1. A one-component heat curable epoxide composition which comprises
(A) an epoxide having more than one epoxy group on average in the molecule thereof, and
(B) a curing compound which is prepared by reacting with heating
(a) an aminoalkylimidazole of the general formula:
\u2003wherein R1 is a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group or an aryl group, R2 is a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group, R3 is a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group and n is an integer of two or three,
(b) an amine having two nitrogen atoms with one or two active hydrogen atoms and having at least one cyclic structure group in the molecule thereof,
(c) urea, and
(d) a diepoxide having two epoxy groups on average in the molecule thereof.
2. The one-component heat curable epoxide composition according to claim 1, wherein the curing compound (B) is prepared by carrying out an additional reaction of the amine (b) having two nitrogen atoms with one or two active hydrogen atoms and having at least one cyclic structure group in the molecule, with the diepoxide (d) having two epoxy groups on average in the molecule thereof, at 50 to 150\xb0 C., for 1 to 3 hours, subsequently adding the aminoalkylimidazole(a) and urea(c) thereto; and carrying out a deammoniation reaction at 150 to 240\xb0 C., for 1 to 5 hours.
3. The one-component heat curable epoxide composition according to claim 1, wherein in the reaction for preparing said curing compound, a molar ratio of said amine (b) to said aminoalkylimidazole (a) is 0.4:0.1 to 12.0:0.1.
4. The one-component heat curable epoxide composition according to claim 1, wherein in the reaction for preparing said curing compound, the molar ratio of urea (c) to the sum of the nitrogen atoms with two active hydrogen atoms in the aminoalkylimidazole (a) and the nitrogen atoms with one or two active hydrogen atoms in the amine (b) is 0.1:0.1 to 0.6:0.1, with respect to a molar ratio of urea (c) per one nitrogen atom.
5. The one-component heat curable epoxide composition according to claim 1, wherein in the reaction for preparing said curing compound, the chemical equivalent ratio of the diepoxide (d) to the sum of the nitrogen atoms with two active hydrogen atoms in the aminoalkylimidazole (a) and the nitrogen atoms with one or two active hydrogen atoms in the amine (b) is 0.01:0.1 to 0.6:0.1, with respect to a chemical equivalent ratio of the diepoxide (d) per one nitrogen atom.
6. The one-component heat curable epoxide composition according to claim 1, wherein in the reaction for preparing said curing compound, a ratio of the sum of the number of the \u2014NH2 groups in urea (c) and the number of the epoxy groups in the diepoxide (d) to the sum of the nitrogen atoms with two active hydrogen atoms in the aminoalkylimidazole (a) and the nitrogen atoms with one or two active hydrogen atoms in the amine (b) is 0.8:0.1 to 1.4:0.1.
7. The composition according to claim 1, wherein said epoxide (A) is at least one compound selected from the group consisting of, polyglycidyl ether, polyglycidyl ether ester, polyglycidyl ester, glycidylaminoglycidyl ether, glycidylaminoglycidyl ester, polyglycidylamine, and.
8. The composition according to claim 1, wherein said aminoalkylimidazole (a) is at least one compound selected from the group consisting of 1-(2-aminoethyl)-2-methylimidazole, 1-(2-aminoethyl)-2-ethylimidazole, 1-(3-aminopropyl)imidazole, 1-(3-aminopropyl)-2-methylimidazole, 1-(3-aminopropyl)-2-ethylimidazole, 1-(3-aminopropyl)-2-phenylimidazole, 1-(3-aminopropyl)-2-heptadecylimidazole, 1-(3-aminopropyl)-2,4-dimethylimidazole, 1-(3-aminopropyl)-2,5-dimethylimidazole, 1-(3-aminopropyl)-2-ethyl-4-methylimidazole, 1-(3-aminopropyl)-2-ethyl-5-methylimidazole, 1-(3-aminopropyl)-4-methyl-2-undecylimidazole, and 1-(3-aminopropyl)-5-methyl-2-undecylimidazole.
