1. An apparatus comprising a plurality of adjacent columns, wherein:
(a) each of said columns is adapted to be placed vertically on the bed of a water body;
(b) each of said columns comprises a plurality of horizontal growth layers, interspersed vertically with a plurality of horizontal wave port layers; and each of said columns further comprises a plurality of connectors;
(c) each of said horizontal growth layers has an approximately regular polygonal cross-section, with spokes extending inward from the vertices of the regular polygon and joining near the center of the regular polygon to provide mechanical strength to said horizontal growth layer;
(d) each of said horizontal growth layers does not permit the flow of water through said growth layer in a horizontal direction, but does permit the flow of water through said growth layer in a vertical direction through internal spaces between the regular polygon and the spokes;
(e) vertically adjacent horizontal growth layers are mechanically joined to one another by a plurality of said connectors, wherein said connectors are located generally within the wave port layers;
(f) the horizontal wave port layers are generally open to the flow of water;
(g) the surfaces of said horizontal growth layers comprise a material that is adapted to attract and encourage the growth of sessile aquatic organisms; and
(h) said apparatus is adapted to substantially reduce the wave energy or current energy of aquatic waves or aquatic currents that pass through said apparatus when sessile aquatic organisms are attached to said apparatus.
2. An apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein said connectors for a column comprise portions of said horizontal growth layers from adjacent columns.
3. An apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein adjacent said columns are mechanically joined to one another.
4. An apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein said horizontal growth layers comprise a mixture of concrete and biomass; wherein said biomass will release ammonia upon decomposing in an aqueous environment, thereby attracting and encouraging the growth of sessile aquatic organisms.
5. An apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein said horizontal growth layers comprise a mixture of concrete and biomass; wherein said biomass is selected from the group consisting of cottonseed, soybean, milo, agriculture waste, fertilizer, and mulch.
6. An apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein said horizontal growth layers comprise a mixture of concrete and cottonseed.
7. An apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the regular polygonal cross-section is selected from the group of cross-sections consisting of a regular triangle, regular quadrilateral, regular pentagon, regular hexagon, regular heptagon, and regular octagon.
8. An apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the regular polygonal cross-section is regular hexagon.
9. An apparatus comprising a plurality of adjacent columns, wherein:
(a) each of said columns is adapted to be placed vertically on the bed of a water body;
(b) each of said columns comprises a plurality of horizontal growth layers, interspersed vertically with a plurality of horizontal wave port layers;
(c) each of said horizontal growth layers has an approximately regular polygonal cross-section, with spokes extending inward from the vertices of the regular polygon and joining near the center of the regular polygon to provide mechanical strength to said horizontal growth layer;
(d) each of said horizontal growth layers does not permit the flow of water through said growth layer in a horizontal direction, but does permit the flow of water through said growth layer in a vertical direction through internal spaces between the regular polygon and the spokes;
(e) the horizontal wave port layers are generally open to the flow of water;
(f) the surfaces of said horizontal growth layers comprise a material that is adapted to attract and encourage the growth of sessile aquatic organisms; and
(g) said apparatus is adapted to substantially reduce the wave energy or current energy of aquatic waves or aquatic currents that pass through said apparatus when sessile aquatic organisms are attached to said apparatus.
10. An apparatus as recited in claim 9, wherein each of said vertical columns comprises portions of the vertically adjacent horizontal growth layers to form a plurality of staggered columns and wave ports.
11. An apparatus as recited in claim 9, wherein adjacent said columns are mechanically joined to one another.
12. An apparatus as recited in claim 9, wherein said horizontal growth layers comprise a mixture of concrete and biomass; wherein said biomass will release ammonia upon decomposing in an aqueous environment, thereby attracting and encouraging the growth of sessile aquatic organisms.
13. An apparatus as recited in claim 9, wherein said horizontal growth layers comprise a mixture of concrete and biomass; wherein said biomass is selected from the group consisting of cottonseed, soybean, milo, agriculture waste, fertilizer, and mulch.
14. An apparatus as recited in claim 9, wherein said horizontal growth layers comprise a mixture of concrete and cottonseed.
15. An apparatus as recited in claim 9, wherein the regular polygonal cross-section is selected from the group of cross-sections consisting of a regular triangle, regular quadrilateral, regular pentagon, regular hexagon, regular heptagon, and regular octagon.
