1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to methods of protection against malware located on web resources and, in particular, to malware scans of web resources and identification of malware components on web resources.
2. Description of the Related Art
Detection of viruses and malware has been a concern throughout the era of the personal computer. With the growth of communication networks such as the Internet and increasing interchange of data, including the rapid growth in the use of e-mail for communications, the infection of computers and networks through communications or file exchanges is an increasingly significant consideration. Infections take various forms, but are typically related to computer viruses, Trojan programs, or other forms of malicious code (i.e., malware).
Recent incidents of e-mail mediated virus attacks have been dramatic both for the speed of propagation and for the extent of damage, with Internet service providers (ISPs) and companies suffering service problems and a loss of e-mail and networking capability. In many instances, attempts to adequately prevent file exchange or e-mail mediated infections significantly inconvenience computer users.
Popularization of web services increases malware-related threats to web clients. With the development of web-technologies, such as AJAX, JAVA, PHP, FLASH, etc., web sites become more accessible, with more functionality with various media content, which enhances their appeal and popularity among users. With the introduction of methods of designing web-systems, known as Web 2.0, users have been enabled to not only receive information from the Internet, but also fill out web sites with their own data.
Many Internet users have their own blogs, pages within social networks, where they can share messages or data with other users. In addition to text messaging, modern technologies support transfer of media files, such as photos, video files, interactive documents, animations and applications.
Active participation of users in creation and modification of a web site leads to a rapid development and changes of the site content. A typical example of such a site is a news ticker, where new articles with links to news reports, photos or videos appear at intervals of a minute and sometimes even more often. Another example is a web forum, where a number of users can be in excess of several thousand, and where new messages appear every second.
Increasing popularity of web resources makes this environment more attractive to hackers and virus writers, who spread malicious programs over the Internet. A malicious script, such as iframe, exploits, etc. can be added to the files uploaded to the site. Thus, file exchanges, forums, blogs, web-interfaces of mail servers and any other resources can be infected.
The infection can be perpetrated through any interface, such as a usual web site form to be filled out by a user (in this case, the infection is performed mostly manually by an insider or an intruder who stole passwords). A perpetrator can exploit vulnerability in the content management system or file access the site via FTP. The list of resources is not limited to the http transfer protocol but also includes ftp-resources and other servers.
Typically, ftp-servers are used as tools for remote administration of the sites, including editing and uploading scripts. However, a connection to the ftp-server provides the ability to test all scenarios of site, and not just those that are executed on the user's computer. Access the site files via FTP allows a security system to analyze the source scripts and original pages, while access via http allows to examining only the result of the script and/or the result of processing of the web site files by a web server.
An unauthorized access to a user account and uploading on behalf of this user, a malicious program could lead to a rapid spread of malware because of the credibility of that person among other users. When dealing with mundane sites, users' attention may fade over time due to the usual circumstances. Because of this, incidents of exploitations of social networks and phishing are increasing.
In addition to public Internet services, there are some local sites (corporate, local area networks, user group sites, etc.) that are not accessible from outside of their network. This imposes significant problems in malware scanning of a given resource by anti-virus services or laboratories.
A typical scheme of interaction between a user computer system and a Web resource is illustrated in FIG. 1. Web-server is an application that performs the functions of the server (i.e., a computer system) on which the application is implemented. In addition to web-servers 110 or ftp servers 120, other server applications can be installed. For example, mail servers, proxy servers, IRC-server, etc. In order to interface with these servers, client (i.e., a user) computers 140 must have special applications installed, such as, a browser 130, a file manager 150, etc.
Client 140 access the web server 100 using a URL address of a desired web page or other resource. Each server application and a client interact, using different protocols. The primary protocols for data transfer between the client 140 and server 100 are HTTP (HTTPS), (S) FTP, POP3, SMTP, IMAP4, etc.
Most servers support authentication in the following manner: an authorization data is transferred from the client 140 to the server 100, where the authorization takes place. Then, the data is transmitted from the server 100 to the client 140 based on the rights granted to the client 140.
Personalization makes it possible to make a web resource unique to each user. Authorization is used to distinguish users, their rights and available data. User authorization is carried out by the user via a client application, for example, by filling the forms in the browser. Very often these applications allow preserving the identity of the user. Thus, each user can customize his own interface, to restrict access to his personal page or email, to identify the displayed pages by sections or topics.
In order to provide security while using Internet or on the local network, downloadable content needs to be checked. A downloaded page may contain viruses, trojans, adware, spam, exploits (i.e., HTML code, links to image or “.pdf” file, which has special modifications that result in browser errors and execution of some potentially harmful code) for applications (such as for example, PDF-reader, web browser, media player, flash-player, etc.)
A system of protection of personal computers can include a file anti-virus (AV), network screen, a firewall, a special protection against network attacks, Web anti-virus as well as remote security means of AV vendor companies. Currently AV technologies are heavily developed and includes many different methods and systems that implement both heuristic and signature analysis.
The signature type web analysis includes:
assembling black list of pages (URL-blacklist);
assembling white lists of trusted (i.e., clean) applications/components; and
storing a collection of malware components.
The heuristic analysis typically includes any of:
emulation of executable programs/components;
emulation of executable scripts;
virtualization of execution environment; and
control and analysis of application activity.
A firewall or a network screen is necessary for monitoring and filtering network packets at different levels of the OSI model in accordance with assigned rules for network connections: filtering based on static rules and filtering with tracking executed applications and controlling logic and algorithms of the relevant protocols.
A system for protection against network attacks is typically launched at system startup and monitors incoming traffic activity for patterns typical of network attacks. If an attempt to attack a computer is detected, the system blocks any network activity for the attacker to a protected computer.
A conventional web anti-virus (web AV) intercepts and blocks execution of a malicious script on a web site if it poses a threat. Strict control is also imposed over all HTTP-traffic. Web AV also analyzes web resources for phishing scams and filters banners and pop-ups.
Another line of defense can be a local security server that analyzes the situation within a local network, scans the local traffic and analyzes the network activity of computers. There are also web services that allow the verification of the Internet resource or files. The user downloads a file or enters a URL of the resource and the entire malware test takes place on the web-service of an AV company.
In the case of local AV remedies, a web resource is checked when it is downloaded, in other words, when the client application goes to the corresponding URL-address. It is important to note that in this case, the user is authenticated on the web resource and downloads content, as defined for his user account. The content can be in form of scripts, links, articles, messages, reports, letters from trusted users, etc.
FIG. 2 illustrates a conventional system for checking a web resource 200 for presence of malware or links to infected resources. A connection with the resource 200 is established by an application 220 of a client 210. The client application 210 in this case can be a regular browser, a file manager or another application that interacts with a server 200 via data transfer protocol 230.
The client application 220 transmits to the server 200 user identifiers 250. Depending on authentication scheme 260, the identifiers 250 can represent logins, passwords, session keys, cookie-files, special protocol headers, network or physical addresses of the computer, biometric data, certificates, etc. A request to the server 200 by the client-application 220 is processed by a server application 240.
An authorization 260 is performed, and depending on its results, the server 200 opens a document or generates a web page, an ftp-page or other data representation based on the data type provided by the server 200. Security of data transmitted between the client 210 and the server 200 is provided by a security module 270. This conventional system can be implemented on a personal computer as well as on a web server of an AV company. Typically, the relevance of the AV databases and the effectiveness of heuristic analysis on the server side can be higher than on a personal computer.
However, the principal difference in this case is the data presented by a web resource 200 being tested for malware presence based on the user identification data 250. When the AV check takes place on the server, the result of the authorization is either denial of access or a grant of the rights of the guest account. Thus, the outcome of an AV check, even at equal technological capabilities on the server and the user computer, will be significantly different.
Yet another shortcoming of conventional AV systems is restrictions imposed upon AV web-based scanners by routing rules. If a web resource is part of the network and has no external network address, it is not available outside the network, and it can only be verified by using other security tools installed on a computer system connected to this network.
Many malware creators and hackers are aware of online scanners and knowingly block access of the scanner applications to a web resource where they have planted malware components. This makes comprehensive malware scans difficult. Furthermore, in the conventional systems, a web page cannot be scanned until it is downloaded onto a user computer. A typical web resource can contain several thousand pages. AV checking all of the web pages using a conventional system (as illustrated in FIG. 2), requires a lot of time and resources.
The situation is further complicated when several different web resources need to be periodically scanned. Statistics indicate that the majority of malware components and links to infected pages are located on the main (i.e., home) pages of web resources or on the first pages of sub-sections. This also complicates AV checking process, since each server often uses different identification parameters. In order to check a list of web resources, an AV application needs to have access authorization that also complicates scanning web sites for malware.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a comprehensive malware scanning system that can effectively check the web resources with a minimal overhead and costs.


