An active vibration noise control apparatus with which vibration noise can be reduced stably and effectively by preventing divergence of a filter coefficient or a delay in convergence due to an effect of a transfer characteristic on a secondary path. The active vibration noise control apparatus calculates an update step size in accordance with a magnitude of a gain in the transfer characteristic corresponding to a frequency of vibration noise, where the transfer characteristic is on the secondary path for propagation of a secondary vibration noise for reducing the vibration noise, and updates the filter coefficient on the basis of the calculated update step size.

As an apparatus for reducing vibration noise by interference between vibration noise generated from a vibration noise source and secondary vibration noise, an active vibration noise control apparatus using an adaptive notch filter (or a single frequency adaptive notch) is known. In such an active vibration noise control apparatus, the amplitude and the phase of the secondary vibration noise can be adjusted by updating a filter coefficient of the adaptive notch filter. Although an update step size exists as a parameter for controlling an update amount of the filter coefficient, there is a case where a sudden change of the vibration noise source cannot be followed when the update step size is a constant value.
For addressing such a problem, for example, in Patent Document 1, a method is disclosed in which the update step size is changed depending on the rate of change in the frequency that vibration noise has. Further, in Patent Document 2, a method is disclosed in which the filter coefficient of the adaptive notch filter is changed based on an amplitude of the output from the adaptive notch filter just before an update.

Active vibration noise control apparatus


A system and method to associate an electronic gift certificate with a payment services account to cause presentation of the electronic gift certificate based on meeting a predetermined condition. A gift certificate is purchased on-line and associated with a recipient's payment services account by the electronic gift certificate purchaser. A graphical user interface representing the payment services account of the recipient is presented with a record of the electronic gift certificate in a hidden state within the payment services account. Determining the predetermined condition is met, unmarking the record of the electronic gift certificate and causing presentation of a gift certificate button within the user interface representing the payment services account.

Electronic commerce that utilizes the Internet to sell goods and services to customers has been increasing in its scope and scale at increasing rates. Merchants using the Internet to increase sales of goods and services are attempting to become as sophisticated in the techniques used to increase sales as more traditional sales in stores. The on-line techniques are now utilizing well known sales devices such as coupons, gift certificates and related sales devices to increase sales, create customer loyalty to an on-line merchant, and provide customers with an on-line buying experience similar to buying experiences customers experience at stores and shopping malls.
On-line sales of goods and services, however, possess a different set of challenges associated with conducting sales transactions between a merchant and a customer that never meet. Specifically, challenges exist to ensure a merchant and a customer can obtain confidence that the identity of each party is sufficiently known to permit a legal transaction for the sale of goods to occur. Because communications between merchant's commerce servers and customer client computers occur using transfer of data between IP addresses over the Internet, and because these IP addresses are not necessary static nor are they readily known to the parties, authenticating the identity of each parties requires more effort than is needed when a customer sets foot into a store. In a store, a merchant may request identification if desired prior to completion of a sale. On-line transactions are unable to rely on the process used by an in-store merchant to verify identity of the buyer and/or seller.
Additionally, on-line transactions permit electronic transfer of payment information between merchant and customer computers in which this payment information may temporarily reside within intermediate computing systems. This temporary storage of the information increases chances that the information may be improperly intercepted. Improperly intercepted payment information may result in attempts to fraudulently obtain the purchase of goods using this intercepted information. Payment information related to banking information and credit card account usage already possess anti-fraud mechanisms to detect, to deter, and to prevent such fraudulent activities. Banking institutions and credit card companies continually develop increasing sophisticated mechanisms that relieve on-line merchants of much of the need to develop and deploy their own complex anti-fraud mechanisms. On-line merchants may rely upon these banking institutions to respond to increase sophistication of on-line fraudulent behavior.
Payment mechanism such as gift certificates, however, place these anti-fraud obligations upon merchants that utilize these sales devices. In the use of these devices, on-line merchants and their payment service partners need to provide the customer identity authentication mechanisms in order for these sales devices to be successful. Typically, the gift certificate sales devices used on-line have utilized unique redemption codes that appear as a random sequence of characters that are provided by a customer when the gift certificate is redeemed. An assumption is made that care has been exercised by customers in the transmittal of the gift certificate. As such, the redemption code used by on-line merchants to authenticate and identify a gift certificate is also assumed to be protected by a customer. However, customers of the on-line merchant and their corresponding recipients of gift certificates may become irate when a gift certificate is not honored by an on-line merchant when it has been fraudulently redeemed after improper interception of the information needed for redemption. On-line merchants face an undesirable choice to create two or more dissatisfied customers from the denial of a second redemption of the gift certificate, to honor a gift certificate multiple times and simply bear the added costs, or to not utilize sales devices such as gift certificates that customers typically expect to be available and that have been shown to increase sales activities for merchants utilizing them.
These limitations of existing on-line gift certificate mechanisms that utilize only a unique and random redemption code have hampered their widespread adoption and have resulted in lost profits for on-line merchants. New on-line mechanisms to sell, transfer, and redeem these sales devices may result in on-line merchants overcoming these limitations in existing on-line sales devices and thus increase on-line sales and corresponding profits for these merchants.

Presenting previously hidden user interface options within a graphical user interface


A system for managing code displacement may include a manager and an application operable on a server. The application may include a plurality of modules each module for performing a different operation. The system may also include priority information associated with each module to permit the manager to deactivate selected ones of the modules based on the priority information to improve performance of the application.

The present invention relates to managing code in a software application or the like, and more particularly to a system and method for managing code displacement or temporary deactivation on a predetermined basis to improve operation of an application, server or system.
When web based applications begin to have performance issues, such as overloading, excessive traffic or similar performance issues, there are only a few alternatives available for managing the performance of the application. In one alternative, a server or a server component may determine where and how many instances of the application may be running. This may prevent several clients from being able to utilize the application that need to. Another alternative may be EdgeComputing as provided by Akamai of Cambridge, Mass. EdgeComputing is a trademark or service mark of Akamai in the United States, foreign countries or both. With EdgeComputing, applications may be moved out into what is referred to as the edge and into larger distributed environments. Each of these alternatives are coarse grained and operate by managing the entire application as opposed to a more fine grained management, such as managing at the component level within the application.
Another option is to package the different parts of an application separately and to permit management of the different parts through one of the solutions discussed above. However, this increases the number of deployment units for an application. Such an arrangement may be manageable for an application with a minimum number of components, but for hundreds of components or modules this arrangement can make the deployment of an application very unmanageable.

System and method for managing code displacement

International Business Machines Corporation


Methods and devices are provided for anchoring suture to bone. In one embodiment, an elongate weave of fibers can be provided having a first portion with a first pick count and a second portion with a second pick count that is greater than the first pick count. The first portion can have a cross-section that deforms in response to a force that is applied thereto. The first portion can have a collapsible diameter and can have a bending stiffness that is lower than a bending stiffness of the second portion of the suture. The first portion can also have a first pattern that is different than a second pattern on the second portion of the suture. The first portion can be threaded into a suture anchor such that it can be doubled over upon itself. The present invention also provides exemplary sutures and drivers that can be used with the various methods and devices disclosed herein, or with other methods and devices known in the art.