9. The composition according to claim 1, wherein said amine (b) is at least one compound selected from the group consisting of metaxylylenediamine, 1,3-bis-(aminomethyl)cyclohexane,isophoronediamine, diaminocyclohexane, phenylenediamine, tolylenediamine, diaminodiphenylmethane, diaminodiphenyl sulfone, piperazine, and N-aminoethylpiperidine.
10. The composition according to claim 1, wherein said diepoxide (d) is at least one compound selected from the group consisting of bisphenol A diepoxide having an epoxy equivalent weight of about 190, and bisphenol F diepoxide having an epoxy equivalent weight of about 175.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A computer implemented method for generating a demand for hardware in response to a decrease in system performance, comprising:
connecting an installed System (500)to a central database (505) via a network (504);
identifying a decrease in System Performance metrics due to a hardware failure (301);
notifying the System Integrators, VARs, and OEM manufacturers of the results of troubleshooting or corrective action activities, said results indicating a need for replacement hardware (302);
generating a demand for said replacement hardware (303);
determining if said hardware failure might be expected based on aggregated lifetime data contained within said central database (304);
generating instructions to an Installation Technician to properly discard or recycle the failed hardware if said hardware failure might be expected based on aggregated lifetime data contained within said central database (305); and
generating instructions to said Installation Technician to return said failed hardware to said OEM manufacturer if said hardware failure might not be expected based on aggregated lifetime data contained within said central database (306).
2. The method of claim 1 wherein said System comprises an energy system.
3. The method of claim 2 wherein said energy system comprises an energy usage system an energy storage system, an energy management system, or an energy generation system.
4. The method of claim 3 wherein said energy generation system comprises a renewable energy generation system.
5. The method of claim 4 wherein said renewable energy generation system comprises a solar energy generation system, a wind turbine energy generation system, a tidal energy generation system, a geothermal energy generation system, or a waste to energy system.
6. A computer implemented method for determining the priority of Service activities, comprising:
connecting an installed System (500)to a central database (505) via a network (504);
establishing a Critical Failures List of failures that may require attention (401);
establishing a list of Certified VARs (401);
identifying a decrease in System Performance metrics due to a hardware failure (402);
notifying the System Integrators, VARs, and OEM manufacturers of the results of troubleshooting or corrective action activities, said results indicating a need for replacement hardware or an on-site Service call (403);
determining if said System Performance metrics may fall below a performance guarantee for the current guarantee period (406);
determining if said hardware failure is on said Critical Failures List (404);
generating a demand for said replacement hardware if said hardware failure is on said Critical Failures List (405);
generating a request for dispatch of the closest Certified VAR for an on-site Service call if said hardware failure is on said Critical Failures List (407); and
placing said system in a \u201cFirst-In-First-Out\u201d (FIFO) queuing system for response if said system is not serviced by a VAR on said Certified VAR list or said System Performance metrics may not fall below said performance guarantee for the current guarantee period, and said hardware failure is not on said Critical Failures List (408).
7. The method of claim 6 wherein said System comprises an energy system.
8. The method of claim 7 wherein said energy system comprises an energy usage system an energy storage system, an energy management system, or an energy generation system.
9. The method of claim 8 wherein said energy generation system comprises a renewable energy generation system.
10. The method of claim 9 wherein said renewable energy generation system comprises a solar energy generation system, a wind turbine energy generation system, a tidal energy generation system, a geothermal energy generation system, or a waste to energy system.
11. A system for generating a demand for replacement hardware in response to a decrease in energy system performance, comprising:
one or more Energy Systems (500); sensors contained within said Energy Systems to monitor said Energy Systems settings and performance attributes data;
sensors associated with said Energy Systems to measure environmental conditions data (502);
a local communications device for communicating said Energy Systems settings and performance attributes data and said environmental conditions data onto a network (503);
a network for transmitting said Energy Systems settings and performance attributes data and said environmental conditions data (504);
a centralized database for receiving and storing said Energy Systems settings and performance attributes data and said environmental conditions data (505);
a user interface for interacting with said centralized database (506-509, 603, 608, 609);
a computer readable medium containing procedures for acting upon said Energy Systems settings and performance attributes data and said environmental conditions data (612-617);
wherein said procedures comprise:
procedures for identifying a decrease in System Performance metrics due to a hardware failure (301);
procedures for notifying the System Integrators, VARs, and OEM manufacturers of the results of troubleshooting or corrective action activities, said results indicating a need for replacement hardware (302);
procedures for generating a demand for said replacement hardware (303); and
display output devices for displaying the results of said procedure action upon said Energy Systems settings and performance attributes data and said environmental conditions data (506-510, 604, 610).
