A hydrogen fuel cell comprising a cathode and an anode is disclosed. An electrolyte is disposed therebetween. The cathode is supplied with oxygen via a porous carbonaceous distribution plate. The anode is supplied with hydrogen. The operation of the fuel cell results in the generation of water. The carbonaceous member is oxidized sufficiently to impart hydrophilicity to the carbonaceous member while retaining mechanical strength and electrical properties.

Ever since the political vulnerability of this nation's largely foreign controlled petroleum sources became painfully obvious in the early 1970's, there has been an intensive effort devoted to the development of alternative energy sources and conservation of existing resources. In more recent years, the acute nature of the energy problem has been underscored by a growing public awareness of the related environmental questions.
To a large extent, efforts aimed at energy conservation and alternative energy generation have met with a large degree of success in such areas as the heating and cooling of structures, automobile efficiency and the like. More particularly, large advances have been made by designing hotter running gasoline engines, use of reflective glazing, impermeable construction barriers, solar heating and the like.
However, one technology which has largely failed to live up to its very promising expectations is the use of hydrogen for the generation of electricity. Generally, this technology involves the utilization of hydrogen in electrochemical combustion for the purpose of generating electricity. A device in which such a process is carried out is generally referred to as a fuel cell. Because the electricity is generated by the combustion of hydrogen with oxygen, the only combustion product involved is water vapor which is completely harmless to the environment. This may be compared to gasoline combustion which involves the release of hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, and complex chemical species into the environment (along with the primary emissions, carbon dioxide and water vapor).
While it has been known that fuel cells offer many advantages as compared to other power sources, particularly in supplying power at remote locations (such as outer space or the like) and offer at least, in principle, limited service and maintenance requirements, various problems are presented by existing fuel cell technology. Nevertheless, perhaps the most advantageous fuel cell systems presently available (for certain applications, at least) are those which utilize a so-called ion-exchange membrane (IEM) electrolyte. Generally, in systems such as this, the electrolyte is embodied in the form of a synthetic polymeric material which acts as an electrolyte while still having the characteristic of being a solid body.
This type of system offers numerous advantages. For example, since the electrolyte phase is solid, no operational complications arise from migration of electrolytic material into adjacent regions of the fuel cell. At the same time, the system is mechanically stable and hardy under a wide variety of operating conditions. Moreover, such fuel cells have the ability to operate at or near room temperature and thus provide virtually instantaneous start-up. In principle, such systems offer the possibility that thermal management may be passively achieved, although practical implementation of this in a wide variety of designs may pose difficult design problems.
Notwithstanding the general advantageous of such IEM fuel cell systems, difficulty arises in that product water tends to accumulate as a liquid adjacent the cathode where it hampers proper cell operation. More particularly, the problem involves the fact that the electrode generally comprises compacted graphite fibers which have been rendered relatively hydrophobic. As water molecules are formed at the cathode, these molecules tend to migrate away from the interface between the cathode and the IEM. This leads to their migrating across the cathode, and they tend to accumulate on the side of the cathode opposite from the IEM. Insofar as the first spaces encountered on the other side of the cathode are the air conduits for feeding oxygen to the cathode, and since these fuel cells typically operate at or near room temperature, these conduits tend to become filled with water, thus impeding fuel cell operation. The result is that the channels can lose a large measure of their functionality and the flow of oxygen which should be supplied to the cathode's catalytic reaction sites can be greatly impaired. The result tends to be a serious degradation in fuel cell performance.
One possible approach to solving this problem is the use of a pump to continually flush the oxygen-conducting channels or conduits. If one were to consider the use of a pump (or blower) which blows air at a relatively high rate of speed through the channels, such a device would consume significant amounts of electricity, might provide only limited relief to the problem, and is likely to cause IEM inefficiencies by lowering the internal water content of the IEM.
In an effort to alleviate this problem, it has been proposed that treatment of the channel-defining plates adjacent the cathode with a material that renders them hydrophilic would readily result in wicking away of water before accumulations become serious. Such treatment is accomplished by coating the surfaces of the channels with colloidal silica. In principle, it was intended that the product water be caused to migrate across the channel-defining plate surface to the edges of the plates, where the water could be collected.
While this sort of approach did help the problem of product water accumulation in passive IEM fuel cells, difficulties still remain. For example, the applied colloidal silica, while it did provide a hydrophilic layer, was found to erode over time, resulting in premature failure of the fuel cell due to progressive loss in hydrophilicity. Failure can be accelerated due to the fact that such deterioration of the colloidal silica layer could cause a build-up of silica in the channels, thereby impeding operation of the system by interfering with access of air to the catalytic sites of the cathode.


A laryngeal mask includes an inflatable ring which has an outer periphery, an inner periphery with a welded edge projecting inwardly therefrom, and two opposite first and second wall parts extending respectively from the welded edge to the outer periphery. A gas supply tube has an open end which is connected to the inflatable ring along the welded edge, and a peripheral connection part hermetically sealed to the welded edge. A forward guide tab projects forwardly from the peripheral connection part and extends over a portion of the first wall part. Preferably, the forward guide tab is formed integrally with the peripheral connection part and is welded to the portion of the first wall part.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a laryngeal mask, more particularly to an improved laryngeal mask having a forward guide tab projecting forwardly from a welded edge of an inflatable ring.
2. Description of the Related Art
Laryngeal masks are medical aids that are used to administer anesthetic gases to patients. FIGS. 1 and 2 show a conventional laryngeal mask disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,355,879. As shown, the conventional laryngeal mask includes an airway tube 10, an inflatable ring 20 connected to the airway tube 10, and an inflation flexible tube 30 connected to the inflatable ring 20. The airway tube 10 has an inlet end and an opposite end connected to an inner periphery of the inflatable ring 20 in an oblique manner to define an opening 11. A front end wall of the airway tube 10 at the opening 11 has a forward guide part 12 to facilitate insertion of the laryngeal mask into the patient's throat. The inflatable ring 20 is substantially elliptical, and can be inflated and deflated through the flexible tube 30 by operation of a pump (not shown).
In use, the inflatable ring 20 which has not been inflated is inserted into the patient's throat through the patient's mouth, as shown in FIG. 3. By introducing air into the inflatable ring 20 through the flexible tube 30, the inflatable ring 20 can be inflated to seal around the laryngeal inlet so that there is not any clearance between the patient's throat and the inflatable ring 20. It is necessary that the opening 11 be properly aligned with the laryngeal inlet so that anesthetic gases to be administered can be delivered into the trachea without dispersing to the other parts of the body.
However, as the inflatable ring 20 is inserted into the patient's mouth in a deflated state in actual practice, and as the inflatable ring 20 is made of a soft flexible material, insertion of the inflatable ring 20 into the patient's throat is guided only by the forward guide part 12 at the front end wall of the airway tube 10. However, since the forward guide part 12 is at a distance from a forward end of the inflatable ring 20, the guiding effect is not satisfactory, thereby resulting in difficulty when aligning the opening 11 with the patient's laryngeal inlet and in inconvenient installation. Improper installation of the inflatable ring 20 will, in turn, obstruct supply of air into the inflatable ring 20 such that the latter cannot be fully inflated, thereby resulting in clearances between the inflatable ring 20 and the patient's laryngeal inlet. Thus, the anesthetic gases introduced through the airway tube 10 may disperse to other parts of the patient's body.


An electrolyte system for a flow battery has an anolyte including [Fe(CN)6]3− and [Fe(CN)6]4− and a catholyte including Fe2+ and Fe3+.

The present invention relates to flow batteries and particularly to redox flow batteries. Flow batteries are electrochemical devices in which the chemical energy stored in electro-active materials is converted to electrical energy. The electro-active materials include those for the negative electrode reaction and those for the positive electrode reaction. In flow batteries, the electro-active materials are typically stored externally to the power-conversion device and are introduced into the power-conversion device when the device is operated.
Unlike traditional batteries, where active materials, electrolyte, and separator are stored within the casing of the electrochemical cell, redox flow batteries feature electrolytes which are stored in external tanks, and are pumped into the cell during each charge/discharge cycle. One feature of redox flow batteries is that the energy is stored in the soluble oxidized/reduced species which exist in the electrolyte, unlike traditional batteries, where energy is stored in the bulk electrode materials, and which are thus subjected to mechanical and thermal stresses during cycling, thereby contributing to reduced battery cycle life.
Some advantages of redox flow batteries may include: rapid response times, moderate cost, modularity, transportability, low maintenance, and flexible operation. Redox flow batteries may also be capable of extended cycle life, as systems with greater than 10,000 charge/discharge cycles have been reported.

