Embodiments of methods, apparatuses, devices and/or systems for manipulating character expressions to determine relationships among such character expressions.

This disclosure is related to determining relationships between and/or among character expressions. Characters, such as alphanumeric characters, are typically used to represent information. In some examples, characters may be used to express words in a spoken and/or written language. In other examples, characters may be used to represent quantities. Computer systems typically represent quantities as binary expressions which may be stored in memory devices. This enables convenient manipulation of quantities using binary arithmetic through execution of computer instructions. Quantities may also be represented in strings of alphanumeric characters. For example, human interfaces typically express quantities in strings of alphanumeric characters. To compare quantities to determine, for example, an existence of an equality and/or inequality between and/or among quantities, a computer system typically expresses the quantities in question as binary expressions, and then compares the binary expressions.

Method and/or system for comparing character expressions


A transmitting and receiving section receives an image rendered on the basis of a position or an orientation of a head mounted display at a first time together with information regarding the position or the orientation at the first time. A correction section corrects the image by acquiring information regarding a position or an orientation of the head mounted display at a second time of displaying the image, translating or rotationally moving a visual field of the head mounted display in a screen coordinate system in response to a difference between the position or the orientation at the first time and the position or the orientation at the second time, and pasting the image on the translated or rotationally moved visual field as a texture.

A user wears a head mounted display connected to a video game machine on the user's head, and plays a game by operating a controller or the like while viewing a screen displayed on the head mounted display. When wearing the head mounted display, the user does not view anything but a video displayed on the head mounted display and effects of enhancing a sense of immersion into a video world and further improving entertainment of the game are, therefore, produced. Furthermore, by displaying a VR (Virtual Reality) video on the head mounted display, causing the user wearing the head mounted display on the head to rotate the head, and displaying a virtual space where the user can take a 360-degree view, the sense of immersion into the video is further enhanced and operability of an application such as the game is improved.

Image correction apparatus, image correction method and program


A file is sent to a remote signing authority via a network. The signing authority checks the file and provides a signature indicating file integrity of the file. The signature returned from the signing authority via the network is verified.

1. Field
This invention relates to microprocessors. In particular, the invention relates to processor security.
2. General Background
Advances in microprocessor and communication technologies have opened up many opportunities for applications that go beyond the traditional ways of doing business. Electronic commerce (E-commerce) and business-to-business (B2B) transactions are now becoming popular, reaching the global markets at a fast rate. Unfortunately, while modern microprocessor systems provide users convenient and efficient methods of doing business, communicating and transacting, they are also vulnerable for unscrupulous attacks. Examples of these attacks include virus, intrusion, security breach, and tampering, to name a few. Computer security, therefore, is becoming more and more important to protect the integrity of the computer systems and increase the trust of users.
Threats caused by unscrupulous attacks may occur in a number of forms. For instance, an invasive remote-launched attack by hackers may disrupt the normal operation of a system connected to thousands or even millions of users. A virus program may corrupt code and/or data operating on a single-user platform or may propagate itself to other platforms when connected to a network. Although anti-virus programs have been developed to scan, detect and eliminate known viruses, a large performance penalty would be incurred if an anti-virus program is required to examine every file before it can be opened.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

File checking using remote signing authority via a network


An elevator controller 7 is provided with logic 48 which automatically calculates a motor speed loop gain (J*) of an elevator motor controller 14 by running the elevator up and down while computing an average of a model speed reference signal W.sub.MRE for the up/down run and while varying J* and determining the value of J* at which the average of W.sub.MRE equals zero within a predetermined tolerance.

It is known that an elevator motion control system may employ motor speed (or velocity) feedback control to achieve desired control of elevator car motion. In such a control system, the motor velocity control comprises a velocity outer loop having a proportional-plus-integral forward path control compensation and a velocity inner loop having proportional (gain) control. The inner velocity loop provides damping to the overall control system.
In order for the performance of the control to provide the desired response, travel time and/or ride quality performance, the inner loop is calibrated to match the characteristics of the elevator and motor being controlled. In particular, it is desirable to match the inner loop gain to the system inertia (J) and the motor torque constant (K.sub.T) parameters. However, in modernization or retrofit applications, where a new controller replaces an older controller in an existing elevator system, the inertia and/or torque constant parameters are not always accurately known at the time of installation of the controller. Alternatively, if the weight of the cab changes after drive installation, e.g., by adding or removing fixtures, mirrors, tile, etc., the system inertia changes and the motor/drive system may need to be re-calibrated.
One technique for determining such parameters is to dispatch a field engineer to the site who tunes the elevator controller using special test equipment, e.g., external signal generators and separate torque perturbations. Also, determination of the inertia parameter may be determined by the complex calculation of system weights from contract data which may or may not be accurate at a given job site. Further, in many instances, all the system masses are not accurately known, and thus accurate calculation of system weights is not feasible. However, such techniques are costly, time consuming and, in some cases, inaccurate. As a result, re-calibration of the system is costly and modernization or retrofit applications become unattractive for building owners.

Automatic calibration of motor speed loop gain for an elevator motor control


A method and apparatus for adding watermark data to an input signal is provided. For this method watermark data is embedded into the input signal by modulating elements of the input signal to predefined relationships in reference to other elements of the input signal. By using referential relationships and by using patterned sequences, one or more bits of data can robustly be embedded. Further, a method and apparatus for recovering data embedded by the method and apparatus of the present invention, are also provided. To recover the embedded data, differences between elements of the input signal to reference elements of the signal are calculated and checked against predefined relationships. Predefined relationships thus found are used to recover pieces of the embedded information.

The range of methods that embed hidden data into entertainment signals are usually referred to as watermarking, regardless if these signals are originally created and/or distributed in the analog or digital form. They can be used to protect ownership rights associated with the entertainment signals so marked. This hidden data can also be used to provide the consumer with ancillary data associated with entertainment (audio, video or multimedia program) material being reproduced. Hidden information added to audio, video and other multimedia signals are called watermarks. Watermarked signals are used in the same way as their non-watermarked counterparts. For example, watermarked audio signals are typically played with their watermarks in place, such watermarks going undetected by the listener or viewer unless their playback equipment is fitted with apparatus to detect and reproduce the watermark data. Watermarks can also be detected and retrieved by the providers of the content, allowing these entities to perform a range of tasks including determining the holder or holders of the signal's copyright, verifying the authenticity of the entertainment signal, and determining the signal's place of origin.
To be effective, watermarking methods must not have a perceptible impact on signal quality. The level where perceptibility becomes problematic depends on the type of signal and its intended use. As a result, different watermarking methods may be appropriate for different signals and uses. Watermarking should also be tamper resistant. This means that watermarks must be difficult, if not impossible, to remove.
Most current watermarking systems embed information within signal portions that would be characterized (from the standpoint of perceptibility) as noise. This reduces the chance that embedded information will alter signals in a perceptible fashion. At the same time, such methods are often subject to tampering because it is generally possible to replace the noise-like portions of a signal with generated noise. This replacement effectively removes hidden watermark data with little or no degradation to signal quality. Based on the preceding, it may be appreciated that there is a need for improved tamper-resistant methods for watermarking entertainment signals.
Watermark data has been traditionally inserted at the time audio and/or video content is mastered. A watermark of this type is referred to as a source watermark. This watermark serves the content owners need to be able to track the original origin of the entertainment content. There is a second need to add hidden tracking, ancillary entertainment, and/or advertising data during the process of distributing the audio and video content to end users. A watermark of this type is referred to as a transaction watermark. This watermark identifies the distributor of the content and adds additional data to the content that is of use to the end user. There is a third need to add hidden data at the time of audio and video content playback by the end user. A watermark of this type is referred to as a fingerprint watermark. This hidden data relates to the rules of use associated with the reproduced entertainment stream as well as identification of the end user who played back the audio and/or video data. These rules of use may include the number of times this data stream can be subsequently copied as well as who has permission to perform such copying. The identification of the end user in the data streams can serve two purposes. One is to track a distributed data stream to determine if an end user violated the copyright holders rights. A second is to provide a means to reward the end user should he or she provide the data stream to a third party and the third party chooses to purchase an entertainment product from the content owner or distributor of the content.

Method and apparatus for embedding digital watermarking into compressed multimedia signals


A portable electronic device includes a housing, a circuit board, a speaker and a spatial module. The housing includes a bottom wall and a circular wall extending from the bottom wall. The bottom wall defines a sound-emitting hole. The bottom wall and the circular wall define a receiving cavity. The circuit board is positioned on the circular wall to cover the receiving cavity and includes a first surface and an opposite second surface and defines a through hole running through the circuit board. The through hole is in communication with the receiving cavity. The speaker is electrically fixed to the first surface and received in the receiving cavity with the sound-emitting surface thereof facing the sound-emitting hole. The spatial module positioned on the second surface defines a groove in communication with the through hole.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a portable electronic device with a spatial module.
2. Description of the Related Art
Multimedia technology is now commonly integrated with portable electronic devices, such as personal digital assistants and cell phones to meet an increasing demand portable entertainment. In these devices, a speaker is generally included.
Referring to FIG. 6, a typical portable electronic device 10 may include a housing 110, a speaker 120, a circuit board 130 and a plurality of passive/active electronic components 140 positioned on the circuit board 130. The housing 110 includes a bottom wall 112 and a circular wall 114 perpendicularly extending from the bottom wall 112. The bottom wall 112 defines a plurality of through holes 116. The circuit board 130 is placed on the circular wall 114. As a result, the circuit board 130, the circular wall 114, and the bottom wall 112 form a cavity 118. The cavity 118 communicates with the plurality of through holes 116. The speaker 120 is received in the cavity 118 and is electrically connected to the circuit board 130. A sound emitting surface 122 of the speaker 120 faces the plurality of through holes 116. When the speaker 120 is activated, air in the cavity 118 is resonated by the sound emitted from the speaker 120.
For a high-quality sound effect, a large-volume resonating cavity 118 is required. A typical way to create a large volume cavity 118 is to increase the distance between the circuit board 130 and the bottom wall 112 of the housing 110. However, this increases the thickness of the electronic device 10, making the electronic device less portable.
Therefore, there is room for improvement within the art.