The complete or partial detachment of ligaments, tendons and/or other soft tissues from their associated bones within the body are relatively commonplace injuries, particularly among athletes. Such injuries are generally the result of excessive stresses being placed on these tissues. By way of example, tissue detachment may occur as the result of an accident such as a fall, over-exertion during a work-related activity, during the course of an athletic event, or in any one of many other situations and/or activities. In the case of a partial detachment, the injury will frequently heal itself, if given sufficient time and if care is taken not to expose the injury to further undue stress. In the case of complete detachment, however, surgery may be needed to re-attach the soft tissue to its associated bone or bones.
Numerous devices are currently available to re-attach soft tissue to bone. Examples of such currently-available devices include screws, staples, suture anchors, and tacks. In soft tissue re-attachment procedures utilizing screws, the detached soft tissue is typically moved back into its original position over the bone. Then the screw is screwed through the soft tissue and into the bone, with the shank and head of the screw holding the soft tissue to the bone. Similarly, in soft tissue re-attachment procedures utilizing staples, the detached soft tissue is typically moved back into its original position over the bone. Then the staple is driven through the soft tissue and into the bone, with the legs and bridge of the staple holding the soft tissue to the bone.
In soft tissue re-attachment procedures utilizing suture anchors, an anchor-receiving hole is generally first drilled in the bone at the desired point of tissue re-attachment. A suture anchor is then deployed in the hole using an appropriate installation tool. This effectively locks the suture, with soft tissue attached thereto.
While suture anchors provide an effective, minimally-invasive technique for soft tissue repair, it is desirable to utilize an anchor having a small diameter so as to avoid unnecessary trauma. The size of the anchor, however, can be limited by the size of the suture. Typically, a single strand of repair suture is folded and trailing ends of the suture are attached to a threader loop, which is used to pull the folded suture into the anchor. When a folded suture is used, the cannulated portion of the anchor must typically be large enough to accommodate at least four times the thickness of the repair suture. This in turn restricts the ability to reduce the size of the anchor.
Accordingly, there remains a need for improved methods and devices for attaching soft tissue to bone.

Methods and devices for threading sutures


According to one embodiment, there is provided an active material. The active material includes secondary particles. The secondary particles include first primary particles and second primary particles. The first primary particles include an orthorhombic Na-containing niobium-titanium composite oxide. The second primary particles include at least one selected from the group consisting of a carbon black, a graphite, a titanium nitride, a titanium carbide, a lithium titanate having a spinel structure, a titanium dioxide having an anatase structure, and a titanium dioxide having a rutile structure.

A nonaqueous electrolyte battery in which charge and discharge are performed by migration of lithium ions between a negative electrode and a positive electrode is actively researched as a high energy-density battery.
In addition to the use as a power supply for small electronic devices, the nonaqueous electrolyte battery is expected to be used as a medium to large power supply such as in-vehicle use or stationary use. For such a medium to large-scale use, the nonaqueous electrolyte battery is required to exhibit a life performance and a high-level safety. Further, the nonaqueous electrolyte battery is desired to exhibit high input-and-output performances.
As an example of the nonaqueous electrolyte battery exhibit a life performance and high-level safety, a nonaqueous electrolyte battery using titanium composite oxide for the negative electrode can be cited. However, the titanium composite oxide itself has low electronic conductivity and thus, to obtain high input-and-output racteristics, coating the titanium composite oxide with carbon or using a nonaqueous electrolyte having high conductivity of lithium ions can be considered.

Active material, nonaqueous electrolyte battery, battery pack and vehicle


Method and system are provided for generating a chatbot interface for an application programming interface (API) that interacts with networked applications. The method may include: receiving as an input a definition document for an API that interacts with networked applications and parsing the definition document to identify intents and entities and obtain examples of the identified intents and entities. The method may convert the definition document to a chatbot data structure including: extracting the intents and entities and their relationship to objects and fields in the API from the definition document; and training the chatbot data structure with the example intents and entities to generate a conversation specification in the chatbot data structure. The method may then generate a chatbot interface for the API.

The present invention relates to chatbot interfaces, and more specifically, to generation of a chatbot interface for an application programming interface that interacts with networked applications.
A chatbot (also known as a talkbot, chatterbot, Bot, IM bot, interactive agent, or Artificial Conversational Entity) is a computer program which conducts a conversation via auditory or textual methods. Chatbots are typically used in dialog systems for various practical purposes including customer service or information acquisition. Some chatbots use sophisticated natural language processing systems.
Chatbot interface technology is also well known. Examples include Watson Conversation (Watson is a trademark of International Business Machines Corporation) and Amazon Alexa (Amazon and Alexa are trademarks of Amazon Technologies, Inc.).
Watson Conversation API adds a natural language interface to an application to automate interactions with end users. Common applications include virtual agents and chatbots that can integrate and communicate on any channel or device.
In computer programming, an application programming interface (API) is a set of subroutine definitions, protocols, and tools for building application software. In general terms, it is a set of clearly defined methods of communication between various software components. A good API makes it easier to develop a computer program by providing all the building blocks, which are then put together by the programmer. An API may interact with networked applications in a web-based system, cloud based system, or other system which interacts with one or more remote applications.
Integration tools such as IBM's App Connect (IBM and App Connect are trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation) provide an easy way for users to automate tasks, which require interactions with Software as a Service (SaaS) applications. Integration Platform as a Service (IPaaS) software can generate integration APIs.
APIs that interact with networked applications, in particular integration APIs, are invoked through API calls that are very difficult for non-technical users to invoke. Therefore, these APIs do not get used by non-technical users, unless a technical user provides them with a user-friendly interface to call the APIs.

Generation of a chatbot interface for an application programming interface


Systems for and methods of characterizing the thickness profile of laminated glass structures are disclosed, wherein the laminated glass structure has at least one gradual transition region between adjacent glass layers. The method includes sequentially focusing laser light at different focuses along a line within the laminated glass structure. The sequentially formed focuses define corresponding micro-volumes from which fluorescent light emanates due to a multiphoton process. The variation in the intensity of the detected fluorescent light from each micro-volume as a function of distance into the laminated glass structure is used to determine the relative locations of the multiple layers and the at least one gradual transition region.

Certain types of glass structures such as glass sheets are fabricated using a lamination process that combines different layers of different types of glass. The lamination process can be such that the interfaces between the different glass layers become gradual. This can happen, for example, if the lamination process involves heat that gives rise to thermal diffusion that causes a gradient-index transition region between adjacent layers within the glass structure.
A gradual transition region between adjacent glass layers makes it difficult to use conventional methods for measuring glass-layer thicknesses that rely on a reflection from a relatively well-defined (i.e., sharp) internal interface. This is because the reflection of light from a gradually changing interface is typically too weak to be clearly detected. Further, modern-day glass-sheet manufacturing requires tight thickness control of each glass layer in the laminated glass structure. Such thickness control can require, for certain applications (e.g., screens for liquid crystal displays), a thickness measurement resolution of just a few microns. Such a measurement resolution cannot be obtained for glass structures having gradual transition regions between adjacent layers using the aforementioned conventional measuring techniques that rely upon reflection from a sharp interface between adjacent layers.


Power-backup capabilities are provided by implementing a variety of different methods, systems and devices. According to one such implementation, a data storage device stores data in response to data accesses under the control of a memory control circuit. A solid-state memory circuit and a volatile caching memory circuit provide the memory control circuit with access to a set of common data. A power-reservoir circuit includes two or more capacitor cells that respectively hold charge to provide operating power to the data storage device to permit transfer of the data from the volatile memory circuit to the solid-state memory circuit in the event of a power loss. A detection circuit is connected to a center tap between the capacitor cells and uses the tap to detect characteristics of the cells relative to one another, and to provide an output that can be used to characterize the cells' electrical characteristics relative to one another.

