Undesired material is removed from a chosen substrate by a process comprising the steps of (a) placing the substrate containing the undesired material in a cleaning chamber provided with cavitation-producing means; (b) introducing a liquefied gas, such as liquid carbon dioxide, into the cleaning chamber and contacting the substrate containing the undesired material with the liquid carbon dioxide at a temperature below its critical temperature; and (c) exposing the liquid carbon dioxide to the cavitation-producing means for a period of time sufficient to remove the undesired material from the substrate. The substrate containing the undesired material may optionally be contacted with carbon dioxide in the dense phase prior to and/or after the cavitation treatment to aid in removal of the undesired material. Further, spent liquid carbon dioxide may be treated to regenerate fresh liquid carbon dioxide which is recycled to the cleaning chamber. Other gases besides carbon dioxide which may be used include nitrous oxide, sulfur hexafluoride, and xenon.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the use of cavitation to clean substrates, and, more particularly, to a process employing liquefied gas, such as liquid carbon dioxide, in combination with cavitation to enhance the cleaning of a wide variety of substrates, including complex materials and hardware.
2. Description of Related Art
Ultrasonic cleaning has been utilized by industry for a number of years. In the conventional processes, the sonicating media are organic solvents, water, or aqueous solutions, and ultrasonic energy is applied to the media to promote cavitation, i.e., the formation of bubbles and their subsequent collapse. Although adequate for the sonication cleaning, both types of solvents have disadvantages. Many substrates require a rigourous drying process following exposure to an aqueous medium, and this is often a time-consuming thermal excursion. The use of organic solvents as sonicating media presents the problem of chemical disposal and is subject to strict regulatory controls. An additional disadvantages relates to handling of the removed moved contaminant(s), whether organic or particulate. When the contaminant is a controlled material, such as a radio-active particle, once in solution or suspension, its volume is substantially increased, and this presents an additional pretreatment/disposal problem.
In these conventional ultrasonic cleaning processes, sonic horns are often used to produce the sonic energy. In other processes, a cavitation nozzle may be used. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,906,387, issued Mar. 6, 1990, to J. Pisani for "Method for Removing Oxidizable Contaminants in Cooling Water Used in Conjunction with a Cooling Tower" and U.S. Pat. No. 4,990,260, issued Feb. 5, 1991, to J. Pisani for "Method and Apparatus for Removing Oxidizable Contaminants in Water to Achieve High Purity Water for Industrial Use" disclose methods for removing contaminants from water by inducing cavitation in the water to cause the water to dissociate to produce hydroxyl free-radicals which act as oxidizing agents. In the processes of Pisani, ultraviolet radiation is used in combination with cavitation to continue the oxidation process which was initiated by the hydroxyl free-radicals. The cavitation in the Pisani processes is produced by a "critical flow" nozzle.
Another type of cleaning process, utilizing phase shifting of dense phase gases, has been disclosed and claimed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,013,366, issued to D.P. Jackson et al and assigned to the same assignee as the present application. The process employs a dense phase gas at or above the critical pressure. The phase of the dense phase gas is then shifted between the liquid state and the supercritical state by varying the temperature of the dense fluid in a series of steps between temperatures above and below the critical temperature of the dense fluid, while maintaining the pressure above the critical value. Examples of fluids include (1) hydrocarbons, such as methane, ethane, propane, butane, pentane, hexane, ethylene, and propylene; (2) halogenated hydrocarbons, such as tetrafluoromethane, chlorodifluoromethane, and perfluoropropane; (3) inorganics, such as carbon dioxide, ammonia, helium, krypton, argon, sulfur hexafluoride, and nitrous oxide; and (4) mixtures thereof. In alternative embodiments, the dense phase gas may be exposed to ultraviolet (UV) radiation during the cleaning process or ultrasonic energy may be applied during the cleaning process to agitate the dense phase gas and the substrate surface.
While this process is well-suited for its intended purpose, it is desirable to provide further improvements in such a cleaning process, employing inexpensive, nontoxic cleaning media in a simplified process.


A pen type scanner (10) having an optically conductive light director (24) for directing light from a light emitting diode (20) onto a specific portion of textual data (78) on a page (76). Light reflected from the page is focused by a lens assembly (28) onto a sensor apparatus (30). As the pen type scanner (10) is moved across the page (76) a roller (34) activates a distance encoder (32). The pen type scanner (10) is connected to a parallel port (54) of a computer (56) through an interconnection cable (50) and a port adaptor component (58).

To "scan", as the term will be used herein, means to convert visually perceptible information, by electo-optical means, into a digital format. It is known in the art to scan printed material into such a digital format for manipulation and use within a digital computer. Early success in this field primarily involved the scanning of pictures, and the like, since the information contained within a pictorial image can be stored, manipulated, transmitted and received in digital format without any need to identify the content of the image. Typically, scanning produces a "bit mapped" image. That is, a record is made regarding a plurality of pixel locations forming a data grid corresponding to the original image. In the simplest form, the data for each pixel is strictly binary, representing either a darkened pixel location or a relatively light pixel location. In more sophisticated "gray scale" scanning, a record is made of the relative darkness of each pixel location within a gradient of values. In color scanning, a record is made of the color content of a plurality of pixel locations in the image. In any case, pictorial data may be stored in such bit mapped format.
Of course, since computers excel in the manipulation of textual and numerical data, it has clearly been desirable to import such data directly from printed matter into the computer, thus avoiding the necessity of manual entry of such data. However, the introduction of textual and numerical data into a computer presents an additional problem. It is not sufficient merely to import an image of the data. Rather, the computer must "recognize" the data contained within the image and convert it into a format usable by the computer (such as "ASCII" data format, or the like). In order to accomplish this purpose a category of software known as Optical Character Recognition ("OCR") software has been developed. Early attempts at OCR software were relatively crude in that only particular type faces and sizes could be recognized, and errors were so common that the OCR software was only marginally useful. However, more recent efforts at OCR provide a considerable improvement. Modern OCR software is increasingly accurate and can recognize a wide variety of type faces. Indeed, OCR software is being advanced to the point that handwriting may be recognized and deciphered.
Given the proliferation of OCR software and the ready availability of inexpensive yet powerful computers in which such software can be used, we are now presented with the opportunity of importing data at will from printed material into our computers. Much benefit can be derived from this development. Entire pages of text can be imported into word processing systems for future reference and other purposes. An important advantage of the OCR process is that a page of data in ASCII format (or other digital format) takes up a very much lesser portion of the storage capacity of a computer than does a bit mapped image of the page. Therefore, much more data can be archived, to later be called up on a computer screen or printed out for the user's benefit. However, even this is not the greatest advantage of the OCR process. Users are finding that the greatest benefit is that short passages, quotations, and the like can be integrated into the user's own documents. In many fields of endeavor this is an extremely important benefit. As just one example, in doing legal research it is necessary to cull through many volumes of reference materials taking short passages and citations from each. In subsequently writing a legal brief based upon such research, the user must accurately reproduce these passages. Formerly, the user was required to make notes (or photocopies) as the material was researched, and then later to type the passages on the computer keyboard so that they could be included in a word processor created brief or other such document. Using the OCR technology, such passages can be directly imported into the user's text.
Today, available scanners are generally sheet type scanners which scan an entire page of information in a single operation, or hand held type scanners which can scan a section of a page, such as a strip about four inches wide, in a single operation. It has generally been considered that the larger the area scanned in a single operation, the better the purpose of the device is served, since less work is required to scan a full page of data, and further since "registration" problems (the alignment of scanned portions of an image to correspond to the original image) are reduced by keeping the number of scans required to cover the image to a minimum. Therefore, the smaller hand held scanners are generally seen as inferring no particular advantage, as compared to the sheet type scanners, relating directly to the scanning process. Rather, the advantage of hand held scanners is that they are less expensive to produce, and generally much smaller and lighter than the sheet type scanners, such that the hand held scanners may be readily transported to the information sources.
As useful as are conventional hand held scanners, they are not well suited for the importation of selected portions of data. To the inventors' knowledge, no prior art scanner has allowed a user to easily scan selected portions of data into a computer. All prior art scanners have either required that relatively large blocks of a page be scanned together, or else have been ungainly and difficult to handle due to the conventional manner in which scanners are constructed.


An IC card includes a generally rectangular frame. A circuit board assembly is mounted on the frame, with the circuit board assembly including a generally planar dielectric substrate having circuit traces and at least one electrical component mounted thereon. A receptacle connector including terminals is mounted at an edge of the circuit board assembly, with the terminals being adapted to mechanically and electrically engage the circuit traces on the circuit board assembly. Complementary interengaging latches are provided between the frame and the receptable connector for securing the receptacle connector at the edge of the circuit board assembly and for ensuring a mechanical and electrical connection between the terminals and the circuit traces on the circuit board assembly. The invention also contemplates a method of fabricating the IC card according to the above.