16. An apparatus as recited in claim 9, wherein the regular polygonal cross-section is regular hexagon.
17. A method for reducing the wave energy or current energy of aquatic waves or aquatic currents in a water body; said method comprising placing, in the path of prevailing waves or currents in the water body, a structure that is adapted to reduce the wave energy or current energy of aquatic waves or aquatic currents; and allowing sessile aquatic organisms to grow upon the structure; wherein:
(a) the structure is adapted to attract and encourage the growth of sessile aquatic organisms;
(b) the structure reduces wave energy or current energy of aquatic waves or aquatic currents to a substantially greater extent after sessile aquatic organisms have grown upon the structure than it would if sessile aquatic organisms were absent from the structure;
(c) the structure comprises a mixture of concrete and biomass; wherein said biomass will, on decomposing in an aqueous environment, release ammonia, thereby attracting and encouraging the growth of sessile aquatic organisms to a substantially greater degree than would be the case for an otherwise identical structure lacking such ammonia-releasing biomass.
18. A method as recited in claim 17, wherein the structure comprises a mixture of concrete and biomass; wherein the biomass is selected from the group consisting of cottonseed, soybean, milo, agriculture waste, fertilizer, and mulch.
19. A method as recited in claim 17, wherein the structure comprises a mixture of concrete and cottonseed.
20. An apparatus comprising a plurality of adjacent columns, wherein:
(a) each of said columns is adapted to be placed vertically on the bed of a water body;
(b) each of said columns comprises a plurality of horizontal growth layers, interspersed vertically with a plurality of horizontal wave port layers; and each of said columns further comprises a plurality of connectors;
(c) each of said horizontal growth layers has a perimeter and at least one internal space within the perimeter;
(d) each of said horizontal growth layers in each of said columns does not permit the flow of water through said growth layer in a horizontal direction, but does permit the flow of water in a vertical direction through said at least one internal space within the perimeter of said growth layers;
(e) vertically adjacent horizontal growth layers are mechanically joined to one another by a plurality of said connectors, wherein said connectors are located generally within the wave port layers;
(f) the horizontal wave port layers in each of said columns are generally open to the flow of water;
(g) the surfaces of said horizontal growth layers comprise a material that is adapted to attract and encourage the growth of sessile aquatic organisms; and
(h) said apparatus is adapted to substantially reduce the wave energy or current energy of aquatic waves or aquatic currents that pass through said apparatus when sessile aquatic organisms are attached to said apparatus.
21. An apparatus as recited in claim 20, wherein said connectors for a column comprise portions of said horizontal growth layers from adjacent columns.
22. An apparatus as recited in claim 20, wherein adjacent said columns are mechanically joined to one another.
23. An apparatus as recited in claim 20, wherein said horizontal growth layers comprise a mixture of concrete and biomass; wherein said biomass will release ammonia upon decomposing in an aqueous environment, thereby attracting and encouraging the growth of sessile aquatic organisms.
24. An apparatus as recited in claim 20, wherein said horizontal growth layers comprise a mixture of concrete and biomass; wherein said biomass is selected from the group consisting of cottonseed, soybean, milo, agriculture waste, fertilizer, and mulch.
25. An apparatus as recited in claim 20, wherein said horizontal growth layers comprise a mixture of concrete and cottonseed.
26. An apparatus as recited in claim 20, wherein the columns comprise a regular polygonal cross-section selected from the group of cross-sections consisting of a regular triangle, regular quadrilateral, regular pentagon, regular hexagon, regular heptagon, and regular octagon.
27. An apparatus as recited in claim 20, wherein the columns comprise a regular hexagonal cross-section.
28. The apparatus as recited in claim 20, the apparatus further comprising spokes extending inward from the perimeter of at least one horizontal growth layer, the spokes joining near the center of the growth layer to provide mechanical strength to said horizontal growth layer and wherein the flow of water through said growth layer in a vertical direction occurs through internal spaces between the growth layer perimeter and the spokes.
29. An apparatus comprising a plurality of adjacent columns, wherein:
(a) each of said columns is adapted to be placed vertically on the bed of a water body;
(b) each of said columns comprises a plurality of horizontal growth layers, interspersed vertically with a plurality of horizontal wave port layers;
(c) each of said horizontal growth layers has a perimeter and at least one internal space within the perimeter;
(d) each of said horizontal growth layers in each of said columns does not permit the flow of water through said growth layer in a horizontal direction, but does permit the flow of water in a vertical direction through said at least one internal space within the perimeter of said growth layers;
(e) the horizontal wave port layers are generally open to the flow of water;
(f) the surfaces of said horizontal growth layers comprise a material that is adapted to attract and encourage the growth of sessile aquatic organisms; and
(g) said apparatus is adapted to substantially reduce the wave energy or current energy of aquatic waves or aquatic currents that pass through said apparatus when sessile aquatic organisms are attached to said apparatus.