Computer systems generally have several levels of memory; each level of memory can provide differing levels of speed, memory capacity, physical size, power requirements, voltage levels and/or volatility. These aspects are often at odds with each other. For example, increases in speed often lead to corresponding increases in power requirements. For this reason, many systems use a variety of different memories within the same system. From the view of the processor these memories are often hidden in the sense that common data is temporarily cached in smaller and faster memory circuits. This common data is mapped to larger and slower memory circuits, which are accessed when the faster memory does not contain the desired data. The common data, if changed in the cached memory, can eventually be written to the larger and slower memory circuits. This allows for the slow memory access time to be hidden so long as the faster memory contains the appropriately mapped data.
Computer systems generally contain some type of mass-storage memory that is able to store data when the computer system is powered down or when the memory otherwise loses power. This type of memory is referred to as nonvolatile memory because it is able to maintain data integrity when the computer system is not powered. Nonvolatile memory, however, can be slower by orders of magnitude relative to various volatile memories. Yet, nonvolatile can also be less expensive (per unit of memory capacity) and/or less power hungry.
A common type of nonvolatile mass-storage memory is a hard disc drive (HDD) that uses a rotating magnetic media. HDDs are used for home-computers, servers, enterprise applications and various other devices. Under normal operation a computer system transfers sensitive data from temporary memory to a HDD before the computer system is powered down. This allows for the sensitive data to be saved in memory that persists after the power is removed from the computer system. When the computer system is subsequently powered up, this data can be accessed and used by the computer system.
HDDs with rotating magnetic media have been in use for many years and have undergone various improvements including efficiency, reliability and memory capacity. Various applications, however, are beginning to use other types of nonvolatile memory with more frequency. Solid State Devices (SSDs) are one such alternative nonvolatile memory, and are attractive for many applications. Speed, cost and power requirements also factor into the selection of SSDs or HDDs.
While SSDs are useful in various applications, aspects of their operation and implementation remain challenging. For example, SSDs and other types of caching memory generally require some sort of backup energy source in order to perform backup functions for cached data. Providing such energy in an efficient, reliable and inexpensive manner has been challenging.

Systems, methods and devices for monitoring capacitive elements in devices storing sensitive data


A technique for automatically labeling a CT image of the brain with anatomical information. The anatomical information is obtained from an atlas of the brain prepared from an MR image of the brain. The atlas contains image data that is referenced to the Talairach coordinate system. The atlas is aligned to the CT image and the coordinate system of the CT image data is transformed to the Talairach coordinate system. The alignment of the CT image and the atlas is performed using anatomical landmarks that are visible on both the CT image and the atlas. The CT image is then labeled automatically with the anatomical information in the atlas.

The invention relates generally to medical imaging, and more particularly to a system and method for aligning a medical image of a brain to a reference atlas.
There are a variety of medical imaging systems that are currently in use that are capable of producing images of the internal anatomy of a patient. In addition to conventional X-ray machines, several technologies have been developed in recent decades that enable three-dimensional medical image data to be stored digitally. The medical image data may then be used to generate two-dimensional medical images from a variety of different perspectives. Typically the information is presented as cross-sections, or slices, of a patient's body, such as the brain.
Computed tomography (CT) is an example of a medical imaging technique that uses X-rays to create and store medical image data in three-dimensions. The patient in inserted into an aperture in a CT imaging system. An X-ray source and an X-ray detector are located on opposite sides of the patient. The X-ray source and X-ray detector are spun around the patient, while the CT imaging system takes a series of X-ray images of the patient. The CT imaging system has a computer program that uses a set of algebraic equations to estimate how much of the X-ray beam produced by the X-ray source is absorbed in the patient's body. As an approximation, the denser a material is, the whiter a volume of it will appear on the scan. Each X-ray image contains two-dimensional medical image data However, the CT imaging system is able to incorporate the two-dimensional image data and combine it in a way to form a three-dimensional model of the patient. A user may then select a desired slice (cross-section) of the three-dimensional model of the patient to be produced as a medical image. The slice may be taken at any angle relative to the body.
Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is another imaging modality that is used to visualize the internal anatomy of a patient. However, MR imaging systems use magnetic fields, with radio frequency pulses to create images. MR is primarily used to look for structures, alterations or damage in soft living tissues, like the gray and white matter of the brain. MR imaging systems also have the ability to store imaging data in three-dimensions and for multiple slices, so that medical images of selective slices of a patient may be produced.
Each of these medical imaging methods has their various strengths and weaknesses. For example, CT systems are very good at producing images of bone, but are less useful at producing images of certain soft tissues, such as the brain. MRI systems, on the other hand, are very good at producing images of soft tissues, but are somewhat less available and can take much longer to produce an image than a CT system.
In addition, MR images of the brain are easily referenced to the Talairach atlas. The Talairach atlas is a three-dimensional coordinate system that is used to describe the location of brain structures independent of individual differences in the size and overall shape of the brain. The Talairach atlas uses the anterior commissure and the posterior commissure of the brain as reference points. The anterior and posterior commissures are fiber tracts that connect the two hemispheres of the brain. However, these anatomical features are not visible on CT images. Furthermore, there are certain risks and counter-indicators that are associated with the use of MR systems (namely as a result of the strong magnetic field that they produce) that preclude or discourage their use when the patient is unconscious, incoherent or otherwise unable to respond to questions.
Therefore, a need exists for a system or method that enables a CT system to have some of the additional benefits of an MR system without the drawbacks associated with their use.


Disclosed is a separable fastener which can be appropriately used as a fastening means for disposable products. In a separable fastener composed of a base part and a multiplicity of engaging elements raised from the obverse side of the base part, a water-soluble resinous material is present at least on the reverse side of the base part. Advantageously, a resin which manifests adhesiveness on absorbing water is used for the water-soluble resinous material. In another mode of the separable fastener, the base part and the engaging elements are made of a water-soluble resinous material and/or a biodegradable resin.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a separable fastener of the hook-and-loop type, male-and-female type, hook-to-hook type or other type (hereinafter referred to generally as "separable fastener") and more particularly to a separable fastener which can be appropriately used as a fastening means for disposable products.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The conventional separable fastener generally comprises a substrate having the reverse side thereof coated with a layer of an organic solvent type adhesive agent, the surface of the adhesive layer being coated with a release paper. The separable fastener thus constructed needs to be stripped of the release paper before it is applied to a given object. Prior to use, therefore, it must spend time and labor for the separation of the release paper and suffer the separated release paper to be discarded as waste and, as a result, take part in the recent problem of disposal of plastics waste.
Disposable products such as diapers which are made of water-soluble resins have been developed recently. Such disposable products as are made of water-soluble resin are dissolved and disintegrated when they are left immersed in water. They are, therefore, discarded safely in flush toilet and enabled to contribute to the solution of the problem of waste disposal. The base cloth of a diaper, for example, is tied and untied generally by means of such fastening means as a separable fastener. Since these fastening means are made of a water-insoluble resin, the diaper to which the fastening means is left attached cannot be discarded in the flush toilet. The fastening means such as a separable fastener is attached to the base cloth with an organic solvent type adhesive agent. Even after the fastening means has been removed from the base cloth, therefore, the component of the adhesive agent is suffered to remain on the base fabric and mingle in the waste water in the flush toilet and consequently form one cause for the problem of waste water disposal and the pollution of river water.
In recent years, the problem of disposal of plastics waste has come to attract attention from the viewpoint of conservation of the earth's environment and the demand for the development of a technology for waste disposal has been gaining in enthusiasm. As one of the targets of the development, the biodegradable plastics to be incorporated in the circulation of matter in the natural world have been arresting attention.
The biodegradable resinous materials which are disintegrated on exposure to the microbial action in soil or in water are known in various kinds such as (a) the microbial fermentative production type, (b) starch alloy type, (c) chemical synthesis type, and (d) polylactic acid type. The development of these biodegradable resinous materials for use in such containers as bottles, cups, and trays besides wrapping films and bags is now under way.
No case of applying a biodegradable resin or a water-soluble resin to the separable fastener which is the object of the present invention, however, has been known to the art.


A system is provided that includes a utility meter of a utility company that measures consumption of a utility within a space occupied by a user, a wireless fault detector associated with the utility located within the space and a wireless transmitter of the utility meter that receives a fault message from the fault detector, confirms consumption of the utility within the space and transmits a fault message that identifies the space to the utility company.

