Author: claimsbot

We claim:

1. A method of making a molded article for use in a casting process, comprising:
a. mixing sand particles with protein and water to effect a coating of protein on the sand particles;
b. drying the protein coated sand particles;
c. blowing the dry, protein coated sand particles without active cooling into a mold;
d. passing steam through the protein coated sand particles to hydrate and melt the protein, thereby forming bonds between contiguous sand particles to form a molded article; and
e. passing hot, dry air through the molded article to harden the protein bonds between contiguous sand particles.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the protein is a type of gelatin.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein gelatin is used at approximately 0.5 to 2.0% of the sand weight.
4. The method of claim 2, wherein a ratio of gelatin to water is approximately 1:1 to 1:5.
5. The method of claim 2, wherein a ratio of gelatin to water is approximately 1:2 to 1:3.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the drying step is performed using heat.
7. The method of claim 6, wherein the heat is approximately 60 to 120 C.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein the mixing and the drying steps are performed simultaneously.
9. The method of claim 1, wherein the steam is passed through the molded article for approximately 20 seconds at approximately 3 to 4 psi.
10. The method of claim 1, wherein the hot, dry air is passed through the molded article for approximately 150 seconds.
11. The method of claim 10, wherein the hot, dry air is approximately ambient temperature to 300 C.
12. The method of claim 10, wherein the hot, dry air is approximately 100 to 150 C.
13. A method of making a sand core, comprising:
a. mixing sand particles with gelatin and water while supplying heat, wherein the heat melts the gelatin to effect a coating of gelatin on the sand particles and dries the gelatin coated sand particles;
b. blowing the dry, gelatin coated sand particles without active cooling into a mold;
c. passing steam through the gelatin coated sand particles to hydrate and melt the gelatin, thereby forming bonds between contiguous sand particles to form a molded article; and
d. passing hot, dry air through the molded article to harden the gelatin bonds between contiguous sand particles.
14. The method of claim 13, wherein the heat is approximately 60 to 120 C.
15. A method of making a sand core, comprising:
a. mixing sand particles with gelatin and water to create a mixture;
b. supplying heat to the mixture to effect a coating of gelatin on the sand particles and to dry the water thereby drying the mixture;
c. grinding the mixture thereby making the mixture free flowing;
d. blowing the dry, gelatin coated sand particles into a mold;
e. passing steam through the gelatin coated sand particles to hydrate and melt the gelatin, thereby forming bonds between contiguous sand particles to form a molded article; and
f. passing hot, dry air through the molded article to harden the gelatin bonds between contiguous sand particles.
16. The method of claim 15, wherein the mixture is heated and dried in an oven.
17. A method of making a sand core, comprising:
a. heating sand particles to above 40 C.;
b. mixing the heated sand particles with gelatin and water, wherein the heated sand particles melt the gelatin thereby coating the sand particles with gelatin;
c. drying the gelatin coated sand particles;
d. blowing the dry, gelatin coated sand particles into a mold;
e. passing steam through the gelatin coated sand particles to hydrate and melt the gelatin, thereby forming bonds between contiguous sand particles to form a molded article; and
f. passing hot, dry air through the molded article to harden the gelatin bonds between contiguous sand particles.
18. The method of claim 17, wherein the mixing and drying steps are performed simultaneously.
19. A method of making a sand core, comprising:
a. mixing sand particles with protein and water to effect a coating of protein on the sand particles;
b. drying the protein coated sand particles;
c. blowing the dry, protein coated sand particles into a mold;
d. rehydrating the protein coating the sand particles within the mold thereby forming bonds between contiguous sand particles to form a molded article; and
e. passing hot, dry air through the molded article to harden the protein bonds between contiguous sand particles.