Home decor often involves the tedious application of mouldings, wallpaper, borders, and the like. Decorating a home with wall paper can become rather expensive since many rolls are required, and each roll of wall paper typically costs twenty to one hundred dollars. Furthermore, hanging the paper requires skill, patience, and time. Often, homeowners lack sufficient skill to properly hang wallpaper, or lack the time or patience to properly hang the wall paper. As a result, homeowners hire professionals to hang the wallpaper, increasing the cost to wallpaper a home. A further drawback of wall paper is that it is difficult to remove from wall surfaces when redecorating, particularly when the wallpaper is improperly hung. Yet another drawback of wall paper is that a homeowner must rely on the availability of patterns and colors, and hope that one is available which matches the style and color desired. Decorating with paint, therefore, has become an economical alternative to wall paper.
In part due to the reasons discussed above, painting a room has become a popular way to decorate a room. Some individuals previously considered painting as a boring option. However, now the increased availability of new colors in combination with many different methods of application can create a look quite similar to that of expensive wallpaper.
Paint is available in a wide variety of colors. Many stores also offer mixing services, where the store employee mixes a color based on a sample which you provide. Even with these variety of colors, a person applying the paint is limited to using only one color. Alternatively, a person may apply multiple layers, creating a look containing many colors. However, this is a very time consuming approach since typically the initial layer of paint must be dry before the next layer can be applied. Alternatively, the person applying paint can utilize several different paint pans. However, having multiple pans of paint out available for use creates other disadvantages. First, significant floor space is occupied by the multiple paint pans. The person may inadvertently step into the pan and spill excess paint on shoes, clothing, and even the floor. Second, the paint in a pan not used as frequently as the others may acquire a skin on the top surface due to a drying effect. This results in impurities which remain in the pan, and eventually contaminate the roller when the paint is applied to a wall.
One approach to providing multiple colors of paint is taught in "A Guide to Color & Decorating with Paint," published by Benjamin Moore & Co. of Toronto, Canada. A standard paint tray is provided, and a method for containing multiple colors is described. A piece of cardboard is inserted in the tray while the paint is being poured in, and the cardboard is then removed. However, this approach has several disadvantages. The paint colors may mix due to an uneven resting surface, or from agitation from the roller itself. The mixed colors create uneven results on the painted surface. Controlling the cardboard while simultaneously pouring paint is difficult. Further, the cardboard is full of paint when it is removed and is therefore an additional mess for a painter to deal with. Once the cardboard is removed, and the paint mixes due to an uneven resting surface or the pan is inadvertently kicked, the mistake of mixing the paint is irrevocable.
Accordingly, what is needed is a paint apparatus for accommodating a plurality of colors of paint. What is further needed is a way to ensure a paint application device is properly loaded.


This invention relates to torque converter clutch controls and more particularly to the damping of slipping clutch controls.


1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tactile wave generating apparatus and method, and more particularly to generating amplified low frequency waves which are transmitted as tactile sound into a structure and/or to a person's anatomy. Further the present invention relates to a system where the low frequency tactile waves may be transmitted to the person's body while the full audible waves are being transmitted to the person.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Electroacoustic transducers such as loudspeakers for use in music or movie soundtrack reproduction are well known. In traditional prior art sound reproduction systems, large, powerful speakers move large amounts of air to permit a listener to feel the low frequency of sound. Listeners enjoy live concerts, in part, because they want to feel the sound pressure upon their bodies.
In recent years, one of the more important trends in the audio industry is that of “tactile sound” which may be described as “vibro-acoustic” or “vibro-tactile” stimulation. With tactile sound the realism of the listening experience can be enhanced by transmitting tactile waves into the person's body. For example, this could be done by vibrating the listener's seating surface of a chair or other furniture or structures. These tactile waves are able to be sensed within the person's body to add another dimension to the person's listening experience.
The initial applications of these devices were as sub woofer replacements or sub woofer augmentation devices. The addition of higher frequency material began to demonstrate the potential of wider bandwidth devices and the associated additional dimensions that vibro-tactile stimulation brings to the overall experience. There are many parameters that need to be evaluated when designing and/or selecting a vibro-technical device for inclusion in music and/or an entertainment system. For example, bandwidths, efficiency and power handling need to be understood. These parameters can play a big role not only in the device selection but in the amplifier selection as well.
It is well understood in the loud speaker industry that sufficient bandwidths (i.e., flat frequency response with sufficient low frequency and high frequency limits) is critical for high fidelity reproduction. Vibro-tactile devices, like loud speakers, are devices that must be properly designed to refine the required bandwidth for accurate response.
It is with these and other considerations being kept in mind that the designs of the embodiments of the present invention were created.


1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a sensing unit and a method of making the sensing unit.
2. Related Background Art
A silicon acceleration sensor employing MEMS technology is known from the prior art as an acceleration sensor (accelerometer).
A sensing unit of this silicon acceleration sensor is typically made through a process such as that shown in FIG. 8. More specifically, when making a sensing unit 110 of the silicon acceleration sensor, first, as shown in (a) of FIG. 8, a photomask 102 having a pattern of stripes arranged in parallel is formed on a silicon substrate 100. Deep etching (at an etching depth of 25 to 30 μm) using the photomask 102 is then performed, thereby forming a plurality of parallel trenches 104. Then, as shown in (b) of FIG. 8, an SiO2 film 106 is deposited on an upper surface of the substrate 100 and an inner wall surface of the trenches 104. Next, as shown in (c) of FIG. 8, a bottom surface part of the trenches 104 is partially removed by isotropic etching such that adjacent trenches 104 are connected to each other by the bottom surface part. As a result, a cantilever part 108 capable of reciprocating in a single parallel direction (in other words, the arrangement direction) to the surface direction of the substrate 100 is formed between the adjacent trenches 104.
In the sensing unit 110 having the structure shown in FIG. 8, acceleration is measured on the basis of variation in electrostatic capacity accompanying oscillation of the cantilever part (movable part) 108.