Smart utility meters are generally known. In the context of electrical consumption, smart meters have been developed as a mechanism to help match consumption with generation of electricity. Traditional electric meters only measure total consumption and fail to provide any information about when the electricity was consumed. Smart electrical meters provide an economical means for determining when the electricity was consumed thereby allowing governmental price setting organizations to set prices for consumption based upon the time of day and season.
Electrical loading usually peaks at certain predictable times of the day and season. For example, higher prices may be imposed at the start of the work day or on hot summer days when the air conditioning loading is very high. In these cases, a local electric utility may not have enough low-cost generating capacity. Prices can rise significantly during these periods both for the electric utility and consumer as more expensive sources of power are brought on-line or power is purchased from other regions with excess capacity.
In addition to pricing based upon time of day, it has also become possible for utilities to offer price reductions where consumers are willing to reduce consumption during peak periods. For example, some utilities provide automatic control systems for homes that allow the utility to temporarily deactivate heavy loads (e.g., air conditioning) for short periods.
The communication infrastructure that allows for the operation of smart meters in these cases opens up the opportunity for new ways of adding value to utility services. Accordingly, a need exists for better ways of using smart meters.

Alarm reporting through utility meter reading infrastructure


A cartridge for a lockset comprising a planar bottom plate and a number of housings, with a respective space of predetermined height being defined between each of the housings and the bottom plate, respectively. Within the respective spaces, a swivel, a slide and a driver of the cartridge are disposed to cooperate. At least one guider is provided on the bottom plate. The slide has a number of lengthwise slots each corresponding to one guider so as to be guided by the at least one guider to reliably slide within the corresponding space. The slide has a lower side portion and the driver has a matching upper side portion in order for the driver to smoothly actuate the slide.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cartridge for two individual, standard lock devices, collectively referred to as a lockset, utilized on a door panel in connection with the door frame. The cartridge inter-engages with the spindle of the individual locks to join the lock devices together. The device is arranged to be easily installed with unchanged standard lock mechanisms. The cartridge is so constructed as to operate smoothly and reliably.
2. Description of Related Art
U.S. Pat. No. 4,129,019, issued to Urdal on Dec. 12, 1978, discloses a cartridge for a lockset which comprises a first and a second cartridge plates having edge flanges thereon, a rocker lever, a slide, a rotary lever and a lever arm included with the rotary lever. The cartridge plates are directly to each other and are spaced apart by the edge flanges to provide a predetermined space therebetween. It is important that there is a sufficiently smooth movement of the slide with respect to the cartridge plates. This is achieved, according to the Urdal patent, by providing both rounded shoes or bevels on the slide and embossed bearing discs on each cartridge plate. However, the rounded shoes or bevels of the slide in cooperation with the edge flanges of the cartridge plates may produce some slight distortion about an axis of a general plane of the cartridge plates in operation. The situation of distortion is present particularly in view of the fact that the rocker lever uses one of its horizontally extending lever arms to abut and move a corresponding primary lug of the slide at a bottom rightmost or leftmost portion thereof.
Another problem associated with this prior design is that the spaced-apart distance between the first and second cartridge plates as maintained by the edge flanges is not constant. For example, a tightening force for fastening the cartridge plates together may readily and easily change the spaced-apart distance which in turn adversely affects the operating situation of the slide situated and to be moved within the spaced-apart distance.


A boat propulsion unit has a construction that prevents a structure near a drive shaft from becoming complicated and increased in size. The boat propulsion unit preferably in the form of an outboard motor includes a front propeller that is rotated together with a front propeller drive shaft during both forward travel and reverse travel of the boat, a rear propeller that is rotated together with a rear propeller drive shaft in an opposite direction of the front propeller during both of the forward travel and the reverse travel of the boat, and a forward-reverse drive that is arranged on an axis of the front propeller drive shaft and the rear propeller drive shaft, and that can be switched between a direction in which the front propeller drive shaft and the rear propeller drive shaft are rotated during the forward travel of the boat and a direction in which the front propeller drive shaft and the rear propeller drive shaft are rotated during the reverse travel of the boat.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a boat propulsion unit, and more specifically, to a boat propulsion unit that includes a first propeller and a second propeller.
2. Description of the Related Art
A boat propulsion device (boat propulsion unit) that includes a first propeller and a second propeller is conventionally known (see WO 2007/007707 A1, for example). WO 2007/007707 A1 discloses a boat propulsion unit including: a drive shaft; a first shaft that extends in the fore-and-aft direction perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to the drive shaft, and that is provided with a front propeller (first propeller) at the rear end; a second shaft that extends in the fore-and-aft direction perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to the drive shaft, and that is provided with a rear propeller (second propeller) at the rear end; a forward-reverse switching mechanism that is arranged on the drive shaft, and that can be switched between the direction in which the first shaft and the second shaft are rotated and the direction in which the second shaft is rotated. The forward-reverse switching mechanism for the boat propulsion unit according to WO 2007/007707 A1 described above is constituted with two wet-type multi-plate clutch driven by hydraulic pressure and a planetary gear mechanism. The forward-reverse switching mechanism is constructed in a manner that the first shaft is rotated in a first direction and the second shaft is rotated in a second direction when the boat travels forward, and that the first shaft is rotated in the second direction and the second shaft is rotated in the first direction when the boat travels in reverse.
However, in the boat propulsion device (boat propulsion unit) disclosed in WO 2007/007707 A1, in addition to the two wet-type multi-plate clutch, the planetary gear mechanism is arranged in the forward-reverse switching mechanism arranged on the drive shaft. Thus, there is a problem in that the structure near the drive shaft is complicated and increased in size.


A refuse vehicle has a tailgate. The tailgate has a framework to secure CNG tanks. A cover overlays the frame work to provide an aesthetic appearance to the vehicle.

Various types of refuse vehicles with CNG systems have been proposed in the past. One type is a CNG system mounted to the chassis frame. This system requires a large amount of space which usually is not available on various types of refuse vehicles. The size of the system limits the capacity of the refuse vehicle. Also, a large percentage of weight is added to the chassis front axle.
Another type of a CNG system is a roof mounted system. Here, the CNG system is mounted at the highest point on the unit. Accordingly, this exposes the CNG unit to damage by low bridge overpasses, shop doors, tree limbs, etc. Additionally, a roof mounted CNG system adds a large percentage of weight to the front axle.
Tailgate mounted preassembled PODs have been installed onto refuse vehicles. These units are relatively large providing an overhang with the center of gravity measured from the tailgate hinge. This creates a large moment on the tailgate raised cylinder and the tailgate structure. Additionally, the CNG fuel line routing is exposed due to the routing over the tailgate top cross member. The aesthetics of the preassembled system is not most desirable. Additionally, the tanks in the POD tailgate are stacked, making inspection and service of the tanks difficult. Additionally, the POD assembly is quite heavy adding additional weight to the refuse vehicle reducing its capacity.
It would be desirable to provide a refuse vehicle that overcame the deficiencies of the existing art. The present refuse vehicle provides a CNG system in the tailgate. The CNG system provides a larger fuel capacity than previous designs. The system does not extend above the vehicle and thus it is no taller than the highest point of the vehicle body. This eliminates damage caused from excessive height. The center of gravity measured from the center of the tailgate hinges is reduced due to the integrated design with a first CNG tank tucked between the tailgate hinges and the other tanks following the contour of the curved tailgate. The present design provides an aesthetic appearance with a contoured tailgate having a smooth appearance. The present disclosure enables inspection and service with a single integrated layer of tanks following the contour of the tailgate. Additionally, the weight is kept to a minimum by integrating and utilizing existing structure of the tailgate to create mounting space for the tanks.

Tailgate with structurally integrated CNG system


An example of a structure includes a first component including a first material, and a second component joined to the first component. The second component includes a second material that is dissimilar from the first material. A spacer is disposed between the first and second components, and the spacer eliminates galvanic corrosion of the first component at an interface between the first component and the second component. The spacer includes a first layer consisting of the first material, a second layer bonded to the first layer and consisting of a third material, and a third layer bonded to the second layer and consisting of the second material. The third material of the second layer is different from the first material and different from the second material. Other examples are directed to a method of making the structure, and a method for reducing galvanic corrosion.