20. The method of claim 19, wherein the protein is a type of gelatin.

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 image pickup apparatus comprising:
a moving image shooting unit configured to shoot a moving image;
a compression unit configured to compress a subject image in the moving image obtained from the moving image shooting unit to generate a compressed subject image;
a shooting mode changing unit configured to allow a user to change a shooting mode to a super-resolution mode in which images for a super-resolution processing generating a super resolution image using the images, which is a higher resolution image than each image, are shot, or a non-super resolution mode;
a compression ratio changing unit configured to change a compression ratio of compression by the compression ratio associated with the shooting mode, wherein the compression ratio in the super-resolution mode is lower than the compression ratio in the non-super-resolution mode; and
a recording unit configured to record the compressed subject image in a recording medium,
wherein in the super-resolution mode, the shooting mode changing unit changes the shooting mode to the non-super resolution mode automatically based on a predetermined number of images compressed at a low compression ratio being recorded by the recording unit, the predetermined number of images being set by a user so that the shooting mode is changed automatically when the predetermined number of images is reached and the predetermined number being equal to or larger than a number of images necessary to generate the super resolution image by the super resolution processing.
2. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in the super-resolution mode, the compression unit compresses frames to be generated by intraframe coding and compresses frames to be generated by interframe coding to generate the compressed subject image; and in the non-super resolution mode, the compression unit compresses frames to be generated by intraframe coding and compressed frames to be generated by interframe coding to generate the compressed subject image.
3. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in the super-resolution mode, the subject image is compressed only in compressed frames to be generated by intraframe coding; and in the non-super resolution mode, the subject image is compressed both in compressed frames to be generated by intraframe coding and compressed frames to be generated by interframe coding.
4. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:
a header information writing unit configured to attach header information about the compression ratio to the compressed subject image,
wherein the recording unit records, in the recording medium, the compressed subject image to which the header information is attached.
5. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising:
a frame resolution changing unit configured to change frame resolution of a subject image to be recorded in the recording medium,
wherein the header information writing unit attaches header information about the frame resolution to the subject image; and
in the super-resolution mode, the frame resolution changing unit changes the frame resolution higher than that of in the non-super resolution shooting mode.
6. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:
a primary storage unit configured to temporarily store a plurality of uncompressed subject images,
wherein when the shooting mode is changed to the super-resolution mode by the shooting mode changing unit, the compression unit compresses, at the lower compression ratio than that of in the non-super-resolution shooting mode, uncompressed subject images obtained before the time at which the shooting mode is changed to the super-resolution shooting mode and temporarily stored in the primary storage unit.
7. An image pickup method comprising:
shooting a moving image;
a compression step of compressing a subject image in the moving image obtained from a moving image shooting unit to generate a compressed subject image;
a shooting mode changing step of allowing a user to change from a super-resolution mode in which images for a super resolution processing generating a super resolution image using images, which is a higher resolution image than each image, are shot, or a non-super resolution mode;
a compression ratio changing step of changing a compression ratio associated with the shooting mode, wherein if the shooting mode is changed from the non-super-resolution mode to the super-resolution mode at the shooting mode changing step, the compression ratio is changed lower than that of the non-super resolution mode; and
a recording step of recording the compressed subject image in a recording medium,
wherein in the super-resolution mode, the shooting mode is changed to the non-super resolution mode automatically based on a predetermined number of images compressed at a low compression ratio being recorded, the predetermined number of images being set by a user so that the shooting mode is changed automatically when the predetermined number of images is reached and the predetermined number being equal to or larger than a number of images necessary to generate the super resolution image by the super resolution processing.
8. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having stored thereon computer-readable instructions for a computer to execute an image pickup method comprising:
a moving image shooting step of shooting a moving image;
a compression step of compressing a subject image in the moving image obtained from a moving image shooting unit to generate a compressed subject image;
a shooting mode changing step of allowing a user to change from a super-resolution mode in which images for a super resolution processing generating a super resolution image using the images, which is a higher resolution image than each image, are shot, or a non-super resolution mode;
a compression ratio changing step of changing a compression ratio associated with the shooting mode, wherein if the shooting mode is changed from the non-super-resolution mode to the super-resolution mode at the shooting mode changing step, the compression ratio is changed lower than that of the non-super resolution mode; and
a recording step of recording the compressed subject image in a recording medium,
wherein in the super-resolution mode, the shooting mode is changed to the non-super resolution mode automatically based on a predetermined number of images compressed at a low compression ratio being recorded, the predetermined number of images being set by a user so that the shooting mode is changed automatically when the predetermined number of images is reached and the predetermined number being equal to or larger than a number of images necessary to generate the super resolution image by the super resolution processing.