Although there are many personal products that one might want to have customized or made as a one-of-a kind product tailored to a particular user, a key one of these personal products is eyewear. While the invention will be described in connection with creating producing and delivering custom eyewear, it will be appreciated that the subject invention involves the creation, production and delivering of a wide variety of products that relate to the anatomical or physical characteristics of the user as well as the users preferences for particular product. That having been said, it will be appreciated that describing the invention in terms of the creation, production and delivery of eyewear carries a large number of similarities to the creation, production and delivering of a wide variety of products customized to the features and desires of the user. What follows therefore describes invention in terms of eyewear, it being understood that the invention is not so limited.
Purchasing eyewear, while a necessity for many people, presents many challenges for consumers. For traditional in-store purchases, consumers are faced with limited in-store selection, which often requires visiting multiple stores. Yet users must explore an unmanageable array of options to find a compromise between fit, style, color, shape, price, etc. Eyewear is most commonly mass-produced, with a particular style available in one or two generic colors and sizes. Users faces are unique enough that a face can be used as a primary form of identification, yet they must choose between products made for a generic faces that are not their own. It is very difficult for users to find the one perfect pair of glasses for their unique taste, facial anatomy, and needs. They also often have difficulty visualizing what they try on because they need an optical prescription in the first place.
Recent entrants have explored the online marketplace for eyewear in an attempt to address some of these issues. However, none of the commercially available eyewear selection systems attempt to provide a completely unique one-up, from-scratch product that is customized to the user's anatomical features, as well as the user's likes and dislikes. There is therefore a need to provide a user with a completely customizable one up product that does not rely on only off-the-shelf previously designed mass-produced or stock components. The underlying form, size, shape, or other properties of the key components must be customized to provide a truly unique and custom product for the user. Once having been able to obtain the user's image data, it is then desirable to analyze and make critical measurements of the user's face, determine user preference, and on-demand manufacture a custom piece of eyewear.
It is of course desirable for the process to be as automatic as possible and be one that returns to the user the most perfect one-of-a-kind piece of eyewear that he or she has ever seen. If this can be done in a relatively swift fashion, the user is provided with a quick unique piece of eyewear is that manufactured on demand.
More particularly, the online market is rapidly growing, though there still persist numerous problems for consumers. Consumers have poor ability to try-on glasses while shopping online. Online sites have more selection than in stores, but often the consumer is faced with endless pages of glasses from which to choose. The quality of the glasses is often unknown, and consumers are even more concerned about their new glasses fitting correctly and being comfortable since they cannot physically hold or see them until they purchase.
A clear need exists for a shopping experience that enables a unique made-to-order product with high quality materials and design, at a price that users believe is fair and affordable for a made from scratch unique one up item, and an easier and more custom experience to creating and purchasing the perfect product for the individual, in this case a pair of glasses.
The concept of virtually trying on articles of clothing, including eyewear, has been discussed in the prior art for a number of years. All of the below listed patents relate to preview systems, but none relate to providing a from scratch product, relying instead on prefabricated components for a particular item.
For instance, Spackova in U.S. Pat. No. 4,539,585 describes a computer system to view articles of clothing on a person in an image. Mori, U.S. Pat. No. 4,730,260, and Ninomiya, et. al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,845,641, describe computer systems to virtually overlay eyewear on a person in an image. Jordan, U.S. Pat. No. 5,280,570, describes a system requiring a user to visit a store to virtually try on glasses with a realistic rendering of how their eyes will appear behind the glasses. Norton, U.S. Pat. No. 5,592,248, describes various methods of overlaying virtual images of eyewear on an image of a person's face to preview the appearance. Faye, U.S. Pat. No. 5,983,201, describes a system for users to virtually try on a variety of eyeglasses on their personal computer by connecting to an online store, selecting a subset of eyewear based on user preferences and sizes, and allowing user to purchase the frames. Gao, U.S. Pat. No. 6,095,650, describes another system for capturing an image and displaying eyewear superimposed on the user's image, including scaling of the image and detection of pupils to center the frames. Saigo, U.S. Pat. No. 6,142,628, describes another try-on system that also includes lens selection and display of lens shape in addition to frames. Waupotitsh, U.S. Pat. No. 7,016,824, describes an eyewear preview system that used a 3D face model provided by the user to overlay eyewear models on. Abitbol, U.S. Pat. No. 6,692,127, describes an eyewear try-on system that requires a wide-view camera to obtain a 3D model. Foley, U.S. Pat. No. 6,535,223, describes a system to determine pupillary distance based on an image of a person's face including an object of a known scale, as well as superimposing preview eyewear and allowing orders to be placed.
All of the previously described prior art explore various ways of previewing eyewear superimposed over an image of a person, but they are not on-demand systems that create, assemble and deliver a unique one-of-a-kind product from scratch. Nor do they permit previewing new custom eyewear that has not previously been mass-produced. Nor do they use the user-specific information to make eyewear better for the user. In short, they do not customize, adapt, modify, implement, or create new products such as eyewear using an on-demand system providing one-of-a-kind products from scratch. Moreover, all of the above techniques rely on previewing eyewear superimposed on the image of a person.
On the other hand, Fujie, U.S. Pat. No. 5,576,778, describes a system to design eyewear based on facial dimensions of a person. It is noted that Fujie is limited to controlling various anchor points on a Bezier curve that is extracted from facial image data to achieve a design. However, the specification of these anchor points or the control thereof by an individual is technical and difficult, made more so because these points are controlled using the user's words to control shape. Moreover, Fujie is limited to specifically sending polar coordinates based on Bezier curves to machine tools. This is much too complicated for a user, and the user's words alone may not be suitable as the only control.
Soatto, U.S. Pat. No. 6,944,327, describes a system to customize eyewear based on preview images of the user's face. However, Soatto does not take into account automatically-generated user preferences. Soatto does not describe an on-demand end-to-end process and does not describe a full system that can actually manufacture eyewear. Moreover, the Soatto method is limited to specific cameras, only a frontal face image and using a method to generate a two dimensional template of the face for sizing. Limiting the preview to only a front image prevents sizing information that is critical around the temples for ensuring a good preview and comfort for the user. Moreover, most computer systems do not have multi-lens cameras conveniently available. Note, adjustment is done only through control points while maintaining a constant perimeter rim size, which is of limited application—different users will surely require different sizes. It will be appreciated that methods describing a 3D model of the face require two or more cameras not normally available to most users.
Izumitani, U.S. Pat. No. 6,533,418, describes a system to make eyewear to order based on image previews superimposed over the user's face. However this patent only discusses changing lens shape, frame types, frame parts, and colors. It does not explain changing frame shape, but only replacing parts or changing a frame style from rimless to rimmed, which is very limiting when one wants to more fully customize eyewear. Moreover this patent does not describe automatic algorithms that size a frame to a user's face or aid in the selection of the best frames. Instead it uses a manual system like a custom order catalogue with many interchangeable parts to choose from, which could be overwhelming or too complicated for an eyewear consumer. Additionally, the preview system described only shows front and side portraits of the user with eyewear, with no interactive views, 3D views, or video, and it does not measure the dimensions of a face automatically. Further, a user is required to assist or enter information to obtain proper measurements. Finally, while the patent describes the manufacturing of eyewear, it does not clearly describe how made-to-order eyewear could actually be produced.
Warden, U.S. Pat. No. 7,845,797, describes a method for manufacturing custom eyewear that uses a front and side image in a system with multiple cameras and lighting sources. The method requires the capture of images with and without eyewear worn on the user's face before it determines the best lens position. This method is quite limited, as it requires that the user already physically possesses the eyewear he desires, and it assumes the user simply wishes to refine the lens placement in a subsequent pair of frames. In short, this is not an on-demand end-to-end system that starts from scratch to then create, design, assemble and deliver the custom product.
To satisfy the needs of a typical consumer, an easy-to-use method and system that can provide a confident and enjoyable shopping experience are necessary. The system must be capable of working with the computer hardware and image capturing equipment available to typical consumer, which limits the minimum hardware to a single-lens digital camera, stand alone or embedded in a computer system, without depth or distance-measuring capability. The embodiments of this invention describe both systems to use single camera hardware and also systems that benefit from multi-camera or depth camera technology, in the event these technologies become more pervasive in a form used by consumers or in the event that a computer system is installed in a retail or office location.
The prior art describes technologies that are designed mostly for the aesthetic preview of the eyewear on a user. A need for a more quantitative analysis exists to enable a better experience, custom fit, custom style, automated adjustment and recommendations, and the overall ability to make an eyewear design fit with each user's unique anatomy and taste.
Often pupillary distance is the only measurement taken to ensure the proper fit of eyewear, and that measurement alone is not sufficient to ensure a proper physical fitting of custom eyewear. More information is especially needed for advanced optics, such as progressive or digitally-compensated or freeform lenses. But regardless of the type and quantity of facial measurements needed to craft custom eyewear, the user should not be required to manually measure them. Most target users are not technologically savvy beyond following easy prompts in a web browser. A consumer needs an experience that is easier than picking and choosing parts and pieces or custom drawing every detail, especially when using only 2-D images, as the prior art has described. The method and system must enable easy customization, including automation of sizing and styles if the user desires automated recommendations. An average user should be able to obtain any eyewear design they desire and an excellent fit by having a design custom-fitted to his face, seeing a preview in a “what you see is what you get” display, and being able to make changes and see the effect on his face and fit.
Finally, the method and system must result in a manufacturable product, such that it can be produced and sold at a reasonable cost to the user with an acceptable delivery time. It will be appreciated that a great preview system is not useful if the product being previewed is not ultimately manufacturable at a cost and in a time frame that is satisfactory to the user ordering the product.
Thus there is a compelling need for a method and system to allow greater and more personalized customization of lenses and frames, more accurate modeling and preview, more automated or assisted eyewear selection and customization, more detailed measurements, and methods to produce customized eyewear efficiently and economically to fulfill users' orders.