Magnesium and magnesium alloys may be used for forming structural parts in automotive and/or aerospace industries. A magnesium or magnesium alloy component may be joined to, or may otherwise be placed into contact with another component that is formed from, or includes a dissimilar material (such as, e.g., steel, aluminum, titanium, etc.). In some instances (for example, when the components are exposed to a corrosive environment), galvanic corrosion of the magnesium or magnesium alloy may occur at an interface formed between the magnesium or magnesium alloy component and the other component.

Structure, method of making a structure, and method of reducing galvanic corrosion


A light system of a vehicle comprising: (a) a connector housing; (b) a reflector housing connected to the connector housing and being movable relative to the connector housing; (c) one or more adjustment assemblies comprising: (i) a socket in the connector housing; and (ii) a rod in the reflector housing that extends into the socket and is rotatable relative to the socket so that the reflector housing is adjustable relative to the connector housing; and wherein the rod has a length and a width with the length being greater than the width and the rod being rotatable around an axis of the length.

Vehicles include many different types of lights. Some types of lights included on a vehicle are low beam headlights, high beam headlights, tail lights, turn signal lights, fog lights, running lights, or a combination thereof. Each of these lights extend out of an outer surface of a vehicle so that they provide light for the driver or provide notice of surrounding drivers. Attempts are made to make each light identical so that once inserted into a vehicle the lights are properly aimed; however, some fine adjustment may be needed to properly align the light.
Examples of light systems may be disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,578,740; 4,843,523; 4,916,587; and 5,067,052 all of which are expressly incorporated herein by reference for all purposes. Thus, there is a need for a light system where the light system is adjustable in a first direction, a second direction, or both. There is a need for a system where an adjustment device maintains a set position when the system is aligned. It would be desirable to have an adjustment assembly that includes one or more rods that are fixed within a socket.

Light system including an adjustment assembly to aim a light


The present invention provides kits of orthopedic casting materials comprising a sheet of curable casting material, a lubricant, and an air and water impermeable package comprising a laminate sheet material and a means for facilitating tearing of the sheet material when the outer surface of the pouch has been contacted with the lubricant. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention the means for facilitating the tearing of the sheet comprises a matte-finish paper label material adhered to the outer surface of the package and crossing a cut. In another preferred embodiment of the present invention the means for facilitating the tearing of the sheet comprises a plurality of perforations through the sealed portion of the package adjacent a cut.

Many different orthopedic casting materials have been developed for use in the immobilization of broken or otherwise injured body limbs. Some of the first casting materials developed for this purpose involve the use of plaster of Paris bandages consisting of a mesh fabric (e.g., cotton gauze) with plaster incorporated into the openings and onto the surface of the mesh fabric. Plaster of Paris casts, however, have a number of attendant disadvantages, including a low strength-to-weight ratio, resulting in a finished cast which is very heavy and bulky. Furthermore, plaster of Paris casts typically disintegrate in water, thus making it necessary to avoid bathing, showering, or other activities involving contact with water. Such disadvantages, as well as others, stimulated research in the orthopedic casting art for casting materials having improved properties over plaster of Paris.
A significant advancement in the art was achieved when polyisocyanate prepolymers were found to be useful in formulating a resin for orthopedic casting materials, as disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,502,479 (Garwood et al.) and U.S. Pat. No. 4,441,262 (Von Bonin et al.). U.S. Pat. No. 4,502,479 sets forth an orthopedic casting material comprising a knit fabric which is made from a high modulus fiber (e.g., fiberglass) impregnated with a polyisocyanate prepolymer resin such as polyurethane. Orthopedic casting materials made in accordance with U.S. Pat. No. 4,502,479 provide significant advancement over the plaster of Paris orthopedic casts, including a higher strength-to-weight ratio and greater air permeability. Since the polyisocyanate prepolymer resin is generally formulated to be activated with water the aforementioned casting products are often provided to the user in the form of a "kit" comprising an air and water impermeable package and a roll of casting tape therein. The package is generally constructed of a multilaminate film material.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,667,661 (Scholz et al.) discloses a casting tape which further comprises a lubricant. The lubricant serves to provide a casting material which after being dipped in water is easy to apply and slippery to mold without the resin sticking to the gloved hands of the applier.
Unfortunately, the lubricant upon contact with the package also makes the outer surface of the package slippery. This reduces the "grip" a user can achieve on the edges of the package when he or she attempts to tear open the package. In many cases the grip is so reduced that the user is unable to easily exert the necessary tear force. Therefore, in order to open the package the user must either change his gloves or completely wash his hands and/or the outer surface of the package. Alternatively, the user may opt to open several packages at once (i.e., before letting the lubricant contact his gloved hands) and avoid this "slip" problem. However, this method has the disadvantage that the user must estimate the number of rolls needed for a particular therapy before beginning the therapy. In the event that the number of rolls is underestimated the slippery problem is not avoided. In contrast, in the event that the number of rolls is overestimated these extra rolls are needlessly exposed to atmospheric moisture and premature cure, and are therefore wasted.
From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that what is needed in the art is a kit of orthopedic casting material which has both the advantages of a slippery resin and an easy open package which may be easily opened even when contacted by a lubricant. It would be a further advancement in the art to provide this kit in a cost effective manner. Such kits of orthopedic casting material and methods for preparing the same are disclosed and claimed herein.

Easy open package and method of making same


An electrode wire for use in a thermal spray process. The electrode wire is formed with a first layer of a first material formed as tubular outer layer and a second layer of a second material, different from the first material, formed as a tubular inner layer located inside the tubular outer layer. The tubular inner layer includes in an outer surface which is located in substantially uniform contact at an interface with an inner surface of the tubular outer layer. The interface between the inner and outer layers is defined by a mechanical bond between the materials of the inner and outer layers. In a method of performing a thermal spray process the electrode wire is caused to vaporize and spray on a substrate surface to form a bondcoat on the substrate surface.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to thermal spray processes and, more particularly, to a composite electrode wire construction for use in an electric arc thermal spray process.
2. Description of the Related Prior Art
A thermal sprayed coating is a surface layer that comprises a protective coating to a substrate which is generally highly resistant to wear, erosion, abrasion and corrosion. In an electric arc thermal spraying process, a DC electric arc is used to directly melt consumable electrode wires. Specifically, in twin wire-arc spraying, the electric current is carried by two electrically conductive, consumable wires. An electric arc is created between the wire tips across a gap created by the continuous convergence of the two wires. A gas jet blows from behind the converging electrodes and transports the molten metal that continuously forms as the wires are melted by the electric arc. The gas jet breaks up or atomizes the molten metal and directs it toward a substrate. As the sprayed particles impinge on the substrate, they cool and accumulate into a hard coating on the surface of the substrate. The gas jet may comprise air, oxygen, argon, or other gases, depending on the requirements of the application.
In the past, electrode wires formed of a combination of nickel and aluminum have commonly been used to provide the thermal spray material, where the weight percentage of nickel is substantially larger than the weight percentage of aluminum. In particular, the aluminum functions to act as a fluxing material for cleaning the substrate surface as well as a bonding material which forms a surface layer on the substrate to which the hard nickel material can adhere. The material forming the thermal spray coating is known as a "bondcoat" material, and generally includes a minimum of 5% aluminum with the balance of the material being nickel. A common composition for nickel/aluminum electrode wires comprises approximately 85% nickel and 15% aluminum, and the electrode wires are formed in a variety of constructions including solid wires comprising a combination of nickel and aluminum, or as tubular wires comprising an outer tube of nickel containing either a solid aluminum wire or an aluminum powder. Solid wire electrodes are generally more expensive and have lower productivity than the tubular electrode wire constructions. However, known tubular wire electrodes, although less expensive, also suffer from problems resulting in process inefficiencies. For example, it has been found that electrodes formed with a nickel tube containing an aluminum powder have the disadvantage that the aluminum powder is more volatile than solid aluminum and the particles forming the powder provide a larger surface area resulting in the powder interfering with the thermal efficiency of the spray process, which retards the efficiency of the thermal spray coating application. The tubular electrodes having a solid aluminum wire core require that the solid aluminum wire be fit in tight contact within the surrounding nickel tube, in that separations between the core and the outer surface of the electrode will result in discontinuities in the electrical current supplied to the electrode tip and associated inconsistencies in melting of the electrodes.
Accordingly, there is a need for a thermal spray electrode which ensures consistent application of a thermal spray coating and which facilitates the productivity of the thermal spray operation.