30. An apparatus as recited in claim 29, wherein each of said vertical columns comprises portions of the vertically adjacent horizontal growth layers to form a plurality of staggered columns and wave ports.
31. An apparatus as recited in claim 29, wherein adjacent said columns are mechanically joined to one another.
32. An apparatus as recited in claim 29, wherein said horizontal growth layers comprise a mixture of concrete and biomass; wherein said biomass will release ammonia upon decomposing in an aqueous environment, thereby attracting and encouraging the growth of sessile aquatic organisms.
33. An apparatus as recited in claim 29, wherein said horizontal growth layers comprise a mixture of concrete and biomass; wherein said biomass is selected from the group consisting of cottonseed, soybean, milo, agriculture waste, fertilizer, and mulch.
34. An apparatus as recited in claim 29, wherein said horizontal growth layers comprise a mixture of concrete and cottonseed.
35. An apparatus as recited in claim 29, wherein the columns comprise a regular polygonal cross-section selected from the group of cross-sections consisting of a regular triangle, regular quadrilateral, regular pentagon, regular hexagon, regular heptagon, and regular octagon.
36. An apparatus as recited in claim 29, wherein the columns comprise a regular hexagonal cross-section.
37. The apparatus as recited in claim 29, the apparatus further comprising spokes extending inward from the perimeter of at least one horizontal growth layer, the spokes joining near the center of the growth layer to provide mechanical strength to said horizontal growth layer and wherein the flow of water through said growth layer in a vertical direction occurs through internal spaces between the growth layer perimeter and the spokes.
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. An access router comprising:
an inquiry unit for inquiring of another access router about service providing device address information of a service providing device that can provide a service to a mobile terminal that is moving from a location area covered by a currently connected access router to another location area covered by another access router; and
a holding unit for holding correspondence information between the service providing device address information of the service providing device obtained by the inquiry unit and mobile terminal device address information of the mobile terminal device;
wherein the access router sends a service start request message including the mobile terminal device address information and a terminal identifier of the mobile terminal device uniquely identifiable in a communication network, to the service providing device so that the service providing device creates service information for providing the service to the mobile terminal device, and
wherein when the access router receives a service start request response message from the service providing device, the terminal identifier of the mobile terminal device and the service providing device address information are added in the holding unit as the correspondence information, so that the service between the service providing device and the mobile terminal device is controlled based on the correspondence information held in the holding unit.
2. The access router according to claim 1, further comprising an identification information acquiring unit for acquiring a part of an IP address in a message which is transferred between the access router and the mobile terminal device as the mobile terminal device address information of the mobile terminal device.
3. The access router according to claim 1, further comprising:
a Prefix information acquiring unit for acquiring Prefix information from a response to a message sent by the access router; and
an advertising unit for advertising the Prefix information acquired by the Prefix information acquiring unit to the mobile terminal device.
4. The access router according to claim 1, further comprising an identification information acquiring unit for acquiring a part of an IP address that is transferred between the mobile terminal device and a DHCP server as the mobile terminal device address information of the mobile terminal device.
5. The access router according to claim 1, wherein the service is provision of a mobility service to the mobile terminal device in a transparent manner.
6. The access router according to claim 1, wherein provision of the service from the service providing device to the mobile terminal device continues, without the service providing device address information being notified to the mobile terminal device, even after the mobile terminal device moved to the another location area covered by the another access router.
7. An access router which controls transfer of a packet between a service providing device which provides a service and a mobile terminal device which receives the service, the access router comprising:
an inquiry unit for inquiring of another access router about mobility control device address information of a mobility control device which performs transfer of a packet between the mobility control device and a currently connected access router from a location area of which the mobile terminal device is moving to another location area covered by another access router; and
a holding unit for holding correspondence information between the mobility control device address information of the mobility control device obtained by the inquiry unit and mobile terminal device address information of the mobile terminal device;
wherein the access router sends a service start request message including the mobile terminal device address information and a terminal identifier of the mobile terminal device uniquely identifiable in a communication network, to the mobility control device so that the mobility control device creates service information for providing a service to the mobile terminal device, and
wherein when the access router receives a service start request response message from the mobility control device, the terminal identifier of the mobile terminal device and the mobility control device address information are added in the holding unit as the correspondence information, the transfer of the packet between the mobility control device and the mobile terminal device is controlled based on the correspondence information held in the holding unit.
