The invention claimed is:
1. An electrochemical impedance spectroscopy apparatus comprising:
a conduit;
a gasket coupled in a fluid tight manner to the conduit adjacent one end thereof, the gasket having an opening therethrough in fluid communication with an interior of the conduit, a side of the gasket opposite the conduit coupleable in a fluid tight manner with a coating applied over a surface of an object, wherein the conduit, the gasket and the coating define a fluid tight vessel when the gasket is coupled in a fluid tight manner to the coating;
a first electrode positioned inside the vessel; and
a second electrode positioned outside the vessel and responsive to the application of a suitable force thereto for piercing the coating to electrically contact the object.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second electrode is operatively coupled to the conduit via one of a support bracket and the gasket.
3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the second electrode has an externally threaded body that is configured to threadedly mate with an internally threaded opening through the one of the support bracket and the gasket.
4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the gasket is configured to create with the coating a vacuum therebetween when the gasket is moved into contact with the coating, said vacuum coupling the gasket and the coating together in the fluid tight manner.
5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the gasket includes a vacuum channel operative in the manner of a suction cup for coupling the gasket and the coating together in the fluid tight manner.
6. The apparatus of claim 1, further including means for fluidly connecting a vacuum source in fluid communication between the gasket and the coating when the gasket is in contact with the coating, the vacuum source operative on the means for fluidly connecting for coupling the gasket and the coating together in the fluid tight manner.
7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the fluid connecting means includes a channel formed in the side of the gasket opposite the conduit.
8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein opposite ends of the conduit are positioned transverse with respect to each other.
9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the conduit has an L-shape.
10. The apparatus of claim 1, further including an electrically conductive cover positionable over the end of the conduit opposite the gasket.
11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the conduit is formed from an electrically nonconductive material having a coating of electrically conductive material on an exterior surface thereof.
12. An electrochemical impedance spectroscopy method comprising:
(a) providing a conduit having a first conductive probe positioned therein;
(b) coupling one end of the conduit in a fluid tight manner to a coating on a surface of an electrically conductive object whereupon an electrolyte solution disposed in the conduit is in fluid communication with the coating and the first conductive probe;
(c) perforating the coating outside the conduit with a second conductive probe whereupon the second conductive probe is in electrical contact with the object;
(d) coupling an AC signal between the first and second conductive probes;
(e) sweeping the AC signal between a first frequency and a second frequency;
(f) determining a response of the coating and the object to the swept AC signal; and
(g) determining from the response a characteristic or property of the coating.
13. The method of claim 12, wherein the conduit is electrically nonconductive.
14. The method of claim 13, further including:
providing an electrically conductive film on the exterior surface of the conduit; and
connecting the electrically conductive film to a reference potential.
15. The method of claim 12, further including:
providing an electrically conductive cover over the other end of the conduit; and
connecting the electrically conductive cover to a reference potential.
16. The method of claim 12, wherein opposite ends of the conduit are positioned transverse with respect to each other.
17. An electrochemical impedance spectroscopy apparatus comprising:
a conduit having a first electrically conductive probe positioned therein;
a seal for coupling one end of the conduit in a fluid tight manner to a coating on a surface of an electrically conductive object whereupon an electrolyte solution disposed in the conduit is in fluid communication with the coating and the first conductive probe;
a second electrically conductive probe configured to penetrate the coating outside the conduit and electrically contact the object; and
means for applying a sweep frequency AC signal to the first and second conductive probes, for determining a response of the coating and the object to the sweep frequency AC signal and for determining from the response a characteristic or property of the coating.
18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the conduit is electrically nonconductive.
19. The apparatus of claim 18, further including at least one of:
an electrically conductive film on the exterior surface of the conduit; and
an electrically conductive cover over the other end of the conduit.
20. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein a body of the conduit is formed whereupon when the one end of the conduit is coupled to the coating when the surface is positioned at an angle relative to horizontal, the electrolyte solution does not exit the other end of the conduit.
21. An electrochemical impedance spectroscopy apparatus comprising:
a conduit having ends that are positioned transverse with respect to each other;
a gasket coupled in a fluid tight manner to the conduit adjacent one end thereof, the gasket having an opening therethrough in fluid communication with an interior of the conduit, a side of the gasket opposite the conduit coupleable in a fluid tight manner with one of a surface of an object and a coating applied over the surface of the object, wherein the conduit, the gasket and the one of the surface and the coating define a fluid tight vessel when the gasket is coupled in a fluid tight manner thereto;
a first electrode positioned inside the vessel; and
a second electrode positioned outside the vessel and moveable into electrical contact with the object.
