewise, the application device having the permanent applicator material attached thereto has been found to be prone to excess shedding of material into the coating layers. Such shedding creates flaws and imperfections in the coating layers which is undesirable.
The thickness of each coating layer is dependent upon the pressure applied to the application device by the individual spreading the coating. Various coatings have different viscosities, thus the pressure applied by the operator varies the thickness of the coating being applied. Typically, an operator becomes proficient with the various coatings and is able to apply the desired pressure necessary to achieve the desired coating thickness. However, this does not provide a standard, consistent force which produces uniform coating layers because it is very difficult to maintain a constant, and consistent downward force on the application device.


Battery clamp including a nut molded into one of the clamping arms and a rotatable bolt with a flanged shaft molded into the other clamping arm. The head of the bolt, flange, and nut provide bearing surfaces for drawing the clamping arms together, or forcing the clamping arms apart, depending upon the rotation of the bolt. The battery clamp is manufactured in a single molding process by pre-threading the nut onto a treated or coated flanged bolt to a predetermined position, positioning the pre-threaded nut and bolt in one portion of a battery clamp mold, assembling the remaining pieces of the battery clamp mold around the bolt and nut, securing the pieces of the battery clamp mold together, pouring a hard lead-alloy into an opening in the battery clamp mold, quenching the lead filled mold in a liquid bath to accelerate the cooling process, separating the secured mold pieces after the lead-alloy cools, and removing the molded battery clamp. The flanged bolt is treated or coated with a non-stick material such as Teflon.TM., graphite powder, or a non-petroleum based lubricant such as McLube.TM..

U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/690,511, filed Apr. 24, 1991, and entitled BATTERY CLAMP AND PROCESS FOR MANUFACTURING SAME, by Douglas D. Oster, provides a battery clamp and method for manufacturing the same with an integral structure whereby the rotation of a steel bolt in one direction brings the clamping arms together and rotation in the other direction forces them apart. The invention solves the problem of prior art battery terminals which require that the clamping arms be pried apart in order to be removed. The invention features a low cost and efficient manufacturing process, which takes advantage of the low friction between lead materials and other harder metals, particularly steel. Because lead does not adhere to the bolt, the bolt and nut can be set in the clamping arms of the battery clamp when the clamp is cast.
It has been found, however, that when the clamp is constructed of certain lead-alloys, the steel bolt binds in the clamping arms and is difficult, if not impossible, to turn. However, harder lead-alloys are desirable or required for many applications, for example, for use on military vehicles.

Hard lead-alloy battery clamp with two-way action armatures


A string set of series-connected incandescent flasher type lamps in which substantially all of the lamp filaments in the set are individually provided with a voltage regulated shunt circuit, which includes a voltage responsive silicon semiconductor device, which operates in one of two conducting states, neither of which is greater than about 200 ohms. When the flasher lamp is in the xe2x80x9conxe2x80x9d or illuminated state, the silicon semiconductor voltage regulating shunt device is in a low impedance state. When the flasher is in the xe2x80x9coffxe2x80x9d state, the impedance of the silicon semiconductor device is in a lower impedance state equal to or slightly greater than the parallel equivalent impedance of silicon semiconductor device in parallel with the normal operating impedance of the flasher lamp.

The present invention relates generally to improvements in series connected light strings. More specifically, the present invention relates to techniques for providing a string set of series-connected lamps in which each of the lamps may operate with a shunt circuit.
One of the most common uses of light strings is for decoration and display purposes, particularly during Christmas and other holidays, and more particularly for the decoration of Christmas trees, and the like. Probably the most popular light sets currently available on the market, and in widespread use, comprise thirty-five or fifty miniature light lamps each, with each lamp typically having an operating voltage rating of 3.5 or 2.5 volts respectively, and whose filaments are connected in an electrical series circuit arrangement.
A string of lights may be made to flash, or turn on and off, by including a flasher light lamp as one of the light lamps of the string. Such a flasher light lamp typically includes a bi-metallic strip which conducts current to the filament. As the bi-metallic strip heats up, it moves away from the filament and breaks the current connection, causing the bulb to turn off. The bi-metallic strip then cools and returns to the initial position, allowing current to flow and begin the on and off cycle again. All of the bulbs in such a light string turn on and off simultaneously, as the lights are connected in series.
The present invention advantageously provides methods and apparatus for an improved series connected light string. In one aspect, the present invention provides a voltage regulated filament shunting circuit for use in connection with a series connected light string of incandescent flasher type light bulbs. Each flasher light is connected in parallel with a silicon type semiconductor shunting device. The shunting device has a predetermined voltage drop value which is slightly greater than the voltage normally applied to said bulbs. The semiconductor shunt becomes more conductive only when the peak voltage applied across the shunt exceeds its predetermined voltage drop value. The predetermined voltage drop for a particular shunt is exceeded whenever its associated flasher lamp opens periodically as it is designed to do or if the flasher lamp becomes inoperable. Such a circuit arrangement provides for the continued flow of current through all of the remaining lamps in the string, together with little apparent change in illumination from any of those lamps remaining operative in the string even though a substantial number of total lamps in the string are simultaneously inoperative or turned off. All but one lamp may be inoperative or off and the sole operative lamp will continue to operate.
The silicon semiconductor shunt of the present invention is designed so that it is always conducting, regardless of whether its associated lamp is xe2x80x9conxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9coffxe2x80x9d. The shunt operates in either of two low impedance states, or in other words, two conducting levels. By operating the silicon semiconductor shunt between two low impedance conducting levels, better voltage regulation is obtained. Effectively, neither of the two low impedance states rises above several hundred ohms. The operation of the shunt in this invention occurs in the steep part of the electrical current-voltage (IV) curve beyond the xe2x80x9ckneexe2x80x9d where the slope rises sharply. Although the light string operates somewhat less efficiently in terms of power consumption when operating in this manner, the increased voltage regulation obtained as a consequence of this operation results in an almost flicker-free operation of the string as lights turn on and off. Visually, the effect is highly appealing.
The two conducting levels of the semiconductor shunt device can be defined as the sustaining level and the lamp filament replacement level. The sustaining level is the higher resistance of the two resistance levels in the silicon semiconductor shunt. The impedance of this level is two to eight times (preferably two to four times) that of the lamp resistance when operating normally. Further, the impedance at this level is selected so that it is not more than about 200 ohms, and preferably not more than about 100 ohms. The lamp filament replacement level is that impedance which closely matches or is slightly greater than the parallel equivalent impedance of the lamp operating in parallel with the shunt device, typically between 12 and 25 ohms.
It is therefore a principal object of the present invention to provide a simple and inexpensive silicon type semiconductor voltage regulator filament shunt, or bypass, for each of a plurality of series connected flasher light bulbs, the filament shunt having a predetermined conductive voltage drop which is only slightly greater than the voltage rating of said bulbs when operating, and the shunt becoming more conductive whenever the peak voltage applied across the shunt exceeds its predetermined voltage drop conductive value. Thus, a continued and uninterrupted flow of current is provided through each of the remaining lamps in the string, together with little apparent change in illumination from the lamps.
While this invention is directed toward tighter voltage regulation, which is desirable for a multi flashing or twinkling light string where all or most all of the lamps are of the flasher type, a light string in accordance with the present invention may comprise all regular (non-flashing) lamps or a combination of regular and flasher lamps as well.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new series-connected random twinkle light string which has the desirable features of the lamps flashing on and off at various points in time and yet is of very simple and economical construction and is relatively inexpensive to manufacture in mass quantities, thereby keeping the overall cost of manufacturing the final product at a minimum.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a series-connected light bulb string in which the light emitted from each flashing incandescent light bulb will optionally appear, disappear, and reappear independently and continuously along the entire string, thereby creating a most striking, novel and unusual twinkling effect.
A more complete understanding of the present invention, as well as further features and advantages of the invention, will be apparent from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings.


