A data processing method and system that measures performance in creating value by a business enterprise based upon past and anticipated future events. Continuously updated measurements of the present value of future financial value streams of the business enterprise are derived from event-driven discounted cash flow analysis. Measures of value creation performance are not dependent upon transactions with third parties. Rather, anticipated benefits from activities of the business enterprise are taken into account. Strategic planning may be accomplished, while past value creation performance may be evaluated on an ongoing basis. A data structure is developed that includes one or more assumed variables that have an influence on a future financial value stream of the business enterprise and at least one future or past event for each assumed variable that influences the corresponding assumed variable. A first present value of the future financial value stream is determined by aggregating the influences on the future financial value stream attributable to the assumed variables and adjusting the future financial value stream for a time value of money. In response to the occurrence or non-occurrence of one or more of the future events, a determination is made as to whether one or more of the assumed variables have changed and whether the influenced future financial value stream has changed. A second present value of the future financial value stream is determined taking into account the one or more assumed variables that changed in response to the occurrence or non-occurrence of the one or more of the future events.

The present invention relates to a data processing system that measures performance in creating value by a business enterprise based upon past and anticipated future events. More particularly, the present invention relates to a data processing system that provides continuously updated measurements of the present value of future financial value streams of a business enterprise derived from event-driven discounted cash flow analysis.
A fundamental principle of traditional accounting and financial reporting methods is that the performance of a business enterprise is derived from transactions between the enterprise and other parties, such as customers, suppliers and employees. Consequently, traditional accounting can be characterized as measuring value realized through such transactions.
This arrangement proved to be satisfactory through what can be characterized as the manufacturing era. In today's world, however, the most important assets of many enterprises are not plant and equipment but rather knowledge, ideas and skills. For the most part, knowledge-based assets are not acquired through third-party transactions, but are rather developed in-house. As such, they are not adequately captured by traditional accounting methods.
As a result of these shortcomings of traditional accounting with respect to knowledge intensive companies, it is apparent that capital markets are missing important information needed to rationally assess the performance of a business enterprise. It has been argued that traditional accounting methods are a declining predictor of stock prices and produce largely irrelevant reports for companies with long research and development pipelines. Without adequate accounting for knowledge-intensive enterprises, capital markets will perform sub-optimal resource allocation.
Many recent developments have taken place in the field of accounting and financial reporting though none fully addresses these problems. These include: Economic Value Added (EVA); Balanced Scorecard, Intellectual Capital Management (ICM), Economic Resource Planning (ERP); and Global Reporting Initiative (GRI). An attempt has been made to mitigate some of traditional accounting's shortcomings with management's discussion and analysis (MD&A) sections in annual reports, but MD&A disclosure is itself in bad condition, with no clear standards, methodology, or reporting principles. Capital markets are not routinely supplied with information that would permit monitoring of strategy implementation, value creation, and risk management.
Thus, with the increased time-lag often found between value creation and value realization, an accounting model that focuses only on the latter is increasingly irrelevant for intensively knowledge-based enterprises—and, indeed, enterprises in general are increasingly knowledge-based. Traditional financial statements have simply not provided sufficient information about knowledge assets.
When value creation was closely followed by value realization (the mouse trap was manufactured in March and sold in April) concentrating on just value realization alone was good enough. It is no longer good enough today. A bio-pharmaceutical research company may spend research and development funds on a potential drug discovery for ten years before successful commercialization and revenue streams commence. The growing deficits resulting from research and development write-offs displayed by traditional accounting during those ten years do not convey timely and relevant information. It is not that traditional accounting methods focussed on value realization should be abandoned. They are important, but they are not sufficient.
Therefore, what is needed is a technique for providing measurements of the performance of a business enterprise in creating value based upon projections of future events and related benefits that will result from such events. More particularly, what is needed is a technique for providing continuously updated measurements of the value creation performance of a business enterprise derived from event-driven discounted cash flow analysis. It is to these ends that the present invention is directed.

Continuously updated data processing method for measuring financial value creation


Disclosed is a pump safety device for various containers which makes it possible to freely adjust a discharge amount of contents from a container and to securely fix a pump in such as way to install an adjusting member and a safety pin at a pump for various containers which are used to contain cosmetics, shampoo and kitchen rinses. The pump safety device for various containers comprises a female screw part which is provided at an inner side of the cap; and an adjusting member which is engaged to the female screw part of the cap and is installed at the top of the cap and is capable of adjusting upward or downward.

The substances such as cosmetics, shampoo and kitchen rinses directly contacting with a human skin may be easily spoiled with impurities such as contaminated water. In order to improve the above problems, a pump equipped with a pumping part is developed, which has features in that a certain amount of contents what a user wants can be discharged, and an external air or impurities are prevented from entering.
The container equipped with a pump is widely used. As shown in FIG. 1, at the top of a container with contents is engaged a pump which is a pumping part 20 configured to such contents.
The pumping part 20 comprises at the top a press button 21 and a discharge tube 22 integrally projecting from one side of the press button 21 for discharging outside the contents, a support tubular member 25 engaged to the bottom of the press button 21, a piston 27 installed at the bottom of the support tubular member 25, a spring 27 engaged to the bottom of the piston 27, a cylinder part 26 disposed at the bottom of the support tubular member 25 and containing a piston 27 and a spring 28, and a cap 23 and a lid 24 which are provided at the top of the cylinder part 26. The lid 24 with the cap 23 is engaged to the top of the container 10 containing contents.
When the user presses the press button 21, the pressing force is supplied to the cylinder part 26 of the pumping part which is engaged to the support tubular member 25 of the press button 21. The piston 27 provided inside is pushed down, and the internal pressure increases, and the contents in the interior of the cylinder part 26 is discharged outside through a discharge tube 22 of the press button 21.
When the pressing force is removed from the press button 21, the piston 27 returns back by an elastic force of the spring 28 provided in the interior of the cylinder part 26, and the pressure of the interior of the cylinder part 26 descends, and the contents contained in the interior of the container 10 are filled into the interior of the cylinder part 26 along the tube 29 by means of the pressure.
The above mentioned pumping means 20 is capable of better adjusting a discharge amount as compared to the container just equipped with a conventional lid, and the contents may be less contaminated by impurities.
The conventional pumping means 20 has problems in that it is impossible to presume an accurate amount of content discharges because the press button 21 is pressed by a user in such a way that the user rotates the press button 21, and the press button 21 is discharged from the cap 23 and moves upward in a state that a male screw part 21c formed at the bottom of the press button 21 is engaged to the cap 23. After use, when the user pushes the press button 21 to rotate, so the male screw part 21c formed at a connection portion 21a at the bottom of the press button 21 is engaged to the cap 23; however in this case the contents of the container may be wasted when the press button is locked after use. When the press button is not locked so as to prevent the waste, a kid or children may randomly press the press button 21 and may eat the discharged contents.
There are methods of covering a safety lid onto the pumping means 20 of the container 10 and of inserting or separating a fixing pin into/from between the press button 21 and the cap 23.
In the above methods, the procedures of inserting or separating a safety lid or a fixing pin may cause them to be lost.
The inventor of the present invention has developed a pump safety device for various containers which has features in that the press button is securely fixed and not pressed because it is locked by an adjusting member without the press button being pressed, in such a way to install an adjusting member and a safety pin at a pump which is a pumping means for various containers. When in use, the adjusting member is rotated and ascends and descends, and the pressing degree of the press button can be adjusted, which helps freely adjust the discharge amount of the contents from the container. The present invention can provide a stable locking and a safety with respect to the reaches of kids or children.

Pump safety device for various containers


A method and system for clean burning organic or synthetic material, particularly vulcanized rubber, where fuel is ignited and the heat and smoke by-product is maximized by controlling the amount of oxygen available to the fire. The smoke by-product in an afterburner is reacted with steam, producing hydrogen and carbon monoxide, the products may be collected and stored. The extreme heat in the afterburner reduces the amount of pollutants and toxins in the air. Excess heat generated by burning the fuel may be used to power an engine.

Presently there is a shortage of energy for the world's needs. Generally the world relies upon oil and fossil fuel to generate the majority of the electricity consumed by industrial nations. Furthermore, while the finite supply of fossil fuels to continues to dwindle, the demand for energy continues to increase.
As a result of the continued depletion of energy sources and the continued increase of energy demand, many inventions have looked to alternative sources of fuel. The alternative fuel sources include solar power, wind power, or even burning of garbage in landfills. While the need for alternative fuel sources increases, many of those already in use present limited solutions to the current energy problems. These limitations result from the prohibitive costs associated with manufacturing, the alternative fuel source, or as a result of general societal indifference to energy shortage.
While scientists and engineers continue their search for viable alternative fuel sources, industrial nations continue to produce large amounts of waste. Attempts to reduce the amount of waste produced in many nations has resulted in recycling initiatives, government regulations, and reduced consumption. However, several manufactured items do not lend themselves to recycling or other modes of disposal, and thus present a long-term environmental and landfill threat. One such product is vulcanized rubber, or automobile tires. It is estimated that each year at least 1 billion tires are discarded around the world with the majority of those coming from the United States of America. These tires are often placed in large piles which present environmental and health hazards if they were to burn. Controlled tire burning has been seen as a way to alleviate the energy crisis the world faces, yet generally tire fires are logical disasters, due to the extreme pollutants released when the rubber is burnt. Furthermore, it is seen that tire fires contribute to pollutants that can cause global warming. As a result, burning of old tires is not generally seen as a viable option for disposing of tires.