22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the second electrode is responsive to the application of a suitable force thereto for piercing the coating to electrically contact the object.
23. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the second electrode is operatively coupled to the conduit via one of a support bracket and the gasket.
24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the second electrode has an externally threaded body that is configured to threadedly mate with an internally threaded opening through the one of the support bracket and the gasket.
25. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the gasket is configured to create with the one of the surface and the coating a vacuum therebetween when the gasket is moved into contact therewith, said vacuum coupling the gasket and the one of the surface and the coating together in the fluid tight manner.
26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the gasket includes a vacuum channel operative in the manner of a suction cup for coupling the gasket and the one of the surface and the coating together in the fluid tight manner.
27. The apparatus of claim 21, further including means for fluidly connecting a vacuum source in fluid communication between the gasket and the one of the surface and the coating when the gasket is in contact therewith, the vacuum source operative on the means for fluidly connecting for coupling the gasket and the one of the surface and the coating together in the fluid tight manner.
28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the fluid connecting means includes a channel formed in the side of the gasket opposite the conduit.
29. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the conduit has an L-shape.
30. The apparatus of claim 21, further including an electrically conductive cover positionable over the end of the conduit opposite the gasket.
31. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the conduit is formed from an electrically nonconductive material having a coating of electrically conductive material on an exterior surface thereof.
32. An electrochemical impedance spectroscopy method comprising:
(a) providing a first conductive probe positioned in a conduit having ends that are positioned transverse with respect to each other;
(b) coupling one end of the conduit in a fluid tight manner to one of a surface of an electrically conductive object and a coating deposited on the surface of the object whereupon an electrolyte solution disposed in the conduit is in fluid communication with the first conductive probe and the one of the surface and the coating;
(c) electrically contacting the surface of the object with a second conductive probe one of directly and via the coating;
(d) coupling an AC signal between the first and second conductive probes;
(e) sweeping the AC signal between a first frequency and a second frequency;
(f) determining a response of the coating and the object to the swept AC signal; and
(g) determining from the response a characteristic or property of the coating.
33. The method of claim 32, wherein step (c) includes perforating the coating outside the conduit with a second conductive probe.
34. The method of claim 32, wherein the conduit is electrically nonconductive.
35. The method of claim 34, further including:
providing an electrically conductive film on the exterior surface of the conduit; and
connecting the electrically conductive film to a reference potential.
36. The method of claim 32, further including:
providing an electrically conductive cover over the other end of the conduit; and
connecting the electrically conductive cover to a reference potential.
37. An electrochemical impedance spectroscopy apparatus comprising:
a conduit having a first electrically conductive probe positioned therein;
a seal for coupling one end of the conduit in a fluid tight manner to a surface of an electrically conductive object or a coating on the surface whereupon an electrolyte solution disposed in the conduit is in fluid communication with the surface or the coating and the first conductive probe;
a second electrically conductive probe configured to electrically contact the object one of directly or via the coating; and
means for applying a sweep frequency AC signal to the first and second conductive probes, for determining a response of the object andor the coating to the sweep frequency AC signal and for determining from the response a characteristic or property thereof, wherein a body of the conduit is formed whereupon when the one end of the conduit is coupled to the coating when the surface is positioned at an angle relative to horizontal, the electrolyte solution does not exit the other end of the conduit.
38. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein the conduit is electrically nonconductive.
39. The apparatus of claim 38, further including at least one of:
an electrically conductive film on the exterior surface of the conduit; and
an electrically conductive cover over the other end of the conduit.
40. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein the second electrically conductive probe is configured to penetrate the coating outside the conduit whereupon the second electrically conductive probe contacts the object.