Portable electronic device with spatial module


A wall covering system includes prefabricated T-shaped (in cross section) horizontal supporting strips, L-shaped horizontal supporting strips, L-shaped end-locking strips and decorative panels. The end-locking strips interact with the horizontal strips and the decorative panels, provide an aesthetic appearance to the finished system when assembled on a wall and provide safety by covering the exposed ends of the T-shaped horizontal strips. In use, the wall panelling system disclosed herein may be easily and conveniently installed onto existing walls by a user without professional assistance and may be just as easily and conveniently removed from the wall whenever it is desired to inspect behind the panels, change the decor, or to remove the panels for installation at another location.

Various types of wall covering for homes, offices, hotels and other buildings are known. Walls may be painted or may be covered with wallpaper, fabric, wood-based panels, tiles, mirrors, plastics, marble sheets, cementitious substrates and the like. The appearance, durability and cost of wall coverings are of paramount importance as is the cost and difficulty of initial installation, of maintenance and eventual replacement.
Fabrics are often used to create a "rich" look and to counteract environmental noise, especially for walls surfaced with drywall. Fabrics may be applied with glue to drywall partitions and contrasting colors, patterns and textures of fabrics and the like may be used to achieve visual effects. The initial installation of fabric on wall coverings is however relatively expensive. In consequence, the use of fabrics has generally been confined to selected locations where expense is not a primary consideration. Moreover, traditional fabric wall coverings have the additional disadvantage that they are not readily removable.
The walls of domestic basements provide additional challenges to those of skill in the wall-covering arts. Many basements have cement or concrete walls, and satisfactory attachment of wall coverings is often difficult. Further, domestic basements are often accessed through small doorways and narrow stairways and large sheets of material cannot be readily brought to the site it is desired to cover. Also, because basements are often below-ground, moisture will often penetrate basement walls, making permanently affixed wall coverings unstable and hence unsuitable. Finally, when it comes to decorating or refinishing their basements, owners of residential property often wish to "do-it-themselves."
U.S. Pat. No. 4,744,198 to Wilson ("'198") teaches panels formed from "acoustic tackable board" and covered with fabric. The '198 patent teaches that the panels have VELCRO hook-and-loop fasteners on their back and that quick-disconnect fibrous fasteners should be located substantially at the geometric center of the rear surface of each panel so as to provide additional support for the removable wall panel. Additionally, the '198 panels are intended to be removable from walls.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,863,412 to Bodycomb ("'412") discloses wall panels that are detachably secured to wall studs by VELCRO hook-and-loop fasteners or the like. However, because VELCRO fasteners are insufficiently rigid to stop movement of the panel relative to the stud, the '412 patent teaches that the panel should be mounted on a stud in a manner that permits little if any relative movement between the panel and the stud when the panel is in position. Patent '412 teaches that VELCRO fasteners "are not commercially satisfactory for mounting panels as they permit the panels to shift too easily thus requiring means be provided to prevent this shifting." ('412 patent, col. 3, lines 33-36).
U.S. Pat. No. 5,144,786 to Pacione ("'786") discloses an anchor-board construction system including wall surface elements with hooks and an attachable area finish with loops to interact with the hooks. Area finishes are disclosed in Patent '786 to be carpet tiles, wallpaper or fabric with looped backing or wood paneling. The system disclosed in Patent '786 includes provision for trims, baseboards, cornice moldings, door moldings and outlet covers.
Therefore, it will be seen that there is a long-felt need for a wall covering system suitable for use in domestic basements, that may be installed by amateur decorators, and may be just as easily removed in the event of damage requiring replacement, or be changed to match the decor of the room.


A wireless computer system (30) is formed to have a host section (31) and a wireless hardware section (40). A first portion of a transmission frame is formed in system memory (36) of a host section (31) and a second portion of the transmission frame is formed in the wireless hardware section (40). The wireless hardware section (40) begins transmitting the first transmission frame portion while downloading the second transmission frame portion from the system memory (36) into the wireless hardware section (40).

The present invention relates, in general, to computer systems, and more particularly, to wireless computer systems.
A wireless computer system usually is a computer system that has the capability to utilize wireless communication techniques to provide interconnectivity between a computer and elements within a network such as interconnectivity to another computer, servers, and even wired networks. One example of a wireless computer network is commonly referred to as a wireless local area network (WLAN). WLANs and other wireless computer networks provide computer users mobility and remove the constraint of having a network cable physically attached to a computer. WLANs typically are used to augment wired networks, for example, providing a WLAN coupled to a wired LAN within a building or on a campus. Because of the advantages of a WLAN, they gained strong popularity leading to a rapid expansion of the United States WLAN market. Thus, the most common implementation of a wireless computer network is a WLAN.
Most WLAN's are implemented using the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) specification commonly known as 802.11 (IEEE 802.11 or 802.11) including IEEE 802.11b. The 802.11 specification defines some of the functional aspects of a Medium Access Control layer (MAC) and a Physical layer (PHY) that is unique to a WLAN. The MAC layer is defined to handle all management and control issues relating to mobility and the communications protocol structures, and to be transparent to higher layers of IEEE 802.X protocols. The PHY layer defines protocol structures required to support the wireless medium.
A typical implementation of a computer system incorporating a WLAN, including an 802.11 WLAN, is schematically illustrated in FIG. 1. A computer system 10 includes a host system or host 11 generally delineated by a dashed box. Host 11 has a host processor 12. Host 11 often utilizes a North Bridge controller or North Bridge 13 that controls interactions between processor 12 and critical system resources such as a system memory 15 and a display device such as a graphics display. Host 11 often also includes a South Bridge controller or South Bridge 14 that controls interactions between processor 12 and I/O devices. South Bridge 14 typically has a PCI bus 16 through which most peripherals, including a WLAN module 17, are interfaced to system 11.
WLAN module 17 typically implements the 802.11 MAC and PHY protocols. Most of the 802.11 MAC control functions are performed by a micro-processor 18 utilizing programs stored generally in a ROM 21 or other equivalent storage device. Using the program in ROM 21, processor 18 operates on data stored in WLAN module 17, typically in a RAM 19, to implement the 802.11 MAC control functions. A baseband processor 24 and a radio frequency (RF) broadband front-end or front-end 26 generally implement the PHY requirements of 802.11 including presenting data to and receiving data from processor 18, encoding and decoding data using one of the 802.11 coding schemes, determining channel busy or idle status and presenting the status to processor 18, checking the cyclic redundancy check characters (CRC), and modulating and demodulating the encoded data onto and from the channel at the 802.11 frequencies.
One problem with system 10 and particularly with WLAN module 17 is system partitioning. WLAN module 17 interfaces to host system 11 through PCI Bus 16. Typically, several other peripheral devices in addition to module 17 are also interfaced to host system 11 through PCI Bus 16. The PCI 2.0 standard specifies the protocol and timing in addition to the bus arbitration that different modules that are interfaced to PCI bus 16 must use in order to gain access to PCI Bus 16. For some wireless transmission sequences, the PCI bus latencies may be greater than the time that system 11 requires to store the data into wireless module 17, thus, the system can not provide the data in sufficient time to meet the WLAN protocol. For example, 802.11 can have a receive-transmit sequence that only allows a time period of about ten micro-seconds between receiving a frame and the next transmission time slot. Several transactions across PCI Bus 16 can be required to effect the responsive transmission. System 10 can require up to six microseconds or longer just to gain access to PCI Bus 16. Consequently, in order to minimize the throughput limitations host processor 12 preloads all of the data to be transmitted into WLAN module 17, typically into RAM 19, prior to initiating a transmission. After host processor 12 stores all the data, processor 18 reads the data from RAM 19, prepares all the headers, control, and status fields for the frame as required by the WLAN protocol, and then begins to transmit the frames to baseband processor 24 for transmission over the wireless channel. The partitioning of system 10 requires that all data be transferred into wireless module 17 prior to initiating a transmission.
Another problem with system 10 is costs. Because system 11 preloads all the data to be transmitted into WLAN module 17 prior to initiating a transmission, WLAN module 17 must have sufficient storage to accommodate the data in addition to storage for the programs stored in ROM 21, and must also have working storage in RAM 19 for the programs. A typical module 17 often requires at least one hundred twenty-eight Mega-bytes (128 M bytes) for RAM 19 and can use one hundred twenty-eight Kilo-bytes (128K bytes) for ROM 21. Some WLAN modules require additional RAM and flash memory in addition to RAM 19 and ROM 21, thereby further increasing costs.
Additionally, the partitioning of system 10 requires a dedicated microprocessor to process information prior to a transmission. The additional micro-processor further increases costs and system power dissipation.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to have a computer system and method that reduces the computer system costs, and that improves the partitioning of the system.
For simplicity and clarity of illustration, elements in the figures are not necessarily to scale, and the same reference numbers in different figures denote the same elements. Additionally, descriptions and details of well known steps, flows, and elements are omitted for simplicity of the description.