1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a network system such as a VPN (Virtual Private Network), and more particularly to a network system that uses a firewall.
2. Description of Related Art
In recent years, networks which connect multiple Intranets to each other using the internet have been proposed. The concerned networks are called extranets.
The VPN is known as such an extranet. By constructing a VPN, it is possible to dynamically form a work group that extends within a company or between companies. By forming a dynamic network, it is possible to link application groups in each Intranet with the internet as a base network.
When constructing an extranet, flexibility and security must be ensured for each Intranet. To ensure flexibility and security, it is necessary to construct work groups between users for which access to information and services is restricted but for which there is no physical network restriction. In addition, to ensure flexibility and security, it is necessary to provide a flexible and unified interface as the interface used to provide services to work groups and to connect and disconnect users.
An extranet using a VPN can be viewed as a virtual extension of an Intranet. Therefore, it is preferable if the environmental conditions of each Intranet that forms a work group are the same as the environmental conditions of the Intranet operated individually. To accomplish this, it is preferable to use the same firewall as that when accessed from an outside terminal as the firewall that protects the Intranet when accessing from another internet.
With an Intranet operated individually, there are firewalls that use the methods shown below as firewalls for protecting the Intranet when accessing from an outside terminal. These methods can be used individually or in hybrid form to construct a firewall.
This method determines packets that can pass through a firewall based on IP (Internet Protocol) addresses of data subject to communication, communication port numbers that show the type of application subject to services provided to the client, etc.
This method executes relay or proxy response of send data for specific applications at the TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) layer level. This method uses a standard technology called SOCKS.
This method installs a proxy program that executes proxy responses for each protocol to operate specific applications such as HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol) or FTP (File Transfer Protocol).
This method registers a script for which the transactions between requests and responses have been put into rule form to a firewall for each application, and allows only packets which satisfy the rules to pass through.
However, when using the methods described above as a firewall for protecting Intranets that form a work group, in other words, a firewall for protecting the Intranet from access from other Intranets, there are the following disadvantages.
With the packet filtering method, IP addresses are monitored as described above, but these IP addresses are set for each client (the computer that is the user terminal). Because of this, with this method, there is a fixed relationship between the client and server (computer providing services within the firewall), so it is not possible to ensure flexibility when forming a dynamic work group. Also, to perform monitoring of IP addresses for each packet, it is not possible to ensure sufficient operating capability with software installation of a firewall, making it necessary to construct a firewall with dedicated hardware.
With the circuit level gateway method, handling at the TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) layer is required. Therefore, when mounting a firewall on an Intranet, it becomes necessary to replace the TCP/IP library groups at the client OS (Operating System) layer. It also becomes necessary to make software changes for server applications when TCP/IP changes occur.
With the application gateway method, a proxy program within the firewall must be provided for each element application to construct work groups. Because of this, when adding element applications in an Intranet, it becomes necessary to newly develop proxy programs and to make firewall setting changes.
With the extension packet filtering method as well, as with the application gateway method, when adding element applications in an Intranet, it becomes necessary to newly register scripts and to make firewall setting changes.
These reasons make it difficult to use a firewall used by individually-operated-Intranets for an extranet.
An object of the present invention is to provide a suitable firewall for an extranet.
To achieve this, the network system of the present invention comprises a first Intranet and second Intranet connected to each other with the internet as a base, a first dynamic proxy server for forming a firewall to protect the first Intranet, a second dynamic proxy server for forming a firewall to protect the second Intranet, a remote access terminal connected to the first Intranet, a first object directory server installed in the first Intranet to determine if the service requested using the remote access terminal is provided in the first Intranet or provided in the second Intranet, and a second object directory server installed in the second Intranet to dynamically install a service proxy in the second dynamic proxy server when the service is provided in the second Intranet.
With such a structure, it is possible to protect multiple Intranets with a firewall while connecting and providing services to each other using the internet as a base.


A variety of guided wave optical switches have been proposed for fiber optic acoustic sensor systems. These switches include 1×1 on-off switches, 1×2 blocking switches, and 1×8 blocking switches. One characteristic requirement for all of these switches is a high extinction ratio in the off state. An extinction ratio is the ratio of two optical power levels, e.g., P 1/P 2, of a digital signal generated by an optical source, where P 1 is the optical power level generated when the light source is “on,” and P 2 is the power level generated when the light source is “off.”.
For different switch architectures, e.g., Mach Zehnder interferometers and delta beta reversal switches, an extinction ratio of up to 40 dB or more for each switch can be obtained with an appropriate voltage level. This extinction ratio degrades over time and temperature, resulting in voltage drift, unless the voltage level is adjusted to maintain a minimum null signal.
One prior art technique used to exercise an applied voltage to track and maintain the optical null requires interruption of an optical data flow in a working system. Disadvantageously, the prior art technique requires the system to be off-line.
Another prior art technique requires the application of a small dither voltage to the direct current (DC) port and the use of a hill climb servo to find the optimum DC bias point. Disadvantageously, this technique introduces excess noise into the system.


Bobrowski et al. taught that concrete remaining in the mixing drum of delivery trucks can be reclaimed for use by adding a retarding admixture to stabilize the remainder concrete (See U.S. Pat. No. 4,964,917), optionally adding new concrete to the remainder (See U.S. Pat. No. 5,203,919), and then using an accelerator just before re-using the reclaimed concrete (See U.S. Pat. No. 5,247,617).
Hines et al. taught that the amount of admixture to be dosed into the truck returning from delivery can be calculated based on remaining load size and temperature of the concrete (See U.S. Pat. No. 6,042,258) and that admixture dosing could be done on an automated basis (See U.S. Pat. No. 6,042,259).
The present inventors believe that prior art methods for calculating the concrete load remaining in the truck after delivery are neither sufficiently accurate nor practically convenient. For example, it is known to weigh the mixing truck on a weight scale before and after delivery (See e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,752,768; U.S. Pat. No. 6,123,444; U.S. Pat. No. 8,020,431; and GB 2392502), but weight can vary due to imprecision of the scale and various other factors (such as fluctuation of fuel tank and other fluid tank levels).
It is also known to estimate concrete discharged from the drum by counting mixing drum rotations required to discharge a known volume of concrete. A typical concrete mixing drum has a pair of mixing blades mounted on the inner drum wall, helically arrayed about the rotational axis of the drum. The blades thus function in the manner of an Archimedes' screw device. When the drum rotates in the “charge” (loading or mixing) direction, the blades push concrete towards the closed end of the drum; and, when the drum rotates in the “discharge” direction, the blades push concrete towards and through an opening located at the opposite end of the drum. The concrete expelled through the drum opening can then be guided by a chute to the desired spot where it is to be placed. Often, the load will not be fully discharged, and the remainder will be returned in the mixing drum to the plant or moved to another placement location; and the remaining volume of concrete would typically be measured by rough visual approximation or by subtracting a rough estimate of the discharged amount from the amount of the original load.
To this point, the current practice of estimating the remainder load has been premised upon the assumption that the amount of concrete discharged from the drum can be calculated based upon the number of drum rotations required to expel the concrete from the drum. This relation is mentioned in various patents, including U.S. Pat. No. 5,752,768 of Assh (Col. 18, line 40 et seq.), U.S. Pat. No. 8,020,431 of Cooley, and U.S. Pat. No. 8,118,473 of Compton. However, the present inventors believe this assumption is predicated on a the underlying assumption that the number of rotations required to bring concrete to the drum opening is constant from load to load, and further that the amount of discharge for each drum rotation is also constant from load to load.
In U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,611,755, 6,892,131, and 7,489,993, Coffee et al. disclosed that Begin Pour and End Pour events (i.e., charging and discharge) can be based upon, among other approaches, the number of drum rotations in the discharge direction, and that the truck can be weighed as part of determining amounts of concrete remaining in the drum after the End Pour event. The number of discharge revolutions for the Begin Pour event is hitherto assumed or estimated to be 1 or 2 drum revolutions, regardless of the load size of the concrete. While this may be adequate for determining Begin Pour and End Pour events, the present inventors believe that a novel system and method are required for achieving high accuracy in calculating the amount of concrete remaining in the drum after partial discharge.


The present invention relates to vertically disposed, rope-like structures that are ignitable from their top to dispense desired volatile materials, including, by way of example only, insect control actives such as insect repellents.
The fact that certain combustible materials can be ignited and will then disperse an active ingredient as they continue to smolder is well known. Incense sticks and mosquito coils are examples of products made from such materials. See e.g. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,959,925 and 5,657,574. The disclosure of these publications and of all other publications referred to herein are incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein.
The term "fumigant" herein means a burnable material that releases a volatile ingredient as the material burns, and preferably as it slowly smolders. A "volatile material" or "volatile ingredient," in that context, means any material that can be released by a burning fumigant including, by way of example only, fragrances, disinfectants, and insect control actives. The term "active" refers to a volatile material to be released in order to achieve the desired effect of the fumigant. For a fumigant intended to repel mosquitoes, for example, an insect repellant would be an "active." An "insect control active" is an active that repels, kills, or desirably modifies the behavior of insects. "Insects" herein means actual insects, as well as other small animals commonly controlled in conjunction with insects, such as spiders and the like.
While conventional fumigants in the form of mosquito coils or repellent sticks are fairly inexpensive, they are often used in large quantity (e.g. thirty or so a month may be needed to control mosquitoes on an overnight basis). Further, these coils are most often used in countries having average annual income levels that are very low. In order to make such products more widely available, their cost must be reduced still further. This is particularly important in controlling the spread of malaria and certain other insect-borne diseases.
There have been attempts to reduce the cost of mosquito protection by burning widely available, very inexpensive, smoke-producing materials that are used without any insecticide. However, efforts to control mosquitoes by burning materials of this type, such as by burning cow dung, are not very effective and can have other undesirable characteristics, such as excessive odor.
Academic researchers in India have proposed the use of jute rope that has been impregnated with a mosquito repellant as a fumigant. This approach uses a relatively limp impregnated rope suspended from a hanger, which is lit on its lower end and permitted to smolder overnight. See M. Ansari et al., 31 Indian J. Malariology 57-64 (1994); M. Ansari et al., 29 Indian J. Malariology 203-210 (1992); and V. Sharma et al., 26 Indian J. Malariology 179-185 (1989).
Unfortunately, this technique produces inconsistent results as burning rates can not be precisely controlled and, especially, can be too rapid. Also, there is some fire risk if the characteristics of the rope are not carefully controlled. For example, fire can flash up the rope, contacting structures from which the rope has been hung. Metal mesh fire guards have been shown to attempt to control this risk. Further, a portion of the rope is sometimes wasted near its upper end, as contact with the suspension device snuffs the rope.
Wax candles, having conventional fiber wicks surrounded by wax, are of course also well known. They are sometimes supported in a hollow core of a corkscrew-like wire, positioned on a flat surface. Some such candles have insect repellent (such as citronella) incorporated in the wax. However, such designs require the use of relatively expensive candle wax.
Thus, there is still a need for improved fumigants, particularly those that can dispense insecticide or insect repellent at extremely low cost.