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 video game control system comprising:
a plurality of player terminals respectively operated by a plurality of players, a video game being played in each of the plurality of player terminals; and
a video game control server for controlling at least part of progress of the video game via a communication network,
wherein each of the player terminals comprises:
an attack command receiver that receives specification of an attack command for specifying an attack action that a player character is caused to execute by means of an attack specification operation by the player;
a position measurer that measures a current position of the player terminal when the attack command receiver receives the specification of the attack command;
a usage command information transmitter that transmits usage command information to the video game control server via the communication network, the usage command information including attack command information indicating an attack command received by the attack command receiver, current position information indicating a current position of the player terminal measured by the position measurer and player identification information for uniquely identifying the player; and
an attack command executor that causes the player character to execute the attack action specified on the basis of the attack command received by the attack command receiver,
wherein the video game control server comprises:
a usage history information memory for storing usage history information indicating a usage history of attack commands for each of the plurality of player terminals;
an integrated attack determiner that, when usage command information is received from any one of the player terminals, determines whether or not an attack action by an attack command indicated by attack command information is to be an integrated attack action on the basis of a current position of the user terminal indicated by current position information, the received usage command information including the attack command information and the current position information, the attack actions by the attack commands included in the usage history indicated by the usage history information being integrated in the integrated attack action, the integrated attack determiner also determining attack power information indicating attack power of the integrated attack action or attack power specification information capable of specifying the attack power in the case where it is determined that the attack action is to be the integrated attack action;
an attack instruction information transmitter that transmits attack instruction information indicating a determination result of the integrated attack determiner to the player terminal; and
a usage history information updater that updates the usage history information by adding the received usage command information to the usage history of the attack commands, and
wherein the attack command executor causes the player character to execute the integrated attack action when receiving from the video game control server the attack instruction information including information that it is determined that the attack action is to be the integrated attack action, in the integrated attack action the attack power of the attack action indicated by the attack command received by means of the attack command receiver being set as the attack power indicated by the attack power information or the attack power specified by the attack power specification information, the received attack instruction information including the attack power information and the attack power specification information.
2. The video game control system according to claim 1, wherein the integrated attack determiner determines that the attack action is to be the integrated attack action in the case where more than the predetermined number of attack commands each of which is identical to the attack command indicated by the attack command information included in the usage command information received from the player terminal and that have been used within a predetermined distance range from the current position of the player terminal indicated by the current position information included in the received usage command information are included in the usage history indicated by the usage history information, and
wherein the integrated attack determiner determines the attack power information or the attack power specification information so that the attack power of the integrated attack action gradually increases in accordance with the number of the included attack commands that is more than the predetermined number.
3. The video game control system according to claim 1, wherein the integrated attack determiner determines that the attack action is to be the integrated attack action in the case where more than the predetermined number of attack commands each of which is identical to the attack command indicated by the attack command information included in the usage command information received from the player terminal and that have been used within a predetermined distance range from the current position of the player terminal indicated by the current position information included in the received usage command information and within a predetermined period of time are included in the usage history indicated by the usage history information, and
wherein the integrated attack determiner determines the attack power specification information so that the attack power of the integrated attack action gradually increases in accordance with the number of the included attack commands that is more than the predetermined number.
4. The video game control system according to claim 2, wherein the integrated action determiner refers to the usage histories registered in the usage history information other than the usage history of the attack command for the player terminal that has transferred the usage command information to the video game control server.
5. The video game control system according to claim 2, wherein the video game control server further comprises a virtual usage history information memory for storing virtual usage history information indicating a usage history of an attack command virtually created, and
wherein the integrated attack determiner determines whether or not the attack action is to be the integrated attack action using the virtual usage history information in place of the usage history information in the case where the current position of the player terminal indicated by the current position information included in the received usage command information is positioned within a specific area.
6. The video game control system according to claim 5, wherein the integrated attack determiner determines whether or not the attack action is to be the integrated attack action further using the usage history in the virtual usage history information in the case where the number of the usage histories of the attack command in the usage history information is less than the predetermined number.
7. The video game control system according to claim 2, wherein the integrated attack determiner determines the attack power information or the attack power specification information using a table for determination of attack power specification information in which the number of the corresponding attack commands is associated with the attack power information or the attack power specification information.
8. The video game control system according to claim 1, wherein the position measurer measures the current position of the player terminal on the basis of positioning signals from a plurality of positioning satellites.
9. The video game control system according to claim 1, wherein the usage history information includes used attack command information indicating an attack command that has been used, usage position information indicating the position of the player terminal when the attack command is used, usage time information indicating time when the attack command is used, and the player identification information, and
wherein the usage history information updater creates additional information to the usage history information by specifying the attack command indicated by the attack command information included in the received usage command information as the used attack command information, specifying the position information indicated by the current position information included in the received usage command information as the usage position information, adding the player identification information included in the received usage command information and determining the usage time information on the basis of reception of the usage command information, and updates the usage history information.