Wireless computer system with queue and scheduler


An interactive merchandising program includes two or more program segments that are organized in a series. Each program segment in the series includes at least one time-limited offer for sequential presentation to the customer. The customer is required to undertake some action with respect to each program segment without knowing the identity of offers in program segments yet to be presented. If an offer is accepted within the time limit of the offer, the merchandising program terminates and the customer's acceptance of the offer is processed. If the customer declines a presented offer, the offer is withdrawn. The merchandising program proceeds to the next program segment in which the customer is presented the next time-limited offer. In this manner, the customer is provided an interactive experience that invites considered decision-making on the part of the customer.

Electronic commerce is becoming an increasingly popular way of conducting business. Customers are now able to identify and purchase a wide variety of goods and services over computer networks, including the Internet. While electronic commerce is increasing in popularity, many customers tend to limit their purchase of goods and services to certain categories, such as books and movies. Customers who are accustomed to purchasing goods in these certain categories are reluctant to expand their online shopping experience by purchasing goods and services in other categories, such as garden tools or kitchen and housewares, for example.
Companies offering online merchandising of goods and services are interested in helping their customers recognize the wide array of products and services that are available for purchase. The problem experienced by these companies is how to encourage customers to expand their purchasing comfort level to include goods and services in categories which they have previously not purchased. The present invention is directed to a computer-implemented method and system that improves the customer's shopping experience and assists the customer in discovering a wider universe of goods and services available for purchase.

Interactive time-limited merchandising program and method for improved online cross-selling


A call center associated with an intelligent network has no service-specific executable application software running on its operator positions. Instead, each computer stores a set of templates which define respective screen displays, including text display areas and text input areas, and also a set of corporate logos. When an intelligent peripheral of the network is not able to proceed with a call in accordance with an application, a failure notification is sent to the network, which reroutes, i.e. connects, that call to the call center and sends a message including an identifier for a template to be used by an operator position in generating a screen display. The operator interacts with the customer, obtains information and enters this in the text entry areas, sends a return message to the network, which then sends a message containing an identifier for a template to be used for the next stage of that application.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to methods of and apparatus for providing communications services, and particularly, but not exclusively, to nodes for use in, and call centres for use with, intelligent networks (INs).
2. Background of Related Art
IN techniques have been understood for some time to offer a flexible and possibly more cost effective route to the development and deployment of advanced telecommunications call handling services than traditional methods. Essentially, IN techniques effectively consist of the separation of call processing functions within a telephone exchange, or equivalent entity, from the service logic which provides the actual telecommunications service—such as "Freefone" type services typified by the 0800 numbering range in the United Kingdom.

British Telecommunications public limited company


A fiber optic vibration sensor is disclosed. This invention has an optical fiber of a tubular configuration that includes a cladding layer and a core, having a first end, a second end and a sensing region; a source of laser for emitting laser onto the first end of the optical fiber; an optical diode connected to the second end of the optical fiber; and an optical wave analyzer connected to the optical diode; wherein the sensing region includes at least a polished region formed by polishing a side of the optical fiber and a grating disposed in the polishing region.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fiber optic vibration sensor, and more particularly to a fiber optic vibration sensor comprising a single grating.
2. Description of Related Art
A traditional mechanical vibration sensor is large in size and heavy in weight. Hence, there are disadvantages of a narrow range of frequency responses, low sensitivity and limited scope of applications.
Fiber optic sensors have advantages of being resistant to electromagnetic interference, water and erosion, and have further advantages of low transmission loss and high precision effect. Thus, the fiber optic vibration sensor is one of the means for solving the disadvantages of the above-mentioned mechanical vibration sensor.
Even so, the common fiber optic sensor for measuring various physical properties generally is subject to the configuration or design thereof, and so is unable to meet the requirements of being compact, lightweight and economic in manufacture. If the optic fiber sensors serve as the vibration sensors, the characteristics of high sensitivity and a wide range of frequency responses will be missing.
Another known fiber optic sensor fiber optic sensor having highly-stable intensity primarily adopts a pair of Bragg gratings for sandwiching a sensing region formed by removing part of the cladding layer of a common optical fiber and then evaporating or doping a medium capable of reacting with an ambient material. In this connection, the light reflected from the optical fiber grating will be altered as a result of change in the sensing region. This is useful for probating a mechanical or chemical-reactive environment, but definitely cannot be used as a vibration sensor.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide an improved fiber optic sensor to mitigate and/or obviate the aforementioned problems.


A communication system using PPP in which a plurality of layer 3 protocols are defined has a problem. PDSN cannot judge which of layer 3 protocols is equipped in a terminal, and NCP phase processes corresponding to all layer 3 protocols of the system are executed. This increases the number of PPP packets transmitted/received between the terminal and PDSN, which prolongs a connection time. In the invention, a new procedure of the NCP phase process is established in a communication system, by which the terminal firstly notifies a layer 3 protocol to PDSN and thereafter the NCP phase process is executed. PDSN waits for a notice of the layer 3 protocol from the terminal, selects the corresponding layer 3 protocol from the layer 3 protocols according to the notice, and executes the NCP phase.

In a mobile communication, data communication such as transmission/reception of mails using a mobile station and accesses to the Internet is performed between the mobile station and a contents server as an access destination, by using Internet Protocol (hereinafter called IP) packets. In order to realize such data communication, it is known that IP packet communication is performed between a mobile station and a packet data serving node (hereinafter called PDSN (Packet Data Serving Node)) by using Point to Point Protocol (hereinafter called PPP) standardized by RFC1661 (refer to 3GPP2 X. S0011-C cdma2000 Wireless IP network Standard).
PPP is used for data communication between devices directly interconnected by a WAN line such as dial-up connection and ISDN and between a mobile radio station and a PDSN in a mobile communication system. The status of each device is set by transmission/reception of user authentication, protocols, addresses, a compression and error correction method and the like to be used, between devices by using various PPP packets prescribed in RFC1661, to thereby allow data transfer using not only IP packets but also various protocols. When a mobile station sends an IP packet to a contents server, the mobile station generates a PPP packet by adding a PPP header to the IP packet to transmit data to PDSN via a provider network. PDSN removes the PPP header of the PPP packet to extract the IP packet, and thereafter transfers the IP packet to an access destination contents server via a public network.
Fundamental operations regarding PPP connection/disconnection between a communication terminal device and PDSN include a link establishment phase, a user authentication phase, a network-layer protocol phase and a link termination phase. The link establishment (hereinafter called Link Control Protocol (LCP)) phase establishes a data link by using LCP when a physical line connection is completed, and decides a data size, presence/absence of compression, a rate and the like. The user authentication phase performs user authentication such as permission/rejection of a partner access authority. The network-layer protocol (hereinafter called Network Control Protocol (NCP)) phase is a phase for selecting an upper protocol and setting network address assignment by using NCP to release a network. The link termination phase is a phase for terminating a PPP link by using LCP.
More detailed description will be made. PPP is constituted of two protocols: LCP and NCP. LCP is a protocol for controlling link establishment and user authentication in a physical line connection state. NCP is a protocol for assigning addresses determined by a layer 3 protocol (network layer protocol), and has a function of assigning, for example, an IP address if the network layer uses IP. NCP designates a type of a layer 3 protocol in a protocol field of an NCP packet (one kind of a PPP packet) to thereby decide which one of a plurality of layer 3 protocols is to be used. For example, if IPv4 is to be used which is prescribed in RFC791 (Internet Protocol), 8021 in hexadecimal notation is set to the protocol field. IPv4 stipulates a selection of a route for sending, to a transfer partner, a data packet (data such as File Transfer Protocol (FTP) for file transfer and Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) for high reliability communication). With this route selection, IP addresses of a 32-bit numerical number are used, so that about four billion and two hundred million addresses can be distinguished at a maximum. If IPv6 is to be used which is prescribed in RFC2460 (Internet Protocol, Version 6), 8057 in hexadecimal notation is set to the protocol field. IPv6 can distinguish an IP address from a 128-bit numerical number. This protocol has been developed due to grave misgivings about exhaustion of address resources to be caused by recent rapid spread of the Internet, and is expected to be applied to future Internet communication.
As prescribed in RFC1661 for PPP connection operation between a terminal and PDSN, the LCP phase is first executed, and if a data link is established, an authentication process is executed in the authentication phase. After the authentication is completed, the NCP phase is effected for decision of a protocol to be used, selection (designation) of an IP address and the like.
In a communication system in which PDSN is equipped with both IPv4 and IPv6 protocols and a terminal is equipped with only an IPv6 protocol, the NCP phase is effected after the LCP phase process and authentication process are completed between a mobile station and PDSN. According to the prescription of RFC1661, the NCP phase is effected for all protocols equipped in PDSN. This operation is performed in the following manner.
Although the terminal is equipped with only the IPv6 protocol, PDSN is equipped with both the IPv4 and IPv6 protocols. Therefore, PDSN executes the NCP phase for both the protocols and transmits an IPCP Configure Request packet for IPv4 and an IPv6CP Configure Request packet for IPv6, to the terminal. The terminal returns an LCP Protocol Reject packet representative of non-equipment in response to the received IPCP Configure Request Packet. Since the terminal is equipped with the IPv6 protocol, the terminal transmits an IPv6CP Configure Request packet to PDSN in parallel to the operation of PDSN.
Upon reception of the LCP Protocol Reject packet from the terminal, PDSN decides termination of the NCP phase for IPv4 and terminates NCP negotiation for the rejected protocol. In response to the IPv6CP Configure Request packet received from the terminal, PDSN transmits an IPv6CP Configure Ack packet representative of connection permission, to the terminal. When this packet is received, connection preparation at the terminal is completed. When the IPv6CP Configure Ack packet representative of connection permission is received from the terminal in response to the IPv6CP Configure Request packet transmitted from PDSN, connection preparation at PDSN is also completed. In this manner, PPP connection allowing IPv6 network communication is completed.
As described above, in the connection operation via a network using PPP, a terminal requiring connection issues a call to PDSN to effect negotiation for connection establishment and user authentication under LCP, as disclosed in RFC1661. Thereafter, PDSN establishes PPP connection under NCP by negotiations with types of all protocols equipped in PDSN.

