What is claimed is:
1. A method for aiding use of a computer, comprising:
receiving a home base signal, and
in response to the home base signal, transferring control of the computer to a user home base application.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the user home base application is a persistent graphical interface to which a user may return to recover from an operating fault.
3. The method of claim 2 wherein the operating fault was caused by a software application.
4. The method of claim 2 wherein the operating fault was caused by the hardware of the computer.
5. The method of claim 2 wherein the operating fault was caused by an operating system of the computer.
6. The method of claim 5 wherein the operating fault is the complete failure of the operating system.
7. The method of claim 2 wherein the user may launch a user application from the user home base application.
8. The method of claim 2 wherein the user home base application has an interface that, when operating, has the same appearance under all operating conditions, providing a level of comfort to a user operating the computer.
9. The method of claim 8 wherein all operating conditions includes fault conditions caused by a software application.
10. The method of claim 8 wherein all operating conditions includes fault conditions caused by the hardware of the computer.
11. The method of claim 8 wherein all operating conditions includes faults caused by an operating system of the computer.
12. The method of claim 11 wherein the fault is the complete failure of the operating system.
13. The method of claim 1 wherein the home base signal is generated by a dedicated manual switch.
14. The method of claim 13 wherein the dedicated manual switch comprises a button.
15. The method of claim 13 wherein the dedicated manual switch is associated with a computer keyboard.
16. The method of claim 13 wherein the dedicated manual switch is associated with a game input device.
17. The method of claim 13 wherein the dedicated manual switch is mounted in a computer housing.
18. The method of claim 1 wherein the home base signal is generated by a software-provided graphical interface element.
19. The method of claim 18 in which the interface element comprises a dialog input
20. The method of claim 19 in which the interface element comprises a dialog button.
21. The method of claim 1 wherein the home base signal is generated by a system interrupt.
22. The method of claim 21 wherein the system interrupt is generated in response to a failure of an operating system of the computer.
23. The method of claim 21 wherein the system interrupt is generated in response to an action by a user.
24. The method of claim 21 wherein the system interrupt is generated when a user selects a software option.
25. The method of claim 1 wherein the home base application comprises software code stored in dynamic memory.
26. The method of claim 1 wherein the home base application comprises software code stored partly in read-only memory and partly in non-volatile memory.
27. The method of claim 1 wherein the home base application comprises software code stored in read-only memory.
28. The method of claim 1 wherein the home base application comprises a consistent interface display accessible from any of multiple user applications.
29. The method of claim 1 wherein the home base application comprises a consistent interface display accessible both when an operating system of the computer is functioning and when the operating system has failed.
30. The method of claim 29 wherein the home base application further comprises
a low level home base application that engages when the operating system has failed; and
a high level home base application that engages when the operating system is functioning.
31. The method of claim 30 wherein at least a part of the low level home base application is located in a read-only memory.
32. The method of claim 1 wherein the home base signal is received by a system management interrupt handler.
33. The method of claim 1 wherein the home base signal is received by a non-maskable interrupt handler.
34. The method of claim 1 wherein the home base signal is received by a watchdog handler.
35. The method of claim 1 wherein the home base signal is received by an operating system timer handler.
36. The method of claim 1 wherein the home base signal is received by a fail-safe home base loader.
37. The method of claim 1 wherein the receipt of the home base signal and the transfer of control to a home base application is handled by:
a system management interrupt handler;
a non-maskable interrupt handler;
a watchdog handler;
an operating system timer handler; and
a fail-safe home base loader.
38. A home base interface for a computer comprising:
a home base signal generator;
a home base application provider; and
a home base selector that engages the home base application provider upon receiving a home base signal from the home base signal generator.
39. The apparatus of claim 38 wherein the home base signal generator comprises a dedicated manual switch.
40. The apparatus of claim 39 wherein the switch is associated with a computer keyboard.
41. The apparatus of claim 39 wherein the switch is associated with a game input device.
42. The apparatus of claim 39 wherein the switch is mounted in a computer housing.
43. The apparatus of claim 38 wherein the home base signal generator comprises a software-provided graphical interface element.
44. The apparatus of claim 43 wherein the interface element comprises a dialog input.
45. The apparatus of claim 44 wherein the dialog input comprises a dialog button.
46. The apparatus of claim 38 wherein the home base signal generator comprises a system interrupt source.
47. The apparatus of claim 46 wherein the system interrupt source generates the home base signal in response to a failure of an operating system of the computer.
48. The apparatus of claim 46 wherein the system interrupt source generates the home base signal in response to an action by a user.
49. The apparatus of claim 46 wherein the system interrupt source generates the home base signal when a user selects a software option.
50. The apparatus of claim 38 wherein the home base application provider comprises software code stored in dynamic memory.
51. The apparatus of claim 38 wherein the home base application provider comprises software code stored partly in read-only memory and partly in non-volatile memory.
52. The apparatus of claim 38 wherein the home base application provider comprises software code stored in read-only memory.
53. The apparatus of claim 38 wherein the home base application provider comprises a consistent interface display accessible from any of multiple user applications.
