Author: claimsbot

What is claimed is:

1. A method for providing a scratch-off game via an electronic communications network, including the steps of:
generating a random set of gaming symbols;
merging said random set of gaming symbols into an image file of a scratch-off game card to create a game card image file;
inserting said game card image file into a scratch-off game web page;
inserting a cover image file into said web page at the same location as said game card image whereby said cover image masks said game card image when said scratch-off game web page is displayed; and
erasing said cover image to expose said game card image by dragging a terminal display cursor over said web page display of said superimposed game card and cove images.
2. A method for providing a scratch-off game as defined by claim 1, including the further steps of:
determining if a player is an authorized player by matching player provided data with a previously collected data file;
evaluating said random set of gaming symbols according to a previously determined criterion; and
awarding a prize when said criterion are met.
3. A method for providing a scratch-off game as defined by claim 2, wherein said step of determining if a player is an authorized player by matching player provided data with a previously collected data file includes the step of determining if said player has completed a transaction with a participating supplier.
4. A method for providing a scratch-off game as defined by claim 2, wherein said step of determining if a player is an authorized player by matching player provided data with a previously collected data file includes the step of determining if said player has been forwarded to said scratch-off game web page by a participating supplier.
5. A method for providing a scratch-off game as defined by claim 4, wherein said step of determining if said player has been forwarded to said scratch-off game web page by a participating supplier includes the step of comparing player provided transaction data with participating supplier transaction data.
6. A method for providing a scratch-off game as defined by claim 2, wherein said step of awarding a prize includes posting a prize credit to said players account.
7. A method for providing a scratch-off game as defined by claim 2, wherein said step of awarding a prize includes shipping a prize premium to said player.
8. A method for providing a scratch-off game as defined by claim 3, wherein said step of awarding a prize includes posting a prize credit to said players account.
9. A method for providing a scratch-off game as defined by claim 3, wherein said step of awarding a prize includes shipping a prize premium to said player.
10. A method for playing a scratch-off game via an interactive communications network, including the steps of:
signaling a game provider of a player’s intent to participate in a scratch-off game:
generating a random set of gaming symbols;
merging said random set of gaming symbols into an image file of a scratch-off game card to create a game card image file;
inserting said game card image file into a scratch-off game web page;
inserting a cover image file into said web page at the same location as said game card image whereby said cover image masks said game card image when said scratch-off game web page is displayed; and
erasing said cover image to expose said game card image by dragging a terminal display cursor over said web page display of said superimposed game card and cove images.
11. A method for playing a scratch-off game as defined by claim 10, including the further steps of:
determining if said player is an authorized player by matching player provided data with a previously collected data file;
evaluating said random set of gaming symbols according to a previously determined criterion; and
awarding a prize when said criterion are met.
12. A method for playing a scratch-off game as defined by claim 11, wherein said step of determining if a player is an authorized player by matching player provided data with a previously collected data file includes the step of determining if said player has completed a transaction with a participating supplier.
13. A method for playing a scratch-off game as defined by claim 11, wherein said step of determining if a player is an authorized player by matching player provided data with a previously collected data file includes the step of determining if said player has been forwarded to said scratch-off game web page by a participating supplier.
14. A method for playing a scratch-off game as defined by claim 13, wherein said step of determining if said player has been forwarded to said scratch-off game web page by a participating supplier includes the step of comparing player provided transaction data with participating supplier transaction data.
15. A method for playing a scratch-off game as defined by claim 11, wherein said step of awarding a prize includes posting a prize credit to said players account.
16. A method for playing a scratch-off game as defined by claim 11, wherein said step of awarding a prize includes shipping a prize premium to said player.
17. A method for playing a scratch-off game as defined by claim 12, wherein said step of awarding a prize includes posting a prize credit to said players account.
18. A method for playing a scratch-off game as defined by claim 12, wherein said step of awarding a prize includes shipping a prize premium to said player.