Generally, IC cards or packs, such as memory cards, are data input devices which are electrically connected to an electronic apparatus or storage device, such as a word processor, personal computer or other electronic apparatus. The data stored in the IC card is transferred to the electronic apparatus. Memory cards are portable instruments which are readily inserted and extracted from a connector apparatus which may be used with the IC card for removably coupling the IC card to a printed circuit board, for instance.
An IC card conventionally includes a frame which usually is generally rectangular and includes an opening in either a top surface or a bottom surface thereof or, in some constructions, in both surfaces. The opening receives a circuit board assembly, and a panel or cover closes the opening and encloses the circuit board assembly within the frame.
The circuit board assembly of an IC card conventionally includes a generally planar dielectric substrate with circuit traces and at least one electrical component mounted thereon. The electrical component(s) may include semi-conductor devices, integrated circuits, batteries or the like. A surface mounted receptacle connector is electrically and mechanically coupled to an edge of the circuit board assembly. The receptacle connector includes receptacle terminals or contacts mounted therein and having tail portions adapted to be surface mounted to corresponding circuit traces on the substrate of the circuit board assembly. Each receptacle contact also includes a receptacle portion for mating with contacts of the main electronic apparatus, such as mating with the contacts of a header connector mounted on a printed circuit board of the main electronic apparatus.
Since the receptacle connector is surface mounted to the circuit board assembly, and the connector and assembly, in turn, are mounted to the frame and cover, it is important that the connector be positioned correctly with respect to the circuit board assembly, that is, the tail portions of the receptacle contacts must be accurately positioned and connected to their corresponding circuit traces so that proper electrical connection is made. It is often desirable, if not necessary, to hold the connector in place prior to and during the surface mounting process (i.e. a reflow soldering process, for instance), so that movement prior to or surface tension during the process does not result in an inaccurately positioned connector.
Since the circuit substrates used in IC and memory cards are typically substantially thinner than those used in other applications (due primarily to the desire to miniaturize and weight reduce the overall product), another difficulty encountered during the surface mount soldering processing of these cards is the tendency toward an increase in the amount of substrate movement, such as bowing, warping, and flexing, due to thermal expansion and contraction during the process compared to thicker circuit substrates.
The relatively long receptacle connectors are adversely affected by this movement, since the solder may cool and harden on some of the circuit pads while the circuit substrate is momentarily bowed away from the plane of the solder tail portions, resulting in open circuits.
To solve this problem, a connector design that holds the connector to the circuit substrate and generates positive force between the solder tails and the substrate is desirable, so that the solder tails remain in contact with the surface of the substrate as it bows and flexes during processing.
Most often, the receptacle connector of an IC card is mounted at an edge of the printed circuit board assembly. Particularly in the case of a single-sided receptacle connector where forces are exerted on only one side of the substrate which may cause the connector to "rock" or tilt, care must be taken to mechanically secure the receptacle connector to the substrate of the printed circuit board assembly prior to and during processing thereof.
Still further, care must be taken when holding the receptacle connector in proper position. Too little retention to the board is of no use, and may result in open circuit conditions or intermittencies should the surface mount tail portions of the contacts "float" off their respective circuit traces or move off their requisite positions. On the other hand, too much retention can cause excessive insertion force and make assembly of the connector to the board difficult, if not impossible.
One method of assembling a single-sided IC card receptacle connector to a circuit board substrate involves processing only the receptacle connector and the circuit board assembly prior to securing the assembly and connector to the IC card frame. However, means must be provided for supporting the connector with respect to the circuit board substrate by way of fixtures and/or additional circuit board real estate which then is cut away after the processing and discarded. This may be costly in terms of time and labor. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 5,277,596 to Dixon, dated Jan. 11, 1994, shows a method of fabricating an edge mounted receptacle connector to a circuit board assembly of an IC card by mounting the receptacle connector within an opening of the circuit board substrate prior to soldering the connector contacts thereto. The periphery of the circuit board substrate then is cut off and discarded. Such procedures, as well as separate supporting fixtures for the receptacle connector, are time, labor and cost intensive.
A solution to such problems is shown in copending application Ser. No. 08/156,171, filed Nov. 22, 1993 and assigned the assignee of the present invention. That application solves the problems by providing an improved board mounting peg means between the receptacle connector and the circuit board substrate. However, again, the connector is mounted to the substrate and processed prior to mounting this overall assembly within the IC card frame. The present invention is directed to a further improvement in the art wherein the circuit board substrate is secured to the frame, and the receptacle connector, in turn, is latched to the frame in proper position for ensuring a mechanical and electrical connection between the connector contacts and the circuit board traces during processing.


A vehicle control apparatus is provided to synchronize the engine rotational speed during a gear shifting operation of a transmission by feedback-controlling the engine rotational speed at a level of response that is well-suited to the needs of the driver. When the transmission downshifts under conditions in which a brake switch is OFF and an accelerator pedal is completely released, the feedback gain used to feedback-control the engine rotational speed is set in such a manner that the engine rotational speed converges in a stable manner toward a target rotational speed (synchronization rotational speed) and gear shift shock is alleviated. Meanwhile, when the transmission downshifts under conditions in which the brake switch is ON or the accelerator pedal is depressed, the feedback gain is set in such a manner that the engine rotational speed approaches the target rotational speed quickly and a high gear shift response is ensured.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a vehicle control apparatus. More specifically, the present invention relates to a vehicle control apparatus for temporarily disengaging or releasing a clutch when the transmission shifts gears and to feedback-control the rotational speed of the engine while the clutch is in a released state or disengaged.
2. Background Information
Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2001-328461 discloses a control device for a vehicle equipped with an engine, a transmission, and a clutch for transmitting power from the engine to the transmission. The control device disclosed in this publication is configured to release the clutch momentarily when the transmission downshifts and to feedback-control the rotational speed of the engine to a synchronization rotational speed while the clutch is in a released state.
In view of the above, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure that there exists a need for an improved vehicle control apparatus. This invention addresses this need in the art as well as other needs, which will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure.


An ATM line concentration apparatus includes first and second transmission path termination circuits, an ATM switch, and a signaling termination circuit. Information for execution of signaling as a procedure for establishing a switched virtual channel with respect to an ATM switching unit or a plurality of subscriber terminals in response to a call generated from the ATM switching unit or the plurality of subscriber terminals is transmitted by using the ATM switch and the signaling termination circuit through the first and second transmission path termination circuits.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a subscriber transmission apparatus and, more particularly, to an ATM line concentration apparatus in a subscriber transmission system used in a subscriber transmission network for providing broadband services using an ATM technique.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A subscriber transmission system in a subscriber transmission network for providing broadband services including VOD (Video On Demand) using a conventional ATM technique will be described below.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the system configuration of a conventional broadband subscriber transmission network.
The system shown in FIG. 1 includes an ATM switching unit 41, an ATM multiplexer 43 for multiplexing/demultiplexing subscriber information, and subscriber terminals 45 to 48. The ATM multiplexer 43 includes a transmission path termination circuit 56 for terminating a transmission path 49 accommodated in the ATM switching unit 41, transmission path termination circuits 57 to 60 for terminating transmission paths 52 to 55 between the subscriber terminals 45 to 48 and the ATM multiplexer 43, an ATM cell multiplexing/demultiplexing circuit 42 for distributing or multiplexing pieces of ATM information terminated by the transmission path termination circuits 57 to 60, and ATM cell header translation circuits 61 to 64 for replacing the pieces of header information of ATM cells.
In this subscriber transmission apparatus, the total transmission capacity of the transmission path 49 accommodated in the ATM switching unit 41 is equal to the total transmission capacity of the transmission paths 52 to 55 between the subscriber terminals 45 to 48 and the ATM multiplexer 43.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the arrangement of a B-ISDN remote multiplexer disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 6-132972, and more specifically, a broadband subscriber transmission network including an ATM switching unit side.
The B-ISDN remote multiplexer shown in FIG. 2 includes an ATM switching unit 141 having part of a subscriber accommodation function set in a remote place, a B-ISDN remote multiplexer 140, and a plurality of subscriber terminals 121 and 122. The ATM switching unit 141 includes a plurality of transmission interface circuits 135, an ATM switch 138, and a signaling processor 139. The B-ISDN remote multiplexer 140 includes a plurality of subscriber circuits 125, a line concentration circuit 127 and a distribution circuit 129 which constitute a concentration/distribution stage, and a transmission interface circuit 132.
The B-ISDN remote multiplexer 140 has a function equivalent to that of the ATM cell multiplexing/demultiplexing circuit 42 in FIG. 1. The B-ISDN remote multiplexer 140 distributes or multiplexes pieces of ATM information transmitted from the ATM switching unit 141 through high-speed transmission paths 133 and 134 and pieces of ATM information transmitted from the subscriber terminals 121 and 122 through line terminating units 123 and subscriber lines 124 on a cell basis.
The signaling processor 139 executes, between the subscriber terminals 121 and 122, a procedure for establishing virtual channels between the B-ISDN remote multiplexer 140 and the ATM switching unit 141 and between the B-ISDN remote multiplexer 140 and the subscriber terminals 121 and 122.
The first problem in the conventional technique is that the utilization efficiency of a transmission path connected to a subscriber terminal cannot be improved for the following reason.
The above network is simply constructed to multiplex/demultiplex pieces of subscriber service information within the range in which the amount of information does not exceed the transmission capacity of the transmission path connected to the ATM switching unit. Therefore, in a subscriber transmission network in which the service utilization efficiency is generally low, transmission capacities must also be assigned to even subscribers for which no services are provided.
The second problem in the conventional technique is that in the invention disclosed in the above official gazette, connection of a specific ATM switching unit, i.e., a unit installed in a remote place, is limited to an ATM switching unit manufactured by the same manufacturer of the specific ATM switching unit.
This is because, part of a signaling procedure between the ATM switching unit and the ATM line concentration apparatus is not based on the disclosed procedure, although an interface is based on the requirements of ATM Forum UNI.