Techniques are described for processing anomalies detected using user-specified rules with anomalies detected using machine-learning based behavioral analysis models to identify threat indicators and security threats to a computer network. In an embodiment, anomalies are detected based on processing event data at a network security system that used rules-based anomaly detection. These rules-based detected anomalies are acquired by a network security system that uses machine-learning based anomaly detection. The rules-based detected anomalies are processed along with machine learning detected anomalies to detect threat indicators or security threats to the computer network. The threat indicators and security threats are output as alerts to the network security system that used rules-based anomaly detection.

Activity detection, both friendly and malicious, has long been a priority for computer network administrators. In various public and private computer networks, users employ devices such as desktop computers, laptop computers, tablets, smart phones, browsers, etc. to interact with others through computers and servers that are coupled to the network. Digital data, typically in the form of data packets, are passed along the network by interconnected network devices.
Malicious activity on a network can harm to software hardware, or users that make up or use the network. Malicious activities may include unauthorized access or subsequent unpermitted use of network resources and data. To protect the network, network administrators seek to detect such activities, for example, by searching for patterns of behavior that are abnormal or otherwise vary from an expected use pattern of particular entities, such as an organization, a group of uses, individual users, IP addresses, nodes or groups of nodes in the network, and the like. To combat such activities, network administrators can employ hardware appliances that monitor network traffic or software products, such as anti-virus or anti-malware software to detect and eliminate certain malicious activity.

Anomaly detection to identify security threats


A device for sanitary disposal of pet droppings lying on a ground surface. The device allows sanitary packaging of the droppings in a plain sheet of paper or plastic placed over the droppings. The device has a wire catch fixed to one end of a first handle, a rod slidable through the handle, a second handle fixed to one end of the rod, and a wire loop attached to an opposite end of the rod. The loop is placed over the sheet around the droppings and the handles are pulled apart to gather and close the sheet around the droppings. The resulting package is retained by the device for transport and disposal at an appropriate site.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of hand-held devices and aids for the sanitary handling and disposal of solid waste and droppings left by household pet animals, particularly canine droppings.
2. State of the Prior Art
Many municipalities have enacted ordinances obligating pet owners to promptly remove solid excrement left by their pet animals, notably dogs, on sidewalks and similar public areas. These laws, popularly known as "pooper-scooper" laws, have spurred considerable creative activity in the design of waste retrieval and handling devices which would allow pet owners to comply with the law with minimum distaste. Many such devices are now in use, and while most of these adequately perform their intended function, further improvement is still desirable.
Some of the existing devices for removal of animal droppings are deficient in that the device itself must come into contact with the waste material and becomes contaminated and unsanitary. Efforts to avoid this problem have led to various designs which interpose a disposable bag or wrapper between the handling device and the waste. These devices, however, require the user to fit a fresh bag on the device prior to each use. In some cases, bags specially designed for use with the particular device are required.
A continuing need therefore exists for pet waste retrieval and disposal devices which are entirely sanitary, do not require use of special disposal bags, and which in particular do not require the user to insert or attach a fresh bag on the retrieval device prior to each use. Many of the prior art devices are needlessly complex and bulky, and the improved device should therefore be simple, light weight and compact so that it can be comfortably and unobtrusively carried along while walking a pet.

Device for sanitary handling and disposal of pet droppings


A 3dB waveguide directional coupler for coupling two rectangular waveguides of the same dimensions and having parallel longitudinal axes is disclosed. The waveguides to be coupled are joined so that one of the wider side walls of the first waveguide adjoins one of the wider side walls of the second waveguide. The interiors of the two waveguides communicate via an aperture in the adjoining side walls. When energy is input from one end of the first waveguide toward the aperture, virtually all of it is transmitted to the second wave guide, part of the transmitted energy traveling away from the aperture in each direction along the longitudinal axis of the second waveguide. This is preferably achieved by providing a waveguide system in the aperture oriented perpendicular to the longitudinal axes of the first and second waveguides. The waveguide system in the aperture comprises a web plate perpendicular to the longitudinal axes of the first and second waveguides, and first and second conductive plates parallel to the web plate and spaced therefrom by the minimum dimension of the first and second waveguides.