The present disclosure broadly relates to the art of printing systems and, more particularly, to at least a diverter assembly, a printing system including a diverter assembly, and a method of transporting sheet media.
Known printing systems commonly include two or more media transport paths that divert from one another at certain points and join one another at other points. Thus, a given sheet of media can normally be transported through a known printing system along any one of a variety of transport paths.
One example of printing systems in which such various transport paths are utilized are those printing systems having multiple marking engines. In such printing systems, sheets of media are selectively transported from a media supply to one of two or more marking engines. Thus, a diversion point is provided along the transport pathway at which one or more sheets of media will be directed toward one of the two or more marking engines.
Upon reaching the diversion point, a sheet of media will not itself select the appropriate media transport path along which movement of the sheet is desired. As such, mechanical diverters are typically provided immediately in front of the divergent transport paths to deflect the sheet along the desired pathway. One example of such a known mechanical diverter includes a gate that extends across the media transport path immediately in front of the diversion point of the transport path. The gate includes an upstream edge and a downstream edge, and is oriented along the transport path such that the downstream edge is pivotally supported at approximately the diversion point of the transport pathway. Thus, the gate creates a diagonally-extending blockage across the pathway that displaceable between first and second positions corresponding to sheet media diversion along the first and second transport paths.
In the first gate position, the leading edge of the gate is stationed away from or opposite the direction of the first transport pathway (e.g., stationed along the bottom of a horizontal transport path for diversion along an upwardly directed pathway), which thereby exposes a first side or surface of the gate. An incoming sheet of media will pass by the leading edge of the gate and contact the first side thereof, which will direct the sheet into and along the first transport path. In the second gate position, the leading edge of the gate is stationed away from or opposite the direction of the second transport path (e.g., stationed along the top of a horizontal transport path for diversion along a downward-directed pathway), which thereby exposes an opposing second side or surface of the gate. An incoming sheet of media will pass by the leading edge of the gate and contact the second side thereof, which in turn directs the sheet into and along the second transport path.
In operation, a printing system will transport sheets along the media transport pathway and frequently shift the gate between the first and second gate positions to selectively direct the transported sheets along an appropriate one of the first and second pathways. Commonly, a linear actuator, such as a spring-based solenoid, for example, will be operatively associated with the gate to switch the same between the first and second gate positions. One difficulty with such known arrangements, however, is associated with the continued demand for and corresponding advancement of the performance of printing systems (e.g., increased output in pages per minute). As the number of sheets transported through the pathways of a printing system increase, the number of corresponding gate switching operations is typically also increased. Thus, undesirable occurrences, such as impacts, vibrations and/or noise levels, for example, may become elevated due, at least in part, to these more frequent gate switching operations.
Another difficulty with known gate arrangements, which is also associated with the advancing performance of printing systems, involves the timing between the passing of a first sheet of media, the movement of the gate to a different position, and the arrival of a second sheet of media. More specifically, a given printing system will operate using a predetermined inter-document gap (IDG), which generally refers to the spacing between the trailing edge of a first sheet of media and the leading edge of a second sheet of media. However, as the output performance of printing systems continues to be improved, increasingly smaller inter-sheet gaps are expected to be used.
It is well known that the arrival of a second sheet of media at a diversion point prior to a gate reaching a desired gate position could result in the leading edge of the sheet of material contacting the upstream edge of the gate and thereby creating a jam or other undesirable condition. It will be recognized, them that as increasingly smaller IDGs are used, the time available for the gate to move from one position to the other is reduced. As such, the operating speed of the gate can be increased to maintain the desired operating. However, it is expected that a practical performance threshold will be eventually reached, above which only marginal increases gate switching speeds will be achievable using practical gate configurations (e.g., mechanisms of practical size or having a reasonable cost relative to the price point of the printing system).
One technique that can be used to increase the performance of known gate mechanisms involves initiating the switch between gate positions prior to the trailing edge of the first sheet clearing the upstream edge of the gate. However, while such techniques seem to work well at known printing system performance levels, as sheet media speeds increase and IDGs are reduced, the window for initiating the gate switch is reduced, Furthermore, care is normally exercised to ensure that that the upstream edge of the gate does not pinch or otherwise engage the first sheet of media, such as along the trailing edge thereof, and thereby undesirably slow or disrupt the movement of the sheet, This may be of particular concern where an advancement in the timing of the gate switching operations is being used to increase performance of the printing system.
Accordingly, it is believed desirable to develop a diverter assembly, printing system and method that overcomes the foregoing and other problems and difficulties.


The demand for conifer trees (e.g., pines and firs) to make wood products continues to increase. One proposed solution to this problem is to identify individual trees that possess desirable characteristics, such as a rapid rate of growth, and produce numerous, genetically identical clones of the superior trees by somatic cloning. Somatic cloning is the process of producing plant embryos, in vitro, from plant cells that are not zygotes. These clones can be cultivated to yield stands, or whole forests, of conifer trees that possess the desirable characteristic(s).
One method for somatically cloning trees utilizes in vitro treatment of isolated, living, conifer tissue under conditions that promote formation of conifer somatic embryos, and then whole plants, from the treated tissue. The isolated conifer tissue may be cultured in the presence of one or more auxins, and/or cytokinins, to promote formation and multiplication of embryogenic tissue that is then cultured under conditions that promote formation of cotyledonary embryos that are morphologically similar to zygotic embryos produced in vivo. The embryos may then be germinated to yield conifer trees. An example of conifer embryogenic tissue are embryonal suspensor masses (ESMs) that can be formed, by tissue culture in vitro, from conifer embryos dissected from conifer seeds. By way of example, FIG. 1 shows pine embryonal suspensor masses in liquid culture. FIG. 2 shows a pine, cotyledonary, somatic embryo formed from ESM (cotyledons are visible at the top of the embryo).
A continuing problem, however, is stimulating efficient formation of conifer, cotyledonar, somatic embryos that are capable of germinating with high frequency to yield conifer plants. Preferably, the conifer cotyledonary somatic embryos, formed in vitro, are morphologically, anatomically and biochemically similar, or identical, to zygotic conifer embryos formed, in vivo, in conifer seeds of the same species. In particular, there is a need for methods for producing, in vitro, greater numbers of zygotic-like cotyledonary somatic embryos than are produced by prior art methods. Preferably, the germination frequency and quality of the conifer, cotyledonary, somatic embryos produced by the novel methods should be higher than the germination frequency and quality of conifer cotyledonary somatic embryos produced by prior art methods.