An improved joint utilizes a facing strip which is configured to extend away from a pair of plates held by the facing strip as one moves toward the middle of the facing strip. When the steel plates are disposed at an angle to one another, the facing strip is preferably straight. When the steel plates are parallel, the facing strip is preferably bent to extend toward the plates as one moves out from the middle of the facing strip and toward the lateral edges.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to joint strips which are used on bullet traps. More particularly, the present invention relates to such joint strips which reduce the risk of splatter through between two walls of a bullet trap and which lessen the cost of manufacturing the joint strips.
2. State of the Art
In order to maintain proficiency in the use of firearms, it is common for law enforcement officers and sportsmen to engage in target practice. In conventional target practice, a target, i.e. an outline of a person or animal is held before a bullet trap. The bullet receives bullets fired at the target and contains the bullet so that it may be retrieved and recycled.
Any steel bullet trap, however, requires a joint where two ends of a section meet. This joint has traditionally been made in the manner shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. A bullet trap wall 8 or 8′ is formed by a flat strip of steel 10 is used for the front side facing the shooter. The strip 10 typically either has bolts 12 welded to the back side, or countersunk holes 14 for bolts to drop through. A washer 16 or leg (not shown) is used on the back side in conjunction with a nut 20 to secure a bolt 22. As the nut 20 is tightened on the bolt 22, the plate 10 and washer 16 or leg 18 pinch two adjoining pieces of steel plate 26 together. During this process, the plate 10 and the washer 16 or leg 18 are disposed generally parallel with the steel plates 26.
Such configurations have several problems. First, the vibration which accompanies a round hitting a steel plate eventually causes the weld to fail, thereby allowed the welded bolts break off. While bolts placed in countersunk holes generally do not break off, it is difficult to manufacture joints with countersunk holes.
Yet another problem with both of these configurations, is that the front strip can eventually curve away from the pieces of steel plate and increase the risk that a bullet will pass through the space between the steel plates 26. The resulting splatter through can be dangerous to those in the area. Additionally, it may allow lead bullets outside of the range where they may leach lead into the environment.
Thus, there is a need for a new method of forming joint strips. Such a configuration should be less susceptible to breaking of bolts and less expensive/difficult than countersinking bolts.


A method and an apparatus for supporting a camera-based environment recognition by a means of transport using road wetness information from a first ultrasonic sensor. The method includes: recording a first signal representing an environment of the means of transport by the first ultrasonic sensor of the means of transport; recording a second signal representing the environment of the means of transport by a camera of the means of transport; obtaining road wetness information on the basis of the first signal; selecting a predefined set of parameters from a plurality of predefined sets of parameters as a function of the road wetness information; and performing an environment recognition on the basis of the second signal in conjunction with the predefined set of parameters.

In the related art, conventional means of transport perform a camera-based environment recognition to obtain information about objects in the environment of the means of transport. This information is received, for example, by driver assistance systems and/or systems for autonomously controlling the means of transport and used by the same. Such an environment recognition is based on conventional image analysis algorithms and object classification algorithms that generally use one or more classifiers for certain objects.
Also conventional are rain sensors for means of transport for sensing the presence of a precipitation. They are usually mounted in an upper area of a windshield of the means of transport and are adapted for sensing the presence of precipitation on the windshield. Wetness information ascertained by such a rain sensor can be used to select suitable classifiers of an environment recognition.
Also conventional are ultrasonic sensors which are often used in connection with means of transport for parking assistance systems or similar driver assistance systems. To be able to ascertain distances of objects in the environment of the means of transport to the means of transport on the basis of propagation times of the ultrasonic signals, such ultrasonic sensors are mostly mounted for this purpose on means of transport in such a way that the emission and sensing direction thereof are essentially horizontal to the means of transport.

Method for supporting a camera-based environment recognition by a means of transport using road wetness information from a first ultrasonic sensor


Red blood cells or derivatives thereof such as ghost preparations, whole cell membrane preparations or fragments thereof, can act as a potent carrier for orally administered antigens. Mucosal immunity in particular can be effectively induced against such viruses as influenza when adsorbed to chicken red blood cells and orally administered.

Currently, most vaccines are administered parenterally with consequent problems arising from the invasive nature of the administration route. For instance, it has been proposed, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,157,390, to use red blood cells as vehicles for the presentation of enteropathogenic antigens in a parenteral vaccine administered to prepartum sows. A disadvantage of parenteral administration is that, in general, it induces a better blood borne immune response than a mucosal one, yet the prophylaxis or treatment of some infective agents is more appropriately dealt with by a strong mucosal immunity. The parenteral nature of prior art vaccines has not in general resulted in a strong mucosal response.
To redress some of these problems, orally administered vaccines have been proposed against various infective agents. Unfortunately as the alimentary tract provides a hostile environment, it is only fortuitously, such as in the Sabin vaccine, that these have been effective.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a vaccine, appropriate for oral administration, which redresses some of the disadvantages experienced in the past.

Oral vaccine comprising antigen surface-associated with red blood cells


Many methods are provided herein including a method of providing fluid loss control comprising: providing a treatment fluid; adding to the treatment fluid an acid-generating fluid loss control additive comprising an acid-generating component wherein the acid-generating fluid loss control additive forms droplets in the treatment fluid; and placing the treatment fluid into a subterranean formation. Other methods are provided as well.

The present invention relates to methods and compositions for treating subterranean formations, and more specifically, to acid-generating fluid loss control additives that are useful in petroleum recovery operations including fracturing.
Providing effective fluid-loss control for well treatment fluids is highly desirable. A "treatment fluid" is a fluid used in a subterranean application for any purpose. The term "treatment" as used herein does not imply any particular action by the fluid or any component thereof. Fluid-loss control materials are often added to treatment fluids to aid in fluid loss control. These are additives that are generally designed to lower the volume of a filtrate that passes through a filter medium, e.g., permeable rock or a filter cake. Most attain their fluid-loss control from the presence of solvent-specific solids, or from polymers that rely on filter cake buildup and on viscoelasticity to inhibit flow into and through the formation. A variety of fluid-loss control materials have been used and evaluated, including foams, oil-soluble resins, acid-soluble particulates, graded salt slurries, linear viscoelastic polymers, and heavy metal-crosslinked polymers. Their respective comparative effects are well documented.
Another technique that has been developed to control fluid loss includes the addition of a hydrocarbon-based fluid (also referred to generically as an "oil") to the treatment fluid in small droplets. The droplets are dispersed within the treatment fluid in an amount usually around about 1% to 5% by volume. Diesel is a common example. Other light hydrocarbons have been used as well. The droplets of the hydrocarbon-based fluid are thought to reduce the permeability of the polymer build-up in the filter cake. The oil droplets are thought to occupy space in the filter cake, but do not go into the rock to plug pore throats therein. The addition of approximately 2% to about 5% of an oil to a treatment fluid can lead to significant decreases in the amount of leak off of the treatment fluid. FIG. 1 illustrates fluid loss versus diesel oil concentration as an example. Although a reduction in fluid loss can be achieved using these methods, they also have many drawbacks. Oil droplets do not help clean up the filter cake, and may in fact, prevent or inhibit some breakers (such as oxidizers) from cleaning up the filter cake. Additionally, in a dry gas reservoir for example, the oil may become a third phase, which can damage the permeability of the formation to gas.

Acid-generating fluid loss control additives and associated methods


Self-indicating chemistries are provided for visual detection by a user of efficacious levels of peroxycarboxylic acid concentrations in a solution produced in situ. The self-indicating chemistries include a combination of dyes providing a visual color indication, such as a tri-color indicator system, such as a yellow, green, and red color system indicating in situ threshold levels of peroxycarboxylic acid concentrations in a solution employing the self-indicating chemistry. Systems, kits and compositions for a quantitative assessment of an in situ perhydrolysis reaction to generate peroxycarboxylic acids are provided. Methods of use are further provided.