The invention relates to a 3dB waveguide directional coupler of the type in which two coupling slits or windows are spaced apart in a wall which is shared in common by two rectangular waveguides, the length of the common wall being the larger dimension of the cross-section of both rectangular waveguides. Such waveguide couplers are used to divide the total energy into equal part energies, a further division being possible by series arrangement of a plurality of waveguide couplers. The energy flow of such directional couplers is also reversible so that part energies can be combined. Such energy division or combination frequently is necessary when several transmitters of the same power and frequency are to be connected to a common load, generally an antenna.
In the known 3dB waveguide directional couplers the coupling slits or windows are disposed with the spacing .lambda.H/4 in the common or adjacent wide sides of the two waveguides, i.e. the coupling plane extended in the plane of said wide sides. The entire energy is then divided into a portion which is propagated over the same waveguide and a second portion which is propagated as a sum of the coupled-out fractions in the same direction in the adjacent waveguide. The portion of the adjacent waveguide next to the input of the waveguide receives the difference of the values and consequently the coupler is decoupled at this point.
This means that on connecting together the energy is supplied to the two adjacent terminals of the two waveguides and the entire energy must be carried off at the opposite end. This results in difficulties when connecting together transmitters arranged adjacent each other in a row because the supply to the directional couplers requires deviating lines which result in undesirably long leads.
The invention is thus based on the problem of providing a 3dB waveguide directional coupler of the aforementioned type which in a compact space permits connection of a plurality of transmitters arranged adjacent each other in a row.


The present invention provides methods and compositions for inducing pluripotency in differentiated mammalian cells. In particular, the methods include mechanically aggregating the cells into discrete masses or embryoid-like bodies and treated them with a small molecule compound. Provided herein are the compositions of the compounds which are derived from programin (e.g., reversine).

Stem cells have been trumpeted as the solution for alleviating the serious shortage of tissue and organs for transplantation. To date, numerous types of naturally occurring and artificially produced stem cells have been identified or created. However, every one of them has their own shortcomings. Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), produced from reprogramming of somatic cells such as skin fibroblasts (Takahashi and Yamanaka, Cell, 126(4):663-76 (2006)), is currently regarded as the best candidate for use in regenerative medicine. However, iPSC generation remains a very slow (˜4 weeks) and inefficient (<0.01%) process that results in a heterogeneous population of cells, and requires specific expertise in human pluripotent cell culture (Takahashi et al., Cell, 131, 861-72 (2007); Yu et al., Science, 318, 1917-20 (2007)). An alternative approach is to use a small chemical molecule that can directly activate the pluripotent genes Oct4, Sox2 and Nanog.
Programin was first synthesized by Chen et al. (J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2004 126: 410-411). It was used to transdifferentiate C2C12 myogenic cells into osteocytes and adipocytes. Subsequently, it was shown that the polycomb genes in C2C12 were probably involved in the transdifferentiation process using comparative proteomic techniques (Shen et al., Proteomics, 2007, 7(23): 4303-4316). Furthermore, it was reported that treating fibroblasts with reversine could induce them to transdifferentiate into skeletal muscle cells (Luigi et al., 2007, Cell Death and Differentiation, 13(12): 2042-2051; Chiara et al., 2009, Electrophoresis, 30(12): 2193-2206). Mandal et al. (Biochip Journal, 2013, 7(3): 278-287) examined the transcriptome profile of reversine-mediated transdifferentiation of NIH3T3 fibroblasts into osteoblasts. The study did not show that reversine activated the expression of pluripotency genes such as Oct4, Sox2 and Nanog.
There is a need for simple and efficient methods based on the use of small molecule compounds to generate iPSCs. The present invention meets this and other needs.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Combinational use of mechanical manipulation and programin derivatives to increase Oct4, Sox2, Nanog or c-Myc expression in fibroblasts


A specialized piggy-back container and second holder-container attached to each other. The second holder-container with holder-container ear-handles attached to the upper rim and shaped to receive one or more plastic trash bags with bag handles which are looped over the holder-container ear-handles. The first container is provided with a piggy-back second usually smaller holder-container which is attached to the side of the first container for temporary storage of recyclable material. The second attached holder-container is specially formed handle-ear extensions of the upper holder-container wall for temporarily receiving plastic trash bag handle loops spread over the holder-container handle-ear extensions. This device is additionally provided with a tight or frictional fitting lid so that most of the plastic bag is contained with all of the recyclable material therein is concealed from view and all that is visible is the pleasant appearance of the exterior of the secondary holder-container.