1. A method in a network of switches for handling errors, the method comprising:
receiving at a switch a transaction request from an initiator communications device;
transmitting the transaction request through the network to a responding communications device;
receiving at a switch a transaction response from the responding communications device;
transmitting the transaction response through the network to the initiator communications device; and
upon detecting at a switch an error during the transmission of the transaction response, terminating the transmission and transmitting an error message to the initiator communications device from the switch that detected the error rather than notifying the responding communications device that sent the transmission to the switch.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the initiator communications device is responsible for handling the error.
3. The method of claim 2 wherein the handling includes re-transmitting the transaction request.
4. The method of claim 2 wherein the initiator communications device forwards an indication of the error message to an upper layer for handling.
5. The method of claim 4 wherein the upper layer is an application layer.
6. The method of claim 1 including:
upon detecting an error during the transmission of the transaction request, terminating the transmission and transmitting an error message to the initiator communications device.
7. The method of claim 1 wherein the switches, initiator communications device, and the responding communications device are part of a storage area network.
8. The method of claim 1 wherein the responding communications device is a data store device.
9. The method of claim 1 including wherein a switch, upon receiving the error message, preempts transmission of a data packet to transmit the error message.
10. A method in a switch for handling errors in transmissions between a first communications device and a second communications device, the method comprising:
detecting at the switch an error that occurs during transmission of data transmitted by the second communications device and initiated by the first communications device;
identifying at the switch the first communications device that initiated the transmission of the data; and
transmitting an error message from the switch to the first communications device so that the first communications device can handle the error,
wherein the second communications device that transmitted the data to the switch is not notified of the error.
11. The method of claim 10 wherein the identifying includes retrieving an address for the first communications device that initiated the transmission.
12. The method of claim 10 including receiving an error message addressed to the first communications device and transmitting the error message to the first communications device.
13. The method of claim 10 wherein the switch is part of a storage area network.
14. The method of claim 10 wherein the switch does not have logic for handling error messages.
15. The method of claim 10 wherein the error is detected during transmission of a request transmitted from the first communications device to the second communications device.
16. The method of claim 10 wherein the error is detected during transmission of a response transmitted from the second communications device to the first communications device.
17. The method of claim 10 wherein the first communications device handles the error.
18. The method of claim 10 wherein the first communications device initiates the transmission of data by transmitting a request to the second communications device.
19. The method of claim 18 wherein upon receiving the error message, the first communications device re-initiates the transmission of data by re-transmitting the request to the second communications device.
20. A communications device comprising:
a detection component that detects an error during transmission of data from a transmitting communications device;
an identification component that identifies a communications device that initiated the transmission of the data; and
a transmission component that transmits an error message to the identified communications device rather than reporting the error to the transmitting communications device.
21. The communications device of claim 20 wherein identification component identifies the communications device by retrieving an address for the communications device that initiated the transmission.
22. The communications device of claim 20 wherein the communications device is a switch.
23. The communications device of claim 20 including
a receiving component that receives an error message addressed to an initiator communications device and transmits the error message to initiator communications device without handling the error message.
24. The communications device of claim 20 wherein the communications device is part of a storage area network.
25. The communications device of claim 20 wherein the communications node is a data store device.
26. The communications device of claim 20 wherein the communications device does not have logic for handling errors.
27. The communications device of claim 20 wherein the error is detected during transmission of a request transmitted from the identified communications device to a responding communications device.
28. The communications device of claim 20 wherein the error is detected during transmission of a response transmitted from a responding communications device to the identified communications device.
29. A switch comprising:
means for detecting an error that occurs during transmission of data;
means for identifying a first communications device that initiated the transmission of the data; and
means for transmitting an error message to the first communications device so that the first communications device can handle the error rather than transmitting an error message to a second communications device that transmitted the data to the switch.
30. The switch of claim 29 including wherein the means for identifying includes means for retrieving an address for the first communications device that initiated the transmission.