Hollow thermal spray electrode wire having multiple layers


A method for selecting a bearer service for communication between a mobile terminal and a mobile network includes:    implementing at least one bearer in the mobile network (NW1),            defining a set of requirements for the bearer service,        obtaining information about selectable bearer services,        comparing said set of requirements for the bearer service and said obtained information about selectable bearer services, and        making a decision to accept or reject at least one of said selectable bearer services for communication based on said comparison.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention applies generally to a method for selecting a bearer service for communication between a mobile terminal and a mobile network, in which method at least one bearer service is implemented in the mobile network. The invention also applies to a communication system which comprises at least a mobile terminal, a mobile network, at least one bearer service implemented in the mobile network, and means for selecting a bearer service for communication between said mobile terminal and said mobile network. The invention further applies to a mobile terminal for use in a communication system which comprises at least a mobile network, at least one bearer service implemented in the mobile network, and means for selecting a bearer service for communication between said mobile terminal and said mobile network.
2. Brief Description of Related Developments
The term "mobile communication system" refers generally to any communication system which enables a wireless communication connection between a mobile station (MS) and the fixed parts of the system when the user of the mobile station is moving within the service area of the system. A typical mobile communications system is the public land mobile network (PLMN). The majority of mobile communication systems in use at the time of filing this patent application belong to the second generation of such systems, a well-known example being the GSM system (Global System for Mobile Telecommunications). The invention applies advantageously to the next or third generation of mobile communication systems. The general packet radio service GPRS, a new service under development for the GSM mobile communication system and the 3rd generation Universal Mobile Telecommunications System, which is currently undergoing standardization, will be used as examples.
The functional environment of the GPRS system comprises one or more subnetwork service areas, which are connected to form a GPRS backbone network. The subnetwork comprises numerous support nodes (SN), of which serving GPRS support nodes (SGSN) will be used as an example in this specification. The serving GPRS support nodes are connected to the mobile communication network (typically to a base station via an interface unit) in such a way that they can provide packet switching services for wireless communication devices via base stations (cells). The mobile communication network provides packet-switched data transmission between the support node and the wireless communication device. Different subnetworks may be, in turn, connected to external data networks, for example to a public switched data network (PSDN), via GPRS gateway support nodes (GGSN). Thus, the GPRS service enables packet-format data transmission between a wireless communication device and an external data network, wherein certain parts of the mobile communication network form an access network. Some examples of applications utilising packet-format data transmission are Internet telephony, video conferencing, file transfer and WWW browsing.
In third-generation systems, the concepts of a bearer service and a service are used. A bearer service is a type of telecommunication service that provides the capability for the transmission of signals between access points. A bearer service generally corresponds to the older concept of a traffic channel, defining for example the use of data rate and quality of service (QoS) that will be provided by the system for transferring information between a mobile station and some other part of the system. For example, a bearer service between the mobile station and a base station is a radio bearer service, and a bearer service between a radio network controller and a core network is e.g. an lu bearer service (Interface UMTS bearer). In the UMTS system the interface between a radio network controller and a core network is called the lu interface. In this context a service is provided by a mobile communication network in order to fulfil some task(s), e.g. data services carry out data transfer in the communication system, call services are associated with phone calls, multimedia, etc. Therefore a service necessitates information transfer between a mobile station and the fixed parts of the system, like a phone call or the transfer of a text message. A major task in the operation of a third-generation mobile telecommunications system is to manage (set up, maintain and terminate, as necessary) the bearer services so that each requested service can be provided to mobile stations without wasting the available bandwidth.
The quality of service level defines, for instance, how packet data units (PDU) are handled in the GPRS network during transmission. For example, the quality of service levels defined for the connection addresses are used to control the order of transmission, buffering (packet queues) and discarding of packets in support nodes and in gateway support nodes, especially when there are two or more connections which have packets to be transmitted simultaneously. Different quality of service levels define, for example, different delays for packet transmissions between different ends of the connection, as well as different bit rates. The number of discarded packet data units can also vary in connections having different quality of service levels.
For each connection, it is possible to request a different quality of service level. For example in e-mail connections, a relatively long delay can be allowed in the message transmission. However, interactive applications, such as video conferencing for example, require high-speed packet transmission. In some applications, as in file transfer, it is important that the packet transmission is error free, wherein packet data units are re-transmitted in error situations, if necessary.
It has been suggested that four different traffic classes be defined in the packet transmission service of the UMTS system, and as for the features of these traffic classes, the aim has been to take into account the different criteria for the different connection types. One criterion defined for the first and the second class is the real-time quality of the data transmission, wherein significant delays must not occur in the transmission. However, the accuracy of the data transmission is not such an important criterion. Correspondingly, for the third and fourth traffic classes, non-real-time data transmission is sufficient, but relatively accurate packet transmission is required. An example of real-time first-class data transmission is the transmission of speech signals in a situation where two or more people discuss with each other via wireless communication devices. An example of a situation where real-time second-class data transmission could be possible, is the transmission of a video signal for immediate viewing. Third-class, non-real-time packet communication can be utilised for example for the use of database services, such as browsing Internet home pages, in which data transmission with moderate speed and accuracy is a more important factor than real-time data transmission. In the fourth class of this example system, it is possible to categorise for instance the transfer of e-mail messages and files. It is obviously not necessary to have four said traffic classes, but the invention can be applied in packet transmission systems containing any number of traffic classes. Further, the present invention can also be applied in circuit switched systems. The properties of the four proposed traffic classes are summarized in table 1.
TABLE 1ClassFirst class: real-time, e.g.Second class (business class):Third class (tourist class):Fourth class (cargo class):telephone conversationreal-time, e.g. video informationinteractive best effort methodbackground transmission with bestguaranteed capacityguaranteed capacityacknowledgementeffort methodno acknowledgementacknowledgement possibleInternet browser, Telnetacknowledgementbuffering on application levelreal-time control channelbackground download of e-mailmessages, calendar events, etc.Delay100 ms, 200 ms, 300 ms<1 s2 sNot definedBit error rate10−3, 10−4, 10−5, 10−610−5, 10−6, 10−7, 10−9<10−9<10−9Max bit rateDefinedDefinedNot definedNot definedUser priorityHigh, medium, lowHigh, medium, lowHigh, medium, lowHigh, medium, low
Modern second and third generation mobile stations have much more efficient data processing properties than older mobile stations. There is already, for example, a possibility to make a connection to the Internet and to use a browser application in the mobile station to obtain information from the Internet, and in future it will be possible to establish multimedia calls with e.g. real-time video conferencing and the like. Therefore, such mobile stations will be designated as mobile terminals hence forward in this description. The term mobile terminal should also be understood to include so-called "radio cards" which comprise mobile telephone circuitry integrated into a circuit card. Such radio cards can be removably connected, for example via a PCMCIA interface, to data processing devices, such as portable or laptop computers, in order to provide mobile telephone functionality or data transfer capability via a radio communication network.
To allow the use of different applications in such a mobile terminal, there will be provided an execution environment for external applications, hereafter abbreviated as execution environment in this description. Such external applications are not necessarily provided only by the manufacturer of the mobile terminal but some third party manufacturers may also provide such applications. To assure compatibility between mobile terminals and external applications, the mobile application execution environment (MExE) standard is under development. The present invention is not restricted to the mobile application execution environment standard but it can also be applied with other suitable execution environments for mobile terminals.
The user of a mobile terminal can have access to many kinds of service via a mobile telecommunication network using the mobile terminal. There is an enormous number of service providers connected to e.g. the Internet network. They provide many kinds of services, such as database services, other information searching services, telephone applications, video applications, networked games etc. The user initiates a service request by starting a desired application using the terminal user interface. In the mobile terminal, the execution environment is activated by the service request and also the requested application is activated. The terminal makes a connection via the mobile network to the Internet network or some other network where the desired service exists.
The requirements of different applications may differ significantly. Some applications require fast communication between sender and receiver. Such applications are, for example, video and telephone applications. Some other applications may require as error-free communication as possible, but the bit rate of the communication connection is less important. Such applications include e-mail and database applications.
Therefore, there is a problem in using these kinds of applications in mobile terminals, namely how to select the optimum bearer service for a particular communication task. In future mobile networks, it is likely that the service requirements of users will differ greatly, depending on the capabilities of the terminals they use, the applications they want to run, the capabilities of networks and the kind of user subscription they have.
In present systems, some applications contain information on what kind of bearer services they need. The bearer selection can be based on the destination server, which can be e.g. a so-called World Wide Web server (WWW) communicating with the Internet network. The selection of a bearer service is driven by the network address of the server being contacted and the network protocol being used.
Many mobile terminals communicate with networks using more than one bearer service. The network operator and/or user may wish to program the mobile terminal to use a specific bearer service in order to optimise a particular function, for example network loading, response times, etc.
At the present time the choice of a bearer service is typically driven by the application being used. The user or network operator may categorise applications by their use of bearer services.
These previously known systems all involve some inherent disadvantages. For example, some applications can be executed in different kinds of terminal where the properties of the terminal affect the demands on the bearer services of the applications being executed. Also, the user may have his/her own demands and preferences which are not taken into account in present systems. Furthermore, there may also be some situations in which the mobile network may not be able to provide all bearer services, for example when the network is overloaded.
In present systems, the mobile terminal and the mobile network negotiate the bearer service. If the network cannot provide the requested bearer service, probably the quality of service provided for the communication is not appropriate. Let us assume that there exists a video application where the resolution of the video is quite high, e.g. 800×640 pixels. If the user wishes to execute this video application with a mobile terminal which has means to connect via a high-speed circuit-switched data connection (HSCSD bearer service) and the mobile terminal is locally connected to a laptop PC which has a display with a resolution of at least the mentioned 800×640, the application may be executed with its default resolution. If the user only has a mobile terminal which comprises a lower resolution display, for example 640×480, the application will still try to request a bearer service for the maximum resolution (800×640), although a bearer service for smaller resolution (640×480) would be adequate.
There are also other criteria which affect the requirements of the bearer service needed. In another example, a mobile terminal can be used as a remote terminal for a server. The mobile terminal and the server need to exchange some data. The type of server for which the mobile terminal is used as a remote terminal may vary and so may the properties of the server. For example, the communication speed may differ. Therefore there can be different criteria for the selection of bearer service depending on properties of the server in question.
It is also possible that two mobile terminals are communicating with each other and must select bearer services. The selection of an appropriate bearer service depends inter alia on the properties of both mobile terminals and the properties of the mobile networks with which the mobile terminals are communicating.
The user may also visit the area of a mobile network other than his/her home mobile network. In the visited mobile network the bearer services that may be selected may vary from those of the home mobile network. The pricing policy may also differ.