The University of Kentucky Research Foundation


The present invention is a system for facilitating the selection and downloading of a digital multimedia program based on broadcast information. A single keystroke may trigger a series of events that result in an authorized copy of the desired digital media being saved on a user device. The desired program is wirelessly downloaded in an encrypted format, and after an accounting and billing process transpires, a decryption key is delivered in to the user device in a wireless message. The copy of the desired digital media is then decrypted, and is properly licensed, so that the user may enjoy listening to this media with minimal restrictions.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a system for the wireless distribution of digital multimedia content, and more specifically, to an automated system for selecting, based on broadcast content, digital multimedia programs to be downloaded to a wireless communication device in accordance with any digital rights requirements that may be protecting the content.
2. Description of Prior Art
Modern society has quickly adopted, and become reliant upon, handheld devices for wireless communication. For example, cellular telephones continue to proliferate in the global marketplace due to technological improvements in both the quality of the communication and the functionality of the devices. These wireless communication devices (WCDs) have become commonplace for both personal and business use, allowing users to transmit and receive voice, text and graphical data from a multitude of geographic locations. The communication networks utilized by these devices span different frequencies and cover different broadcast distances, each having strengths desirable for various applications.
Cellular networks facilitate WCD communication over large geographic areas. These network technologies have commonly been divided by generations, starting in the late 1970s to early 1980s with first generation (1G) analog cellular telephones that provided baseline voice communications, to the now emerging 4G streaming digital video content planned for the 2006-2007 timeframe. GSM is an example of a widely employed 2G digital cellular network communicating in the 900 MHZ-1.8 GHZ band in Europe and at 1.9 GHZ in the United States. This network provides voice communication and also supports the transmission of textual data via the Short Messaging Service (SMS). SMS allows a WCD to transmit and receive text messages of up to 160 characters, while providing data transfer to packet networks, ISDN and POTS users at 9.6 Kbps. The Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS), an enhanced messaging system allowing for the transmission of sound, graphics and video files in addition to simple text, has also become available in certain devices. Soon emerging technologies such as Digital Video Broadcasting for Handheld Devices (DVB-H) will make streaming digital video, and other similar content, available via direct broadcast to a WCD. While long-range communication networks like GSM are a well-accepted means for transmitting and receiving data, due to cost, traffic and legislative concerns, these networks may not be appropriate for all data applications.
Short-range wireless networks provide communication solutions that avoid some of the problems seen in large cellular networks. Bluetooth™ is an example of a short-range wireless technology quickly gaining acceptance in the marketplace. A Bluetooth™ enabled WCD transmits and receives data at a rate of 720 Kbps within a range of 10 meters, and may transmit up to 100 meters with additional power boosting. A user does not actively instigate a Bluetooth™ network. Instead, a plurality of devices within operating range of each other will automatically form a network group called a "piconet". Any device may promote itself to the master of the piconet, allowing it to control data exchanges with up to seven "active" slaves and 255 "parked" slaves. Active slaves exchange data based on the clock timing of the master. Parked slaves monitor a beacon signal in order to stay synchronized with the master, and wait for an active slot to become available. These devices continually switch between various active communication and power saving modes in order to transmit data to other piconet members. In addition to Bluetooth™ other popular short-range wireless networks include WLAN (of which "Wi-Fi" local access points communicating in accordance with the IEEE 802.11 standard, is an example), WUSB, UWB, etc. All of these wireless mediums have features and advantages that make them appropriate for various applications.
More recently, manufacturers have also began to incorporate various resources for providing enhanced functionality in WCDs (e.g., components and software for performing close-proximity wireless information exchanges). Sensors and/or scanners may be used to read visual or electronic information into a device. A transaction may involve a user holding their WCD in proximity to a target, aiming their WCD at an object (e.g., to take a picture) or sweeping the device over a printed tag or document. Machine-readable technologies such as radio frequency identification (RFID), Infra-red (IR) communication, optical character recognition (OCR) and various other types of visual, electronic and magnetic scanning are used to quickly input desired information into the WCD without the need for manual entry by a user.
Wireless communication devices employing the previously discussed characteristics may be used for a variety of applications other than basic voice communications. Exemplary applications for business may include scheduling, word processing, spreadsheets, facsimile transmission, contact management, etc. There are also a multitude applications for the personal enjoyment of the user, such as games, instant messaging, display wallpaper, etc. In addition, some newer WCDs may include resources supporting the receipt of broadcast content from a variety of sources. Broadcast sources may include such technologies as standard analog radio broadcasting, "smart" analog radio including services such as Radio Data Service (RDS) or Visual Radio, Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) and Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB), such as DVB for Handheld Devices (DVB-H). A user may utilize services of this type to receive a streaming broadcast of audio and/or video content directly to their WCD. This content is often be accompanied by relevant information such as the name of the program, the artist or source of the program, program duration, etc. depending on the technology employed.
Similar to a standard radio broadcasting, information received via the aforementioned streaming services is only temporarily enjoyed by the user before the next program is sent. However, there may be some cases where a user wants to record information for playback at a later time. In the case of recording standard analog radio, while the recording of broadcast content might arguably be a breach of the content owners rights, the reproduction of analog information decays with each subsequent copy, and so the resulting poor quality would eventually force patrons to seek out a licensed version. This is not the case for digital content. A recorded digital song or video program may be reproduced an unlimited number of times without any deterioration in the quality of content. As a result, there has been a very active effort by the content owners, the content providers and the organizations that represent these entities to prevent the unauthorized copying of this media.
The content owners, however, are aware of the potential market for selling select digital content directly to the consumer. Content owners have always strived to find new ways of promoting their media to possible consumers. In the case of audio programs like popular songs, increased radio airplay may result in more notoriety for a particular song, and hence, more album sales. This is true for digital media as well. Online services have profited by contracting with certain music providers to offer a wide array of digital multimedia content available for a modest fee. These content providers typically allow a subscriber to search for individual digital versions of songs that may be obtained for download to a computer, personal media player, etc.
While these services have been embraced by consumers, there are currently some drawbacks to the process. A consumer must remember information identifying the content for which they are searching before engaging the service. The searching and obtaining of desired content can be a repetitive step process, sometimes requiring a user to search more than one content provider in order to find the desired program. Further, if the information is destined for a mobile device, in most cases the user must first download the information onto a desktop or laptop computer before transfer. The sum of these requirements form a multi-step, multi-device, and possibly a multi-communication medium process that can prove to be cumbersome if a variety of content is desired.
Therefore, what is needed is a system that, at the push of a button, can identify a currently playing program from a wireless broadcast for automatic downloading to a wireless communication device. The system should record identification information for the desired program to communicate to a source for the digital content, verify user identity and/or device identity, notify a user of any required agreements or fees for the use of the content, and deliver the content to a wireless communication device with any licensing or security needed to lawfully enjoy the content. In this way, a user need not remember the program-related information often required for a cumbersome manual search to be undertaken at a later time. A simple button push delivers the content to the user quickly and automatically.

Media content delivery and recording over broadcast network


The invention provides a purified oxepane isomer of 42-O-(2-hydroxy)ethyl-rapamycin (SDZ-RAD Isomer C), a chemical process for its preparation, as well as pharmaceutical compositions and packs containing SDZ-RAD Isomer C and methods for its use as an immunosuppressive, anti-inflammatory, antifungal, antiproliferative and antitumor agent.

This invention relates to a novel oxepane isomer of 42-O-(2-hydroxy)ethyl-rapamycin, a process for its preparation, and its use in treating, preventing or inhibiting transplant rejection, graft vs. host disease, autoimmune diseases, inflammatory diseases, adult T cell leukemia/lymphoma, solid tumors, fungal infections, and hyperproliferative vascular disorders, among others.
The structure and synthesis of 40-O-(2-hydroxy)ethyl rapamycin, also known as SDZ-RAD or RAD-666, is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,665,772 (Cottens, et al.) and International Patent Publication No. WO 94/09010. When prepared according to U.S. Pat. No. 5,665,772, SDZ-RAD exists as a mixture containing about 95 wt % of Isomer B and 30 wt % of Isomer C (the oxepane isomer).
40-O-(2-hydroxy)ethyl rapamycin is now known as 42-O-(2-hydroxy)ethyl rapamycin, due to a change in numbering convention. SDZ-RAD is an analog of rapamycin, which is a macrocyclic triene antibiotic produced naturally by Streptomyces hygroscopicus.
Rapamycin has been found useful in an array of applications based on its antitumoral and immunosuppressive effects. Uses include preventing or treating systemic lupus erythematosis, pulmonary inflammation, insulin dependent diabetes mellitus, smooth muscle cell proliferation and intimal thickening following vascular surgery, adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma, and ocular inflammation. Rapamycin and rapamycin derivatives, including SDZ-RAD, continue to be studied for treatment of these and other conditions.

Oxepane isomer of 42-O-(2-hydroxy)ethyl-rapamycin


An ultrasonic receiver receives ultrasonic waves reflected at a plurality of portions of the body of a person to be measured, and thus the person to be measured needs to input the approximate height of himself/herself. An electrostatic capacitance sensor includes a transmission electrode and a reception electrode. The electrostatic capacitance sensor measures a mutual capacitance between the transmission electrode and the reception electrode by a mutual capacitance method. A variable frequency pulse generator generates a pulse supplied to the transmission electrode. A control apparatus allows the variable frequency pulse generator to sweep the frequency of the pulse and allows the electrostatic capacitance sensor to measure the mutual capacitance to identify a frequency at which the measured mutual capacitance is minimized. The control apparatus obtains the height of a person to be measured on the basis of the identified frequency.

The present invention relates to a height measuring apparatus, a health care device, and a rotary gate, and can be preferably used for, for example, measurement of a height using a sensor.
An apparatus that measures a height using a sensor has been known from the past. For example, each of Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2001-252258 and Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. SYO 62 (1987)-27925 describes a method of measuring the height of a person to be measured using an ultrasonic sensor including an ultrasonic transmitter and an ultrasonic receiver.