This invention relates to containers for recyclable trash waste and other materials that need temporary storage, and more particularly to those containers-brackets or holder-container units formed to have more than one compartment to store the regular trash or garbage. To this unit at least one additional compartment or unit is formed and particularly characterized by two or more handle like ear or bracket extensions of the upper wall periphery for temporarily receiving plastic trash bag and holding it in place by the trash bag handle loops.
In the marketing and production of devices to recycle trash, cans, miscellaneous items, garbage, and other waste materials; various containers have been patented, designed, manufactured and sold. These devices normally are designed as single or multiple containers to receive and contain the waste materials temporarily just in the form they are created.
Examples of some are:
______________________________________ D-308,272 D-312,159 D-310,744 D-312,522 D-311,801 D-313,684 ______________________________________
U.S. Pat. Nos. Des. 312,159 and 312,522 each show a cupboard or cabinet design that could not function and does not teach any functioning, concerning holding specifically sized plastic bag in the open condition. U.S. Pat. No. Des. 313,801 shows a plurality of containers that have foot operated lids arranged in an aggregation of subjectively acceptable pattern for sorting, but under no conceivable skill without using new inventive skills, could the art and appearance of this patent be stretched to cover, the pertinent teachings of specialized use for holding eared bags in an open condition cooperating with a lidded surrounds that make the combination substantially air tight herein. The remaining design patents, namely; U.S. Pat. Nos. Des. 308,272; 310,744; and 311,801 each suffer from the absence of any disclosure of a lidding, a pair of tabs, ears, or handles to hold a bag in the open position.
It is well known that various purveyors or merchandisers of articles of original merchandise, quite often provide free plastic carrying bags for the purveyor and the customer to place the articles of merchandise to be carried. For a particular industry or segment of commerce, the plastic bags are usually of a uniform and consistent size and shape. Further, after the first use, these bags become "a glut on the market", even to the extent that the stores or merchandisers are providing separate containers for the customers to bring back to the store for recycling these once used plastic bags.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide;
a. A temporary storage bracket for these relatively uniform recyclable plastic bags to be conveniently and sanitarily stored in an bag open position cooperating with the device surrounds to provide a temporary lidding means to keep the contents of the plastic bag from reacting warmly with the air and smelling. This being done selectively adjacent to the regular main trash or waste container or containers, to receive other recyclable material such as aluminum cans or independent of the cans.
b. A convenient eared or ear-handled means of holding at least one plastic bag temporarily, in a controlled open mouth shape, to provide a "held open" plastic holder-container, into which other recyclable can be disposed. This holder-container is preferably but not necessarily located at the customer's preferred regular trash receptacle position. This makes it convenient to place the, to be recycled, material in the plastic bag for further recycling. Once provided by the grocery store, it can now be used for a second time.
c. A sanitary smell resistant or smell proof means of greater stability in combination with the container to which the plastic bag holder-container is attached, than the stability of either the base container alone or the holder-container alone. This provided means of storing one or more plastic storage bags with integral handles, usually from a single merchandising type of source, in a nesting and compact space saving location, adjacent to the regular trash container for serial use as recyclable temporary containers.
d. An effective sanitary means of controlling smell emanating from the recyclable article holder-container through the use of a friction fitting lid that allows soft plastic handles to deform and seal between the lid and the upper periphery of the bag holder-container.
e. A temporary storage place utilizing commerical give away plastic bags.


The invention is directed to techniques for transferring data within a data storage system that includes, among other things, an interconnection mechanism having a point-to-point channel between an interface circuit (e.g., a director) and a volatile memory cache circuit. The point-to-point channel allows the interface circuit and the volatile memory cache circuit to have contention free access to each other. One arrangement of the invention is directed to a data storage system having a volatile memory cache circuit that buffers data elements exchanged between a storage device and a host, an interface circuit that operates as an interface between the volatile memory cache circuit and at least one of a storage device and a host, and a point-to-point channel interconnected between the volatile memory cache circuit to the interface circuit.

In general, a data storage system stores and retrieves data for one or more external hosts. FIG. 1 shows a high-level block diagram of a conventional data storage system 20. The data storage system 20 includes front-end circuitry 22, a cache 24, back-end circuitry 26 and a set of disk drives 28-A, 28-B (collectively, disk drives 28). The cache 24 operates as a buffer for data exchanged between external hosts 30 and the disk drives 28. The front-end circuitry 22 operates as an interface between the hosts 30 and the cache 24. Similarly, the back-end circuitry 26 operates as an interface between the cache 24 and the disk drives 28.
FIG. 1 further shows a conventional implementation 32 of the data storage system 20 that has a set of buses for carrying address information and data to and from the various data storage system components, i.e., to and from the front-end circuitry 22, the cache 24 and the back-end circuitry 26. In the implementation 32, the front-end circuitry 22 includes multiple front-end circuit boards 34. Each front-end circuit board 34 includes a pair of front-end directors 36-A, 36-B. Each front-end director 36 (e.g., the front-end director 36-A of the front-end circuit board 34-1) is interconnected between a particular host 30 (e.g., the host 30-A) and a set of M buses 38 (sometimes referred to as parallel multi-drop buses) that lead to the cache 24 (M being a positive integer), and operates as an interface between that host 30 and the cache 24. Similarly, the back-end circuitry 26 includes multiple back-end circuit boards 40. Each back-end circuit board 40 includes a pair of back-end directors 42-A, 42-B. Each back-end director 42 is interconnected between a particular disk drive 28 and the M buses 38 leading to the cache 24, and operates as an interface between that disk drive 28 and the cache 24.
Each disk drive 28 has multiple connections 44, 46 to the cache 24. For example, the disk drive 28-A has a first connection 44-A that leads to the cache 24 through the back-end director 42-A of the back-end circuit board 40-1, and a second connection 46-A that leads to the cache 24 through another back-end director of another back-end circuit board 40 (e.g., a back-end director of the back-end circuit board 40-2). The multiple connections 44, 46 provide fault tolerant features (e.g., the capability to store and retrieve data even when one of the connections 44, 46 becomes unavailable) and optimization features (e.g., the capability to load balance across the connections 44, 46).
For a host 30 to store data on the disk drives 28, the host 30 provides the data to one of the front-end directors 36. That front-end director 36 then performs a write operation by providing the data to the cache 24 through one of the M buses 38. Next, one of the back-end directors 42 reads the data from the cache 24 through one of the M buses 38 and stores the data in one or more of the disk drives 28. To expedite data transfer, the front-end director 36 can place a message for the back-end director 42 in the cache 24 when writing the data to the cache 24. The back-end director 42 can then respond as soon as it detects the message from the front-end director 36. Similar operations occur for a read transaction but in the opposite direction (i.e., data moves from the back-end director 42 to the front-end director 36 through the cache 24).