Method for selecting a bearer service for a service in a mobile telecommunications system


A membrane gas generator, which contains: a) a feed stream compressor having a feed stream input, b) a heat source downstream of the feed stream compressor, and in fluid connection therewith, c) a heat accumulator downstream of the heat source, and in fluid connection therewith; and d) at least one membrane with a permeate side and a non-permeate side downstream of the heat accumulator.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fast response membrane generator using heat accumulation.
2. Description of the Background
Membrane processes are presently used in a wide variety of gas separators. In such processes, the feed stream is brought into contact with the surface of the membrane with the more readily permeable component being recovered at low pressure, whereas the less readily permeable component is collected as a non-permeate stream at a pressure close to the feed pressure.
Membrane systems are increasingly employed, for example, for on-site production of nitrogen or other gases. In all such cases, the membrane generator is used in combination with a liquid nitrogen back-up tank that is used at start-up until the production reaches the required purity as requested by the customer, during peak demands or generator shutdown periods. Unfortunately, the efficiency of such membrane systems is reduced by variable customer demand over time. In particular, when the required flow rate decreases, the system is utilized only part-time so that stops and restarts are frequent. Furthermore, long-term shutdowns frequently occur due to required regular maintenance. Thus, liquid nitrogen must be vaporized at each restart to feed the customer line before the generator has reached the required level of purity. This vaporized liquid nitrogen is, in any case, more expensive than the nitrogen produced by the generator. Thus, there is a great need to reduce the consumption thereof to a minimum. It is also especially desired to reduce the start-up time to a minimum.
One of the limiting factors for reaching the required purity is the time required for the membranes to reach operating temperature when this temperature is above ambient temperature. In cases, where the membrane operating temperature is above ambient temperature, it is, therefore, necessary to be able to introduce a large quantity of heat into the system in a very short period of time, such as a few seconds. Unfortunately, at present, several minutes are required to reach operating temperature. Most of the time required to bring the system to operating temperature is due to the inertia of the heater, heating of the pipes and membranes that are cold.
At present, in order to reduce start-up time, a system has been proposed which uses an electrical gas heater on the feed pipe. Although very powerful heaters may be used, this amounts to over-design at excessive cost when compared to the power required merely to keep the system at operating temperature.
Another solution proposed is to maintain the entire system at the required temperature by maintaining a high ambient temperature. However, this turns out to be quite energetically expensive, particularly for long-term shutdown periods. Even if only the sensitive part, i.e., the membranes, are enclosed in a heated insulated box as in U.S. Pat. No. 4,787,919, the cost may still be high for long-term shutdown periods. Moreover, this does not improve the time necessary to heat the pipes and other equipment that is installed between the heater and the membranes. Further, if the air feed to the system is cold, the membranes will not work at optimum even if they are already at the operating temperature. Additionally, since the mass of the membrane is small compared to the feed flow rate, the system operates with the inefficiency of a cold system if the feed air is cold.
Thus, a need exists for a membrane generator system that can be restarted in a short amount of time, reaching operating temperature quite rapidly without any additional cost in energy or in investment.

Fast response membrane generator using heat accumulation

L'Air Liquide, Societe Anonyme Pour l'Etude et l'Exploitation des Procedes Georges Claude


Connector assembling structure including a connector main body and an insertion seat assembled therewith. An insulating seat of the main body has a hollow projecting section under bottom side. A top side of the insulating seat is formed with a central recess in which multiple opposite transverse channels are arranged at intervals. The transverse channels parallelly extend in reverse directions. The horizontal sections of two rows of L-shaped terminals are oppositely inlaid in the transverse channels. The vertical sections of the terminals downward extend to the inner edge of the projecting section. An upper and a lower covers mate with and cover the upper and lower sides of the insulating seat to clamp and locate the signal ends of multiple coaxial cables and make the signal ends contact with the horizontal sections.