Among various biocides known, peroxycarboxylic acids are increasingly used as antimicrobials and bleaching agents in many applications, owing to their high efficacy against a broad spectrum of microorganisms, color safe property, low residues and nontoxic nature of their decomposition products. Peracetic acid is the most commonly used peroxycarboxylic acid and has been shown to be a good biocide, but only at relatively high concentrations (generally greater than 80 part per million). Similarly, peroxyfatty acids have also been shown to be biocidal, but only at high concentrations (greater than 200 ppm). In contrast, peroxyformic acid has an advantageous degree and range of microcidal properties compared to other peroxycarboxylic acids, such as peracetic and perproprionic acids, as disclosed by V. Merka et al in J. Hyg. Epidem. Microbiol. Immunol., 1965 (IX) 220, as well as in European Patent Application No. 863,098,96, which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
Most often, peroxycarboxylic acids are generated in a chemical plant through an acid catalyzed equilibrium reaction, and then shipped to customers for on-site use. Due to the limited storage stability of peroxycarboxylic acids, the peroxycarboxylic acids must be packed in special containers and shipped under strict Department of Transportation (DOT) guidelines. Further, excess amounts of reagents (e.g., acids, oxidizing agents, and stabilizers) are present in these compositions during shipping to prevent decomposition. For certain peroxycarboxylic acids, such as peroxyformic acid, however, the inherent instability of the substance relative to the higher alkyl peracids, and the explosive nature of the substance at the concentrate make it an even more significant challenge to be manufactured, stored and transported before dilution prior to use, in the similar way like higher alkyl peracids. Accordingly, peroxycarboxylic acids have alternatively been generated in situ through a perhydrolysis reaction of the higher alkyl carboxylic acid esters of polyhydric alcohol under strong alkaline conditions (e.g. pH greater than 12) and thereafter acidified to become an efficient biocide, as disclosed in the Patent Application No. WO2012/090124 and U.S. Pat. No. 7,919,122, each of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
Such in situ generation of peroxycarboxylic acid biocides are thereafter suitable for use when a sufficient concentration biocide is achieved. However, certain assays for peroxycarboxylic acid compositions are destructive to the biocide concentration and therefore undesirable. For example, iodide is a destructive assay, as disclosed for example in U.S. Pat. No. 4,900,682. Moreover, other fluorescent tracers may be destructive to peracid compositions. Fluorometric spectroscopy concerns the detection of fluorescent light emitted by a sample and involves using a beam of light, usually ultraviolet (UV) light, that excites the electrons in molecules of certain compounds in the sample and causes them to emit light of a lower energy (i.e., to "fluoresce"). There are several types of fluorometers for measuring emitted fluorescence. Fluorometers generally have of a source of excitation radiant energy, an excitation wavelength selector, a sample cell to contain the sample material, an emission wavelength selector, a detector with signal processor and a readout device. Filter fluorometers use optical filters to isolate the incident light and fluorescent light. Spectrofluorometers use diffraction grating monochromators to isolate the incident light and fluorescent light. One method of monitoring the concentration of a chemical product (e.g., a cleaning agent) within a water sample relies on monitoring the fluorescence of the product that occurs when the sample (and the product within the sample) is exposed to a predetermined wavelength of light. Accordingly, the use of fluorescent actives often requires use of optical measuring devices. However it may be more desirable to have a built-in quantitative measurement system as opposed to requiring a device, such as controller modules or other handheld devices.
Accordingly, it is an objective of the invention to develop self-indicating systems for use with on-site generation of peroxycarboxylic acids to provide a visual indicator of peroxycarboxylic concentration without destroying the peroxycarboxylic acid, including for example peroxyformic acids. In a further aspect, the invention is suitable for providing a visual indicator that further provides a stabilizing effect on the peroxycarboxylic acid as opposed to a destructive effect.
A further object of the invention is to provide a method of indicating completion of a peroxycarboxylic acid generated by perhydrolysis in situ through a visual indication to a user, including a non-fluorescent marker or indicator, and a non-catalytic or destructive indicator.
It further is an object of this invention to provide for a quick visual screening procedure to screen and test toxicants and biocides useful in control of microorganism growth and provide for control or elimination of microorganism growth.
Other objects, advantages and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following specification taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


The gene sequence for ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) large subunit (LS) .sup..epsilon. N-methyltransferase (protein methylase III or Rubisco LSMT) is disclosed. This enzyme catalyzes methylation of the .epsilon.-amine of lysine-14 in the large subunit of Rubisco. In addition, a full-length cDNA clone for Rubisco LSMT is disclosed. Transgenic plants and methods of producing same which (1) have the Rubisco LSMT gene inserted into the DNA, and (2) have the Rubisco LSMT gene product or the action of the gene product deleted from the DNA are also provided. Further, methods of using the gene to selectively deliver desired agents to a plant are also disclosed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) large subunit (LS) .sub..epsilon. N-methyltransferase (protein methylase III or Rubisco LSMT). This enzyme catalyzes methylation of the .epsilon.-amine of lysine-14 in the large subunit of Rubisco. In addition, the present invention relates to a gene and a full-length cDNA clone for Rubisco LSMT, which was isolated utilizing polymerase chain reaction-based technology and conventional bacteriophage library screening. The present invention further relates to transgenic plants and methods of producing same which (1) have the Rubisco LSMT gene inserted into the DNA, and (2) have the Rubisco LSMT gene product deleted. Methods of using the gene to selectively deliver desired agents to a plant are also disclosed.
2. Description of the Related Art
Protein methylation is a widespread and common post-translational modification catalyzed by several different protein methyltransferases (Paik et al, "Protein methylation," in Freedman et al (eds), The Enzymology of Posttranslational Modifications of Proteins, vol. 2, pp. 187-228, Academic Press, London (1985)). Proteins which contain trimethyllysyl residues include cytochrome c (Cessay et al, "The relationship between the trimethylation of lysine 77 and cytochrome c metabolism in Saccharomyces cerevisiae," Int. J. Biochem. 26(5):721-734 (1994); Cessay et al, "Further investigations regarding the role of trimethyllysine for cytochrome c uptake into mitochondria," Int. J. Biochem. 23(7,8): 761-768 (1991); DiMaria et al, "Cytochrome c specific methylase from wheat germ," Biochemistry 21:1036-1044 (1982); Farooqui et al, "Effect of Methylation on the Stability of Cytochrome c of Saccharomyces cerevisiae in vivo," J. Biol. Chem. 256(10):5041-5045 (1981); and Farooqui et al, "In vivo studies on yeast cytochrome c methylation in relation to protein synthesis, " J. Biol. Chem. 255(10):4468-4473 (1980)), calmodulin (Han et al, "Isolation and kinetic characterization of the calmodulin methyltransferase from sheep brain, " Biochemistry 32:13974-13980 (1993); and Rowe et al, "Calmodulin N-methyltransferase," J. Biol. Chem. 261(15):7060-7069 (1986)), histone-H1 (Sarnow et al, "A histone H4-specific methyltransferase properties, specificity and effects on nucleosomal histones," Biochim. Biophys. Acta 655:349-358 (1981); and Tuck et al, "Two histone HI-specific protein-lysine N-methyltransferases from Euglena gracilis," J. Biol. Chem. 260(11):7114-7121 (1985)), and ribosomal proteins (Chang et al, "Purification and properties of a ribosomal protein methylase from Escherichia coli Q13," Biochemistry 14(22):4994-4998 (1975); Lobet et al, "Partial purification and characterization of the specific protein-lysine N-methyltransferase of YL32, a yeast ribosomal protein," Biochim. Biophy. Acta 997:224-231 (1989)). However, the biological function of post-translational protein methylation in all but a few systems remains obscure. Trimethyllysine can serve as a metabolic precursor to carnitine (Paik et al, "Carnitine biosynthesis via protein methylation," TIBS 2: 159-162 (1977)), while carboxyl methylation of bacterial membrane proteins plays a major role in chemotaxis (Clarke, "Protein carboxyl methyltransferases: Two distinct classes of enzymes," Ann. Rev. Biochem. 54: 479-506 (1985)). Evidence suggests that methylation of Lys-115 in calmodulin affects certain activities including in vitro NAD kinase activation (Roberts et al, "Trimethyllysine and protein function," J. Biol. Chem. 261(4):1491-1494 (1986)), and in vivo susceptibility to ubiquitination (Gregori et al, "Bacterially synthesized vertebrate calmodulin is a specific substrate for ubiquitination," J. Biol. Chem. 262(6):2562-2567 (1987); and Gregori et al, "Specific recognition of calmodulin from Dictyostelium discoideum by the ATP ubiquitin-dependent degradative pathway," J. Biol. Chem. 260(9):5232-5235 (1985); but see also Ziegenhagen et al, "Multiple ubiquitination of calmodulin results in one polyubiquitin chain linked to calmodulin," FEBS Lett. 271(1,2):71-75 (1990); and Ziegenhagen et al, "Plant and fungus calmodulins are polyubiquitinated at a single site in a Ca.sup.2+ -dependent manner," FEBS Lett. 273(1,2):253-256 (1990)). Conflicting reports (Farooqui et al, "Effect of Methylation on the Stability of Cytochrome c of Saccharomyces cerevisiaein vivo," J. Biol. Chem. 256(10):5041-5045 (1981); Frost et al, "Cytochrome c methylation," Protein methylation, Ch. 4, pp. 59-76 (1990); and Frost et al, "Effect of enzymatic methylation of cytochrome c on its function and synthesis," Int. J. Biochem. 22(10):1069-1074 (1990); versus Cessay et al, "The relationship between the trimethylation of lysine 77 and cytochrome c metabolism in Saccharomyces cerevisiae," Int. J. Biochem. 26(5):721-734 (1994); Cessay et al, "Further investigations regarding the role of trimethyllysine for cytochrome c uptake into mitochondria," Int. J. Biochem. 23(7,8):761-768 (1991)) also implicate methylation of Lys-77 in cytochrome c as having a role in protein stability, heme incorporation, and mitochondrial transport. A major limitation to elucidating the biological role of lysine methylation in eukaryotes has been the absence of a protein methylase III gene. Hence, molecular studies of the physiological and biochemical function performed by methylation of protein bound lysyl residues have been restricted to site-directed mutational analysis of the methylation site in the target protein (Ceesay et al, "The relationship between the trimethylation of lysine 77 and cytochrome c metabolism in Saccharomyces cerevisiae," Int. J. Biochem. 26(5):721-734 (1994); Cessay et al, "Further investigations regarding the role of trimethyllysine for cytochrome c uptake into mitochondria," Int. J. Biochem. 23(7,8):761-768 (1991); and Roberts et al, "Expression of a calmodulin methylation mutant affects the growth and development of transgenic tobacco plants," Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. USA 89:8394-8398 (1992)). These studies have been inconclusive as to the exact biological role of methylation of the .epsilon.-amine of protein bound lysyl residues.
Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase-oxygenase (Rubisco) catalyzes the reduction of atmospheric CO.sub.2 during photosynthesis. A great deal is known about the quaternary structure, catalytic mechanism, active site residues, in vivo regulatory mechanisms, and gene expression for this abundant enzyme, see, for example, Andrews et al, "Rubisco: Structure, Mechanisms, and Prospects for Improvement," in Hatch et al (eds), The Biochemistry of Plants, vol. 10, pp. 131-218. Academic Press, New York (1987); Dean et al, "Structure, evolution, and regulation of rbcS genes in higher plants," Annu. Rev. Plant. Physiol. Plant Mol. Biol. 40: 415-439 (1989); and Mullet, "Chloroplast development and gene expression," Annu. Rev. Plant. Physiol. Plant Mol. Biol. 39: 475-502 (1988). Higher plant Rubisco is a hexadecameric protein composed of eight chloroplast-encoded large subunits (referred to herein as "LS") and eight nuclear-encoded small subunits (referred to herein as "SS"). Synthesis of the LS is accompanied by post-translational processing of the N-terminal domain (Houtz et al, "Post-translational modifications in the large subunit of ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase," Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 86:1855-1859 (1989); and Mulligan et al, "Reaction-intermediate analogue binding by ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase causes specific changes in proteolytic sensitivity: The amino-terminal residue of the large subunit is acetylated proline," Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 85:1513-1517 (1988)). The N-terminal Met-1 and Ser-2 are removed and Pro-3 acetylated. Additionally, the LS of Rubisco from tobacco, muskmelon, pea, and several other species is post-translationally modified by trimethylation of the .epsilon.-amine of Lys-14 ( Houtz et al "Posttranslational modifications in the amino-terminal region of the large subunit of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase from several plant species," "Plant Physiol. 98:1170-1174 (1992); Houtz et al, "Post-translational modifications in the large subunit of ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase," Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 86:1855-1859 (1989)). The enzyme responsible for this latter modification is a highly specific chloroplast-localized S-adenosylmethionine (AdoMet):protein (lys) .sup..epsilon. N-methyltransferase (protein methylase III, Rubisco LSMT, EC 188.8.131.52). Recently, Rubisco LSMT was affinity purified .about.8000-fold from pea chloroplasts and identified as a monomeric protein with a molecular mass of .about.57 kDa (Wang et al "Affinity Purification of Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate Carboxylase/Oxygenase Large Subunit .sup..epsilon. N-Methyltransferase," accepted by Protein Expression and Purification (1995)).