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 composition comprising yeast, one or more gums and one or more polyhydroxy compounds.
2. The composition of claim 1 wherein the yeast is in the form of cream yeast.
3. The composition in claim where in the yeast is Saccharomyces.
4. The composition of claim 2 wherein the cream is comprised of about 15-24% solids.
5. The composition of claim 2 wherein the gum is present at about 0.03 to about 1% by weight of cream yeast.
6. The composition of claim 5 wherein the gum is selected from the group consisting of carob, tragacanth, Arabic, guar and xanthan gum.
7. The composition of claim 2 wherein the polyhydroxy compound is present at about 1 to 5% by weight of cream yeast.
8. The composition of claim 1 wherein the polyhydroxy compound is selected from the group consisting of glycerol, propylene glycol, non-fermentable monosaccharides, non-fermentable oligosaccharides, non-fermentable sugar alcohols, soluble oligo-carbohydrates, soluble polymeric carbohydrates and polyethylene glycol.
9. The composition of claim 7 wherein the non-fermentable monosaccharide is xylose.
10. The composition of claim 7 wherein the non-fermentable sugar alcohol is selected from the group consisting of mannitol and sorbitol.
11. The composition of claim 7 wherein the polymeric carbohydrate is selected from the group consisting of hydrolysed starch, cellulose and agarose.
12. The composition of claim 1 wherein the yeast is selected from the group comprising high activity yeast, high budding yeast, high nitrogen yeast and high protein yeast.
13. The composition of claim 12 wherein the yeast is high budding yeast.
14. A method of ethanol production comprising directly pitching the composition of claim 1 directly to the production fermentor.
15. A method of ethanol production comprising directly pitching the composition of claim 13 directly to the production fermentor.
16. A liquid composition comprising bacteria, one or more gums and one or more polyhydroxy compounds.
17. The composition of claim 16 wherein the gum is present at about 0.03 to about 1% by weight of the composition.
18. The composition of claim 16 wherein the polyhydroxy compound is present at about 1 to 5% by weight of the composition.
19. A method of fermentation comprising combining the composition of claim 1 with a fermentable substance.
20. A method of fermentation comprising combining the composition of claim 16 with a fermentable substance
21. A method of leavening comprising combining the composition of claim 1 with a dough.

1. A process for the production of an organoaluminum precursor compound represented by the formula
wherein R1, R2, R3 and R4 are the same or different and each represents hydrogen or an alkyl group having from 1 to about 3 carbon atoms, and R5 represents an alkyl group having from 1 to about 3 carbon atoms, which process comprises (i) reacting an organodiamine compound with a base material in the presence of a solvent and under reaction conditions sufficient to produce a first reaction mixture comprising an organodiamine salt compound, (ii) preparing a second reaction mixture by adding an aluminum source compound to said first reaction mixture, (iii) heating the second reaction mixture to reflux for a period of time sufficient to produce a third reaction mixture comprising said organoaluminum precursor compound, and (iv) separating said organoaluminum compound from said third reaction mixture.
2. The process of claim 1 wherein the organoaluminum precursor compound yield is 60% or greater.
3. The process of claim 1 wherein the organodiamine compound is selected from dimethylethylethylenediamine, trimethylethylenediamine, triethylethylenediamine, diethylmethylethylenediamine and dimethylpropylethylenediamine.
4. The process of claim 1 wherein the base material is selected from n-BuLi, t-BuLi, MeLi, NaH and CaH.
5. The process of claim 1 wherein the organodiamine salt compound is selected from lithiated dimethylethylethylenediamine, lithiated trimethylethylenediamine, lithiated triethylethylenediamine, lithiated diethylmethylethylenediamine and lithiated dimethylpropylethylenediamine.
6. The process of claim 1 wherein the aluminum source compound is selected from Me2AlCl, Me2AlBr, Me2AlF, Et2AlCl, EtMeAlCl and iPr2AlCl.
7. A mixture comprising (i) an organoaluminum precursor compound represented by the formula
wherein R1, R2, R3 and R4 are the same or different and each represents hydrogen or an alkyl group having from 1 to about 3 carbon atoms, and R5 represents an alkyl group having from 1 to about 3 carbon atoms, and (ii) one or more different organometallic precursor compounds.
8. The mixture of claim 7 wherein the organoaluminum precursor compound is a liquid at 20\xb0 C.
9. The mixture of claim 7 wherein said one or more other organometallic precursor compounds are selected from a hafnium-containing, tantalum-containing or molybdenum-containing organometallic precursor compound.
10. The mixture of claim 7 wherein R1, R2, R3 and R4 are the same or different and each represents hydrogen, methyl, ethyl, n-propyl or isopropyl, and R5 represents methyl, ethyl, n-propyl or isopropyl.
11. The mixture of claim 7 wherein the organoaluminum precursor compound is selected from dimethylethyl ethylenediamine methylaluminum, trimethyl ethylenediamine dimethylaluminum, triethyl ethylenediamine dimethylaluminum, diethylmethyl ethylenediamine dimethylaluminum, dimethylpropyl ethylenediamine dimethylaluminum, and dimethylethyl ethylenediamine diisopropylaluminum.
12. The process of claim 1 wherein the organoaluminum precursor compound is selected from dimethylethyl ethylenediamine methylaluminum, trimethyl ethylenediamine dimethylaluminum, triethyl ethylenediamine dimethylaluminum, diethylmethyl ethylenediamine dimethylaluminum, dimethylpropyl ethylenediamine dimethylaluminum, and dimethylethyl ethylenediamine diisopropylaluminum.