Methods and apparatus for transferring a data element within a data storage system


A rectangular secondary battery (1) includes a current interrupting portion (60) disposed in a current path between a collector plate (21) connected to a rolled electrode group (40) and an external terminal (61) disposed outside a battery container (2) and configured to interrupt the current path when an internal pressure of the battery container (2) is increased. The current interrupting portion (60) has a diaphragm (68) electrically connected to the external terminal (61) and deformed when the internal pressure of the battery container (2) is increased, a connection plate (24) connected to the diaphragm and disconnected from the diaphragm by the deformation of the diaphragm, and a connecting portion (23) connecting the connection plate and collector plate. A rigidity of the connecting portion (23) is lower than that of the collector plate (21).

Conventionally, in the field of rechargeable secondary batteries, aqueous system batteries such as a lead battery, a nickel-cadmium battery, and a nickel-hydrogen battery were mainstream. However, along with reduction in size and weight of electrical devices, a lithium-ion secondary battery having a high energy density has begun to attract attention, and study, development, and commercialization thereof are now advanced rapidly. Further, under circumstances where global warming or exhaustion of resources come to light, an electric vehicle (EV) and a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) having a mechanism where a driving force is partially assisted by an electric motor are developed by automobile manufacturers, and a secondary battery having large capacity and high output is required as a power supply for the EV and HEV.
As a power supply matching such requirements, a high voltage lithium-ion secondary battery of a non-aqueous system is now attracting attention. In particular, a rectangular lithium-ion secondary battery having a battery container with a flat-box shape has high volumetric efficiency when being packed and is thus increasingly demanded as a power supply to be mounted in the HEV, EV, or other equipment. In the rectangular secondary battery having such a sealed type battery container, a pressure inside the battery container may be increased due to, for example, overcharge, excessive temperature rise, or breakage by an external force.
There is known a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery provided with a current interrupting mechanism of interrupting current in the above case (see, for example, PTL 1). A non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery described in PTL 1 has a fragile portion that is ruptured when a pressure inside an exterior can is increased to thereby interrupt electrical conduction. The fragile portion is connected, at its center portion, to a surface of a diaphragm that faces inside the battery, and a peripheral portion thereof is connected to a collector tab positioned below the diaphragm. When the diaphragm is deformed to be lifted up, the fragile portion is ruptured to interrupt electrical conduction to the diaphragm.


A shift register includes a plurality of alternating shifting and latching sections connected in cascade. The phases of clocks (CLK, CLKB) for driving transmission gates (10, 14) of the shifting sections advance in phase relative to the phases of clocks (CLK, CLKB1) for driving transmission gates (12, 16) of the latching sections. The ON-resistance of the transmission gates (10, 14) of the shifting sections is sufficiently larger than that of the transmission gates (12, 16) of the latching sections, so that even when both of the clocks CLK and CLKB are at H or L levels due to delay imparted by inverters included in a clock generator, data to be latched is always given priority over data to be shifted. Thus, the shift register is free of a race condition which otherwise would be caused by a phase difference between the driving clocks.

Various types of shift registers have been used. One of the most basic, conventional shift registers comprises a plurality of cascaded D flip-flops. A shift register of this type, however, disadvantageously occupies a substantially large area on a substrate when it is constructed in an integrated circuit form, because the number of components of each D flip-flop and the number of components of associated circuits are large.
In Japanese Published Patent Application No. SHO 63-76198, K. Akiyama discloses a shift register of the type which does not use any D flip-flops. The shift register of this type comprises a plurality of 1-bit memory cells adjacent ones of which are interconnected by two MOS transistors which are ON-OFF controlled by control signals. Each of the 1-bit memory cells comprises two inverters which are connected in a ring configuration with two MOS transistors disposed between the respective inputs and the respective outputs of the inverters. The two MOS transistors in the ring are ON-OFF controlled by control signals applied to the respective gate electrodes, which control signals are different from the control signals used to ON-OFF control the MOS transistors interconnecting adjacent memory cells. This type of shift register is more advantageous than shift registers using D flip-flops when they are formed as integrated circuits because the number of circuit components is smaller. According to the statement in this Japanese application, this shift register is free of a race condition. A "race condition" is an undesirable phenomenon in which, during a clock period for shifting one bit, plural bits of data are shifted through a shift register. However, in the shift register of Akiyama, due to time delays imparted by two inverters in the paths of the control signals, two of the control signals applied through two respective gates therefor, which should be in opposite phase with each other, would become in phase with each other for a short time period. This causes an undesirable race condition.
A second type of shift register that does not employ D flip-flops includes latching sections each comprising a series combination of two inverters and a CMOS transmission gate connected in parallel with the series combination of the two inverters, and shifting sections each comprising a CMOS transmission gate connecting two latching sections. In this second type of shift register, data is shifted therethrough by clocking the CMOS transmission gates of the latching and shifting sections, simultaneously. However, this simultaneous clocking could cause a race condition.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a novel shift register which includes a relatively small number of circuit components and, hence, is suitable for constructing in an integrated circuit form, and which is free of a race condition and, therefore, can operate with stability and precision.


A fastening device including a bolt, screw or nut and a socket wrench therefor, each of the bolt, screw or nut and also the socket having polygonal surfaces one of which is greater in size and one of which is lesser in size, the greater such surface of the socket matching the greater surface of the bolt, screw or nut and the lesser such surface of the socket matching the lesser surface of the bolt, screw or nut.. One feature is the provision of an auxiliary member which fits into the socket of the standard socket wrench, the auxiliary member providing the lesser polygonal surface for such socket.. Another feature is the use of a round body or head having such greater or lesser polygonal surfaces.. Yet another feature is the provision of a bolt, screw or nut and a corresponding socket each of which has three such polygonal surfaces one of which is the greatest, the second of which is lesser than said greater surface, and the third of which is lesser than said second polygonal surface whereby to provide a three-way drive to tighten or loosen the bolt, screw or nut.. Still another feature is the provision of polygonal surfaces of different sizes in the socket which correspond with such surfaces on the bolt, screw or nut and which upon the application of torque to the socket tighten the engagement between the polygonal surfaces of the socket with the polygonal surfaces of the bolt, screw or nut.