Cloning and developmental expression of pea ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase large subunit epsilon N-methyltransferase

University of Kentucky Research Foundation


A valve assembling and checking method includes the steps of: using air pressure from a nozzle 50 to press a spring 4 against the inner wall of a valve hole 2 to hold the same in a vertical position; moving the spool 3 immediately above the valve hole and allowing the spool to fall from a spool holding means 30, and repeating clamping and unclamping actions to adjust the location of the spool so that the spool is correctly received in the valve hole 2.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of assembling a spool valve, and more particularly to a method of assembling a spool or a spring into a valve hole drilled in a valve body. The present invention also relates to a method for checking the state of the spool and spring thus assembled.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A plurality of spool valves are incorporated as secondary valves for an automatic transmission in an automobile. For each spool valve, the clearance between a spool and a valve hole is extremely small. Therefore, it is difficult to automate the step of inserting the spool into the valve hole. A known automatic valve assembling apparatus is disclosed in, for example, Unexamined Japanese Pat. applications Laid Open Nos. 123231/1985 and 26432/1991. In a known application, one end of a spool held inside a magazine or a guide member is opposed to a valve hole opened on a valve body and, by vibrating the valve body, the spool is engaged from the magazine or the guide member into the valve hole by gravity.
However, in the conventional methods, a mechanism to vibrate the entire valve body is required. As a result, the entire structure of the apparatus becomes disadvantageously complicated and larger, and there is a higher equipment cost. In addition, when long and short springs are mounted before the spool is mounted, it may possibly occur that mounting of the spool is disturbed by interference with the spring.
Furthermore, where a plurality of spools and springs in different dimensions are sequentially assembled, a checking procedure for confirming that they are assembled normally is indispensable to prevent assembling errors. According to conventional systems, however, such a checking procedure must be performed visually by an operator. Consequently, automation of the checking procedure has been desired.

Valve assembling method and assembled valve checking method


A voltage regulator comprises a power source terminal configured to supply a power source voltage; an output terminal configured to output a load current; a first transistor which is connected between the power source terminal and the output terminal, is enabled by a signal applied from an amplifier in a first mode to generate a first current, and outputs the first current to the output terminal; and a second transistor which is connected between the power source terminal and the output terminal, is enabled by a signal applied from the amplifier in a second mode to generate a second current different from the first current, and outputs the second current to the output terminal, wherein the first transistor is enabled in the second mode, and the second transistor is disabled in the first mode.

1. Technical Field
The present inventive concepts relate to a voltage regulator, voltage regulating system, memory chip, and memory device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various portable electronic devices have been provided with the development of electronic, information and communication technology. Generally, these portable electronic devices are operated by supplying power to the portable electronic device from a battery mounted therein. Thus, in recent years, the life or duration of the battery has been regarded as an important factor in performance of the portable electronic devices, and studies have been actively conducted to maximize efficiency of the limited capacity of the battery.
In one method of efficiently using the battery capacity, there is a method of dividing operation modes of the portable electronic devices into an active mode for high-performance operation and a power saving mode for minimizing power consumption, and managing the power consumption of the devices differently according to whether the portable electronic device is in the active mode or the power saving mode.

Voltage regulator, voltage regulating system, memory chip, and memory device


A system is disclosed that automatically translates a threshold into a raw threshold value, and, when a data violation is generated when the raw threshold value is violated based on a measured data value generated by one of a plurality of heterogeneous network elements, automatically translates the data violation into a threshold violation. In an embodiment, the system automatically monitors the selected heterogeneous network element for the measured data value. In an embodiment, the system selects one of the plurality of heterogeneous network elements, and automatically configures the threshold. In an embodiment, the system automatically accesses information regarding the selected heterogeneous network element from a database. In an embodiment, the system automatically distributes the threshold violation. In an embodiment, the system automatically publishes the threshold violation to a publish/subscribe system, and automatically makes the published threshold violation available to a subscriber.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to generating threshold events from heterogeneous network elements on a network.
2. Description of the Related Art
Network administrators receive a large amount of information while monitoring a network. Frequently, the network administrators are only concerned with being notified of problems with the network, for example, when network utilization exceeds 60 percent. To accomplish this, the network administrators have a threshold in mind, e.g., 60 percent utilization, and need to program a system to monitor for such utilization.
Previously, network administrators had to individually program data monitors to monitor individual network elements by entering a raw threshold value that is recognized by the network element and the data monitor. For example, in an Ethernet network that runs at 10 megabits per second, 6 megabits per second is 60 percent utilization, and the network administrator would previously have to individually program the data monitor to monitor the network element for situations where utilization exceeded 6 megabits per second. This involves manual calculations on the part of the network administrator.
Individually, this is not a daunting task. However, when a network administrator is faced with a plurality of heterogeneous network elements, programming a plurality of data monitors to monitor a plurality of heterogeneous network elements is very time consuming. In addition, user error may be introduced if the network administrator erroneously performs the calculation of the raw threshold value, as the network administrator must be knowledgeable of the underlying hardware architecture of the network and network element to be monitored.
Further, the network administrators had to wait for the data monitors to output a measurement after a predetermined interval, preventing the network administrator from knowing about a threshold violation until the expiration of the interval. If the interval was set, for example, at 10 minutes, and the threshold violation occurred one minute into the interval, the network administrator would not be notified of the threshold violation until the expiration of the interval, i.e., nine minutes later.
Therefore, a system whereby a network administrator can enter a threshold, have the threshold translated into a raw threshold value regardless of the data monitors and heterogeneous network elements involved, have the data monitors monitor the heterogeneous network elements for violations of the raw threshold value, have the violations translated back into a user-friendly format, and have the network administrator notified of the translated violations as they occur is needed.

Method, apparatus, and machine-readable medium for configuring thresholds on heterogeneous network elements


A process for producing a purified alcohol giving satisfactory results in a sulfuric acid coloring test is provided.