Height measuring apparatus, health care device, and rotary gate


A toy robot which can make realistic movement of boxing. The robot has plural driver devices each having an electric motor. The robot has arms driven by the driver devices. The driver devices are remotely controlled to operate the arms. The robot has a waist and a pillar protruding upward from this waist. One of the driver devices rotates the trunk through a given angle against the action of a return spring. One arm is held to a pivot mounted at one shoulder portion such that the arm can rotate laterally. An operating member is mounted to the pivot. As the trunk turns, the operating member pushes the underside of the bearing portion of the arm. The other arm can be bent at its elbow and consists of an upper arm and a forearm which are joined together by a link. When the upper arm is directed forward, the upper arm and the forearm are made substantially straight. Another driver device rotates the upper arm forwardly from below.

The prior art toy robot playing a game of boxing has both arms shaped like bellows. The bellows are stretched and contracted to play a game of boxing. The prior art toy robot is further equipped with a driver device including an electric motor inside the trunk. Lead wires extend from the trunk through control means for the driver device to the motor. Also, lead wires extend from the trunk through the articulations of the arms and of the legs via the control means that provides control of the driver device.
Accordingly, the prior art toy robot playing a game of boxing lacks reality. For example, it has been impossible for the robot to rotate its trunk and swing the arms, i.e., the robot is unable to hook. Also, it has been impossible for the robot to bend and stretch the arms, utilizing driver devices, i.e., the robot is unable to deliver a so-called straight punch. Furthermore, in the prior art toy robot, the lead wires extend from the motors in the trunk through the articulations of the arms and of the legs and so it is impossible to assemble individual parts separately. Hence, it has been cumbersome to assemble the toy.

Hook throwing boxing remote control toy robot


A motor control system for determining an offset correction value is provided. The motor control system includes a motor, an inverter, an inverter controller, and a dynamic offset compensation control module. The inverter is configured to transmit the phase current to the motor. The inverter controller determines the phase current to the motor. The dynamic offset compensation control module is in communication with the inverter controller and the motor, and is configured to perform a method at a fixed periodic interval to determine the offset correction value.

The present invention relates to a control system for a motor, and more particularly to a control system for a motor that determines an offset correction value that accounts or compensates for a dynamic component of DC offset of measured phase current.
Permanent magnet synchronous motors (PMSM) generally have a relatively high efficiency, low inertia and a high torque-to-volume ratio. In a PMSM current controlled application, a relatively accurate measurement of phase current supplied to the PMSM is required. This is because any DC offset in the measured phase current supplied to the PMSM results in torque ripple in the output torque of the PMSM.
There are several factors that may influence the DC offset in the measured phase current. These factors include, for example, temperature variation with an analog to digital converter (ADC), temperature variation in a current amplifier, the DC offset out of the current amplifier, and the inherent offset of the ADC. There are two components of DC offset in the measured phase current, a fixed component and a variable or dynamic component. The fixed component may be accounted for using a relatively simple approach. Specifically, an offset measurement representing the fixed component of the DC offset in the measured phase current may be determined, and then incorporated into an offset correction value. However, the dynamic component may vary with time and temperature, and may not be accounted for using the same approach as the fixed component.

Method and system to compensate for dynamic DC offset of measured phase current

Steering Solutions IP Holding Corporation


A system for the automatic detection and inventory of a network boot capable computer and for the automatic deployment of an appropriate operating system to the network boot capable computer. First, an initial broadcast packet from the network boot capable computer is received. In response to receiving the initial broadcast packet, a discovery kernel is sent to the network boot capable computer. The discovery kernel generates a hardware details file. The hardware details file is received from the network boot capable computer and is analyzed. After the hardware details file is analyzed, an appropriate operating system is deployed to the network boot capable computer.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an improved data processing system. More specifically, the present invention is directed to a method, apparatus, and computer program product for the detection, inventory, and installation of an operating system on network boot capable computers.
2. Description of Related Art
A desktop management interface is a management system for personal computers developed by the Distributed Management Task Force. The desktop management interface, or DMI, provides a bi-directional path to interrogate all the hardware and software components within a computer. When computers are DMI-enabled, the hardware and software configurations of the computers may be monitored over a network from a central station.
A computer utilizing DMI technology has a memory-resident agent residing in the background of the operating system. When the DMI queries the agent, the agent will respond by sending back data contained in a management information file and/or activating a management information file routine. The management information file may contain static data, such as, computer model identification, serial number, memory and port addresses. A management information file routine may, for example, report errors to a management console as errors occur, or the management information file routine may scan read-only-memory or random-access-memory chips and report their contents, as well.
Wired for management (WfM) is a specification from the Intel™ Corporation for a computer that can be centrally managed in a network. The computer must be DMI compliant, be accessible by a management server prior to booting, contain instrumentation for component discovery and identification and include remote wake-up capabilities. A preboot execution environment (PXE) is an Intel™ WfM capability that enables a computer to boot from a server. PXE enables remote booting of an operating system; remote emergency booting of a diagnostic program; and remote new system startup, which will boot an installation program to install an operating system. PXE is supported in the basic input output system (BIOS). BIOS is an essential set of routines in a computer, which are stored on a chip and provides an interface between the operating system and the hardware. The operating system (OS) is the master control program that runs a data processing system. The OS starts and communicates with all software programs that run in the data processing system.
A dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) is a software program that automatically assigns internet protocol (IP) addresses to client stations logging onto a transmission control protocol/internet protocol (TCP/IP) network. An IP address is the address of a computer attached to an IP network. Every client and server station must have a unique IP address. A trivial file transfer protocol (TFTP) is a version of the TCP/IP file transfer protocol that has no directory or password capability.
For clarification, a client is a requesting machine and a server is a supplying machine, both of which are connected via a network. A client has either a permanent IP address or one that is dynamically assigned to a client when booted. DHCP eliminates having to manually assign permanent IP addresses to a client. DHCP software typically runs in servers and is also found in network devices, such as, integrated services digital network (ISDN) routers and modem routers that allow a multitude of users access to the Internet.
A bootstrap protocol (BOOTP) is a TCP/IP protocol used by a diskless workstation or network computer to obtain its IP address and other network information such as server address and default gateway. Upon startup, a client sends out a BOOTP request in a user datagram protocol (UDP) packet to the BOOTP server, which returns the required information.
A problem with existing remote inventory and deployment systems, such as, for example, Rembo™ Auto-Deploy Technology, International Business Machines™ Corporation's Remote Deployment Manager, or Microsoft™ Window Server 2003 Automated Deployment Services, is that the above listed systems are limited to supporting only one type of computer hardware or operating system. Another problem with current client/server management systems is that all information with regard to a client machine has to be input into a database manually by the system administrator using a graphical user interface (GUI) or by importing a file containing the required information.
Therefore, it would be advantageous to have an improved method and apparatus for the detection, inventory, and deployment of an operating system to network boot capable computers.

Method and system for automatic detection, inventory, and operating system deployment on network boot capable computers

International Business Machines Corporation


The present invention relates to a binder composition containing    A) at least one aqueous polyurethane-polyurea dispersion and    B) at least one stabilizer containing            a) at least one amine having a structural unit corresponding to formula (I)

In the coating of substrates, aqueous binders, in particular polyurethane-polyurea (PU) dispersions, are increasingly being used. In some applications high temperatures, which lead to undesired yellowing of the coating, are required for drying the coatings.
In the area of sizing of glass fibers, PU dispersions are used as aqueous binders. Due to the comparatively high temperatures in the coating and drying processes and in the compounding of the sized glass fibers into a plastics matrix, thermal yellowing of the coatings produced often occurs and is undesired.
The prior art discloses numerous stabilizers and additives which can reduce thermal yellowing of binders. The use of these compounds in aqueous systems, such as PU dispersions, is often possible only to a limited extent. The systems disclosed in the prior art do not adequately meet the needs for protecting an aqueous PU dispersion or the coating resulting therefrom from thermal yellowing.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,216,078 discloses a stabilizer which significantly reduces the thermal yellowing of blocked isocyanates, in particular isocyanates blocked with butanone oxime. This compound is a hydrazine adduct.
EP-A 0 829 500 describes a combination of compounds as a stabilizer for blocked polyisocyanates, one of the compounds having at least one 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidinyl radical, the so-called HALS (hindered amine light stabilizer) radical, and the other having a hydrazide structure.
However, the disadvantage of the abovementioned systems is that they are suitable only for solvent-containing finishes, coatings and sizing systems and not for aqueous systems.
The preparation of aqueous PU dispersions is known in principle. The various possibilities for preparing such dispersions are summarized, for example, by D. Dietrich in a review article (D. Dietrich, Prog. Org. Coatings 9, 281 (1981)). However, the problem of thermal yellowing has not been solved at present in a satisfactory manner in the prior art.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide PU dispersions which are stable to thermal yellowing and are suitable as one-component or two-component binders in finishes, sizes and coatings.
This object may be achieved with the aqueous PU dispersions according to the invention, which are protected from thermal yellowing by certain combinations of hydrazides and sterically hindered amines.

Stabilized aqueous polyurethane-polyurea dispersions

Abstract: which has no hydrazide groups,        b) at least one compound having a structural unit corresponding to formula (II)—CO—NH—NH—  (II)         and        c) optionally a stabilizing compound other than a) and b).

Abstract: The polyurethane dispersions are manufactured in the presence of components a) and b). It is possible for components a) and b), depending on the grade used, to be incorporated into the polymer framework as structural units.

Abstract: For this reason binder compositions comprising    A) at least one aqueous polyurethane dispersion, containing structural units of at least one stabilizing agent or mixture of stabilizing agents B) based on            a) at least one amine with the general formula (I),

Abstract: which has no hydrazide groups,        b) at least one compound with the general formula (II),—CO—NH—NH—  (II)         and        c) optionally a stabilizing compound other than a) and b). are also the subject matter of the invention in question.