Method of clean burning and system for same


Seamless wireless mobility is described. In one embodiment, a mobility manager can query a subscriber catalog for a current registration status of handset. The mobility manager can then use the registration status to send a first signal to the handset over either a wireless network or an Internet protocol-based network.

Given their portable nature and ease of use, wireless handsets (such as cellular phones) have enjoyed wide proliferation. This is especially the case among users who move around frequently, but wish to stay in contact with their work colleagues, families and other individuals or entities of importance.
Often, however, coverage problems arise when a user attempts to use a handset inside of a building. For example, many electromagnetic signals (such as radio frequencies used by Wi-Fi devices and cellphones) are unable to fully propagate through walls, metalized glass or other common building materials which separate the inside of a building from an outside environment. As a result, the user may experience a degradation of service or may be precluded entirely from sending or receiving information from their handset to an existing outside network.
Additionally, many wireless handset users also have other communication devices, such as "soft phones" using voice over IP (VoIP) protocols, as well as analog phones communicating over POTS (plain old telephone system) lines for both business and personal use. Thus a single user may be associated with several different telephone numbers receive calls over a variety of different transmission mediums.


A ceramic cathode material of a solid oxide fuel cell and a manufacturing method thereof are disclosed. The method includes mixing a lanthanum-containing compound, a cobalt-containing compound, a nickel-containing compound, and a copper-containing compound, for preparing the ceramic cathode material of the solid oxide fuel cell of intermediate/low type. The ceramic cathode material of the solid oxide fuel cell is LaCozNiyCuxO3−δ, in which x ranges from 0.01 to 0.3, y ranges from 0 to 0.89, and z ranges from 0.1 to 0.99. The ceramic cathode material manufactured by mixing the lanthanum-containing compound, the cobalt-containing compound, the nickel-containing compound, and the copper-containing compound when operating within the temperature range from 500 to 800 degrees Celsius is of high electrical conductivity and reduced thermal expansion coefficient.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a ceramic cathode material of a solid oxide fuel cell and a manufacturing method thereof; in particular, to a ceramic cathode material which is applicable in a fuel cell, and the ceramic cathode material has the features of higher electrical conductivity and reduced thermal expansion coefficient operating within the temperature range from 500 to 800 degrees Celsius.
2. Description of Related Art
There are multiple fuel cells that are categorized in terms of electrolyte and operating temperature range. The fuel cells with the largest development potential are the proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) and the solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC).
One of the main objectives of commercializing the SOFC is for lowering the operating temperature of the same. Generally, the operating temperature of the high temperature SOFC ranges from 800 to 1000 degrees Celsius, but the high operating temperature accompanies some defects, such as relatively lower open circuit voltage, more demanding requirement for the cell material, more expensive material cost, and longer waiting time for rising the temperature of the connection board. In addition, because of the high operating temperature requiring the longer waiting time for increasing or decreasing the temperature, tensile stress and compressive stress in the inner structure of the fuel cell may result, increasing the possibility of components of the cell fuel being damaged. The operating temperature of the IT (intermediate)-SOFC ranges from 500 to 800 degrees Celsius. Comparing with the high temperature SOFC, the IT-SOFC has the advantages such as extended lifetime and more connection material selections (without being limited to the use of ceramic material only). However, in the relatively lower operating temperature, the electrical conductivity is lowered and the activating polarity may apparently increase along with the reduced operating temperature. Therefore, the development of the medium/low temperature cathode material with better performances is very important.
The advantages of solid oxide fuel cell are as follows:
(1) High efficiency: The conventional electricity generation processes need to go through a series of energy conversions. Part of the energy may dissipate into the air during each energy conversion, thus the total energy conversion efficiency is relatively low. The efficiency of the conventional thermal power generation is about 30%. The fuel cell directly converts the chemical energy into electricity without coal burning process, thus the energy waste thereof is relatively low. Theoretically, the efficiency of the fuel cell is around 85 to 90% despite only about 40 to 60% in practice.
(2) No noise: Presently, the common electricity generation technique including thermal electricity generation, hydro electricity generation, or nuclear electricity generation mainly uses large turbines generating large amount of noises during the operation. On the other hand, the fuel cell does not need machine parts when performing electrochemical reactions, which is different from the conventional electricity generation. Therefore, the fuel cell could be a virtually noiseless electricity generation system.
(3) Low contamination: In coal, petroleum, nuclear energy for generating electricity, harmful substances such as SOx, NOx, and COx may be generated and nuclear waste may be difficult to be disposed of. On the other hand, the fuel cell is relatively environmentally friendly option.
(4) Variety selections of fuel: Some specific fuel cell sets can use the energy other than hydrogen gas. Due to relatively lower density, the hydrogen gas is not convenient to be stored. Thus, the liquid hydrogen energy is used as fuels, such as alcohol or liquid fossil fuels, for providing much more convenience and durability.
Presently, the problems of the cathode material of the most widely used high temperature SOFC are that the electrical conductivity, the thermal expansion coefficient, and the stability thereof remain to be desired and not suitable just yet for large scale commercial development. Therefore, the cathode material needs to have relatively better electrical conductivity, electrolyte matching, and stability when operating in the intermediate temperature range. The matching materials include the perovskite, the cubic fluorite, and the pyrochlore, and the pyrochlore so far has been gaining more popularity.
The following descriptions are the must-have conditions of the medium cathode materials:
(1) Stability: The cathode material needs to have chemical, crystal form, morphology, and size stabilities, under the temperature from the room temperature to the operating temperature. In addition, the electrolyte, the connection material, and other components also need to have good chemical stability.
(2) Electrical conductivity: The cathode needs to have high ionic conductivity and electron conductivity for lowering the ohmic polarization.
(3) Thermal expansion: The thermal expansion coefficient of the material needs to match the thermal expansion of the electrolyte, connection materials, and other components, for avoiding deformation, detachment, and cracks.
(4) Porosity: For allowing the gas to reach and react at the electrode, the cathode material needs to have at least 30% of the porosity.
(5) Catalytic capability: The material needs to have good catalytic capability toward oxygen for allowing the oxygen molecule to perform dissociation reactions.
In early days, the cathode material uses the precious metals including platinum, palladium, and silver, etc., which have good electrical conductivity. However, the precious metals are expensive and the silver is volatile under high temperature. The Ln1−xAxMO3+δ (Ln is the lanthanum series element, A is alkaline earth family element, and M is the transition metal element) which has the structure of perovskite could satisfy the requirements of electrical conductivity of the cathode material. Generally, the material is made by adding alkaline earth family element into LnMO3, for increasing the electrical conductivity of the cathode material under the high temperature. By replacing part of the rare earth family element with alkaline earth family, the valence number of the transition metals changes or forms oxygen vacancies under certain conditions, for maintaining the lattice electrical neutrality and for increasing electrical conductivity.
The LaCoO3−δ is a standard perovskite structure material which is rhombohedral phase structure and forms a distorted octahedral structure (CoO69−) under the room temperature. In addition, the rhombohedral phase structure may phase transform into cubic structure at the temperature of 509 degrees Celsius. The LaCoO3−δ cathode material is the mixed conductor which has the features of electron conductivity and ionic conductivity, and is a semi-conductive material. However, although the LaCoO3−δ and LaCo0.4Ni0.6O3−δ which are manufactured by solid state-gel method have high electrical conductivity and have the potential of being applied to the cathode of the medium temperature SOFC, the thermal expansion coefficient and the sintering temperature are the areas to be improved to meet the needs.
Therefore, a possible solution for developing the cathode material of the medium/low temperature high performance SOFC may be using doping element with similar atomic radius for replacing Ni and Co in order to increase the generation of the oxygen vacancies and to reduce the thermal expansion coefficient, by using solid synthesis to manufacture, and by executing microstructure and electrical analysis after selecting the optimal parameters for developing new cathode material with better features and lower cost.

Ceramic cathode material of solid oxide fuel cell and manufacturing method thereof

National Taipei University of Technology


An adaptive multiple-tap frequency domain digital filter processes an input signal vector X from an plurality of spatially separated transducers that detect energy from a plurality of sources including a target energy source and at least one non-target energy source. The filter receives and processes the input signal vector X to attenuate noise from non-target sources and provides an output signal vector Y. Tap weights WN for the filter are selected by first parameterizing each of the tap weights WN, such that each of the tap weights WN is characterized by a vector of parameters βopt, and the solving for each parameter of the vector βopt by minimizing the expected power of the array output signal Y. A robustness-control transformation is then applied to the vector p to provide a robust vector βopt wherein the robustness-control transformation identifies and reduces target canceling components of the vector βopt while preserving non-target canceling components. Finally, the weight vector indicative of the filter tap weights is formed as a function of the vector βopt. Notably, the present invention separates the robustness constraining process from the beamforming power minimization, in contrast to prior art techniques which combine the robustness constraint into the beamforming power minimization. The present invention uses a direct and flexible robustness control mechanism to yield a beamformer that provides good performance and is robust to a wide variety of adverse conditions.