The present invention relates generally to reducing open aircraft cavity acoustic resonance, and more particularly to an apparatus for expelling high frequency pulses of pressurized gas to reduce acoustic resonance within an open weapons bay of an aircraft in flight.
This application is somewhat related to my copending and commonly assigned patent applications xe2x80x9cJET NOISE SUPPRESSORxe2x80x9d, Ser. No. 09/973,176, xe2x80x9cHIGH FREQUENCY PULSED FUEL INJECTORxe2x80x9d, Ser. No. 09/973,161 and filed on even date herewith. The contents of these even filing date applications are hereby incorporated by reference herein.
As is well known, military aircraft sometimes carry weapons to be discharged during flight. The weapons are often carried within one or more cavities, commonly known as weapons bays. The weapons bays usually include a pair of doors, which are opened only when release of the weapon stores is anticipated. During the remainder of the aircraft flight, the weapons bay doors are closed, presenting a smooth surface to enhance aerodynamic performance as well as other characteristics, such as stealthiness, for example.
When the weapons bay doors are opened in flight, a thin region called a shear layer is created wherein the airflow abruptly transitions from a low speed flow inside the cavity to a high speed flow outside the cavity. This shear layer is characterized by instability which causes the shear layer to form tight, circular rotating pockets of flow commonly referred to as vortices. These vortices impinge on the rear wall of the cavity causing high levels of resonance and high acoustic levels inside the weapons bay. This acoustic resonance can be strong enough to damage the aircraft or its systems, and, therefore, is quite undesirable.
Attempts have been made in the past to reduce acoustic resonance occurring within an open aircraft weapons bay. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,699,981 to McGrath et al. describes a system incorporating a cylindrical member disposed on the surface of the aircraft near the leading edge of the cavity. The cylindrical member is projected into the airflow of aircraft in flight to create vortices to reduce acoustic resonance. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,340,054 to Smith et al. describes an apparatus for acoustic reduction using a series of perturbation pins placed on the surface of the aircraft for generating vortices to disrupt the shear layer, for the purpose of reducing acoustic resonances within an open cavity. While somewhat effective, these prior art systems are not without the need for improvement. For example, these patents describe systems requiring the attachment of structures onto the surface of the aircraft, increasing drag as well as significantly interrupting the desirable smooth aircraft surface. Moreover, their effectiveness decreases dramatically at aircraft speeds up to and exceeding Mach 1.
A system recently described by Parekh, D. E. et al., Innovative Jet Flow Control: Mixing Enhancement Experiments, AIAA Paper No. 96-0308, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, AIAA, Aerospace Sciences Meeting, 34th, Reno, Nev., Jan. 15-18, 1996, includes vibrating wedges driven by piezoelectric actuators. This system, while providing the proper high frequency range of operation, is unsuited for application to the weapons bay problem because it is incapable of providing sufficient amplitude.
Another recent system for providing the desirable high frequency suppression operation is described in my U.S. Pat. No. 6,296,202 entitled Aircraft Weapons Bay Acoustic Suppression Apparatus, assigned to the assignee of the present invention. This acoustic suppression device utilizes an oscillatable spoiler plate which is extended into the airstream. At least one shaker is placed in operative engagement with the spoiler plate in order to oscillate the spoiler plate at high frequencies and high amplitudes to seed the shear layer with frequencies which directly complete with the natural frequency of the shear layer vortices.
This system represents a distinct improvement over the prior art because it provides high amplitude oscillation in addition to the high frequency operation. This desirable high amplitude operation is not obtainable with the prior art systems such as Parekh""s described above.
While my system represents a significant advancement over the earlier acoustic suppression systems, further improvement and refinement is desirable. More specifically, in certain situations, electromechanical devices of this type might weigh too much, or might consume too much electrical power. Also, it is well known that mechanical devices with moving parts are subject to failure and maintenance requirements. In these situations a light weight device including an injector having no moving parts might be desirable.
A need exists therefore for an improved aircraft weapons bay acoustic suppression apparatus. Such an apparatus would provide improved high frequency acoustic resonance reduction, enhancing aircraft operation as well as aircraft longevity.
Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide an aircraft weapons bay high frequency acoustic suppression apparatus overcoming the limitations and disadvantages of the prior art.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an aircraft weapons bay high frequency acoustic suppression apparatus providing acoustic resonance reduction over a wide range of aircraft operating conditions.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an aircraft weapons bay high frequency acoustic suppression apparatus which can be utilized on a wide variety of aircraft.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide an aircraft weapons bay high frequency acoustic suppression apparatus that includes an injector unit for injecting high frequency pulses of pressurized gas into the airstream.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide an aircraft weapons bay high frequency acoustic suppression apparatus including an injector unit having no moving parts.
These and other objects of the invention will become apparent as the description of the representative embodiments proceeds.
In accordance with the foregoing principles and objects of the invention, an aircraft weapons bay acoustic suppression apparatus is provided to dramatically reduce acoustic resonance within an open weapons bay of an aircraft in flight.
As is known in the art, opening the weapons bay doors in flight gives rise to the creation of a thin region called a shear layer where the airflow abruptly transitions from a low speed flow inside the cavity to a high speed flow outside the cavity. This shear layer is characterized by instability which causes the shear layer to form tight, circular rotating pockets of fluid flow commonly referred to as vortices. These vortices impinge on the rear wall of the cavity and correspondingly generate an acoustic wave which propagates in the opposite way, upstream. The acoustic wave thus generated interacts with the shear layer to influence the size and spacing of the vortices. If the frequency and phase of the acoustic wave coincides with that of the shear layer instabilities, the vortices generated by this xe2x80x9cforcedxe2x80x9d shear layer can become a whole number (1, 2, 3, etc.) with respect to the cavity, generating high levels of undesirable acoustic resonance. The effects of this can often be strong enough to damage the aircraft or its systems, and, as can be appreciated, are quite undesirable.
In accordance with the teachings of the present invention, the aircraft weapons bay high frequency acoustic suppression apparatus includes a spoiler received within the weapons bay. The spoiler is mounted such that it can be retractably extended into the airstream of the aircraft in flight. An injector unit for injecting high frequency pulses of pressurized air into the airstream is received within the spoiler. The injector unit includes a resonance tube and a nozzle having an outlet directed externally from the aircraft, into the airstream.
Resonance tubes are well known in the art. In general, resonance tubes are fluidic devices that receive a pressurized fluid input and provide a pulsating fluid output. The nature of the output, such as pulse frequency and amplitude is variable and depends on the upon the dimensions of the resonance tube.
The resonance tube outlet is placed in fluid communication with a nozzle. During operation of the aircraft weapons bay high frequency acoustic suppression apparatus, the spoiler is extended into the airstream of the aircraft in flight. Compressed air is directed independently into the resonance tube and into the nozzle via inlet valves. The resonance tube provides a pulsating output which is directed into the nozzle. The pulsating output of the resonance tube perturbs the flow of air in the nozzle, effectively breaking it up into discrete slugs or pulses which exit the nozzle and are directed into the airstream.
This high frequency discharge of high pressure gas into the airstream effectively seeds the shear layer with frequencies which directly compete with the natural frequency of the shear layer vortices even at very high aircraft speeds, something heretofore not possible with the acoustic suppression methods of the prior art.
Advantageously and according to an important aspect of the present invention, the injector has no moving parts, enhancing reliability as well as reducing costs. The spoiler can be made according to designs and configurations known to those skilled in this art, reducing cost as well as simplifying retrofit into existing aircraft.


1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technology for displaying information of each component that constitutes an image processing apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, an image processing apparatus, such as a printer, includes many functions for executing image processing, image output, and the like. Since most of such functions are complex, to see the details of such complex functions, a manual (description) attached to the image processing apparatus is required. Manuals can be broadly divided into those printed on a paper medium (paper manual) and those that are electronic in the form of a Compact Disc-Read Only Memory (CD-ROM) or World Wide Web (Web) (electronic manual).
However, for the apparatus including many functions, the paper manual requires the number of pages (sheets) corresponding to descriptions of these functions. Therefore, the manual becomes huge with increased weight, and is thus difficult to carry anytime. Moreover, since the electronic manual cannot be viewed at places where a Personal Computer (PC) or the like is not installed, a user has to go to a place where a PC or the like is installed and read the electronic manual. This lacks a real-time feature.
To get around these problems, a technology has been disclosed in which a manual is held inside an apparatus, such as a printer, and the manual is output from that apparatus, thereby allowing manual information of the image processing apparatus to be obtained even without carrying a huge manual or installation of a PC or the like, and allowing complex functions of the apparatus to be used (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open NO. H8-174967). That is, in the technology disclosed this patent gazette, the user selects from an operation panel the number of a manual desired to be viewed, thereby allowing the manual to be printed out or displayed on the operation panel for viewing.
However, in the technology disclosed in the gazette, the user has to search for and select a part of the huge manual where the information of the function desired to be viewed is located. This operation places a heavy burden on the user. Moreover, printing out the manual every time it is viewed increases cost. Furthermore, there is another problem in which, if the manual is displayed on the operation panel of the printer or the like, since the area of a displaying unit is small, it is difficult to see the manual.
Still further, it will be more convenient for the user if a manual for a portion where abnormality occurs in the image forming apparatus or the like can be easily displayed on a large screen on a real-time basis.