The production of 2-ethylhexanol (2EH) from normal butyraldehyde (NBD) is being industrially conducted on a large scale. This process is constituted of an NBD condensation step in which two molecules of NBD undergo aldol condensation and dehydration to give 2-ethylhexenal (ethylpropylacrolein, EPA), an EPA hydrogenation step in which the EPA obtained is reacted with hydrogen to obtain crude 2EH, and a 2EH purification step in which the crude 2EH is purified to a desired purity to obtain a 2EH product. The purification of crude 2EH is conducted mainly by distillation.
Although it is a matter of course that alcohols including 2EH as industrial products which are dealt in on the market should have a high purity, these alcohols are also required to be reduced in coloring in a sulfuric acid coloring test.
Substances which have been conventionally known to cause 2EH to give unfavorable results in a sulfuric acid coloring test are aldehydes such as 2-ethylhexanal (2HA) and unsaturated alcohols such as 2-ethylhexenal. For example, patent document 1 discloses a process for producing a saturated alcohol by reacting the corresponding aldehyde in a vapor phase with hydrogen, wherein a product of the reduction of a catalyst precursor composition containing an ingredient represented by the following general formula (i) is used as a hydrogenation catalyst to thereby diminish unsaturated alcohols in 2EH.
[Formula-1]Cu(a)-Cr(b)-Zn(c)-Mn(d)-Ba(e)-X(f)  (i)(In the formula, X represents a transition metal in Group 8 or Group 4A of the periodic table, and a to f, which represent the contents of the respective components in terms of oxide amount, are as follows: a indicates 20-50% by weight, b 0-50% by weight, c 0-50% by weight, d 0.1-5.0% by weight, e 0.1-5.0% by weight, and f 0.01-3.0% by weight.)
However, there are cases where even 2EH from which aldehydes and unsaturated alcohols have been removed gives poor results in a sulfuric acid coloring test.
Patent Document 1: JP-A-8-3084

Process for production of purified alcohols

Abstract: A process for producing a purified alcohol which includes the following steps:                a condensation step in which an aldehyde is subjected to aldol condensation and dehydration to obtain the corresponding condensate,        a hydrogenation step in which the condensate is hydrogenated to obtain a crude alcohol, and        a purification step in which the crude alcohol is distilled to obtain a purified alcohol,        characterized in that the crude alcohol in which the concentration of one or more compounds having an oxygen-containing heterocycle having a carbon-carbon double bond in the ring is 200 weight ppm or lower is fed to the purification step. Specifically, the aldehyde is normal butyraldehyde, the condensate is 2-ethylhexenal, and the alcohol is 2-ethylhexanol.


Disclosed is a reversing structure for the backrest of a pram. The front ends of seat carrier bend pipes (20) of a backrest mechanism (2) arranged in the middle part of a pram frame (1) are respectively connected to front foot tubes (10) of the pram frame (1), with the rear ends of the seat carrier bend pipes (20) respectively connected to the lower ends of rear foot pipes (11) of the pram frame (1), and with the rear ends of seat carrier straight pipes (21) respectively connected to the upper ends of the rear foot pipes (11) via sliding sleeves (12) so that they are able to slide. The front ends of the seat carrier straight pipes (21) are respectively connected to segmented pieces (22) fixed to the seat carrier bend pipes (20); segmented snap grooves (221) are arranged on the inner side of the segmented pieces (22); backrest pipes (24) are connected to the side corresponding to the segmented snap grooves (221) via snap screws (23); the backrest pipes (24) are fastened to a backrest plate (26) via supporting pieces (25); and backrest tension lines (27) are threaded through the backrest pipes (24). An in-pipe sliding sleeve (28) is connected to the end of the backrest tension line (27) corresponding to the segmented piece (22) via a tension line shank head (271); the in-pipe sliding sleeve (28) is connected to the backrest pipe (24) via a segmented pin (281) so that it is able to slide; the other end of the backrest tension line (27) is connected to a backrest tension shank (29), and the backrest tension shank (29) is elastically connected to the backrest plate (26). The structure thereof can achieve easy reversing of the backrest part of a pram, resulting in more interactivity between parents and a baby, helping to promote intimacy between parent and baby.

At present, various baby carriages provide convenience for people to take children out. However, baby carriages as we know have seat facing the front. Although children can have a good view of surrounding scenery, which makes children joyful to some extent, it brings about difficulty in communication between parents and children and due to lack of interaction.

Reversing structure for backrest of PRAM


The present invention relates to a device of diagnosing a colorectal cancer and a method for providing colorectal cancer diagnosis information. A colorectal cancer diagnosing device according to the present invention includes: an input unit which acquires mass spectrometry data measured from a biological sample; a concentration detecting unit which measures a concentration of nudifloramide from the acquired mass spectrometry data; and a diagnosing unit which determines diagnosis information of the colorectal cancer based on a measurement result of the concentration detecting unit.

Cancer is a disease in which cells infinitely proliferate to disturb functions of normal cells. Representative cancers include a lung cancer, a gastric cancer (GC), a breast cancer (BRC), a colorectal cancer (CRC), and an ovarian cancer (OVC), but actually, the cancers may be generated in any of tissues.
In the early period, the cancer is diagnosed based on an external change of biological tissues in accordance with the growth of cancer cells. However, in recent years, the cancer diagnosis and detection using a very small amount of biomolecules existing in tissues or cells of living bodies, such as blood, glyco chain, or DNA have been attempted. However, cancer diagnosis methods which diagnose the cancer using a tissue sample obtained by the biopsy or using imaging are most commonly used.
Among them, the biopsy causes a great deal of pain of the patient and is very costly. Further, it takes a long time to diagnose the cancer. Further, when a patient actually gets a cancer, there is a risk of cancer metastasis during the biopsy. Further, when a tissue sample cannot be obtained by the biopsy, it is impossible to diagnose the disease until a suspicious tissue is removed through a surgical operation.
In the meantime, a method for diagnosing the cancer through a biostatistical analysis on a low mass ion extracted from a biological sample has been proposed in recent years, but it takes a long time to analyze the result.

Device for diagnosing colorectal cancer and method for providing colorectal cancer diagnosis information


A file management apparatus and method for managing the files of audio and/or video data to be recorded on or reproduced from a recording medium. The file management apparatus includes a first apparatus for managing a master file recorded on the medium and a second apparatus for designating at least part of the master as at least shared element. The apparatus also includes a third apparatus for managing one or more of the shared elements as one or more shared files in order to enable a plurality of the shared files to refer to the same shared element.

The present invention relates generally to a file management apparatus and method, and a recording medium embodying the apparatus and method, and more particularly to a file management apparatus and method for managing the files of data to be recorded on or reproduced from a disk.
One prior art file system for recording data on a disk recording medium is described as ISO/IEC13346 (1995), xe2x80x9cInformation Technologyxe2x80x94Volume and File Structure of Write-Once and Rewritable Media using Non-sequential Recording for Information Interchangexe2x80x9d. This is an industrial-strength file system, and includes a multi-purpose file system for recording various types of data. This is not an efficient system for home use to record compressed digital AV (audio and video) signals on a disk.
During home use, after one or more AV signals have been recorded to a disk, they may need to be edited by being divided or combined together. It may also be necessary that the same. AV signals be referred to by a plurality of program sequences. For example, one or more edited sequences may require playback of a same portion of a recorded AV signal. In a conventional file system, editing including the division or combination of recorded AV signals is complicated, and often requires that data must be copied and redundantly stored multiple times on the recording medium, once for each time the AV signal is to be used by a program sequence file, so that a plurality of files may refer to the same recorded data.
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and is intended to facilitate editing of recorded AV signals and to enable a plurality of files to refer to the same recorded data without the need of redundantly copying and storing the data.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide an improved apparatus and method for recording AV signals that are to be later subjected to various editing procedures.
Another object of the invention is to provide an improved apparatus and method for editing recorded AV signals so that one or more files may refer to these recorded AV signals without requiring that these AV signals be redundantly recorded more than once on a recording medium.
Still other objects and advantages of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part be apparent from the specification and the drawings.
Generally speaking, in accordance with the invention, a file management apparatus and method is provided for managing the files of audio and/or video data to be recorded on or reproduced from a recording medium. The file management apparatus and method includes a first management apparatus for managing a master file recorded on a recording medium, a second management apparatus for designating at least part of the master file as at least one shared element, and a third management apparatus for managing one or more of the shared elements as part of one or more shared files so that a plurality of shared files can refer to the same shared element without the shared element being redundantly copied on the recording medium.
The invention accordingly comprises the several steps and the relation of one or more of such steps with respect to each of the others, and the apparatus embodying features of construction, combinations of elements and arrangement of parts that are adapted to effect such steps, all as exemplified in the following detailed disclosure, and the scope of the invention will be indicated in the claims.

File management apparatus and method, and recording medium including same


A gateway apparatus is provided which connects to appliances via a home network. The gateway apparatus includes means for acquiring appliance panel information indicating panel parts of the appliance and an operational range of the panel parts, and means for memorizing gateway apparatus information indicating whether a control command input to the appliance thorough a network built outside the home. The gateway apparatus further includes means for determining whether or not it is possible to accept the input by making reference to the gateway apparatus information when the control command input is received through the outside network and for producing a control command to the appliance based on the appliance panel information when the acceptance is possible. This makes it possible to perform remote control in a similar feeling obtained in operating a front panel of an actual home appliance. Through the outside network, the home appliance can be controlled with easier operations. A higher-reliable remote control system can be provided.