The present invention relates to the field of digital signal processing, and in particular to the field to adaptive digital filters for beamforming transducer arrays.
Many applications (e.g., radar, sonar, satellite communications, background noise reducing hearing aids, etc.) often include a directionally sensitive antenna-array or microphone array (generically a beamforming tranducer array). These beamforming transducer arrays and their associated signal processing are capable of enhancing a desired target source relative to another non-target source (e.g., a jammer/noise source). The enhancements improve the perceived target-to-jammer power ratio (TJR), which, in turn, improves the performance of subsequent, target-based processing.
One application of a beamforming transducer array is for hearing aids. Hearing aid wearers often complain about the corrupting influence of background noise upon their ability to understand a desired target source. Enhancing the target relative to the background noise reduces this problem. Similarly, applications such as satellite communications, radar and sonar also benefit from the directional filtering ability of beamforming transducer arrays. We shall now discuss the basic beamforming problem.

Location-estimating, null steering (LENS) algorithm for adaptive array processing


A coaxial type starter motor comprises a d.c. motor comprising a hollow armature rotary shaft and a front bracket connected to a yoke, an overrunning clutch disposed in the front bracket to transmit a rotational force from the rotary shaft, an output shaft having a rear end portion which is extended into the hollow rotary shaft and is supported by a bearing so as to be slidable forwardly and backwardly, the output shaft having a helical spline connection to a clutch inner in the overrunning clutch to obtain the transmission of a rotational force, and a pinion mounted on the front end portion of the output shaft so as to come to interlocking with the ring gear of an engine when the output shaft is forwardly moved, wherein a clutch outer in the overrunning clutch has an enlarged diameter portion for supporting a roller at its rear end side, a boss portion of a reduced diameter at its front end side, in which the outer periphery of the boss portion is supported by the front bracket by means of a bearing, and the clutch inner is supported by the inner periphery of the boss portion of the clutch outer by means of a bearing.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a coaxial type starter motor which is connectable to an electromagnetic switch at its rear portion and is provided with an output shaft with a pinion at the front end portion of the output shaft.
2. Discussion of Background
FIG. 2 is a front view partly cross-sectioned in the longitudinal direction of a conventional starter motor disclosed in, for instance, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 149349/1991 wherein the upper half portion of the output shaft of the starter motor indicates a retracted, returned state and the lower half portion indicates an advanced state. In FIG. 2, numeral 1 designates a d.c. motor having an armature in which a hollow rotary shaft 2 is disposed. The front portion of the rotary shaft 2 is supported by a bearing supporting portion 17a formed in a yoke 17 by means of a bearing 18. Numeral 4 designates an output shaft the rear end of which is extended into the rotary shaft 2 and is supported by a bearing 14. The front end of the output shaft 4 is connected with a pinion 3 through a spline connection, and a stopper 12 is disposed at the front end of the pinion 3. Numeral 8 designates a front bracket of the d.c. motor 1. A planetary reduction gear device 7 comprises a sun gear formed at the front end of the rotary shaft 2, an internal gear wheel 7b fixed inside the front bracket 8, and a plurality of planetary gears 7d interlocked with the sun gear 7a. Each of the planetary gears 7d is supported by a supporting pin 7c. The planetary gears 7d are also interlocked with the internal gear wheel 7b to effect a revolving motion. A carrier 19 is supported by the rotary shaft 2 by means of a bearing 20, and the supporting pins 7c are firmly attached to the carrier 19.
An overrunning clutch 9 transmits revolution reduced by the planetary reduction gear device 7 to the output shaft 4 in one direction. The overrunning clutch 9 has a construction as follows. A clutch outer 9a is firmly attached to the carrier 19 and a clutch inner 9b is fitted to the clutch outer 9a by means of rollers 9c to transmit a one way revolution force to the output shaft 4. Numeral 21 designates a fitting plate, and numeral 22 designates a cover fixed by caulking to the clutch outer 9a and connected to the clutch inner 9b in the axial direction. The cover 22 seals grease charged therein. The clutch inner 9b is supported by the front bracket 8 by means of a bearing 11.
The output shaft 4 has a helical spline portion 4a which is interlocked with a helical spline groove 9d formed in the inner circumference of the clutch inner 9b to thereby transmit a rotation force.
A cylindrical portion 15 is extended from the rear end of the pinion 3, and the outer periphery of the cylindrical portion 15 is slidably supported by the inner periphery of the clutch inner 9b. On the other hand, the inner periphery of the cylindrical portion 15 supports the outer periphery of the front portion of the output shaft 4 so as to be slidable. Numeral 10 designates a return spring to retract the output shaft 4, and numeral 13 designates a shock absorbing spring which pushes the pinion 3 forwardly.
Numeral 16 designates an electromagnetic switch attached to the rear portion of the d.c. motor in a coaxial manner. The electromagnetic switch 16 is provided with a movable rod firmly attached with a movable iron core. The front end of the movable rod pushes a push rod by means of a compression spring. The front end of the push rod faces the rear end of the output shaft 4 by means of a steel ball (each not shown). The electromagnetic switch 16 is so constructed that the movable iron core is attracted to the fixed iron core electromagnetically so that a movable contact supported by the movable rod is brought into contact with a fixed contact, whereby current is fed to the d.c. motor.
In the conventional device described above, when a starter switch is turned on, the output shaft 4 is moved forwardly by the action of the electromagnetic switch 16 through the push rod, and the pinion 3 attached to the output shaft 4 is meshed with the ring gear of the engine. Then, the movable contact is brought into contact with the fixed contact so that the main circuit of the d.c. motor 1 becomes conductive, and the rotary shaft 2 is rotated by the armature. The rotational speed of the rotary shaft 2 is reduced by the planetary reduction gear device 7, and the reduced revolution is transmitted to the output shaft 4 through the overrunning clutch 9, whereby the revolution is transmitted to the engine by means of the pinion 3. When the engine is started and the starter switch is turned off, the output shaft 4 is retracted by means of the return spring 10, and the movable rod, movable iron core and movable contact are retracted and returned by means of the pushing rod.
In the conventional coaxial type starter motor, the axial center of the clutch outer 9a is determined by the carrier 19, the rotary shaft 2, the bearing 20, the bearing supporting portion 17a and the bearing 18. On the other hand, the axial center of the clutch inner 9b is determined by the inner periphery of the front bracket 8 to which the bearing 11 is fitted. The front bracket 8 is fixed to the yoke 17. Since a number of elements are fitted to each other, it is difficult to maintain the clutch outer 9a and clutch inner 9b in a coaxial manner. Especially, when the engine is an overrunning state, deflection of the axial centers of the clutch outer 9a and the clutch inner 9b easily takes place. As a result, durability of the overrunning clutch 9 may be reduced.


The object of the invention is a method where a first communications device (10) and a second communications device (20), previously unknown to each other, communicate with each other wirelessly using short-range RF technology, said second communications device being at a certain moment of time in a first mode where the address of said second communications device is determinable by means of an inquiry wirelessly sent to it. In the method, the first communications device (10) sends (31) a first message in order to determine the address of said second communications device, said second communications device (20) receives (32) the first message, and said second communications device (20) generates and sends (33) to the first communications device a second message in response to the first message, the second message containing the address of said second communications device. In the method, a connection establishment process (35-38) is executed to establish a connection between the first communications device and said second communications device. During the connection establishment process, or in response to successful completion of the connection establishment process, at least one of said first and second communications devices (10, 20) switches (40) from said first mode into a second mode, in which second mode, the communications device that has switched into said second mode does not respond to messages arriving at it which have been sent to discover the address of the communications device that has switched into said second mode.