12. The system of claim 11 wherein said one or more Energy Systems comprise at least one Energy System selected from the group consisting of an energy usage system, an energy storage system, an energy management system, and an energy generation system.
13. The system of claim 12 wherein said energy generation system comprises a renewable energy generation system.
14. The system of claim 13 wherein said renewable energy generation system comprises a solar energy generation system, a wind turbine energy generation system, a tidal energy generation system, a geothermal energy generation system, or a waste to energy system.
15. The system of claim 11 wherein said procedures further comprise:
procedures for establishing that the performance metrics of said Energy Systems do not conform to established benchmark metrics for Energy Systems performance metrics;
procedures for generating lists of suggested actions to improve said Energy Systems performance metrics to conform to said benchmark metrics; and
procedures for sending said lists to said display output devices.
16. A system for determining the priority of Service activities, comprising:
one or more Energy Systems (500);
sensors contained within said Energy Systems to monitor said Energy Systems settings and performance attributes data;
sensors associated with said Energy Systems to measure environmental conditions data (502);
a local communications device for communicating said Energy Systems settings and performance attributes data and said environmental conditions data onto a network (503);
a network for transmitting said Energy Systems settings and performance attributes data and said environmental conditions data (504);
a centralized database for receiving and storing said Energy Systems settings and performance attributes data and said environmental conditions data (505);
a user interface for interacting with said centralized database (506-509, 603, 608, 609);
a computer readable medium containing procedures for acting upon said Energy Systems settings and performance attributes data and said environmental conditions data (612-617);
wherein said procedures comprise:
procedures for establishing a Critical Failures List of failures that may require attention (401);
procedures for establishing a list of Certified VARs (401);
procedures for identifying a decrease in System Performance metrics due to a hardware failure (402);
procedures for notifying the System Integrators, VARs, and OEM manufacturers of the results of troubleshooting or corrective action activities, said results indicating a need for_replacement hardware or an on-site Service call (403);
procedures for determining if said System Performance metrics may fall below a performance guarantee for the current guarantee period (406);
procedures for determining if said hardware failure is on said Critical Failures List (404);
procedures for generating a request for dispatch of the closest Certified VAR for an on-site Service call if said hardware failure is on said Critical Failures List (407);
procedures for placing said system in a \u201cFirst-In-First-Out\u201d (FIFO) queuing system for response if said system is not serviced by a VAR on said Certified VAR list or said System Performance metrics may not fall below said performance guarantee for the current guarantee period, and said hardware failure is not on said Critical Failures List (408); and
display output devices for displaying the results of said procedure action upon said Energy Systems settings and performance attributes data and said environmental conditions data (506-510, 604, 610).
17. The system of claim 16 wherein said one or more Energy Systems comprise at least one Energy System selected from the group consisting of an energy usage system, an energy storage system, an energy management system, and an energy generation system.
18. The system of claim 17 wherein said energy generation system comprises a renewable energy generation system.
19. The system of claim 18 wherein said renewable energy generation system comprises a solar energy generation system, a wind turbine energy generation system, a tidal energy generation system, a geothermal energy generation system, or a waste to energy system.
20. The system of claim 16 wherein said procedures further comprise:
procedures for establishing that the performance metrics of said Energy Systems do not conform to established benchmark metrics for Energy Systems performance metrics;
procedures for generating lists of possible failures and suggested actions to improve said Energy System performance metrics to conform to said benchmark metrics; and
procedures for determining the priority of service response based on prioritization procedures comprising, failure corresponding to a failure on a Critical Failure List, warranty guarantees, Service Contracts, responsibility for the system by a VAR on a Certified VAR list, or First-In-First-Out scheduling.