Bolts, screws and nuts are commonly turned angularly about their axes to thereby cause the threads to move them in an axial direction to thereby perform their fastening function. The nuts, bolts and screws are driven in some way to tighten or loosen them with respect to the material being fastened. These nuts, bolts or screws may be polygonal in shape on their outsides, having, for example, four, six or eight sides, and may be turned with a wrench or may have grooves across their tops so as to be turned by a screwdriver. A single groove may be diametrically placed on the top of the bolt or screw, or cross grooves may be used each intersecting the axis of the bolt or screw and these cross grooves require a Phillips type screwdriver.
Each of the types of turning means above mentioned tend to loosen their grip on the body of the bolt or screw as they are turned; and when substantial torque is applied, the wrench is likely to move across the corners of the bolt, or the screwdriver may pop out of the groove.
What is needed is some way to turn the bolt, screw or nut which, as more torque is applied, the engagement between the tool and the bolt or screw becomes tighter and the engagement is even more secure. Further, it would be desirable to be able to accomplish such a result while using the standard socket wrench which is commonly available.
Therefore, I have set myself to discover a fastening device which meets these needs and desires.


In a process for producing a biopolymer nanoparticles, biopolymer feedstock and a plasticizer are fed to a feed zone of an extruder and the biopolymer feedstock is processed using shear forces. A crosslinking agent is added to the extruder downstream of the feed zone. The process has a production rate of at least 1.0 metric tons per hour. The feedstock and the plasticizer are preferably added separately to the feed zone. The extruder may have single flight elements in the feed zone. The temperatures in the intermediate section of the extruder are preferably kept above 100 C. The screw configuration may include two or more steam seal sections. Shear forces in a first section of the extruder may be greater than shear forces in an adjacent downstream section of the first section. In a post reaction section, water may be added to improve die performance.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a process for producing biopolymer nanoparticles and in particular, starch nanoparticles.
2. Description of the Related Art
U.S. Pat. No. 6,677,386 (which corresponds to WO 00/69916) describes a process for producing biopolymer nanoparticles, which in one form are starch nanoparticles. In the process, the biopolymer is plasticized using shear forces, and a crosslinking agent is added during the processing. After the processing, the biopolymer nanoparticles can be dispersed in an aqueous medium. One version of the process results in starch nanoparticles which are characterized by an average particle size of less than 400 nanometers.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,677,386 notes that the nanoparticles can be used as a matrix material wherein the matrix material may be a film-forming material, a thickener, or a rheology modifier, or an adhesive or an adhesive additive (tackifier). The nanoparticles or dispersions thereof may also be used for their barrier properties, as a carrier, as a fat replacer, or as a medicament for mitigating dermal disorders. Further examples of applications for the nanoparticles or dispersions thereof are in the paper-making and packaging industry, or in agriculture and horticulture. The nanoparticles can also be used as excipients or carriers in medicines, where they may be complexed or covalently coupled to active substances such as slow-release drugs. The nanoparticles can also be processed into a foam at relatively high density.
Other uses of the nanoparticles of U.S. Pat. No. 6,677,386 can be found in: (i) U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2004/0011487 which describes the use of the starches as a wet-end additive in papermaking pulp slurry, or applied to the surface of the paper as a surface sizing agent; (ii) U.S. Pat. No. 6,825,252 which describes the use of the starches in a binder in a pigmented paper coating composition; (iii) U.S. Pat. No. 6,921,430 which describes the use of the starches in environmentally friendly adhesives; and (iv) U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2004/0241382 which describes the use of the starches in an adhesive for producing corrugated board. The disclosure of these patents and applications, and of all other publications referred to herein, are incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein.
It can be seen that the nanoparticles prepared by the process of U.S. Pat. No. 6,677,386 have numerous uses. Furthermore, additional uses will likely be found in the future. As a result, the demand for larger quantities of the biopolymer nanoparticles will continue to increase. However, there are concerns that the process described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,677,386 may not be able to keep up with the increasing demand for the biopolymer nanoparticles.
Therefore, there is a need for an improved process for producing larger quantities of biopolymer nanoparticles and in particular, starch nanoparticles.

Process for producing biopolymer nanoparticles


An energy consumption controller may be communicatively coupled with a plurality of alternative energy sources and an engine. The controller may be configured to manage energy consumption from the alternative energy sources interconnected with the engine and to keep the engine within a desired temperature range. Within the desired temperature range, the engine will start and run at a full load more rapidly than if the engine cooled excessively. The controller may change the selected energy source as required, based on factors such as cost, engine maintenance and testing and/or imminent need of the engine.

Engine heating processes, equipment and systems consume electric power to warm engines allowing the engines to start and run at full load rapidly as compared to cold engines. With ever increasing of costs of energy, systems and methods of managing energy consumption by engine heaters are desired. For example, data center organizations, hospitals organizations, transportation organizations, may desire to reduce power consumption of engine heaters arranged with engines in systems of these organizations to reduce cost.
Existing engine heating processes, equipment and systems have limited awareness of an engine's environment. For instance, engine heaters have traditionally been utilized at an engine level (e.g., a standby generator at a datacenter), and arranged to be aware of only an electric utility power to keep the generator warm. For example, a datacenter organization may install an engine heater, on a backup generator, configured to consume only electricity from a public utility to keep the generator warm until a critical time of use. While this approach helps ensure that the generator will be ready to operate at a critical time of need, it does not provide visibility to available and potentially lower cost, alternative energy sources to keep the generator warm.
A user, technician, facilities administrator, or other individual may view information associated with an engine heater through an interface. For example, the interface may display an icon corresponding to an engine heater's status (i.e., heater on or off), temperature, pressure, and/or presence of fluid. However, due to a lack of the engine heater's awareness, the interface cannot display icons corresponding to an availability of alternate energy sources. Moreover, due to the lack of the engine heater's awareness, the interface cannot display icons corresponding to user inputs arranged to remotely manage the engine heater's consumption of alternate energy sources.