Bluetooth technology is a new technology for wireless communications, enabling short-range wireless RF communications between mobile telephones, computers and PDA devices. Each Bluetooth device, i.e., any device supporting Bluetooth technology, will be equipped with a Bluetooth transceiver. This is a micro-chip, an integrated circuit, transmitting and receiving information such as voice or data wirelessly on the 2.4 GHz frequency band. At present, the maximum range of a Bluetooth connection using normal transmitter power is approximately 10 meters.
Ericsson has introduced their Ericsson Bluetooth Headset HBH-10 product. It is a headset comprising a microphone and speaker and using Bluetooth technology. The headset is intended to be used with a mobile telephone equipped with Bluetooth features. After initiating a call from the mobile phone, the user can listen to the other party via the headset speaker and talk to the headset microphone. Between the mobile phone and the headset, the call is transmitted over a Bluetooth connection.
Before using the headset for the first time, another device will be assigned as the communications partner. From the point of view of the mobile phone user, the headset HBH-10 and a Bluetooth-equipped mobile phone can be assigned as communications partners by the following procedure: First, the user selects the assignment function from the appropriate menu in the mobile phone. Then, the user enters the headset's passkey into the mobile phone and presses the activation key. The mobile phone will start a search for Bluetooth devices within its Bluetooth operating range. The mobile phone will detect the headset, as well as other devices that might be present within the Bluetooth operating range, and their identifiers will be shown on the mobile phone display. The user will select the identifier of the headset and press the activation key to assign the mobile phone and the headset as a pair of communications partners. The headset is now ready to be used with the mobile phone.
In the Bluetooth specification, this procedure of assigning the communications partners is called the pairing procedure. The purpose of the pairing procedure is to establish a permanent trusted relationship between two Bluetooth devices. This has the advantage, among others, that establishing a future connection between this pair of devices will be simpler than establishing a connection between a pair of devices previously unknown to each other.
In the following, the pairing procedure and connection establishment in general will be examined in relation to the Bluetooth specification in the case where the two devices are unknown to each other. The Bluetooth devices will be designated the first Bluetooth device and the second Bluetooth device. The first Bluetooth device is the one that initiates the pairing procedure. Before this, the first Bluetooth device must, however, determine the unique address (Bluetooth Device Address) of the second Bluetooth device.
To determine the address of the second Bluetooth device, the first Bluetooth device will send an inquiry message. The other Bluetooth device, as well as other Bluetooth devices that might be within the Bluetooth operating range, will receive the inquiry message and generate an inquiry_res message in response; this message includes the address of each responding Bluetooth device. The Bluetooth devices will send the inquiry_res messages to the first Bluetooth device which will receive them and thus get the addresses of the Bluetooth devices, including that of the second Bluetooth device (from the inquiry_res message received from the second Bluetooth device).
When the first Bluetooth device has gotten the address of the second Bluetooth device, it can start the pairing procedure with the second Bluetooth device. First, the first Bluetooth device will generate a random number. It will send the random number to the second Bluetooth device. The second Bluetooth device will receive the random number and send an acknowledgement to the first Bluetooth device which will then receive the acknowledgement. The pairing procedure will be continued as a multi-phased process designed to authenticate the first and the second Bluetooth device for establishing a trusted relationship between the two devices. During different phases of the pairing procedure, the random number mentioned above, the secret key of the second Bluetooth device and the address of the second Bluetooth device, among other things, will be needed. Finally, the pairing procedure will generate a link key that will be stored in both devices. The link key will be linked with the addresses of the first and second Bluetooth devices. This can be done, for example, by storing the link key adjacent to the second Bluetooth device address in the first Bluetooth device, and adjacent to the first Bluetooth device address in the second Bluetooth device. The link key can later be used, among other purposes, for authentication and for generating an encryption key when establishing a Bluetooth connection between the pair of devices. This is a typical mode of usage.
After generating the link key in the pairing procedure, a Bluetooth connection will be established between the first Bluetooth device and the second Bluetooth device. Bluetooth connection establishment can be started with the link establishment procedure. The link establishment procedure is a multi-phase procedure designed to establish a physical, Asynchronous Connection-Less (ACL) type link between Bluetooth devices. The link establishment procedure is started by sending a paging message from one Bluetooth device to the other. Typically, the first Bluetooth device initiates the establishment of the connection and thus becomes the master in a master-slave arrangement; the second Bluetooth device becomes the slave.
After an ACL link has been established, a SCO (Synchronous Connection-Oriented) link can be established between the Bluetooth devices using the SCO connection setup procedure.
The link establishment procedure is followed by the channel establishment procedure, where a Bluetooth channel (logical connection) will be established between the Bluetooth devices. The channel establishment procedure is followed by the connection establishment procedure, where the actual Bluetooth connection (application layer connection) will finally be established between the Bluetooth devices.
After the Bluetooth connection has been established, information such as voice or data can be transmitted over the Bluetooth connection from one Bluetooth device to the other.
Each Bluetooth device can establish a pair with several other Bluetooth devices. In some cases, however, it might be desirable that the Bluetooth device forms a pair and establishes a connection with only a few other Bluetooth devices or only a single device. The international patent application PCT/F101/00119 describes a Bluetooth smart card reader which communicates information over a Bluetooth connection between a smart card inserted in the reader and a mobile phone external to the smart card reader. If said Bluetooth smart card reader is a device intended for personal use, and it is desirable for security reasons that the device only communicates with a single mobile phone, for example, it is unnecessary for such a Bluetooth smart card reader to announce its address to other Bluetooth devices besides the mobile phone.
There may also be other situations where it is desirable for security reasons that a personal Bluetooth device would not give its address to unknown Bluetooth devices in order to prevent attempts of unauthorized usage.
Also, if the user is listening to music using a Bluetooth headset, that is a headset equipped with a Bluetooth transceiver, and the music is transmitted, for example, from an MP3 player to the headset over a Bluetooth connection, the Bluetooth headset may receive an inquiry message querying the addresses of the headset and other Bluetooth devices inside the Bluetooth operating range. When the Bluetooth headset, which may have limited processing power, processes the inquiry message, this may interfere with the music playback in progress.


A method of vacuum depositing a layer or layers on a substrate includes controlling thickness distribution of the layer or layers over the substrate by a three-dimensional mask (64) located between the substrate 48 and a vapor source (56). A plurality of conduits (52) extends through the mask from one side to the other for allowing passage of gaseous coating material from a source to the substrate. The length of the conduits is inversely related to the throughput of the conduits for gaseous coating material, and thus the amount of gaseous coating material transmitted by the conduits. The conduit lengths are graded over the mask to provide corresponding gradation of a deposited layer.

Prior art methods for control of spatial distribution of layer thickness in vacuum deposited coatings have been devised primarily with one of two goals. One of these goals is the formation of a layer or layers of uniform thickness on a substrate. The other is the forming a layer or layers the thickness of which varies in a predetermined manner over the surface of a substrate.
One of the earliest, and still-used, methods of achieving layer thickness uniformity involved rotating a flat, or slightly dome-shaped, substrate holder, to which one or more substrates could be attached, about a central axis offset from the a source of vapor for forming the layer. Using this method it is possible to achieve layer thickness over the substrate holder which is approximately uniform, the extent of the uniformity determined by primarily by the ratio of the offset of the rotation axis to the height of the substrate holder above the vapor source. The smaller the substrate holder relative to the height above the source, the greater the uniformity is achievable. This method has been embellished by additionally providing rotation of the substrate holder about an axis offset from the center of the substrate holder, such that the substrate holder is doubly rotated in a "planetary" fashion relative to the source. Any sub-area of the substrate holder receives vapor from the source at a range of incidence angles during the course of deposition. One important advantage of this "planetary" method is that non-uniformity of vapor output from the vapor source is compensated for. The planetary method, may be adapted for applying an approximately uniform thickness layer to a substrate which is flat, or to a substrate, such as a lens element or a dome, which has a finite surface curvature.
The planetary method is sometimes further embellished, either for providing more exact uniformity or for coating non-flat surfaces, by locating a leaf-type mask of a suitable profile, between the substrate holder and the vapor source. This mask is typically placed relatively close to the substrate holder, partially shielding the substrate holder from vapor from the source. The mask is arranged such that rotation of the substrate holder about its central axis rotates the substrate holder relative to the mask. This combination mask/planetary method has the disadvantage that a complex mechanism is required to achieve what is essentially a triple-rotation scheme of substrate holder and mask. Such a complex mechanism may be mechanically unreliable at the high temperatures (up to about 400.degree. C.) to which substrates are sometimes heated in deposition of certain coating materials, for example indium tin oxide (ITO). Complex rotating mechanisms are also known to agitate debris in coating apparatus including such mechanisms. This may lead to the inclusion of scattering or defect sites in a deposited layer.
There are several layer deposition applications in which it is required to provide one or more layers which has a thickness which is spatially varied in a predetermined manner. One such application is providing multilayer optical interference device which has an operating wavelength range which varies spatially over a substrate on which the filter is deposited. One example of such a device is a narrow-band filter deposited on a disc shaped substrate, with the transmission wavelength varying with angular position around the disc. This type of device is generally referred to as a circular variable filter (CVF) and may be used in conjunction with a light source, slit, and detector to form a spectrophotometer. The device would require a layer thickness ratio between thickness extremes of about 2:1 to cover even only the visible spectrum.
One method for making this and similar device types is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,442,572. The method involves depositing coating material on a disc-shaped substrate by the use of first and second masks. The first and second masks and the substrate form three elements, and at least two of the elements are rotated with respect to each other, and to the third element, to cause the material to be deposited on the substrate so that the optical thickness of coating layers varies with azimuthal angle over a segment of the substrate. While elegant in concept, this method requires two masks and the necessary relative rotation of those masks for each substrate to be coated. This makes mass production of such devices by this method a daunting prospect.
Another method of forming layers having a predetermined thickness variation is described, by J. R. Kurdock and R. R. Austin in "Physics of Thin Films Vol. 10", pp 261-308, Academic Press (1978). Here, a mask having a spatially varying transmission for coating vapor is placed between a source and a substrate. The mask is prepared by plating a half-tone pattern of metal dots on a wire mesh or wirecloth screen using a complex, computer controlled lithographic process. The mask is essentially "two-dimensional" inasmuch as it is formed from a very thin material and spatially varying layer thickness is achieved by spatially varying the size of areas of the mask through which coating vapor can pass. These areas having a width significantly greater than the thickness of the material.
This method was devised primarily for aspherizing or correcting a surface of an optical element by addition of material to the surface. The description, however, also discloses that layers of spatially variable thickness produced by the method are useful for other applications. Applications include forming a transparent conductive coating having a spatially varying thickness for uniformly heating an irregular shaped window; providing a filter or antireflection coating for a window on which useful light is incident at incidence angles which vary according to the position on the window on which light is incident; and for providing a bandpass filter with a position dependent passband wavelength.
The method has several disadvantages. One disadvantage is that, as described, the mask making process takes several hours. Another disadvantage is that the mesh of the mask is not rigid and must be stretched in a rigid frame to maintain a flatness necessary to ensure uniform spacing of a the mask from a substrate being coated. Further, a preferred wirecloth is formed from 0.0037 inch diameter wires in a 70 mesh weave, which suggests that such a mask would have a maximum vapor transmission of only between about fifty and sixty percent and may become blocked by coating material during deposition of filter having multiple thick layers.