Packet data serving node and communication method using the same


A semiconductor component and a method for manufacturing such a semiconductor component which has a resistance behavior which depends heavily on the temperature. This resistance behavior is obtained by a special multi-layer structure of the semiconductor component, one layer being designed in such a way that, for example, multiple p-doped regions are present in an n-doped region, said regions being short-circuited on one side via a metal-plated layer. For example, the semiconductor component may be used for reducing current peaks, by being integrated into a conductor. In the cold state, the semiconductor component has a high resistance which becomes significantly lower when the semiconductor component is heated as a result of the flowing current.

It is necessary in many electrotechnical applications to limit the electric current which flows in an electric circuit to a maximum value. In particular so-called inrush peaks, which primarily occur when inductive consumers are switched on, must be typically limited to maximum values. This is particularly true in motor vehicle electrical systems in which, for example, the starter represents a very low-resistance load having high inductivity which, when switched on at the beginning of the starting process, results in a current peak and thus in a voltage dip in the electrical system. If the current peak can be limited, the voltage dip in the electrical system also turns out to be smaller. After the current peak has ended, i.e., when activating a starter in a vehicle after approximately one hundred milliseconds, the current limiting should no longer be effective if possible, so that the then-flowing current is not needlessly reduced.
For example, limiting of high current peaks may be implemented by using electronic power components. There are also suggestions in which an NTC resistor, i.e., a resistor having a negative temperature coefficient, is used for current limiting in the supply lead to the consumer, e.g., in the supply lead for the starter. Such an NTC resistor limits the current peak which occurs during the starting operation since the resistance of the cold component is relatively high. When the NTC resistor is heated by the electrical power, which is converted in the resistor when current flows, the value of the NTC resistance decreases and reduces the current through the consumer only slightly. DE 41 22 252 A1 describes such current limiting for a starter in a vehicle in which the negative temperature coefficient of the resistor is utilized for damping the current peak in the cold state and to conduct the current well in the heated state.
International Patent Application DE 2004/00 07 76 (not a prior publication) proposes to install in the starter line a resistor which is designed as a silicon resistor having slightly doped silicon. This resistor changes its resistance at higher temperatures by reaching the intrinsic conduction, thus resulting in a clear reduction of the resistance value. The use of such a resistor in the starter lead ensures that the starter current is limited when the resistor is cold, thereby damping the current peak which occurs when the starter is switched on, while the resistance value is reduced after heating of the resistor as a result of the current flowing through it and the flowing current is only slightly reduced.
Temperature-dependent resistors made of silicon having negative temperature coefficients (NTC resistors) have the disadvantage that, with the used dopings in the range of 1014 per cm2, resistance values distinctly lower than at room temperature can be noticed only at temperatures around 300° C. Reaching such temperatures periodically makes very high demands on the construction and connecting technology. With distinctly lower doping of the silicon, the area needed for representing a certain resistance value is very large and/or the layer thickness is very small.


A thermal barrier coating and a method for forming the coating on an article designed for use in a hostile thermal environment, such as turbine, combustor and augmentor components of a gas turbine engine. The method is particularly directed to increasing the spallation resistance of a thermal barrier coating system that includes a thermal insulating ceramic layer. The coating system of this invention generally includes a nickel aluminide alloy on which an aluminum oxide layer is formed, over which a ceramic layer is deposited so as to overlie and contact the aluminum oxide layer. The coating system does not include a bond coat, such as a diffusion aluminide or MCrAlY coating known in the prior art. The nickel aluminide alloy may be a binary NiAl alloy consisting essentially of nickel and aluminum in stoichiometric amounts, or may contain one or more oxygen-active elements. The NiAl alloy may be provided as a monolithic layer on a superalloy, or may be the base material for the article on which the thermal barrier coating is formed.

Higher operating temperatures for gas turbine engines are continuously sought in order to increase their efficiency. However, as operating temperatures increase, the high temperature durability of the components of the engine must correspondingly increase. Significant advances in high temperature capabilities have been achieved through formulation of nickel and cobalt-base superalloys, though such alloys alone are often inadequate to form components located in certain sections of a gas turbine engine, such as the turbine, combustor and augmentor. A common solution is to thermally insulate such components in order to minimize their service temperatures. For this purpose, thermal barrier coatings (TBC) formed on the exposed surfaces of high temperature components have found wide use.
To be effective, thermal barrier coatings must have low thermal conductivity, strongly adhere to the article, and remain adherent throughout many heating and cooling cycles. The latter requirement is particularly demanding due to the different coefficients of thermal expansion between materials having low thermal conductivity and superalloy materials typically used to form turbine engine components. Thermal barrier coating systems capable of satisfying the above requirements have generally required a metallic bond coat deposited on the component surface, followed by an adherent ceramic layer that serves to thermally insulate the component. In order to promote the adhesion of the ceramic layer to the component and inhibit oxidation of the underlying superalloy, the bond coat is typically formed from an oxidation-resistant aluminum-based intermetallic such as a diffusion aluminide or platinum aluminide, or by an oxidation-resistant aluminum-containing alloy such as MCrAlY (where M is iron, cobalt and/or nickel).
Various ceramic materials have been employed as the ceramic layer, particularly zirconia (ZrO.sub.2) stabilized by yttria (Y.sub.2 O.sub.3), magnesia (MgO) or other oxides. These particular materials are widely employed in the art because they can be readily deposited by plasma spray, flame spray and electron beam vapor deposition (EBPVD) techniques, have low coefficients of thermal expansion, and when processed properly show good adhesion to substrate materials. In order to increase the resistance of the ceramic layer to spallation when subjected to thermal cycling, the prior art has proposed various improved coating systems, with considerable emphasis on ceramic layer microstructures having enhanced strain tolerance as a result of the presence of porosity, microcracks and segmentation of the ceramic layer. Thermal barrier coating systems employed in higher temperature regions of a gas turbine engine are typically deposited by physical vapor deposition (PVD) techniques that yield a grain structure that is able to expand without causing damaging stresses that lead to spallation.
The bond coat is also critical to promoting the spallation resistance of a thermal barrier coating system. As noted above, bond coats provide an oxidation barrier for the underlying superalloy substrate. Conventional bond coat materials contain aluminum, such as the diffusion aluminides and MCrAlY alloys noted above, which enables such bond coats to oxidize and grow a strong adherent continuous aluminum oxide layer (alumina scale). The aluminum oxide layer chemically bonds the ceramic layer to the bond coat, and protects the bond coat from oxidation and hot corrosion. Though bond coat materials are particularly alloyed to be oxidation-resistant, oxidation inherently occurs over time at elevated temperatures, which gradually depletes aluminum from the bond coat. In addition, aluminum is lost from the bond coat as a result of interdiffusion into the superalloy substrate. Eventually, the level of aluminum within the bond coat is sufficiently depleted to prevent further growth of oxide, at which time spallation may occur at the interface between the bond coat and the aluminum oxide layer or the interface between the oxide layer and the ceramic layer.
In addition to depletion of aluminum, the ability of the bond coat to form the desired aluminum oxide layer can be hampered by the diffusion of elements from the superalloy into the bond coat, such as during formation of a diffusion aluminide coating or during high temperature exposure. Oxidation of such elements within the bond coat can become thermodynamically favored as the aluminum within the bond coat is depleted through oxidation and interdiffusion. Elements such as nickel, chromium, titanium, tantalum, tungsten, molybdenum and hafnium can increase the growth rate of aluminum oxide and form voluminous, nonadherent scales that may be deleterious to adhesion of the ceramic layer.
From the above, it is apparent that the service life of a thermal barrier coating is dependent on the bond coat used to anchor the thermal insulating ceramic layer. Once spallation of the ceramic layer has occurred, the component must be refurbished or scrapped at considerable cost. Therefore, it would be desirable if further improvements were possible for the service life of a thermal barrier coating system.