1. Technical field
The present invention relates to a remote control system for controlling home appliances from outside the home and a gateway apparatus used for the remote control system, and in particular, to the system and apparatus capable of controlling the home appliances from outside the home with easier operations.
2. Related art
In recent years, in order to build a system in which home appliances are connected to a network built inside the home (home network) so as to be controlled those appliances, standardization for protocols of the home network that use IEEE 1394, BLUETOOTH, and/or power lines is now in progress. The home appliances have already been partly mutual-connected for linked usage, and home appliances can be connected to personal computers or to other home appliances (such that a floor type of VTR is connected to a video camera).
A Japanese Patent publication No. 3016350 discloses a system for a home appliance control interface, in which there is provided a personal computer for operating home appliances and an image indicative of rooms in which the home appliances are placed.
Another Japanese Patent publication No. 3014532 discloses a home automation system. In this system, the layout view of rooms of a house is displayed on a personal computer used for controlling home appliances, such as a bath and air conditioner. For example, when a user performs operations on the layout view of the air conditioner, contents of operations for a wind direction, wind amount, setting of temperature, necessity for dehumiditification and/or others are displayed on the view. Based on a selected content to be operated, the system is able to actuate the air conditioner. In this home automation system, the personal computer is connected to a second personal computer through a telephone line, so that a user is able to give data to the second personal computer to control the home appliances from a distance.
With regard to a control interface for home appliances, remote control devices have long been used. Japanese Patent publication 6-32509 discloses a remote control apparatus, in which replacement of ROMs allows a plurality of appliances to be controlled. This remote control apparatus has a display unit for displaying figures illustrating operation panels of the appliances to be controlled. Pressing a key on an operation panel that has been displayed enables control of a desired appliance.
Further, the Internet has widely become popular in recent years, and use of a home computer and portable terminals or mobile terminals makes it possible to have access to the Internet from any place. To control a personal computer with functions for home appliances (e.g., a personal computer with the functions for a TV tuner and picture recording) via the Internet has already been conducted. Practically, a portable terminal is used outside to send to a mail box on the Internet an electronic mail in which pieces of information indicating instructions to control a home appliance are written. On the other hand, a home personal computer is actuated to regularly access the electronic mail box. If the home personal computer finds an electronic mail containing the information in relation to instructions of control, the function of the personal computer is activated.
In this configuration, the portable terminal extracts a function, operation data for reserving picture recording, and a start time and an end time of recording of a broadcast channel. And the portable terminal uses these pieces of information to produce the information about the control instructions that can be interpreted by a program installed in the personal computer. The produced information is then sent out with the electronic mail.
For a further example of accessing a computer system via a communication network, a system has been known in which terminals control a host computer based on programs on API (application programming interface) specifications that include communication protocol processing.
However, the conventional systems have given no consideration to a direct connection of a home network to the Internet, because there are differences in protocols between the home network connected to home appliances and an outside computer network (e.g., Internet) connected to the home network. In addition, the home appliances are not equipped with the API capable of receiving control commands sent from outside the home via the Internet and operating the home appliances. Therefore, there is a problem that the conventional systems are unable to remote-control home appliances from outside the home via the Internet, though the Internet itself has now considerably become popular.
Moreover, in the case of conventional remote-control techniques, there is a possibility that conflicts occur between direct operations and remote operations toward a certain home appliance.
Still further, there is a fear that an immoral user might perform a remote control to give home appliances a breakdown or information about the leakage of privacy.

Remote control system and home gateway apparatus

Matsushita Electric Industrial Company, Ltd.


Lumbar support and control device of a lumbar support and method for controlling a lumbar support of a motor vehicle. An electric control device is provided for a lumbar support which has a drive coupled mechanically to an adjusting mechanism for setting the seat contour of the lumbar support. The control device has at least one computer unit which controls a massaging movement of the lumbar support whereby the massaging movement is characterized through several predefinable ideal speeds. Several ideal speeds for one or more adjusting directions of the lumbar support are controllable through the computer unit. For control by the ideal speeds a drive moment of the drive is adapted to an actual load of the drive so that the massaging movement can be controlled substantially independent of the actual time-changeable or locally variable load. The drive moment is consequently changeable through the control device.

The invention relates to a lumbar support, a control device for controlling a lumbar support, a method for controlling a lumbar support and a data carrier on which a program is stored for carrying out a lumbar support control.
The use of supports for motor vehicle seats which can be shaped according to anatomical specifications is continuing to rise. Apart from supports which enable the thighs to be supported without too much pressure, so-called lumbar supports are of particular importance. Through the preferred forward bent posture of the seated occupant the natural forwardly directed concave shape of the spinal column becomes replaced by a substantially convex rearwardly curved shape so that apart from a more rapid onset of fatigue there is also an undesirable deformation of the spinal discs. In order to avoid this undesirably bad posture motor vehicle seats are fitted with lumbar supports. Lumbar supports of this kind should be designed vertically adjustable in order to adapt to the different back lengths and thus different heights of the lumbar support. Normally such lumbar supports are covered with a padding of the vehicle seat. This padding is for this purpose filled, for example, with foam.
Different technical styles of lumbar supports are known. One form comprises an inflatable cylinder provided in the region of the lumbar of the user. This pneumatic lumbar support adjustment is known for example from U.S. Pat. No. 4,655,505. Several air chambers can be governed in sequence through corresponding valves and the pressure in the air chambers can be reduced by means of an outlet valve or can be raised through a pump assembly and measured by means of a pressure sensor.
A further lumbar support is designed so that two parts connected together can be moved up to or away from each other along a guide. A variable curvature is not possible so that a support of the lumbar support is only provided in the narrow region of the highest position so that only one or two vertebrae are supported. A lumbar support of this kind is described by way of example in WO 95/19123.
A further embodiment of lumbar support has a substantially flat surface area support part, with the faces either having apertures or individual support elements arranged side by side which where necessary are designed to taper outwards from the middle. This flat surface support part can be moved with its two end areas up towards each other so that a curvature thereof can be achieved. A desired asymmetric shape, corresponding substantially to a lumbar support can be achieved through variable thicknesses according to EP 0 698 360 B.
The lumbar supports described above are as a rule connected to a frame, for example of the backrest of the vehicle seat. Here the support part of the lumbar support is connected for example to a further frame which has two outer supports running parallel to the spine and along which slide elements can be moved or on which cross supports for the curving support part are fixed in position.
From WO 95/19123 a lumbar support is known which has no support part which can be curved but two arms which are attached to each other for articulated movement. The ends of the arm parts can be moved towards each other and the other ends are connected through a rail having two cylindrical sockets.
Apart from a manual adjustment of such lumbar supports, also called backrest devices, electrically or pneumatically adjustable lumbar support adjusting devices are known which enable an electrically controlled adjustment of the desired shape. These electrically controlled adjusters are operated for example by a button or switch. The adjustment in the case of the said lumbar supports is bound up with the mechanical configuration thereof.
An electric control of a lumbar support adjusting device of this kind is known from DE 43 13 757 A1 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,243,267. This enables, apart from the manual control of the desired support position, a massaging effect to be obtained in that a motor repeatedly and periodically generates a forward and backward movement of the lumbar plate within a predetermined time interval. For a special massaging effect the motor in U.S. Pat. No. 5,243,267 is controlled in a stepped operation. The motor is thereby connected to the supply voltage in dependence on the values of a Fourier sequence in one or other direction in certain time intervals with corresponding polarity and switched on and off to generate a massaging movement.

Lumbar support and control device for a lumber support and method for controlling a lumbar support of a motor vehicle

Brose Fahrzeugteile GmbH & Co. KG, Colburg


A device for filtering treating ballast water by way of a filtering method, and more particularly, to a compact and operability-enhancing multicage-type device for filtering ballast water, which distributes a lower portion of the device for filtering a discharge portion for discharging foreign substances after backwashing a filter and a backwash line, among features that are concentrated at an upper portion of the device for filtering, and communicates discharge tubes of each filtering unit in a single line, by considering the unique installation environment of the device for filtering that is coupled to a ship, thereby simplifying structure, reducing space required for installing the device for filtering in the upper portion of the device for filtering, allowing efficient maintenance by integrating foreign substance discharge and back pressure maintenance of each of the filtering units.

Ballast water refers to sea water which is charged into a ballast tank of a ship to maintain balance of the ship when the ship sails without cargo.
As marine transportation rates have gradually increased along with an increase in international trade, the number of ships used has increased, and the ships used are becoming larger. As a result, the amount of ballast water used in ships has greatly increased. As the amount of ballast water used in ships is increased, occurrence of damage to indigenous ocean ecosystems attributable to foreign marine creature species is also increased. To solve such international environmental issues, in 2004, IMO (international maritime organization) established 'International convention for the control and management for ship's ballast water and sediments'. Since 2009, ballast water treatment devices have been obligatorily installed in new constructed ships.
As examples of conventional methods for treating ballast water, a method of exchanging ballast water on the sea and a method of treating ballast water on the ground have been used. However, these conventional methods have the disadvantage of being inefficient. Therefore, recently, a method using a ballast water treatment device installed in a ship is widely used. Particularly, a filtration method using a filter is mainly used as the ballast water treatment device. As ships are becoming larger, a need for treatment of a large amount of ballast water is increased. Accordingly, multi-cage type ballast water filtering devices which can treat a large amount of ballast water are recently used.
The term 'multi-cage type ballast water filtering device' refers to a device in which a plurality of filtering units, each of which includes a filter and a device for automatically washing the filter integrated into a single body in a filtering device. As multiple filtering units are used, ballast water treatment capacity is increased accordingly. Therefore, such a multi-cage type ballast water filtering device is mainly used in a large ship which must treat a large capacity of ballast water.
FIG. 1 is a side view of a conventional multi-cage type ballast water filtering device. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the conventional multi-cage type ballast water filtering device.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, in the conventional filtering device, not only drive units a which operate backwash devices for backwashing filtering units but also discharge units b and discharge pipes c for discharging foreign substances out of the filtering device after the backwashing process all are installed on an upper part of the filtering device. As such, because many elements are gathered in one place, work for installation, replacement or disassembly of the elements is not easy. Particularly, under special environment conditions, that is, in a ship, space provided to install such a filtering device is very small (generally, to ensure sufficient space for original purposes of the ship, it is designed such that space such as a machinery room is relatively small). Therefore, given the fact that space defined above the upper part of the filtering device is also small, the conventional structure in which installation positions of many elements are focused on the upper part of the filtering device makes the maintenance of the filtering device more difficult.
In addition, the more the installation positions of the elements of the filtering device are focused on the upper part of the filter device, the more the space required above the upper part of the filtering device to install the elements or allow disassembly work must also be increased. Thus, an inefficient spatial structure is caused in that a separate upper space for the filtering device must be secured under special environment conditions, that is, in the ship.
Moreover, the conventional filtering device does not sufficiently have a means for fundamentally preventing the elements used in the backwash devices from colliding with each other or with deposited foreign substances and being damaged during a process of backwashing the filtering units. In addition, the conventional filtering device does not have any technical structure to solve a problem of back pressure being formed in the backwashing process, problems derived from ballast water that remains in the filtering device while the operation thereof is interrupted, or problems pertaining to a seal of the filter for preventing ballast water that has not been filtered from leaking out of the filter.