Three-dimensional masking method for control of coating thickness


A broken dip stick tube or bushing remover is provided including a bolt having a cylindrical configuration with a top, a smooth intermediate extent, and a threaded bottom. A puller is provided having an upper portion with a cylindrical configuration and a threaded bore formed in a top face thereof for removably coupling with the threaded bottom of the bolt. The puller further has a bottom portion formed of a cylindrical rod with a diameter less than that of the upper portion and terminating in an enlarged head. The entire bottom portion has a plurality of longitudinal slots formed therein thereby forming multiple spaced resilient members which are adapted to be biased radially inward. A locking pin is situated between the spaced resilient members along an axis of the puller. Next provided is a slide hammer having a coaxial bore formed therein for allowing the intermediate extent of the bolt to be slidably situated therein.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to pulling devices and more particularly pertains to a new broken dipstick and bushing remover combination for removing an intermediate shaft bushing and a broken dipstick tube.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of pulling devices is known in the prior art. More specifically, pulling devices heretofore devised and utilized are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
Known prior art pulling devices include U.S. Pat. No. 4,003,119; U.S. Pat. No. 5,365,648; U.S. Pat. No. 5,058,255; U.S. Pat. No. 5,207,730; U.S. Pat. No. 5,165,157; and U.S. Patent Des. 262,513.
In these respects, the broken dipstick and bushing remover combination according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of removing an intermediate shaft bushing and a broken dipstick tube.

Broken dipstick and bushing remover combination


One embodiment of the present invention provides a system for configuring an access point in a wireless network. During operation, the access point discovers one or more existing access points associated with the wireless network. The access point then obtains a set of configuration information from one existing access point, and synchronizes a local timestamp counter to a selected existing access point, thereby allowing the access point to be configured without using a centralized management station.

1. Field
This disclosure is generally related to wireless networks. More specifically, this disclosure is related to a method and system for facilitating seamless roaming in a wireless network.
2. Related Art
In recent years, the phenomenal growth of mobile devices, such as smart phones and tablet computers, has resulted in a huge demand in wireless networks. Particularly, Wi-Fi networks, which are based on the IEEE-802.11 family of standards, are becoming increasingly ubiquitous. In a typical Wi-Fi network, an end-user station can move freely within the range of an access point's (AP's) radio transceiver while maintaining high-speed data connectivity.
In a large-scale network, such as an enterprise or campus network, provisioning such a Wi-Fi network is non-trivial. One challenge is how to cover a large area with multiple APs, while providing a user with the experience that when he changes his location he remains within the same Wi-Fi network, and his device continues to communicate with the same AP. Typically, end-user stations tend to be "sticky." That is, a station is unlikely to change the physical AP it communicates with unless it is absolutely necessary, due to the handover overhead (such as disruption to communication). Also, APs have more transmission power than stations. Hence, a station might "hear" an AP loud and clear, but the AP might not be able to receive reliably signals transmitted by the station.
Currently, to facilitate a large-scale Wi-Fi network that uses multiple APs, a centralized switch and management station is used to coordinate all the APs. This centralized approach is costly, requires a significant amount of configuration, and presents a single point of failure in the network.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Distributed seamless roaming in wireless networks


A deployment device for deploying stents, stent-grafts and other implants into a patient includes a catheter (112) with a containment sheath (116). Held onto the catheter (112) is a stent-graft structure (120). The containment sheath (116) extends over the entirety of the stent graft section (122) so as to constrain it in its entirety on the catheter (112), until the sheath (116) is removed. The containment sheath (116) extends from the distal position (126) of the stent graft section (122) to the tip (114) and then into the central lumen (128) of the catheter (112). It may extend throughout the lumen (128) to the proximal end of the deployment device (10), in other words to the external manipulation section of the delivery device (10). The sheath (116) is withdrawn by pulling towards the external manipulation section of the delivery device. As this is effected, the containment sheath (116) is pulled over the end (114) of the catheter and into the central lumen (128) of the catheter (112). As this occurs the containment sheath (116) is in effect withdrawn into the catheter (112), thereby releasing the stent-graft section (122) gradually. Continued pulling will gradually pull the entirety of the containment sheath (116) into the open end of the catheter (112), thereby releasing the entirety of the stent-graft section (122).

The use of delivery devices employing catheters have long been known and used for a variety of medical procedures for establishing, re-establishing or maintaining passages, cavities or lumens in vessels, organs or ducts in human and veterinary patients. For these procedures, it has also long been known to deliver an implant by means of a catheter, often intraluminally. For example, a stent, stent-graft, filter or occlusion device may be delivered intraluminally from the femoral artery for deployment.
For procedures which implant into the patient a prosthesis or other device, the device to be implanted is normally held onto the catheter in a compressed state and then released from the catheter so as to expand to its normal operating state, prior to withdrawal of the catheter from the patient to leave the implant in position.
A variety of delivery mechanisms are known in the art. These generally involve positioning the implant on a distal part of the delivery device, that is at an end furthest from the external manipulation end used by the clinician during the deployment procedure. The prosthesis or implant is normally held to the distal end of the catheter by a suitable restraining mechanism, such as restraining wires or the like. It is also conventional to cover the implant with a sheath in order to protect the implant and also the patient's lumens or organs during the delivery process. Once the implant has been positioned at the location in which it is to be released, the sheath is removed to expose the implant. This is then expanded, either automatically if the implant is of the self-expanding type or by a suitable expanding mechanism if not, such as by means of an expansion balloon.
In cases where a sheath or other covering is provided, some delivery devices include a mechanism by which the sheath can be withdrawn by being pulled back towards the external manipulation end of the delivery device, that is towards the surgeon or other clinician. For this purpose, the delivery device typically includes a pusher member held within the outer sheath and to which an opposing force can be applied during the action of pulling the sheath back. Delivery apparatus of this type is well known, for example for the delivery of stents and stent-grafts, particularly to the aorta.
In other instances it is desirable to have a device which does not require retraction or withdrawal of the containment sheath prior to expansion of the implant. This may be, for example, in cases where the device and the implant have a small outer diameter, in which case the components of the delivery device are desirably as small and as thin as possible whilst maintaining their ability to provide the required delivery function.
In such instances, the containment sheath may be of a type which can be split open so as to allow expansion of the implant from its contracted state. The containment sheath, in this example could be withdrawn from the patient but is often left within the patient, trapped between the expanded implant and the internal walls of the patient's lumen or organ. In such a case, the material forming the sheath may be of a biodegradable or bioabsorbable material.
WO-98/20812 discloses a series of examples of sleeve splitting mechanisms for splitting the containment sleeve or sheath provided to protect an implant during deployment. In some of the examples described, the sleeve is provided with a plurality of weakening points which tear upon expansion of a balloon used for expanding the stent, stent-graft or other implant held on the catheter. Other examples provide for a cutting wire to cut through the sleeve and hence to release the implant held therewithin.
An arrangement using a cutting wire is also disclosed in EP-A-1,200,017, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,576,005 and 6,183,481.
WO-99/47074 discloses another arrangement, in which in place of a sleeve there is provided a thread which is wound around the stent held on the catheter and which is then unwound so as to release the stent.

Containment sleeve and deployment device


A novel fault framework method and apparatus automatically computes the relationships between intersecting fault surfaces. When faults are loaded into the novel fault framework apparatus, all intersecting fault pairs are determined and the fault fault intersection lines are computed and stored. The intersecting fault pairs are presented and available for automatic calculation of the major/minor and above/below fault pair relationships. The geometry of both intersecting fault surfaces are examined on either side of the fault fault intersection line. This, in combination with the relative size of the faults, is analyzed to compute the major/minor and above/below relationships based on geologic assumptions and knowledge of the origin of the fault surface data. When the relationships between intersecting faults is defined, the minor fault is appropriately truncated.