This invention pertains to the novel use of N-acetyl glucosamine to minimize or eliminate food intolerance or food allergy symptoms in human beings afflicted with these symptoms by maintaining the integrity and normal function of the gastrointestinal tract in such human beings. A method of alleviating food sensitivity and food allergy in a human being comprising feeding the human being a therapeutic amount of N-acetyl glucosamine on a periodic basis.

Food intolerance of some kind is very common in human beings. Food allergies are also common. The majority of human beings have an intolerance of certain constituents of foods. About 5 percent of the population have reactions to ingested substances which are sufficiently serious to require medical attention. These reactions can in some instances be life-threatening. For instance, in a widely publicized case, a bride with a chronic peanut allergy died in the United States in 1990 within minutes of consuming some wedding cake that had been baked with peanut oil as a pan grease.
In recent years evidence has mounted that the basic cause of food intolerance is the absorption of substances which are normally excluded but which in susceptible individuals are absorbed by the gastrointestinal tract because of defects in the tissue which lines the digestive tract (Peters, T. F., Bjarnason, I., Canadian Journal of Gastroenterology 1988, 2: 127-132; Olaison et al., Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology 1990, 25: 321-328; Hollander et al., Annals of Internal Medicine, 1986, 105: 883-885).
It is becoming increasingly clear that this basic tissue defect underlies disorders of the gastrointestinal tract which can range from mild food intolerance to, in more severe cases, erosion and ultimately ulceration of the mucosa. Persons with Inflammatory Bowel Disease, which represents the more severe situation, usually also have other symptoms which relate to food allergy.
The manifestation of food allergy can involve virtually any tissue in the body. The respiratory tract is involved in many inhaled allergies affecting the eyes, ears, mouth, upper respiratory tract and the lungs. Because of the very large absorptive area in the gastrointestinal tract, it is probably the major site of absorption of offending substances. Many of the symptoms of food allergies are manifest in the digestive tract itself, but might involve any other tissues, including the brain, and, accordingly, affect behaviour.
The most successful treatment of food allergy to date is the avoidance of offending substances once they have been identified. This requires diet revision, usually involving strict restrictive measures. Most promising is the use of Elemental diets which exclude all naturally-occurring potential allergens by providing a diet of essential nutrients in their simplest form, that is, in small molecules which are readily absorbed such as food which has been digested by the action of digestive enzymes in the gut. These diets remove the offensive substances, and have proven to be highly successful in long-term treatment of patients with severe food allergies. About 80 percent of patients respond to these diets, but there is a relapse rate of about 10 percent each year.
Several patents disclose amino sugars for treatment of disorders.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,590,067, May 20, 1986, Meisner, Peritain Ltd., discloses a composition for preventing and treating periodontal disease comprising bone meal, ascorbic acid, tyrosine and either glucosamine or cysteine. N-acetyl glucosamine is not disclosed.
French Patent No. 2,473,887, Jul. 24, 1981, discloses the use of biochemical precursors of glucosamineglycans for the treatment of vascular disorders of functional or organic origin in which there is insufficient blood flow to the limbs, for asphyxic hypoxydotic symptoms, and in cosmetology, for skin defects caused by insufficient circulation to the skin. The precursors, which include N-acetylglucosamine, increase the elasticity of perivascular tissue, resulting in an increase in arterio-capillary blood flow, without having a vasodilating action.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,006,224, Feb. 1, 1977, J. F. Prudden, discloses the treatment of ulcerative colitis or regional enteritis in a mammal by administering D-glucosamine, or one of its salts. Equal or superior results to the conventional treatments of the two conditions are obtained. The dose is 20-300 mg/kg of D-glucosamine, HCl daily. In a clinical trial, a patient with Crohn's Disease that was not affected by ACTH or prednisone was given D-glucosamine, HCl subcutaneously. The symptoms stopped after several weeks of treatment.
WO A 8 702 244, N. Hendry, EP A 0178602, Peritain Ltd. and French Patent A 2016 182, Rotta Research Labratorium SpA, are of interest to this subject.
Hendry discloses a preparation for tissue growth regulation comprising (a) at least one of N-acetyl-D-glucosamine or an oligomer thereof, or a deacylated derivative thereof, or a substituted product of these compounds; (b) at least one of biotin or an analog or derivative biotin, or biologically active residue thereof; and (c) a divalent metal cation together with a pharmaceutically acceptable anion.
A key difference over the prior art is the applicant's use of N-acetyl glucosamine (NAG) as a source of amino sugar for the synthesis of molecules such as glycoproteins and glycosaminoglycans, which are rich in NAG and the synthesis of which is stimulated by NAG.
NAG is formed from glucosamine and NAG is then directly converted into other amino sugars. NAG is thus a key substance, and in the applicant's work with intestinal tissue, it was found that the formation of NAG itself from glucosamine was the slow part of the process. This necessitates the use of NAG, specifically, and not a deacetylated form, or oligomer.
NAG, moreover, is more stable than glucosamine, is a neutral substance and is readily assimilated by tissues and utilized, whereas most oligomers are not.
The proposed use of NAG is unique and differs from existing art.
An article entitled "Decreased Incorporation of .sup.14 C-Glucosamine Relative to .sup.3 H-N-Acetyl Glucosamine in the Intestinal Mucosa of Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease", A.F. Burton and F. H. Anderson, vol. 78, No. 1, 1983, American Journal of Gastroenterology, discloses evidence that the synthesis of glycoproteins in intestinal mucosa of patients afflicted with inflammatory bowel disease is deficient in the diseased tissues of such patients. The article discusses possible reasons for the deficiency. However, no suggestions for alleviating the deficiency are made.