Thermal barrier coating system and method therefor


Methods and apparatuses for improving performance of database searches are disclosed herein. For example, in some implementations, the methods and apparatuses use a data node structure that prevents the need to duplicate data nodes shared by a plurality of data trees. Additionally, the methods and apparatus facilitate improved database lookup times by implementing an adaptive presence detection system based on the Bloom Filter, performance characteristics of the computing device evaluated at run time and status of the database.

Databases are ubiquitous in packet forwarding devices (e.g., routers). Databases are typically implemented in the form of well-balanced trees such as WAVL trees, for example. These well-balanced trees provide acceptable performance. For example, the lookup, insertion and deletion times of a WAVL tree can be defined as O(log(n)), where n is the number of data nodes in the WAVL tree. However, packet forwarding devices tend to handle increasing amounts of traffic. As databases in packet forwarding devices increase in size, the number of data nodes make any existing scheme suffer and eventually affect the performance of the packet forwarding device.
As an example, when a First Sign of Life (FSOL) is detected for a new session on a broadband network gateway (BNG) router, the new session is searched on a Session Attribute Database (SADB), for example, to avoid creating duplicates or to manage dual stack (IPv4/IPv6) sessions. After performing the search on the SADB, other activities required to properly start up the new session are executed. FIG. 1A is a graph illustrating measured session start time cost on an example BNG router. In FIG. 1A, the measured start time 102 and the average start time 104 are shown. The graph illustrates the session start execution time (in nanoseconds) versus the number of started sessions (0<n<16 k) on the BNG router. The average start execution time includes two components: (1) a fixed cost 101 related to standard start operations and (2) a variable cost (i.e., c(n)) 103 related to the number of started sessions. The variable cost 103 is related to searching for the new session on the SADB (e.g., a WAVL tree, for example) to retrieve session data if a session is already started. FIG. 1B is a graph illustrating a linear interpolation 106 and a logarithmic interpolation 108 of the measured session start cost of FIG. 1A. FIG. 1C is a graph illustrating a linear interpolation 106 and a logarithmic interpolation 108 of the measured session start cost extended to a BNG router with 0<n<256 k started sessions. As shown in FIG. 1C, it is estimated that 46% of the session start execution time is related to the variable cost 103 according to the logarithmic interpolation 108 (342% for the linear interpolation 106) for 256 k sessions. Because the variable cost 103 is related to access/search operations on the WAVL tree, the logarithmic interpolation 108 is likely the better estimate.
Bloom Filters (BFs) have been used in database applications in related art. The structure of a BF is basically that of an array of m bits, each of which is initially set to zero. An element x of the set is represented in the BF by applying K distinct hash functions h1( ) . . . hk( ) to x and setting to 1 the bits at positions h1(x) . . . hk(x) in the array. Because of its randomized and hashing-based mechanism, the price to pay for BF's small memory footprint is the presence of a certain (and known) amount of false positives. For example, when responding to membership queries on a BF (e.g., Is element x in set S?), it is possible to receive a false positive even if the BF returns a positive response. However, it is not possible to receive a false negative. In other words, if a membership query on a BF returns a negative response, the queried element does not belong to the set represented by the BF. In most applications, the advantages of using a BF outweigh the risks of receiving false positives. Additionally, false positives are controllable and occur at a known rate. Specifically, when
      m    =                  n        ×        K                    ln                          (          2          )                      ,when where m is the number of bits in the BF, n is the number of elements in the set and K is the number of has functions, the probability of receiving a false positive is defined as f=2−K.
Referring now to FIGS. 2A-2B, processes of constructing a BF and performing a lookup using the BF are shown. As shown in FIG. 2A, the process of constructing a BF representing the set of elements {x, y} is shown. Initially, the BF is empty and all of the bits are set to 0. Then, the hash functions (e.g., h1( ), h2( ), h3( )) are computed on element x, and the bits pointed by the arrows are set to 1 based on the result of the hash functions. The hash functions (e.g., h1( ), h2( ), h3( )) are then computed on element y, and the bits pointed by the arrows are set to 1 based on the results of the hash functions. The resulting BF representing the set of elements {x, y} is shown.
In FIG. 2B, the process of performing a lookup using the BF is shown. For example, when searching a BF representing the set of elements {x,y} for element x, the hash functions are computed on element x. A determination is made that all bits pointed by the results of the hash functions (bits 0, 3 and 6, for example) are set to 1. This indicates that element x is a member of the set of elements {x,y}. On the other hand, when searching a BF representing the set of elements {x,y} for element t, the hash functions are computed on element t. The hash functions return bits 1, 4 and 5, for example. Because bits 4 and 5 are set to 0, t is not a member of the set of elements {x,y}. Additionally, when searching a BF representing the set of elements {x,y} for element z, the hash functions return bits 0, 3 and 7, for example. Because bins 0, 3 and 7 are set to 1 but z is not a member of the set of elements {x,y}, a false positive is returned.
BFs, however, fail to support deletion of items from a data set. Thus, Counting Bloom Filters (CBFs) have been developed to provide a way to implement a delete operation on a BF without recreating the BF. In a CBF, the array positions (or bins, buckets, slots, etc.) are extended from being a single bit to an n-bit counter. In fact, regular BFs can be considered as CBFs with a bucket size of one bit. The insert operation is extended to increment the value of the buckets, and the lookup operation checks that each of the required buckets is non-zero. The delete operation includes decrementing the value of each of the respective buckets. The size of counters is typically set to 3 or 4 bits. Hence, CBFs typically use 3 to 4 times more space than regular BFs.
CBFs have been used within a database system called a Shared Fast Hash Table (SFHT), which is discussed in detail in Song et al., Fast Hash Table Lookup Using Extended Bloom Filter: An Aid to Network Processing, SIGCOMM '05, Aug. 21-26 (2005). In a SFHT, the CBF is extended in order to also maintain a pointer to a list of elements contained in each CBF bin. Referring now to FIG. 3, an example Shared Fast Hash Table representing elements {x, y, z, w} is shown. The SFHT is a CBF 300 having an array of bins 301 and corresponding pointers 303. The pointers 303 are capable of pointing to a list of elements contained in each of the bins 301, and each of the bins 301 is a counter. In FIG. 3, element x 302, element y 304, element z 306 and element w 308 are inserted into the CBF as discussed above (e.g., compute the hash functions for the element, increment the counter, etc.). Additionally, a pointer 303 is maintained to a list of elements contained by each of the bins 301. As shown in FIG. 3, the elements are not completely shared because element w 308 is duplicated. When a search is executed, the hash functions are computed on the membership query (and assuming all of the bins are non-zero), the search is performed on the list associated with the bin having the lowest counter value.
However, as the number of hash functions and the number of elements in the set of elements increase, the number of collisions increases, which causes performance of a search using the CBF to degrade with respect to a search of the standard database tree (i.e., a WAVL tree).

Methods and apparatuses for improving database search performance


The present invention provides a method for balancing unicast or multicast flows in a multistage non-blocking fabric, wherein the fabric comprises at least one internal switching element (SE) stage, an input SE stage and an output SE stage. The method comprises: (a) receiving cells into the fabric wherein each cell is associated with an input subset and associated with an output subset according to the source and destination address of the cell, (b) assigning each cell to a flow, wherein cells sourced from the same input subset, and bound for the same output subset, or multiple output subsets, are assigned to the same flow, and (c) transmitting flows through the internal SE stage wherein cells of a particular flow are distributed among the internal switching elements, wherein the cells of each particular flow transmitted at each internal SE differs by at most h, wherein h is positive, whereby the flow in the fabric is balanced.