Abstract: The present invention also relates to a process for the preparation of these binder compositions.

Abstract: Further, the present invention relates to coating, adhesive and sizing compositions containing the binder compositions according to the invention.

Abstract: Finally, the present invention also relates to glass fibers sized with sizing compositions containing the binder compositions according to the invention.


In an amplifier circuit, bias feedback to an amplifying transistor is provided by interconnecting the DC bias voltage applied to the transistor output and the transistor input with a feedback circuit consisting of a switching transistor and bias resistors. Bias current and stable operation is provided by this design. In a particular embodiment two common emitter amplifying transistors are connected to a common output and each has a separate bias feedback circuit including a respective switching transistor. A single DC control input connected to the inputs of both switching transistors can be used to switch between the two amplifying transistors depending on the value of the control voltage thereby amplifying either an input signal of the first amplifying transistor or an input signal of the second amplifying transistor.

This invention relates to amplifier circuitry particularly but not exclusively intended for use in selective connection to either of two antennas feeding a radio receiver.
Space diversity can reduce the effect of multipath fading in radio receivers. By using two antennas placed an adequate distance apart, a receiver can be made such that it selects the one with the strongest signal, thereby giving an overall improvement in reception. FIG. 1(a) shows the basic concept in which a switch selectively connects a low noise amplifier (LNA) forming part of the receiver to one or other of the two antennas. This arrangement, however, is generally not practical since the switch will have some insertion loss which will degrade the receiver's sensitivity to weak signals. FIG. 1(b) shows the common topology with the switch moved farther down the receiver chain for greater sensitivity. In this case two LNAs are connected between the respective antennas and the switch such that, in effect, the switch selects the output of one or other of the LNA's. A problem with this arrangement is that, as both LNA's are running continuously, it requires twice the current and is more complicated because it requires additional output switch circuitry.
The problem of high current requirement is overcome in a device marketed under the part number TQ9203 by Triquint Semiconductor, Inc. as described in the Triquint data sheet entitled "Low-Current RFIC Downconverter" and dated Apr. 21, 1994. This device is a multifunction RF downconverter in which an LNA section comprises two parallel connected common source FET (field effect transistor) amplifiers each having an input connected to a respective antenna and a common output. A "Select" or "Control" terminal controls a bias circuit connected directly to the gates of the two transistors such that, when a control signal indicative of a stronger reception signal on one antenna is applied, the transistor connected to the one antenna is switched on and the other transistor is switched off and, when the control signal has a value indicative of a stronger signal on the other antenna, the transistors are switched to the opposite state. In this way the stronger antenna signal is conducted to the common output.
One problem with the Triquint device is that it has a relatively high gain variation with temperature. In addition it is designed only for operation in the range 800 to 1000 MHz and would not work at low frequency because of AC coupled inputs.

Amplifier with switched DC bias voltage feedback


To provide a scattered light-type smoke detection apparatus in which internally scattered light in a smoke detection space can be suppressed to improve the S/N ratio. A scattered light-type smoke detection apparatus includes: a smoke detection space that is provided in a light-shielded area that is light-shielded from the outside, into which smoke particles flow from the outside; a light emitter for emitting detection light toward the smoke detection space; and a light receiver for receiving scattered light caused by detection light emitted by the light emitter and scattered by smoke particles flowing into the smoke detection space, wherein the scattered light-type smoke detection apparatus includes an internally scattered light suppressing means for transmitting and guiding part or the whole of detection light emitted by the light emitter and passing through the smoke detection space to a predetermined area or the outside of the light-shielded area to suppress internally scattered light within the light-shielded area.

Conventionally, a scattered light-type smoke detection apparatus is used that detects smoke utilizing a light scattering phenomenon caused by smoke. The scattered light-type smoke detection apparatus includes: a smoke detection space into which smoke flows from the outside; a light-shielding structure for blocking light from the outside from entering the smoke detection space while allowing smoke from the outside to flow into the smoke detection space; a light emitter for emitting detection light toward the smoke detection space; and a light receiver for receiving detection light scattered by smoke flowing into the smoke detection space (referred to as scattered light) and converting the received scattered light to electric signal.
In such a scattered light-type smoke detection apparatus, as a member, including the light-shielding structure, for forming the smoke detection space, for example, a material such as a black resin for absorbing detection light from the light emitter is used, but it cannot significantly reduce reflection from the surface of the member. Due to this, conventionally, light emitted by the light emitter and passing through the smoke detection space may, for example, be reflected by a flat surface part, an end face, an edge part or the like of a light-shielding member included in the light-shielding structure, the reflected light (referred to as internally scattered light) entering the light receiver. In this case, the steady level of the detection output of the light receiver (referred to as zero point level) may be elevated to decrease the S/N ratio, thereby reducing reliability.
Thus, a scattered light-type smoke detection apparatus that is designed to reduce internally scattered light has also been proposed. For example, a scattered light-type smoke sensor has been proposed in which a light-shielding member is ingeniously shaped and arranged such that detection light from a light emitter is reflected by the surface of the light-shielding member, as much of the reflected detection light as possible being discharged to the outside of a smoke detection space (for example, see Patent Document 1). [Prior Art Document] [Patent Document]
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H6-342497

Scattered light-type smoke detection apparatus


The present invention is related to the use of oxindole hydrazide derivatives of formula (I) for the treatment and/or prevention of metabolic disorders mediated by insulin resistance or hyperglycemia, comprising diabetes type I and/or II, inadequate glucose tolerance, insulin resistance, hyperlipidemia, hypertriglyceridemia, hypercholesterolemia, obesity, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). In particular, the present invention is related to the use of oxindole hydrazide derivatives of formula (I) to modulate, notably to inhibit the activity of PTPs, in particular of PTP1B, TC-PTP, SHP and GLEPP-1. The present invention is furthermore related to novel oxindole hydrazide derivatives and method of preparation thereof.(I).