54. The apparatus of claim 38 wherein the home base application provider comprises a consistent interface display accessible both when an operating system of the computer is functioning and when the operating system has failed.
55. The apparatus of claim 54 wherein the home base application provider further comprises:
a low level home base application that engages when the operating system has failed; and
a high level home base application that engages when the operating system is functioning.
56. The apparatus of claim 55 wherein at least a part of the low level home base application is located in a read-only memory.
57. The apparatus of claim 38 wherein the home base selector further comprises a system management interrupt handler.
58. The apparatus of claim 38 wherein the home base selector further comprises a non-maskable interrupt handler.
59. The apparatus of claim 38 wherein the home base selector further comprises a watchdog handler.
60. The apparatus of claim 38 wherein the home base selector further comprises an operating system timer handler.
61. The apparatus of claim 38 wherein the home base selector further comprises a fail-safe home base loader.
62. The apparatus of claim 38 wherein the home base selector further comprises:
a system management interrupt handler;
a non-maskable interrupt handler;
a watchdog handler;
an operating system timer handler; and
a fail-safe home base loader.
63. A home base interface for a computer comprising:
a home base signal generator;
a home base application provider; and
a home base selector that engages the home base application provider to provide a home base application upon receiving a home base signal from the home base signal generator, wherein the home base application comprises a consistent interface display accessible both when an operating system of the computer is functioning and when the operating system has failed.
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 block (co)polymer which essentially comprises at least one aromatic vinyl compound polymer block and may contain this and at least one polymer block mainly composed of a conjugated diene, wherein the block (co) polymer is represented by general formula (I); (S-B)m-S\u2032n (in formula (I), S and S\u2032 are each a polymer block mainly composed of an aromatic vinyl compound, B is a polymer block mainly composed of a conjugated diene, and m and n are each an integer of 0 or 1, provided that m+n is 1 or more), the total combined aromatic vinyl compound content in the block (co) polymer is from more than 10% by weight to 100% by weight, the vinyl bond content in the polymer block B mainly composed of the conjugated diene is from 10 to 500 by weight, the weight average molecular weight of the polymer block S is from 500 to 20,000, the total weight average molecular weight of the polymer blocks S and S\u2032 is from 1,000 to 30,000, and the weight average molecular weight of the whole block (co)polymer is from 5,000 to 50,000.
2. (canceled)
3. The block (co)polymer according to claim 1, wherein the total combined aromatic vinyl compound content in the block (co)polymer is from more than 10% by weight less than 100% by weight.
4. A block copolymer composition for asphalt modification which comprises (a) the block (co) polymer according to any one of claim 1, 3, and (b) a block copolymer comprising at least two polymer blocks mainly composed of an aromatic vinyl compound and at least one polymer block mainly composed of a conjugated diene, wherein the block copolymer is represented by general formula (II); S-B-S, general formula (III); S-B-S\u2032 andor general formula (IV); (S-B)2-X (in formulas (II) to (IV), S, S\u2032 and B have the same meanings as given in general formula (I), and X is a residue of a coupling agent), the total combined aromatic vinyl compound content in the block copolymer is from 20 to 70% by weight, the vinyl bond content in the polymer block B mainly composed of the conjugated diene is from 10 to 50% by weight, and the weight average molecular weight of the polymer blocks S and S\u2032 is from 10,000 to 20,000, at a block copolymer (a)block copolymer (b) ratio (weight ratio) of 10-4090-60.
5. The block copolymer composition for asphalt modification according to claim 4, wherein the peak molecular weight of block (co)polymer (a) measured by a gel permeation chromatograph (GPC) corresponds to 180to less than \u2153 of the peak molecular weight of block copolymer (b).
6. A process for producing the block copolymer composition for asphalt modification according to claim 4, which comprises each separately polymerizing block (co)polymer (a) and block copolymer (b) by a solution polymerization method using an organic lithium compound as an initiator in an inert hydrocarbon solvent, and mixing and homogenizing the resulting respective polymer solutions, followed by desolvation.
7. A process for producing the block copolymer composition for asphalt modification according to claim 4, which comprises concurrently polymerizing block (co)polymer (a) and block copolymer (b) by a solution polymerization method using an organic lithium compound as an initiator in an inert hydrocarbon solvent, and adding the initiator at least twice and an aromatic vinyl compound and a conjugated diene at least once in polymerizing the aromatic vinyl compound and the conjugated diene at a polymerization stage at which they are sequentially added.
8. An asphalt composition containing the composition according to claim 4 and straight asphalt at a composition according to claim 4 straight asphalt ratio (weight ratio) of 2-1585-98.
9. An asphalt composition comprising the composition according to claim 4, straight asphalt, an aromatic hydrocarbon resin and heavy oil, at ratios of 1 to 20 parts b weight of the composition according to claim 4, 0 to 40 parts by weight of the aromatic hydrocarbon resin, 0 to 40 parts by weight of the heavy oil and 1 to 60 parts by weight of the total of the aromatic hydrocarbon resin and the heavy oil, based on 100 parts by weight of straight asphalt.