Clos circuit switch has been proposed by Clos in 1953 at Bell Labs (C. Clos, "A study of non-blocking switching networks," Bell Systems Technology Journal 32:406-424 (1953)). FIG. 1 shows the connections between switching elements (SE) in a symmetric Clos three-stage switch. This interconnection rule is: the xth SE in some switching stage is connected to the xth input of each SE in the next stage (C. Clos, 32:406-424 (1953); J. Hui, Switching and Traffic Theory for Integrated Broadband Networks, Kluwer Academic Press 1990; F. K. Hwang, The mathematical theory of nonblocking switching networks, World Scientific, 1998). Here, all connections have the same bandwidths. It has been shown that a circuit can be established through the Clos switching fabric without rearranging existing circuits as long as the number of SEs in the second stage is at least twice the number of inputs of an SE in the first stage, i.e. l≧2 n. It has also been shown that a circuit can be established through the Clos switching fabric as long as the number of SEs in the second stage is no less than the number of inputs of an SE in the first stage, i.e. l≧n. In the latter case, the number of required SEs and their total capacity are smaller due to the fact that the existing circuits can be rearranged. While the complexity of the switching fabric hardware is reduced, the complexity of the algorithm for a circuit setup is increased. In both cases, non-blocking property of the Clos architecture has been proven assuming the specific algorithms for circuit setup (F. K. Hwang, World Scientific, 1998). Various implications of Clos findings have been examined in W. Kabacinski et al. "50th anniversary of Clos networks," IEEE Communication Magazine, 41(10): 26-64 (October 2003).
The Clos switching fabric can be used for increasing capacity of packet switches as well. The interconnection of SEs would be the same as in the circuit switch case. However, these SEs should be reconfigured in each cell time slot based on the outputs of outstanding cells. Here, packets are split into cells of a fixed duration which is typically 50 ns (64 bytes at 10 Gb/s). Algorithms for circuit setup in Clos circuit switches cannot be readily applied in Clos packet switches. First, all SEs should be synchronized on a cell-by-cell basis. Then, an implementation of the algorithm that rearranges connections on a cell-by-cell basis in SEs of a rearrangeable non-blocking Clos switch would be prohibitively complex (J. Hui, Kluwer Academic Press 1990). So, the Clos fabric with the larger hardware, l=2n, is needed for a non-blocking packet switch. A scheduling algorithm that would provide non-blocking in a Clos packet switch would require higher processing complexity than its counterpart designed for a cross-bar switch (A. Smiljanić, "Flexible bandwidth allocation in terabit packet switches," Proceedings of IEEE Conference on High Performance Switching and Routing, June 2000, pp. 233-241; A. Smiljanić, "Flexible Bandwidth Allocation in High-Capacity Packet Switches," IEEE/ACM Transactions on Networking, April 2002, pp. 287-293). Few heuristics have been proposed to configure SEs in Clos packet switches without assessment of their blocking nature (McDermott et al., "Large-scale IP router using a high-speed optical switch element," OSA Journal on Optical Networking, www.osa-jon.org, July 2003, pp. 228-241; Oki et al., "Concurrent round-robin-based dispatching schemes for Clos-network switches," IEEE/ACM Transactions on Networking, 10(6):830-844 (December 2002)).
On the other side, it has been recognized that a Clos packet switch in which the traffic load is balanced across the SEs provides non-blocking, i.e. with sufficiently large buffers it passes all the traffic if the outputs are not over-loaded. Such an architecture has been described in Chaney et al., "Design of a gigabit ATM switch," Proceedings of INFOCOM 1997, 1:2-11 (1997) and J. S. Turner, "An optimal nonblocking multicast virtual circuit switch," Proceeding of INFOCOM 1994, 1:298-305 (1994). Turner showed that the architecture is non-blocking if the traffic of each multicast session is balanced over the SEs in a Benes packet switch. Here the multicast session carries the information between end users in the network.
However, the delay that packets experience through the Clos switch has not been assessed. Delay guarantees are important for various applications, for example, interactive voice and video, web browsing, streaming etc. In previous work, flows of data belonging to individual multicast sessions were balanced over switching elements (SEs) in the middle stage. The delay for such load balancing mechanism is too long. In order to guarantee acceptable delays for sensitive applications, the utilization of the mechanisms that balances loads of individual sessions decreases unacceptably with switch size (A. Smiljanić, "Performance load balancing algorithm in Clos packet switches," Proceedings of IEEE Workshop on High Performance Switching and Routing, 2004; A. Smiljanić, "Load balancing algorithm in Clos packet switches," Proceedings of IEEE International Conference on Communications, 2004). Accordingly, a challenge in the field is providing a minimum required delay guarantee without unacceptably decreasing fabric utilization.

Load balancing algorithms in non-blocking multistage packet switches


In one example, the encoding rate at which data is delivered over a network is estimated by intercepting a data packet from a data streaming session, wherein the data packet contains at least a portion of one of a plurality of file segments containing portions of a file, and wherein a number of the plurality of file segments that is delivered via the data streaming session is limited to a maximum number. The mean size of the plurality of file segments is estimated from data contained in the data packet. A plurality of potential sizes of the plurality of file segments is calculated, wherein each potential size corresponds to one number between one and the maximum number. An encoding rate of the data streaming session is calculated, based at least in part on which potential size of the plurality of potential sizes is closest to the mean size.

Many computing devices, including mobile computing devices such as smart phones, tablet computers, and the like, are capable of accessing data over a network. Over-the-top (OTT) video streaming over the Internet, for instance, is one of the most widely used data services. When streaming a video, a computing device constantly receives and displays video data delivered by a provider. The provider may store the video data at some remote location (e.g., a server) in a series of file segments, where each file segment contains a different portion of the video data. The provider may deliver these file segments individually to the computing device over the network. The computing device may download and store these file segments temporarily (e.g., at least long enough to play back the data) in a buffer.
The volume of network traffic generated by streaming video services often consumes more network bandwidth than any other application.


A button assembly of a dishwasher is provided. The button assembly includes a button portion and a front panel. The button portion has a button head for a user to press and a button body extending down from the button head. A button connecting portion connects a plurality of button bodies, and hence, a plurality of button portions along one piece. The button portion is installed at the rear of the front panel. The front panel has a button window formed therein for inserting the button head therethrough. Because the button portions do not need to be individually mounted using individual springs and fasteners, the assembly process is simplified, and manufacturing cost is reduced.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a dishwasher, and more particularly, to a button assembly of a dishwasher for a user to input commands with, in order to control the operation of the dishwasher.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, dishwashers are convenient kitchen appliances that clean and remove food deposits from dishes using high-pressure streams of water and detergent, and also dry the dishes afterwards.
A dishwasher typically has a control panel, located on its frontal portion, including a button assembly for entering operation commands and an LED (light emitting diode) display for showing the operation mode. A user presses the buttons on the control panel to enter operational commands.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a button assembly in a control panel of the prior art.
Referring to FIG. 1, the button assembly of the prior art includes a front panel 10 and a plurality of buttons 20 installed at the back of the front panel 10. The front panel 10 includes a button window 11, allowing a user to press the buttons 20 inserted through the button window 11.
In addition, attached to the rear of a button 10 are a leaf spring 30 having a predetermined elasticity, and a fastening screw 40 fastening the button 20 and the leaf spring 30 in one unit to the rear of the front panel 10.
Accordingly, when a user presses a button 20, the leaf spring 30 flexes, and when the user releases the button 20, the tension in the leaf spring 30 causes the button 20 to return to its original position.
In this button assembly of the prior art, not only is an individual leaf spring required to maintain spring tension for each button, but a fastening screw is also required to fasten each spring to each button.
Because each button needs to be installed with its own leaf spring and fastened with its own fastener, the number of parts needed to form the button assembly increases, and the assembly process is unnecessarily complicated.


The present invention includes a method for analyzing RNA fragments. In one aspect, the present invention includes a method of identifying a subject in need of therapeutic intervention to treat a disease or condition, disease recurrence, or disease progression comprises characterizing the identity of rRNA fragments. The invention also includes diagnosing, identifying or monitoring a disease or condition, and a method for identifying rRNA fragments. The invention also includes diagnosing, identifying or monitoring a glaucoma in a subject in need thereof by characterizing the identity of rRNA or tRNA fragments.

Ribosomal ribonucleic acids (rRNAs) are non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs). rRNAs are very important molecules that combine with proteins to form ribosomes. rRNAs constitute the predominant material within the ribosome, which is approximately 60% rRNA and 40% protein by weight. Within a ribosome, the rRNAs form two subunits, the large subunit (LSU) and small subunit (SSU).
Ribosomes are the complexes in which the translation from codons to amino acids occurs and protein synthesis takes place. rRNAs are present in all kingdoms of life (archaea, bacteria, and eukaryotes). Within a cell, rRNA molecules are very abundant, typically representing as much as 80% of the cell's total RNA content.
The nuclear genome of mammalian cells encodes 4 distinct types of rRNA molecules known as 5S, 5.8S, 18S and 28S, respectively. Additionally, there are two more rRNA molecules that are encoded by the mitochondrial genome and are known as 12S and 16S.
The typical nuclear genome contains many copies of the DNA template used to make rRNAs. These copies are generally organized as tandem repeats with each repeat generally comprising dozens of copies. In the human genome, hundreds of such repeats are known and can be found in several chromosomes. The only exceptions are 12S and 16S which have a single copy in the mitochondrial genome.
Three of the rRNAs that are found in the nuclear genome, namely 18S, 5.8S, and 28S, are organized as a single transcription unit that is known as 45S. Within 45S, the sequences encoding the three rRNAs are separated by 2 spacers. There are five clusters, each with 30-40 copies of 45S, on chromosomes 13, 14, 15, 21, and 22. The 45S unit is transcribed by RNA polymerase I. The 5S rRNA is transcribed by RNA polymerase III. And the 12S and 16S rRNAs are transcribed by the mitochondrial RNA polymerase gene (POLRMT).
In general, rRNA sequences are widely used for determining evolutionary relationships among organisms, since they are of ancient origin and are found in all known forms of life.
Recent reports have suggested that in other types of ncRNAs, such as transfer RNAs (tRNAs), specific fragments are functionally important for gene regulation or determining a disease state.
There is a need in the art to identify if specific fragments arise from an organism's RNA, particularly rRNA and tRNA, and to characterize the regulatory roles and functions of these RNA fragments (RFs) in diseased and healthy cells. This invention addresses this need.