The subject matter of the present invention relates to a computer workstation and stored software based method and apparatus for use in the energy industry, which is responsive to a plurality of seismic data obtained during a seismic operation performed in connection with a fault ridden earth formation, for determining a geologic relationship between a pair of intersecting faults, and, more particularly, for determining whether a pair of faults of a multitude of fault pairs in the seismic data "relate" (i.e.--intersect), and, if the pairs do relate, which fault of the pair is the major fault and which fault of the pair is the minor fault, and, once the major and minor faults of the pair of faults is determined, whether the minor fault intersects the major fault from above or below the major fault and therefore whether the minor fault is truncated below or above, respectively, the major fault.
In order to correctly build a sub-surface structural model which incorporates fault surfaces, it is necessary to first establish the relationships between intersecting fault surfaces. These fault surfaces can then be gathered into a fault framework. The intersection of each pair of faults is represented as a line in 3D space (the fault-fault intersection line). For each intersecting pair of fault surfaces, one is typically classified as the major fault in that pair, and the other is classified as the minor fault in that pair. Based on this classification, the minor fault surface is truncated against the major fault surface in some way. If the minor fault intersects the major fault from above (i.e., it is structurally higher than the major fault), then it will be truncated at every point which is structurally below the line which forms the fault fault intersection. In this case, we say "the minor fault is truncated below the major fault". However, if the minor fault intersects the major fault from below (i.e., it is structurally lower than the major fault), then it will be truncated at every point above the line which forms the fault fault intersection. In this case, we say "the minor fault is truncated above the major fault". Establishing the major/minor, above/below relationships for intersecting faults is important for to building a representative fault framework.
These fault fault relationships can be determined by a "one by one" examination of the fault surfaces within their geologic context. This process can be extremely time consuming when done manually especially in an area with very complex fault geometries. It requires: (1) determining which faults intersect, and then for each intersecting fault pair located, (2) determining the fault fault intersection line, (3) determining which fault is the major fault, (4) determining how the minor fault should be truncated against the major fault, and (5) removing the portion of the minor fault surface which should be truncated.
Conventional fault frameworks established fault relationships based on a "fault tree" structure. This requires establishing an absolute hierarchy starting with a single fault and adding faults as branches from this basic structure. This has required manual intervention in defining the fault tree hierarchy. It is also necessary to rebuild the entire hierarchy when removing or adding a single branch to the hierarchy. Again, this manual process for building a fault framework can be extremely time consuming.
Accordingly, there is a need for a novel apparatus which would automatically determine whether a pair of faults relate (i.e., intersect) and determine the relationships between the intersecting fault surfaces. Using this novel apparatus, all intersecting fault pairs could be determined automatically, and the fault fault intersection lines for each fault pair could be automatically computed and stored. In addition, this novel apparatus could automatically calculate the major/minor and above/below fault pair relationships. Once these relationships are automatically determined, the minor fault could be automatically truncated above or below the major fault in the proper manner.

Method and apparatus for determining geologic relationships for intersecting faults


A method and apparatus detect and localize electric faults in electrical power grids and circuit. High impedance faults are detected by analyzing data from remote sensor units deployed over the network using the algorithms of speech and speaker analysis software. This is accomplished by converting the voltage and/or current waveform readouts from the sensors into a digital form which is then transmitted to a computer located either near the sensors or at an operations center. The digitized data is converted by a dedicated software or software/hardware interface to a format accepted by a reliable and stable software solution, such as speech or speaker recognition software. The speech or speaker recognition software must be “trained” to recognize various signal patterns that either indicate or not the occurrence of a fault. The readout of the speech or speaker recognition software, if indicating a fault, is transmitted to a central processor and displayed to provide information on the most likely type of fault. Automatic or human decision is then implemented based on the generated information.

1. Field of the Invention
The present application generally relates to the detection of high-impedance faults in electrical power grids and, more particularly, to the detection and localization of faults in electrical power grids and circuits by the analysis of data from sensors on remote units using speech or speaker recognition tools and transmitting qualified data as potentially representing a fault to a central processing unit which performs a detailed analysis of the transmitted data.
2. Background Description
High impedance faults are costly, dangerous to the equipment and a threat to human life. There is a huge diversity of phenomena classified as high impedance faults. These include, but are not limited to, a downed line, a tree branch touching a line, a broken insulator, and improper installation. As a result, there is no accepted scientific knowledge about the nature of high impedance fault detection.
Electrical power grids are extremely complicated, making the detection and localization of a high impedance fault difficult and problematic. Current methods of detection include circuit breakers tripping, readout from meters at the substation by human operators, and a telephone call from someone who noticed a fault. Interestingly, the last of these methods, e.g., a telephone call, is the most common method by which faults are detected and located. There have been attempts to use local sensors that automatically make a decision and either raise an alarm or disconnect a part of the grid. These attempts have proven to be unsatisfactory due to the lack of processing power and the ability to flexibly adapt to the specifics of a particular environment.

Application of speech and speaker recognition tools to fault detection in electrical circuits

International Business Machines Corporation


A rolling cone drill bit including multiple cones with regions of intermeshing and non-intermeshing cutter elements. In the non-intermeshed regions, an array of cutter elements is disposed about the cone surface in a non-circumferential arrangement with the cutter elements being mounted at differing radial distances from the bit axis. This non-circumferential arrangement, which may be a spiral, multiple spirals, other patterns of offset cutter elements, or a random arrangement, provides a composite cutting profile having substantial width and bottomhole coverage and is free of ridge-producing voids. In certain embodiments, the composite cutting profiles of the arrays at least partially overlap, and may be arranged to cover a portion of or the entire non-intermeshed region on the cones.

The invention relates generally to earth-boring bits used to drill a borehole for the ultimate recovery of oil, gas or minerals. More particularly, the invention relates to rolling cone rock bits and to an improved cutting structure for such bits. Still more particularly, the invention relates to enhancements in cutter element placement so as to decrease the likelihood of bit tracking.
An earth-boring drill bit is typically mounted on the lower end of a drill string and is rotated by rotating the drill string at the surface or by actuation of downhole motors or turbines, or by both methods. With weight applied to the drill string, the rotating drill bit engages the earthen formation and proceeds to form a borehole along a predetermined path toward a target zone. The borehole thus created will have a diameter generally equal to the diameter or "gage" of the drill bit.
An earth-boring bit in common use today includes one or more rotatable cutters that perform their cutting function due to the rolling movement of the cutters acting against the formation material. The cutters roll and slide upon the bottom of the borehole as the bit is rotated, the cutters thereby engaging and disintegrating the formation material in its path. The rotatable cutters may be described as generally conical in shape and are therefore sometimes referred to as rolling cones or rolling cone cutters. The borehole is formed as the action of the rotary cones remove chips of formation material which are carried upward and out of the borehole by drilling fluid which is pumped downwardly through the drill pipe and out of the bit.
The earth disintegrating action of the rolling cone cutters is enhanced by providing the cutters with a plurality of cutter elements. Cutter elements are generally of two types: inserts formed of a very hard material, such as tungsten carbide, that are press fit into undersized apertures in the cone surface; or teeth that are milled, cast or otherwise integrally formed from the material of the rolling cone. Bits having tungsten carbide inserts are typically referred to as "TCI" bits or "insert" bits, while those having teeth formed from the cone material are known as "steel tooth bits." In each instance, the cutter elements on the rotating cutters break up the formation to form the new borehole by a combination of gouging and scraping or chipping and crushing.
In oil and gas drilling, the cost of drilling a borehole is very high, and is proportional to the length of time it takes to drill to the desired depth and location. The time required to drill the well, in turn, is greatly affected by the number of times the drill bit must be changed before reaching the targeted formation. This is the case because each time the bit is changed, the entire string of drill pipe, which may be miles long, must be retrieved from the borehole, section by section. Once the drill string has been retrieved and the new bit installed, the bit must be lowered to the bottom of the borehole on the drill string, which again must be constructed section by section. As is thus obvious, this process, known as a "trip" of the drill string, requires considerable time, effort and expense. Accordingly, it is always desirable to employ drill bits which will drill faster and longer, and which are usable over a wider range of formation hardness.
The length of time that a drill bit may be employed before it must be changed depends upon its rate of penetration ("ROP"), as well as its durability. The form and positioning of the cutter elements upon the cone cutters greatly impact bit durability and ROP, and thus are critical to the success of a particular bit design.
To assist in maintaining the gage of a borehole, conventional rolling cone bits typically employ a heel row of hard metal inserts on the heel surface of the rolling cone cutters. The heel surface is a generally frustoconical surface and is configured and positioned so as to generally align with and ream the sidewall of the borehole as the bit rotates. The inserts in the heel surface contact the borehole wall with a sliding motion and thus generally may be described as scraping or reaming the borehole sidewall. The heel inserts function primarily to maintain a constant gage and secondarily to prevent the erosion and abrasion of the heel surface of the rolling cone. Excessive wear of the heel inserts leads to an undergage borehole, decreased ROP, increased loading on the other cutter elements on the bit, and may accelerate wear of the cutter bearings, and ultimately lead to bit failure.
Conventional bits also typically include one or more rows of gage cutter elements. Gage cutter elements are mounted adjacent to the heel surface but orientated and sized in such a manner so as to cut the corner of the borehole. In this orientation, the gage cutter elements generally are required to cut both the borehole bottom and sidewall. The lower surface of the gage cutter elements engage the borehole bottom, while the radially outermost surface scrapes the sidewall of the borehole.
Conventional bits also include a number of additional rows of cutter elements that are located on the cones in rows disposed radially inward from the gage row. These cutter elements are sized and configured for cutting the bottom of the borehole and are typically described as inner row cutter elements and, as used herein, may be described as bottomhole cutter elements. Such cutters are intended to penetrate and remove formation material by gouging and fracturing formation material. In many applications, inner row cutter elements are relatively long and sharper than those typically employed in the gage row or the heel row where the inserts ream the sidewall of the borehole via a scraping or shearing action.
A condition detrimental to efficient and economical drilling is known as "tracking." Tracking occurs when the inserts or cutting teeth of a cone cutter fall into the same depressions or indentations that were made by the bit during a previous revolution. Tracking creates a pattern of hills and valleys, known as "rock teeth" or "rock ribs," on the bottom of the borehole. This pattern may closely match the pattern of the cutter elements extending from the cone cutters, making it more difficult for the cutter elements to reach the uncut rock at the bottom of the valleys. Thus, tracking prevents the cutter elements from fully and efficiently penetrating and disengaging the formation material at the bottom of the borehole. Because the cutter elements penetrate into an indentation previously formed, rather than making a fresh indentation that is offset from prior indentations, the disintegration action of the cutting elements is less efficient. In part, this is because the weight-on-bit is distributed to the flanks of the cutter elements, rather than to the relatively sharp crests of the cutter elements. Thus, tracking slows the drilling process and makes it more costly.
Further, the sculptured pattern on the borehole bottom may tend to redistribute the weight-on-bit from the cutter elements to the surface of the cone cutters. This not only impedes deep penetration of the cutter elements, but may lead to damage to the cone and the cone bearings. Such damage may occur because the cone itself becomes more directly exposed to significant impact or transient loads which may tend to cause premature seal and/or bearing failure. Thus, tracking is known to seriously impair the penetration rate, life and performance of an earth boring bit.
Increasing ROP while maintaining good cutter and bit life to increase the footage drilled is an important goal in order to decrease drilling time and recover valuable oil and gas more economically. Decreasing the likelihood of bit tracking would further that desirable goal.
Accordingly, there remains a need in the art for a drill bit and cutting structure that tends to prevent tracking so as to yield an increase in ROP and footage drilled, and eliminate other detrimental effects.