8. The access router according to claim 7, further comprising an identification information acquiring unit for acquiring a part of an IP address in a message which is transferred between the access router and the mobile terminal device as the mobile terminal device address information of the mobile terminal device.
9. The access router according to claim 7, further comprising:
a Prefix information acquiring unit for acquiring Prefix information from a response to a message sent by the access router; and
an advertising unit for advertising the Prefix information acquired by the Prefix information acquiring unit to the mobile terminal device.
10. The access router according to claim 7, further comprising an identification information acquiring unit for acquiring a part of an IP address that is transferred between the mobile terminal device and a DHCP server as the mobile terminal device address information of the mobile terminal device.
11. The access router according to claim 7, wherein provision of the service from the service providing device to the mobile terminal device continues, without the mobility control device address information being notified to the mobile terminal device, even after the mobile terminal device moved to the another location area covered by the another access router.
12. A service control system comprising:
a service providing device which provides a service to a mobile terminal device; and
an access router comprising an inquiry unit for inquiring of another access router about service providing device address information of the service providing device that can provide a service to the mobile terminal device that is moving from a location area covered by a currently connected access router to another location area covered by another access router, and a holding unit for holding correspondence information between the service providing device address information of the service providing device obtained by the inquiry unit and mobile terminal device address information of the mobile terminal device;
wherein the access router sends a service start request message including the mobile terminal device address information and a terminal identifier of the mobile terminal device uniquely identifiable in a communication network, to the service providing device so that the service providing device creates service information for providing the service to the mobile terminal device, and
wherein when the access router receives a service start request response message from the service providing device, the terminal identifier of the mobile terminal device and the service providing device address information are added in the holding unit as the correspondence information, so that the service between the service providing device and the mobile terminal device is controlled based on the correspondence information held in the holding unit.
13. A service control system comprising:
a mobility control device which relays a packet between a service providing device which provides a service and a mobile terminal device which receives the service; and
an access router comprising an inquiry unit for inquiring of another access router about mobility control device address information of the mobility control device which performs transfer of a packet between the mobility control device and a currently connected access router from a location area of which the mobile terminal device is moving to another location area covered by another access router, and a holding unit for holding correspondence information between the mobility control device address information of the mobility control device obtained by the inquiry unit and mobile terminal device address information of the mobile terminal device,
wherein the access router sends a service start request message including the mobile terminal device address information and a terminal identifier of the mobile terminal device uniquely identifiable in a communication network to the mobility control device so that the service providing device creates service information for providing the service to the mobile terminal device, and
wherein when the access router receives a service start request response message from the mobility control device, the terminal identifier of the mobile terminal device and the mobility control device address information are added in the holding unit as the correspondence information, the transfer of the packet between the mobility control device and the mobile terminal device is controlled based on the correspondence information held in the holding unit.
14. A service control method for controlling a service between a service providing device which provides the service and a mobile terminal device which receives the service, the method comprising:
inquiring of another access router about service providing device address information of the service providing device that can provide a service to the mobile terminal device that is moving from a location area covered by a currently connected access router to another location area covered by another access router;
holding correspondence information between the service providing device address information of the service providing device obtained by the inquiring and mobile terminal device address information of the mobile terminal device;
sending a service start request message including the mobile terminal device address information and a terminal identifier of the mobile terminal device uniquely identifiable in a communication network, to the service providing device so that the service providing device creates service information for providing the service to the mobile terminal device;
receiving a service start request response message from the service providing device;
adding the terminal identifier of the mobile terminal device and the service providing device address information, as the correspondence information; and
controlling the service between the service providing device and the mobile terminal device based on the correspondence information held.
15. A service control method for controlling transfer of a packet between a service providing device which provides a service and a mobile terminal device which receives the service, the method comprising:
inquiring of another access router about mobility control device address information of a mobility control device which performs transfer of a packet between the mobility control device and a currently connected access router from a location area of which the mobile terminal device is moving to another location area covered by another access router;
holding correspondence information between the mobility control device address information of the mobility control device obtained by the inquiring and mobile terminal device address information of the mobile terminal device;
sending a service start request message including the mobile terminal device address information and a terminal identifier of the mobile terminal device uniquely identifiable in a communication network, to the mobility control device so that the mobility control device creates service information for providing a service to the mobile terminal device;
receiving a service start request response message from the mobility control device;
adding the terminal identifier of the mobile terminal device and the mobility control device address information as the correspondence information; and
controlling the transfer of the packet between the mobility control device which relays the packet and the mobile terminal device based on the correspondence information held.