Compositions and methods of using RNA fragments


Disclosed is a step in the purification process of hydrochlorofluoroolefin refrigerants that are made from processes wherein 1,1,3,3 tetrachloropropene (R1230za) or 1,1,1,3,3-pentachloropropane (R240fa) is reacted with HF in excess. The purification process employs a cold-temperature reaction with a base to remove the HF and any HCl. The process prevents an increase in unwanted organic side-products, particularly trifluoropropyne (TPS), and simultaneously does not reduce the amount of the desired hydrochlorofluoroolefin refrigerant produced. The process also can have an optional step whereby hydrochlorofluoroolefin refrigerant and other organics are removed from aqueous process stream or streams resulting from the reaction with the base. The organics removed can be recycled. This optional step advantageously can increase the yield of the desired refrigerant, while decreasing the environmental load of the plant, by purifying the resulting aqueous process streams.

There is a continuing pressure to produce more environmentally friendly versions of refrigerants, heat transfer fluids, foam blowing agents, solvents, etc. that not only have lower ozone depleting potential, but that also do not contribute to global warming. Chlorofluorocarbons (CFC) and hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), widely used for these applications, are ozone depleting substances and are being phased out in accordance with guidelines of the Montreal Protocol. Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) are a leading replacement for CFCs and HCFCs in many applications; although they are safe for the ozone layer, they still generally possess high global warming potential and for that reason there is increasing need to minimize their use as well.
One class of compounds that has been identified to replace ozone depleting and high global warming substances are halogenated olefins, such as hydrofluoroolefins (HFO) and hydrochlorofluoroolefins (HCFO). The HFOs and HCFOs provide the low global warming potential and zero or near zero ozone depletion properties desired. An exemplary such HCFO is R1233zd-E, trans (E) 1-chloro-3,3,3,trifluoropropene.
A typical process for producing R1233zd-E is the reaction of 1,1,3,3 tetrachloropropene (R1230za) or 1,1,1,3,3 pentachloropropane (R240fa) with HF. An example of such a process is described in U.S. Pat. No. 9,061,958 which is incorporated by reference in its entirety herein for all purposes.
This invention pertains to not only R1233zd, but any HCFO or hydrochlorofluoroalkane with a normal boiling point greater than greater than 0° C., preferably greater than 10° C. and most preferably greater than 15° C. For example, all the isomers of R1233 such as R1233zd-E, R1233zd-Z and R1233xf, and others may be processed according to the processes disclosed herein.
The hydrofluorination reaction can be done in the gas or the liquid phase using any reactor known in the art, e.g., a tubular reactor, plug flow reactor, stirred tank reactor, or un-stirred tank reactor. The reaction may be catalyzed with a homogeneous or heterogeneous catalyst, or the reaction can be run uncatalyzed. The product of the reaction can be distilled, in either a distillation column or partial column such as a rectification column, to remove light products and recover heavier reactants and intermediates to recycle back to the reactor. The light products from the reactor will contain organics, HCl and HF that were either carried overhead in the distillation column by the normal operation of the column or taken overhead as part of an organic-HF azeotrope.
Generally, the next step is HCl removal by distillation. Trace amounts of HCl may remain in the bottom stream. The HCl stream is considered a product stream wherein the HCl may optionally be further purified and/or diluted with water for sale.
The bottoms stream is then sent to a separator to remove most of the HF from the organics. This separator may involve distillation, extraction, adsorption, or preferably decantation (i.e., the separator may be a decanter). When using a decanter, the HF-rich phase may contain between 20 and 40 wt % organics. This stream can optionally be sent to a distillation column to remove the organics, or organic-HF azeotropes. The HF is sent back to the reactor and the organic-rich stream is sent back to the decanter.
The organic-rich stream from the separator, i.e., the bottoms stream from a decanter, contains some HF, typically between 0.1 and 6 wt %. There is a need to remove the HF from this stream, which is a crude mixture of the desired refrigerant and small amounts of impurities such as undesired isomers, under and over-fluorinated side products as well as traces of HCl that is produced as a result of the reaction.
There are a number of possibilities to recover and purify the desired refrigerant and remove the remaining HF.
To remove HF from this crude refrigerant stream, many of the current processes pass the vaporized stream through an aqueous or aqueous-basic stream in an absorber tower. Typically, this processing is done with very volatile products to keep the temperature low enough to ensure no unwanted side reactions take place. The first step is to pass the crude stream through an aqueous absorber to remove most of the HF. Then the stream passes through an absorber with a basic or basic-reducing agent stream. The base in the aqueous stream reacts with HF forming a salt, which then flows with the aqueous stream and out the tails of the tower. The heads of the tower contain the HF-free refrigerant which then goes to one or more distillation towers for further purification. However, when processing crude R1233zd-E, this type of process cannot be used because the R1233zd-E and R1233zd-Z are not volatile enough to stay in the vapor phase unless high temperatures or vacuum are employed. Furthermore, when the crude R1233zd-E containing R1233zd-Z contacts the basic stream at high temperatures, undesired reactions occur. The high temperature can be reduced with vacuum, but vacuum is costly.
U.S. Pat. No. 9,221,732 teaches a method of separating crude R1233zd-E containing HF and HCl. The method comprises reducing the HCl level so that the mixture phase-separates. The upper layer contains most of the HF and the lower layer contains predominately R1233zd-E with low levels of HF and HCl. The HF and HCl are removed by washing the stream with an aqueous solution or an aqueous alkaline solution. There is no disclosure of further purification of the wet R1233zd-E, nor of efforts to minimize undesired products which result from washing the solution with base.
U.S. Pat. No. 9,272,968 discloses a method to suppress the formation of 3,3,3-trifluoropropyne (TFP), a toxic flammable material that can be formed due to reaction of R1233zd with the basic solution. The disclosed process comprises a method whereby the HF is removed with water in two separate washing steps and the resulting solution is then dried by way of a H2SO4 absorption system. In a second embodiment, the second water wash step is replaced with a washing step with a weak caustic solution (pH 7-pH 10). The resulting stream then can be dried with H2SO4. In another embodiment, rather than H2SO4, the water and trace HF are removed with a solid desiccant.
U.S. Pat. No. 9,540,296 discloses a process wherein a crude stream of R1233zd contains HCl in addition to a low level of HF. This stream is washed with an aqueous or basic solution, resulting in a wet vapor which is condensed. The resulting liquid mixture, containing HCFO-1233zd, other organics, and water, is allowed to settle, and thereafter, the lighter water layer is decanted off from the top of the mixture. The heavier HCFO-1233zd layer is then withdrawn from the bottom of the decanter to a desiccant dryer (e.g., molecular sieve, activated alumina, silica gel, and the like) to further reduce the level of residual soluble moisture from the HCFO-1233zd to about 80 ppm or less. The disclosure does not describe a method whereby the levels of the undesired organics or TFP can be controlled by the method of effecting the washing step.
U.S. Patent Application Publ. No. 2013/0158305 discloses a method for removing moisture from fluorine-containing compounds. The method comprising bringing a fluorine-containing compound contaminated with moisture into contact with an aqueous solution containing a metal salt. The disclosed method can continuously and efficiently remove moisture from various fluorine-containing compounds, such as hydrofluoroolefins. The disclosure does not discuss a particular method to remove low levels of HF from the crude refrigerant stream.
U.S. Patent Application Publ. No. 2017/0081265 discloses separation processes that use azeotropic or azeotropic-like compositions of 1-chloro-3,3,3-trifluoropropene (HCFO-1233zd). The separation processes utilize the azeotropic or azeotropic-like properties of the compositions with various combinations of separation techniques (e.g., distillation and decanting) to purify 1-chloro-3,3,3-trifluoropropene.
There is thus a need for processes that can remove the HF from a process stream comprising crude R1233zd-E with undesired organics, without decreasing the amount of the desired R1233zd-E or creating 3,3,3-trifluoropropyne (TFP) and other undesirable organics. Additionally, there remains a need to economically and ecologically remove traces of refrigerant from the effluent water.

Method to neutralize and remove HF from a crude stream containing hydrochlorofluoroolefin


A method of manufacturing, assembling, configuring, and/or using a hybrid drill bit is disclosed. An illustrative example includes inserting a rolling cutting structure into a central bore of a bit body through an upper connector section of the bit body toward a lower end portion of the bit body. The bit body has a rotational axis and a plurality of blades at the lower end portion. The upper connector section is configured to be coupled to a lower end of a drill string. Each of the plurality of blades extends radially from the bit body about the rotational axis at the lower end portion and includes a plurality of cutters embedded therein.