The prevalence of insulin resistance in glucose intolerant subjects is well known. Reaven et al (American Journal of Medicine 1976, 60, 80) used a continuous infusion of glucose and insulin (insulin/glucose clamp technique) and oral glucose tolerance tests to demonstrate that insulin resistance exists in a diverse group of non-obese, non-ketotic subjects. These subjects ranged from borderline glucose tolerant to overt, fasting hyperglycemia. The diabetic groups in these studies included both insulin dependent (IDDM) and non-insulin dependent (NIDDM) subjects.
Coincident with sustained insulin resistance is the more easily determined hyperinsulinemia, which may be measured by accurate determination of circulating plasma insulin concentration in the plasma of subjects. Hyperinsulinemia may be present as a result of insulin resistance, such as is in obese and/or diabetic (NIDDM) subjects and/or glucose intolerant subjects, or in IDDM subjects, as a consequence of over injection of insulin compared with normal physiological release of the hormone by the endocrine pancreas.
The association of hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance with obesity and with ischemic diseases of the large blood vessels (e.g. atherosclerosis) has been well established by numerous experimental, clinical and epidemiological studies (Stout, Metabolism 1985, 34, 7). Statistically significant plasma insulin elevations at 1 and 2 hours after oral glucose load correlate with an increased risk of coronary heart disease.
Since most of these studies actually excluded diabetic subjects, data relating the risk of atherosclerotic diseases to the diabetic condition are not as numerous, but point in the same direction as for non-diabetic subjects. However, the incidence of atherosclerotic diseases in morbidity and mortality statistics in the diabetic population exceeds that of the nondiabetic population (Pyorala et al; Jarrett Diabetes/Metabolism Reviews 1989, 5, 547).
The association of hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is also well acknowledged (Diamanti-Kandarakis et al.; Therapeutic effects of metformin on insulin resistance and hyperandrogenism in polycystic ovary syndrome; European Journal of Endocrinology (1998) 138 269-274, Andrea Dunaif; Insulin Resistance and the Polycystic Ovary Syndrome : Mechanism and Implications for Pathogenesis; Endocrine Reviews 18(6): 774-800).
The independent risk factors obesity and hypertension for atherosclerotic diseases are also associated with insulin resistance. Using a combination of insulin/glucose clamps, tracer glucose infusion and indirect calorimetry, it was demonstrated that the insulin resistance of essential hypertension is located in peripheral tissues (principally muscle) and correlates directly with the severity of hypertension (DeFronzo and Ferrannini, Diabetes Care 1991, 14, 173). In hypertension of obese people, insulin resistance generates hyperinsulinemia, which is recruited as a mechanism to limit further weight gain via thermogenesis, but insulin also increases renal sodium re-absorption and stimulates the sympathetic nervous system in kidneys, heart, and vasculature, creating hypertension.
It is assumed that insulin resistance is usually the result of a defect in the insulin receptor signaling system, at a site post binding of insulin to the receptor. Accumulated scientific evidence demonstrating insulin resistance in the major tissues which respond to insulin (muscle, liver, adipose), strongly suggests that a defect in insulin signal transduction resides at an early step in this cascade, specifically at the insulin receptor kinase activity, which appears to be diminished (Mounib Elchebly, Alan Cheng, Michel L. Tremblay; Modulation of insulin signaling by protein tyrosine phosphatases; J. Mol. Med. (2000) 78:473-482).
Protein-tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs) play an important role in the regulation of phosphorylation of proteins and represent the counterparts of kinases. Among classical PTPs, there are two types : (i) non-receptor or intracellular PTPs; and (ii) receptor-like PTPs. Most intracellular PTPs contain one catalytic domain only, whereas most receptor-like enzymes contain two. The catalytic domain consists of about 250 amino acids (Niels Peter Hundahl Moller et al. Protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs) as drug targets: Inhibitors of PTP-1B for the treatment of diabetes; Current Opinion in Drug Discovery & Development 2000 3(5):527-540).
The interaction of insulin with its receptor leads to phosphorylation of certain tyrosine molecules within the receptor protein, thus activating the receptor kinase. PTPs dephosphorylate the activated insulin receptor, attenuating the tyrosine kinase activity. PTPs can also modulate post-receptor signaling by catalyzing the dephosphorylation of cellular substrates of the insulin receptor kinase. The enzymes that appear most likely to closely associate with the insulin receptor and therefore, most likely to regulate the insulin receptor kinase activity, include PTP1B, LAR, PTP-alpha. and SH-PTP2 (Lori Klaman et al.; Increased Energy Expenditure, Decreased Adiposity, and Tissue-specific insulin sensitivity in Protein-Tyrosine Phosphatase 1B-Deficient Mice; Molecular and Cellular Biology 2000, 5479-5489).
PTP1B is a member of the PTP family. This 50 kDa protein contains a conserved phosphatase domain at residues 30-278 and is localized to the cytoplasmic face of the endoplasmic reticulum by its C-terminal 35 residues. Its interactions with other proteins are mediated by proline-rich regions and SH2 compatible sequence. PTP1B is believed to act as a negative regulator in insulin signaling.
McGuire et al. (Diabetes 1991, 40, 939), demonstrated that non-diabetic glucose intolerant subjects possessed significantly elevated levels of PTP activity in muscle tissue vs. normal subjects, and that insulin infusion failed to suppress PTP activity as it did in insulin sensitive subjects.
Meyerovitch et al (J. Clinical Invest. 1989, 84, 976) observed significantly increased PTP activity in the livers of two rodent models of IDDM, the genetically diabetic BB rat, and the STZ-induced diabetic rat. Sredy et al (Metabolism, 44, 1074, 1995) observed similar increased PTP activity in the livers of obese, diabetic ob/ob mice, a genetic rodent model of NIDDM.
Zhang et al (Curr. Opin. Chem. Biol., 5(4), p.416-23 (English) 2001) mentioned that PTPs are also implicated in a wide variety of other disorders, including cancer. Bjorge, J. D et al. (J. Biol. Chem., 275(52), p.41439-41446 (English) 2000) indicate that PTP1B is the primary protein-tyrosine phosphatase capable of dephosphorylating c-Src in several human breast cancer cell lines and suggests a regulatory role for PTP1B in the control of c-Src kinase activity.
Pathre et al (J. Neurosci. Res., 63(2), p.143-150 (English) 2001) describes that PTP1B regulates neurite extension mediated by cell-cell and cell-matrix adhesion molecules. Further, Shock L. P et al (Mol. Brain. Res., 28(1), p.110-16 (English) 1995) demonstrates that a distinct overlapping set of PTPs is expressed in the developing brain and retinal Mueller glia, including 2 novel PTPs that may participate in neural cell communication.
The insulin receptor (IR) is a prototypical tyrosine kinase receptor whose ligand binding and dimerization results in auto-phosphorylation on multiple tyrosines. This is followed by the recruitment and phosphorylation of IRS1-4 (depending on the tissue) and P13K Although vanadium-containing compounds have been known since the 19th century to alleviate diabetes, it was understood only recently that these inhibitors stimulate the insulin signaling pathway by blocking PTP action. Evidence for the involvement of the IR (insulin receptor) and IRS-1 in this phenotype was that both proteins show increased tyrosine phosphorylation in the PTP1B-mutated mice. The available data strongly suggest that in particular PTP1B is a promising target for the development of drugs to treat diabetes and obesity (Brian P. Kennedy and Chidambaram Ramachandran; Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase-1B in Diabetes; Biochemical Pharmacology, Vol. 60, pp. 877-883, 2000).
The compounds of this invention turned out to be inhibitors of PTPs. They are particularly useful in the treatment and/or prevention of metabolic disorders mediated by insulin resistance or hyperglycemia, comprising diabetes type I and/or II, inadequate glucose tolerance, insulin resistance, hyperlipidemia, hypertriglyceridemia, hypercholesterolemia, obesity, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). In particular the compounds of this invention are useful in the treatment and/or prevention of diabetes type II.

Oxindole hydrazide modulators of protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs)


A sphingomyelin analog represented by the following formula

Metabolites of sphingomyelin, sphingolipids such as ceramide, sphingosine or sphingosine 1-phosphate, participate in intracellular signal translation, such as apoptosis, cell proliferation, PKC inhibition, etc., and therefore the metabolites have drawn the great attention. From the fact, the enzyme, sphingomyelinase which converts sphingomyelin to ceramide is considered to be a very important enzyme.
However, the mechanism of action and the higher-order structure of this enzyme are not elucidated and therefore, such a substance as useful for a resolution of the mechanism, etc., has been desired.
The present inventors designed photoaffinity-labeled sphingomyelin analogs and prepared them in order to investigate the mechanism of action of sphingomyelinase. The result of the study was reported on the 33rd Symposium of Heterocyclic chemistry (See the abstract of the 33rd Symposium of Heterocyclic chemistry, page 42-43, issued on Sep. 19, 2003). However, the compounds disclosed therein are sphingomyelins having a photoaffinity-labeled group at their main chain or their N-terminus of the acyl group, and the photoaffinity-labeled group is hydrophobic. The group is quite separated from the phosphate, and therefore it is not considered that such compounds are most suitable for resolution of the mechanism. Therefore, the development of the compound which is useful for more effective resolution of the mechanism of sphingomyelinase has been desired.

Sphingomyelin analogues and a process for preparation thereof

Abstract: wherein R1 is C1-20 alkyl group, R2 is C1-20 alkyl group, aryl group or C1-6 alkyl group substituted by aryl group, and Z is photoaffinity-labeled group,or its optically active compound.


A slide mechanism used in portable electronic device is described including a main plate, a slide plate, and an elastic member. The elastic member includes a first mounting portion, a second mounting portion, a first curved portion and a second curved portion. Each of the first curved portion and the second curved portion connects the first mounting portion and the second mounting portion. The first mounting portion is secured to the main plate, and the second mounting portion is secured to the sliding plate. The sliding plate slides lengthwise over the main plate by the deformation or restoration of the elastic member.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure generally relates to slide mechanisms and, particularly, to a slide-type portable electronic device with two or more housings using a sliding mechanism that allows one housing to slide over another housing in a longitudinal direction.
2. Description of Related Art
Slide-type portable electronic devices have been increasingly used among diverse designs for portable electronic devices. The slide-type portable electronic device has two housings, of which one slides over the other to open/close the portable electronic device.
A slide mechanism is generally used in the slide-type portable electronic device for driving the sliding between the two housings. However, the slide mechanism can be complex in structure and difficult to assemble within the portable electronic device. As a result of the structural complexity and assembling difficulty, production costs can be high.
Therefore, there is room for improvement within the art.

Slide mechanism for slide-type portable electronic device

Shenzhen Futaihong Precision Industry Co., Ltd.


Novel compounds comprising siloxane modified carboxylic acid substituted amines and salts thereof are provided. The compounds according to the invention provide many of the desirable properties of ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid and its salts in a stationary phase. A process for synthesis of the compounds according to the invention are also provided.