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 apparatus interconnecting a PC (personal computer) and a flash memory device, comprising:
a control chip including a RAM (random access memory);
a ROM (read only memory); and
a processor,
wherein the control chip is adapted to program the flash memory device as a main firmware stored with compatible configuration codes, an auxiliary firmware stored with programs of data encryption, flash memory device activation, and data compression, and a data storage segment so as to enable the PC to access the flash memory device via the control chip.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the main firmware is located in the flash memory device.
3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the main firmware is located in the control chip.
4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the main firmware is located in the apparatus but externally of the control chip.
5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the main firmware is a PROM (programmable read only memory), an EPROM (erasable programmable read only memory), or an EEPROM (electrically erasable programmable read only memory).
6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the RAM is a static random access memory (SRAM).
7. In an apparatus including a control chip including a RAM (random access memory), a ROM (read only memory), and a processor, a method comprising the steps of:
interconnecting a PC (personal computer) and a flash memory device by means of the apparatus;
causing the PC to detect the connection of the flash memory device;
causing the PC to enable the processor to read programs from the ROM;
causing the processor to execute the programs to read an ID (identification) segment of the flash memory device for obtaining data about type and capacity of the flash memory device;
sending the type and the capacity of the flash memory device back to the PC;
causing the PC to command the processor to program the flash memory device as one including a first memory segment, a second memory segment, and a data storage segment;
causing the PC to send compatible configuration codes representing the type and the capacity of the flash memory device through the control chip to write into the first memory segment in a fixed form to form a main firmware, and send other programs including data encryption, flash memory device activation, and data compression through the control chip to write into the second memory segment in a fixed form to form an auxiliary firmware;
causing the PC to command the control chip to format the data storage segment;
causing the PC to command the processor to read programs from the main firmware and the auxiliary firmware and store a copy in the RAM; and
causing the processor to execute the programs from the RAM for enabling the PC to access the flash memory device.
8. The method of claim 7, wherein the main firmware is located in the flash memory device.
9. The method of claim 7, wherein the main firmware is located in the control chip.
10. The method of claim 7, wherein the main firmware is located in the apparatus but externally of the control chip.
11. The method of claim 7, wherein the main firmware is a PROM (programmable read only memory), an EPROM (erasable programmable read only memory), or an EEPROM (electrically erasable programmable read only memory).
12. The method of claim 7, wherein the RAM is a static random access memory (SRAM).