Compact and operability-enhancing multicage-type device for filtering ballast water


A low permeability rubber laminate capable of preventing blisters formed when fabricating a pneumatic tire having a low permeability resin composition (A) layer having a air permeation coefficient, determined according to JIS K7126, of 0.5×10−12 cc·cm/cm2·sec·cmHg or less at 30° C., an average thickness d of 0.05 μm<d<5 μm and a Young's modulus E of 0.5 MPa<E<300 MPa at 160-200° C., laminated on one surface of a rubber composition (B) layer and superior in air pressure retention performance and durability and a pneumatic tire using the same as an inner liner.

When using a low air permeability resin as an air permeation preventive layer, laminating the same with rubber, and vulcanizing the laminate, the air contained in the rubber and the gas produced due to the vulcanization reaction cause the increase in the pressure of the gas in the rubber. At this time, if the laminated low permeability resin is low in Young's modulus (i.e., strength), when the pressure is released after vulcanization, a negative pressure is applied to the layer, and therefore blistering occurs and a sufficient gas barrier property cannot be imparted. In particular, this tendency becomes remarkable in a laminate of an air permeation preventive layer composed of a low air permeability resin sandwiched between the rubbers. An ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer (EVOH) has a superior gas barrier property, and, therefore, can give an air pressure retention performance of at least that of a conventional butyl liner, with a thickness of several μm, but has a low heat resistance (or melting point) of 150 to 195° C. There is the problem that, depending on the vulcanization conditions, the EVOH will be exposed to a temperature near or higher than the melting point to thereby result in the possible destruction of the layer (i.e., blistering).
Japanese Patent Publication (A) No. 2002-79804 discloses the (electron beam) cross-linkable polyvinyl alcohol EVOH. This cross-links the EVOH as a measure against wear of the EVOH and teaches improvement in the heat resistance.

Low-permeable rubber laminate and pneumatic tire using same


A deep cryogenic tempering process for brake components such as rotors and drums is provided, wherein the unique processing profile is dependent on properties of the specific brake components. The process comprises the steps of placing a brake component at a temperature within a cryogenic processing chamber, cooling the brake component at a descent rate until the brake component temperature is approximately −300° F., maintaining the brake component temperature at −300° F. for a stay time, raising the temperature of the brake component to approximately −300° F. at an ascent rate, maintaining the temperature of the brake component at 300° F. for a post temper time, and lowering the temperature of the brake component to room temperature at a cool down rate.

Deep cryogenic tempering generally involves subjecting parts or components to temperatures in the range of approximately −250° F. to −350° F., typically through the introduction of a cryogenic liquid such as nitrogen into a cryogenic processing chamber. After the components are held at deep cryogenic temperatures for a specific period of time, the components are returned to ambient temperatures. Further, the components often undergo a heat treatment after the cryogenic process, followed by a return to ambient temperatures. As a result, specific deep cryogenic tempering can greatly enhance specific properties of the components as more fully described below.
Known applications of deep cryogenic processing include, for example, treatment of cutting tools to improve life and wear resistance, and treatment of firearm barrels and related components to improve accuracy and to extend barrel life. For instance, Paulin U.S. Pat. No. 5,865,913 et al. discloses a deep cryogenic tempering process for treating firearm barrels and components that provides a specific deep cryogenic processing flow and processing profile. Unfortunately, the processing flow and profile are specific to the firearm application and cannot be used for other applications due to the dependency of the process on the mass of the processing load and the materials treated. Furthermore, the processing flow and profile are also dependent on the specific structural properties to be achieved, i.e. improved accuracy of a firearm barrel.
Deep cryogenic tempering processes are highly dependent upon the components to be treated and the specific structural properties that are to be attained. New uses for deep cryogenic tempering have been developed based on newly discovered improvements in properties that were not known at the time, such as improving firearm barrel accuracy as disclosed in Paulin et al. Accordingly, a unique processing flow and profile for deep cryogenic tempering were required in Paulin et al. as a function of the particular application that were not known at the time, in order to develop the patented invention. Accordingly, the processing parameters are often a function of the component material, the geometrical properties of the component, and the mass of the component(s), among others, and must be determined for the specific application and desired set of structural properties, which are often not known or contemplated in the known art.
Although deep cryogenic tempering has been applied to a few specific applications, the process has not previously been contemplated for brake components such as rotors and drums. Due to the specific operating environment of brake components, the desired set of structural properties is unique. For example, warpage of brake rotors often occurs, wherein the warpage results from elevated temperatures and non-uniform pressures being applied to a rotor surface.
Brake components further exhibit a condition known as heat checking, wherein micro-fractures and cracks develop over the surface of the component, such as a rotor, which unfortunately results in an abrasive surface that increases the wear of brake pads and therefore significantly reduces service life. Another condition specific to brake components is fading, wherein a loss of brake performance or stopping ability occurs over a period of time. Other unfavorable conditions of brake components include heat build-up and cracking, which also reduce the service life of the components and contribute to increased safety risks.
Accordingly, there remains a need in the art for a deep cryogenic tempering process for brake components, including but not limited to, brake drums and rotors, wherein specific structural properties of the brake components are greatly enhanced. The deep cryogenic tempering process should result in improved warpage resistance, heat resistance, and service life, in addition to reduced heat checking, fading, and cracking, among other improvements in structural properties of brake components.

Deep cryogenic tempering of brake components


A food service facility for drive-up and walk-up patronage, a multi-purpose column, conveyor delivery structures, and menu and order display units. The food service facility comprises base level and second level housings, readily set up and removed from a site.

1. Field of the Invention (Technical Field)
The present invention relates to apparatuses for food delivery and more particularly to apparatuses adapted to quick delivery of a prepared food product to a patron. The invention also relates to a building in which the delivery is carried out, menu and order display units, a multi-purpose column, and conveyor delivery structures.
2. Background Art
Pizza is traditionally prepared only after a request or order is received. The cooking time for pizza is notoriously lengthy and it is not considered a "fast food" by the public. Usually, a patron of a pizza serving establishment must wait at least twenty to twenty-five minutes after placing an order before the pizza is delivered. This wait discourages many who have time constraints from ordering pizza.
Thus, there is a need for speedier delivery of pizza and associated food products. Similarly, there is a need for a building and apparatus to provide for speedier food delivery.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/358,418 now U.S. Pat. No. 5,109,956, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/358,182 now U.S. Pat. No. D. 327,129, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/358,186 now U.S. Pat. No. D. 331,169, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/358,196 now U.S. Pat. No. D. 321,724, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/504,589 now abandoned, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/680,589, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/702,442, relate to a building, a food process, conveyor systems, menu and order display units, a multi-purpose column, and a beverage dispenser. The present invention contains many features which are discussed in detail in these applications and which can be combined with the present invention, and accordingly, these applications are herein incorporated herein by reference.


A method for data backup on magnetic tape including data restoring provides a sequence of functions such that for data backup the data which are stored in data files and memories are collected and transferred through a network interconnection to a data backup system and from there to a magnetic tape, wherein the data stream is continuously effected so that the data to be safeguarded do not undergo a temporary storage. The speed and reliability of data safeguarding is thus greatly increased. The sequence of functions for data restoring is the reverse of those for data backup.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for data safeguarding and/or data restoring by using a magnetic tape, including the steps of reading the data to be safeguarded from at least a data file or a memory, collecting the data as a data save set in a device for packing up the data, setting up a network interconnection to a data safeguarding system, using a magnetic tape, transmitting the data save set via the network interconnection and recording the data save set on magnetic tape.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Provisions for safeguarding data are known. Rather often, a data processing system includes a plurality of satellite computers and respective data files communicating with each other via a network interconnection. The data stored in the data files are safeguarded by connecting a data backup system to the network and recording the data to be safeguarded on a magnetic tape. According to prior art, this can be effected such that to each satellite processor of the overall system a device for data pack-up is associated which, upon request by a suitable command, reads and collects the data to be safeguarded from the data files and/or memories by using respective memorized commands. In collecting, the data to be read are set up to a so-called save set. As soon as a data save set of this type is ready, it will be temporarily stored. Subsequently, the transfer channel is set up via an interface of the satellite processor to the network and from the network via a further interface to the data safeguarding system. Thereafter, the data save set will be transmitted from the temporary memory of the data pack-up device through the transfer channel to a fixed magnetic disk in the data safeguarding system and then the data will be fed from the fixed magnetic disk to the magnetic tape. For data restoring the data transfer is effected vice versa.
Temporarily storing the data several times, such as at the source or satellite processor and further before transmiting to the magnetic tape requires time. Moreover, by manipulating the data this way, the reliability of the data backup becomes worse.

Method for continuous data safeguarding on a magnetic tape and data restoring therefrom