1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to dynamic random access memory (DRAM) semiconductor devices and systems, and more particularly to methods and apparatus for transitioning to a self-refresh mode in a device that performs per-bank auto-refresh operations.
2. Description of the Related Art
DRAM devices are well known and commonly found in digital systems having a need for read/write digital memory. DRAM devices are so-named because the data in each memory cell must be refreshed periodically by reading the data, or else the stored data will be corrupted. Modern synchronous DRAM devices (SDRAMs) typically employ an “auto-refresh” mode, which refreshes one row of the DRAM memory cell array each time an auto-refresh operation is initiated by an external memory controller. An internal refresh row counter increments through the rows for successive auto-refresh operations, and wraps back to the top of the array upon reaching the bottom. The DRAM memory controller thus has some flexibility as to when it issues the auto-refresh commands to a DRAM device, as long as all rows are refreshed within the maximum time specified for the array to maintain stable data.
Many SDRAM devices contain multiple banks of memory, with the high-order row address bits supplied to the SDRAM along with an operation determining which bank is to receive the operation. Some of these devices allow a bank address to be supplied with an auto-refresh command, and then an auto-refresh operation is performed in the bank specified by the bank address with regard to the current refresh row while a data access operation may be performed in the unselected banks at the same time. Such devices will be referred to herein as Per-Bank Refresh (PBR) SDRAM devices. The inventor of the present application has filed a copending application, U.S. Pat. application Ser. No. 11/105,169, disclosing novel PBR SDRAM architectures and methods of operation, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
Many SDRAM devices also incorporate a “self-refresh” mode. In self-refresh mode, the SDRAM device generally enters a lower-power state during which it does not respond to bus commands until awakened. In self-refresh mode, the SDRAM device is expected to perform its own refresh operations, based on internal timing, sufficient to retain data saved in the memory device.


This invention relates to the art of beauty parlor equipment and, more particularly, to a drainage tray for a shampoo bowl to facilitate washing and rinsing of a patron's hair.
It is of course well known that beauty parlors have shampoo bowls over which a patron's head is disposed during shampooing and rinsing of the patron's hair. Most often, the bowl has an arcuate section in a front wall thereof which cradles the patron's neck, and the rear end of the bowl includes water supply valving and a spray head for rinsing shampoo from a patron's hair following washing thereof. The shampoo bowl further includes a drain in the bottom wall thereof towards the rear of the bowl through which rinse water and shampoo drains during a rinsing operation.
It is not unusual for a patron to have shoulder length or even waist length hair, and the shampooing and rinsing thereof is not only difficult but potentially unsanitary to some extent. In this respect, for example, the hair of a patron with shoulder to waist length hair lies on the bottom of the shampoo bowl which makes it difficult for rinse water to penetrate the hair without the beautician having to lift the hair off of the bottom of the shampoo bowl with one hand while trying to rinse the hair with the other hand. Moreover, if the patron's hair is left on the bottom of the shampoo bowl a residue often occurs on the ends of the patron's hair, and the hair is also subject to any contaminants which might be left in the bowl from a previous patron and/or from solutions used by the beautician in connection with washing and rinsing a patron's hair. Still further, if the patron's hair is of waist length or thereabout, it can easily flow into the drain opening which not only can cause clogging of the latter but also adds to the potential unsanitary condition of the hair. Again, to avoid the latter, a beautician must support the patron's hair in one hand and try and rinse it with the other which is time consuming and difficult as well as inefficient.


Overlay marks are important in fabrication of semiconductor, or integrated circuit (“IC”), devices because the devices are produced by aligning several layers of conductive, semiconductive, and insulative materials one atop the other. It is critical that each layer is precisely aligned with the previous layer so that the resultant circuits are functional and reliable. If the layers are not correctly aligned, some features may be short-circuited while others may be open circuited or have an unacceptably large resistance. Typically for each technology node, an overlay error threshold is specified in the x or y direction. In other words, each layer cannot shift more than a specified distance from another layer above or below. A shift greater than the specification causes an “alignment fail”, which increases cycle time because layers may have to be reworked.
During an overlay check, the position of the overlay mark on the wafer is typically sensed using a laser beam, which is bounced off the overlay mark to produce a reflected light signal reflected back to an inspector on a machine. The inspector then analyzes the reflected light signal to determine the exact position of the overlay mark. Notably, the quality of the signal reflected from the overlay mark is directly dependent on the structure and the materials. Methods to improve overlay mark signals continue to be sought.


LED panel lights of the above-mentioned type are known from the prior art, for which additional measures have to be taken in order to protect the layers of the layer structure and the LEDs from dust or humidity. Usually, the layer structure consists of a reflector layer, a cover glass, and a light guiding layer interposed there between which distributes the light of the LEDs, arranged on the edge of the layer structure, uniformly over the total surface. The layers of the layer structure can, for instance, be glued to one another. It is also possible to glue the LEDs to the layer structure. It is also known to use additional seals for sealing the layer structure. Also, LED panel lights of the above-mentioned type are known whose layer structure is not additionally sealed. In the course of time, these lights are subject to a deposition of dirt and/or condensed water between the individual layers so that the light output and the efficiency of the light are reduced.
An LED panel light is known from DE 103 15 251 B4. This light uses a sealing frame which fully surrounds an optical layer structure along the narrow sides thereof. The structure is formed of a base part, a light guide and a transparent cover. To seal the structure, the sealing frame is formed, in one embodiment, of a hot glue plastic material which permanently glues the base part and the cover together.
It is a drawback of the light known from DE 103 15 251 B4 that the use of a hot glue plastic material prevents an exchange of defect component parts, e.g. the LEDs. A housing frame into which the structure is inserted, and which is sealed by a second seal, is not described.
An illumination device for glazings in vehicles is known from US 2011/0267833 A1. In this device light-emitting diodes are used to illuminate an automotive glazing at the side. The optical layer structure is here formed of one or several transparent sheets which are glued together so as to avoid splintering. LEDs are mounted as illuminants at the side and are embraced by a seal. The seal is formed of a U-shaped metal section which is covered by rubber. Additionally, the region inside the seal, in which the LED is arranged, is filled with a transparent adhesive for sealing purposes.


Many monetary transactions are performed using a plastic card with a data carrying magnetic stripe. Examples are credit cards, debit cards, telephone calling cards, ATM cards and gift cards. There are other transactions (non-monetary included) that use such electromagnetically read plastic cards.
The problems with such plastic cards include piracy and identity theft. The British Broadcasting Corporation reports card cloning or “skimming” has doubled in the United Kingdom in the past year with the resulting thefts up to millions of dollars. See “How Credit Cards Get Cloned”, news.bbc.co.uk, Thursday, Jan. 4, 2001.


The present invention relates to a knife device. More particularly, the present invention relates to a multifunctional knife device which is specially used for a diving exercise.
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a conventional multi-functional knife device has a main handle 20′, a main blade 10′ disposed on the main handle 20′, an auxiliary handle 22′, an auxiliary blade 220′ disposed on the auxiliary handle 22′, and a fluorescent tube 40′ inserted in the main handle 20′. The main blade 10′ has a round aperture 30′, a back 12′, and a true edge 120′ having a plurality of serrations 11′. The auxiliary blade 220′ has a circular aperture 301′. A pivot button 31′ passes through the round aperture 30′ of the main blade 10′ and the circular aperture 301′ of the auxiliary blade 220′ to fasten the main blade 10′ and the auxiliary blade 220′ together. The auxiliary handle 22′ has a notch 23′. The main handle 20′ has a through aperture 200′ to receive an elastic element 25′, a channel 21′ to receive the fluorescent tube 40′, a groove 24′ to match the notch 23′ of the auxiliary handle 22′, and a click block 240′ inserted in the groove 24′. The auxiliary handle 22′ engages with the main handle 20′.


1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a polymer film exhibiting high retardation along thickness direction (Rth); a phase difference film, a polarizing plate, and a liquid crystal display device using the polymer film; and an Rth inducing agent.
2. Description of the Related Art
There have been known techniques of adding various additives to a polymer film, aiming at imparting thereto various functions.
An exemplary proposal has been made on a polymer film improved in ultraviolet absorption, by means of addition of a merocyanine-based compound, as a ultraviolet absorber, to the polymer film (i.e., JP-A-H08-239509). JP-A-2009-67973 discloses a polymer material containing a merocyanine-based compound as an ultraviolet absorber, a mold product manufactured by using the polymer material, and also a coated ultraviolet absorber layer. Other proposals have been made on use of a merocyanine-based compound as a wavelength dispersion modifier for polymer film (i.e., JP-A-2009-64006 and JP-A-2009-64007). JP-A-2009-270062, JP-A-2009-79213 and JP-A-2009-67983 have proposed techniques of using a merocyanine-based ultraviolet absorber combined with other types of ultraviolet absorber, aiming at improving the light stability.
Polymer film typically used as an optically compensatory film of liquid crystal display device is sometimes required to show high Rth. Increase in the amount of addition of the additive, aimed at elevating Rth, have however occasionally degraded the stability of manufacturing, due to deposition of the additive onto the surface of the film in the process of film making. In the field of manufacturing of polymer film typically adoptable to optical films, it is therefore very beneficial to provide an additive capable of ensuring high Rth even with a less amount of addition, while ensuring a desired level of wavelength dispersion.