Rolling cone drill bit having non-circumferentially arranged cutter elements


The present invention provides an overflow drain assembly for a sanitary vessel, wherein the vessel includes a bottom surface and at least one side surface depending therefrom, such that the surfaces together define a reservoir for receipt and storage of fluid thereby and at least one ledge is provided along at least a portion of at least one vessel side surface. The overflow drain assembly comprises a fastening plate having an envelope with a top surface and a bottom surface defining a generally planar body that lies proximate the vessel ledge, and a tarp portion depending curvilinearly therefrom. The tarp portion has a generally planar bottom surface disposed adjacent at least a portion of at least one vessel side surface so as to define a fluid egress therebetween for delivery of fluid from the vessel reservoir to a waste conduit in fluid communication therewith. A port adapter establishes the fluid communication between the vessel reservoir and the waste conduit, and a retaining means is provided for retaining the fastening plate to the vessel. At least one platform member may depend downwardly from the envelope bottom surface for elevation thereof relative to the vessel ledge. The envelope top surface may include at least one index defined thereon to indicate a location of the waste conduit relative to the fastening plate. The present invention also provides a system for preventing fluid overflow from a sanitary vessel.

Conventional sanitary vessels such as bathtubs, whirlpool tubs, hydromassage tubs, immersion vessels and related products (collectively "bathing vessels") are ubiquitously installed in residences, hotels, hospitals, therapeutic treatment centers and like facilities. Builders and contractors install such vessels in communication with each of a main drain pipe that is in fluid communication with a drain port disposed at a bottom surface of the vessel and a waste overflow pipe in fluid communication with an overflow port disposed in a sidewall of such vessel. Accurate installation in this configuration is essential to the proper function of the bathing vessel in concert with its associated fluid conduits.
It is well known, however, that bathing vessels continue to consume much time and effort during installation and maintenance, in spite of prior efforts to simplify both the installation assembly configuration and the maintenance thereof (see U.S. Pat. No. 4,920,582 to Alker and U.S. Pat. No. 6,681,420 to Ball). Bathing vessels must be placed in communication with both the main drain pipe and the waste overflow pipe, and conventional installations have achieved this by providing a vertically disposed overflow drain assembly in communication with the vessel's overflow port. Such configuration not only promotes the accumulation of deleterious debris in the waste overflow pipe but also invokes significant time and effort to execute proper maintenance thereof. In addition, such an overflow device inherently undermines the bather's enjoyment by eliminating much of the soaking depth in which the bather may relax.
It is therefore desirable to provide an overflow drain assembly that eases the difficulty inherent in the installation and maintenance of the bathing vessel and simultaneously supply beneficial soaking capabilities to the bather. Such an assembly would possess both functional and aesthetic benefits that are adaptable in the design of bathing vessels, lavatories, sinks, fountains, spas and other sanitary devices requiring the transport of overflow fluid therefrom.

Overflow drain assembly for sanitary vessels


Compounds of general formula (I) ##STR1## wherein R.sup.1 is (CH.sub.2).sub.n ((CHNR.sup.7 R.sup.8).sub.m C(O)R.sup.9 ; n=1-3; and m=0 or 1;. R.sup.3 and R.sup.5 are independently Cl, Br, I, or CH.sub.3 ; PA1 R.sup.7 and R.sup.8 are independently H or (C.sub.1 -C.sub.4)alkyl; PA1 R.sup.9 is OH, (C.sub.1 -C.sub.4)alkoxy, or NR.sup.7 R.sup.8 ; PA1 R.sup.31 is H, Cl, Br, I, (C.sub.1 -C.sub.4)alkyl, (C.sub.4 -C.sub.6)cycloalkyl, (C.sub.1 -C.sub.4)haloalkyl, (C.sub.4 -C.sub.6)halocycloalkyl, or --CH(R.sup.10)Ar where Ar is selected from 5-hydroxypyrid-2-yl, 6-hydroxypyrid-3-yl, 6-hydroxypyridazin-3-yl, 6-methoxypyridazin-3-yl, 6-hydroxypyridazin-3-yl N-oxide, and 6-methoxypyridazin-3-yl N-oxide and R.sup.10 is H or (C.sub.1 -C.sub.4)alkyl; PA1 R.sup.41 is OH or a bioprecursor thereof; and the pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof; are structural analogs of the thyroid hormones T.sub.3 and T.sub.4 and exhibit selective thyromimetic activity. Pharmaceutical compositions of the novel compounds and their use for the treatment of mammalian cholesteremia are provided.

a) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to compounds and pharmaceutical compositions useful for treating mammalian cholesteremia.
b) Description of Related Art
The natural thyroid hormones, 3, 3',5-triiodo-L-thyronine (T.sub.3) and L-thyroxine (T.sub.4), are recognized cholesteremics which, due to their potent effects on cardiac function, are not indicated for the therapeutic reduction of plasma cholesterol levels in euthyroid subjects.
Since Harington and Barger, Biochem. J. 21, 169-181 (1927), first reported the structure and synthesis of thyroxine, numerous studies have been conducted to identify and synthesize structural analogs which mimic the activity of the natural hormones. The comprehensive review by E. C. Jorgensen in Hormonal Proteins and Peptides, Li, C. H., Ed., Academic Press, New York, Vol. VI, Chapters 2 and 3, 57-204 (1978) summarizes the intensive efforts to vary the thyroxine substituent pattern to produce thyromimetics, primarily for thyroid replacement therapy.
The structure of thyroxine provides considerable opportunities for varying the substituent pattern: ##STR2##
Using rat anti-goiter assays as a touchstone for activity, Jorgensen (vide supra) surmised that certain basic structural characteristics affected activity, as follows:
a) 3,5-disubstitution by size-limited lipophilic groups enhances activity in the order: I>Br>Me=Cl;
b) 3'-substitution by alkyl groups or halogen atoms generally enhances activity in the order: iPr>I>Et>Br>Me>Cl>F>H;
c) halogen substituents are not essential for activity; and d) 5'-substituents decrease activity.
Koerner et al., also relying on rat anti-goiter assays, suggested that the alanine side chain was not necessary to activity and that the O-ether bridge could be replaced by a thioether or methylene bridge. J. Biol. Chem., 250:16, 6417-6423 (1975).
Focusing on the utility of T.sub.3 and its analogs as cholesterol-lowering agents, Underwood et al. have reported the preparation of thyromimetics, one of which was as active as T.sub.3 on the liver, but had only about 0.1% of the activity of T.sub.3 on the heart. Nature 324, 425-429 (1986). These authors concluded that a diphenyl ether core with 4'-OH and 3,5-halogen substitution was essential for high receptor affinity. Such compounds are presumably the subject matter of European Patent Application 0 18 351, published Jul. 23, 1986, in which a number of thyroxine analogs having diphenyl ether cores and 3'-arylalkyl substituents are disclosed.
Leeson, et al. noted that replacement of the 3'-iodo substituent in T.sub.3 had been limited to halogen, small alkyl, phenyl, nitro, and hydroxyl until their own investigations of twenty-nine novel 3'-derivatives. J. Med. Chem. 31, 37-54 (1988). Again, the compounds all have diphenyl ether cores.
Leeson, et al. have further reported that introduction of specific 3'-arylmethyl groups gives liver-selective, cardiac-sparing thyromimetics. Modifications to the 3,5-substituents, ether oxygen, and L-alanyl side chain were also disclosed. These authors observed that the ether oxygen may be replaced by sulfur or methylene, which maintain the orthogonal arrangement of the diphenyl aromatic rings. J. Med. Chem. 32, 320-336 (1989).
The disclosures of the aforementioned patents and publications are incorporated by reference herein.
Despite the long-felt need and the above-noted extensive research efforts, little progress has been made in the development of thyromimetics which lower serum cholesterol without adverse cardiac effects.

4-(3-cyclohexyl-4-hydroxy or-methoxy phenylsulfonyl) 3,5 dibromo phenyl acetic thyromimetic cholesterol-lowering agents


The object of the present invention is to easily select a file when a user prints. In order to achieve this object, according to this invention, an information processing method in an image forming apparatus which stores a printing history in a print process, includes the steps of displaying accessible files stored in a predetermined storage location, selecting one of the displayed files (step S701), extracting, based on the printing history, a file related to the selected file (steps S703 to S706), and printing an arbitrary file of the selected and extracted files (steps S708 and S709).