10. A video game control server for controlling at least part of progress of a video game via a communication network, the video game being played in each of a plurality of player terminals, the plurality of player terminals being respectively operated by a plurality of players, the video game control server comprising:
a usage history information memory for storing usage history information indicating a usage history of attack commands for each of the plurality of player terminals;
an integrated attack determiner that, when usage command information is received from any one of the player terminals via the communication network, determines whether or not an attack action by an attack command indicated by attack command information is to be an integrated attack action on the basis of a current position of the user terminal indicated by current position information, the usage command information including the attack command information indicating the attack command for specifying the attack action specified by an attack specification operation by the player, which a player character in the player terminal is caused to execute, the current position information indicating the current position of the player terminal measured by a position measurer of the player terminal for measuring a current position of the player terminal when the attack command is specified, and player identification information for uniquely identifying the player, the attack actions by the attack commands included in the usage history indicated by the usage history information being integrated in the integrated attack action, the integrated attack determiner also determining attack power information indicating attack power of the integrated attack action or attack power specification information capable of specifying the attack power in the case where it is determined that the attack action is to be the integrated attack action;
an attack instruction information transmitter that transmits attack instruction information indicating a determination result of the integrated attack determiner to the player terminal, so that the player character is caused to execute the integrated attack action in which the attack power of the attack action indicated by the attack command specified in the player terminal by means of the attack specification operation by the player is set as the attack power indicated by the attack power information or the attack power specified by the attack power specification information, the attack instruction information including the attack power information and the attack power specification information; and
a usage history information updater that updates the usage history information by adding the received usage command information to the usage history of the attack commands.
11. The video game control server according to claim 10, wherein the integrated attack determiner determines that the attack action is to be the integrated attack action in the case where more than the predetermined number of attack commands each of which is identical to the attack command indicated by the attack command information included in the usage command information received from the player terminal and that have been used within a predetermined distance range from the current position of the player terminal indicated by the current position information included in the received usage command information are included in the usage history indicated by the usage history information, and
wherein the integrated attack determiner determines the attack power information or the attack power specification information so that the attack power of the integrated attack action gradually increases in accordance with the number of the included attack commands that is more than the predetermined number.
12. The video game control server according to claim 10, wherein the integrated attack determiner determines that the attack action is to be the integrated attack action in the case where more than the predetermined number of attack commands each of which is identical to the attack command indicated by the attack command information included in the usage command information received from the player terminal and that have been used within a predetermined distance range from the current position of the player terminal indicated by the current position information included in the received usage command information and within a predetermined period of time are included in the usage history indicated by the usage history information, and
wherein the integrated attack determiner determines the attack power specification information so that the attack power of the integrated attack action gradually increases in accordance with the number of the included attack commands that is more than the predetermined number.
13. The video game control server according to claim 11, wherein the integrated action determiner refers to the usage histories registered in the usage history information other than the usage history of the attack command for the player terminal that has transferred the usage command information to the video game control server.
14. The video game control server according to claim 11, further comprising a virtual usage history information memory for storing virtual usage history information indicating a usage history of an attack command virtually created,
wherein the integrated attack determiner determines whether or not the attack action is to be the integrated attack action using the virtual usage history information in place of the usage history information in the case where the current position of the player terminal indicated by the current position information included in the received usage command information is positioned within a specific area.
15. The video game control server according to claim 14, wherein the integrated attack determiner determines whether or not the attack action is to be the integrated attack action further using the usage history in the virtual usage history information in the case where the number of the usage histories of the attack command in the usage history information is less than the predetermined number.
16. The video game control server according to claim 11, wherein the integrated attack determiner determines the attack power information or the attack power specification information using a table for determination of attack power specification information in which the number of the corresponding attack commands is associated with the attack power information or the attack power specification information.
17. The video game control server according to claim 10, wherein the position measurer measures the current position of the player terminal on the basis of positioning signals from a plurality of positioning satellites.
18. The video game control server according to claim 10, wherein the usage history information includes used attack command information indicating an attack command that has been used, usage position information indicating the position of the player terminal when the attack command is used, usage time information indicating time when the attack command is used, and the player identification information, and
wherein the usage history information updater creates additional information to the usage history information by specifying the attack command indicated by the attack command information included in the received usage command information as the used attack command information, specifying the position information indicated by the current position information included in the received usage command information as the usage position information, adding the player identification information included in the received usage command information and determining the usage time information on the basis of reception of the usage command information, and updates the usage history information.