The present invention is related to a connector assembling structure, and more particularly to a coaxial cable connector which is integrally processed and can be easily assembled. The volume of the connector is effectively reduced.
It is a trend to minimize the volume of electric or electronic connector and demand higher electric properties thereof. Also, in order to increase production efficiency and facilitate assembly of the connector, it is tried by manufacturers to design simpler structure within a limited space and manufacture the connector at lower cost while achieving more precisely electric connection.
The electric connecting structure of a conventional mini coaxial cable includes two board-to-board connectors respectively soldered on an adapting board and a circuit board. A mini coaxial cable is soldered on the adapting board. By means of the board-to-board connectors, the mini coaxial cable can be electrically connected with the circuit board. With respect to such structure, the cost for the components is relatively high and it is complicated to process the structure. Moreover, the board-to-board connectors are not specifically designed for the mini coaxial cable. Therefore, it is necessary to select different types of board-to-board connectors in accordance with different height restrictions. It increases inconvenience in management of stored products.
Recently, a connector specifically designed for the mini coaxial cable has been developed. In manufacturing, a specific tool is used to press and inlay the respective terminals into an insulating seat. The width of the connector is varied with the number of the terminals. Therefore, when manufacturing connectors with different widths, it is necessary to replace the specific tool with another one. It is troublesome to replace the tool and the replacement will lower the production efficiency.
It is therefore a primary object of the present invention to provide a connector assembling structure including a connector main body and an insertion seat. The center of an insulating seat of the main body are formed with multiple transverse channels which are arranged in parallel to each other. Two notches are formed on the periphery of the top side of the insulating seat in positions to which the lines of terminal insertion holes are directed. Accordingly, a longer tool can be co-used to press down and locate the terminals without being obstructed. Therefore, it is unnecessary to use a specific processing tool so that the production procedure and implements are simplified and the manufacturing cost is lowered.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide the above connector assembling structure in which each terminal is substantially L-shaped, having a horizontal section and a vertical section which are respectively positioned on two sides away from a central line of the terminal. Accordingly, when the terminals are oppositely arranged in two lines, the vertical sections of the terminals are symmetrically arranged, while the horizontal sections are interlaced. Therefore, in unit length, the number of the arranged terminal (density) is increased so that the connector can have smaller volume and lighter weight.


A method and apparatus for calibrating an endoscope includes an endoscope system configured to acquire a first calibration image at a first calibration focal length and determine a radius of a first calibration image boundary corresponding to the first calibration focal length for the first calibration image, wherein the radius of the first calibration image boundary corresponds to a first calibration magnification of the endoscope. A clinical image is acquired at a clinical focal length, wherein the first calibration focal length is different than the clinical focal length and a radius of a clinical image boundary corresponding to the clinical focal length for the clinical image is determined, wherein the radius of the clinical image boundary corresponds to a clinical magnification of the endoscope. The radius of the first calibration image boundary is compared to the radius of the clinical image boundary to determine a change in magnification of the endoscope.

The present invention generally relates to an endoscope. More specifically, the present invention relates to systems and methods for calibrating an endoscope.
Computer-assisted systems and methods now provide real-time navigation during surgical procedures, including analysis and inspection of three-dimensional (3-D) anatomical images from magnetic resonance (MR) and computed tomography (CT) data). Endoscopic technology has also undergone rapid development, providing lightweight endoscopes able to be used in small body cavities. Endoscopes are however able to display only visible surfaces, and are also limited by their inability to provide views of the interior of opaque tissue. The combination of both endoscopic and computer-generated 3-D images has the potential to provide the previously unavailable capability of overlaying volumetrically reconstructed patient images onto the endoscopic view of the surgical field. This technique could permit surgeons to look beyond visible surfaces and provide "on-the-fly" 3-D and two-dimensional (2-D) information for planning and navigational purposes. Due to the many parameters involved in the function of an endoscope, however, multiple small errors in the settings of the device may have relatively large and cumulative effects on the final discrepancy between the position of the overlaid endoscopic images and the patient's anatomy. For this reason, precise calibration of the endoscope and accuracy testing of the calibrated endoscope is necessary to ensure surgical quality.
Thus, there is a need for systems and methods of calibrating an endoscope, an endoscopy system, and/or an augmented endoscopy system.
Image-guided or augmented endoscopy, as described above, is a technique where computer-generated virtual reality representations of endoscopic views can be combined with real-world views to produce "augmented reality." This technique typically requires that the endoscope be tracked in space by well-known methods such as electromagnetic (EM) and/or optical navigation systems. For example, an endoscope calibration fixture may be tracked in space or calibration markers on the fixture may be in a known location with respect to the tracking system.
An advantage of augmented endoscopy is to assist in the visualization of critical structures that may not be evident in real-time endoscopic video images by addressing the relative loss of stereoscopic depth perception and orientation associated with endoscopy. By calibrating the endoscope's position and line of sight to the navigation system and calibrating the endoscope's optical lens parameters (camera calibration), the co-registration of the computer-rendered 3-D virtual representation of the endoscope's field of view could be performed with the endoscopic video image. Depth perception may be augmented, and therefore, healthy and diseased tissue not directly visible to the endoscope may be displayed.
However, the endoscope's optical lens parameters, such as focal length, principal point, radial and tangential distortion, pixel scaling, and field of view, may vary with the magnification of the endoscope. Typically, the magnification of the endoscope is adjusted by rotating a zoom control on the endoscope camera. Unlike surgical microscopes, which typically include optical encoders to determine the amount of zoom or magnification, systems and methods for detecting endoscope magnification do not exist.
Thus, there is also a need for systems and methods for detecting endoscope magnification and calibrating the endoscope, the endoscopy system, and/or the augmented endoscopy system accordingly.

Systems and methods for calibrating an endoscope


The cost and ease of manufacture and assembly of airbag inflators is enhanced by welding sections of the inflator housing together in a recessed portion of the side wall of such housing. By providing a portion of the housing side wall which is recessed sufficiently that it contains all of the weld flashing produced during the welding operation it is possible to eliminate the machining operation for removing such flashing which, otherwise, could be required to provide external dimensions within specification.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
Passive restraint systems of the type popularly referred to as airbag systems are increasingly provided in modern motor vehicles because of their demonstrated ability to diminish the extent of injury to vehicle occupants in the event of a vehicle collision. These airbag systems typically rely on the rapid release of a gas into an inflatable cushion, or airbag, when a collision is sensed by a crash sensor. The airbag opens into a space located between the normal position of a vehicle occupant and portions of the vehicle passenger chamber into which the vehicle occupant might be propelled and thereby injured but for the presence of the airbag.
The airbag assembly typically includes a gas generator, often referred to as an inflator, an airbag or cushion, and a housing, often referred to as a module. The module mounts the folded airbag and the inflator in positions whereby the gas generated by the inflator is discharged or directed into an opening provided in the airbag, thereby causing the airbag to inflate and expand into its intended inflated location. The module also provides secure storage for the airbag and inflator. Additionally, it provides means for mounting the assembly in a sturdy and secure location on the vehicle.
Several different types of inflators are used in airbag assemblies. A relatively simple design merely relies on the rapid release of a compressed gas. This design requires a fairly sturdy compressed gas container which results in a relatively heavy assembly. Other inflators rely on the combustion of solid pyrotechnic materials to provide the inflation gas. Still others, known as hybrid inflators, rely on solid pyrotechnic materials to provide a heated gas which is then mixed with a stored compressed gas to provide the inflation gas. Recently, airbag inflators which rely on the combustion of fluid fuels have been introduced. These inflators rely on the combustion, or exothermic dissociation, of a fluid fuel to create a heated gas which usually is then mixed with a stored compressed gas to provide the inflation gas.
Many of the modules, particularly those for use in front of front seat passengers of automobiles, provide a port through which an elongated inflator is inserted and mounted. The inflators used in such modules are designed to be inserted through such port and be firmly mounted in their intended position within the module. The inflators which require multiple chambers along their length, such as the hybrid and fluid fuel inflators which provide a first combustion chamber for combusting the fuel and a second gas storage chamber for containing a compressed inert gas to be mixed with the combustion gases produced in the combustion chamber, have typically been manufactured by welding two cylindrical sections together. The weld creates a relatively uneven weld seam, which, depending on the welding technique used, can be significantly different from the otherwise relatively uniform cross section of the joined sections. Inertial welding is the prevalent welding technique for such joinder used by some manufacturers. The otherwise uniform cross-section is significantly upset when inertial welding is used to join the cylindrical sections. When such inflators are to be inserted into a module through a port the irregularities contributed by the weld seam must be removed to facilitate such insertion. Typically, such removal requires machining of the exterior circumference of the inflator housing. The machining not only adds to the cost of manufacturing the inflator, it can also result in the walls of the inflator having a variable thickness, especially when the two sections are misaligned during the welding process. If the variation in thickness is excessive, it can result in the item being rejected to scrap. Moreover, machining of the inflator can result in ridges which also will interfere with the smooth installation of the inflator in the module.