The present invention is drawn generally to the field of acid modified amines for use as chelating agents and coatings. More specifically, the present invention is drawn to siloxane modified derivatives of carboxylic acid substituted amines and the salts thereof.
Ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA) and its salts are well known. Ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid is widely employed as a chelating agent for a variety of metal ions. Also, EDTA is quite polar and a rich source of active carboxylic acid functionality. However, EDTA by itself is incapable of bonding to a substrate surface without disrupting the acid functionality necessary for effective chelation.
If an EDTA like moiety, i.e. a carboxylic acid substituted alkyl amine, could be bonded covalently to a substrate surface, it would be possible to take advantage of a number of the beneficial properties of EDTA in a stationary phase. Further, a substrate surface coated with such a compound or a salt thereof would be extremely hydrophilic and wettable. It is therefore desirable to generate functionalized EDTA like compounds that allow chemical interactions with the substrate surface without affecting the acid groups.
The present invention provides novel compounds comprising siloxane modified amines that are substituted with one or more carboxylic acids having 1 to 20 carbon atoms. The compounds may also be prepared as salts using one or more appropriate metal hydroxides. The present invention further provides a method of synthesizing such compounds. Such compounds can be bonded to a number of substrates in a known way to produce a stationary phase having many of the beneficial properties of EDTA and salts thereof.
The novel compounds according to the current invention have a general structure selected from:
S1xe2x80x94X1xe2x80x94Acxe2x80x83xe2x80x83I and
S1xe2x80x94X1xe2x80x94Acxe2x80x94X2xe2x80x94S2xe2x80x83xe2x80x83II
wherein, S1 and S2 are independently a mono, di or tri siloxane, X1 and X2 are independently alkyl, alkenyl or aryl having from 1 to 20 carbon atoms, and Ac is a carboxylic acid substituted amine or a salt thereof.
Siloxane coupling agents are widely known as affective reagents to couple a functional group to a polar substrate such as glass, silica, quartz, inorganic metal oxides, thoria, silicon, alumina, aluminum, iron, zinc, corona or plasma treated plastics and hydroxy functionalized plastics. These siloxane coupling reagents possess one or more alkoxysilyl groups at one end of the molecule and the active functional group at the other end of the molecule. On hydrolysis in aqueous media the alkoxysilyl groups hydrolyze to active silanol groups. These silanol groups readily form covalent bonds to polar substrates. The substrate surface is then functionalized with the active group at the other end of the siloxane molecule. These siloxane coupling agents as both the free alkoxysilyl and bound to the substrate are referred to herein as siloxanes. Siloxanes that are useful according to the current invention have a general structure selected from:
wherein, R1, R2 and R3 are independently alkyl, alkenyl, aryl or a substrate, and R4 is either X1 or X2, provided that when R1 is bound directly to Si, it is not a substrate and when R3 is bound directly to Si, it is not a substrate. The two embodiments shown provide one or two siloxane functional groups for binding the carboxylic acid modified amine to a substrate. However, it is possible to provide additional siloxane groups as bonding sites.
Further, the amine portion is preferably selected from mono, di, tri and tetra amines having a general structure selected from:
wherein, Y1 and Y2 are independently X1, X2 or a carboxylic acid or salt thereof having from 1 to 20 carbon atoms, Y3, Y4, Y5 and Y6 are independently a carboxylic acid or salt thereof having from 1 to 20 carbon atoms, and R5, R6 and R7 are independently alkyl, alkenyl or aryl, provided that at least one of Y1 and Y2 is either X1 or X2. In the embodiment where both of Y1 and Y2 are either X1 or X2 the compound is provided with two siloxane bonding sites.
The novel compounds according to the current invention may be synthesized from the corresponding siloxane modified amines having the general structures:
S1xe2x80x94X1xe2x80x94Axe2x80x83xe2x80x83I and
S1xe2x80x94X1xe2x80x94Axe2x80x94X2xe2x80x94S2xe2x80x83xe2x80x83II
wherein, S1 and S2 are independently a mono, di or tri siloxane, X1 and X2 are independently alkyl, alkenyl or aryl having from 1 to 20 carbon atoms, and A is an amine. A solution is prepared of at least one halogenated carboxylic acid having from 1 to 20 carbon atoms. The siloxane modified amine is then added to the solution in a metered fashion. Preferably the halogenated carboxylic acid is added as an aqueous solution. A suitable metal hydroxide may then be added to the combined mixture or solution to generate a metal salt of the carboxylic acid modified amine. The amine is preferably an un-substituted mono, di, tri or tetra amine having a structure selected from:
wherein, Y1 and Y2 are independently X1, X2 or hydrogen, R5, R6 and R7 are independently alkyl, alkenyl or aryl, and H is hydrogen, provided that at least one of Y1 and Y2 is either X1 or X2.
The siloxane modified carboxylic acid substituted amines according to the current invention can be applied to a number of different substrate surfaces to generate a modified substrate surface. Such modified substrate surfaces have a number of different applications in medical diagnostics, chemical synthesis and analytical chemistry, DNA and Protein immobilization, and metal chelation as well as in the field of electronics. Particularly, application of a salt, preferably a metal salt, of a siloxane modified carboxylic acid substituted amine according to the current invention provides a modified substrate surface that is extremely wettable compared to an unmodified substrate surface. Such properties are very desirable in the electronics industry. The preferred salt for this application is the potassium salt. Although a number of salts effectively produce a wettable surface, the low levels of sodium required for electronics applications make the potassium salt preferable.

Siloxane modified carboxylic acid substituted amines and salts thereof


A hitting game machine allows the successive input of coins. In the hitting game machine, each target which is to be rotated by a hit of a hitting member includes an eccentric shaft. The target is configured such that a rotating shaft integrally rotates along with a hit surface which is to be hit by the hitting member. Further, a longitudinal section of the hit surface has a plate shape, a longitudinal section of which is in a linear shape or a shape that is reduced in width from an upper end thereof to a lower end. Therefore, it is possible for several hitting members to successively hit the same one of targets of a circular plate that is rotating.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to hitting game machines.
2. Description of the Related Art
In modern times, as the standards of living are increasing, a variety of methods of enjoying leisure time have been introduced. One of the introduced methods of enjoying the leisure time is to use a game machine which is operated in such a way that a user can obtain points according to preset game rules and may receive a gift or the like or be allowed to continue the game depending on the total of obtained points.
A game machine using coins is a representative example of such game machines. The term 'game machine using coins' refers to a machine in which coins that have been input into an upper end of a main body are directly used in the game while free-falling or rotating, predetermined points are given according to preset game rules, and a gift or the like is provided or continuation of the game is allowed depending on the given points.
A representative example of such a game machine using coins was proposed in Korean Patent Application No. 10-2007-0053584 (entitled: 'Game machine using coin and coin guide used in the same). This conventional game machine is illustrated in FIG. 1.
Referring to the drawing, in the conventional game machine using coins, a plurality of target units 10 are placed upright around the circumference of a circular plate 7. An identification member is provided on each target unit 10 to identify the target unit 10. Each target unit 10 is curved at a predetermined radius of curvature and is configured such that it can rotate around an inflection point of the curved portion outwards with respect to the circular plate 7.
A coin guide unit 20 is provided on a central portion of the circular plate 7 and oriented in one direction. The coin guide unit 20 rolls a coin 5 input thereinto and guides it to try to hit down one of the target units 10 that rotate along with the circular plate 7.
Furthermore, at least one target standing unit 40 is provided at a position spaced apart from the circular plate 7 by a predetermined distance. Among the target units 10, the target standing unit 40 functions to stand up target units 10 that have been fallen by the coins 5 to their original positions.
The coin guide unit 20 is curved from the vertical direction to the horizontal direction to enable the coin 5 that has been input thereinto and which is dropped to turn in the horizontal direction and roll on the circular plate 7. The coin guide unit 20 may be curved at an appropriate radius of curvature so that the coin 5 that is dropping can easily change its direction to the horizontal direction without stopping.
Furthermore, a speed reducer 50 is provided at a predetermined position in the coin guide unit 20 so that the speed of the coin 5 that has been input into the coin guide unit 20 and being dropped can be reduced by the speed reducer 50. The speed reducer 50 includes at least one small disk 50. The small disk 50 is mounted to a predetermined portion of the coin guide unit 20 so as to be rotatable around a point on the circumference thereof.
However, in the conventional hitting game machine having the above-mentioned construction, the coin guide must use the separate speed reducer, reducing the speed of the coin that is dropping.
It is difficult to manufacture such a speed reducer because it has a plurality of stop protrusions. Deviation of the manufacturing work makes the speed at which a coin drops different in each game machine.
FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate an enlargement of a target unit which is coupled to the circular plate of the conventional hitting game machine.
In detail, FIG. 2 is an enlarged view showing the target unit coupled to the circular plate of the conventional hitting game machine. FIG. 3 is a reference view illustrating the operation of rotating the target unit of FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a reference view illustrating a process in which a rotating shaft 14c of the target unit 10 of FIG. 2 is rotated by a hitting member. Each target unit 10 includes a hinge bracket 12 and a target 14. The hinge bracket 12 includes a coupling part 12a which is coupled to the circumferential outer edge of the circular plate 7, an identification-member attaching part 12c to which an identification member is attached, a target support 12d, a target stopper 12f and a hinge coupling depression 12e. The target 14 includes a rotating shaft 14c which includes a cam-shaped hinge, a hit-part support 14a and a hit part 14b.
The rotating shaft 14c is coupled to the hinge coupling depression 12e. The hit-part support 14a is supported on the circular plate 7 to allow the hit part 14b to lean towards the center of the circular plate 7 so that when the target 14 rotates along with the circular plate 7, the target 14 can be prevented from undesirably falling over due to the centrifugal force or by receiving impacts unrelated to the game.
However, in the target unit having the above-mentioned construction, as shown in FIG. 3, if while the target 14 has been rotating by Coin 1 that has hit the hit part 14b, Coin 2 which is another coin successively rolls to the target 14, Coin 2 collides with the hit-part support 14a that is rotating. Thereby, Coin 2 may be placed on the circular plate rather than entering the hitting member receiver, thus blocking a path of another coin that is rolling on the circular plate, or if coins are placed under the hit-part support 14a, they may impede the function of the target standing unit 40, making the game no longer able to be played.
Furthermore, the rotating shaft 14c of the target 14 is disposed under the medial portion of the target. Therefore, if the width of the target is comparatively small, the target that has fallen over may undesirably return to its standing-up position.
Moreover, the rotating shaft 14c of the target 14 is inserted into the circular hinge coupling depression 12e without use of a separate fastening member, and the thickness of the rotating shaft 14c is almost equal to the depth of the hinge coupling depression 12e. Therefore, if the width of the hit part 14b is less than that of the rotating shaft 14c, not only the target may undesirably bounce up due to impact or vibrations but also a coin that passes over the rotating shaft 14c affects the rotating shaft 14c, thus making the target move as if it had actually been hit despite there having been no hit.
In other words, as shown in FIG. 4, despite a coin passing by the target without hitting the target, if the coin touches the rotating shaft, the target may rotate as if it had been hit by the coin.