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing technique in an image forming apparatus having a print function of acquiring a file from a predetermined storage location, and printing the acquired file.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, an image forming apparatus such as an MFP (Multi Function Peripheral) has a storage device such as a hard disk to store various kinds of information. Actually, in order to cope with various objects, the image forming apparatus stores a print target document file (to be merely referred to as a "document" hereinafter), temporarily saves spooled print data, and saves printed data.
Generally, the image forming apparatus is communicably connected to a plurality of devices via a network. With this configuration, the image forming apparatus can acquire, via the network, information not only from the image forming apparatus itself but also from each device on the network, and print the acquired information.
In the image forming apparatus having these functions, various proposals have been made in association with the information processing technique of acquiring a document from a predetermined storage location and printing the acquired document. For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-127473 discloses an arrangement in which a user selects, from a past printing history, a print target document and print condition setting which are stored in a predetermined storage location.
However, even when the user tries to select a desired document from the past printing history, it is difficult to find the desired document if the past printing history contains an enormous amount of data. This imposes a heavy load on the user.

Image forming apparatus and information processing method


An apparatus for supporting a plurality of joists. In one embodiment, the apparatus may include a joist rim having a web and first and second rim legs extending substantially perpendicularly from the web. The apparatus may also include at least one opening through the web and a joist attachment tab integrally formed in the web adjacent each opening. Each of the joist attachment tabs may extend from the web at an angle relative to the web. The apparatus may include at least one reinforcing rib corresponding to each tab and provided in the web adjacent to the corresponding tab.

1. Field of the Invention
The subject invention relates to building components and, more particularly, to floor joists and floor systems fabricated from metal.
2. Description of the Invention Background
Traditionally, the material of choice for new residential and commercial building framing construction has been wood. However, over the years, the rising costs of lumber and labor required to install wood framing components have placed the dream of owning a newly constructed home out of the economic reach of many families. Likewise such increasing costs have contributed to the slowing of the development and advancement of urban renewal plans in many cities. Other problems such as the susceptibility to fire and insect damage, rotting, etc. are commonly associated with wood building products. Additional problems specifically associated with wooden floor joists include cost, availability and quality. These problems are particularly acute with respect to larger joists which must be harvested from large old growth forests which are becoming depleted.
In recent years, in an effort to address such problems, various alternative building materials and construction methods have been developed. For example, a variety of metal stud and frame arrangements have been developed for use in residential and/or commercial structures. U.S. Pat. No. 3,845,601 to Kostecky discloses such a metal wall framing system. While such system purports to reduce assembly costs and the need for welding or separate fasteners, several different parts are, nonetheless, required to complete the wall frame system which can be time consuming and expensive to inventory and assemble. Such components must also be manufactured to relatively close tolerances to ensure that they will fit together properly thereby leading to increased manufacturing costs. Other metal stud systems for fabricating walls are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,908,328 to Nelsson, U.S. Pat. No. 4,078,347 to Eastman et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,918,899 to Karytinos, U.S. Pat. No. 5,394,665 to Johnson, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,412,919 to Pellock et al. Such patents are particularly directed to wall system constructions and do not address various problems commonly encountered when installing floor and/or ceiling joists and support structures therefor within a building.
Conventional floor construction methods typically comprise installing "header" members on the top of support walls that may be fabricated from, for example, concrete blocks, wood or metal studs. The header members typically comprise wood beams that are supported on edge on the wall. Other wood beam members, commonly referred to as joists, are used to span from wall to wall between the headers and are usually connected to the headers by nails. The joists are typically arranged parallel to each other with 8″, 16″ or 24″ between their respective centers, depending upon the load characteristics that the floor must accommodate. A sheathing material such as plywood is then nailed to the upper edges of the joists to form the floor surface. To prevent the joists from inadvertently twisting or moving laterally, small pieces of wood, known as blocking pieces, are commonly nailed between adjacent joists to form, in many instances, X-shaped braces between the joists. Insulation is sometimes installed between the joists and sheathing, drywall, plasterboard, etc. is then applied to the bottom of the joists to form a ceiling for the space located under the floor joist system.
While these materials and floor construction arrangements have been used for many years in residential and commercial construction applications, they have many shortcomings that can contribute to added labor and material costs. For example, when connecting the joists to their respective headers, the carpenter must first measure and mark the headers to establish the desired joist spacing. This additional step increases the amount of construction time required to install the floor system and, thus, results in increased construction costs. After the headers are installed, the joists must be properly nailed to the headers. If the carpenter has access to the opposite side of the header from which the joist is to be installed, the nails are hammered through the header into the end of the respective joist. If, however, the carpenter cannot access the opposite side of the header, nails must be inserted at an angle (commonly referred to as "toenailing") through the joist and into the header. Care must be taken to avoid inadvertently splitting the joist and to ensure that the nails extend through the joist and into the header a sufficient distance. Such attachment process can be time consuming and may require the use of skilled labor which can also lead to increased construction costs. If toenailing is not structurally acceptable, another piece, called a joist hanger must be added which also increases labor and material costs.
It is also often desirable to install ductwork, piping, electrical wires, etc. within the floor joist system so that they do not occupy living space and are concealed by the ceiling material that is attached to the bottom of the joists. To accommodate those elements that must span multiple joists, passageways and/or holes must be provided through the joists. The number, size, and location of such passageways/holes must be carefully considered to avoid compromising the structural integrity of the joists. Furthermore, the blocking members may have to be moved or eliminated in certain instances to permit the ductwork and/piping to pass between the joists. In addition, cutting such passageways/holes into the joists at the construction site is time consuming and leads to increased labor costs. Another shortcoming associated with such floor joist systems is the difficulty of installing insulation between the joists due to the blocking members.
As noted above, there are many shortcomings associated with the use of wood floor joists and headers. In an effort to address some of the above-noted disadvantages, metal beams have been developed. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,793,113 to Bodnar discloses a metal stud for use in a wall. U.S. Pat. No. 4,866,899 to Houser discloses a metal stud that is used to support wallboard panels for forming a fire-rated wall and is not well-suited for supporting structural loads. U.S. Pat. No. 5,527,625 to Bodnar discloses a roll formed metal member with reinforcement indentations which purport to provide thermal advantages. The studs and metal members disclosed in those patents, however, fail to address many of the above-noted shortcomings and can be time consuming to install. Furthermore, many of the metal beams, studs, etc. disclosed in the above-mentioned patents typically must be cut in the field using hand tools. Such cuts often result in sharp, ragged edges which can lead to premature failure of the component when it is placed under a load.
In an apparent effort to better facilitate installation of various beams, U.S. Pat. No. 3,688,828 to Nicholas et al. discloses the use of L-shaped brackets to facilitate attachment of eaves boards and rafters to a C-shaped channel. While such arrangement may reduce assembly costs at the construction site, such brackets must be welded or separately affixed to the C-shaped channel which is time consuming and leads to increased manufacturing and fabrication costs. Furthermore, significant skill is typically required to properly layout and align the brackets.
Currently, metal floor joist material is generally cost-competitive with wood material. However, the nuances of assembling existing metal joists generally make them non-competitive when compared with wood joist arrangements.
Thus, there is a need for a floor joist that is relatively inexpensive to manufacture and install.
There is a further need for a floor joist that can permit the passage of ductwork, piping, electrical wires, etc. therethrough without compromising the structural integrity of the joist and without encountering the on-site labor costs associated with cutting openings in the wood joists.
There is still another need for a joist support system that can be easily installed without the need for skilled labor.
Another need exists for a joist header that has a plurality of joist attachment locations pre-established thereon thus eliminating the need for the installers to layout each header.
Yet another need exists for a joist header that is relatively lightweight and that can be used to support metal or wooden joists in predetermined locations.
Another need exists for a joist header that has openings provided therein which can accommodate the passage of piping and/or wiring therethrough.
Still another need exists for a joist blocking member that can be attached between joists that is easy to install and can facilitate easy installation of insulation between joists.
A further need exists for a joist system that can, in some applications, eliminate the need for headers in support walls at window and door locations.
A need also exists for a joist support system that has the above-mentioned attributes that is easy to install and eliminates or reduces the amount of on-site cutting commonly associated with prior wood and metal joist components.
Yet another need exists for a floor joist system that eliminates the need to use a double 2″×4″ wooden top plate to effectively distribute the load from the joists to the wall studs.
Still another need exists for a floor support system that can be easily used on connection with support structures of like and dissimilar constructions.


A method, system and computer program tie physical events to virtual events by analyzing motion information from a detecting device or analyzing contextual information, initiating a virtual event with a display device in response to detecting an impending change in center of mass motion of a user from analyzing the motion information or contextual information, and associating a virtual event with subsequent motion information from the detecting device.

Using computing devices in moving vehicles can cause an imbalance in the user's inner ear of that leads to motion sickness. Additionally, while using an application real world events can disturb the user causing a dissonance between events occurring within the application and events occurring in the real world.
Motion control has been used to control computer applications and provide new ways for users to interact with virtual environments. Generally, motion control for computer applications has been limited to translation of deliberate movements of the user into in-game inputs.
It is within this context that embodiments of the present invention arise.

Physical event triggering of virtual events