Method and composition for treatment of food allergy


A method and a device with which an ambulatory status, including movements of an upper body, can be detected easily, without a complex operation of the equipment used, in a medical facility for rehabilitation or the like. In case of detecting the ambulatory status of a subject, the problem is solved by detecting the ambulatory status of the subject by measuring conditions of movement in at least two places, specifically, a lumber area and a thoracodorsal area of the subject.

In case of analyzing an ambulatory status, moving images, which have been photographed by a high speed camera, etc., are usually analyzed.
However, there are some problems, e.g., the high speed camera being expensive, a measuring range being limited within several meters square, a method for analyzing moving images being complex.
On the other hand, another conventional method for analyzing an ambulatory status by using motion sensors, e.g., acceleration sensors, without photographing moving images, has been developed.
For example, in a method for analyzing an ambulatory status disclosed in Patent Document 1, a plurality of sensors are provided to a hip joint between both feet and provided to knee joints and foot joints in a state where the joints are pinched between the sensors, so that walking data, e.g., joint angles, of a subject can be obtained on the basis of data from the sensors.
Further, in a walking evaluation device disclosed in Patent Document 2, acceleration sensors are attached to ankle parts of a subject, and frequency spectra of acceleration signals are analyzed on the basis of the acceleration data of the ankle parts measured by the acceleration sensors, so that ambulatory statuses, e.g., shuffling, sliding, can be evaluated.

Method for detecting ambulatory status and device for detecting ambulatory status


An overvoltage protection device is employed to protect the low power semiconductor components of a circuit against overvoltages applied at the connection leads of the circuit. The device has at least two branches that are each connected between a common point and one of the connection leads of the circuit. Each branch includes a diode thyristor that is self-igniting in response to a particular overvoltage and an associated diode that is connected in opposed relation to the diode thyristor. The diode thyristors are aligned to conduct in the same direction with respect to the common point of connection. An additional branch may be connected between the common point and ground.

The present invention relates to a device for protecting a low power semiconductor circuit against overvoltages.
For many applications in the field of electronics, it is desirable to employ low power semiconductor circuits. Accordingly, there is a need for an efficient, inexpensive and reliable overvoltage protection device that will protect such circuits against overvoltages on their input leads. Typical semiconductor components for such low power circuits are: diodes, transistors, integrated circuits, and other components designed for maximum currents of one or a few amperes and maximum voltages of a hundred or a few hundred volts. Overvoltage protection devices may be used to protect the semiconductor circuitry that is employed, for example, in telephone stations and in telephone sets, or, in general, for semiconductor signal processing circuits.
It is known to use gas discharge tubes to provide overvoltage protection. However, a disadvantage of such tubes is that the tubes have a slow ignition time, thereby allowing an overvoltage to reach a relatively large amplitude before the gas discharge tube is activated. In addition, the ignition voltage cannot be precisely set in gas discharge tubes.
Zinc oxide varistors have also been used as overvoltage protection devices. However, such varistors have a relatively high leakage current during normal operation and also provide a poorly defined level of protection. In addition, the varistors show an appreciable degradation in response to repeated overvoltages.
It is also known to use zener diodes as overvoltage protection devices for semiconductor components. However, zener diodes must be provided with relatively large operational dimensions in order to provide a sufficient capacity for energy absorption. Moreover, both varistors and zener diodes show a relatively high capacitance, which has a harmful influence on the transmission of high frequency signals on the lines to which an overvoltage protection device is connected.
Accordingly, it is a primary object of the invention to provide a fast, efficient, inexpensive and reliable overvoltage protection device having relatively small operational dimensions and providing a well-defined and constant level of protection.
Another object of the invention is to provide such a device that has a low leakage current and a low capacitance.
These and other objects of this invention will become apparent from a review of the detailed specification which follows and a consideration of the accompanying drawings.

Overvoltage protection means for protecting low power semiconductor components


A forage compactor is provided having a frame that has cross bars supporting risers that in turn support a shaft. At least one asymmetric wheel is supported by the shaft. The wheels can be paired whereby journals are used to connect to the shaft between recesses of respective wheels. Each wheel has a first side and a second side, each with radiused portions that turn forage away from the wheel. The wheels have a band that is flush with the outer portion of the wheel sides to prevent lifting of the forage. A storage assembly is provided and is integrated into the framework. The storage assembly can be stored within the frame when the compactor is in use, and can be deployed to a locked position in order to store the compactor. A hitch framework is provided that can attach to multiple categories of three point hitches.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improved forage compactor and in particular to an improved forage compactor having at least one asymmetric wheel, an integrated stand and an improved connection system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Forage can be comprised of chopped corn, hay or other feed stuffs. Without the aid of compression equipment, a large amount of air is entrapped or contained within piles of forage. The air increases the rate of spoilage of the forage. It is therefore desirable to remove entrapped or incorporated air from the forage in order to increase forage quality and storage times.
There have been many methods developed over the years that seek to accomplish the goal of removing air from the forage.
One such method is a tower silo. Forage is vertically stacked in a tower silo. The vertical stacking takes advantage of gravity, which forces an amount of compaction as the tower silo is filled.
Another such method is a bag silo. Bag silos lay horizontal and are filled or packed mechanically with a machine. The bag silos are then sealed.
A further type of silo is a bunker silo. A bunker silo is driven over by a vehicle whereby the forage is compressed in order to remove the air before being sealed. The vehicle, which could be a vehicle with auxiliary weights attached thereto, can drive a wheel or an implement having multiple wheels over the forage. Two such implements are Faster Packer and Spanjer Impact.
While useful, these implements use wheel profiles that have lips that can lift forage during rotation instead of achieving a desired level of compaction.
The implements also require a stand to be transported for when the implement is not in use.
Thus there exists a need for a forage compactor that solves these and other problems.