Hitting game machine allowing successive input of coins


An embodiment may be an image forming method, which comprises forming a latent image on an image carrier; developing the latent image with a toner to form a toner image on the image carrier; transferring the toner image; and applying ultrasonic vibration at one of the developing step and the transferring step. The toner comprises a resin particle and a release agent particle having a melting point in a range of 40 to 75° C. and the toner has Dp50 of 3.0 to 5.0 μm.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming method to form a toner image on a transfer material by toner containing a resin particle and a release agent having melting point in a specific range and by utilizing ultrasonic vibration.
2. Related Art
A digital system is presently the main current of image forming of a type of an electrophotographic system, and there is given a full-color image forming technology as one of the trends of that technology. As one of the technologies to promote color toner images, there is in existence the one that forms full-color toner images by using oilless toner wherein much release agents are contained in toner particles (for example, TOKKAI No. 2002-214821 (see Paragraph 0049)).
In the digital image forming, a small dot image on a level of 1200 dpi (the number of dots per 1 inch which is 2.54 cm) is sometimes visualized. Therefore, images are formed by using toner that is in a size of several microns called a small particle size toner.
In image forming by a small particle size toner, there has been a tendency that transferability is worsened when toner images formed on the surface of a photoconductor are transferred onto a transfer material such as a sheet of paper or OHP film. In particular the tendency is remarkable in full-color image forming to form toner images by superposing Y color toner, M color toner and C color toner, and thus, it has been impossible to transfer toner images from the photoconductor surface or from an intermediate transfer object stably and surely, which has made it difficult to form color images having excellent color balance and density on a transfer material.
Accordingly, there have been studied technologies to transfer toner images surely onto a recording medium by giving physical operations on the photoconductor, and as one means thereof, there is a technology wherein ultrasonic waves are applied on an image carrier that holds toner images when transferring toner images onto a transfer material, and thereby, toner images are transferred efficiently onto a transfer material from the surface of the image carrier by the actions of vibrations generated from the ultrasonic waves (for example, TOKKAI No. 2001-100546 (see Paragraph 0022) and TOKKAI No. 2001-117381 (see Paragraph 0035).
However, transfer of toner images employing supersonic waves disclosed in TOKKAI No. 2001-100546 or TOKKAI No. 2001-117381 has been one developed for the toner for which oil is coated on a transfer material in the course of fixing. So, image forming was tried through this transfer method by using oilless toner, in vain. When transfer by means of ultrasonic waves was tried by using oilless toner, release agents were removed from toner particles by the actions of vibrations coming from the ultrasonic waves, resulting in the problem that a transfer material wound itself round a fixing roller in the fixing process, and offsetting was caused.
Since externally added agents have also been removed from the oilless toner together with the release agents, toner images were easily disturbed by the influence of vibration by ultrasonic waves, because of the tendency that force of adhesion to the photoconductor is increased and transfer rate is lowered, thus, it was difficult to superpose each monochromatic toner image correctly on a full-color image.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.


A vehicle seat neck protection device (8) that protects and supports the nape of the neck (4) of a user wherein the device (8) has a body (27) of a predetermined size and shape and a convex surface (6) for positioning the device (8) behind the nape of a neck (4), a rear wall (10) located on the body (27) and at least one securing means (7) located on the rear wall (10) for securing the vehicle neck protection device (8) to at least one post (3) of a vehicle headrest (1). The body (27) may include a cushion area (12) that forms the convex surface (6) and a dense area (11) located between the cushion area (12) and the rear wall (10). In the alternative, an inflatable bladder (17) may form the convex surface (6) wherein a user may selectively adjust the degree of inflation of the bladder (17). The bladder (17) may also be automatically inflated upon strong impact against the vehicle itself. The device (8) may be retroactively fit onto an existing vehicle headrest (1) or may built-into a vehicle headrest (1).

This invention relates to vehicle seat neck protection devices, more particularly, a vehicle seat neck protection device that protects and supports the cervical spine, including the muscles, discs, fascia and joints of the nape of the neck of a user.
Currently, most vehicle headrests are attached to a vehicle seat wherein the headrest is extendable so as to provide a customized fit for a user. The user is able to place his/her head against the headrest while sitting in the seat, thereby permitting a user to sit more comfortably while in driving or riding in a vehicle. Although the headrest supports a user's head, a gap still exists between the nape of the neck of the user and the headrest as the nape of the neck is not supported by the headrest. Even if the headrest is positioned adjacent to the top of the seat, the gap still exists because of the design of the headrest.
Although not providing support to the nape of the neck is not inherently dangerous when driving or riding in a vehicle, if a person is in accident, he or she may experience greater damage to the muscles, discs, fascia and joints of the nape of the neck and to the first seven vertebrae of the spine known as the cervical spine than if the nape of the neck, or the cervical spine, were supported. Providing support to this area of the neck is of great importance because the cervical spine is especially susceptible to whiplash-type injuries caused by strong, sudden movements due to limited muscle support in the cervical area and the fact that this area of the spine must support a person's head which, on average, weighs fifteen pounds.
Thus, a need exists for a vehicle seat neck protection device that protects and supports the cervical spine, including the muscles, discs, fascia and joints of the nape of the neck of a user.
The relevant prior art includes the following references:
Patent No.Issue/Publication(U.S. unless stated otherwise)InventorDate5,964,504Hogan et al.Oct. 12, 19995,015,036FergieMay 14, 19914,114,948PerkeySep. 19, 19786,748,615TiedemannJun. 15, 20042002/0084685LeeJul. 4, 20026,431,651LeeAug. 13, 20023,071,412MeadeJan. 1, 19635,135,283Cassese et al.Aug. 4, 1992


A method and device include a power pin, a ground pin, and a communications pin. A communications module receives power from the power pin and utilizes an edge counting communication protocol over the communication pin.

Electrical contacts between an element and a host can be physically large, costly and unreliable. Some elements are consumable, replaceable or removable and it is desired that their cost be lower. One type of such element is a battery pack. It may have only three wires that provide power, ground, and communications. In many cases, it is advantageous to authenticate a battery pack using the communication pin to ensure that it was manufactured by a bona-fide supplier. Such authentication may help to ensure that the battery pack provides the requisite voltage and current for proper operation of the host. Communications via the communications wire should be reliable and fast.
Existing "one-wire" communication protocols are relatively slow and are susceptible to timing variations on the element side of communication transactions. Since data transfer is dependent on the width of pulses sent between the host and element, timing can be a very important to proper communication. Such elements typically do not include a crystal to provide precise timing information beneficial to pulse width coding based communication protocols.


A metal oxide film forming method includes: repeating a cycle a first predetermined number of times, the cycle including supplying a gas containing an organic metal precursor into a processing chamber where an object to be processed is accommodated, and supplying oxygen gas into the processing chamber after the gas containing the organic metal precursor is supplied into the processing chamber; and supplying ozone gas into the processing chamber, wherein repeating the cycle and supplying the ozone gas are repeated a second predetermined number of times, so that a metal oxide film is formed on a surface of the object to be processed.

Recently, aluminum oxide (Al2O3) has come into the spotlight as a gate insulating film of a transistor or a dielectric of a capacitor. The aluminum oxide has a specific permittivity of about 9 to 11 which exceeds two times a specific permittivity of SiO2, about 3.9. For this reason, as compared with SiO2, the aluminum oxide enables a thin gate insulating film to be formed while suppressing a tunneling current, thereby further contributing to miniaturization of a transistor.
There is a transistor in which aluminum oxide is used for a gate insulating film. In such a transistor, Al2O3 is grown by alternately supplying trimethyl aluminum (TMA: Al(CH3)3) and ozone (O3) within an ALD apparatus, thereby forming the gate insulating film.
In the aforementioned transistor, O3 having high oxidizing power is used as an oxidizing agent for an aluminum film. For this reason, there is an advantage in that although organic aluminum such as TMA is used as a source of the aluminum film, an aluminum oxide film having low carbon concentration can be obtained.
However, since the aluminum film is oxidized using O3 having high oxidizing power, uniformity in film thickness is deteriorated, for example, as compared with a case where the aluminum film is oxidized using O2.

Method and apparatus for forming metal oxide film


An OFDM transmitter that performs a peak reduction process in a stepwise manner on a signal sequence to be transmitted. The transmitter includes a dividing IFFT unit that divides a signal sequence into a plurality of signal sequences and IFFTs each of the signal sequences to obtain time signal sequences. Then, a first peak reduction processing unit cyclically shifts a first one of the time signal sequences by a first amount of cyclic shift obtained based on a first threshold to obtain a first cyclically shifted time signal sequence, and adds the first cyclically shifted time signal sequence and a second one of the time signal sequences. Meanwhile, a second peak reduction processing unit cyclically shifts a third one of the time signal sequences by a second amount of cyclic shift obtained based on a second threshold to obtain a second cyclically shifted time signal sequence.

