1. A file or folder management apparatus comprising:
a storage section that stores one or more files for storing data sets and one or more folders for collectively holding the files, each of the files and folders having a unique name assigned thereto;
a sort section that sorts the files or folders, stored in said storage section, in predetermined order of the names of the files or folders in accordance with a sort rule defining order relationship among all characters usable as the names of the files and folders;
a creation section that newly creates a file or folder in said storage section; and
a name assigning section that automatically assigns a name, having a character defined at a leading or trailing end of the order relationship of all characters usable as the names of the files and folders in accordance with the sort rule, to the file or folder newly created by said creation section.
2. A computer-readable storage medium containing a program for causing a computer to perform a procedure for managing files and folders stored in a memory, said memory storing one or more files for storing data sets and one or more folders for collectively holding the files, each of the files and folders having a unique name assigned thereto, said procedure comprising:
a step of sorting the files or folders, stored in said memory, in predetermined order of the names of the files or folders in accordance with a sort rule defining order relationship among all characters usable as the names of the files and folders;
a step of newly creating a file or folder in said memory; and
a step of automatically assigning a name, having a character defined at a leading or trailing end of the order relationship of all characters usable as the names of the files and folders in accordance with the sort rule, to the file or folder newly created by said step of newly creating.
3. A computer-implemented method for managing files and folders stored in a memory, said memory storing one or more files for storing data sets and one or more folders for collectively holding the files, each of the files and folders having a unique name assigned thereto, said method comprising:
a step of sorting the files or folders, stored in said memory, in predetermined order of the names of the files or folders in accordance with a sort rule defining order relationship among all characters usable as the names of the files and folders;
a step of newly creating a file or folder in said memory; and
a step of automatically assigning a name, having a character defined at a leading or trailing end of the order relationship of all characters usable as the names of the files and folders in accordance with the sort rule, to the file or folder newly created by said step of newly creating.
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 method of removing metal ions from hydrocarbon feedstocks comprising
(i) mixing the feedstocks with an effective metal removing amount of an aqueous solution of one or more water-soluble poly(acrylic acid) derivatives to form an aqueous phase containing the metal ions and a hydrocarbon phase; and
(ii) separating the hydrocarbon phase from the aqueous phase.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the metal ions are selected from the group consisting of +2 and +3 ionically charged metals.
3. The method of claim 2 wherein the poly(acrylic acid) derivative has a molecular weight of about 100 to about 4,000,000.
4. The method of claim 3 wherein the polyacrylic acid derivative is selected from sulfomethylated poly(meth)acrylic acid and salts thereof, poly((meth)acrylic acid) and salts thereof and polymers of (meth)acrylic acid or a salt thereof and one or more monomers selected from (meth)acrylamide, dimethylaminoethylacrylate quaternary salt, diallyldimethylammonium chloride and 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid and salts thereof.
5. The method of claim 3 wherein the polyacrylic acid derivative is acrylic acid-dimethylaminoethylacrylate methyl chloride quaternary salt copolymer.
6. The method of claim 3 wherein the polyacrylic acid derivative is selected from poly(acrylic acid) and salts thereof.
7. The method of claim 6 wherein the +2 and +3 ionically charged metals are selected from zinc, iron, cobalt, copper, magnesium, manganese and calcium.
8. The method of claim 6 wherein the ionically charged metals are selected from the group consisting of +2 ionically charged metals.
9. The method of claim 8 wherein the +2 ionically charged metal is calcium.
10. The method of claim 9 wherein the poly(acrylic acid) derivative has a molecular weight of about 2,000 to about 8,000.
11. The method of claim 1 wherein the separating is performed by conventional desalting processes or by countercurrent extraction.
12. The method of claim 1 wherein the hydrocarbon feedstocks are selected from the group consisting of crude oil, heavy hydrocarbonaceous residua, solvent deasphalted oils derived from the crude oil or residua, shale oil, liquified coal and tar sand effluent.
13. The method of claim 1 wherein the hydrocarbon feedstock is crude oil.