In recent years, it is possible to perform an ultrasound scan (called “an all-raster parallel simultaneous reception”) where either a plane wave or a diffuse wave is transmitted, and reflected-wave signals are received in a real-time manner by all the reception raster elements within an ultrasound frame with respect to the transmission at a time. Further, a blood flow display system (called “an ultrahigh-speed framerate method”) is known in which the all-raster parallel simultaneous reception is applied to a blood flow imaging method (called “a high framerate method”) utilizing an ultrasound scan (called “a high framerate ultrasound scan”) in which data sequences between frames are used as Doppler data sequences.
According to the ultrahigh-speed framerate method, for example, when the transmission interval of the ultrasound waves at a time is 200 μs, the framerate can be calculated as 5,000 frames per second (fps). Further, Moving Target Indicator (MTI) filters are capable of processing frame data corresponding to any number of frames. In other words, because the ultrahigh-speed framerate method is capable of arranging the transmission interval of the ultrasound waves to match the framerate, it is possible to obtain an infinite time period for observation while ensuring display at a high framerate and a high folding velocity. In other words, by implementing the ultrahigh-speed framerate method, it is possible to structure a steep MTI filter having a low cut-off frequency. With these arrangements, according to the ultrahigh-speed framerate method, by eliminating as many clutters as possible, it is possible to detect blood flows in a wide range from blood flows having lower flow rates to blood flows having higher flow rates.
Further, as an adaptive example of the ultrahigh-speed framerate method, observing moving images at 5,000 fps in a slow playback mode makes it possible to visually recognize complex flows of blood flowing through the heart, the carotid artery, or the like. Furthermore, tracking a speckle in a blood flow makes it possible to display a flow of blood with a two-dimensional vector.


The field of delivering educational materials to students and professional who are not on site is referred to as “distance education” or “distance learning.” One of the concerns in this field of education is to ensure that the participant is present while the course or seminar is being presented. This concern arises because there is no proctor on site while the educational material is being delivered. The concern is exacerbated, somewhat, by the fact that more and more participants are viewing distance learning content asynchronously within their home or office without any peers to encourage attention to the presented materials. In fact, more and more content is available to stream, download or otherwise play on a single machine on a time schedule that best suits each individual participant.
Traditionally, gauging the user's presence has been addressed by a challenge to the user to press a button or input a code into a telephone or computer to confirm presence at one or more times during or at the end of the program. While this approach ensures that the person is present, it does little to ensure that the user is paying attention during delivery of the distance learning content. As one extreme example, a course can be streamed to a computer while the user is reading and sending dozens of email messages, and, therefore, there can be great gaps in the attention given to the presented content.
Thus, while the user may be present, there have been no systems or methods developed to better ensure the user's continued attention to the distance learning content itself. Nor have any systems or methods been developed to monitor and respond to other actions taken by the participant concurrently during the presentation of distance learning content. The present invention addresses one or more of these and other problems in the art.


The present invention relates to a communication control unit for controlling communication between an electronic control unit and other equipment.
Substantial advances have been made in recent years in the field of electronic control executed by microprocessors and the like, and highly accurate control of various types of equipment has been attained. In this respect, communication between an electronic control unit which utilizes such a microprocessor and other equipment (e.g. one or more other electronic control units) is extremely important. For example in the case of recently produced types of motor vehicles, control of various units of equipment installed in the vehicle is executed by means of electronic control units. A plurality of such electronic control units can be mutually coupled by a data link so that data which is supplied to one electronic control unit from a source such as a sensor can also be supplied to other electronic control units or equipment.
Such communication between an electronic control unit and other units of equipment, or between on electronic control unit and another, is generally carried out by using communication control units. One communication control unit may be formed integrally with each electronic control unit, or a communication control unit may be coupled to an electronic control unit to be controlled thereby. This has the advantage of ease of implementing the communication function, while in addition, if the communication control unit is formed integrally with the electronic control unit, the additional advantage is obtained of increased general applicability. However, the following problems also arise.
Specifically, in the case in which a communication control unit is formed integrally with an electronic control unit, e.g., in which each electronic control unit incorporates a microprocessor and the functions of the communication control unit are implemented by the operation of the microprocessor, if a failure status occurs in the electronic control unit due to the effects of electrical noise or to occurrence of component failure, etc., then the effects of this failure status will be transferred from that electronic control unit to other equipment or other electronic control units. As a result, the trouble resulting from this failure condition may become widely disseminated to other equipment, in spite of the fact that a communication control unit is utilized in the electronic control unit which has failed.
When one or more of such electronic control units are used in a motor vehicle, then such a widespread dissemination of trouble resulting from failure of a single electronic control unit can have extremely serious consequences, since various major operating function of the vehicle will generally be controlled on the basis of data produced from the electronic control units. Thus, an improvement in this respect is necessary in order to attain increased safety of operation of such a motor vehicle.
It is an objective of the present invention to provide a communication control unit which will overcome the problem described above, whereby in the event that a failure condition occurs in an electronic control unit, protection is provided such that this failure status will have no effect upon other equipment or other electronic control units which are connected to the faulty electronic control unit.


1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a spandex supply package having a cylindrical core on which is wound spandex that has a lubricating finish on its surface. More particularly, the invention concerns such a supply package wherein the amount of lubricating finish on the outer windings of spandex is considerably less than the amount of lubricating on the rest of the wound-up spandex. As a result of the decreased amount of lubricating finish on the surface of the outer windings, the stability of the package, especially with regard to sloughing-off of yarn from the package shoulders during shipping and handling, is greatly reduced.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Spandex is a manufactured fiber in which the fiber-forming substance is a long chain synthetic polymer comprised of at least 85% by weight of a segmented polyurethane. Most spandex is produced by dry spinning techniques and inherently is quite tacky. To avoid adherence of the spandex to itself when wound up in a supply package, as well as to avoid other problems in subsequent use of the spandex, lubricating finishes, such as silicone oils, are applied to the surface of the spandex prior to windup. Typically, the weight of the finish on the spandex amounts to in the range of 2 to 10% of the weight of the spandex.
To form a spandex supply package, such as a bobbin, cake, cheese, or the like, spandex is wound up on a cylindrical core. Equipment for this purpose is well known. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,398,676 (Koppen et al), 3,701,490 (Wray) and 3,409,238 (Campbell et al), among others, disclose apparatus for high speed winding of spandex thread-lines onto tubular cores to form spandex supply packages. However, during shipping and handling of such supply packages difficulties are sometimes encountered. For example, the spandex sometimes sloughs off the edges of the wound-up packages (i.e., the spandex near the flat circular faces of the wound up package falls off the edges of the package). Also, if the package is held with the cylindrical core in a vertical position during shipment, the spandex sometimes can slough off from the package and fall to the bottom of the shipping container. A similar phenomenon sometimes occurs when the spandex package is removed from the shipping container and the spandex sloughs off onto the floor. The sloughing off of spandex from a supply package creates time-consuming difficulties and waste in subsequent textile operations, such as beaming, warping, knitting, weaving, mechanical covering, air-jet entangling and the like.
Lubricating finishes for spandex and equipment for applying the finish to the spandex are well known. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,296,063 (Chandler) discloses certain polysiloxanes as suitable finishes for spandex. Japanese Patent Application Publication 63-66073 (Maruyama et al) describes a polyurethane elastic yarn supply package in the form of a cheese, in which the amount of finish applied to the yarn depends on the apparent elongation of the yarn within the cheese. The amount of finish generally is less on the yarns near the center of the yarn package than on the yarns near the outside of the package. Among the numerous conventional techniques used to apply the lubricating finishes to the surfaces of moving spandex thread-lines just before their windup into a supply package, are dipping, padding, spraying and the like. Known devices for applying such finishes to spandex include oiling rollers, atomizers, and the like.
An object of the present invention is to eliminate, or at least greatly ameliorate, the problem of spandex sloughing off the edges of supply packages.


Softness is a key consumer attribute of facial tissue. It is known that enhanced softness can be developed with the topical application of a polysiloxane. For nose care applications, an additional benefit to polysiloxanes can be the hydrophobicity that the polysiloxane imparts to the tissue sheet. While hydrophobicity, in general, can be an undesirable attribute for an absorbent tissue for nose care applications, such hydrophobicity can be perceived as a consumer benefit in preventing the passage of nasal secretions through the tissue and onto the users hand.
While polysiloxanes can greatly enhance the softness attributes of the tissue, as well as the ability of the tissue to protect the user's hand, the ability of the tissue sheet to remove mucus and similar high viscosity materials can be reduced by application of the polysiloxane. As such, tissues treated with polysiloxane may have a reduced cleaning capability relative to an untreated tissue.
Hence, there is a need to manufacture soft tissues that have a high degree of softness and hand protection while also having the ability to effectively remove mucus from the user's nose. The effective removal of mucus from the user's nose may not only provide a cosmetic benefit in helping to clean the skin but may also provide a clinical benefit in assisting in removal of skin irritants present in the mucus. Thus, a tissue that is more soothing may also be achieved.