In mobile communication, orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) is attracting attention as one of multicarrier transmission schemes capable of reducing intersymbol interference in the multipath environment. However, with an OFDM scheme using sub-carrier modulation, the multicarrier-modulated signal, namely, the output of inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) has large peak amplitude as compared with the average level.
For this reason, peak to average power ratio (PAPR) increases, and nonlinear distortion is generated as illustrated in FIG. 1. This problem is an attribute of multicarrier modulation and caused by the following reason. When signal components of individually modulated multiple carriers are combined in phase, the adder output for a certain signal at a certain point of time become extremely high, and consequently, the combined signal has a large peak as compared with the average output level.
FIG. 2 is a graph showing an input/output characteristic of a typical transmission amplifier. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the region with a linear input/output characteristic is limited. The signal component beyond this linear region is clipped, and a signal is output with a distorted peak. This causes degradation of transmission quality and increases an out-of-band radiation power level. It is known that if the linear region is expanded, the amplification efficiency falls. Accordingly, it is desired for the amplitude (power level) distribution of a transmission signal to contain as little signal component with large amplitude as compared with the average as possible.
FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 are block diagrams of a typical OFDM transmitter and a typical OFDM receiver, respectively. In the OFDM transmitter shown in FIG. 3, a signal generator 1001 performs error correction encoding, interleaving, and symbol mapping on an input information bit sequence to produce transmission symbols. The transmission symbols are subjected to serial-to-parallel conversion at the serial-to-parallel (S/P) converter 1002 and converted into multiple parallel signal sequences. The S/P converted signal is subjected to inverse fast Fourier transform at IFFF unit 1003. The signal is further subjected to parallel-to-serial conversion at the parallel-to-serial (P/S) convert converter 1004, and converted into a signal sequence, as illustrated in FIG. 5. Then, guard intervals are added by the guard interval (GI) adding unit 1005, amplified at the power amplifier 1006, and finally transmitted as an OFDM signal by radio.
On the other hand, at the OFDM receiver shown in FIG. 4, the guard interval is removed from the received signal at the guard interval removing unit 2001. Then, the received signal is subjected to serial-to-parallel conversion at S/P converter 2002, fast Fourier transform at the FFT unit 2003, and parallel-to-serial conversion at P/S converter 2004, as illustrated in FIG. 5. Then, the received OFDM signal is detected to acquire the transmitted information.
To solve the above-described PAPR (Peak to Average Power Ratio) issue in an OFDM transmission scheme, various methods for reducing the peak amplitude (power level) are proposed. Such proposals include a frequency domain interleaving method, a clipping filtering method (See, for example, X. Li and L. J. Cimini, "Effects of Clipping and Filtering on the Performance of OFDM", IEEE Commun. Lett., Vol. 2, No. 5, pp. 131-133, May, 1998), a partial transmit sequence (PTS) method (See, for example, L. J Cimini and N. R. Sollenberger, "Peak-to-Average Power Ratio Reduction of an OFDM Signal Using Partial Transmit Sequences", IEEE Commun. Lett., Vol. 4, No. 3, pp. 86-88, March, 2000), and a cyclic shift sequence (CSS) method (See, for example, G. Hill and M. Faulkner, "Cyclic Shifting and Time Inversion of Partial Transmit Sequences to Reduce the Peak-to-Average Ratio in OFDM", PIMRC 2000, Vol. 2, pp. 1256-1259, Sep. 2000).
In addition, to improve the receiving characteristic in OFDM transmission when a non-linear transmission amplifier is used, a PTS method using a minimum clipping power loss scheme (MCPLS) is proposed to minimize the power loss clipped by a transmission amplifier (See, for example, Xia Lei, Youxi Tang, Shaoqian Li, "A Minimum Clipping Power Loss Scheme for Mitigating the Clipping Noise in OFDM", GLOBECOM 2003, IEEE, Vol. 1, pp. 6-9, Dec. 2003). The MCPLS is also applicable to a cyclic shifting sequence (CSS) method.
FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an OFDM transmitter employing MCPLS cyclic shifting sequence. In this example, subcarriers are grouped into two blocks. FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a dividing IFFT unit 1013 used in the OFDM transmitter shown in FIG. 6 and configured to divide eight subcarriers into two blocks.
The dividing IFFF unit 1013 produces two time signal sequences, namely, a first subsequence containing signal components of subcarriers 0 through 3, and a second subsequence containing signal components of subcarriers 4 through 7. In ordinary OFDM signal generation, the two groups of time signal sequences are added and the combined signal is output as a transmission signal. However, with CSS, phase rotation is applied to a portion of time signal sequences, and then added to the other portion of the time signal sequences. In addition, in CSS, cyclic shifting is applied to a portion of the time signal sequences at the cyclic shifting unit 1012, and added to the other portion of the time signal sequences, as illustrated in FIG. 6. By preparing multiple levels of cyclic shifting, multiple candidates are produced for a same transmission signal sequence. The PAPR reduction control unit 1011 using MCPLS detects a total of exceeding power over the reference level for each of the time signal sequences output from the dividing IFFF unit 1013, and selects a signal sequence with the minimum exceeding power as a target signal sequence to be transmitted.
In a partial transmit sequence (PTS) scheme, an appropriate set of phase rotation values determined for the respective subcarriers in advance is selected from multiple sets, and the selected set of phase rotations is used to rotate the phase of each of the subcarriers before signal modulation in order to reduce the peak to average power ratio (See, for example, S. H. Muller and J. B. Huber, "A Novel Peak Power Reduction Scheme for OFDM", Proc. of PIMRC '97, pp. 1090-1094, 1997; and G. R. Hill, Faulkner, and J. Singh, "Deducing the Peak-to-Average Power Ratio in OFDM by Cyclically Shifting Partial Transmit Sequences", Electronics Letters, Vol. 36, No. 6, 16th Mar., 2000).
FIG. 8 and FIG. 9 are block diagrams of an OFDM transmitter and an OFDM receiver, respectively, which employ a partial transmit sequence (PTS) scheme. In FIG. 8, the signal sequences generated by the signal generator 1001 is divided into two groups by the dividing unit 1031 of the dividing IFFF unit 1023. Serial-to-parallel conversion and inverse fast Fourier transform are performed on each of the divided groups.
Each of the IFFT units 1033 has N input/output points to receive N/2 signals from the S/T converter 1032 and N/2 null symbols. The phase rotation control unit 1021 determines an appropriate set of phase rotations or weighting values (θ1, θ2, . . . ), and one of the elements of the set is applied to the multipliers 1034 in common. In this manner, the outputs of the IFFT units 1033-1 and 1033-2 are combined under appropriate weighting at adders 1035.
The combined signal sequences are subjected to parallel-to-serial conversion at P/S unit 1004, a guard interval is added to the serial signal at guard interval unit 1005, and the signal is finally transmitted from the antenna.
In the receiving end, the phase rotation is adjusted when the signal is demodulated, as illustrated in FIG. 9.
However, in the above-described prior art techniques, if the number of groups of the divided subcarriers and the number of cyclic shifting patterns increase, the candidates of the transmitted signal increase exponentially, and the computational workload is extremely increased.

OFDM transmitter that performs a peak reduction process on a transmission signal sequence


A processing chamber includes a ground shield and a cover ring. The ground shield includes an annular body, and at least one guide pin extending from the annular body. The cover ring is positioned on the ground shield, and includes an annular body including at least one recess. At least a part of the at least one guide pin is receivable in the at least one recess, an inner cylindrical ring extends from the annular body, and an outer cylindrical ring extends from the annular body and is radially separated from the inner cylindrical ring by a horizontally extending portion of the annular body.

Physical vapor deposition (PVD), or sputtering, is a process used in the fabrication of electronic devices. PVD is a plasma process performed in a vacuum chamber where a negatively biased target is exposed to a plasma of an inert gas having relatively heavy atoms (e.g., argon (Ar)) or a gas mixture comprising such inert gas. Bombardment of the target by ions of the inert gas results in ejection of atoms of the target material. The ejected atoms accumulate as a deposited film on a substrate placed on a substrate support pedestal disposed within the chamber.

Cover ring and ground shield for physical vapor deposition chamber

TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.


A server node can monitor the status of servers in a server cluster. The node may receive an alert indicating that a server in the server cluster is unavailable. In response to the alert, the node can send instructions that cause pending remote procedure call requests to be canceled and then reissued to another server in the server cluster instead of to the first server.

As generally known, a remote procedure call (RPC) allows a subroutine or procedure to execute in another address space (typically on another computer—a server, for example—on a shared network). A client initiates an RPC request (e.g., for data) by sending a message to a remote server in order to execute the specified subroutine or procedure. Data from the remote server is then typically returned to the client.
A problem with remote procedure calls is that the RPC request can fail because of network problems that are unknown to the client (e.g., a transmission problem). Consequently, the client may not know whether or not the RPC request was actually received or invoked.
In an attempt to address this problem, a timeout period is associated with each RPC request. If a timeout period associated with a particular RPC request expires before a response to that RPC request is received, then the client may reissue the RPC request and restart the timeout period. The timeout periods are usually tens of seconds (e.g., 30 seconds or more) in length. Actually, RPC requests may have two types of timeout periods, one for retrying an RPC request, and one for failing an RPC request. As such, an RPC request may not fail until after it has been retried several times, which may be on the order of minutes.
The server to which the client is sending the RPC request may be inoperative but, as mentioned above, the client may not be aware of that. Hence, the client will continue to send RPC requests to that server until either a network administrator (human or machine), or the client itself, realizes that the server is inoperative. Because of the length of the timeout period, it may take a relatively long time for this realization to occur, which can significantly affect the client's performance in a negative way. If the client has multiple outstanding RPC requests, the effect on performance can be even more severe, because the client typically must wait for all of the RPC requests to time out. Moreover, execution on the client can be further delayed while the client waits until it is assigned to an alternate server that can handle the client's RPC requests.
In cluster file systems in particular, server node failures are traditionally handled by having network file system clients wait for their submitted RPC requests to time out and then retry the requests until the cluster server network address is taken over by a healthy node. This typically results in poor response times under server node failures because, as noted above, the client may have to wait for several outstanding requests to the failed server node to time out. The client also has to wait for the cluster network address to be taken over by a healthy server node before retrying requests. In addition, the client typically has to use a larger timeout value for its remote procedure call requests, to give the server sufficient time to reply and to avoid spurious timeouts that can further worsen the client's performance.

Managing remote procedure calls when a server is unavailable