Often in operations for the exploration, drilling and production of hydrocarbons, water, geothermal energy or other subterranean resources, a rotary drill bit is used to form a wellbore through a geologic formation. Rotary drill bits may generally be classified as either fixed-cutter drill bits or roller-cone drill bits, either of which may be installed at the end of a drill string and rotated (hence, rotary) to cut the formation. Whether to use a fixed-cutter bit or a roller-cone bit depends on the particular formation and cost/performance objectives, as the two types perform differently in different types of formations.
Fixed-cutter drill bits are often referred to as "drag bits" due to having a plurality of cutters mounted to the bit body at fixed positions. The bit body for a fixed-cutter drill bit may be constructed of a metallic material such as steel or a matrix material formed by infiltrating a reinforcement material with a molten binder. The cutters can be affixed to an outer profile of the bit body such that hard surfaces on the cutters are exposed to the geologic formation when forming a wellbore. The cutters generally operate to remove material from the geologic formation, typically by shearing formation materials as the drill bit rotates within the wellbore.
Roller-cone drill bits may be constructed of one or more roller cones rotatably mounted to the bit body, wherein cutters mounted at fixed positions on the roller cones rotate with the roller cones. The roller cones roll along the bottom of a wellbore in response to rotation of the roller-cone drill bit at the end of the drill string. The cutters on the roller cones generally operate to remove material from the geologic formation, typically by crushing, gouging and/or scraping material from the geologic formation to drill the wellbore. Hybrid drill bits have been developed with features of both fixed-cutter and roller-cone drill bits for various purposes. For example, in some instances, a hybrid drill bit may be more durable, thereby permitting greater depths to be drilled before requiring maintenance or replacement of the drill bit than either a fixed-cutter drill bit or roller-cone drill bit alone.

Method of manufacturing and designing a hybrid drill bit


An electrographic printhead is operated to focus charged particles on a print member. In one embodiment successive electrodes are maintained at potentials that define increasing electric field strengths in the successive regions along the particle trajectory. In another embodiment, a thick electrode face defines equipotential lines that shape a sharply focusing electrostatic field that penetrates the projection apertures of the printhead. Improved focusing diminishes charge spreading effects, and allows effective positioning of the printhead at greater spacings to reduce the risk of arcing without loss of print resolution.

The present invention relates to electrographic printers of the type wherein a printhead generates charge carriers and directs them at a recording or imaging member to form a desired image by the selective activation of electrodes. It is particularly directed to such printers wherein one set of electrodes is activated as a source of charge carriers, e.g., ions or electrons, and a second set of electrodes is activated to extract and accelerate the charge carriers toward the latent imaging member.
Printheads of this type are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,160,257, 4,628,227, 4,992,807, and others. In the printheads described more particularly in the aforesaid patents, a set of electrodes are activated with an RF frequency signal of up to several thousand volts amplitude to create a localized corona or glow discharge region. Lesser control voltages are applied to one or more control electrodes located at or near the discharge region to gate positive or negative charge carriers from the region, and the printhead is biased with respect to a dielectric member to maintain an accelerating field therebetween, so that the charge carriers are drawn from the printhead and deposited as charge dots constituting a latent image on the dielectric imaging member as it moves past the printhead.
In printing devices using this type of printhead, the RF-driven corona generation lines extend along the width of the printhead, spanning many of the control electrodes, which cross them at an angle. One commercial embodiment, by way of example, has twenty parallel RF lines, which are crossed by one hundred twenty eight oblique control electrodes, known as finger electrodes. During the time when one RF line is activated by a burst of approximately five to ten cycles of a one to three MHz drive signal with a peak to peak amplitude of approximately 2700 volts, those finger electrodes which cross the RF line at the desired dot locations are activated to deposit charge dots.
In the conventional drive circuitry for such systems, the RF drive lines are actuated in a fixed sequence independent of the image being printed, while during any given RF line actuation, the number of finger electrodes which are actuated varies in accordance with the required number and location of dots for the pattern being printed. After a slight delay for the RF voltage to ramp up, the designated finger electrodes are turned on to cause charge carriers to pass from the printhead and accelerate toward the drum, belt or other latent imaging member. Specifically, during their "OFF" cycle, each finger is back biased by several hundred volts with respect to the screen voltage. During its "ON" cycle, the finger voltage is switched to approximately the same potential as the screen, so charge carriers of one polarity reaching the screen aperture are drawn to the imaging member.
In the original printers of this type, the finger electrodes were switched on for a fixed interval substantially co-extensive with the RF corona generation burst. Such operation produces a fixed amount of charge per actuation. More recently, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,841,313 or 60 Nathan K. Weiner, constructions with a finger pulse of varying duration have been proposed. This operation varies the amount of charge deposited at each dot. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,992,807 of Christopher W. Thomson, other control regimens involving varying voltage levels or potential differences in the front electrodes or electrode structures have been described.
Printheads of the aforesaid type are generally operated at a relatively small gap of about 0.25 mm from the image-receiving belt or drum surface, and are biased, with respect to the imaging member, to maintain a relatively high electrostatic acceleration field of 2-3 KV/mm in the gap. The size of the charged particle beams generated by the printhead decreases with higher acceleration field. Considerations of assuring a dependable firing threshold while not risking the occurrence of arcing generally prevent the use of extreme values for either printhead gap or acceleration field operating parameters, and dictate bias voltages and gap spacings in the range indicated above.
The operation of such closely-spaced imaging member and printhead electrode arrays at voltages effective to provide small beam dispersion requires voltages as high as fifty percent or more of the spark breakdown voltage, and may lead to erratic arcing or irregular toning of the latent image, so various attempts have been made in the past to reduce the potential difference across the printhead-to-drum gap. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,658,275 a construction is proposed that places a second screen electrode between the printhead and an imaging belt, with the second screen electrode and a conductor on the opposite side of the imaging belt maintained at the same potential to eliminate any electric field in the gap and prevent extraneous charging or toning of the belt. Others in the industry have proposed additional electrodes located closer to a drum with a grounded core, and maintained at potentials closer to ground to permit reduction of the printhead-to-drum gap, and hence limit the beam divergence.
Generally, charge-deposition printheads deposit a quantity of charge for each print dot in an amount that is sufficient to attract and hold toner onto the imaging member. For one typical dry-toned embodiment, the latent image surface potential required for toning may be between fifty and several hundred volts in charged areas. With such a significant potential, as charge is deposited on the imaging member, the latent image electric field builds up to such magnitude that the projected charge particle beam becomes increasingly divergent, so that the latent image charge dot spreads out. This charge spreading effect can result in the deflection of a substantial portion of the charge of one dot into an annulus outside of the intended dot area, "spreading" the dot dimension by several mils. When the printhead dimensions and operating parameters of a system have been optimized to print images with a resolution of several hundred dots per inch or more, the charge spreading effect can degrade print quality, resulting in loss of print density, loss of print detail, and blurring of color separation in multiply-toned prints.


A flow arrangement for a pressure relief valve assembly can include a bypass flow path extending from a pressure source to a dome of a relief valve. The bypass flow path can include a valve that is configured to open and close the bypass flow path based on pressure at the pressure source or the dome, or a pressure difference between the pressure source and the dome.

Pilot-operated relief valves can be used in a variety of industrial, commercial, and other settings to relieve pressure from a system during overpressure events. Unlike direct acting relief valves, conventional pilot-operated relief valves include a main valve for control of relief venting and a pilot valve to control operation of the main valve. In some arrangements, the main valve has a dome which is pressurized by a fluid that flows from a pressure source through the pilot valve so that the pressure above and below the main valve are substantially equal during normal operation (e.g., after initial loading of the dome). The pilot valve can be configured to provide a particular set pressure, so that if the pressure in the main system line exceeds the set pressure, the fluid connection between the dome and the pressure source is closed and, eventually, a dome-exhaust flow path in the pilot valve is opened to exhaust fluid from the dome. This can allow the main valve to open to vent excess pressure from the system line. When the system line pressure is below the set pressure, the dome-exhaust flow path can close and the pilot valve can, as appropriate, direct flow from the pressure source to re-pressurize the dome.

Emerson Automation Solutions Final Control US LP


A display panel, a method for driving a display panel and a display apparatus are provided. The display panel includes a plurality of pixels, a plurality of gate lines and a plurality of data lines; a multiplexer including a plurality of selectors; a plurality of control lines electrically connected to the plurality of selectors, and a plurality of shift register groups. Each of the plurality of control lines is used to control an output terminal of the selector to output a data signal to the data line. Each shift register group includes a plurality of cascaded shift registers and each shift register is electrically connected to at most two of the plurality of gate lines. There are N rows of pixels between pixels corresponding to two of the plurality of gate lines electrically connected to a same shift register and N is a positive integer.

The electroluminescent display is a self-luminous device, which can realize the display function without a backlight module. Thus, the electroluminescent display may be made to be light and thin, and has a wide range of applications in various fields.
Electroluminescent displays generally have two specifications: conventional products and high-frequency products. The conventional products can be referred to as products with a scanning frequency of 60 Hz, and the high-frequency products can be referred to as products with a scanning frequency of 120 Hz. Currently, the conventional product is usually provided with a multiplexer, and the charging time of the corresponding gate scan signal is generally less than 0.5 microseconds. When the configuration of the conventional product is used for a high frequency product, the charging time of the gate scan signal is also less than 0.5 microseconds. Under such a condition, the charging time of the gate scan signal is seriously insufficient, and a vertical streak problem is prone to occur when the screen is displayed, and the display effect is reduced.
Thus, there is a need to improve the display performance of the high-frequency electroluminescence displays. The disclosed display panel and method for driving the display panel, and display apparatus are directed to solve one or more problems set forth above and other problems in the art.

Display panel and display apparatus with demultiplexer, and driving method thereof