31.The switch of claim 29 including:
means for receiving an error message addressed to the first communications device and transmitting the error message to the first communications device.

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 forming an organic polymer thin film, comprising the steps of: performing an evaporation operation of a plurality of kinds of monomers in a plurality of evaporation source containers in a vacuum state; and
introducing the evaporated plurality of kinds of monomers into a deposition chamber in a vacuum state so as to be polymerized on a surface of at least one substrate disposed in the deposition chamber, thereby performing a vacuum deposition polymerization which is a forming operation of an organic polymer thin film on the surface of the at least one substrate,
wherein each of the plurality of kinds of monomers is introduced into the deposition chamber due to a difference between pressures within each of the plurality of evaporation source containers and the deposition chamber, wherein only the evaporated plurality of kinds of monomers are introduced into the deposition chamber,
wherein each of the plurality of kinds of monomers is present in its evaporation source container of the plurality of evaporation source containers each in a constant amount in a liquid form at least at a beginning of the evaporation operation of the monomers,
wherein the plurality of evaporation source containers and the deposition chamber are connected via control valves, which are opened and closed such that internal pressures in the plurality of evaporation source containers are controlled to be higher than an internal pressure of the deposition chamber,
wherein gate valves are provided in each of the plurality of evaporation source containers, each of the plurality of evaporation source containers are filled with a monomer of the plurality of kinds of monomers while the gate valves are closed, and then the plurality of evaporation source containers are heated so that the plurality of kinds of monomers are evaporated while the gate valves are opened and the control valves are closed until internal pressures within the evaporation source containers reach predetermined values, then the control valves are opened to introduce the evaporated plurality of kinds of monomers into the deposition chamber,
wherein each evaporation source container is a pressure-tight container that is heremetically sealed with a gate valve partitioning the evaporation source container into an upper portion and a lower portion, wherein the lower portion is a liquid storage chamber and the upper portion is a vapor storage chamber with the gate valve therebetween in the evaporation source container, the upper portion connected to the deposition chamber by a single control valve, and each evaporation source container includes a monomer supply mechanism to supply the monomer to the liquid storage chamber of each evaporation source container,
wherein each monomer supply mechanism comprises a heremetically sealed storage tank, an inert gas supply with an inert gas supply tube including an inert gas pressure control valve, connected between the inert gas supply and the storage tank, and a monomer suction tube in communication with a lower portion of the storage tank and the respective liquid storage chamber of the evaporation source container for that monomer with a valve positioned between the liquid storage chamber and the storage tank, and
wherein a space within the storage tank that is not filled with the monomer is filled with the inert gas at a pressure above atmospheric pressure, and when the control valve and the gate valve are closed and the monomer suction tube valve is opened, the monomer is automatically suctioned from the storage tank to the liquid storage chamber due to a difference in pressure.
2. The method of forming an organic polymer thin film according to claim 1, wherein the at least one substrate comprises a plurality of substrates and the vacuum deposition polymerization is repeatedly performed to form the organic polymer thin film on the surface of each of the plurality of substrates that is disposed in the deposition chamber in turn, and
the plurality of kinds of monomers are present in the plurality of evaporation source containers each in a constant amount in a liquid form at the beginning of each of the evaporation operations of the monomers for the repeated vacuum deposition polymerization.
3. The method of forming an organic polymer thin film according to claim 2, wherein each of the plurality of kinds of monomers is intermittently supplied into each of the plurality of evaporation source containers in a liquid form, from the beginning of the evaporation operation of the monomers to end of the forming operation of the organic polymer thin film on a surface of the plurality of substrates, by an amount equal to the amount that is reduced due to the evaporation, thereby allowing the plurality of kinds of monomers in a liquid form to be present in the plurality of evaporation source containers always in a constant amount.
4. The method of forming an organic polymer thin film according to claim 1, the plurality of kinds of monomers are aliphatic diisocyanate and aliphatic diamine.
5. The method of forming an organic polymer thin film according to claim 1, wherein the organic polymer thin film is any one of an aliphatic polyurea film, an aliphatic polyamide film, a polyester film, and a polyurethane film.